BRIEFLY.

Infant left in box at Valley hospital

VAN NUYS -- An apparently healthy newborn boy was discovered Tuesday in a cardboard box in the rooftop parking structure at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys, according to Supervisor Don Knabe's office.

In 2002, Knabe helped establish the county's Safe Surrender program, which allows a parent or someone designated by a parent to surrender a baby within 72 hours of birth to any hospital or fire station in the county, no questions asked.

Under the program, the infant must be physically handed to a person at either the hospital or fire station, and cannot be left near or outside the building.

Since the program began, 11 infants have been discovered abandoned and alive. In 41 cases, infants were found abandoned and deceased.

-- City News Service

NFL owners, L.A. leaders to meet

Calling the effort to bring football back to Los Angeles a top priority, four team owners and National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue will meet today with local business leaders to gauge support.

``We are working hard to make it happen and have significant progress,'' Tagliabue said in a statement Tuesday. ``The league's membership is giving top priority to an NFL team returning to the Los Angeles area.''

Tagliabue and the owners are being hosted at a private dinner by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the Getty House tonight, along with about 10 of the city's top business leaders.

Tagliabue said he will be joined by team owners Michael Bidwell of the Arizona Cardinals, Pat Bowlen of the Denver Broncos, Steve Tisch of the New York Giants and Jed York of the San Francisco 49ers.

The same group, as well as various NFL officials, will meet Thursday with Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle.

The meetings are an extension of discussions in May in which the NFL said it would spend up to $10 million to analyze plans for the two locations to determine where to place a team.

-- Daily News

Two charged with animal cruelty

NORTH HOLLYWOOD -- A woman and her son were charged Tuesday with animal cruelty after investigators found 20 ill cats in their one-bedroom apartment, the City Attorney's Office said.

Leslie Dugan, 56, and Mark Kincaid, 38, were each charged with 20 counts of animal cruelty. If convicted, each face a penalty of up to six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine for each animal cruelty charge.

``These were horrendous conditions, not just for the animals, but the people living there as well,'' City Attorney spokesman Frank Mateljan said.

Neither Dugan nor Kincaid could be reached for comment.

-- Daily News

LAUSD budget at $7.5 billion

Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Roy Romer on Tuesday unveiled a proposed $7.5 billion budget for the 2006-07 year, focusing on middle and high schools, reducing the dropout rate and improving student safety.

The budget provides $5.6 billion -- 75 percent of the operating budget -- to increase academics and eliminate the achievement gap.

The school board is expected to vote on the budget before June 30.

More than $643 million is targeted to increasing student safety, including more than $2 million to maintain campus aides.

The proposed budget also earmarks $54.6 million to reduce the dropout rate by hiring special counselors at high schools, reducing class size in eighth and ninth grades and creating small learning communities.

-- Daily News

Law school suit may get hearing

WOODLAND HILLS -- A bid for a new trial in a lawsuit brought by former students against a Woodland Hills law school previously affiliated with the University of La Verne was taken under submission Tuesday by a judge.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lee Smalley Edmon heard arguments from attorneys for about 25 former students and ULV before telling them she needed more time to make a decision.

Smalley had previously thrown out the lawsuit before trial, but attorneys for the students said they have new facts that warrant her reconsideration of the dismissal.

They allege a new trial is important to their careers because a ULV College of Law degree has more career value due to the school's provisional American Bar Association accreditation.

-- City News Service