Mcgrath

Democratic Assembly candidate Roz McGrath on Wednesday accused her opponent, Nao Takasugi, of billing extravagant travel expenses to the city of Oxnard while serving as mayor. McGrath, running for the 37th Assembly District seat, said Takasugi spent $31,249 traveling on behalf of the city during the last four years. She said he spent another $120,000 in travel-related expenses from 1984, when he became mayor, to 1988.

Taking the fight to her Republican opponent, underdog Democrat Roz McGrath launched a personal attack against Tony Strickland on Wednesday as the 37th Assembly District candidates sparred face-to-face for the first time. Ending an otherwise polite breakfast exchange before the Port Hueneme Chamber of Commerce, McGrath branded Strickland a pawn of conservative power brokers and a carpetbagger who moved to Thousand Oaks two years ago to run for office.

The racing didn't start until Saturday night, but some of the biggest news in the first round of the EA Sports Supercross Series happened in the afternoon. It was during practice that Ezra Lusk, who won both Anaheim events last season and finished second in the season standings to Jeremy McGrath, crashed with two other riders. Lusk suffered a dislocated shoulder and didn't compete on his factory Honda, clearing the way for the field to get a giant head start in the competitive 16-race series.

When Supercross riders show up Saturday night at the Coliseum for the second round of their stadium motocross series, they will find a different course from the one used last week. Four-time champion Jeremy McGrath is hoping the change will also mean a change for him. In his first ride on a Suzuki after switching from Honda, he finished 15th, his worst placing since becoming a professional.

After dominating stadium Supercross like no one before him, Jeremy McGrath is turning his attention to the American Motorcyclist Assn. national outdoor motocross season. McGrath, who lives in the Riverside County community of Menifee, won a record 13 consecutive Supercross events on his Honda CR250 before being upset two weeks ago in St. Louis by Kawasaki rider Jeff Emig of Riverside. Long before losing, McGrath, 24, had clinched his fourth championship in a row.

Ask any teeny-bopper who the latest pop heartthrob is and they'll tell you Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath, who turned out at the Opium Den in Hollywood on Monday night to catch performances by Plexi--who definitely rocked the house--and Agnes Gooch, who also put on a great show (hey, folks, nice to see some scene support out there).

Billy McGrath had two hits and pitched two innings of scoreless relief Thursday, helping Van Nuys Birmingham to a 2-1 victory over West Hills Chaminade in a District 20 American Legion baseball opener at Birmingham. Van Nuys Birmingham scored once in the second and third innings. West Hills Chaminade scored once in the fifth. Van Nuys Birmingham starter Joey Rubin allowed five hits in five innings, striking out four and walking two. Teammate Brendan Bartholomew had two hits.

It's still dark when Assemblyman Tony Strickland arrives to stand beside a stoplight next to the Ventura Freeway in Oxnard. Commuters cruise slowly past the towering bear of a man, often honking or offering a thumbs up. "There's nothing else you can do at 6:30 in the morning to get exposure," says Strickland, waving to passersby. "If you're asking people for their votes, you get in front of them as many times as you can." Politicos call these early morning sessions "Burma Shaving."

Judith Light won the Tony Award on Sunday as featured actress in a play for "Other Desert Cities" by Jon Robin Baitz. It is her first Tony. Light, who is perhaps best known for her role in the ABC sitcom "Who's the Boss?," played a dipsomaniac aunt in Baitz's comedy about a wealthy Palm Springs family facing a series of domestic crises. The actress was nominated last year for the play "Lombardi. "  TONYS 2012: Red carpet | Winners & Nominees Michael McGrath won the award for featured actor in a musical for "Nice Work If You Can Get It. " McGrath plays a bootlegger alongside Matthew Broderick in the show that features music by George and Ira Gershwin.

It was just a little jump, not more than three feet, over a hay bale, but the flair, the style, were unmistakable. It seemed strange, though, because the tires on the KTM 520 motorcycle were road-racing slicks, not knobby dirt tires. There was no doubt, however. The body language said it was Super Mac.