CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
May 12, 2013 | By Cindy Chang, Los Angeles Times
In 1986, lawmakers decided the problem of illegal immigration had to be dealt with. More than 3 million people were living in the United States after crossing the border illegally or overstaying their visas. A new law signed by President Ronald Reagan gave legal status and a path to citizenship to most of those unauthorized residents - helping many secure a slice of the American dream but also giving fuel to critics who sought to turn "amnesty" into a pejorative. Less than 30 years later, the number of immigrants living in the country illegally is thought to have nearly quadrupled, and the freighted baggage of amnesty looms over new efforts to reform the nation's immigration laws.
NEWS
March 4, 2013 | By Sandra Hernandez
Tuesday's election marks the first time voters in the newly drawn 9th and 13th City Council districts will cast their ballots. I thought it would be interesting to look at the demographics of the two. In the 13th, which stretches from Hollywood to Silver Lake and Echo Park and down through Koreatown, 12 candidates are vying for a chance to represent a district that is 55% Latino, 22% non-Hispanic white, 18% Asian/Pacific Islander and 3% percent African...
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
February 22, 2013 | By David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles reached a benchmark half a century ago when the City Council's first African American was appointed to represent the area then known as South Central. Gilbert Lindsay, a former cotton field worker and city janitor, was chosen in 1963 to fill a vacant seat in the 9th Council District, which covered part of South Los Angeles. The appointment helped make "The Great 9th," as Lindsay took to calling it, a hub of black political clout. Two generations later, with the seat open and the March 5 election approaching, the area that gave birth to historic South Central Avenue and the city's black middle-class culture has a far different political landscape.
OPINION
February 8, 2013 | By Jonathan V. Last
In Washington, politicians are trying to reform America's immigration system, again. Both President Obama and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) are proposing "paths to citizenship" for an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants. Other proposals abound, including finishing the border fence, creating a better E-Verify system for employers and passing the last Congress' Dream Act. All of these ideas, however, fundamentally misunderstand immigration in America: Future immigration is probably going to be governed not by U.S. domestic policy choices but by global demographics.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
January 28, 2013 | By Larry Gordon, Los Angeles Times
After he retires as chancellor of UC Berkeley in June, Robert J. Birgeneau will head up a national effort to study and help public universities in an era of reduced tax support, new technology and changing student demographics. Birgeneau, a physicist, is to lead the American Academy of Arts and Sciences' new initiative that will propose ways for the federal government, private industry and foundations to better aid state institutions, along with developing reforms the schools could undertake.
BUSINESS
January 15, 2013 | By Tiffany Hsu
Past restaurant marketing campaigns have usually featured sexy patrons having a good time with friends or their adorable young families. But according to new research, maybe it's time food-service companies started focusing more on silver foxes. Historically, baby-boomer consumers and older customers have been less likely than younger peers to visit dining establishments. But that's changed since the recession, according to the NPD Group research firm. In the last five years, graying patrons have grabbed an increasing share of restaurant traffic, with more visits to every segment of the restaurant industry than before the downturn.