L.A. Unified Gets Mixed Marks in Audit
The Los Angeles Unified School District has made major strides in raising test scores and building schools over the last five years, but it is seriously hampered by internal turf wars, antiquated business systems and no clear plan to retain teachers, administrators and others accountable for district goals, an independent audit found Monday. LAUSD must overcome these “sizable barriers” if it hopes to continue its drive forward, according to the Council of the Great City Schools. Among its findings were that redividing the system from 11 subdistricts to eight has created disparities and new inefficiencies, and that the budget does not clearly reflect the district’s priorities or offer a window into the use of its money, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Dist. Atty. Cooley Names Spillane Chief Deputy
Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley on Monday named veteran prosecutor and administrator John Spillane as his second in command. Spillane, currently Cooley’s chief of operations, will take over from Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Curt Livesay, who will retire next month after 40 years with the prosecutor’s office. Cooley tapped longtime prosecutor Jacquelyn Lacey as operations chief. She most recently served as director of special prosecutions, overseeing units that prosecute gangs, sex crimes and family violence. Lacey, who joined the office in 1986, tried one of the first hate-crime murder cases in county history, the Los Angeles Times reported.
LAPD Cars’ Computers Set for Upgrade, Cost Increase
A Los Angeles City Council committee moved forward Monday with a long-stalled plan to upgrade computer systems used in LAPD squad cars, even as a private contractor warned that changes to the work could cost the city another $1.5 million, Copley News Service reported. The council’s Public Safety Committee agreed to renegotiate the city’s $15 million contract with Northrop Grumman, which is nearly two years behind on a new system to allow the LAPD’s dispatch system to communicate with officers’ laptops. Northrop said changes requested by the LAPD will likely increase the city’s bill. The LAPD now wants certain on-screen forms to look like the paper version, which could inflate the price by as much as $1.5 million.
Federal Judge Weighs Legality of Redondo Day-Laborer Law
A federal judge in Los Angeles heard arguments Monday on whether she should rule on the legality of Redondo Beach’s ordinance that prohibits day laborers from seeking work on city streets. U.S. District Court Judge Consuelo Marshall, who last year barred the city from enforcing the law while the case is being considered, must decide if she should issue a summary judgment, which would decide the case without a trial, the Daily Breeze reported. A lawyer for the day laborers argued that the Redondo Beach ordinance bars free-speech rights, while a lawyer for the city said the ordinance does not target any one type of speech and the restrictions are needed for traffic safety.
Big Lots Buys Rights to Dakin
Closeout retailer Big Lots bought the rights to the plush toy maker Dakin & Co. and pledged to revive it, the Daily News of Los Angeles reported. The retailer’s investment arm, Big Lots Capital, paid more than $835,000 for the brand, which dates back more than a half-century. Known as a high-end train and stuffed-toy maker, the brand merged with Woodland Hills-based Applause LLC in the early 1990s, then fell on hard times when Applause encountered difficult financial straits in recent years. Dakin’s fortunes foundered further when Applause’s top executive Bob Solomon committed suicide. Big Lots, which began its capital investment arm to revive distressed brands, will use the Dakin name to manufacture toys to sell in its own stores and to independent toy shops.
LAUSD May Pay for Once-Free Land
Six years after rejecting surplus federal property in San Pedro, the LAUSD is now prepared to spend millions of dollars to purchase the same parcel for a 2,025-student high school, the Daily News of Los Angeles said. The district applied for a portion of the former San Pedro naval housing site in January 1999, but withdrew the application rather than compete with the city of L.A.’s plan for the property. Part of the surplus land was given away for two private high schools, which are now being built, while residential developer Bob Bisno bought some 62 acres for $121 million during an online auction. District officials estimate the cost of the 15-acre school site at roughly $30 million. But it could run as high as $200 million once the adverse impact on the project is factored in.
