NEWS
By Veronica Rocha, veronica.rocha@latimes.com | November 5, 2011
It's not easy being a black cat, especially during the fall, when the black cat's dubious distinction of being a bad omen rises with the lore of Halloween. It's a myth that can be hard to overcome when trying to find a new home. In fact, said Katherine Juette, a volunteer with the Los Angeles-based Kitten Rescue, black cats are the most difficult ones to find adoptive families for. But that doesn't mean black cats are unloved. In fact, once a year, the nonprofit organization stages its “A Black Cat Affair” to connect loving families with the furry felines.
NEWS
By Megan O'Neil, megan.oneil@latimes.com | October 28, 2011
When he was handed the reins of “Wednesday's Child,” a television news segment featuring foster care children in need of adoption, William Wong prepared himself for a difficult 12 months. One year was how long the social worker figured he would have to wait before requesting an assignment transfer from his employer, the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. A decade later, Wong, 40, has helped produce 425 TV segments that have resulted in more than 400 adoptions.
NEWS
August 12, 2011
There are many claims that people do not clean up after their pets - just one of the many positive things about the new pet-waste stations that city officials are trying to get neighborhoods to “adopt” (“Pet stations will aid curbside pickup,” July 6). As more neighbors use them, it will also mean less waste entering the storm drains, keeping pollutants out of the storm drain system. If you have a pet and have been leaving your pet waste out, just walk a little more until you see the stations with baggies.
NEWS
August 10, 2011
The City Council approved new campaign finance rules Tuesday night following concerns that contributions may influence decisions on awarding contracts or land-use entitlements. The concerns were ignited by a federal investigation into alleged fraud by Advanced Development & Investment Inc. - a low-income housing developer that allegedly had subcontractors give $100,000 to past City Council campaigns on its behalf. Council members said the new rules will make fundraising more difficult, but the change was the right thing to do in order to restore public trust.
ENTERTAINMENT
By Joyce Rudolph joyce.rudolph@latimes.com | July 22, 2011
A year ago, the Warner Bros. facilities department was looking for a pet project to give back to the community. The Burbank Animal Shelter fit the bill. “We went over with them all the things we needed, and they were able to do a lot,” said Denise Fleck, president of the Volunteers of the Burbank Animal Shelter. One of the major improvements the studio department made, Fleck said, was pouring a concrete slab in the dogs' play area and covering the area with a shade cloth.
NEWS
By Megan O'Neil, megan.oneil@latimes.com | July 13, 2011
Glendale Unified officials this week outlined plans to eventually require that incoming kindergarten students be at least 5 years old, eliminating from the classroom the younger set who experts say can sometimes be underprepared and need more help later on. The Kindergarten Readiness Act, signed into law in 2010 by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, dictates that starting in 2014, all students entering kindergarten must turn 5 years old by Sept. 1 - three months earlier than the current Dec. 2 cutoff.
NEWS
By Melanie Hicken, melanie.hicken@latimes.com | July 7, 2011
CITY HALL — As part of the plan to fill a projected $18-million budget gap for this fiscal year, the public will come up against a range of increased and new fees for city services that went into effect this month. Officials project the fees — which run the gamut from pet licenses to building permits — will raise an additional $1.3 million in revenue this fiscal year. City officials recommended the fee increases to better recapture the cost of providing services based on the results of a study prepared by consulting firm Wildan Financial Services.
NEWS
By Melanie Hicken, melanie.hicken@latimes.com | June 13, 2011
CITY HALL — The City Council has moved to make Glendale building codes greener than new state requirements call for. More than a year in the works, the new city rules approved last week will build on extensive statewide green building regulations that went into effect in January that require new developments to recycle construction waste, reduce polluting materials and increase energy and water efficiency. The state requirements would apply to residential and non-residential developments, including civic, commercial, retail, office and medical buildings.
NEWS
April 29, 2011
Why buy the book when there is a perfectly good lending library in town? There is good reason. If you are not aware, the Burbank Central Library recently had a major water pipe break that destroyed many shelves of books in the nonfiction section of the library (“Burst water pipe closes library,” April 13). Biographies on Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy and many other books on historical figures were ruined in the flood. Thousands of titles were lost. This is a perfect opportunity for you, or your community organization, to help the library restock the empty shelves created by the loss.
NEWS
By Melanie Hicken, melanie.hicken@latimes.com | April 27, 2011
CITY HALL — Amid allegations that one of the city’s main affordable housing developers had bilked the city out of millions, the Housing Authority on Tuesday adopted a set of stringent oversight policies for future projects. The discussion came days after the city filed a lawsuit against the developer, Advanced Development & Investment Inc., which is under federal investigation for allegedly over-charging cities throughout the state and transferring millions to personal accounts.