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L.A. Doctor Accused of Faking Medical Exams for Immigrants November 4, 2009 A 72-year-old Los Angeles doctor was accused by state and federal authorities of faking medical exams for immigrants applying for U.S. visas, officials said. According to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, Levon Tebelekian allegedly charged immigrants $150 to give them medical clearance papers without giving them medical exams. Such exams are required by the federal government to make sure immigrants don't have any diseases. It is unclear whether any of the immigrants involved in the alleged scam had any health problems.

State Review Found Multiple Failures in the Supervision of Phillip Garrido...California parole officers failed to properly supervise the man accused of holding Jaycee Dugard captive for 18 years and missed numerous opportunities to free her, according to a scathing report released today by the Office of the Inspector General. A months-long investigation headed by California Inspector General David R. Shaw turned up more than a dozen failures on the part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which had been assigned to supervise Phillip Garrido, a registered sex offender, for the last 10 years. "Our review shows that Garrido...

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) endorsed conservative California State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R) Tuesday, once again going against the wishes of his party. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has made no endorsement in the California Senate race, but party leaders favor former Hewlett-Packard executive Carly Fiorina (R), a wealthy centrist whom many believe could give Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) a strong challenge. Later this month, Fiorina will be the guest of honor at a Washington fundraiser featuring Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and three others,...

Nov 4, 2009 Chuck DeVore statement on Carly Fiorina Declaring her Candidacy FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- DeVore for California, the campaign organization for Chuck DeVore's bid for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in California, today welcomes the entry of Carly Fiorina to the race. Fiorina's arrival means Republican voters have a clear choice in this primary: between an establishment-picked, big-government moderate with lots of cash but little experience in public life -- and a volunteer-supported, proven conservative with a long record of civic engagement in Chuck DeVore. Assemblyman Chuck DeVore said, "I look forward to engaging Carly Fiorina on...

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) on Wednesday promoted a round of Republican victories in last night's elections in a letter to supporters. The 2012 presidential hopeful plugged the triumphs of Republican gubernatorial candidates Bob McDonnell (Va.) and Chris Christie (N.J.), emphasizing that his political action committee's endorsement and campaign work for the two candidates. "It's exhilarating to wake up to headlines of conservative victories in the battleground elections in Virginia and New Jersey," Romney wrote. "The American people have sent a very strong message to the liberals in Washington, DC that big government is not the answer, and that conservatism...

It's understandable that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, having given up on his gubernatorial ambitions, might want to take time to lick wounds, lie low and, as my colleague C.W. Nevius suggests, do some reflecting. Unfortunately, there's important and immediate mayoral business to attend to. When Newsom's press secretary, Nathan Ballard, told The Chronicle that Newsom will be back "soon," one hoped he meant this morning. That's when Newsom was scheduled to speak to 6,000 land-use professionals, architects, planners, real estate developers and other urban experts from all over the world at the opening of the Urban Land Institute conference...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Federal police on Tuesday arrested 12 supporters of a single-payer health care system who entered House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco offices and refused to leave until they talked to the congresswoman. Police arrested them for creating a disturbance on federal property nearly three hours after they entered Pelosi's offices. Pelosi was not in the office and did not talk to them by telephone.The protesters, who are in favor of a system administered by the federal government but delivered by private health care providers, entered the waiting room of Pelosi's offices about 11:45 a.m. and were arrested...

After three days of radio silence following his withdrawal from the governor's race, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom unexpectedly jetted off Tuesday morning to Hawaii to join his wife and baby daughter, who already were vacationing there. The trip, which the mayor apparently booked on his own, caught his staffers off guard. Many did not know he was gone until the city attorney's office sent out a notice informing them that the mayor had left the state and naming Supervisor Carmen Chu acting mayor.Mayoral spokesman Nathan Ballard apparently was among those who did not get a heads-up about the trip....

Sacramento, Calif. (AP) -- Former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Carly Fiorina says she'll run for the U.S. Senate seat held by California incumbent Barbara Boxer. Fiorina ended months of speculation Wednesday with an announcement in an opinion piece she wrote for the Orange County Register. She's scheduled to make a formal announcement later in the day.

