Latest news with #Meza
Los Angeles Times
26-07-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
L.A.'s bid to rewrite its City Charter starts off with a spicy leadership battle
Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It's David Zahniser, with an assist from Julia Wick, giving you the latest on city and county government. Here you thought charter reform would be boring. A 13-member citizens commission is just getting started on the painstaking, generally unsexy work of poring through the Los Angeles City Charter, the city's governing document, and coming up with strategies for improving it. Yet already, the commission has had a leadership battle, heard allegations of shady dealings and fielded questions about whether it's been set up to fail. But first, let's back up. Mayor Karen Bass, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and former Council President Paul Krekorian chose a collection of volunteers to serve on the Charter Reform Commission, which is charged with exploring big and small changes to the City Charter. The commission is part of a much larger push for reform sparked by the city's 2022 audio leak scandal and a string of corruption cases involving L.A. officials. The list of potential policy challenges the commission faces is significant. Good government types want the new commission to endorse ranked-choice voting, with Angelenos selecting their elected officials by ranking candidates in numerical order. Advocacy groups want to see a much larger City Council. Some at City Hall want clarity on what to do with elected officials who are accused of wrongdoing but have not been convicted. 'You are not one of those commissions that shows up every few years to fix a few things here or there,' said Raphael Sonenshein, who served nearly 30 years ago as executive director of the city's appointed Charter Reform Commission, while addressing the new commission last week. 'You actually have a bigger responsibility than that.' The real work began on July 16, when the commission took up the question of who should be in charge. Many thought the leadership post would immediately go to Raymond Meza, who had already been serving as the interim chair. Instead, the panel found itself deadlocked. Meza is a high-level staffer at Service Employees International Union Local 721, the powerful public employee union that represents thousands of city workers and has been a big-money spender in support of Bass and many other elected city officials. Meza, who was appointed by Bass earlier this year, picked up five votes. But so did Ted Stein, a real estate developer who has served on an array of city commissions — planning, airport, harbor — but hadn't been on a volunteer city panel in nearly 15 years. Faced with a stalemate, charter commissioners decided to try again a few days later, when they were joined by two additional members. By then, some reform advocates were up in arms over Stein, arguing that he was bringing a record of scandal to the commission. They sent the commissioners news articles pointing out that Stein had, among other things, resigned from the airport commission in 2004 amid two grand jury investigations into whether city officials had tied the awarding of airport contracts to campaign contributions. Stein denied those allegations in 2004, calling them 'false, defamatory and unsubstantiated.' Last week, before the second leadership vote, he shot back at his critics, noting that two law enforcement agencies — the U.S. attorney's office and the L.A. County district attorney's office — declined to pursue charges against him. The Ethics Commission also did not bring a case over his airport commission activities. 'I was forced to protect my good name by having to hire an attorney and having to spend over $200,000 in legal fees [over] something where I had done nothing wrong,' he told his fellow commissioners. The city reimbursed Stein for the vast majority of those legal costs. Stein accused Meza of orchestrating some of the outside criticism — which Meza later denied. And Stein spent so much time defending his record that he had little time to say why he should be elected. Still, the vote was close, with Meza securing seven votes and Stein picking up five. Meza called the showdown 'unfortunate.' L.A. voters, he said, 'want to see the baton passed to a new generation of people.' The 40-year-old Montecito Heights resident made clear that he supports an array of City Charter changes. In an interview, Meza said he's 'definitely in favor' of ranked-choice voting, arguing that it would increase voter turnout. He also supports an increase in the number of City Council members but wouldn't say how many. And he wants to ensure that vacant positions are filled more quickly at City Hall, calling it an issue that 'absolutely needs to be addressed.' That last item has long been a concern for SEIU Local 721, where Meza works as deputy chief of staff. Nevertheless, Meza said he would, to an extent, set aside the wishes of his union during the commission's deliberations. 'On the commission, I am an individual resident of the city,' he said. Stein, for his part, told The Times that he only ran for the leadership post out of concern over the commission's tight timeline. The commission must submit its proposal to the council next spring — a much more aggressive schedule than the one required of two charter reform commissions nearly 30 years ago. Getting through so many complex issues in such a brief period calls for an experienced hand, said Stein, who is 76 and lives in Encino. Stein declined to say where he stands on council expansion and ranked-choice voting. He said he's already moved on from the leadership vote and is ready to dig into the commission's work. Meza, for his part, said he has heard the concerns about the aggressive schedule. But he remains confident the commission will be successful. 