Latest news with #Singer
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US court reinstates former USC coach's college admissions scandal conviction
By Nate Raymond BOSTON (Reuters) -A U.S. appeals court on Friday reinstated a former University of Southern California water polo coach's bribery conviction arising from his role in the nationwide "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a trial judge wrongly overturned a jury's 2022 verdict finding Jovan Vavic guilty of conspiring to commit federal programs bribery by accepting payments to help wealthy parents' children gain admission to USC as fake athletic recruits. The judge had set Vavic's conviction aside and ordered a new trial after concluding the prosecution during closing arguments misstated what it needed legally to prove its case, which arose out of the investigation dubbed "Operation Varsity Blues." But U.S. Circuit Judge Julie Rikelman, writing for a three-judge panel, said that while part of Vavic's conviction could no longer stand following an appellate ruling in a different "Varsity Blues" case, the prosecution's closing arguments were not contrary to the judge's jury instructions on the law. The ruling opens the door to Vavic being sentenced three years after the jury's verdict. His lawyers did not respond to requests for comment. He was among dozens of people charged in 2019 in the investigation, which exposed how some wealthy parents went to extreme lengths to secure spots for their children at schools like Yale, Georgetown and USC. They did so with the help of William "Rick" Singer, a California college admissions consultant who was sentenced in 2023 to 3-1/2 years in prison after admitting he facilitated college entrance exam cheating and helped bribe coaches to secure his clients' children's admission as phony athletes. More than 50 people, including coaches and parents, pleaded guilty. Prosecutors claimed that in exchange for more than $200,000, Vavic helped mislead USC admissions officials into believing children of Singer's clients belonged on his championship team. While prosecutors said some money that Singer paid went toward Vavic's children's private school tuition, another $100,000 went to a USC account used to fund the water polo team.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Businesses seek to overturn hotel and airport wage hikes by forcing a citywide election
A coalition of airlines, hotels and concession companies at Los Angeles International Airport filed paperwork Thursday to force a citywide vote on a new ordinance hiking the minimum wage of hotel and airport workers to $30 per hour by 2028. The group, known as the L.A. Alliance for Tourism, Jobs and Progress, is hoping to persuade voters to repeal the ordinance. But first, the alliance would need to gather about 93,000 signatures within 30 days to qualify the measure for the ballot in an upcoming election. Phil Singer, a spokesperson for the alliance, said the wage increase "threatens revenue Los Angeles urgently needs" — and its standing as the host of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. "Small businesses will be forced to shut down, workers will lose their jobs, and the economic fallout will stretch across the city," Singer said in an email. "We're fighting for all of it: the city's future, the jobs that sustain our communities, and the millions of guests the tourism industry proudly serves year after year." The new ballot measure campaign comes just two days after Mayor Karen Bass signed the minimum wage legislation into law. The wage ordinance has been hotly opposed by an array of L.A. business organizations, which argue that it increases wages in the tourism industry too much and too quickly. However, it was welcomed by unions representing hotel and airport employees, which have supported many of the politicians who backed the measure. The alliance's campaign committee has received major funding from Delta Airlines, United Airlines and the American Hotel & Lodging Assn., Singer said. The group's petition, submitted to the city clerk's office, was signed by five businesspeople, including Greg Plummer, operator of an LAX concession company; Mark Beccaria, a partner with the Hotel Angeleno on L.A.'s Westside; and Alec Mesropian, advocacy manager with the organization known as BizFed. The alliance is targeting a law that's slated to push the hourly minimum wage to $22.50 on July 1 for housekeepers, parking attendants and hotel restaurant workers, as well as LAX skycaps, baggage handlers and concession employees. The wage would jump to $25 in 2026 and $27.50 in 2027. The wage increase was spearheaded by Unite Here Local 11, the hotel and restaurant worker union, and by Service Employees International Union United Service Workers West, which represents private-sector airport workers. Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, called the business group's proposal "shameful" and promised his union's members would go "toe to toe out on the streets" with the alliance's signature gatherers. "The hotel industry's greed is limitless," Petersen said. "They would rather spend millions getting them to sign this petition than pay their workers enough to live in Los Angeles. It's shameful, but we're confident that Angelenos will see through their deceptions and stand with workers." Under the city's laws, hotel and airport workers have minimum wages that are higher than those who are employed by other industries. The hotel minimum wage, approved by the council in 2014, is currently $20.32 per hour. The minimum wage for private-sector employees at LAX is $25.23 per hour, which includes a $5.95 hourly healthcare payment. For nearly everyone else in L.A., the hourly minimum wage is $17.28, 78 cents higher than the state's. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Backers of the airport and hotel minimum wage hikes say they will help some of the region's lowest paid workers cover the rising cost of rent and food, while also giving them more disposable income to spend locally, delivering a boost to the region's economy. Detractors say it will undermine efforts by L.A.'s tourism industry to recover from the decline in business that was sparked by the outbreak of COVID-19 five years ago. They contend the ordinance will lead to layoffs, while also chilling development of new hotels. The ordinance also requires airport and hotel businesses to provide an hourly healthcare payment — on top of the minimum wage — that starts at $7.65 in July and is expected to go up each year. (Hotels will be exempted from that requirement until 2026.) Once the healthcare requirement is included, some businesses will be required to pay their workers an additional 60% over a three-year period, opponents of the wage increase say. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Businesses seek to overturn hotel and airport wage hikes by forcing a citywide election
