Padilla

With the cost of an L.A. City Council seat climbing into the millions, the $2,500 fine assessed against Councilman Alex Padilla (Jan. 8) is a laugh. A sickening laugh. Let's have real campaign finance reform that includes a meaningful penalty for campaign finance shenanigans. Such a penalty should include mandatory forfeiture of office for "winners" who benefit from illegal contributions. Barry Dantzscher Van Nuys

SACRAMENTO - An influential state senator has a plan to allow electronic billboard ads that are currently banned by state law - including pitches for beer and gambling - next to a proposed NFL stadium in Los Angeles. The proposal, approved by a legislative committee, has outraged activists who oppose the proliferation of electronic billboards. They say lawmakers intend the measure as special treatment for Philip Anschutz, the Denver billionaire who wants to build the stadium in downtown Los Angeles.

City Council President Alex Padilla, who opposes putting a measure to create a borough system for Los Angeles on the November ballot, said he will offer a competing plan at a meeting of the council's rules committee today. Padilla's proposal would establish a commission to investigate ways to improve the governmental structure of Los Angeles. The commission would not be required to develop a plan to divide the city into boroughs, or to necessarily recommend changing the way the city is run.

State Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) announced Thursday that he will run for California secretary of state in 2014, joining what looks to be shaping up as a crowded field that includes other current and former lawmakers. Padilla, 40, was elected to the state Senate in 2006 and must leave the upper house because of term limits next year. "The strength of our democracy depends on the active involvement of all of our citizens," Padilla said in a statement. "Last November, more than 10 million Californians did not vote.

Vicente Padilla stayed out of trouble in the two-plus months he spent with the Dodgers last year, but can the reputed bad boy remain a model citizen for an entire season? Based on the way Padilla behaved during his stint with the Dodgers, General Manager Ned Colletti said he thinks so, which was why he spent $5.025 million to re-sign the erratic but electric-armed 32-year-old to a one-year deal. "As far as his attitude and approach, we saw nothing that would indicate there would be any problems in the future," Colletti said.

Re "Padilla Confronts Chief Problem in Staff, Critics Say," Political Briefing, Dec. 16. Instead of taxpayers paying $45,000 in consulting fees for 3 months to Padilla's friend, maybe we could get our streets swept in Sylmar. WILMOR YOUNG Sylmar

The military said at least 16 suspected guerrillas and one soldier were killed in clashes. Defense Minister Gen. Freddy Padilla said troops faced off with rebels belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, in the southern department of Meta. Padilla said that soldiers seized camping equipment, munitions and other items after the clashes, which began Friday. The suspected rebels answered to No. 2 FARC commander Jorge Briceno, known as Mono Jojoy, Padilla said.

Re "Padilla Adds 2 Council Blacks to Key Panels," Aug. 9: Los Angeles City Council President Alex Padilla did not select his appointments in a vacuum. I am sure that he went over his choices with many higher-ups. And the choices were OKd. This is a sad day in the City of the Angels, when a leader of a minority group discriminates against another minority group by not appointing any one of them to at least one position. Now, he has drawn attention to his racial bias, and whatever he does is suspect.

SACRAMENTO — A controversial bill that would ban state agencies from regulating telephones that use Internet connections passed a state Senate committee after the measure's author accepted amendments that would strengthen some consumer protections. The proposal by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) is backed by AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc., and cable and high-tech companies. They contend they need "certainty" that the California Public Utilities Commission will not try to oversee the Internet and phone companies that transmit voice signals over fiber optic lines.

Re "Padilla Defends Bernson Ouster as Battle Heats Up," Aug. 17: Would The Times please stop referring to the members of Valley VOTE as Valley leaders? They are not elected but self-appointed. Even calling themselves Valley VOTE is inappropriate. I live in the Valley and I vote. These people do not represent me or other voters I know. They represent themselves. They are ruthless and crave power at any cost. Who are they to run the Valley? Who are they to "divorce" Los Angeles? They can't even run themselves.

A bill that would allow self-driving cars on California's roads may improve traffic safety but it does not do enough to protect privacy, a consumer group said. The bill, SB 1298, sponsored by state Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima), is awaiting Assembly consideration in June. It establishes guidelines for "autonomous vehicles" to be tested and operated in California. So far, it has flown through the Legislature, passing the Senate unanimously in mid-May. Tech giant Google Inc., Caltech and other organizations have been working to develop such vehicles, which use radar, video cameras and lasers to navigate roads and stay safe in traffic without human assistance.

