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Extra extra! Bad news Tuesday
Rising star Martin Ludlow is stepping down from his post as the head of the Los Angeles Federation of Labor after an investigation that seems to have found campaign spending improprieties in his 2003 bid for the LA City Council. Apparently he illegally used union funds to support his campaign work. He may be asked to pay more than a quarter million in fines and restitution for using about $53,000 inappropriately.
The LA AFLCIO website still features Ludlow's response to Bush's State of the Union: Empty Promises.
Michael Morales committed a horrible murder. He's the death row inmate whose execution was postponed around 2am when the anesthesiologists who'd been called in to make sure his death was not cruel said they could not do what was expected of them without raising serious questions of medical ethics. Morales is scheduled to be executed tonight at 7:30pm; because the state will use baributates only, instead of a trio of drugs, his death could take 45 minutes instead of the standard 11. Our tax dollars at work.
Photo by Mel B via Flickr
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Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
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