Politics

John Tower’s fight to become Secretary of Defense may have been sobering not only for him, but for others in this town as well. His story is just one example of how standards of conduct have changed in the view of journalists, legislators and the public at large. Not so long ago heavy drinking by … Read more

Lawrence F. O’Brien, who while serving as Democratic National Committee chairman was the target of the Watergate break-in that spelled the downfall of then-President Richard M. Nixon, has died in New York City. He was 73. O’Brien, who also was a key strategist for four presidential election campaigns, a former U.S. postmaster general and a … Read more

Americans are hopelessly confused about big-city crime. Partisanship is partly to blame Americans think New York is more dangerous than New Orleans, even though the Crescent City’s homicide rate is 12 times higher this year. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents rank Washington, D.C., as one of the country’s safer big cities, above cities like Miami, where … Read more

Climate change remains a major issue in the upcoming presidential election. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) This was supposed to be the climate change election — or so many Democrats thought. Then came the coronavirus. But while climate change has taken a back seat to the pandemic and the struggling economy, it remains a … Read more

(Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)

Expelled from Congress a week ago, an unrepentant James A. Traficant Jr. on Tuesday was sentenced to eight years behind bars for corruption and made it clear he intends to run for reelection from his prison cell–and expects to win. The 61-year-old former House member was led to jail in handcuffs after the judge refused … Read more

Houses line Buckelew Street last month in Sausalito, Calif. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) The December meeting on a proposed 400-home development played out as many have in Marin County. Dozens of residents approached the microphone to argue the project would hurt their quality of life. The Board of Supervisors killed the plan and … Read more

A state panel censured retired Republican Judge Steven Bailey for misconduct on Wednesday, citing the use of his judicial title and prestige of office to raise funds for and promote his unsuccessful campaign for California attorney general last year. The decision by the California Commission on Judicial Performance bars the former El Dorado County Superior … Read more

The Republican women who showed up for a lunch of chicken Caesar salad at the Long Beach Yacht Club were faced with the toughest of choices as they listened to three of the GOP candidates running in the Legislature’s 54th Assembly District primary election. Should they support Long Beach City Councilman Doug Drummond, a local … Read more

Sales Tax: SB 142 by Sen. Wadie P. Deddeh (D-Chula Vista) allows counties to ask voters to increase local sales taxes up to 1 cent to finance road construction or transit projects. Los Angeles County, which already imposes an additional half-cent sales tax, would be allowed to seek an increase of another half-cent, to 7 … Read more