'I don't think we have the best conditions,' he said. 'But I do not believe we've been set up to fail. I'm very confident the commissioners will do what's needed to turn in a good product.' — STRICTLY BUSINESS: A group of L.A. business leaders launched a ballot proposal to repeal the city's much-maligned gross receipts tax, saying it would boost the city's economy and lower prices for Angelenos. The mayor and several other officials immediately panned the idea, saying it would deprive the city's yearly budget of $800 million, forcing cuts to police, firefighters and other services. — INCHING FORWARD: Meanwhile, another ballot proposal from the business community — this one backed by airlines and the hotel industry — nudged closer to reality. Interim City Clerk Petty Santos announced that the proposed referendum on the $30-per-hour tourism minimum wage had 'proceeded to the next step,' with officials now examining and verifying petition signatures to determine their validity. — GRIM GPS: The Los Angeles County Fire Department had only one truck stationed west of Lake Avenue in Altadena at a critical moment during the hugely destructive Eaton fire, according to vehicle tracking data analyzed by The Times. By contrast, the agency had dozens of trucks positioned east of Lake. All but one of the deaths attributed to the Eaton fire took place west of Lake. — CHANGE OF PLANS: On Monday, Bass nominated consultant and Community Coalition board member Mary Lee to serve on the five-member Board of Police Commissioners. Two days later, in a brief email, Lee withdrew from consideration. Reached by The Times, Lee cited 'personal reasons' for her decision but did not elaborate. (The mayor's office had nothing to add.) Lee would have replaced former commissioner Maria 'Lou' Calanche, who is running against Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez in the June 2026 election. — SEMPER GOODBYE: The Pentagon announced Monday that the roughly 700 Marines who have been deployed to the city since early June would be withdrawing, a move cheered by Bass and other local leaders who have criticized the military deployment that followed protests over federal immigration raids. About 2,000 National Guard troops remain in the region. — HALTING HEALTHCARE: L.A. County's public health system, which provides care to the region's neediest residents, could soon face brutal budget cuts. The 'Big Beautiful Bill,' enacted by President Trump and the Republican-led Congress, is on track to carve $750 million per year out of the Department of Health Services, which oversees four public hospitals and roughly two dozen clinics. At the Department of Public Health, which is facing its own $200-million cut, top executive Barbara Ferrer said: 'I've never actually seen this much disdain for public health.' — HOMELESS HIRE: The commission that oversees the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority selected Gita O'Neill, a career lawyer in the city attorney's office, to serve as the agency's interim CEO. O'Neill will replace Va Lecia Adams Kellum, who stepped down Friday after more than two years in her post. — THE JURY SPEAKS: The city has been ordered by a jury to pay $48.8 million to a man who has been in a coma since he was hit by a sanitation truck while crossing a street in Encino. The verdict comes as the city struggles with escalating legal payouts — and was larger than any single payout by the city in the last two fiscal years, according to data provided by the city attorney's office. — LOOKING FOR A LIAISON: Back in May, while signing an executive directive to support local film and TV production, L.A.'s mayor was asked whether she planned to appoint a film liaison as the City Hall point person for productions. 'Absolutely,' Bass said during the news conference, adding that she planned to do so within a few days. That was two months ago. Asked this week about the status of that position, Bass spokesperson Clara Karger touted the executive directive and said the position was 'being hired in conjunction with industry leaders.' She did not provide a timeline. That's it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to LAontheRecord@ Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Drones descend on storm-damaged eastern North Dakota to search for personal items
A drone operated by the Northern Plains UAS Test Site surveils damage in Enderlin on June 24, 2025. The damage was caused by a tornado and series of severe thunderstorms that stretched across North Dakota on June 20, 2025. (Contributed/Northern Plains UAS Test Site) Drones are helping residents of storm-damaged areas in eastern North Dakota find personal items scattered during tornadoes and straight-line winds. Enderlin native Sadie Rudolph posted on social media Monday calling on drone operators to help search for items taken away by the series of storms that rolled across North Dakota on Friday. In less than 24 hours, the post was shared more than 180 times with many people reaching out to add lost items to the list and to see how they could help. 'We've got a lot of people looking for things that have been scattered for miles,' said Rudolph, who now lives in West Fargo. The North Dakota Community Foundation has set up a storm relief fund. Financial donations will be provided to impacted communities and homeowners to assist with disaster recovery and unmet needs. Rudolph said someone reached out to her on social media to report that a letter with an Enderlin address was found more than 90 miles away in Ulen, Minnesota. 