DIGEST

Movement on Airport Stalemate The agency that runs Burbank Airport has submitted plans to the city of Burbank for a scaled-down air terminal in a move aimed at ending a four-year-old legal battle with the city. The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority agreed to cut the size of its planned terminal from 19 to 16 gates, meeting a key demand by the city. The airport submitted its development plans to the city on May 24, and the city now will begin the lengthy review process. The Glendale City Council, meanwhile, agreed at a May 25 meeting to support Burbank in its bid to require jet aircraft to abide by a mandatory curfew on nighttime flights. Burbank City Manager Bud Ovrom said the move by the Glendale City Council goes a long way in helping to resolve the impasse between his city and the airport. Center Raises Ire of Business Canoga Park business owners are objecting to a city plan to open a campus for juvenile offenders on Sherman Way close to stores and customers. The city Planning and Land Use Management Committee backed an agreement with the county Office of Education to place up to 51 minors in the school as they make the transition from incarceration back to the community. Some merchants have asked county education officials to consider other locations for the school, including industrial areas. But under state law, the county does not need city zoning approval to open the site. There are about 30 such facilities in Los Angeles County. City/County Sue Over Guns The city and county of Los Angeles joined other cities in late May in suing gun manufacturers. The suit, which accuses the manufacturers of promoting the illegal sale of firearms, seeks to recover public health and law enforcement costs attributed to gun violence. Gun ownership defenders threatened to file their own lawsuit alleging civil rights violations. The L.A. suit names six California gun manufacturers and 32 others nationwide. Assistance Sought on Study Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa said he will push to have the state assist in funding a costly study of the San Fernando Valley’s secession from Los Angeles. Villaraigosa, who is a potential candidate for L.A. mayor in 2001, said the state should pay most of the estimated $2.8 million cost of the study, which would detail the economic impact of a breakup of the city. Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment (VOTE), the group spearheading the secession movement, has also offered to pay a portion of the study. If the study finds Valley secession would not hurt the rest of Los Angeles economically, the issue could be put on the ballot as early as 2002. Phantom Worker Strikes Back The suit filed by Thousand Oaks-based Xircom Inc. over an anonymous Internet bulletin board posting took a turn in late May, when the individual who posted the messages counter-sued the company in an effort to remain anonymous. Xircom, a maker of modems for portable computers, sued “John Doe” in Ventura County Superior Court for libel and defamation over two postings claiming to be written by an employee on a Yahoo! message board. The company also is seeking to subpoena Yahoo! for the identity of the person who posted the message under the name “A View from Within.” The company claimed the two postings, if left by an employee, divulged proprietary information and were damaging to the company. John Doe filed suit, seeking to prevent Yahoo! from disclosing his identity. The suit also claims that Doe is not a Xircom employee. Doobie Brother vs. the Tax Man The former lead guitarist of 1970s group the Doobie Brothers, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, announced he may challenge U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, for his House seat in the 2000 election. Baxter, a Republican, is a strong advocate of ballistic missile defense, for which he chaired a civilian advisory board. The former rocker and Sherman Oaks resident, meanwhile, has hired a campaign consultant to study the idea. Sherman, a tax attorney, has held the 24th District congressional seat since 1996. The district, which covers Malibu, parts of Ventura County, Calabasas and east to Sherman Oaks, has a majority of voters registered as Democrats. Simi Valley Earns ‘Safest’ Rating Simi Valley once again earned top honors as the safest city in the United States, according to statistics released by the FBI. Thousand Oaks, which topped last year’s list, was No. 2 this year. Both cities have topped the list eight times in the last 11 years. Simi Valley saw a 16.9 percent drop in crime in 1998, according to the FBI numbers. Thousand Oaks had a 9.7 percent drop. Santa Clarita was the fourth safest city. The rankings are based on a ratio of city population to reported crime in the categories of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft and auto theft. California had nine of the top 10 safest cities.