Consultants

It is a creature of political life, the unofficial "kitchen cabinet" whose members offer advice and wield hidden influence by virtue of their proximity to power. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the circle that has gathered around him are no exception.

The National Institutes of Health has temporarily suspended a federal contractor that had been reviewing the health dangers of chemicals for the government while also working for the chemical industry. In addition, the NIH will convene a new advisory panel to investigate all toxicology program contracts for conflicts of interest and report back by July 1. For eight years, Sciences International, an Alexandria, Va.

The Phil Spector murder trial began in earnest Monday with defense lawyers trying to identify jurors who have not been swayed by years of news coverage of the 2003 shooting of actress Lana Clarkson. In the first day of jury selection, Spector attorney Bruce Cutler told the pool of prospective panelists that the publicity included "deleterious and dangerous rumors," and said jurors must not presume that Spector murdered Clarkson just because she was found dead in his home.

The Los Angeles Housing Department has paid thousands of dollars to a Zen Buddhist priest from Hawaii for management training that includes teaching breathing with sphincter control, learning "how to stand" and playing with wooden sticks. Norma Wong, a former Hawaii state legislator and leadership consultant, has been paid $18,819 since 2005 to conduct at least four training sessions for executives and other staff. The most recent one was last week.

The Los Angeles Unified School District has limited the authority of one of its senior-level construction managers to supervise consultants that he supplies to the district through his side firm after a Times article exposed the practice.

During the 2004 presidential campaign, the radical way for candidates to reach young voters in college dormitories was to appear on "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart." This time around, some candidates have gone straight to the dorm rooms. Not just any room, but Room 325, a single on the third floor of a red-brick residence hall at Georgetown University here.

Undisclosed conflicts of interest by pension consultants could be taking a bite out of your retirement plan. In a report released Thursday, the Government Accountability Office said such conflicts appeared to drive down annual returns for traditional pension plans by 1.3% a year. Pension consultants advise pension plans on a range of matters, such as investment goals, where to allocate assets and whom to use as money managers.

Two veteran news executives, two political conservatives and a technology expert were appointed Wednesday to address editorial disputes that top Wall Street Journal editors might have with future boss Rupert Murdoch. The panel was named as part of the official announcement that Murdoch's News Corp. would buy the Journal's publisher, Dow Jones & Co.

Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick said Wednesday she has hired a former aide to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as a $250-per-hour management consultant to advise her on policies, audits and news releases. Carlsbad resident Marcus Allen, who spent two years as Villaraigosa's No. 2 policy advisor, will receive up to $85,000 per year as a consultant on such issues as the effectiveness of the city's anti-gang programs.

A prominent political consultant for the state Senate Republicans agreed to resign after reports surfaced that he had made a threatening phone call to Gov. Eliot Spitzer's father. Roger Stone denied making the call, saying he had been "set up." Republican Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno said in Albany that Stone was still asked to resign because the allegations could "only serve as a distraction from the real issues." Bruno and Spitzer have been at odds for months.