'The sheer craziness of how far the storm took this stuff, it's just mind-boggling,' she said. The Northern Plains UAS Test Site based in Grand Forks responded to the call for help. Three drones and pilots were searching for property in the Enderlin and Sheldon areas on Tuesday, said Victor Meza, marketing manager. A severe storm that produced multiple tornadoes, hail and high winds hit North Dakota over the weekend, claiming three lives in Enderlin. Residents asked drone pilots for help locating missing saddles, generators, tools, utility vehicles, a horse trailer and a pickup truck, among other items, that vanished during the storms. 'It's not just clothes or things like that, but mainly trying to find bigger items that are still missing,' Meza said. This is the first time drones from the Northern Plains UAS Test Site are being used to search for items after a tornado, Meza said. The Grand Forks test site is one of seven approved by the Federal Aviation Administration to research how to safely integrate unmanned aerial systems into the national airspace. The organization previously helped Grand Forks with aerial flooding observations. Drones also were used by energy companies after the 2024 Christmas ice storm to locate downed power lines faster than personnel on foot, he said. 'Manpower can be expensive and it can be exhausting,' Meza said. Swamps and bogs can be difficult to search on the ground, but drones provide a much easier way to search those areas completely, he said. Meza added it also allows search personnel to be diverted to other areas with higher needs. 'If we can save five to 10 people from going in one direction … it expands the search even more,' Meza said. Drone teams can deploy within about 10 minutes of arriving at a scene, he said. After searching on Tuesday morning, Meza said they had not found many of the larger items, but they are finding a lot of large pieces of debris and metal poles in the fields that will need to be moved before fields can be harvested. The drones being flown in Enderlin are using Vantis, North Dakota's statewide uncrewed aircraft system that allows drones to be flown beyond the visual line of sight. The network, which has received state funding, allows the drones to monitor air traffic in the area and extends their range. 'This is more than technology; it's neighbors helping neighbors, and we're honored to be part of that,' said Erin Roesler, deputy executive director for Northern Plains UAS Test Site. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
The National
18-06-2025
- Sport
- The National
River Plate cut Urawa Red Diamonds down to size as Mamelodi become first African side to win at Club World Cup
River Plate opened their Club World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Urawa Red Diamonds on Tuesday, with goals from Facundo Colidio, Sebastian Driussi and Maxi Meza enough to see off a spirited challenge from the Japanese side. The Argentine team got off to a dominant start and opened the scoring after 12 minutes when Colidio headed home a fine cross from Marcos Acuna on the left. "We needed to start the tournament like this we knew we could do it, it was a tough game like we knew it was going to be," Colidio told DAZN. "Today we were very effective and that's why we won. We knew we had to be intense too and we took our chances." Urawa went close to equalising before the break, with Marius Hoibraten having a goal ruled out for offside and Takuro Kaneko drawing a sharp save from goalkeeper Franco Armani. However, Driussi doubled the lead three minutes into the second half, capitalising on a poor header back from Hoibraten to head the ball over the advancing goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa and into an empty net. Striker Driussi was forced off soon after, having picked up an injury in the build-up, and Urawa pulled one back in the 58th minute through Yusuke Matsuo, who calmly converted a penalty following a foul by Acuna. While Urawa pushed hard for an equaliser, substitute Meza delivered the decisive blow in the 73rd minute, with yet another header from Acuna's corner, his second assist of the match. "I'm happy with the first game. There was a lot of nerves, it was important to win," River coach Marcelo Gallardo said. "They are a physical, fast and dynamic team, we knew it was going to be like that. The goals gave us peace of mind ... we have room for improvement for what's to come." River will face Mexico's Monterrey on Saturday, while Urawa take on Uefa Champions League runners-up Inter Milan in Group E. Mamelodi see off Ulsan South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns won their opening game at the Club World Cup as striker Iqraam Rayners netted the only goal in a 1-0 win over South Korea's Ulsan HD. The result put this month's African Champions League runners-up top of Group F after Borussia Dortmund were held 0-0 by Fluminense earlier in the day. It was also a first victory for an African side at the new-look 32-team tournament in the United States after Egypt's Al Ahly drew their opener while Esperance of Tunisia lost to Flamengo on Monday. Rayners' goal came nine minutes before half time at the Inter & Co Stadium in a match that was delayed by just over an hour due to the threat of lightning in central Florida. The teams had come onto the pitch to start the match before French referee Clement Turpin ordered them back to the change rooms as a precaution. Rayners had two other first-half strikes ruled out after VAR checks – one for handball and the other inches offside. The effort which counted was a well-worked effort with Sundowns' Brazilian playmaker Lucas Ribeiro slipping a pass through the Ulsan defence for the striker to poke into the net.
