Seats

UCLA and Steve Alford. A basketball program of unmatched pedigree led by a former prodigy who became a national champion and Olympic gold medalist before making a steady climb up the coaching ladder. On paper, a harmonic convergence. How they came together, a choreography of those themes, would make for a dazzling introduction, which UCLA held at center court in historic Pauley Pavilion last month. The aura of John Wooden, his contributions to sports and society - and those 10 national titles - was thick.

Most of us will put up with a cramped middle seat on a short flight. But on trips more than three hours long, we are ready to crack open our wallets and pay for a window or aisle seat. That is one of the findings of a recent Harris Interactive poll of 2,276 adults on the subject of airline pet peeves and passenger fees. On flights shorter than two hours, 33% of those surveyed said they would pay for extra legroom. If the flight lasts more than three hours, 58% said they would be willing to pay. Thirteen percent said they'd pay more than $25. But even if fliers are willing to pay the fees, they won't necessarily be happy about it. Creed Mamikunian, a doctor from Anchorage, describes all airline fees as ridiculous and offensive.

It's all crossovers these days. From the polo grounds of Malibu to the campgrounds of Maine, nearly a fifth of all vehicles sold in the U.S. last year resided somewhere in this netherworld between a car and an SUV. So the stakes were high for Toyota's overdue redesign of the RAV4, a pioneer of the segment in the mid-1990s that had grown stale in comparison with competitors. Often resembling small sport utility vehicles, crossovers are truck-like vehicles built on front-drive car platforms.

A two-year campaign that has drawn record spending will see either the first woman or the first Jew elected as Los Angeles mayor. But despite those milestones, candidates Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti sped around the city Sunday trying to avoid another distinction: drawing the lowest turnout for an open mayoral seat in modern history. The two candidates reached out to voters in churches, at a pizza parlor and in a bowling alley on a long day of campaigning - their last extended opportunity to connect directly to voters before Tuesday's election.

Trial judges are, on the books, elected officials, and even the vast majority of those whose names never appear on a ballot are subject to election challenge every six years. Should voters not call them to account for their performance, as they do with any other politician, on election day? Should they not encourage opponents to challenge incumbent judges? Or are judges different from members of Congress or city councils? Judges are most definitely different. The last thing we want or need in California is trial judges who sit on the bench with one eye on justice and the other on how any particular ruling is going to play with the public.

Amid at least 95 reports of babies falling out of the popular Bumbo baby seats -- including 19 who suffered skull fractures -- the company said it is recalling nearly 4 million seats in the U.S. But instead of returning the seats to stores, South Africa-based Bumbo International Trust said customers should order a free repair kit that includes a restraint belt as well as a warning sticker cautioning against placing the seat on raised surfaces....

Question: On Aug. 1, I tried to book a round-trip flight on American Airlines between San Diego and Philadelphia for Oct. 1 using my frequent-flier miles. I thought a two-month lead would facilitate the reservation. There were no seats available for 25,000 miles for October. I paid $25 to speak to a human. She tried her best but with the same result. If I were willing to expend 50,000 miles, there were plenty of seats. How far ahead does AA release its frequent-flier seats? Is this bait and switch?

Southwest Airlines, the nation's largest carrier of domestic travelers, announced plans Tuesday to add six extra seats on each plane under a new interior design of lighter and more eco-friendly materials. To increase the number of seats from 137 to 143 on each plane, Southwest said it will install low-profile cushions on each seat and will reduce the recline from three inches to two inches. The leg room, the space between the seat backs, will also shrink from 32 inches to 31 inches.

The ailing Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) has asked the Legislature of his home state to overturn a 5-year-old law under which the voters, not the governor, will choose a successor if Kennedy can't complete his term. Kennedy's unselfish idea probably won't be adopted, but it could help derail an unnecessary amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Kennedy, who suffers from brain cancer, understandably wants a senator sworn in swiftly to help the Democrats enact healthcare reform, long a priority for him. He's also right on the general principle.

The Federal Aviation Administration has recommended inspections for the airlines that use seats made by the same Texas manufacturer of seats that came loose last month from several American Airline planes. Reports of loose seats on about half a dozen American Airlines flights forced the Fort Worth-based carrier last month to temporarily ground almost 50 Boeing 757 planes to ensure the seats were securely fastened to the cabin floor. Quiz: Test your knowledge of business news After initially blaming the problem on a faulty seat clamp, the airline later said that the buildup of spilled soft drinks, coffee and juice kept locking pins from staying in place and securing the seats.

