Hawthorne Sued for $200 Million
The author of a Web site documenting police misconduct in Hawthorne filed a $200 million lawsuit against the city for shutting him down, the Daily Breeze reported. Jeron Maklanron claims the city and its police violated his civil rights by filing a restraining order against his site. His lawsuit, filed in federal court this week, also claims police held him at gunpoint and improperly searched his home during their investigation. Maklanron’s Web site included the addresses of some police officials, and encouraged readers to go talk to them. Police interpreted that as an implied threat, and persuaded a judge to shut down the site last year. The Police Department plans to fight the suit.
Campaign Fundraising Skyrockets
Fundraising for the Nov. 8 special election called by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to implement his policy agenda is approaching $200 million, and the price of TV time for political ads is hitting new heights. Those who have raised and spent include the nation’s pharmaceutical companies, followed by public employee unions and then the governor, campaign finance reports filed with the state Thursday showed. Collecting money at a clip of more than $3 million a month, the governor has amassed $28 million to promote the four initiatives that embody his proposed changes to state government, and raised $2 million for his 2006 reelection bid, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Kaiser, Unions Agree to Contract
Kaiser Permanente and its unionized workers announced a five-year contract Thursday covering 82,000 employees in eight states. The HMO and union officials said the contract covers nearly all Kaiser employees, except doctors, at more than 400 facilities. It includes annual pay raises of up to 5 percent in the first year and more money for benefits and training. The contract was expected to take effect Saturday once all union votes are counted. Union officials said it will likely be the second consecutive agreement to receive roughly 90 percent support from union members who voted, the Associated Press said.
Two Talent Agencies Sue Studio Over ‘Frasier’
Two talent agencies that represented creators of the sitcom “Frasier” sued Paramount Pictures, claiming the studio cheated the firms out of their share of the profit. Jim Preminger Agency, which represented Peter Casey and David Lee, and Kaplan Stahler Gumer Braun Agency, which represented David Angell, allege that Paramount failed to provide them with an accurate financial picture. They allege that distribution statements provided to a third party revealed “Frasier” had grossed more than $1 billion. The suit also said that NBC alone paid Paramount $830 million in license fees, the Los Angeles Times reported.
City of Industry Resort Plans Upgrade
The operators of Pacific Palms Conference Resort, a golf retreat in the City of Industry, on Thursday announced plans for $17 million worth of recreational improvements, including a new spa. The expansion, scheduled to break ground next month, will seek to capitalize on the growing use of spas as a standard amenity for resorts to attract well-heeled travelers. Majestic Realty Co., a City of Industry-based developer that took over operation of the 292-room hilltop hotel and conference center in 2000, is trying to position Pacific Palms as a regional draw for leisure travelers as well as a destination for business meetings and conferences, the Los Angeles Times reported. The 25-year-old resort is owned by the City of Industry.
Union Workers OK Pact With Boeing
Boeing machinists voted overwhelmingly Thursday to accept a contract that boosts pensions and preserve medical benefits, ending a costly monthlong strike for the aerospace firm. Eighty percent of the voting members of the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers approved the contract, which also shunned Boeing’s plan to introduce a different compensation scale for new hires and employees in Wichita, Kan. The union, which represents 18,400 Boeing workers in Washington, Oregon and Kansas, started back to work late Thursday after the votes were tallied, the Los Angeles Times reported. Boeing initially had said that the union’s demands would be too costly.