100.00% (264 of 264) precincts partially or fully reporting as of Nov 4, 2009, 12:13 a.m. Candidate Votes Percent David Harmer (Rep) 53,441 42.69% Jeremy Cloward (Grn) 2,314 1.85% Jerome "Jerry" Denham (AI) 1,435 1.15% John Garamendi (Dem) 66,311 52.98% Mary C. McIlroy (P&F) 1,672 1.34% Nov 2008 Ellen Tauscher (Dem) 192,226 65.2% Nicholas Gerber (Rep) 91,877 31.1% Eugene Ruyle (Peace and Freedom) 11,062 3.7% Nov 2006 Ellen Tauscher (Dem) 130,859 66.5% Darcy Linn (Rep) 66,069 33.5% Nov 2004 Ellen Tauscher (Dem) 182,750 65.8% Jeff Ketelson (Rep) 95,349 34.2% Nov 2002 Ellen Tauscher (Dem) 126,390 75.6% Sonia Alonso (Libertarian) 40,807...

There's an old story about a Harvard professor who gets a call from the president (of the United States) and responds that his president is the president of Harvard. Being a professor at Harvard is like that. Academics in Cambridge are a big deal; Harvard is an amazing place; and if you're lucky enough to make it there, you generally never leave. Why would you? I left for the University of Southern California 20 years ago. It was not an obvious move at the time, unless you were a football coach. But I was pregnant with my daughter, and short...

Long lines at public flu clinics -- initially intended to primarily serve the uninsured -- are now commonplace nationwide as doses of the vaccine remain scarce. Many clinics report seeing large numbers of people who have insurance but have been unable to get H1N1 vaccines from private doctors, who say they have either already run out or have yet to get any. The line at the Glendale clinic, the first to be held in that city since Los Angeles County received doses late last month, was the longest yet, county Department of Public Health officials said. And the stakes were...

Underprivileged Mexican immigrants – legal or otherwise – are everywhere in Huntington Beach. At car washes, behind the mowers, in kitchens and in strawberry fields, they toil at jobs we won't do for wages we can't live on. And, yet, many people resent their being here at all. Some of those whom I know are here legally; many are not. And, frankly, I don't care. Those who took horrendous risks to get into our country and who live in constant fear of deportation are here to build a better life for themselves and their children... Unfortunately, it is politically expedient...

Divisions in the majority party in the House and Senate could delay legislation into the new year. Abortion funding in particular shows a chasm between party liberals and moderates. Reporting from Washington - House Democratic leaders, while insisting that the finish line is in sight on their overhaul of the nation's healthcare system, have hit a last-minute snag over the abortion issue. Senate Democratic leaders, meanwhile, are continuing to have problems winning over moderates in their own party -- raising the possibility that the climactic votes on healthcare might be pushed into next year. The delays in both houses reflect...

By seizing gubernatorial seats in Virginia and New Jersey, Republicans on Tuesday dispelled any notion of President Obama's electoral invincibility, giving the GOP a lift and offering warning signs to Democrats ahead of the 2010 midterm elections. With Obama slipping in polls and many voters unhappy with the Democratic-run Congress, "it's been increasingly clear over the last few months that Democrats were likely to have a tough midterm next year," said Charlie Cook, who handicaps races nationwide for his nonpartisan Cook Political Report. "What we've seen tonight doesn't dispute that assumption." Tuesday's gubernatorial results certainly won't help Democrats. Perceptions are...

SANTA ANA – Deputy Coroners, meet "Manny the Mannequin." At about 80 pounds, this balding silicone dummy is the newest addition to the Orange County Sheriff Department's coroner division. With porous skin, varicose feet and human hair, the life-like mannequin was purchased by the sheriff's department with a grant to add a new dimension to their training, authorities said. In their Santa Ana headquarters, the sheriff's coroner division has used dummies in their training before, but none are as life-like as this newest addition. The dummy comes from a Burbank company that has spawned similar creations for recent television shows...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi has won a special election to a Northern California congressional seat, keeping the district in Democratic hands. Garamendi's victory on Tuesday was all but certain after he won the September primary election because Democrats enjoy an 18-point registration edge over Republicans in the 10th Congressional District. He easily defeated Republican David Harmer, a 47-year-old attorney.

