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Mayor Villaraigosa's compromise deal on the schools gets a lot of attention in the Morning Buzz, naturally. There's a lot more, of course. Click on the Buzz to enter the inner sanctum.
Win or loss?
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa faced strong opposition to his ambitious call to take over the Los Angeles Unified School District—a venture that has dominated his first year in office, to the detriment of other issues. So on Wednesday he retreated, but he comes home with the beginnings of a political deal that could put him at the table. Supt. Roy Romer, the Board of Education and unions other than the teachers vowed to continue fighting the compromise. News stories and reaction:
• Mayor's op-ed in LAT: "I didn't get everything I wanted...but it's a great deal for our kids."
• News coverage: "Significant sway [but] short of the total takeover he had sought." (L.A. Times); "Gives him greater say but falls short of the reform he had sought." (Daily News); "Inching closer to a milestone victory that has eluded every reformer since Ronald Reagan was governor (Daily Breeze).
• Times editorial: "This is reform?...Ill-advised plan that cedes too much to teachers unions, offers too little to students and relies too much on the mayor's talent for consensus."
Quote of the day is from Villaraigosa: "I didn't run to be king of Los Angeles." Some others:
• "I said from the beginning this wasn't about mayoral control. This was about accountability. This was about a partnership." — Mayor Villaraigosa.
• "This could be a historic chance if we do the right thing." — A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers Los Angeles.
• "If different groups have different power, it's not clear who's in charge. It could set up a lot of conflict." — Michael Kirst, Stanford professor.
• "It was important to him to get something in writing, not only in terms of his political career, but in terms of being able to come home without looking like he had been defeated." — political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe.
• "My real concern here is that this is a deal that was struck in Sacramento by union guys and city officials and legislators, without having any parents from the LAUSD ever involved in the discussion. No citizens, no taxpayers, no guys on the street." — Scott Folsom, president of the Los Angeles 10th District Parent, Teacher, Student Association.
• "This could be a historic chance if we do the right thing." — A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers Los Angeles.
• "If different groups have different power, it's not clear who's in charge. It could set up a lot of conflict." — Michael Kirst, Stanford professor.
• "It was important to him to get something in writing, not only in terms of his political career, but in terms of being able to come home without looking like he had been defeated." — political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe.
• "My real concern here is that this is a deal that was struck in Sacramento by union guys and city officials and legislators, without having any parents from the LAUSD ever involved in the discussion. No citizens, no taxpayers, no guys on the street." — Scott Folsom, president of the Los Angeles 10th District Parent, Teacher, Student Association.
Sheriff's drones grounded
Turns out that Sheriff Lee Baca forgot to get the FAA's approval before flying unmanned surveillance aircraft across the skies of Los Angeles County. Now the feds are peeved and there is an investigation.
Jesus returns to Carson
Carson mayor Jim Dear had a revelation and will allow Christian pastors to open meetings of the City Council by praying to Jesus.
"Jesus is back, by order of the mayor," Dear said in an interview Wednesday.
Identity theft ring
Customers of customers of Cafe Verona in Los Angeles, T.G.I. Friday's in Ladera Heights and the Cheesecake Factory in Thousand Oaks were targeted.
Santa Monica jet set
Turbulence about the airport's growing number of jets is getting more, well, turbulent.
Indoor air pollution
Chemical exposure at Jefferson High in South Los Angeles is bad and strikingly similar to what teens see in New York City, a study finds.
L.A. Emmy nominations
Here's the full list from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences out in North Hollywood. That's 143 nominations in 46 categories. Stan Freberg will receive the Governor's Award at the dinner on August 12.
Smart Tribune story
Thomas Unterman secretly brokered the sale of Times Mirror without the knowledge of then-CEO Mark Willes or Otis Chandler. According to the New York Times, he is now the behind the scenes advocate of the Chandler family's recent hard line with the Tribune Company. Unterman is described as a savvy corporate lawyer turned venture capitalist who does the best for his clients. They let him off easy, though, over the tax-avoidance gambit that backfired and has cost Tribune nearly a billion dollars (pending appeal.) Also: The Chicago Tribune carries a deeper story about Unterman's deal record.
Just to close the loop...
Given my previous posts about T Bone Burnett, here's Natalie Nichols' review of his show in the LAT Calendar section.
U.S. vs. Ghana, 6:30 am PDT
The Americans have to win to advance in the World Cup tournament. Even then, they might be eliminated depending on what Italy does against the Czech Republic.
Los Angeles Film Festival
It runs for eleven days in and around Westwood Village. Mayor Villaraigosa cuts the ribbon to kick it off at the Village Theatre at 6:30 pm.
L.A. Fiction issue of Black Clock
Francesca Lia Block, Susan Straight, Lisa Teasley, Alan Rifkin and Yxta Maya Murray read from their stories in the new issue at Skylight Books in Los Feliz at 7:30 pm.
Mick Farren
The CityBeat columnist and band member of the Deviants will be performing at Tequila Mockingbird's Club Fluffer at Zen Sushi on Hyperion Avenue.
Viola Elder
The mother of KABC talk show host Larry Elder died at age 81. She made frequent appearances on her son's show.
© 2003-2009 • About LA Observed • Email the editor
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| Recycling!
| And there's still time to take part!
| Searching for answers after a third loss this year.
| Jihad and cash offers meet American soldiers during the Gulf War, and beyond.
| After a tough year financially, the Museum of Contemporary Art put on a gala party to celebrate with 1,000 of its closest friends.
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