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Rocky goes negative, the NFL seems poised to decide on Los Angeles, dropping the ball in Sacramento, yet another twist in the Ferrari Enzo saga, a corrupt local pol goes back to prison—and look who's blogging about the Coachella music festival. All that and even more after the jump...
♦ Going negative: What do you do when you are 41 points down to Jerry Brown? If you are City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, you use your first-ever statewide TV buy to hit Brown—who calls himself pro-choice—as a closet abortion opponent. From Erin Park in today's Los Angeles Daily Journal:
Democratic consultant Rick Taylor, who is unaligned in this race, said in his 35 years in the business, he's never seen anything like it. He speculated Delgadillo's campaign is trying to play catch-up with Brown, whose 37-year political career has given him a huge edge in name recognition. "When you have a long way to go against a very well-known public official, you have to go out there and try to redefine him to the public quickly," Taylor said. Another Democratic consultant, Kam Kuwata, who also is unaligned, was skeptical of Delgadillo's strategy.
♦ Tagliabue speaks: Time for the NFL to make a decision on Los Angeles, the commissioner says. See yesterday's post on proposed Coliseum redesign.
♦ Anybody home?: From today's Daily News: "A bill that would reduce Los Angeles' influence on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board sailed through a legislative committee Tuesday after nobody from L.A. City Hall showed up to oppose it."
♦ Grand Avenue: Mayor Villaraigosa says there is no deal to waive the city's 14% bed tax to induce a hotel to open in the proposed Grand Avenue skyscraper.
♦ New Ferrari Enzo twist: The .357 magnum Smith and Wesson confiscated at the home of Ferrari crasher Stefan Eriksson was registered to an adviser to Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona. What next—Paris Hilton was riding shotgun when the Ferrari crashed at 160 miles an hour?
♦ Hipper LAT I: The Times explains Xenii parties in this morning's Column One by David Pierson—"pronounced x-ee-nee, a Latin word meaning a gift from a host to a guest."
It's perhaps the ultimate expression of hype in Hollywood's overheated night scene. It costs men between $650 and $4,500 a month for membership — and that's only after passing a screening process that requires references and employment information. For women, memberships start at $250 a month, but they represent only 10% of Xenii's 575 paying subscribers. The most expensive memberships offer a variety of perks, including priority access to events, reserved tables, valet parking, backstage passes to concerts and extra guest passes to Xenii. "We've created a community. Like a modern-day Gatsby," [says founder Rob Perry.]
♦ Hipper LAT II: LATimes.com is running a blog about the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Kevin Bronson writes it: "Perhaps because I've seen 33 of the acts...or quite possibly because I'm the only guy around with a MySpace page — the bosses have asked me to author a running commentary on this weekend's Big Festival."
♦ Left turn arrows: Why it will take four years to add 450 of them to Los Angeles street corners—it's more complicated than you might think:
Fisher said it typically takes two months and costs about $18,000. A new arrow usually involves installing a bigger, heavier pole that requires a deeper foundation. It also requires a longer mast arm so that the left-turn signal reaches nearer the left-turn lane. Workers often must also dig trenches in the roadway to install new electrical conduits and detectors that sense when several cars are waiting to turn left. These detectors trigger today's "smart" signals to flash a green arrow when four or five cars are queued up. The process requires a procession of pole setters, trenching contractors and conduit installers. "If you've ever remodeled your house, you know how it is to have to schedule this person, then that person, and there's some dead time in between," Fisher said.
♦ Appeal denied: R. Keith McDonald, son of Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, reported back to Lompoc federal prison to complete his 41-month sentence for political corruption. He used to serve on the West Basin Municipal Water District board.
♦ Ya think?: Twice now, husbands of Lawndale High School teacher Lomita hairdresser Sonia Rios Risken have been killed while visiting the Philippines. One happened nineteen years ago, one this month. In both cases, the men planned to divorce Risken when they returned home. The FBI sees cause to investigate... (Risken's second husband was the high school teacher; she denies any involvement in the deaths, by the way.)
♦ No more #8: Kobe Bryant notified the NBA he will wear #24 next season.
♦ Beware the Riptide: How did I miss that Major League Lacrosse has come to Los Angeles in the form of the L.A. Riptide, and that the whole league is run by Jake "Body by Jake" Steinfeld?
♦ Ducks manhandled: They lose and are down 2-1 in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
♦ Milken Conference panel: Rise of Citizen Journalists, with Rafat Ali of Paid Content.org, Jonathan Weber of New West.net, David Sifry of Technorati and Dean Rotbart of Newsroom Confidential.