Results tagged “attorneygeneral”

In a major switch from the Bush Administration, Attorney General Eric Holder in a memo today told agencies in 14 states to stop prioritizing raids and cases against those who comply with state medical marijuana laws. It's not a good use of time, the three-page legal memo said, urging that criminals should be the focus of any efforts.

Attorney Jerry Brown tomorrow plans to announce a lawsuit filing against "a Los Angeles based investment adviser who directed hundreds of millions of dollars in clients' investments to Bernard Madoff, while actively concealing the link between the two," according to an advisory. "For decades, this investment adviser claimed to use a proprietary strategy to generate 20 to 25 percent returns. In reality, the high returns were a product of Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme. For his so-called investment expertise, the adviser pocketed over $270 million in fees, charging investors 25 percent fees on profits."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's mayor's chief ethics officer and legal advisor, Thomas A. Saenz, has been tapped to head up the U.S. Department of Justice's civil rights division: "'I don't think the president or attorney general could make a better selection,' said Mark Rosenbaum, legal director of the ACLU of Southern California. 'He's a throwback to the great civil rights attorney pioneers, like Thurgood Marshall.'" (via Daily Journal per LA Observed).

President-Elect Barack Obama Offered and Eric H. Holder Jr. has accepted. If he passes further investigation, Holder will be the "the first African-American to serve as the nation’s top law enforcement official," the New York Times said earlier today when correctly speculating this afternoon's job offer. "Holder, who was No. 2 in the Justice Department under President Bill Clinton, is a partner at Covington & Burling in Washington, and was co-director of Obama's vice presidential selection team," says MarketWatch. "Holder has been a prosecutor, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, and a D.C. Superior Court judge..

California Attorney General Jerry Brown today urged the California Supreme Court to review and resolve the Prop 8 cases "promptly." Brown, who believes that same-sex marriages performed between June 17 and November 4, 2008 remain valid and will be upheld by the Court, sides with Prop 8's opposition. However, whatever the outcome of the court will be, Brown is not interested in any temporary solutions: “the public interest would be best served not by issuing a temporary stay, but by an expedited resolution of the important issues raised by the petitions.”

It's been more than 10 days since California Attorney General Jerry Brown ruled on the official ballot language for Proposition 8. It simply states that, if a majority of voters say yes, it "Changes California Constitution to eliminate right of same-sex couples to marry. Provides that only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

“This lawsuit was more about politics than the law. The court properly dismissed it,” California Attorney General Brown said today about a lawsuit challenge about the language that will appear on November's ballot over gay marriage. A judge today dismissed the challenge and said the language is fine. Proponents of Prop 8 wanted the prop to be described as a limit on marriage, but after gay marriage was legalized in June, the Brown changed it to reflect just that: "Changes California Constitution to eliminate right of same-sex couples to marry. Provides that only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

California Attorney General Jerry Brown is all about crime fighting. The former Governor (and possible future Governor again) is in Los Angeles today after 30 plus search and arrest warrants were executed in South Los Angeles locations as part of an ongoing gang enforcement operation in the City of Compton. Why is the state getting involved in a local matter? "State agents crack down on local gang operations when the violence reaches a level that makes local containment difficult, if not impossible," a press release announcing this afternoon's press conference explains.

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who rode into office on the high horse of morality after years of spearing Wall Street robber barrons as the attorney general, has been linked to a prostitiution ring that has operated in Los Angeles.

Today, our great state filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency over the Bush administration's opinion that states cannot set emission standards.

The EPA denied California a waiver that it needs under the federal Clean Air Act to move forward with regulating greenhouse gas emissions from new cars and light trucks. At least 16 other states had been expected to follow California's lead and adopt the state's tougher emission limits. [CBS2/AP]

... secondary sellers like Stubhub.com and TicketsNow are now facing the heat. The state of Missouri is suing the professional scalpers and the states of Arkansas and Pennsylvania are both looking into consumer complaints about music fans not being able to purchase tickets to shows on Ticketmaster, even at the minute and second they go on sale. Within minutes, the sought-after tickets can be found on other sites with jacked up prices, sometimes ten times...

April 2007 -- Gonzales says, "I don't recall" 72 times at Senate hearing It's Friday! And it's also the final day on the job for Bush-tushy-wipin', habeas corpus trashin', eavesdroppin', worst-AG-ever Alberto Gonzales. Nicknamed "Fredo" by the Commander in Disbelief either because his name is kinda like Alfredo, or perhaps after the weakest Corleone in The Godfather, Gonzales became a Bush Yes-man in the mid-'90s. Gonzales' crimes accomplishments are many. He assisted in obfuscating...

Photo at Universal Studios by nopantsxris via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr

Today the worst president ever got to share his thoughts on the worst AG ever, and the lies seethed out like snakes from Medusa's slithery scalp. This morning Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced that he will leave the Department of Justice after two and a half years of service to the department. Al Gonzales is a man of integrity, decency and principle, and I have reluctantly accepted his resignation with great appreciation for the...