A coalition of airlines, hotels and concession companies at Los Angeles International Airport filed paperwork Thursday to force a citywide vote on a new ordinance hiking the minimum wage of hotel and airport workers to $30 per hour by 2028. The group, known as the L.A. Alliance for Tourism, Jobs and Progress, is hoping to persuade voters to repeal the ordinance. But first, the alliance would need to gather about 93,000 signatures within 30 days to qualify the measure for the ballot in an upcoming election. Phil Singer, a spokesperson for the alliance, said the wage increase 'threatens revenue Los Angeles urgently needs' — and its standing as the host of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 'Small businesses will be forced to shut down, workers will lose their jobs, and the economic fallout will stretch across the city,' Singer said in an email. 'We're fighting for all of it: the city's future, the jobs that sustain our communities, and the millions of guests the tourism industry proudly serves year after year.' The new ballot measure campaign comes just two days after Mayor Karen Bass signed the minimum wage legislation into law. The wage ordinance has been hotly opposed by an array of L.A. business organizations, which argue that it increases wages in the tourism industry too much and too quickly. However, it was welcomed by unions representing hotel and airport employees, which have supported many of the politicians who backed the measure. The alliance's campaign committee has received major funding from Delta Airlines, United Airlines and the American Hotel & Lodging Assn., Singer said. The group's petition, submitted to the city clerk's office, was signed by five businesspeople, including Greg Plummer, operator of an LAX concession company; Mark Beccaria, a partner with the Hotel Angeleno on L.A.'s Westside; and Alec Mesropian, advocacy manager with the organization known as BizFed. The alliance is targeting a law that's slated to push the hourly minimum wage to $22.50 on July 1 for housekeepers, parking attendants and hotel restaurant workers, as well as LAX skycaps, baggage handlers and concession employees. The wage would jump to $25 in 2026 and $27.50 in 2027. The wage increase was spearheaded by Unite Here Local 11, the hotel and restaurant worker union, and by Service Employees International Union United Service Workers West, which represents private-sector airport workers. Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, called the business group's proposal 'shameful' and promised his union's members would go 'toe to toe out on the streets' with the alliance's signature gatherers. 'The hotel industry's greed is limitless,' Petersen said. 'They would rather spend millions getting them to sign this petition than pay their workers enough to live in Los Angeles. It's shameful, but we're confident that Angelenos will see through their deceptions and stand with workers.' Under the city's laws, hotel and airport workers have minimum wages that are higher than those who are employed by other industries. The hotel minimum wage, approved by the council in 2014, is currently $20.32 per hour. The minimum wage for private-sector employees at LAX is $25.23 per hour, which includes a $5.95 hourly healthcare payment. For nearly everyone else in L.A., the hourly minimum wage is $17.28, 78 cents higher than the state's. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Backers of the airport and hotel minimum wage hikes say they will help some of the region's lowest paid workers cover the rising cost of rent and food, while also giving them more disposable income to spend locally, delivering a boost to the region's economy. Detractors say it will undermine efforts by L.A.'s tourism industry to recover from the decline in business that was sparked by the outbreak of COVID-19 five years ago. They contend the ordinance will lead to layoffs, while also chilling development of new hotels. The ordinance also requires airport and hotel businesses to provide an hourly healthcare payment — on top of the minimum wage — that starts at $7.65 in July and is expected to go up each year. (Hotels will be exempted from that requirement until 2026.) Once the healthcare requirement is included, some businesses will be required to pay their workers an additional 60% over a three-year period, opponents of the wage increase say.
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
De La Cruz hits 2 long homers, Singer sharp against former team, Reds top Royals 7-2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Elly De La Cruz hit two long home runs, Brady Singer pitched seven strong innings against his former team and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Kansas City Royals 7-2 on Tuesday night. De La Cruz hit a 436-foot shot to center in the fourth inning that tied the score at 2 against Jonathan Bowlan, then a go-ahead 451-foot drive into the right-center fountain in the sixth off Taylor Clarke (1-1). De La Cruz has 11 home runs this season. He tied Pete Rose's team record for switch-hitters with five multihomer games, including two this year. Singer (6-3), acquired from the Royals in November, allowed two runs and seven singles. Tyler Stephenson homered in the second, but Kyle Isbel and Jonathan India had RBI single in the bottom half. Key moment TJ Friedl singled to lead off the eighth inning and scored from first on an infield squibber. Pitcher John Schreiber's rushed throw bounced into right field for an error. De La Cruz was walked intentionally before Schreiber walked Stephenson and Spencer Steer. Key stat Singer retired 14 of his last 16 batters and matched his season high for innings. Up next Reds RHP Hunter Greene (4-2, 2.54 ERA) and Royals LHP Noah Cameron (1-1, 0.93 ERA) start Wednesday. ___ AP MLB:
Fox Sports
4 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
De La Cruz hits 2 long homers, Singer sharp against former team, Reds top Royals 7-2
Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Elly De La Cruz hit two long home runs, Brady Singer pitched seven strong innings against his former team and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Kansas City Royals 7-2 on Tuesday night. De La Cruz hit a 436-foot shot to center in the fourth inning that tied the score at 2 against Jonathan Bowlan, then a go-ahead 451-foot drive into the right-center fountain in the sixth off Taylor Clarke (1-1). De La Cruz has 11 home runs this season. He tied Pete Rose's team record for switch-hitters with five multihomer games, including two this year. Singer (6-3), acquired from the Royals in November, allowed two runs and seven singles. Tyler Stephenson homered in the second, but Kyle Isbel and Jonathan India had RBI single in the botton half. Key moment TJ Friedl singled to lead off the eighth inning and scored from first on an infield squibber. Pitcher John Schreiber's rushed throw bounced into right field for an error. De La Cruz was walked intentionally before Schreiber walked Stephenson and Spencer Steer. Key stat Singer retired 14 of his last 16 batters and matched his season high for innings. Up next Reds RHP Hunter Greene (4-2, 2.54 ERA) and Royals LHP Noah Cameron (1-1, 0.93 ERA) start Wednesday. ___ AP MLB: recommended
