Free Republic

LOS ANGELES -- There's only one place to correctly start this column and that's with the scene because it was, honestly, something to be seen. Steve Ballmer officially arrived here Monday -- showing up several weeks after his reputation did, Ballmer's reputation being that, as a public speaker, he's passionate, motivating and spirited. Or, said another way, he's as outrageous as someone who has had one too many drinks or one too few meds.

LOS ANGELES -- A steak knife-wielding man held police and security guards at bay for nearly an hour at the Staples Center in a bizarre scene that played out just before the Los Angeles Clippers hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, authorities said. The center's general manager, Lee Zeidman, said the man, who was not identified, entered the venue through an employee entrance. He said security officers tried to block him, but the man was brandishing the blade. The man ran to the arena floor, where he was met by 25 security staffers who surrounded him until police arrived. Zeidman...

Whenever I think of this new Staples sports stadium deal going down in Los Angeles I can't help but think of the "bread and circuses" that contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. Here is the City of L.A. sinking millions into this entertainment project leaving the people destitute and all for what? After all, as I wrote in the last column, these stadiums don't seem to pay for themselves. So why is LA doing this? Is it just the prestige of having a football franchise? Is having a football franchise enough of a palladium to justify sinking millions...

When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ran for governor in 2003, he promised to veto any bill that had not gone through the policy committees of the Senate and Assembly. This pledge, he said, was aimed at ending the practice of gut-and-amend bills – bills rewritten in the wee hours of the Legislature to avoid public scrutiny. "Bills are passed in a rush, in the middle of the night," Schwarzenegger said at the time. "There is no such thing as democracy in the dark." Schwarzenegger swept into office in 2003 because of such promises. Ever since, he has selectively gutted and amended...

SACRAMENTO — Acting on the last batch of bills from what experts called a disappointing regular legislative year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Sunday signed into law a controversial increase in motorists' fees that is intended to raise millions to develop alternative fuel and clean-air technology. Consumer advocates condemned the bill for putting the costs on the backs of motorists rather than oil companies. Schwarzenegger also signed what became known as the "toxic toys" bill, which makes California the first state to prohibit the use of chemical compounds called phthalates in products designed for children under 3 years old. Making his...

L.A. Dem denies work for Anschutz's company improper. Sacramento -- One of the nation's largest owners of professional sports and entertainment properties paid $20,000 in consulting fees to a state senator while the lawmaker pushed legislation aimed at providing more public assistance in financing such venues, records show. Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Los Angeles, said the December payment from Anschutz Entertainment Group was for legal services unrelated to his bill. A spokesman for the company, which owns the Staples Center in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Examiner, said that Murray, who is an attorney, helped prepare a bid on a...

Under the sweltering noontime sun, the most crowded spot at the opening day of the X Games in downtown Los Angeles today was not the mega ramp, where skateboarders take on a 48-foot, nearly vertical drop followed by a 50-foot jump across to another ramp. Nor was it the course where BMX bikers practiced for their competition later this evening. Today, the most coveted spot was the misting tent, or in front of the fans set up to blow water at hot spectators, or at the Saturn promotional tent, where cheery announcers promised to give away cold towels (and...

SACRAMENTO – State lawmakers are no longer sitting on the sidelines as the San Diego Chargers scramble to build a $450 million stadium under the city's haunting fiscal cloud. Legislation to create a state bonding authority that could help the Chargers secure tax-free financing for a new home is on a steady march through the Legislature and to the governor's desk. Where that home might be has been a matter of speculation in recent years. While the Chargers insist they want to stay in San Diego, the prospect of moving north has added intrigue to their quest for a new...

The name Vignali receded into L.A. history after the “Pardongate” scandal of 2001, but questions remain about drug-dealing son Carlos and his real estate magnate father, Horacio, who just might be pulling the strings in the remaking of downtown L.A. --snip--- “Justice Undone: Clemency Decisions in the Clinton White House,” House Report 107-454, documents the involvement of Hugh Rodham, the brother of Hillary Rodham Clinton, in the Vignali affair. Rodham was Horacio Vignali’s chief lobbyist inside the White House and received more than $200,000 for his services. The two met through Los Angeles attorney James Casso in October 2000, according...