Tag "Eric Garcetti"
Back to homepageVenice Beach proposal roils topless debate
Inspired by a recent resurgence in partial nudity as a women’s rights issue, the Venice Neighborhood Council in Los Angeles recommended that topless sunbathing be permitted. In decades past, fully nude beachgoing had been tolerated. In a 12-2 vote, the VNC
Read MoreL.A. mayor’s State of City address skips economic woes
In January 2014, a blue-ribbon commission created at the behest of Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson presented the council with a report titled “A Time for Truth” — a hugely downbeat account of the economic decline of the
Read MoreCA Senate wades into police videotaping controversy
Faced with mounting criticism over civil liberties abuses, lawmakers in Sacramento greenlit a so-called clarification of Californians’ right to videotape and photograph police officers on the job. Senate Bill 411, introduced by state Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, protects the practice so long
Read MoreTax break could help quake-proof buildings
Governments use tax breaks to encourage activity. In California, that includes driving electric vehicles and making movies. Now a 30 percent tax break might be given to those retrofitting older buildings to make them quake-proof. Assembly Bill 428 is by
Read MorePols’ 2010 gas tax swap made road woes worse
It’s become an annual ritual: Stories about the State Board of Equalization announcing it is raising or cutting the state excise tax on gasoline come July 1 to honor the fine print of a 2010 budget deal that requires gas
Read MoreL.A. could consolidate elections
Los Angeles is considering holding its local elections at the same time as national ones. According to the L.A. Times, “Charter Amendments 1 and 2 would consolidate city and school board contests with state and federal elections starting in 2020.
Read MoreLos Angeles books higher hotel minimum wage
If critics are right, room service in Los Angeles hotels could descend to that of the Bates Motel. Yesterday the City Council passed a $15.37 minimum wage for non-unionized employees of large hotels in Los Angeles. Breitbart News reported city observers generally recognized the
Read MoreGarcetti shows why minimum wage kills jobs
In backing a higher minimum wage for his city, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti inadvertently explained how it would kill jobs. From the Times: “Garcetti pitched his plan to gradually boost the minimum wage across the city, critics argued that
Read MoreCA Senate pushes $400M Hollywood tax credits
A California Senate committee wants to quadruple the entertainment industry subsidies keeping production in Hollywood. With a unanimous vote, the appropriations committee passed a $300 million increase in tax credits for film and television, bringing the size of the controversial program
Read MoreMinimum wage activists set sights on L.A.
The concerted push for higher minimum wages in California has spread from the East Bay to Los Angeles. On the heels of a recently approved $15 minimum wage in Seattle, advocates for dramatically increased hourly wages sensed an opportunity to select
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