Photo by Eric Richardson of Blogdowntown. Zach Behrens also contributed to this report.

Even when you are an dishonest person, a tiny bit of honesty can go a long way. LA City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo could have avoided a week of scrutiny if he only told the truth a week and a half ago when asked by reporters if his wife was using his city-assigned vehicle when it was damaged and paid for by the taxpayers. Instead, he avoided questions for a simple answer until the LA Times...

• The Atwater Village Newbie's wife, Mrs. Newbie, wins the Atwater Village Street Fair cookie contest - AVN • Al Sharpton met with Sheriff Lee Baca today regarding Paris Hilton - Fox 11 • Former Fox 11 TV reporter / LAPD sergeant Rod Bernsen cleared of accusations that he touched two 12-year-old boys in a hot tub - LA Times • Deadly auto accident on the PCH near the Ventura County line claims one...

For a guy who got famous because of a Monica, Matt Drudge sure seems uncomfortable about saying anything about Monica Goodling who continues to add to the case that the Attorney General of the United States lied under oath to Congress in testimony that has "the hearing room generally falling silent on Goodling's every word." What is Drudge deciding to send his millions of clickers to instead of the big news of the day?...

As fall settles in and another calendar page gets turned, thoughts turn from bbq's and vacations to holidays and the realization that '06 is coming to an end. With all that going on, with change in the air, we wonder what is it that made that makes the -ists ponder? Phillyist is concerned that the war on Trans fats could affect it's beloved cheese steak sandwiches, something for which we should all be concerned....

This has been a rough week for your -ist pals, though you wouldn't know it from the great posts all over the network. Plagued with server problems, our tech team (led by the great Neil Epstein) toiled around the clock to solve the glitches as they arose. Seriously, we've said, typed, and thought the phrase "server problems" more in the past week than we have for the last 35 years combined. Why not say it a few more times, just for fun? For example, SFist is sure the San Francisco Chronicle wishes they could blame server problems for this error. But this San Francisco man that appeared on "The Daily Show" is, sadly, no glitch in the system.

pissed police - LAPD Chief Bratton is furious over Assembly Bill 1882, which would transfer some airport security duties from the LAPD to the LAX police. But when making his official statement, he tried to be nice, avoiding calling LAX police fumbling idiots. "Why would you trust the security of a major terrorist target to a police force that is made up of many qualified people, but whose training, capabilities and hiring procedures are not up to that of the Los Angeles Police Department?"

sign of the times - Long time Los Angeles signmaker Wayne Heath has died at age 87. Among his innovative, glorious creations are the Felix Chevrolet sign at Figueroa and Jefferson and the signage at the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas.

Everyone who's ever sat fuming at a big gas-guzzling SUV now has the company of California Attorney General Bill Lockyer. California and nine other states are suing the Bush administration over mileage rules for sport utility vehicles and light trucks. The decision is actually made in the Department of Transportation, run by Norman Mineta, but that's in the Executive Branch, so he was appointed by and reports to Bush.

Daniel Olivas is a writer and Deputy Attorney General with the California Department of Justice in Los Angeles. He was the lead counsel representing the California Coastal Commission and the State Coastal Conservancy in litigation regarding coastal access to the beach in front of David Geffen's property in Malibu.

There's a reason that when you flip through the radio stations, it's the same junk all along the spectrum, and it's not that everyone else really does love Celine Dion. Sony BMG has agreed to stop giving payola (bribes) to radio stations and DJs, under pressure from New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Yes, he has documentation that people were given trips to Las Vegas in exchange for playing Celine Dion songs. Anyone surprised? Yeah, OK.

Daniel A. Olivas is an LA-based writer who has been described as "a master folk-teller," "enthralling" and "adept at establishing character." Is it a surprise that he has a day job as an attorney? Maybe not so much when you consider one of his titles: Devil Talk.

Last week Olivas was apparently silver-tongued, winning a long fight on behalf of the Coastal Commission in securing a right-of-way to the beach next to David Geffen's house. On top of losing the battle, Geffen has agreed to pay about $300,000 in expenses to the California attorney general's office and a nonprofit group; for years they'd been in the courts arguing Geffen should provide the beach access he had agreed to back in 1983 when he did some major home improvement.

With any luck, riff-raff like us should be able to stride down the Geffen easement to the Pacific by Memorial Day. Hopefully Geffen will forget Olvias' name around then, too.

When previously undeveloped areas undergo development, predators (wolves, coyotes) are often pushed out. But what happens when you chase the wolves out of town? You end up with rabbits. Lots and lots of rabbits.

The Academy Award Nominations were announced this morning and with it brought a special gift: a free peek into Calendar Live for the article. It's been so long since we've actually seen the news website, we'd forgotten what it looked like. Apparently they have a section called The Envelope which covers all the entertainment industry awards ceremonies. Free Calendar Live! Free Calendar Live!