The Star
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Ex-lawyer for El Chapo wins judge position in Mexico
Silvia Delgado, former defense attorney for Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in 2016 and current candidate for criminal judge, distributes campaign materials ahead of Mexico's first judicial elections, to be held on June 1, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez/File Photo MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Silvia Delgado, a former lawyer for drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, has won a criminal judge position in Mexico's controversial judicial elections, results showed on Tuesday. Delgado's candidacy drew scrutiny from opponents to the judicial overhaul, one of the most radical to be enacted by any country in the Western Hemisphere in recent years, stoking concerns that the vote could threaten Mexico's rule of law. Civil rights group Defensorxs highlighted Delgado, a Chihuahua state-based attorney who represented the notorious former chief of the Sinaloa Cartel in 2016, as a "high risk candidate" for her past ties to El Chapo, a characterization she vehemently rejected. Critics saw Delgado's bid to become a criminal court judge in the border town Ciudad Juarez as emblematic of broader fears about the vote's threat to Mexican democracy, and the possible removal of checks and balances on the ruling Morena party and the increasing influence of organized crime groups over the judiciary. The June 1 vote, which stemmed from a sweeping constitutional reform in September 2024, was the first-of-its-kind with Mexico's electorate voting for more than 840 federal judge and magistrate positions, including Supreme Court justices, and thousands more local positions. Analysts say the newly elected Supreme Court leans heavily towards Morena. An online vote tally by Chihuahua state electoral body IEE, with 100% of ballots accounted for, showed Delgado netted the second-highest number of votes, securing her a judge position. The results had not yet been formalized on Tuesday afternoon. As an attorney on El Chapo's legal team, Delgado visited him weekly in prison to share updates before he was extradited to the United States and eventually sentenced to life in prison. Delgado said she would not comment until her win was formally confirmed. Defensorxs President Miguel Meza called on Delgado's competitors to file a lawsuit to block her victory on the basis that she does not meet a Constitutional requirement that candidates be of "good reputation." Defensorxs also flagged a number of other candidates it said should not have been allowed to run, and Meza said the organization had filed complaints for about 20 winning candidates to Mexico's federal electoral authority INE. Meza said the authority had so far not disqualified anyone. "What INE is doing is basically eliminating the good reputation requirement which is in the Constitution," Meza said in an interview with Reuters. A media representative for INE declined to comment. The authority has said it would investigate complaints and invalidate any winning candidates deemed unfit for office. (Reporting by Cassandra Garrison; editing by Stephen Eisenhammer and Leslie Adler)
CNA
17-06-2025
- Sport
- CNA
River Plate see off Urawa to make winning start at Club World Cup
SEATTLE, WA :River Plate opened their Club World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Urawa Red Diamonds on Tuesday, with goals from Facundo Colidio, Sebastian Driussi and Maxi Meza enough to see off a spirited challenge from the Japanese side. The Argentine team got off to a dominant start and opened the scoring after 12 minutes when Colidio headed home a fine cross from Marcos Acuna on the left. Driussi doubled the lead three minutes into the second half, capitalising on a poor header back from Marius Hoibraten to head the ball over the advancing goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa and into an empty net. Striker Driussi was forced off soon after, having picked up an injury in the build up, and Urawa pulled one back in the 58th minute through Yusuke Matsuo, who calmly converted a penalty following a foul by Acuna. While Urawa pushed hard for an equaliser, substitute Meza delivered the decisive blow in the 73rd minute, with yet another header from Acuna's corner, his second assist of the match.
