Carmen

For years, prosecutors have used court injunctions to prevent gang members, drug dealers and even graffiti vandals from congregating in certain areas. But now, the L.A. city attorney's office wants to use the powerful legal tool on a decidedly different target: ticket scalpers. City Atty. Carmen Trutanich filed court papers this week asking a judge to bar 17 prolific ticket scalpers from being anywhere near Dodger Stadium, Staples Center, the Nokia Theatre, the Coliseum and USC's Galen Center.

Los Angeles City Atty. Carmen Trutanich finds himself with as much as $112,000 in unpaid bills from his unsuccessful run for district attorney, a situation that could complicate his bid for reelection in March. Trutanich failed to make the runoff in the June election for district attorney, a drubbing that prompted him to seek a second four-year term in office at City Hall. Yet even before he has begun raising money for a new campaign, the city's top lawyer is grappling with a six-figure invoice left over from his countywide campaign, according to a report filed this week with the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder/county clerk.

"Cake Boss"Buddy Valastro might want to stick a rolling pin his mouth - at least when it comes to making transgender jokes. TLC has pulled Monday's episode of the popular reality show set in a New Jersey bakery after Carmen Carrera - a transgender woman who has appeared on"RuPaul's Drag Race" and other shows - vehemently objected to how she was portrayed. Carrera said the producers lured her on to the show under false pretenses, making her believe she'd be a role model for transgendered persons when in fact she was used as part of a homophobic prank.

He far outpaced opponents in fundraising, enjoyed the backing of the political elite and was a battle-tested campaigner considered the favorite in a crowded field of relatively unknown prosecutors vying to become Los Angeles County district attorney. But L.A. City Atty. Carmen Trutanich's polished television ad, dramatic online videos and supportive robocalls from the governor and others were not enough to connect with voters and overcome attacks he faced on the campaign trail. If Wednesday's vote tallies hold, Trutanich would finish third, setting up a historic runoff election between two veteran L.A. County prosecutors — Jackie Lacey, the chief deputy district attorney, and Alan Jackson, a supervisor in the office's major crimes division.

Veteran prosecutor Jackie Lacey led in early voting returns Tuesday in her bid to become Los Angeles County's first African American and first female district attorney, with Deputy Dist. Atty. Alan Jackson and Los Angeles City Atty. Carmen Trutanich competing for a place in a November runoff. Lacey's strong showing was somewhat of a surprise in an election in which Trutanich was widely viewed as the favorite to become the county's top prosecutor. The early count included mail-in ballots turned in before election day and more than a third of precincts reporting from votes cast at the polls.

So what's the deal with Carmen Trutanich, anyway? Is he the goofy but dangerous loose cannon, power-hungry crazy man that so many former supporters love to hate? Or is he the reform-oriented outsider who, in his own description, made a few high-profile missteps in his first few months because he was unfamiliar with the culture of City Hall, and then settled down to be a solid administrator of an office that dispenses sound advice to city leaders and prosecutes dangerous criminals and nuisance violators?

If your destination is Bratislava, be prepared for a few questions: Is that in Eastern Europe? (No, it's in Central Europe.) Capital of Slovenia, right? (Uh, no.) Where is that? (The last question courtesy of a Customs employee at LAX.) Until recently, my schooling on all things Bratislavan occurred during a 20-minute stop on a train traveling from Prague, Czech Republic, to Budapest, Hungary, almost a decade ago. Several travelers boarded; a few disembarked. Some of them flashed passports, suggesting that we had stopped in a different country, in a major European city about which I knew … nothing.

In a new escalation of the controversy over Los Angeles Fire Department response times, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's top lawyer accused the city attorney's office Thursday of improperly advising fire officials to keep some performance data secret. Brian Currey, the mayor's chief counsel, accused City Atty. Carmen Trutanich's office of blocking the release of detailed data showing how quickly firefighters arrive at emergencies. Among other things, Currey complained that the city's lawyers warned fire officials that they could face criminal charges for disclosing information that has been routinely distributed in the past, including the locations of emergencies.

A candidate in the race to become Los Angeles County's top prosecutor has filed a lawsuit to prevent L.A. City Atty. Carmen Trutanich from calling himself "chief prosecutor" or "chief criminal prosecutor" on the June ballot. In the suit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday, Alan Jay Jackson accused Trutanich of using the "factually untrue, confusing and misleading" descriptions as part of an effort to fool voters into believing he has authority "beyond the bounds" of Los Angeles' city limits.

The race to become Los Angeles County's top prosecutor took final shape Wednesday in what promises to be an election dogfight, with one candidate announcing plans to sue to prevent L.A. City Atty. Carmen Trutanich from calling himself "chief prosecutor" on the June ballot. With Wednesday's deadline up for would-be district attorney candidates, the field is set for Trutanich and five county prosecutors to battle for the chance to run the most powerful office in the county's criminal justice system — one responsible for prosecuting roughly 60,000 felony cases a year, including murders, rapes and robberies.