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Maven's Morning Coffee: LAFD recruitment, DWP billing problems, a delay for the Calderon brothers
Good morning, readers. Welcome to the Maven's Morning Coffee -- a listing of the important headlines, news conferences, votes and announcements you need to know to fuel up and tackle your day.
Today is Friday, Jan. 23 and here is what's happening in Southern California politics:
Headlines
A study from RAND Corporation says the LAFD must overhaul its recruitment process if it wants a more diverse force, reports KPCC. "It means reassessing the qualifications that we have for people wanting to join the fire department," according to a spokesman for Mayor Eric Garcetti.
The Department of Water and Power's billing problems have now led to two class action lawsuits, reports the Daily News. For more than a year, the utility's new billing system led to inflated bills and outrageous hold times when users called customer service. "We have been very forthright about the problems with our new customer billing system and we have taken significant steps to fix them," said a DWP spokesman.
Maven's Morning Coffee: Improvements at LAX, political aides in Orange County, fiscal oversight for Riverside
Good morning, readers. Welcome to the Maven's Morning Coffee -- a listing of the important headlines, news conferences, votes and announcements you need to know to fuel up and tackle your day.
The Maven's Morning Coffee is also available as a daily email. Click here to subscribe.
Today is Thursday, Jan. 22 and here is what's happening in Southern California politics:
Headlines
Businessweek sat down with Mayor Eric Garcetti to talk about his leadership style. "Sometimes people mistake ‘grand vision’ for whether or not you pick fights. I’m willing to fight. I’m not going to pick fights unnecessarily and mistake that for a vision. People should never think that the details aren’t part of a grander plan," Garcetti said.
The L.A. City Council approved a $961 million contract that will cover a quarter of LAX's modernization plan, reports the Daily News. "There is not one of us who haven’t been embarrassed by what we see at LAX," said Councilman Mike Bonin. "Today, we destroy those myths."
Maven's Morning Coffee: LA's agreement with the Owens Valley, billboards for council members, new contribution limits in Long Beach
Good morning, readers. Welcome to the Maven's Morning Coffee -- a listing of the important headlines, news conferences, votes and announcements you need to know to fuel up and tackle your day.
The Maven's Morning Coffee is also available as a daily email. Click here to subscribe.
Today is Wednesday, Jan. 21 and here is what's happening in Southern California politics:
Headlines
The New York Times looks at Los Angeles' long history with the Owens Valley. "In what may be the most startling development yet, the end of one of the great water battles in the West appears at hand: Instead of flooding the lake bed with nearly 25 billion gallons of Los Angeles water every year to hold the dust in place — the expensive and drought-defying stopgap solution that had been in place — engineers have begun to methodically till about 50 square miles of the lake bed, which will serve as the primary weapon to control dust in the valley," according to the piece.
Maven's Morning Coffee: Influencing City Hall, protest at the ports, what is an infrastructure district?
Good morning, readers. Welcome to the Maven's Morning Coffee -- a listing of the important headlines, news conferences, votes and announcements you need to know to fuel up and tackle your day.
The Maven's Morning Coffee is also available as a daily email. Click here to subscribe.
Today is Tuesday, Jan. 20 and here is what's happening in Southern California politics:
Headlines
In Rick Orlov's Tipoff column, Mayor Eric Garcetti heads to Washington, D.C., Controller Ron Galperin advocates for an app, and a former city clerk says "no thanks" to moving city elections.
The Los Angeles Times considers how special interest groups and regular Angelenos can influence the L.A. City Council. "At City Hall, where personal relationships and high-powered lobbying frequently carry the day, some groups work quietly and politely behind the scenes to achieve their goals. Others, however, favor loud protests and public shaming, saying it's the only way to seriously move the needle," according to the newspaper.
4 Los Angeles residents to sit with Michelle Obama for president's speech
Four Southern Californians will be sitting with First Lady Michelle Obama as the president gives his State of the Union address Tuesday.
It's a tradition for presidents to place local heroes and citizens with compelling personal stories in the First Lady's box in the visitor's gallery.
These four from the Los Angeles area may attract some camera time as the president touches on themes of jobs, the improving economy, technology and public safety.
- LeDaya Epps of Compton completed a tough training program to get a job building the new Crenshaw/LAX light rail line.
- Teacher Katrice Mubiru introduced the president at L.A. Trade Tech College in July after writing him about the importance of tech skills.
- LAPD Captain Phillip Tingirides and Prophet Walker, an ex-con turned construction engineer and political candidate, teamed up in a collaboration of police and residents that aims to build trust between the community and law enforcement in the Watts area.