SACRAMENTO — A controversial bill that would ban state agencies from regulating telephones that use Internet connections passed a state Senate committee after the measure's author accepted amendments that would strengthen some consumer protections. The proposal by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) is backed by AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc., and cable and high-tech companies. They contend they need "certainty" that the California Public Utilities Commission will not try to oversee the Internet and phone companies that transmit voice signals over fiber optic lines.

A UC Berkeley law professor who helped the Bush administration create policies to justify harsh interrogation techniques and prolonged detention may not be sued by an American citizen detained under those conditions, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said Jose Padilla, an American citizen arrested in 2002 and declared an "enemy combatant," may not hold professor John Yoo liable for "gross physical and psychological abuse" that Padilla said he suffered during more than three years of military detention.

Now it's real serious. California state Sen. Alex Padilla says he's severing ties -- and taking off his own tie -- with Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The announcement comes a day after the Komen foundation announced it was ending grants to Planned Parenthood for breast-cancer screening and other breast-health services. Padilla, according to a news release, has volunteered as one of the foundation's "Pink Tie Guys," who raise awareness about breast cancer by donning -- you guessed it -- pink ties at public events.

At David Padilla and Maria Ramos' Oaxacan restaurant Gish Bac, the weekends are made for goat and lamb barbecue. A third-generation barbacoa specialist, Ramos began learning the trade of goat and lamb barbecue as a 10-year-old in Oaxaca's Sunday market in Tlacolula — one of Mexico's longest-running markets — where her family still operates a stand. The couple came to Los Angeles in 1992 and immediately began catering private events. This went on until a year ago, when a growing chorus of requests from attendees at these gatherings demanded more regular access to Ramos' barbacoa . Padilla and Ramos found a restaurant location in the heart of Mid-City, and Gish Bac (roughly, "from Tlacolula")

As if they didn't have enough problems with online piracy, the major record labels say they've seen a surge in high-quality counterfeit CDs in California in recent years. That's why they're backing a bill by state Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) that would allow police to search disc manufacturing plants without a warrant, making it easier to find the ones behind the bogus products. The labels' eagerness to crack down on pirates is understandable, and Padilla has crafted a narrow measure that tries to stay within the parameters set by the Supreme Court.

George A. Padilla won an easy runoff victory over Juan Francisco Lara Tuesday for a seat on the Pasadena Unified Board of Education, but it may be another month before he can celebrate. The election is being contested by Arlene Moncrief, who came in third in last month's primary and has filed a suit seeking to nullify Padilla's 4,862-to-2,178-vote victory. Moncrief's suit, filed last month against City Clerk Pamela Swift, claims the city violated the intent of the state Election Code by allowing a runoff between Padilla and Lara, who withdrew from the campaign two months ago. A hearing on the case is scheduled for May 19 in Pasadena Superior Court.

Re "City Hall Prank Results in Inquiry," Feb. 26: I am outraged at the behavior of City Council President Alex Padilla. It seems that he thinks his position with the City Council is higher than the mayor's. Maybe it is his young age, but he should know better. What he did was a clear invasion of privacy, and his telling us that the silver lining to his breaking into the mayor's office is showing us the security lapses at City Hall is a joke. I want to know how he persuaded the security guard to let him into the mayor's office.

Vicente Padilla needs surgery to repair a bulging disk in his neck, possibly ending the relief pitcher's season, Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said Monday. Padilla was expected to have the operation Thursday and his return "just depends on how he comes out" of the procedure, Mattingly said. Asked whether the Nicaraguan right-hander could be out for the season, Mattingly replied, "Definitely I think we're looking at an extended period of time … it's not one of those two-, three-week deals.

The Children's Museum of Los Angeles is probably the most snakebitten cultural entity in Southern California — if you can even call it an entity. Years ago, when it actually existed, its leaders and backers had a vision of transforming what had been a small operation in downtown Los Angeles, affording youngsters hands-on experiences with art, culture, history and science, into a major museum in the San Fernando Valley, adjacent to Hansen Dam Recreation Center at the city's northern edge.