A man was found dead attached to a crab pot Tuesday on a boat off Morro Bay, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. A person on board a fishing boat named Miss Allison reported finding 47-year-old David Allen Kubiak of Los Osos attached to a crab pot around 11:35 a.m. The crab pot is registered to the fishing vessel Axel, a 39-foot boat home ported in Morro Bay, Coast Guard officials said. Sheriff's spokesman Rob Bryn said it appears Kubiak fell from the vessel sometime overnight. His body was discovered tied to a fishing buoy at 10:40 this morning.

While press and pundits focus almost ad nauseum on what will happen Tuesday in New York's 23rd Congressional District, as well as the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, everyone has forgotten the battle being waged for the California congressional seat vacated by Ellen Tauscher when she resigned to become a member of President Obama's State Department. To be sure, the 10th Congressional District of the Golden State is a Democratic stronghold, especially after some recent gerrymandering. The latest poll shows Democratic candidate and current Lt. Gov. John Garamendi with a commanding 10-point lead over Republican challenger David Harmer,...

DIAMOND BAR, Calif. — A cluster of brush fires erupted along the fringes of suburban neighborhoods in eastern Los Angeles County on Tuesday. Helicopters and SuperScooper airplanes roared low over homes to drop loads of water on the flames in hilly terrain just outside back yards. Lines of widely separated flame moved across rolling grasslands. Weather appeared to be on firefighters' side, with little wind evident. County Fire Inspector Steve Zermeno said reports of five to eight separate fires near State Route 60 came in about 11:45. The area is about 25 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. About 150...

FORT IRWIN, Calif., Nov. 3, 2009 – As the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade prepares for its fourth deployment to Iraq, its soldiers are getting lessons in the art of leading from behind as they help to set the stage for the eventual drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq. Army Pfc. Adam Britt prepares to leave the mock Iraqi town of Medina Wasl during 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Divison's training rotation at the National Training Center. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jared S. Eastman  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The "Raider Brigade" was part of the initial U.S. invasion...

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – A 32-year veteran who helped clean up a corruption-plagued division of the Los Angeles Police Department was unveiled Wednesday as the city's new top cop. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the appointment of deputy chief Charlie Beck as head of the LAPD following the decision of chief William Bratton to resign earlier this year. Villaraigosa said Beck was "the right man to lead the Los Angeles Police Department at the right time." "He's a man of character and integrity. He's a police officer who is tough on crime, and he's a leader with deep respect...

Sheriff: Boy Drowned Before Being Stuffed In Dryer Tuesday, November 3, 2009 Mendota, Calif. (AP) -- The Fresno County sheriff says the 4-year-old boy whose body was found stuffed in a dryer had been killed by drowning. Sheriff Margaret Mims released the finding from Monday's autopsy, but declined to say how or where Alex Mercado was drowned. She did say he was killed before volunteers launched a citywide search for him on Saturday. A 14-year-old neighbor boy has been arrested on suspicion of killing Alex. Investigators say the little boy was playing outside when the 14-year-old, whose name has not...

Ron Dellums, who earns about $184,000 as Oakland mayor on top of a congressional pension, appears to owe the Internal Revenue Service at least $66,554. A lien has been placed against his property for failing to pay taxes for 2006. According to the East Bay Express, which broke the story, Mayor Dellums and his wife, who file jointly, may owe more than $239,000 in taxes, mostly for the years he worked as a lobbyist in Washington, DC.

SANTA ANA, Calif., Nov. 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- While many people continue to believe in Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, a group of scientists will present overwhelming scientific evidence against Darwin's speculations. "If Charles Darwin knew 150 years ago what we know today, he likely would not have published Origin of the Species," said John Baumgardner, Ph.D., whose organization, Logos Research Associates, will lead the two-day "Darwin Was Wrong" conference Nov. 13-14 at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. "We can perhaps excuse Darwin, given his ignorance about the true complexity of living organisms and about genetics," said Dr. Baumgardner, a geophysicist...

