SPORTS
February 27, 2014 | BILL DWYRE
By design, the pulse of spring training beats slowly. That's why, in the world's current era of discontent and vitriol, it has become even more appealing. It would be nice to think that everything going on is right before us, plain as the nose on our face. It would be nice to think the only things that mattered Wednesday were Angels picture day, Josh Hamilton's sore leg and Mike Trout's new contract. Same with the Dodgers -- that their spring opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks and getting the kinks out for their early regular-season start in Australia were their only thoughts.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
February 7, 2014 | By Patrick McGreevy
SACRAMENTO -- Former state Sen. Charles Calderon, a Democrat from Whittier, has filed papers to become a candidate for Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. Calderon submitted a declaration of intent to run for Office Number 48, the seat of Superior Court Judge Ronald M. Sohigian, who is not seeking to be re-elected. “He's got a ton of experience, including chairman of [Senate] Judiciary Committee,” said Hal Dash, a campaign consultant for Calderon. “He authored a lot of judicial-oriented legislation.” Calderon has also worked as a deputy city attorney and for two private law firms.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
February 4, 2014 | By Patrick McGreevy
SACRAMENTO - Three Republican state senators called Tuesday for an immediate vote on expelling state Sen. Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood) a week after he was found guilty of eight felony charges including perjury and voter fraud. Steve Knight of Palmdale, Joel Anderson of San Diego and Andy Vidak of Hanford said in a letter to the state Senate Democratic leader that action is required to show “respect to the public and reverence for the laws.” Prosecutors said Wright lied about living in his Senate district when he ran for office and a jury agreed, but Senate Democrats have delayed an expulsion vote to allow the judge in the case to rule on a Wright motion that the jury verdict is improper.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
January 29, 2014 | Jean Merl
A Los Angeles jury Tuesday found state Sen. Roderick D. Wright, a fixture in area Democratic politics, guilty on eight felony counts of perjury and voter fraud. Prosecutors said Wright, the first member of the Legislature to be convicted of a felony since the Shrimpscam sting of the 1990s, could face more than eight years behind bars and be banned for life from holding other elective office. It is unclear whether he must forfeit his Senate seat. The lawmaker, who sat with his head bowed as a criminal courts clerk read the verdicts, had no comment.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
December 28, 2013 | By Lee Romney
YREKA, Calif. - Farmers, ranchers and onetime loggers were among those who packed a church community room here in August to listen to a former state lawmaker convey his vision of a cleaved - and more governable - California. The theme was familiar, the resonance deep for those convinced that relentless regulation is strangling the economy of this northern border county. But this time, a tall man sporting a baseball cap stood up with a challenge. "Are we just going to go have an ice cream and complain?"
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
December 12, 2013 | By Patrick McGreevy
SACRAMENTO -- Got $1 million? That is how much, on average, it costs to win a seat in the California State Senate, according to MapLight, the nonpartisan research group that studies money's influence on politics. The group looked at how much money was raised by members of the state Legislature who won election in 2012. The average, to be precise, was $1,041,537 for those who won a seat in the Senate and $708,371 for candidates elected to the Assembly. That works out to $970 raised every day during the election period by Assembly candidates and $1,427 daily by Senate contenders, the group found.