Daily Breeze back issues from July 2008:
Former mayors in recall election
Jul 01, 2008; ... Two former mayors have taken out papers to run as replacementcandidates in the Carson recall election that seeks to oust MayorJim Dear from office this fall. Gil Smith, who was one of the city's original councilmen 40 yearsago, has long been considered a favorite of the recall ...
Police turning to text tipsters
Jul 01, 2008; ... For years, the LAPD has received crime tips from nervous callershoping to remain anonymous as they fumble through intimidatingquestions with police tip-takers. But in a bid to get more young people to come forward withinformation to help snare criminals, the department could join ...
Bikers leave a bad taste in San Pedro
Jul 01, 2008; ... "Born to be wild" wasn't a theme that resonated very well withSan Pedro residents this weekend when a motorcycle club - laterinvolved in a shooting near Carson - converged on a local park andmade several streets impassable. Complaints ranged from noise to rowdiness as the Rare ...
MB recycles bag debate
Jul 01, 2008; ... RELATED LINKS: * » How to make your own grocery bags * » Where to buy grocery bags The Manhattan Beach City Council tonight will again considerbanning plastic bags in town, ...
Dockworker negotiations continuing
Jul 01, 2008; ... A contract is not likely to be signed today between West Coastshippers and the union representing some 26,000 dockworkers, butnegotiations are expected to continue running smoothly. Both sides acknowledged that talks will likely continue pasttoday's deadline as they try to hammer ...
Teen tunes up
Jul 01, 2008; ... » See video of Jessica. Torrance resident Jessica Lombard regularly gigs in Los Angeles,singing her own compositions while playing keyboard. She has a big-time New York manager, who also handles major labelrock band Morningwood. Jessica just recorded her debut ...
Two killed, one wounded in Lomita shooting
Jul 01, 2008; ... Two men were killed and a teenager was wounded early today when adispute escalated into gunfire outside a Lomita apartment building,deputies said The shooting in the 25900 block of Narbonne Avenue occurred justafter midnight. Authorities have identified the homicide victims ...
Power plant tax fight settled
Jul 01, 2008; ... The city of Redondo Beach has settled its high-stakes tax fightwith the AES power plant and a partner energy company, putting anend to three years of litigation and mounting legal costs. The five City Council members - only one of whom held office whenthe battle began in late 2004 ...
Playa Vista has new Fox den
Jul 01, 2008; ... Playa Vista will welcome 2,000 employees from Fox InteractiveMedia next spring - the largest tenant yet for the community'sgrowing commercial campus. Lincoln Property Co. and ASB Real Estate Investments, which in2006 unveiled plans for 820,000 square feet of offices on roughly ...
Wednesday's Letters to the Editor
Jul 01, 2008 ... Lieu ignores speculators Regarding Friday's letter to the editor titled "Lieu: no offshoredrilling," I respectfully disagree with Assemblyman Lieu's assertionthat offshore oil drilling in California and other coastal stateswould "have no effect whatsoever on current gas ...
Roads get a little safer
Jul 01, 2008 ... Starting this month, if you talk on your cell phone while drivingwithout using some sort of hands-free device, you could face a $20fine. If you get stopped again, you might face a $50 fine, plusadditional fees that would more than triple the penalty. Indeed, when you figure in the ...
Carmakers shifting gears
Jul 01, 2008 ... The pain felt by American motorists at the pump translated intomigraines for Detroit and Tokyo this week as car companies releasedfigures on car and truck sales. Skyrocketing fuel prices have sent more people to mass transitacross the nation. In the Los Angeles area, average ...
Two men killed in Lomita shooting
Jul 01, 2008; ... Two men were killed and a teenager was wounded early Tuesday whena dispute escalated into gunfire inside a Lomita apartment,sheriff's deputies said. The shooting in the 25900 block of Narbonne Avenue occurred justafter midnight. Authorities identified the homicide victims as ...
Search for deals and save money
Jul 01, 2008; ... NEW YORK - Given all the recent economic malaise, there's a goodchance you're trying to lower your spending. One way to do that is to cut back. Another way is to spendsmarter. Are you doing everything you can to make sure you'regetting the best price? From Consumer Reports ...
