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Thursday, March 14, 2024

California Weakens Plan For Mandatory Cutbacks In Urban Water Use, Yielding To Criticism

California Weakens Plan For Mandatory Cutbacks In Urban Water Use, Yielding To Criticism

By RACHEL BECKER, CALMATTERS

Facing criticism over their ambitious plan to curb urban water use, California’s regulators today weakened the proposed rules — giving water providers more years and flexibility to comply.

Cities and urban water districts welcome the changes to the state’s draft conservation rules, which they said would have been too costly for ratepayers, estimated at $13.5 billion, and too difficult to achieve.

But environmentalists are dismayed by the revisions, which they said won’t save enough water to weather shortages as climate change continues to squeeze supplies.

“It’s really looking like this is a ‘do nothing’ regulation,” said Tracy Quinn, CEO and president of Heal the Bay, a Los Angeles County environmental group. “The updated standards are weak, and the regulation includes semi-truck sized loopholes that make it too easy for water suppliers to shirk their obligation to use water more efficiently.”

Mandated by a package of laws enacted in 2018,

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Saturday, March 9, 2024

LA County Unemployment Rate Rises in January

LA County Unemployment Rate Rises in January

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Los Angeles County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 5.4% in January, up slightly from a revised 5.2% in December, according to figures released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

The 5.4% rate was above the 5% rate from January 2023.

Statewide, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.2% in January, 5.1% in December and 4.5% in January 2023. The comparable figures for the nation were 3.7% in January, 3.7% in December and 3.4% a year ago.

Total nonfarm employment in Los Angeles County decreased by 70,200 positions between December and January to reach more than 4.5 million. The trade, transportation and utilities sector led the way by dropping 20,500 jobs, thanks mainly to the end of the holiday season and drops in retail employment, according to the EDD.

Specific statistics for Pasadena were not broken out in the March 8 report.

In December 2023, the unemployment rate in Pasadena was reported at 4.40%,

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Thursday, March 7, 2024

Roughly 355,500 LA County Ballots Still Need to be Counted from Tuesday’s Election

Roughly 355,500 LA County Ballots Still Need to be Counted from Tuesday’s Election

CITY NEWS SERVICE

An estimated 355,500 ballots from Tuesday’s primary election in Los Angeles County still remain to be tallied, the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office announced late Wednesday afternoon.

The ballots include 345,000 vote-by-mail ballots, 10,000 conditional registration ballots and 500 provisional ballots. The county will also continue to accept ballots received in the mail through March 12, as long as they were postmarked by Tuesday’s election day.

The RR/CC updated election returns Wednesday afternoon, adding 105,717 ballots to the overall tally. A total of 1,016,574 ballots have now been counted, equating to a voter turnout of 17.89%.

Updated vote tallies will be released every weekday through March 19, after which updates will be released on Fridays and Tuesdays until March 29.

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Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Gascón Bound for Runoff in Re-Election Bid for LA County District Attorney

Gascón Bound for Runoff in Re-Election Bid for LA County District Attorney

CITY NEWS SERVICE

District Attorney George Gascón will be heading to a November runoff election in his bid to retain his position. He will likely face Nathan Hochman, a former U.S. assistant attorney general who was the Republican candidate for state attorney general in the 2022 general election.

With neither candidate earning more than 50% of the vote from Tuesday’s primary election, the top two vote-getters advance to the November general election.

Gascón topped the field of 11 challengers as votes were tabulated Tuesday night, with Hochman running a close second and Jonathan Hatami, a child abuse prosecutor in the District Attorney’s Office, in a fading third place.

Gascón was elected in 2020 over incumbent Jackie Lacey because he promised a wave of progressive changes. But he has been under fire since taking office for issuing a series of directives critics have blasted as soft on crime. The directives included a rule against seeking the death penalty,

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Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Barger Preparing for Third, Final Term on LA County Board of Supervisors

Barger Preparing for Third, Final Term on LA County Board of Supervisors

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Pasadena, was preparing for a third and final term Wednesday after besting four challengers in Tuesday’s election.

Barger, who was first elected in 2016 to represent District 5, was challenged in Tuesday’s election by Pasadenan Chris Holden, who has served in the state Assembly since 2012; Perry Goldberg, an attorney and founder of ThriveLA, which promotes farming communities for unhoused veterans; Konstantine Anthony, a member of the Burbank City Council since 2020 and a former mayor; and Marlon Marroquin, a technologist with specialization in international crime analysis.

District 5 covers more than 90 communities, including the cities of Arcadia, Burbank, La Cañada, Palmdale, Santa Clarita, Temple City, along with the unincorporated areas of Agua Dulce, Claremont, Palmdale, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Lakeview Terrace, Sunland, Toluca Lake and Valley Village.

With returns still being tabulated early Wednesday, Barger had well over the 50% margin needed to avoid a November runoff election and reclaim her seat outright.

