Consultants

Kevin James, the sole Republican among the main contenders in the Los Angeles mayor's race, raised a little more than $42,000 in the final quarter of 2012, but spent more than four times that amount, largely on high-priced political consultants. James, an attorney and former talk radio host who has never held elected office, spent $178,595 in the fourth quarter, a few thousand shy of top-tier candidate and key rival Wendy Greuel, according to campaign finance documents filed with the City Ethics Commission on Thursday.

An audit of the embattled Los Angeles County assessor's office released late Thursday recommends key changes, including the appointment of a chief deputy with "managerial competence" and the requirement that private tax consultants register with the county. Conducted by Strategica Inc., the audit comes as elected Assessor John Noguez fights accusations that he pocketed $185,000 in bribes from a prominent tax consultant and campaign contributor who requested lower tax appraisals on client properties.

EL PASO -- Receiver Robert Woods will forgo a final season at USC and make himself available for the NFL draft, the junior announced Monday after the Trojans' 21-7 loss to Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl. "It was a hard decision," he said, "but I feel like this was the best decision for me. " Woods caught three passes against Georgia Tech, pushing his USC career record to 252. Woods thanked USC and Coach Lane Kiffin for the opportunities he was afforded. He said he made up his mind to leave before the Sun Bowl after consulting with his family and promising his mother that he would return to graduate.

NEW YORK - Ang Lee, the famously meticulous director of "Life of Pi," originally had planned to hire a survival consultant to infuse the allegorical tale of a boy's oceangoing raft journey with a tiger with a dose of realism. Then he read Steven Callahan's riveting 1986 memoir, "Adrift," detailing his own perilous life-raft adventure in the Atlantic. In Callahan, Ang and screenwriter David Magee saw a guide who understood and could articulate the metaphysical themes they were hoping to explore in the film.

SACRAMENTO - When state officials wanted a computer system to track the cost of therapy, transportation and other services for 240,000 disabled Californians, they hired Deloitte Consulting. After four years, the Department of Developmental Services decided the new system didn't work as needed and canceled the project after paying Deloitte $5.7 million. That same month in 2006, the Department of Industrial Relations hired the New York-based company to computerize its monitoring system for workers' compensation claims.

What do you wear to visit a psychic? I pondered the question as I stood in the mirror, practicing my poker face. Would she see through my Uggs to my mismatched socks? Will she know that I dug these jeans from the bottom of my hamper? I'd made an appointment to meet with the psychic because I'd been worrying over a dream. It featured my late husband and my dead mother, who both passed many years ago and barely knew each other. In the dream, they looked serene. Neither of them spoke.

Hollywood makeup artist Julie Hewett has worked on Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale, just to name a few. Her movie credits include "Hitchcock," "The Artist," "Ocean's Thirteen" and "American Beauty. " And she has her own line of beauty products . This Sunday, she is scheduled to give 30-minute private consultations from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Blushington , the makeup studio at 8591 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. Call (310) 652-5874 to book an appointment.

LONDON -- Internationally known public relations consultant Max Clifford was arrested Thursday by British police investigating cases of sexual abuse. The 69-year-old media guru was the sixth person to be questioned by police in the widening inquiry. Although the police report stated simply that "officers working on Operation Yewtree have this morning, Thursday 6 December, arrested a man in his 60s in connection with the investigation," media reports quoting Clifford's attorney Charlotte Harris named him as the suspect.

The new owner of Variety is laying off nearly 20 employees at the Hollywood trade paper while preparing to cut back on the number of times it prints each week. The layoffs represent about 12% of Variety's 165-person staff and come from departments including circulation, administration, conference planning, and the industry directories "LA411" and "NY411. " No reporters or editors are losing their jobs. "For the past six months we have diligently reviewed every aspect of the Variety business [a]

SACRAMENTO — The state prison agency has canceled a contract with a firm co-owned by a state senator's husband. The decision follows a report by The Times in June that at least a dozen subcontractors — including dentists and pharmacists — said they were owed $120,000 in back payments from two firms co-owned by David Walters. Walters, husband of state Sen. Mimi Walters (R-Laguna Niguel), is an owner of Drug Consultants Inc., a firm that has contracts with the state to provide medical workers for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.