Mail theft suspects flee across town
Jul 01, 2008; ... Two men suspected of robbing a mail carrier Tuesday in ManhattanBeach and leading a high-speed chase across the South Bay werecaptured in Rancho Palos Verdes, where police dogs took bites out ofboth of them. A third suspect eluded capture during the four-hour search thatinvolved ...
Port labor talks into overtime
Jul 02, 2008; ... West Coast shippers and the union representing 26,000 dockworkerswalked away from the bargaining table Tuesday without reaching acontract, but the missed deadline will not deter amicablenegotiations, according to officials on both sides. Although a deadline extension was not ...
Fireworks buyers take governor's plea lightly
Jul 02, 2008; ... Rather than heeding Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plea forCalifornians to forgo legal fireworks this year, many localresidents out shopping for pyrotechnics Tuesday were irritated athis suggestion. ''It's crazy. Lunatic. We can't have any fun anymore, can we?''said a Marina del ...
Gang tax plan moves forward
Jul 02, 2008; ... Councilwoman Janice Hahn's plan to impose a parcel tax on everyproperty in Los Angeles to pay for gang prevention and interventionprograms moved ahead Tuesday. The City Council asked that legal language be drafted for aballot measure seeking approval of the tax, which would raise ...
My Turn: Take no chances with health
Jul 02, 2008; ... I live in Torrance and for some occasional entertainment I play alottery called the Daily 3 game. For the past several years I'vebeen somewhat successful, winning up to $12,000. One day at work, a co-worker who heard about my winnings asked meto teach her how to play. After ...
Scofflaw drivers ring up fines
Jul 02, 2008; ... Talk isn't cheap anymore, but even the possibility of a finedidn't stop many South Bay residents from putting their cell phonesto their ears Tuesday, the first day of a law that prohibits thepopular practice. In Gardena, police issued 20 to 25 tickets, mostly to drivers whosaid ...
Alondra Park improvements
Jul 02, 2008 ... Q: Alondra Park improvements Can you bring me up to date on construction plans for AlondraPark? I see that they have not filled in the swimming pool.- MELCZARNOWSKI Torrance Designs for the $19 million improvement project at Alondra Parkhave been completed, but construction ...
Manhattan Beach becomes first South Bay city to ban plastic bags
Jul 02, 2008; ... The Manhattan Beach City Council unanimously banned plastic bagsin town Tuesday, becoming the first South Bay city to outlaw thesynthetic sacks despite a strong lawsuit threat from an industrylobbying group. Under the ban, grocery stores, food vendors, pharmacies and ...
Man arrested in LAX bomb threat
Jul 02, 2008; ... A man claiming to be a terrorist was arrested Wednesday aftertelling authorities that he had bomb hidden in a backpack at LosAngeles International Airport, causing flight delays and massivetraffic jams. The man, whose name was not immediately released, was standingoutside the Tom ...
SUV, bus collide in Hawthorne; 7 hurt
Jul 02, 2008; ... Seven people were injured Tuesday when a bus collided with asport utility vehicle in Hawthorne. None of the injuries was serious, police said, but the crashcaused the SUV to roll over. "An MTA bus on Imperial Highway was crossing the intersection atInglewood Avenue when it ...
Leona Helmsley wanted her $8 billion to go to the dogs
Jul 02, 2008 ... NEW YORK (AP)- Animal welfare groups must be panting: LeonaHelmsley reportedly directed that her fortune - up to $8 billion -be used for the care and welfare of dogs. The New York Times reported Wednesday that the bequest wasincluded in a so-called mission statement for the estate ...
Fresh faces on Torrance council
Jul 02, 2008; ... Three new Torrance City Council members - and one incumbent whowon a new term - were sworn in Tuesday, while three departed thepanel. Outgoing were Paul Nowatka, Hope Witkowsky and Gene Drevno. Incoming were Pat Furey, Susan Rhilinger, Cliff Numark andincumbent Gene Barnett, ...
