Ari L. Noonan
Black Will Not Be the Next Chief
Capt. Cerris Black will not be the new Police Chief — for one logical reason.
But Asst. Chief Hank Davies, Capt. Scott Bixby, Lt. Dean Williams or one other veteran may.
After the first round of cuts was determined on Tuesday afternoon, four members of the home team, the Culver City department, remained in the fierce competition.
The original field, believed to contain sixty-eight candidates, was whittled to fourteen by the Sacramento executive search firm of Bob Murray & Associates.
The next interviews start on March 6.
This means that Mr. Davies, Mr. Bixby, Mr. Williams and The Other Candidate will be automatically reminded of the job they all yearn for every time they encounter each other during the next month.
The next interviews start on March 6.
This means that Mr. Davies, Mr. Bixby, Mr. Williams and The Other Candidate will be automatically reminded of the job they all yearn for every time they encounter each other during the next month.
Bosh Brothers Suspect Is Charged
The prime suspect in the cold-blooded assassination of the Bosh brothers two and a half years ago stands charged this week with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
He could go to trial this summer for the gang-style slayings of Michael Bosh, twenty, and Timothy Bosh, twenty-one, in Culver West Park on the evening of Sept. 27 of ’03, just as the park was closing.
Culver City Police Lt. Ron Iizuka told thefrontpageonline.com that Anthony Covarrubias was only returned to Los Angeles last week from New Mexico where he was convicted of a federal violation of narcotics transportation laws.
Vera Says He Will Run Will He?
Did Mayor Albert Vera fool ‘em again, all those people who believed him last month when he declared he would not stand for re-election?
Once a predictable populist, he has shattered the mold near the end of his twelfth year on the City Council.
Reversing himself for the second time in twenty-four days, Mr. Vera stated publicly during Monday night’s draining City Council meeting, and privately afterward, that he will run, as a write-in candidate, for a fourth term.
He first belched out his vow to run in a swirl of anger near the end of the meeting. Furious that a majority of his colleagues staunchly opposed his bid to again delay a controversial street-parking ban on recreational vehicles, Mr. Vera exploded.
Irv Stokes and the Yeshiva
On a scenic Culver City hilltop yesterday at the lunch hour, a nobleman of science
had his scholarly imprint permanently affixed to an unusual campus thirteen months after his death.
had his scholarly imprint permanently affixed to an unusual campus thirteen months after his death.
With the gentleman’s widow standing in as his proxy, the head of the school announced that the science program will forever bear his name. When the projected science building is completed, it also will be known by his name.
Meantime, a laboratory named for him will stand as the eternal legacy for a man who made exploration of the outer and inner worlds his hobby horse, his personal laboratory. With intensity, he probed the density surrounding the stars far out in the universe.
From City Hall to Playa Vista
Two former officials from Los Angeles City Hall have joined the Playa Vista development complex.
Maricela Gomez, previously the legislative deputy for City Council member Wendy Greuel, is Playa Vista’s new Director of Government Relations. Having formerly served as field deputy for City Councilmember Ruth Galanter when her district included the Westside, Ms. Gomez is familiar with the territory, the issues and the people.
After serving as the Central Area Director for Mayor Villaraigosa, Michelle Fleenor moves to Playa Vista as Director of Special Projects.
Ladera Answers L.A. Times Essay
(Editor’s Note: The following letter, by leaders of a Ladera Heights movement to transfer students from Inglewood to Culver City, was written in response to a Jan. 23 essay in the Los Angeles Times by Erin Aubrey Kaplan. Ms. Kaplan harshly criticized Ladera families for “betraying their race” by trying to leave the Inglewood system.)
We are the chief petitioners of the Ladera Heights school petition, and we are responding to the “opinion” of Erin Aubry Kaplan in the Jan. 25 issue of the Los Angeles Times in the Opinion Section.
We did, in fact, submit our Notice of Intent to Appeal (Los Angeles County’s rejection of a proposed transfer of students from Inglewood to Culver City) with the County Office of Education on Monday, Jan. 23.
Whispering in Producer Mandells Ear
A wonderful feeling washed over a dozen of your fellow citizens the other evening in the scenic, window-rich Garden Room at the Vets Auditorium.
Susan Obrow, the peppiest Special Events Coordinator on Overland or any other avenue, convened a once-a-year community meeting. She invited fans of the Summer Sunset Concert Series to nominate musical genres or attractions that they want Producer Gary Mandell to bring to the outdoors stage at City Hall, beginning Thursday, June 15.
Not at all cynically it should be reported that this was the ultimate dog-and-pony show, a stress-free, well-meaning exercise designed to make everyone in the softly lighted room feel good. Only a curmudgeon would think something was wrong with that.
Just the right degree of folksiness for those who appreciate that faded quality in community life.
Vera and the Next Police Chief
In what may be the final legacy-shaping project of his political career, the retiring Mayor Albert Vera figures to be the most crucial player once again this winter when the City Council selects a new Police Chief.
Speaking as one who often gets his way, Mr. Vera wants to have the new chief named by the last day of the month.
Some political observers in Culver City talk skeptically about the Vera legacy. But there can be no doubt his influence has been dominant in choosing the first two successors to the legendary Ted Cooke. The Mysterious Lavery Email
Was a fired City Hall official seeking revenge two weeks ago when he emailed each member of the City Council hours before a vote on whether to renew his old boss’s contract?
Six months after being dismissed by Chief Administrative Officer Jerry Fulwood, short-term City Controller Jim Lavery dispatched an explosive message to the Council.
Injecting himself into a debate whose outcome had seemed clear, Mr. Lavery laid out a detailed case for rejecting a new three-year agreement for Mr. Fulwood. Which One Will Live Happily Ever After?
Second of Two Parts
In the spirit of a wheezing soap opera, can City Treasurer Crystal Alexander and Chief Administrative Officer Jerry Fulwood find true partnership while they are avidly competing for the upper hand as the chief financial officer?
The latter title is not capitalized because such a position is only fantasy today. Numerous present and past employees have told thefrontpageonline.com that the Culver City system of governing, financially, was built to breed friction rather than efficiency.
