Getty Had Clues Art May Have Been Looted

Lawyers for the J. Paul Getty Museum determined that half the masterpieces in its antiquities collection were bought from dealers suspected of selling artifacts embezzled from Italy. Getty officials knew as early as 1985, but the museum continued the acquisitions, according to hundreds of documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times. Italian authorities are demanding the return of 42 objects in the Getty collection they believe were stolen. Getty antiquities curator Marion True and antiquities dealers Giacomo Medici and Robert E. Hecht Jr. have been charged by Italian authorities with conspiring to traffic in looted antiquities. The Getty said that it had “never knowingly acquired an object that had been illegally excavated or exported.”

Plan Might Help Pave the Way for an NFL Stadium


Although city officials have promised not to use public funds to build a professional football stadium in L.A., the City Council will meet next week to consider a plan that would allow the use of property taxes to construct a parking garage and improve streets that could serve a stadium. The council will hold a public hearing Friday to consider extending the life of the Hoover Redevelopment Project for 12 years, the Los Angeles Times reported. The proposal would also extend the Community Redevelopment Agency’s powers of eminent domain for the area, and increase the amount of property tax dollars collected and bonds issued to finance projects, including infrastructure for a stadium. Critics call the proposal an end run around the promise not to subsidize an NFL franchise in L.A.

Rosenberg Wins Election to Lead SAG


Actor Alan Rosenberg and his supporters gained control of the Screen Actors Guild in a near election sweep late Friday, promising to take a tougher stance in labor negotiations with studios and advertisers. Rosenberg was elected president of the 120,000-member union with nearly 40 percent of the 27,053 votes cast, succeeding Melissa Gilbert, with whom Rosenberg’s coalition had clashed during her four years in the post, the Los Angeles Times reported. His total compared with 34.7 percent for actress Morgan Fairchild, a Gilbert ally, and 25 percent for independent candidate Robert Conrad. Rosenberg vowed to end the infighting that has beset the union and said he would encourage more stars to become active in the guild.

Young Aims to Lure More to College


Facing a decline in fall enrollment for the third consecutive year, Chancellor Darroch “Rocky” Young outlined an aggressive game plan for the Los Angeles Community College District, which he took over four months ago. At a recent board meeting, Young outlined his goals for increasing enrollment in the 119,000-student district by 25 percent over the next five years: brand each of the nine campuses more effectively; make better use of the $2.2 billion construction-bond fund; and do a better job of educating the students, the Daily News of Los Angeles reported. The dropout rate is one of Young’s top concerns, with an estimated 100,000 L.A. County residents in the 18- to 24-year-old age range lacking a high school diploma.

Apted Reelected to Lead Guild


British director Michael Apted has been reelected president of the Directors Guild of America, the Los Angeles Times reported. Apted, 64, has served as president of the 13,000-member guild since 2003. His reelection this past weekend was expected. Apted’s credits include “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” “Gorillas in the Mist” and “The World Is Not Enough.”