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Los Angeles

Massive Water-Conservation Plan Revived

Los Angeles Times

With vital and often-distant water sources shrinking, Los Angeles officials will revive a controversial proposal to recycle wastewater as part of a plan to curb usage and move the city toward greater water independence. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's effort could cost up to $2 billion and would invest in projects to capture and store rainfall, clean up contaminated water supplies and reclaim water.

Denver

Transit Agency Considering Cuts

Rocky Mountain News

Denver area buses and trains are attracting new riders in record numbers as fuel costs and congestion drive more commuters to abandon their cars. But the cost of fuel and a flat sales tax revenue have combined to create a potential $24 million shortfall for the transit agency that could force service cuts.

Sacramento, Calif.

Supervisors OK $1 Billion Airport Expansion

Sacramento Bee

Sacramento County leaders announced their intention to launch a major airport expansion next month – sharply rebuffing airline officials who flew in to protest the project's cost. The $1.27 billion plan, which would include a new terminal, hotel, parking garage and people-mover tram, has come under intense fire from airlines at Sacramento International Airport.

Chicago

Foie Gras Ban Lifted

Chicago Tribune

Chicago's aldermen showed that they have had their fill of the ban on foie gras and made it legal once again for city restaurants to serve up the delicacy made from duck and goose liver. The council's about-face overturns the 2006 ban, which Mayor Richard Daley had dismissed as "the silliest law the City Council has ever passed."

Washington, D.C.

Lottery Contract Gets Second Chance

Washington Post

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty pushed ahead in his bid to award a $120 million D.C. Lottery contract to a start-up firm, asking the D.C. Council to reconsider his controversial proposal, a day after the legislative body moved to block it. Fenty is seeking to give control of the lottery operations to W2I, a nine-month-old venture, but council members have questioned the firm's credentials.

Posted Wednesday, May 14

Detroit

Council Votes to Force Mayor Out

Detroit Free Press

The Detroit City Council launched a historic effort to pry Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from office, approving — by a single vote — a two-front strategy for removal: asking the governor to oust the mayor while beginning its own effort to unseat him. The mayor could appear before the council as early as next month for trial-like hearings on his ouster.

Seattle

Mayor Seeks Seismic Retrofits

Seattle Times

Up to 1,000 buildings in Seattle could fall down in a strong earthquake, and Mayor Greg Nickels plans to require property owners to retrofit them. According to a study released, 850 to 1,000 old brick buildings are at risk. New building codes would require council approval, and would cost $358 million to $431 million. If enacted, Seattle would be the first city outside of California to mandate seismic retrofitting.

East Bay Area, Calif.

Water Rationing Begins

San Francisco Chronicle

Water rationing went into effect for East Bay residents after water managers unanimously passed a drought management program aimed at preserving the system's deteriorating water supply. Residents of single-family homes throughout much of Alameda and Contra Costa counties are required to immediately reduce water use by 19 percent; golf courses face 30 percent cuts; refineries and manufacturers must trim 5 percent.

New York City

School Officials Accused of Soliciting Bribes

New York Times

Four city Department of Education employees were charged in a federal indictment with soliciting bribes in exchange for promising preferential treatment, including on safety inspections, to bus companies that serve thousands of special education students. The employees accepted cash payments totalling $1 million.

Posted Tuesday, May 13

Vallejo, Calif.

City Workers Offer to Cut Pay

San Francisco Chronicle

Hoping to prevent a city bankruptcy that would suspend their union contracts, Vallejo's police, firefighters and rank-and-file employees went public with an offer to cut their salaries and give up raises. The labor groups said their proposal would save the city $10.6 million in the next fiscal year, while city staff estimates that without bankruptcy or draconian reductions, the general fund deficit would be $16 million.

All Eyes On Vallejo's Experience San Francisco Chronicle

As one of the handful of governments to file for Chapter 9, Vallejo has thrust itself into the national spotlight as a test case for thousands of floundering cities desperate to unload their extravagant public employee contracts.

Newark

Former Mayor Spared a Second Trial

New York Times

Federal prosecutors announced that they would not pursue fraud charges against Sharpe James, the former mayor of Newark, after they said that a conviction was unlikely to add prison time to what he was already facing for conspiring to steer city-owned properties to his former companion for a fraction of their value.