Thursday's Letters to the Editor
Jul 02, 2008 ... Bike noise irks resident For a number of years, motorcycle riders from various clubs cometo the city of Carson to attend rallies. These clubs and theirmembers are welcome to our city if they observe all laws andordinances. They usually meet in or around Carson once a year ...
Alondra Park improvements
Jul 02, 2008 ... Q: Alondra Park improvements Can you bring me up to date on construction plans for AlondraPark? I see that they have not filled in the swimming pool. - MEL CZARNOWSKI Torrance Designs for the $19 million improvement project at Alondra Parkhave been ...
South Bay Yesterday: Man's flying stunt elevated him to legend
Jul 02, 2008; ... Daily Breeze, March 21, 2004 -- Larry Walters has become thestuff of Internet legend and the subject of a musical for a sillystunt. That's exactly the way he wanted to be remembered. The 33-year-old truck driver from North Hollywood bought 42weather balloons at an Army surplus ...
Fresh & Easy opens in Manhattan Beach
Jul 02, 2008; ... Green balloons, local dignitaries and a line of customersstretching out the door Wednesday ushered the opening of the SouthBay's first Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market. The grocery store, at 1700 Rosecrans Ave. in Manhattan Beach, wasthe 62nd store opening in the U.S. since its ...
Enjoy a work-free staycation
Jul 02, 2008; ... Tomorrow is July Fourth, or Independence Day. For most people,that means a day off work and, because it falls on a Friday, a three-day weekend. In the past, the day marked a mad dash to the airport or pilinginto the family car for a short vacation. But with airfares rising ...
A mixed celebration
Jul 02, 2008 ... Only a few days after a pronouncement by UCLA economicforecasters that we're not in a recession comes a report fromChapman University in Orange County saying that oh, yes we are. Wecelebrated too early. Economic forecasters at Chapman said last week that at a locallevel we are ...
The last, best hope
Jul 02, 2008 ... Antonio Villaraigosa's first three years of his four-year mayoralterm have been OK. Not terrible, not fantastic.Like other municipal leaders, he has some pluses and some minusesby his name so far. He's appointed a much-needed gang czar (whohasn't made much of an impact yet), and ...
Bomb threat snarls LAX
Jul 02, 2008; ... ]A 27-year-old man who claimed to be terrorist and threatened toset off explosives at Los Angeles International Airport faces afelony charge of making a false bomb threat, authorities saidThursday. Scott Juhun Lee of Irvine was arrested after telling an airportpolice officer that ...
Father, son had sought new life
Jul 02, 2008; ... A father and son shot at a Lomita apartment this week had packeda truck for a planned move to Texas, a relative said Wednesday. Jamie Aguallo Sr., 50, who was killed, and his 18-year-old son,Jamie Ray, were looking for a fresh start, said Aguallo's sister,Desiree Montoya ....
All the world's a stage - and a classroom
Jul 02, 2008; ... Jim Bell is what you might call actorly. Aside from the fact thathe is a handsome, rangy, 6-plus-footer with bushy white eyebrows whocut his teeth on the "Dr. Kildare" television series back in theearly 1960s, there are these other ineffable qualities. For starters he doesn't ...
Manhattan Beach City Council is the first in South Bay to ban plastic sacks
Jul 02, 2008; ... Despite looming litigation from an industry lobbying group, theManhattan Beach City Council unanimously banned plastic bags intown, becoming the first South Bay community to pass such aprohibition. After the ban goes into effect in August, food vendors,pharmacies and city ...
June 28 fireworks display
Jul 02, 2008 ... Q: June 28 fireworks display What was the fireworks about 9:40 p.m. June 28 for about 15 to 20 minutes? Were they practicing? Aspecial organization? Will there still be a display on July Fourth?I did not see any mention in the Breeze. - IRENE RUSS Rolling ...
Teens' hit-run injuries recalled
Jul 02, 2008; ... A Los Angeles police detective's voice cracked with emotionWednesday as he listed the injuries a teenage girl suffered from ahit-and-run collision in Wilmington. Kelsey Fukuda, now 14, is paralyzed on her right side, has verylittle movement on her left, can't talk and opens her ...
