Riordan Seeds Clouds of Change Over City Hall RICH CONNELL, This story was reported by Times staff writers Rich Connell, Greg Krikorian, Marc Lacey and Ted Rohrlich. It was written by Connell
Freedom Rider : A black cowboy plans to join in celebrating 'Juneteenth,'--the day in 1865 that slaves in Texas were freed. VIRGIL GRIFFIN, On June 19, 1865, Gen. Gordon Granger announced the Emancipation Proclamation to the slaves in Texas, two years after slaves were freed elsewhere. Speculation as to the reasons for the delay has ranged from poor communication to landowners wanting to squeeze out more harvests. June 19 became known as "Juneteenth," and has been a Texas state holiday since 1980. The day is a time for celebration among African - Americans nationwide. Virgil Griffin, a deputy assessor for Los Angeles County, is a Texas transplant and horseman. He was interviewed by Donna Mungen. and
Stubborn Subtenant Refuses to Move Out KEVIN POSTEMA, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES; Postema is the editor of Apartment Age magazine, a publication of AAGLA, an apartment owners' service group
Get the Financing Before You Buy Home GREG LUMSDEN, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES; Lumsden is executive vice president for retail lending for Countrywide Funding Corp
L.A.'s Middle Class Captures City Hall JOEL KOTKIN, Joel Kotkin, a contributing editor to Opinion, is a senior fellow at the Center for the New West and business-trends analyst for Fox News. He is the author of "Tribes: How Race, Religion and Identity Determine Success in the New Global Economy" (Random House)