<p>California sold $908 million in taxable bonds on Tuesday, under a federal program where the government subsidizes the extra interest a municipality pays to issue taxable debt instead of the more traditionally tax-exempt bonds.</p>

Attorney General Jerry Brown's communications director, Scott Gerber, submitted his resignation Monday after admitting last week that he had secretly taped conversations with reporters. In the letter to Chief Deputy Attorney General James Humes, Gerber said he was resigning "with a heavy heart" but emphasized that "neither the Attorney General nor any other attorneys from our office were aware that I was recording interviews without permission." The questionable, perhaps illegal, behavior came to light after Gerber told the San Francisco Chronicle that one of its reporters had misquoted Humes based on Gerber's recording of the conversation between Humes and political...

Last week, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, the boy-wonder politician sought out by network cameras at the Democratic National Convention, profiled in Newsweek and the New York Times, was forced to pull out of the race for California governor before opponent Jerry Brown even officially declared his candidacy. Newsom's campaign wasn't sputtering. It never got off the ground. A candidate who raised nearly $6 million for his 2003 bid for mayor (with maximum contributions limited to $500) only raised a little over $3 million this time, according to the California secretary of state's office. It was a harsh political lesson....

Car insurance by the tankful? Not quite, but California moved a step closer last month to pay-as-you-drive policies that could allow motorists to buy insurance like they do gasoline — a little at a time. Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner released regulations permitting and authorizing mileage verification for pay-as-you-drive, without dictating what form such plans must take. The goal is to use per-mile pricing to entice Californians not to drive so much, thus easing air pollution, relieving traffic congestion and lowering the number of traffic collisions.

Note: The following text is a quote: West Coast Man Charged with Developing and Distributing Cable Network Hacking Tools BOSTON, MA—Charges were unsealed in federal court against an Oregon man and the company he founded, TCNISO, alleging that they developed and distributed products that allowed users to modify their cable modems and obtain internet access without paying for it. Acting United States Attorney Michael K. Loucks, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer and Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Boston Field Division, announced today that RYAN HARRIS, age 26, of San Diego,...

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- John Garamendi, California's lieutenant governor and the favorite to win one of the two open U.S. House seats Tuesday, has been well known for decades as one of Sacramento's relentless promoters of liberal issues. California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi campaigns for an open U.S. House seat Saturday outside San Francisco. Now, the man who always wanted to be governor of California vows to be a team player on the national stage if he wins a special election in a heavily Democratic district outside San Francisco. Absent a major upset, Mr. Garamendi will be sworn in to...

Eric Rogers was 17 when he saw his parents stabbed and bludgeoned to death by his own uncle at their El Cerrito home just before dawn in January 2006. The convicted murderer, a trucker named Edward Wycoff from the Sacramento suburb of Citrus Heights, is as unsympathetic as they come. He insists he deserves to be rewarded for ridding the world of two evil people, that he knew how to raise his sister's three kids better than she and her husband did, and that besides, they had the gall not to invite him over for Christmas. Arguing to a jury...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California wage earners will soon notice a little less money in their paychecks. Starting Monday, employers in the cash-strapped state are required to withhold 10 percent more in state income taxes to help ease the budget problems. It's part of a plan to artificially inflate state revenue by $1.7 billion through next June. Brenda Voet, a spokeswoman for the state Franchise Tax Board, says it's technically not a tax increase since workers will get their money back after April 15.

Gov. Schwarzenegger stops by an event honoring Willie Brown and the room erupts in heckling, profanity, and slurs against Arnold...who of course goes out of his way to distance himself from the Republican Party immediately but it does no good as gay activists in the crowd let him have it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WORDNqxl7E

It's Barbara Boxer's big moment on Capitol Hill, and Republicans want nothing to do with it. The California Democrat, who heads the Senate's environment committee, wants to begin marking up her long-awaited climate-change legislation on Tuesday. But Republicans are planning to boycott the meeting. Sen. James Inhofe . . . wants the Environmental Protection Agency to do more analysis of the bill, which would place mandatory limits on the emission of greenhouse gases. Boxer today urged Republicans on the committee to "come back to work" and help Democrats pass the legislation.

