Smattering of weekend reads

Just a few that caught my attention...

The Times launched a four-part investigative series on abuses of the elderly by "professional conservators," looking at every instance in Southern California between 1997 and 2003 where a court gave away control over a person's life to operators "subject to less state regulation than hairdressers or guide-dog trainers." The first installment of Guardians for Profit led the Sunday paper and reported "in the hands of this new breed of entrepreneur, a system meant to safeguard the elderly and infirm often fails them." The series is by Robin Fields, Evelyn Larrubia and Jack Leonard with photographer Francine Orr.

Times art critic Christopher Knight takes down the conflict-riddled "independent inquiry" of the Getty and Barry Munitz that an LAT editorial had praised: "Not only does this plan not pass the smell test, it's an offense to the olfactory system."

The Daily News led Sunday with a piece saying that "five years after President Bill Clinton pledged billions of dollars to former nuclear employees who got sick from their Cold War-era jobs, just seven of the nearly 600 claims filed by workers at the Santa Susana Field Lab and other local facilities have been compensated." Story is by Kerry Cavanaugh.

Gregory Rodriguez debuted as a regular Sunday columnist in the LAT Current section with a piece arguing the "most profound political division in the country is...baby boomer versus baby boomer." Also in Current, a trio to make liberals shudder about the new Scheer-less Times: Dennis Prager, Cathy Seipp and the pseudonymous "Jack Dunphy," who gave his take on Villaraigosa's new police commission.

Steve Lopez columnizes in the Times on an LAPD lieutenant who was a conservative war hawk all the way until his son-in-law died in Iraq and so much about the aftermath was bungled.

The city Building and Safety department holds fundraisers for charity and accepts donations from the construction industry it supposedly regulates. Not any more, says Mayor Villaraigosa.

Pajamas Media profiles Jane Hall, a former L.A. Times and People magazine writer on its editorial board.


More by Kevin Roderick:
Standing up to Harvey Weinstein
The Media
LA Times gets a top editor with nothing but questions
LA Observed Notes: Harvey Weinstein stripped bare
LA Observed Notes: Photos of the homeless, photos that found homes
Recent stories on LA Observed:
Standing up to Harvey Weinstein
The Media
LA Times gets a top editor with nothing but questions
LA Observed Notes: Harvey Weinstein stripped bare
David Ryu and candidate Mike Fong
LA Observed Notes: Photos of the homeless, photos that found homes
Volleying with Rosie Casals
Lloyd Hamrol
Previous story: GOOOOOOOOAAALL!

Next story: First thing Monday, 11.14.05


 

LA Observed on Twitter