BRIEFLY : COUNCIL APPROVES FRANCHISE TRANSFER.The Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. on Tuesday voted to approve a transfer of a Valley cable franchise to AT&T, but went on record demanding open access to high-speed cable Internet Internet access via the cable companies. There are two kinds of service. One uses a cable modem to connect to a computer, and the other uses an enhanced cable box that provides Internet access directly at the TV. systems. The council's unanimous decision A Unanimous Decision is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking in which all 3 judges agree on which fighter won the match. places the Van Nuys cable franchise of Tele-Communications, Inc. under joint control of TCI (Trustworthy Computing Initiative) An umbrella term from Microsoft for its efforts to improve security in Windows. TCI was announced in 2002 after viruses such as Code Red and Nimda had succeeded in attacking numerous Windows computers. , and AT&T, which are merging, but ensures that consumers who want high-speed online access have a choice of Internet providers. Cable lines provide Internet access up to 100 times faster than dial-up connections, allowing users to download complex graphics, audio and video in seconds, rather than the minutes it now takes. AT&T will offer that service to users in the Van Nuys area, but must, according the city ordinance, provide open access to other Internet providers, giving consumers a choice or service. Meanwhile, a council resolution requires city staffers to formulate a policy for open, nondiscriminatory access that sorts out the technical complexities of how such access will be provided. - Daily News Tax suit dismissed, but appeal planned A Los Angeles judge dismissed a lawsuit against the city by a taxpayers group, which claimed a home occupation ordinance unlawfully imposes a tax, an attorney said Tuesday. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association helped sponsor Proposition 13, the property tax-cutting initiative in California in 1978 which slashed property taxes by fifty-seven percent and initiated a national tax revolt. It was founded by California republican Howard Jarvis. alleged that the ordinance that legalized home businesses in Los Angeles violated Proposition 218, which requires that new ``taxes'' be approved by voters, plaintiff's attorney plaintiff's attorney n. the attorney who represents a plaintiff (the suing party) in a lawsuit. In lawyer parlance a "plaintiff's attorney" refers to a lawyer who regularly represents persons who are suing for damages, while a lawyer who is regularly chosen by an Richard Fine said. But an attorney for the city argued in Los Angeles Superior Court that the 1996 ordinance is not a new tax per se, just an extension of the business tax. Judge Edward Ross granted a request Tuesday morning to dismiss the lawsuit. Fine said he will appeal. Fine said he is ``fairly confident we will win this in the end. The law is really clear on this,'' he said. The taxpayer group wants the business tax, which is expected to generate $4 million to $5 million a year, brought to a vote, Fine said. - City News Service Stun belt use barred in court, judge says A federal judge Tuesday barred the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. and the courts from using stun belts on defendants brought to court. The injunction stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Ronnie Hawkins. A female sheriff's bailiff bailiff Officer of some U.S. courts whose duties include keeping order in the courtroom and guarding prisoners or jurors in deliberation. In medieval Europe, it was a title of some dignity and power, denoting a manorial superintendent or royal agent who collected fines and zapped Hawkins months ago on the orders of a Long Beach judge, who repeatedly had told the defendant to be quiet. - City News Service Fire ant fire ant Any of a genus (Solenopsis) of insects in the ant family, several species of which are common in southern North America. They are red or yellowish and can inflict a severe sting. The semipermanent nest consists of a loose mound with open craters for ventilation. eradication gets county support Proposed state legislation to eradicate the red fire ant received support Tuesday on a 3-0 vote from the county Board of Supervisors The examples and perspective in this article or section may represent an unduly geographically limited view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. The Board of Supervisors is the body governing counties in the U.S. . Nationally, 23 deaths have been attributed to fire ants, which sting repeatedly when their nests are disturbed. - Daily News Goats to be used to clear ridge brush Goats will preserve the environment and save Los Angeles County money by clearing brush in the 113-acre Etz-Meloy Fuelbreak, which is atop one of the Santa Monica Mountains' many remote ridges, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said. County officials estimate the cost of clearing an acre of brush with a crew is $1,750, the herbicides cost $350 and the equipment costs $275. The goats will cost $225-$300 per acre. - City News Service Passenger indicted INDICTED, practice. When a man is accused by a bill of indictment preferred by a grand jury, he is said to be indicted. by U.S. grand jury A man who allegedly threatened ``to start killing people'' on a Southwest Airlines flight Jan. 12 unless he was taken to Hollywood was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday. Joe Luis Mendez, 34, faces one count of aircraft piracy and another of interfering with the duties of a flight crew member. - City News Service Supervisor wants benches inspected Spurred by the recent death of an 8-year-old boy crushed by a concrete park bench in Laguna Niguel, Supervisor Don Knabe introduced a motion Tuesday to inspect Los Angeles County's benches. Third-grader Anthony Ferris' death ``necessitates a quick inspection and review of the use of these 800-pound benches throughout the county of Los Angeles,'' Knabe wrote. His colleagues will take up the matter next week. - City News Service |
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