Councilman Jose Huizar

A month ago, attorney Roberto Saldaña looked like a shoo-in to run the Historic Downtown Los Angeles Business Improvement District, a little-known group of property owners that pays extra taxes for such services as having sidewalks cleaned and litter picked up. The group's board of directors voted unanimously to make Saldaña, 34, its executive director. Its chairman, Boris Mayzels, described Saldaña as "by far the most qualified" for the job. Not long after they made their decision, however, Councilman Jose Huizar got involved, board members and business leaders said.

The once-a-decade ritual to redraw Los Angeles City Council district lines has become an increasingly messy and acrimonious bit of political theater as lawmakers and community groups jockey for favored positions. Councilman Bernard C. Parks is seething over what he said was a four-letter epithet directed his way by the executive director of the Redistricting Commission, a former aide and close ally of rival lawmaker and Council President Herb Wesson. Tongues also were wagging last week about a widely circulated email that said downtowners had "a deal" to speak out in favor of a map sought by Councilman Jose Huizar in exchange for a funding meeting with a top Huizar aide.

The question of red-light cameras in Los Angeles was transformed Wednesday from a knotty policy issue into a full-blown summer saga, with the City Council hopelessly deadlocked and debate expected to drag on for weeks. During the council's third discussion of the program in six days, neither side gained ground. After a chaotic flurry of votes, during which two council members said they had accidentally voted the wrong way, neither side had a majority and the matter was sent to Councilman Bernard C. Parks' budget committee.

A month ago, attorney Roberto Saldaña looked like a shoo-in to run the Historic Downtown Los Angeles Business Improvement District, a little-known group of property owners that pays extra taxes for such services as having sidewalks cleaned and litter picked up. The group's board of directors voted unanimously to make Saldaña, 34, its executive director. Its chairman, Boris Mayzels, described Saldaña as "by far the most qualified" for the job. Not long after they made their decision, however, Councilman Jose Huizar got involved, board members and business leaders said.

Ray Regalado has watched the bitter political contest between Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar and businessman Rudy Martinez with disappointment, but not surprise. "It's a dirty race," said Regalado, 58, a physical therapist from El Sereno. "But it's what you come to expect in the 14th District. " The district straddles a diverse swath of the Eastside that includes the bustling streets of Boyle Heights, the laid-back cafes of Eagle Rock and the pricey hillside homes of Mount Washington.

The City Council voted Wednesday to place new restrictions on development in the hillside neighborhoods of El Sereno, Hermon, Lincoln Heights and Monterey Hills. Councilman Jose Huizar, who represents part of northeast Los Angeles, said the zoning changes would preserve the character of hillside neighborhoods while addressing fire safety. The measures establish new limits on building height, retaining wall height and the square footage of new hillside construction projects, as well as the amount of dirt that can be removed.

The Los Angeles City Council delivered a jolt to the civic establishment last week, doing what some thought was unthinkable: demanding the elimination of 4,000 public jobs. The vote took many in City Hall by surprise. Yet the seeds were planted months ago by a soft-spoken bureaucrat hired to help the city out of its financial sinkhole. Since his arrival last summer, City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana has persistently pressed city leaders to embrace a series of unpleasant budget-cutting proposals.

The Los Angeles City Council decided Wednesday to prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries next to residences, but rejected a proposal to keep them at least 500 feet away, which would have drastically limited the available locations. The council, however, put off a vote on the last contentious issue until Tuesday, when it will decide whether dispensaries must be 500 feet or 1,000 feet from so-called sensitive uses, such as schools, parks and religious institutions. After a monthlong hiatus from the issue, the council had been expected to vote on the ordinance Wednesday.

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday postponed a vote on a medical marijuana ordinance, with members saying they needed time to study numerous proposed amendments. But council members, who will return to the measure Tuesday, pressed for a quick end to a drawn-out deliberation that has unfolded as hundreds of dispensaries opened. "I think that we need to act relatively quickly," said council President Eric Garcetti. "We need some protection in there now to improve what's out there.

The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to settle a lawsuit over a contested 24-home subdivision planned for El Sereno, agreeing to buy the property for $9 million so it can be converted into a park. The developers of the property, Monterey Hills Investors, sued the city last year after the council demanded a new environmental review of the project, planned for a site known as Elephant Hill. Councilman Jose Huizar said the city would borrow money in the short term to pay for the 19-acre site.

