Los Angeles Faces Legal Bills in Grand Jury Probe of City Hall

Seven Los Angeles city commissioners, city employees and former city employees have notified City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo that they have hired attorneys to represent them in a state and federal corruption probe the first step toward asking taxpayers to reimburse them for their legal fees, the Daily Breeze reported. Representatives of the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airports and Mayor James Hahn’s office appeared as witnesses before federal and state grand juries last year. Two have submitted bills, while two others gave no estimates but told Delgadillo they expect to be reimbursed.

U.S. Workers Find Jobs Less Satisfying, Survey Says


U.S. workers, pushed to produce more and uneasy about new technology and other changes, are markedly less satisfied with their jobs than a decade ago, a new survey says. But the decline in on-the-job happiness has at least temporarily leveled off, according to the survey released Monday by The Conference Board. Half of U.S. workers are happy with their jobs, down from nearly 59 percent in 1995, according to the survey. Of those, about 14 percent say they are very satisfied, on par with the group’s last survey in 2003 and down from 18.4 percent in 1995, the Associated Press reported.

Actors OK by Wide Margin, Avoiding Turmoil


Hollywood’s actors overwhelmingly approved their new contract Monday, ending the threat that the industry would be thrown into turmoil by forcing negotiators to return to the bargaining table with a deadline approaching, The Hollywood Reporter said. The deal negotiated on behalf of SAG and AFTRA members was accepted by a 76.5 percent to 23.5 percent margin, the unions said. Nearly 30 percent of the 119.000 union members who received ballots returned them, consistent with previous contract votes.

Torrance Wrongly Interfered in Unions’ Fight


The city of Torrance wrongly interfered in a dispute over who would represent hundreds of its workers at the bargaining table, a state investigation has found. The ruling again pins the city between two groups of its own feuding workers: the local chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and a splinter group trying to wrest power from the main union. The investigation board said Torrance violated state regulations when it refused to consider the trade association’s petition for an election, the Daily Breeze reported. The city has been ordered to accept the petition.

Payday for MGM Executives


Kirk Kerkorian isn’t the only one profiting from the sale of MGM, Variety reported. Top executives there will pocket multimillion-dollar severance packages, the company revealed in its annual report Monday. CEO and Chairman Alex Yemenidijan is being offered a lump sum payment of $6.25 million, while Chief Operating Officer Chris McGurk will get $5.75 million. The executives are expected to leave MGM once its $4.8 billion acquisition by Sony and its consortium of investors closes.

Regal Settles `Passion’ Film Dispute With Icon


Regal Entertainment Group settled a lawsuit filed by Icon Distribution Inc. over money owed from showing the film “The Passion of the Christ,” Bloomberg News reported. Regal Entertainment, the world’s largest movie theater company, was sued by Icon Distribution over $40 million in box office receipts from the film, which was directed and financed by Mel Gibson, an Icon partner. Regal agreed to pay 55 percent of its aggregate receipts from the film and instead offered Icon 34 percent of the theater chain’s proceeds from the film.

Yahoo Plans to Phase Out Overture Brand Name


Yahoo Inc. said Monday that it would mostly stop using the name of a Pasadena-based sponsored-search company it bought 17 months ago, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Overture Services division, created after Yahoo acquired Overture Services Inc. for $1.8 billion in October 2003, will be renamed Yahoo Search Marketing Solutions in the United States this spring and later in most overseas markets, the company said.

USC’s Hall to Lead California Stem-Cell Group


Zach Hall, the University of Southern California’s dean for medical school academic development, was chosen to temporarily lead the state’s stem-cell research institute, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Hall, 67, was endorsed yesterday by eight members of the $3 billion institute’s Independent Citizens Oversight Committee. The committee has 29 members. The institute is looking for a permanent head for the group to take over after Hall serves an expected one-year term.

TV Entertainment Reporter Didn’t Tell All


As Brad Grey takes the helm of historic Paramount Pictures today, there’s at least one person who hasn’t been blowing air kisses his way: KTLA-TV (Channel 5) entertainment reporter Zorianna Kit. What Kit did not disclose to the 164,000 households tuning in that night was that her husband, writer-producer Bo Zenga, had lost a bitter lawsuit he had filed against Grey over profit from the hit film “Scary Movie.” Both Zenga and Grey were executive producers of the comedy, the Los Angeles Times reported. KTLA had no comment on the matter.

Man in Internet Movie Postings Case Found Dead


Russell Sprague, who pleaded guilty to illegally copying two movies and distributing them through the Internet, was found dead in his jail cell yesterday morning, the Los Angeles Times reported. Sprague, 52, may have died of a heart attack, and will undergo an autopsy to determine the cause of death. He was being held in a federal prison in Los Angeles. He faced sentencing March 21 for having pleaded guilty last year to one count of copyright infringement for copying 134 copies of movies sent to Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members.

Chauffeured-Vehicle Firms CLS, Empire Agree to Merge


On Sunday night, Sherman Oaks-based CLS Worldwide Services had nearly 120 limos working into the wee hours, shuttling stars and their entourages to the Oscars and the parties that followed. On Monday morning, CLS announced a union with Norwood, N.J.-based Empire International that the companies said created the second-largest fleet of chauffeured rental vehicles in the country, the Los Angeles Times reported. Financial details of the deal weren’t released. The new company will have about $100 million a year in revenue.

Armenian Groups Receive Payments


Three local Armenian civic organizations received $333,333 each Monday as part of a $20-million settlement of a lawsuit by New York Life Insurance Co., the Los Angeles Times reported. In all, $3 million was split among nine Armenian organizations, including the Armenian Church of North America Western Diocese in Burbank, the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Los Angeles and the Armenian Educational Foundation in Glendale. The lawsuit, filed by heirs of Armenian genocide victims, accused the insurance company of failing to honor valid claims.