Rocky Delgadillo

Three years after falling short in a bid for higher office, Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo has taken the first step toward launching a second campaign for California attorney general, a spokesman said Thursday. Term limits prevent Delgadillo, 48, from seeking reelection as city attorney this year. Papers filed with the secretary of state this week allow Delgadillo to begin fundraising for a statewide campaign for attorney general in 2010, according to Delgadillo spokesman Stephen J.

City Atty. Carmen Trutanich announced a series of reforms to his office's workers' compensation unit on Wednesday in response to an audit that found that the unit took too long to settle cases and failed to collect millions of dollars it was due. Trutanich, who said the program "was in disarray" when he took office last year, has reassigned seven attorneys to the unit and established a new peer review process. The announced reforms were among the recommendations in City Controller Wendy Greuel's audit, which looked at the performance of the unit during the term of previous City Atty.

Last month, City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo became the first Mexican American to assume a citywide office in City Hall in more than a century. Although a lawyer by training, the former deputy mayor under Richard Riordan has spent much of the past decade working to foster economic development throughout the city. From his 18th-floor office, Delgadillo spoke to The Times about business, the city attorney's role and the future of Latinos in politics.

Among a crowded field of candidates running for attorney general this year, nine have amassed more than $100,000 to fund a credible campaign. They are: STEVE COOLEY Party: Republican Occupation: Los Angeles County district attorney Age: 63 City of residence: Rancho Palos Verdes Personal: wife, Jana Cooley; two adult children; one granddaughter Education: bachelor's degree in...

Eight months after a tenant rights group filed a complaint with the Los Angeles city attorney's office, housing inspectors said Thursday that repairs have still not been completed on an apartment building operated by political supporters of chief prosecutor Rocky Delgadillo. Housing officials, who cited the 28-unit Koreatown building for 286 building code violations in July, said they would grant a third extension of up to 30 days because 80% of the work was finished.

In a development that took Los Angeles leaders by surprise late Friday, City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo issued a legal opinion challenging the City Council's attempt to ease term limits so members would be able to serve an additional four years. The opinion said that a ballot measure proposed by the council for the Nov. 7 election was flawed because it contained not only a term limits provision but others aimed at curtailing the influence of lobbyists.

Councilman Mike Feuer on Wednesday joined a demonstration outside a North Hollywood gun store that has urged its customers to support Deputy Mayor Rocky Delgadillo, Feuer's opponent in next week's runoff election for Los Angeles city attorney. Flanked by sign-waving supporters, Feuer denounced B & B Sales for displaying, for a time, a "Delgadillo for City Attorney" sign on its marquee and distributing fliers urging a vote for the deputy mayor.

Ending speculation that he would challenge Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn in 2005, City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo filed paperwork Wednesday to seek a second term, saying he wants to stay in his current job for another four years. "I've decided that at this moment in my career, and at this moment in the life of Los Angeles, this is the place where I can make the biggest difference," Delgadillo said during an interview in his City Hall office.

CITY ATTY. Rocky Delgadillo came to office with sterling credentials and the support of some of Los Angeles' most esteemed leaders. He had a captivating personal story -- Eastside kid who did well, went to Harvard, then to Columbia, then on to one of the nation's most impressive law firms and City Hall, where he worked for Mayor Richard Riordan. In short, Delgadillo had the drive, the education and the support to be one of this city's leading public officials.

Clear Channel Outdoor has agreed to pay $30,000 in fines for failing to properly disclose its role in providing billboards touting candidates, including Rocky Delgadillo in his 2001 run for Los Angeles city attorney, according to documents released Wednesday. The firm launched a controversial independent expenditure campaign to promote Delgadillo, and the billboard campaign was seen as a factor in his victory over Councilman Mike Feuer. Delgadillo is currently running for state attorney general.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Friday announced his endorsement of San Francisco Dist. Atty. Kamala D. Harris for California attorney general, snubbing two of her rivals from Los Angeles. Harris' challengers include former Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo, who is a Democrat along with Harris and Villaraigosa, and Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley, a Republican. "Now more than ever we need leaders in this state who have a proven track record of getting things done [and]

A judge has formally invalidated a 2006 settlement between the city of Los Angeles and two companies, CBS Outdoor and Clear Channel Outdoor, that granted them special rights to convert as many as 840 billboards to digital format, among other changes. The settlement was negotiated by former City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo after the two companies sued the city over its billboard regulations. Another billboard company, Summit Media, challenged the settlement last year, arguing that it was illegal because the city allowed the companies to make sign changes barred under city law. In a written ruling this week, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Terry A. Green said he agreed with Summit.

The Los Angeles City Council breathed new life this week into a lawsuit over whether the city controller can conduct performance audits in the offices of other elected officials. It was once seen as an unnecessary squabble that would end when then-Controller Laura Chick and then-City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo finished their terms this summer. But after a closed-door briefing by lawyers for new City Atty. Carmen Trutanich on Wednesday, at least some council members signaled that they weren't too keen about letting the controller review their books to see how well programs are managed in their offices.

Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz has asked his colleagues to end the dispute between the former city attorney and the former city controller over whether the controller can audit programs in the offices of elected officials. Koretz wants the council to dismiss a lawsuit filed by former City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo to prevent his office from being audited. But a sticking point remains: Who should pay the more than $100,000 in legal fees incurred by former City Controller Laura Chick over the course of her legal fight with Delgadillo, who was forced from office this spring by city term limits.

A private attorney who represents former Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo said today that a federal probe into the business dealings of Delgadillo's wife has ended without charges being filed. Delgadillo's lawyer, John Potter, said the U.S. attorney's office in San Francisco, which was handling the matter, informed him personally that the investigation is over. The Times reported a year ago that federal prosecutors, working with the FBI, had sought information regarding two companies that had performed work for the city and also had retained Michelle Delgadillo as a consultant.

Former Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo began a new career Wednesday, joining the Los Angeles law offices of Goodwin Procter LLP. Delgadillo, who left office in June, is joining the firm's 400-lawyer litigation department and also will focus on its public-private partnership work throughout California. Although Delgadillo will be a full-time lawyer, the firm negotiated an arrangement that will allow him to devote more time to his possible run for state attorney general.

Some guys exaggerate when talking about their youthful sports exploits, but the boasts of one candidate for state office have led to official backtracking. In various speeches, campaign ads and written biographies in past years, Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo has said he made it out of his Eastside neighborhood by winning a football scholarship to Harvard University, where he was an Academic All-American before going on to become a professional football player.

Two of the leading candidates for Los Angeles city attorney have raised well over half a million dollars apiece, the latest campaign finance reports revealed Wednesday. Flush with donations from real estate and business interests, Rocky Delgadillo, deputy mayor for economic development, had raised $592,243 by year's end, nosing past City Councilman Mike Feuer, who had collected a total of $557,738 since beginning the race almost two years ago.

Ending a yearlong power struggle, a judge ruled this week that former Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick lacked legal authority to conduct performance audits of programs managed by City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo. Less than 10 days before Delgadillo is slated to leave office because of term limits, L.A. County Superior Court Judge Mark V. Mooney found that the City Charter did not grant Chick the power to evaluate Delgadillo's handling of workers' compensation issues.

The Los Angeles City Council authorized City Atty.-elect Carmen Trutanich to hire eight staff members as he prepares to take office July 1 -- resolving a problem that officials say arose when outgoing City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo gave job protections to top aides. Under the City Charter, each incoming city attorney is permitted to appoint eight employees who serve at the prosecutor's pleasure and leave with the elected official.