Los Angeles Suits

San Fernando Valley activists blamed Los Angeles city officials Monday for possibly torpedoing a petition drive that might lead to secession, as their fight over Valley independence spilled into federal court and was resurrected in the California Legislature.

San Fernando Valley activists blamed Los Angeles city officials Monday for possibly torpedoing a petition drive that might lead to secession, as their fight over Valley independence spilled into federal court and was resurrected in the California Legislature. If the petition drive fails, it will be because officials at the city-owned Van Nuys Airport illegally ousted signature gatherers from a popular air show in July, said Richard Close, chairman of Valley VOTE, the group leading the campaign.

It's official. The city of Los Angeles no longer requires home-based businesses to register and pay a $25 fee. The City Council last week rescinded a regulation that had outraged many business owners and spawned two lawsuits. Councilwoman Laura Chick is to be commended for pushing to make it legal to operate a home-based business in the city. And she deserves praise for recognizing that the controversial registration provision served no purpose and for persuading the council to ditch it.

ACLU attorneys announced Sunday that they will file a federal lawsuit seeking damages from the city of Los Angeles for ousting San Fernando Valley secession activists from the Van Nuys Airport during a July air show.

ACLU attorneys announced Sunday that they will file a federal lawsuit seeking damages from the city of Los Angeles for ousting San Fernando Valley secession activists from the Van Nuys Airport during a July air show.

A Los Angeles police sergeant filed a $10-million malicious prosecution suit in federal court Tuesday against attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. and his law firm. Sgt. Michael Long, 48, was one of seven officers sued by Cochran on behalf of the survivors of a woman who was shot to death by police in 1993 after threatening to kill her 3-year-old son with a knife on the roof of St. Vincent's Hospital.

Public Works Director Sid Mousavi has been accused of sexual harassment by a female administrator in a claim filed against the city. Nancy Hutar, a development services manager, alleges that Mousavi started harassing her in 1996 and retaliated against her after she rebuffed his invitations for a "romantic or sexual relationship." City officials said Monday that an outside attorney is investigating her claim. "These allegations are untrue," Mousavi said.

Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden must face trial in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former aide, the California Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The court voted without dissent to permit a suit by former Holden aide Carla Cavalier to proceed. A trial judge in 1995 had dismissed the case. Cavalier charged that Holden created a hostile work environment by making lewd remarks and touching her inappropriately. But Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Byron K.

In the hope of deflecting recent criticism over costly settlements of lawsuits against the Los Angeles Police Department, City Atty. James K. Hahn proposed a number of reforms Monday, and said his office is working on ways to improve its handling of such cases. Specifically, Hahn suggested creating a review panel consisting of top city officials to examine all legal settlements over $50,000.

A federal appeals court has denied a request for an emergency order that would have blocked the long-sought release of grand jury transcripts that figure in a lawsuit against a controversial Los Angeles Police Department squad. The decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals apparently paves the way for disclosure of the transcripts to plaintiffs in a civil rights case brought against the LAPD's Special Investigation Section over several fatal shootings by its officers. In December, U.S.