Resignation

PHOENIX — Andre Ethier said Tuesday he does not plan to impose a deadline on negotiations on the contract extension that could keep him out of free agency. Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti has said he would like to re-sign Ethier and has discussed the idea with Dodgers President Stan Kasten , who took office three weeks ago. Ethier said Tuesday he and his agent have not received a formal contract proposal from the Dodgers. Ethier also said he did not anticipate a point where free agency could be so close that he would put any contract talks on hold before he could test the market.

The Los Angeles Unified School District on Wednesday announced the settlement of a sexual harassment allegation against retired Supt. Ramon C. Cortines by a senior employee in the facilities division. The district will pay $200,000 plus lifetime health benefits, valued at $250,000 to $300,000 to Scot Graham, the director of leasing and asset management. In return, Graham will resign from his $150,000-a-year job. In a statement, Cortines, 79, denied any harassment, but acknowledged what he called "adult behavior on one occasion," adding that "as the district's former top staff member, I regret allowing myself to engage in such spontaneous, consensual behavior.

The following is a reformatted letter British Sky Broadcasting Group Chairman James Murdoch submitted to the board as he resigned from the position today. Colleagues, As you know, my actions as a Director of BSkyB have been governed at all times by what is in the best interests of the Company, its customers and its shareholders. I have been privileged to serve first as Chief Executive and then as Chairman of this outstanding company and I am proud of what we have achieved over this period.

PHOENIX — Andre Ethier said Tuesday he does not plan to impose a deadline on negotiations on the contract extension that could keep him out of free agency. Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti has said he would like to re-sign Ethier and has discussed the idea with Dodgers President Stan Kasten , who took office three weeks ago. Ethier said Tuesday he and his agent have not received a formal contract proposal from the Dodgers. Ethier also said he did not anticipate a point where free agency could be so close that he would put any contract talks on hold before he could test the market.

Director Brett Ratner submitted his resignation as a producer of the 84th Annual Academy Awards Tuesday after coming under fire for making a gay slur. "He did the right thing for the academy and for himself," Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak said Tuesday afternoon. "Words have meaning, and they have consequences. Brett is a good person, but his comments were unacceptable. We all hope this will be an opportunity to raise awareness about the harm that is caused by reckless and insensitive remarks, regardless of the intent.

Dear Sierra Club Colleagues, After 38 years with the Sierra Club, I am opening my dance card to new partners. In December, I shall stand down as Chairman to undertake a new initiative. My hope is to pull together a broad front of environmental groups, labor unions, clean-economy innovators, mainline manufacturers, civil rights organizations, and state and local officials to insist that candidates for public office in 2012 address the role of innovation, clean technology, and manufacturing in rebuilding the American economy and restoring the American middle class.

This post has been updated. Please see note at bottom for details. Sanford, Fla., city commissioners on Monday rejected the resignation of Police Chief Bill Lee Jr. hours after the resignation was officially announced . At a special meeting of the commission, members voted 3 to 2 not to accept Lee's resignation after the controversial killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26. The unarmed teenager was walking through...

Social media sites were once again alive with people posting their reactions to the latest in the Susan G. Komen for the Cure saga. On Tuesday, Komen Vice President Karen Handel resigned from her position at the breast cancer foundation after being accused by some of instigating the group's decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood (Komen rescinded the decision late last week). "I am deeply disappointed by the gross mischaracterizations of the strategy, its rationale, and my involvement in it," Handel's resignation letter read.

? Vivian Schiller's resignation as president and chief executive of National Public Radio comes at a perilous time for the public broadcaster, as Republicans in Congress press ahead with plans to slice its federal lifeline. Schiller's exit on Wednesday came a day after a video surfaced in which a former NPR fundraising executive derided the "tea party" movement as a collection of "gun-toting" racists and "fundamentalist Christians" who have "hijacked" the Republican Party. He also was quoted saying that the organization could survive "in the long run" without government help.

A sex scandal before an election might be expected to help the opposing party's candidate, but Republican Rep. Mark Souder's resignation in Indiana's 3rd Congressional District could dash Democratic hopes for a possible pick-up this fall. Souder, who was seeking a ninth term, disclosed Tuesday that he had an extramarital affair with a part-time staff member, and announced he would leave Congress by week's end. An evangelical Christian, Souder was elected in the Republican wave of 1994 after a career as a Capitol Hill staffer in both chambers for Dan Coats, also a Republican from Indiana.

