An environmental group that helped a proposed downtown football stadium receive special legislative help in Sacramento issued a sharply worded critique Tuesday of environmental documents prepared for that project. In a 16-page letter to city officials, the Natural Resources Defense Council called on Anschutz Entertainment Group to rewrite and recirculate a recently released environmental impact report for Farmers Field, saying it failed to fully analyze the health risks created by cars that would head to and from the 72,000-seat facility. The additional information could be vital for neighborhoods near the stadium, such as working-class Pico-Union, said NRDC attorneys David Pettit and Damon Nagami. The lack of analysis in the report's so-called health risk assessment section renders that document “essentially worthless,” they wrote. The group’s comments ... Continue reading →

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office declined Tuesday to file felony charges against four men arrested after a brawl outside Dodger Stadium. Instead, prosecutors referred the case to the Los Angeles city attorney's office for misdemeanor consideration, citing conflicting witness statements about who started the fight, claims by both sides that they acted in self defense and that the victim suffered minor injuries. Police had arrested Arthur Morales, 30; Alan Trujillo, 29; Ulisis Briceno, 26; and Alejandro Briceno, 29, after the game Sunday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. Los Angeles police said that the victim and his girlfriend were in a Chevrolet Impala in line to exit the stadium Sunday afternoon when they were involved in a fender bender with a ... Continue reading →

A Los Angeles County supervisor called Tuesday for Assessor John Noguez to resign. Michael D. Antonovich said in an interview last week that Noguez should step down if he was found to be breaking the law, but on Tuesday he said the assessor should resign. Scott Schenter, a former county property appraiser, was arrested Monday in Oregon for allegedly falsifiying department documents and unlawfully lowering property values by $172 million for multimillion-dollar homes and businesses. Schenter allegedly secured campaign contributions from the owners for Noguez, authorities said. "It is an appropriate time to call for [Noguez's] replacement," said Tony Bell, an Antonovich spokesman. L.A. County Dist. Atty Steve Cooley also said last week that Noguez should resign. The other four supervisors have either declined to ... Continue reading →