TACOS FOR TRUCKERS
Jul 02, 2008 ... The Port of Los Angeles gave away free tacos Wednesday to abouttwo dozen truckers and port workers who signed up for the federalTransportation Worker Identification Credential. The Tacos for TWIC event was meant to advertise the fact that athird enrollment site opened last week on ...
Wong bribery trial begins
Jul 02, 2008; ... In the highest-profile case to come out of City Hall "pay-to-play" corruption investigations in the administration of formerMayor James Hahn, prosecutors Wednesday detailed their allegationsthat former commissioner Leland Wong exchanged his influence for a$100,000 bribe from a company ...
L.A. city layoffs down to just four
Jul 02, 2008; ... Despite dire warnings that Los Angeles city workers would facelayoffs to balance a severe budget deficit, just four workers couldpotentially lose their jobs. In March, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa held a news conference tosay he was going to eliminate 767 city jobs - more than 1 ...
Gregory J. Wilcox: Night in L.A. in Ford's new Flex
Jul 03, 2008 ... ROLLING: Hip commercials spotlight automaker's crossover. Ford Motor Co.'s ad campaign for its new Flex vehicle is titled"CPR for the Dead of Night" - an edgy slogan for a series of avant-garde commercials spotlighting the seven-passenger crossover. Ford plans to shoot five ...
Friday's Letters to the Editor
Jul 03, 2008 ... Pull together in gas crisis Letter writer Al Mendoza brings up some good points about thiscountry's ability to "pull together" and "rise to the occasion" intimes of crisis ("Lieu is wrong on drilling," Wednesday). Ourefforts to regear the country's economy during World War II ...
Muhammed El-Hasan: Cigar lounge isn't merely about smoke
Jul 03, 2008 ... Nine years ago I came home smelling of smoke after havingreported on a fast-moving, devastating forest fire. The other day, I again came home smelling of smoke, but this timethe experience was slow-moving and laid back. I had spent nearly twohours at Tobacco Leaf, a San Pedro ...
Readers side with tattooed firefighters
Jul 03, 2008 ... Today we publish reader responses to our Question of the Week:"Some city of L.A. firefighters are up in arms about a new policyrequiring them to cover up their tatoos most of the day. Will thisrule promote professionalism or is it overkill?" Overkill: Tattoos are a personal choice ...
Celebrating our freedoms
Jul 03, 2008 ... Alas, that includes the exercise of political apathy. Readers of the Editorial page are regularly greeted by editorialsdenouncing the results of recent elections. Not the outcome, mindyou, but the turnout. For the most part, Southern Californians don't bother to vote.And ...
Park rules rile Blue Star Mothers
Jul 03, 2008; ... For years, children visiting Torrance's Wilson Park on the Fourthof July have enjoyed writing postcards to American troops, mailed byvolunteers whose own children are on active duty. This Independence Day, however, the group that sends the letterswill not host its annual booth at ...
LAX Hilton challenges city's 'living wage' ordinance
Jul 02, 2008; ... Legal wrangling over a city ordinance requiring that LAX-areahotel employees be paid a "living wage" continued Tuesday when oneof the hotels filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of the law,which is scheduled to take effect Saturday. The city ordinance requires that hotels near ...
Business Briefs
Jul 02, 2008; ... SKECHERS USA New headquarters opens in China Skechers USA, the Manhattan Beach-based maker of trendy shoes,opened a new showroom and office facility in Guangzhou, China. The 215,000-square-foot site will serve as the new headquartersof Skechers' China operation. The ...
Ralphs recalling ground beef
Jul 02, 2008; ... Ralphs customers who purchased ground-beef products with sell-bydates from May 21 through today should return the packages after TheKroger Co. expanded a voluntary recall prompted by an E.colioutbreak in the Midwest. The announcement was made Wednesday by Kroger, which ...
Boeing Engineer is found guilty
Jul 02, 2008; ... A former Boeing engineer pleaded guilty Wednesday to takingclassified defense documents from his employer's El Segundo plant tohis home in Valley Village. Abraham Lesnik, 62, who specialized in aircraft anti-missilesystems for Boeing, pleaded guilty to one felony count ...