WASHINGTON -- The chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission who was championed by watchdogs for his cautious approach to nuclear power but criticized by Republicans in Congress for an overly hard-charging style has announced he will step down. Gregory Jaczko, who led the commission's efforts to protect Americans in Japan during the nuclear crisis at Fukushima and played a key role in fighting the nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain as a former top aide to Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.)

"I'm very excited," newly elected L.A. County Assessor John Noguez said almost two years ago after outspending his rival by more than $600,000 in a runoff campaign. "I believe the constituents believe that I will continue the legacy of continued excellence. " So much for continuing the legacy of continued excellence, or whatever Noguez was talking about. Now he's the target of a criminal corruption probe having to do with alleged tax breaks for his campaign contributors, and he's in a tight race with L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca to grab the trophy for worst county department head in recent memory.

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley on Wednesday called for the resignation of Assessor John Noguez, whose office has been the target of a corruption probe. Cooley made the comments to reporters for several news organizations, a day after he announced that he planned to bring the case to a grand jury. "I don't think he should be there," Cooley told KNBC-TV Channel 4. "In my view, he should resign in the light of everything that's come out publicly. " Officials at the district attorney's office confirmed that Cooley would like Noguez to step down.

Yahoo Inc.Chief Executive Scott Thompson resigned from the digital media company Sunday after a dissident shareholder called attention to his apparent misrepresentation of his college credentials. Ross Levinsohn, formerly Yahoo's executive vice president of the Americas region, was named interim chief executive, the company said in a statement. The board of directors also named Alfred Amoroso its new chairman. Amoroso, who is chief executive of Santa Clara software company Rovi Corp., replaces Yahoo board member Roy Bostock, the founder and chairman of Sealedge Investments.

Weeks after news about Wal Mart Stores Inc.'s alleged bribery and coverup in Mexico surfaced, rank-and-file workers at the world's largest retailer have taken their calls for change to the Internet. Venanzi Luna, a department manager at a Wal-Mart store in Pico Rivera, has created an online petition for fellow employees and customers at Change.org, a website that seeks to promote social change. The petition urges Wal-Mart to undertake "a thorough and independent investigation" into allegations of widespread bribery by company officials to gain approval for new stores in Mexico.

Metrolink Chief Executive John Fenton, who worked to improve the service and safety of the struggling commuter line following the deadly Chatsworth crash, announced his resignation Monday to head a Florida-based railroad company. Fenton's departure after not quite 25 months on the job leaves Metrolink with a leadership vacuum at a time when the operation is trying to bolster ridership, reduce costs and install cutting-edge safety measures, such as positive train control, a sophisticated collision-avoidance system.

Egyptian Finance Minister Hazem Beblawi resigned Tuesday in protest of the military-led government's crackdown on Coptic Christian protesters this week that deepened sectarian tension and left 25 people dead and more than 300 injured. "Despite the fact that there might not be direct responsibility on the government's part, the responsibility lies, ultimately, on its shoulders," the state news agency MENA quoted Beblawi as saying. "The current circumstances are very difficult and require a new and different way of thinking and working.

Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme offered the resignation of his entire government over allegations that it sought to interfere with a court case on the Fortis bank bailout. Justice Minister Jo Vandeurzen resigned earlier after Belgium's highest court said the government had tried last week to influence the case on the bailout and sale of the troubled bank. Belgian King Albert II was to decide whether to accept the resignation.

The top administrator in Huntington Park stepped down this week after city officials learned his employment appeared to violate state retirement rules. Interim City Manager Raul Romero was notified by CalPERS last Thursday that he had exceeded the number of hours retired employees may work while still collecting pension benefits. He resigned Monday. Romero said he had retired from the City of Commerce in 2002 and continued working through his consulting company, R&R Municipal Solutions, over the last decade.

WASHINGTON -- Alfredo Armendariz, a regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, has resigned in the wake of criticism for comments made in Texas two years ago comparing the methods of the EPA to those of Romans using crucifixions to conquer foreign lands. “I have accepted Dr. Armendariz's resignation and respect the fact that he came to this difficult decision because he did not want to distract from our agency's critical work,” EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in an internal memo Monday, obtained by the Washington Post.