The question of red-light cameras in Los Angeles was transformed Wednesday from a knotty policy issue into a full-blown summer saga, with the City Council hopelessly deadlocked and debate expected to drag on for weeks. During the council's third discussion of the program in six days, neither side gained ground. After a chaotic flurry of votes, during which two council members said they had accidentally voted the wrong way, neither side had a majority and the matter was sent to Councilman Bernard C. Parks' budget committee.

Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar came out Thursday against a $2-billion proposal to raze nearly 1,200 apartments in Boyle Heights and replace them with shops, offices and new homes — some of them in high-rises as tall as 24 stories. Appearing with tenant activists and historic preservationists, Huizar said he would fight efforts by Miami-based Fifteen Group to demolish the Wyvernwood apartments, which house an estimated 6,000 residents in 153 buildings. Fifteen Group is preparing an environmental impact report on its project, which would cover the 70-acre campus with 4,400 apartments and condominiums.

When The Times endorsed Rudy Martinez in the contentious 14th Council District election and I followed up with a column about Martinez a few days later, a consultant for incumbent Councilman Jose Huizar chewed on my ear. It was only fair, he argued, that if I spent a day with Martinez, I should do the same with Huizar. Given that the 14th is one of L.A.'s most interesting districts and the race there has been the most heated in the spring council election, I agreed. Then something ominous happened: The two candidates, appearing at a forum on Feb. 8, promised to lay off negative campaigning.

Ray Regalado has watched the bitter political contest between Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar and businessman Rudy Martinez with disappointment, but not surprise. "It's a dirty race," said Regalado, 58, a physical therapist from El Sereno. "But it's what you come to expect in the 14th District. " The district straddles a diverse swath of the Eastside that includes the bustling streets of Boyle Heights, the laid-back cafes of Eagle Rock and the pricey hillside homes of Mount Washington.

The acrimonious race between Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar and onetime friend Rudy Martinez took an unusual turn Monday when the challenger said federal agents had questioned him about some of Huizar's private business dealings. Martinez said FBI agents interviewed him roughly six months ago about various issues, including repairs that he arranged for Huizar in 2006 and 2007 at a rental house owned by the councilman and his wife. FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said former Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alatorre resigned in 1999 after prosecutors conducted an investigation into roof repairs at his home.

Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar sent an e-mail to his reelection supporters Tuesday defending his office's use of lists that graded civic leaders numerically on their level of support for him. One day after The Times reported on the lists, which assessed police officers, church pastors, high school cheer squad advisors and others within his district, Huizar said the practice was done by a "former staff member" and simply helped him...

The Los Angeles City Ethics Commission voted Tuesday to issue nearly $15,000 in fines against Councilman Jose Huizar, after investigators determined that he had improperly used a fundraising committee to conduct political research on former school board member David Tokofsky. Huizar has created two legal defense funds, which allow him to collect private contributions to pay the fines.

When The Times endorsed Rudy Martinez in the contentious 14th Council District election and I followed up with a column about Martinez a few days later, a consultant for incumbent Councilman Jose Huizar chewed on my ear. It was only fair, he argued, that if I spent a day with Martinez, I should do the same with Huizar. Given that the 14th is one of L.A.'s most interesting districts and the race there has been the most heated in the spring council election, I agreed. Then something ominous happened: The two candidates, appearing at a forum on Feb. 8, promised to lay off negative campaigning.

The Los Angeles City Council delivered a jolt to the civic establishment last week, doing what some thought was unthinkable: demanding the elimination of 4,000 public jobs. The vote took many in City Hall by surprise. Yet the seeds were planted months ago by a soft-spoken bureaucrat hired to help the city out of its financial sinkhole. Since his arrival last summer, City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana has persistently pressed city leaders to embrace a series of unpleasant budget-cutting proposals.

The drive to slash spending at Los Angeles City Hall is starting to crumble, as a growing number of City Council members waver in the face of angry constituents, disgruntled community groups and powerful union leaders. With a vote scheduled Wednesday on whether to eliminate 1,000 jobs to help counter the city's $208-million budget shortfall, some members have begun speaking out against the various plans to scale back services and shut the city's smallest departments. A majority of the council's Budget and Finance Committee has refused to sign off on the job-cutting plan.