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Sunday, March 3, 2024

11 Candidates Battling George Gascón to Become LA County’s Top Prosecutor

11 Candidates Battling George Gascón to Become LA County’s Top Prosecutor

CITY NEWS SERVICE

District Attorney George Gascón will face 11 challengers in Tuesday’s primary election, featuring a mix of prosecutors and candidates who say they can offer a more moderate approach to criminal justice reform.

Gascón was elected in 2020 over incumbent Jackie Lacey as he promised a wave of progressive changes. But he has been under fire since taking office by issuing a series of directives critics have blasted as being soft on crime. The directives included a rule against seeking the death penalty, a ban on transferring juvenile defendants to adult court and prohibitions on filing sentencing-enhancements in most cases.

“This campaign is not about me, this is a community movement,” Gascón said last November when he kicked off his reelection campaign. “This is about looking at the criminal justice system of the 21st Century not with a rear-view mirror but looking forward.”

Among the candidates running for his job are five members of Gascón’s office: Jonathan Hatami,

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Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Candidates to Square Off in Altadena for LA County Board of Supervisors-5th District Seat

Candidates to Square Off in Altadena for LA County Board of Supervisors-5th District Seat

The League of Women Voters-Pasadena Area and Neighbors Building a Better Altadena are hosting a candidate forum for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors 5th District seat from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at the Social Hall of Loma Alta Park, located at 3330 N. Lincoln Ave. in Altadena.

Confirmed attendees include candidates Konstantine Anthony, Kathryn Barger, Perry Goldberg, Chris Holden, and Marlon Marroquin, according to Karen Gibson, co-leader of Neighbors Building a Better Altadena.

“The League of Women Voters was handling this part of it and they have confirmation from them all,” Gibson said.

Altadena residents will get an opportunity to engage directly with the candidates and ask questions. The candidates are expected to provide insights into their priorities and platforms.

“The County Board of Supervisors is a really powerful force in Altadena as it is an unincorporated town, so the supervisors are really our most impactful government entity here,” Gibson said.

Parts of the forum may be recorded and posted later on the League of Women Voters website for wider accessibility.

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Friday, February 16, 2024

Average LA County Gas Price Rises for 22nd Consecutive Day

Average LA County Gas Price Rises for 22nd Consecutive Day

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County rose Friday for the 22nd consecutive day, increasing nine-tenths of a cent to $4.806, one day after rising 1.9 cents.

The average price has risen 26.7 cents over the past 22 days, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. The streak of rising prices began one day after the end of a 20-day streak of decreases totaling 21.8 cents that dropped the average price to its lowest amount since Jan. 24, 2023.

The average price is 7.7 cents more than one week ago, 18.9 cents higher than one month ago and 6.3 cents greater than what it was one year ago. It has dropped $1.688 since rising to a record $6.494 on Oct. 5, 2022.

“Southern California refineries are continuing to report planned and unplanned maintenance, which creates supply uncertainty and drives up prices at the pump,”

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Wednesday, February 14, 2024

LA County Board of Supervisors Tentatively OKs New Rules for Short-Term Rentals

LA County Board of Supervisors Tentatively OKs New Rules for Short-Term Rentals

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday tentatively approved a suite of new regulations on short-term rentals located in unincorporated areas.

The board voted unanimously to amend the county code regarding businesses licenses, which regulates short-term rentals. Under the new rules, hosts with Airbnb or Vacation Rentals By Owner, VRBO, will be required to register and pay a fee of $914 on an annual basis.

The county rules also restrict short-term rentals to a host’s primary residence — prohibiting the use of accessory dwelling units, rent-restricted primary residences and vacation rentals for short-term rental use.

Additionally, the regulations place restrictions on the number of guests, length of stay and types of events for short-term rentals. Companies like Airbnb and VRBO would be required to comply with the new regulations, and establish an enforcement and appeals process for customers who fail to abide by the new rules.

The board asked for several minor amendments to the proposal,

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Tuesday, February 13, 2024

L.A. County to Offer Same-Day Valentine’s Day Marriage Licenses, Ceremonies

L.A. County to Offer Same-Day Valentine’s Day Marriage Licenses, Ceremonies

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Amorous couples looking to tie the knot on Valentine’s Day will be able to obtain a marriage license and get hitched all in the same location Wednesday at the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office in Norwalk.

Same-day marriage licensing and civil wedding ceremonies will be offered only at the county clerk’s Norwalk headquarters at 12400 Imperial Highway. The services will be offered from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Appointments are not required, although, to save time, couples are encouraged to fill out an online license application before arriving. The applications are available at https://marriage.lavote.net/mls/.

The county charges $35 for a civil wedding ceremony. A marriage license costs $91, but a confidential license costs just $85.

On Valentine’s Day last year, 140 couples took advantage of the same-day licensing and ceremonies in Norwalk, where about 30 ceremonies are usually performed on a normal day. Another 73 couples were married on Valentine’s Day 2023 at the various registrar-recorder offices across L.A.

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