Hazing Settlement Vetoed; Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About...L.A. City Government; Public Outcry Quashes O.J. Book; Gay L.A.; Remembering Robert Altman
Hazing Settlement Vetoed
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has vetoed a $2.7 million settlement the City Council awarded to a black firefighter who said he suffered racial harassment after co-workers served him spaghetti laced with dog food. The mayor said he wanted the council to reconsider its decision in light of photographs recently posted on a web site showing the firefighter, Tennie Pierce, engaged in hazing pranks. Larry speaks with Genie Harrison, the lawyer representing Pierce, as well as City Council members Dennis Zine and Bill Rosendahl.
Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About...L.A. City Government
Everything about L.A. city government, from who fixes potholes to how to run for City Council, can be found in Raphe Sonenshein's new edition of Los Angeles: Structure of a City Government (The League of Women Voters). Larry talks with Cal State Fullerton Professor Sonenshein about his new and expanded version of the book, which was first published by the League of Women Voters in 1964. It includes sections on departments, commissions and agencies that didn't exist prior to the passage of the 2000 city charter.
The book is available to the public at no charge; however, shipping and handling fees may apply. To request a copy, visit the League of Women Voters website, or call (213)368-1616. Because demand is expected to exceed supply, requests will be reviewed and prioritized on a case-by-case basis, with preference given to city departments, neighborhood councils, commissions, libraries, schools, community groups whose work focuses on civic participation, and individuals with an interest in Los Angeles.
Public Outcry Quashes O.J. Book
Rebellion by Fox TV affiliates, coupled with resistance from ad buyers, prompted Rupert Murdoch's News Corp to abandon plans both to publish Simpson's forthcoming book If I Did It, and to air a two-part interview with Simpson. The book was to be published by ReganBooks, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, which like the Fox network is owned by News Corp. Larry discusses the implications within the publishing and bookselling industries with book publicist Kim Dower and David Ulin, Book Editor of the Los Angeles Times Book Review.
Gay L.A.
The City of Angels is home to one of the most influential gay cultures in the world. In their new book Gay L.A., Lillian Faderman and Stuart Timmons combine broad historical scope with stories of real people, from Hollywood sound stages to the barrio, to chart Los Angeles' unique gay history. Larry talks with Timmons about how geography, economic opportunity, and a constant influx of new arrivals created a city that was more compatible to gay life than any other in America.
Remembering Robert Altman
Robert Altman, the fiercely independent director of iconoclastic films like MASH, Nashville and The Player, died last night at the age of 81. Altman, who made a career out of bucking Hollywood management and story conventions, often employed huge ensemble casts, encouraged improvisation and overlapping dialogue and filmed scenes in long tracking shots. He received a lifetime achievement Oscar earlier this year. Scott Foundas, Film Editor for the LA Weekly and critic for FilmWeek, shares his memories of Altman.