Court OKs aborted fetus photos at RPV school
Jul 02, 2008; ... An anti-abortion group's free speech rights were violated whentwo associates were forced to move a mobile display of enlargedphotos of early term aborted fetuses away from a Rancho Palos Verdesmiddle school campus, a federal appellate panel ruled Wednesday. The Center for ...
South Bay Briefs
Jul 02, 2008; ... MANHATTAN BEACH Robbery suspect still at large A third man wanted in the holdup of a letter carrier in ManhattanBeach remained at large Wednesday. Investigators released no new details of the case. The man was one of three who fled from a pickup Tuesday in ...
Man to be tried in LAX threat
Jul 03, 2008; ... A 27-year-old man who claimed to be a terrorist and threatened toset off explosives at Los Angeles International Airport faces afelony charge of making a false bomb threat, authorities saidThursday. Scott Juhun Lee of Irvine was arrested after telling an airportpolice officer ...
Have a restrained Fourth
Jul 03, 2008 ... This is a bad year for fireworks. Before setting off the fireworks today in the back yard or in thepark or off the balcony or in the middle of the street, consider afew important facts: So much of California is currently being consumed by raging firesfrom one end of the ...
Marie Callender's to keep baking at RPV address
Jul 03, 2008; ... It may have been a tempest in a pie tin, but the drama over apossible move by a Marie Callender's Restaurant into downtown SanPedro has finally been resolved - the restaurant is staying putwhere it's been since 1971, at Western Avenue and Trudie Drive. "We've signed a new 10-year ...
LITTLE MISS AMERICA
Jul 04, 2008; ... Baby Samantha is clearly dazzled by the colorful array of fuzzysqueaker toys hanging on the wall before her. Born 16 months ago in Guatemala, Samantha is learning fast abouther new home, spending her days in her adoptive parents' Harbor Citypet store. She giggles with ...
John Bogert: Rediscovering the meaning of the Fourth
Jul 04, 2008 ... What isn't there to love about the Fourth of July? There's theheat, beer, fireworks, block parties, the barbecue. I rank theFourth a close second to Thanksgiving, another fantasticnoncommercial day that shoves aside idiot partisan politics andfoaming nationalism and brings to mind a ...
Delta to cut ties with ExpressJet
Jul 03, 2008; ... Delta will drop its relationship with ExpressJet beginning Sept.1, resulting in a loss of service between Los Angeles InternationalAirport and more than a dozen other cities, officials announcedThursday. ExpressJet/Delta Connection currently offers 41 daily departuresfrom LAX to ...
Peninsula lawyer targets gun laws
Jul 04, 2008; ... He helped fight for victory in the U.S. Supreme Court, whichoverturned a handgun ban in Washington, D.C.. Now Palos VerdesPeninsula resident and gun-rights lawyer Chuck Michel is taking aimat cities with similar firearms prohibitions. It's been an explosive couple of weeks for gun ...
Insurance fine wasn't enforced
Jul 04, 2008 ... California regulators admitted Thursday that for more than a yearthey didn't even try to enforce a million-dollar fine against healthinsurer Anthem Blue Cross because they feared they would beoutgunned in court. In early 2007, the Department of Managed Health Care pledged tofine ...
Real freedom flows from faith
Jul 03, 2008; ... Years ago I was in a fast-food restaurant and heard a man ask fora cup of water. He was informed that it would cost 10 cents.Frustrated, he muttered, half to himself, "I thought this was a freecountry!" Somehow he had interpreted freedom to mean he should begiven a free cup with water in ...
Disabled students have a passion for performing
Jul 03, 2008; ... By Carley Dryden The crowds part for actor Luke Zimmerman as he's chauffeuredthrough the packed rooms of an acting studio hidden along MarketStreet in Inglewood. The three adults leading him through the packpat his back and ask him if he's still exhausted. He spent the ...
Fat Face Fenner's Fishack
Jul 03, 2008; ... By Merrill Shindler Down below on Pier Avenue, where the traffic comes to an end andthe walking street begins, the crowds are in full cry. They're notexactly a howling mob, though the occasional yowl rises through theair.Pier Avenue is a beach street in full, with a dress ...