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AM news: Burke retires, kids shot, commute and crummy polls

LA County Supervisor Yvonne Braithwaite Burke will retire after 40 years in politics. She was the first African-American woman elected to the California State Assembly. While there will be many heartfelt farewells for the 73-year-old, more interesting will be the race for her seat. The 5-member Board of Supervisors controls the pursestrings for the County and is vastly powerful; so far, Mark Ridley Thomas, Herb Wesson and Bernard Parks are rumored to be possible successors.
On Tuesday, Burke led the Supervisors in looking into a grim figure: 23 children were shot and killed while in foster care last year. Some were victims of gang violence directed at their caretakers, others had become involved in gangs themselves. The Interagency Gang Task Force has been instructed to figure out what went wrong, and see how to make it right.
How long did it take you to get to work this morning? If you said 29.2 minutes, you have a perfectly average commute. But in three other California counties it would have taken you longer, according to a report released yesterday by the Public Policy Institute of California.
Gosh, could Bush's popularity rating suck? Because suddenly he's decided it's time to get Bin Laden again.
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After rising for years, the number of residential installations in the city of Los Angeles began to drop in 2023. The city isn’t subject to recent changes in state incentives, but other factors may be contributing to the decline.
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The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs.
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Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
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The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
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If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
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The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.