Clark County, Nev.

Court Upholds School Dress Codes

Las Vegas Review-Journal

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Clark County's school dress codes do not violate students' right to free speech after considering a case involving a junior suspended for wearing T-shirts expressing her religious faith.

Washington, D.C.

Downtown Project to Include Posh New Hotel

Washington Post

A developer announced plans yesterday to build a luxury hotel and high-end retail on prime downtown property where former mayor Anthony A. Williams had proposed constructing a new central public library. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, who supported the library when he was a member of the D.C. Council, said the hotel and retail stores are better suited for the vacant District-owned land.

Posted Monday, May 12

The Nation

Gas Prices Send Surge of Riders to Mass Transit

New York Times

With the price of gas approaching $4 a gallon, more commuters are abandoning their cars and taking the train or bus instead. Mass transit systems around the country are seeing standing-room-only crowds on bus lines, and the parking lots at many bus and light rail stations are suddenly overflowing.

L.A. Freeways A Little Freer Los Angeles Times

A sampling of residents, traffic reporters and technical data indicates that as gasoline prices have climbed and the economy has faltered, weekday congestion has softened in some areas over the last month.

Passaic, N.J.

Mayor Pleads Guilty to Corruption

Newark Star-Ledger

Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges and faces up to two years in prison. Rivera, among 11 public officials caught in a statewide FBI sting last year, pleaded guilty to one count of extortion after being accused of accepting $5,000 in cash from an insurance brokerage firm in exchange for his help getting contracts.

Orange County, Calif.

Toll Road Agency Hails Wildlife Deal

Los Angeles Times

An agreement to protect wildlife has been announced between the toll road agency and a state agency on the proposed extension of an Orange County toll road, a controversial link that would cut through a popular state park and famed surf spot. Proponents said the agreement helps breathe new life into the extension, which has divided politicians, environmentalists and transportation planners for years.

Posted Friday, May 9

The Washington, D.C., Region

Transit Chief: Delay Upgrades for Urgent Fixes

Washington Post

The general manager of the region's transit system told board members that the agency wants to delay $109 million in planned upgrades and use the money to help pay for $157 million in projects urgently needed by the aging system in the next two years. The projects include repairs to deteriorating station platforms, replacement of worn track fasteners to help prevent fires, and upgrades to key computer systems.

BART Yanks Seats to Pack In More Riders San Francisco Chronicle

BART, the San Francisco regional rail system that is carrying more passengers on a typical weekday than ever before, has been quietly removing seats from trains to make room for even more riders.

Audit: Miami-Dade Was Overbilled $6 Million for Transit Guards Miami Herald

Wackenhut overbilled Miami-Dade County as much as $6 million over three years for phantom security guards at county transit stations, according to a long-awaited audit.

Cook County, Ill.

Judge Orders Private Guards for Juvenile Jail

Chicago Sun-Times

A federal judge ruled that the county's Juvenile Temporary Detention Center is "dangerously understaffed" and must hire private security guards to help make it safe again. The judge rejected complaints from the Teamsters union representing detention center guards that bringing in private guards would be unfair to employees.

Charleston, S.C.

Lack of Water Cited in Deaths of 9 Firefighters

Charleston Post and Courier

Firefighters who battled a furniture-store blaze last June 18 lacked enough water and proper equipment to effectively do their jobs and were undermined by a series of tactical errors that allowed the fire to spiral into an inferno that killed nine men, according to a draft National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health report.

Allegheny County, Pa.

Former Coroner’s Retrial on Hold

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Former Coroner Cyril Wecht will not be retried—at least not yet. And maybe never. A second trial on 41 felony counts that he misused the coroner's office for personal gain has been stayed indefinitely while the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals considers a motion to dismiss the case, whose first trial ended with a hung jury.

New York State

A.G.: Hundreds of Lawyers Getting Illegal State Pensions

New York Times

Hundreds of lawyers across the state have been illegally granted state pension benefits by school districts, towns and other governmental entities, according to Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo. Many of the cases involve politically connected lawyers who work as independent contractors for regional school districts but are classified by the regional officials as public employees.