Roxana Kopetman

A recent article by Roxana Kopetman (Times, April 4) raised the hair on my back. The subject of the story was the eviction of a group of Long Beach's homeless to make way for the upcoming Grand Prix. To quote Sheila Pagnani, the so-called homeless-service coordinator of Long Beach: "When you invite friends over to a party, you clean your house, don't you? Well, so does the city." Anyone who has ever hurriedly cleaned up a mess that has been neglected until the last minute should be familiar with another part of this embarrassingly appropriate analogy: "Sweep it under the carpet."

A recent article by Roxana Kopetman (Times, April 4) raised the hair on my back. The subject of the story was the eviction of a group of Long Beach's homeless to make way for the upcoming Grand Prix. To quote Sheila Pagnani, the so-called homeless-service coordinator of Long Beach: "When you invite friends over to a party, you clean your house, don't you? Well, so does the city." Anyone who has ever hurriedly cleaned up a mess that has been neglected until the last minute should be familiar with another part of this embarrassingly appropriate analogy: "Sweep it under the carpet."

A Los Angeles Times reporter was cited for contempt and jailed for several hours Wednesday after she refused to answer a question in Long Beach Municipal Court concerning an arrest she witnessed while preparing a story on a police task force. Roxana Kopetman, a reporter in The Times' Long Beach bureau, spent about six hours in a courthouse lockup before she was released on a writ of habeas corpus.

The state Supreme Court held unanimously Thursday that news reporters may be required to testify in criminal cases when a defendant's right to a fair trial is at stake. The high court, ruling in a widely watched test of the California news media shield law, sought to strike a balance between competing constitutional rights. Both sides in the case claimed qualified victory.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge, ruling that the state Constitution protects journalists from being cited for contempt, overturned charges Wednesday against a Los Angeles Times reporter and an intern photographer. Judge Aurelio Munoz dismissed contempt citations against reporter Roxana Kopetman and photographer Roberto Santiago Bertero, who had refused to testify in a criminal case.

The California Shield Law does not protect news reporters if they are compelled to testify about their observation of public events, a state Court of Appeal ruled unanimously Thursday.

The state Supreme Court, in a pivotal test of the "newsman's shield law," agreed Thursday to decide whether journalists can be forced to disclose unpublished information they acquire covering an event that occurs in public. The justices, in brief orders, announced they would hear two cases that could determine the scope of protections for reporters that were enacted into the state Constitution by the voters in 1980.

In a case presenting a sharp conflict of competing rights, the state Supreme Court heard a robust debate Tuesday over whether reporters may be forced to testify about events they witness but do not include in news stories. The justices peppered the opposing sides with questions in a dispute that could resolve major questions about the extent of protections under the reporter's "shield law"--and how they must be balanced with the rights of the prosecution and defense to witnesses' testimony.

The state Supreme Court held unanimously Thursday that news reporters may be required to testify in criminal cases when a defendant's right to a fair trial is at stake. The high court, ruling in a widely watched test of the California news media shield law, sought to strike a balance between competing constitutional rights. Both sides in the case claimed qualified victory.

EDITORS: Jim Bornemeier, Bob Magnuson ART DIRECTOR: Patricia Mitchell REPORTERS: Penelope McMillan, Lee Dye, Frank Clifford, Virginia Ellis, Scott Harris, Edmund Newton, John Chandler, Kenneth Reich, Leslie Berger, Bettina Boxall, John Chandler, Irene Chang, Stephen C.

In a case presenting a sharp conflict of competing rights, the state Supreme Court heard a robust debate Tuesday over whether reporters may be forced to testify about events they witness but do not include in news stories. The justices peppered the opposing sides with questions in a dispute that could resolve major questions about the extent of protections under the reporter's "shield law"--and how they must be balanced with the rights of the prosecution and defense to witnesses' testimony.

The state Supreme Court, in a pivotal test of the "newsman's shield law," agreed Thursday to decide whether journalists can be forced to disclose unpublished information they acquire covering an event that occurs in public. The justices, in brief orders, announced they would hear two cases that could determine the scope of protections for reporters that were enacted into the state Constitution by the voters in 1980.

The California Shield Law does not protect news reporters if they are compelled to testify about their observation of public events, a state Court of Appeal ruled unanimously Thursday.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge, ruling that the state Constitution protects journalists from being cited for contempt, overturned charges Wednesday against a Los Angeles Times reporter and an intern photographer. Judge Aurelio Munoz dismissed contempt citations against reporter Roxana Kopetman and photographer Roberto Santiago Bertero, who had refused to testify in a criminal case.

A Los Angeles Times reporter was cited for contempt and jailed for several hours Wednesday after she refused to answer a question in Long Beach Municipal Court concerning an arrest she witnessed while preparing a story on a police task force. Roxana Kopetman, a reporter in The Times' Long Beach bureau, spent about six hours in a courthouse lockup before she was released on a writ of habeas corpus.

Having read Roxana Kopetman's informative article on partisan politics in local elections Jan. 19, I would like to add a different perspective to the subject. As a practical matter, the Republican county chairman's endorsements have really had little to do with pure partisan politics, and under close scrutiny they are far more influenced by the building industry than they are by Republican philosophy. In Newport Beach, the chairman's public support went to a pro-growth candidate over a highly qualified and experienced Republican who was also running for the same City Council seat (both lost)

A Times intern photographer was cited for contempt Thursday when he refused to answer a question while testifying in Long Beach Municipal Court, but an indefinite jail sentence and $100-a-day fine were stayed pending an appeal. Judge Elvira S. Austin cited Roberto Santiago Bertero a day after Times reporter Roxana Kopetman spent several hours in a courthouse lockup after a similar contempt citation.