An incumbent who styles herself as an outsider and a reform-minded community activist and political aide will face each other in a runoff election Tuesday for the final seat on the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees. Unlike the hard-fought Los Angeles mayor's race, the match between trustee Nancy Pearlman and challenger David Vela has been conducted with little public scrutiny and virtually no contact between the two candidates. It's a source of frustration for Pearlman and Vela, running for a seat in the largest community college district in the nation - with nine campuses serving 240,000 students in communities spread across 882 square miles, from Sylmar to San Pedro.

Mitch O'Farrell is probably the only candidate running for Los Angeles City Council who can do a backward handspring, no problem. Before taking a job a decade ago as a field deputy in the office of Councilman Eric Garcetti, O'Farrell, 52, spent years as a restaurant manager, cruise ship dance instructor and competitive gymnast. If his path to politics was roundabout, the one forged by his opponent in next week's race to replace Garcetti in the 13th Council District was uncommonly direct.

WASHINGTON - Two years after Mark Sanford left the South Carolina governor's office tarred by an adultery scandal, he has completed an unlikely political comeback to win a special congressional election, holding the seat for Republicans. Sanford defeated Democratic neophyte Elizabeth Colbert Busch, sister of the late-night satirist Stephen Colbert, in the Republican-leaning 1st Congressional District on Tuesday. He reclaims a House seat he once held for three terms. The bitter race had been expected to be tight, but the Associated Press called it just 90 minutes after the polls closed.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - At a harborside reception overlooking Ft. Sumter, where the Civil War began, Mark Sanford batted away a TV reporter's question about the latest insult to his comeback campaign: an unwanted endorsement from pornographer Larry Flynt. Hours earlier, the former governor had been asked about a billboard message on a South Carolina interstate from a marital infidelity website. Under a blowup of a grinning Sanford, the site advised him to use its online service to find his next "running mate.

The Rose Bowl's new premium seating pavilion has yet to open, but stadium officials say seats are already selling fast. Construction of pavilion and press box levels on the stadium's west side has been the most significant - and expensive - aspect of ongoing stadium renovations now priced at $181 million. The renovation was originally billed as a $152-million effort in 2010, but projected costs climbed to nearly $195 million before city officials down-scaled some planned improvements earlier this year.

When two groups supporting rival Los Angeles City Council candidates met on a street in Little Armenia last week, an afternoon of vote canvassing turned into an altercation. Two 17-year-old campaign workers for candidate John Choi claim they were stopped and threatened with violence by two men who are backing Mitch O'Farrell, Choi's opponent in the 13th Council District race. They allege that after they called a supervisor to come to the scene, a third man then approached and brandished a gun. Supporters of O'Farrell deny that account, saying it was the Choi workers who sparked the confrontation by falsely claiming that a prominent Armenian American leader had endorsed Choi.

Question: My husband and I travel to Vietnam two or three times a year to visit our family. We fly EVA Airways and book in premium economy for the extra legroom. We can book our seats 100 days in advance. But the only two-across seats that are available in Rows 21-27 are in that last row, which is near the toilet, and they don't recline; everything else is blocked. I've asked my travel agent for help - I even stood there while she called. No luck. Why does this happen? What should I do?

Spirit Airlines, the air carrier that recently announced a $45 fee for carry-on bags, has launched another change that may not sit well with passengers. The Florida carrier's latest money-saving idea is seats that passengers cannot adjust. The airline calls them "pre-reclined" seats, meaning they are already reclined about 3 inches. Want to lean back to take a nap or sit up to eat a snack? Sorry, these seats won't budge. The airline says the slim new leather seats, built by Brice Seating in Pacoima, are 30% lighter, cutting down on fuel costs and offering 20% more space under the seat.

San Gabriel Councilman-elect Chin Ho Liao was the second highest vote-getter in the city's March elections, but his first time on the council dais last week was as a witness under cross-examination. The City Council voted not to seat Liao after resident Fred Paine filed a complaint alleging that Liao's true residence is outside of the city's borders. Though Liao has filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court to contest the council's vote, the city has also created its own hearing process to determine Liao's residency.

Digital technology gives consumers near-instant access to vast electronic libraries of music, movies and books, but it's also eroding their rights to personalize, reposition and dispose of their purchases as they see fit. You can't resell a used MP3, donate an e-book to the library or unload a downloaded movie file at a yard sale because media companies insist you have no ownership rights in those digital goods; you paid only for a license to use...