The Bay Bridge reopened just after 9 a.m. today, six days after a repair job on a cracked structural beam on the eastern span fell apart and plunged onto the upper deck. Tests conducted overnight and this morning on an altered version of that repair job showed that the fix was holding, Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney said. At 9:01 a.m., a fleet of five California Highway Patrol cars escorted the first private vehicles allowed onto the westbound upper deck since the span was shut down Tuesday evening. About 10 minutes later, the lower deck reopened for traffic heading to the...

Same Day Voter Registration Re-Introduced WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) and U.S. Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) are reintroducing legislation to "make it easier for Americans" to register to vote by allowing same day registration at polling places for all federal elections. By allowing voters to register at polling places the same day as they vote, the Same Day Registration Act would help increase voter turnout and voters would not have to worry about sitting an election out because they missed a registration deadline. And by having voters register in person, there is less of a chance that...

With only four races of national interest in Election 2009, most of the media attention has been focused on the two governors’ races in Virginia and New Jersey. Of the two congressional seats up for grabs, New York’s 23rd congressional district race has received the lion’s share of coverage. But there is another election that will send its victor to Congress: California’s 10th congressional district, which roughly covers the northern part of California’s Bay Area. IF NY-23 is a referendum of sorts on the policies of the Obama administration, as some have insisted, then isn’t the same hold true for...

William VoegeliThe Big-Spending, High-Taxing, Lousy-Services Paradigm California taxpayers don’t get much bang for their bucks. Autumn 2009 In 1956, the economist Charles Tiebout provided the framework that best explains why people vote with their feet. The “consumer-voter,” as Tiebout called him, challenges government officials to “ascertain his wants for public goods and tax him accordingly.” Each jurisdiction offers its own package of public goods, along with a particular tax burden needed to pay for those goods. As a result, “the consumer-voter moves to that community whose local government best satisfies his set of preferences.” In selecting a jurisdiction, the...

Lt. Gov. John Garamendi has been everything from assemblyman to insurance commissioner to former President Bill Clinton's deputy interior secretary during his 35 years in public service. If the prevailing political wisdom is correct, the 64-year-old Democratic veteran could add U.S. congressman to his résumé by Tuesday night. Garamendi is considered the clear front-runner in the race to fill the 10th Congressional District seat left vacant in June by Ellen Tauscher, who became the State Department's undersecretary for arms control and international security affairs. Democrats make up 47 percent of the district's registered voters compared with the 29 percent of...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has complained that he doesn't get to pick his own lieutenant governor, a position he thinks should be more first mate than political detractor – if it must exist at all. He could soon get his wish. If Democratic Lt. Gov. John Garamendi wins a special congressional election Tuesday in the Democrat-leaning 10th Congressional District, Schwarzenegger has the power to appoint Garamendi's replacement. The Republican governor has not tipped his hand. He has the option of choosing a caretaker who will serve out Garamendi's last year. Or he could use the appointment to reward a Republican legislator...

Taxing text messages? Some Vallejo voters are saying OMG. The North Bay city, with its ever-shrinking revenue stream, is asking voters Tuesday to expand its utility tax to include text messages, private phone networks, pagers and voice-over-Internet services. It's an idea that's spreading around California, as more than 40 cities have similarly expanded their utility taxes at the ballot box as a way to raise money. "We don't use our cell phones a lot, but we think this gives the city a blank check," said retired Mare Island shipyard worker John Kocourek of Vallejo, who's been working against the measure....

More than 1.4 million Californians were working part-time in September, not out of choice but because their hours had been cut or it was the only job they could find and they needed the money, reports the state Employment Development Department. That's a nearly 72% increase from a year ago when 840,000 Californians settled for part-time work. The biggest jump has been in workers who have settled for part-time jobs because they can't find full-time work. Their numbers have soared 83.3% since September 2008.

National Mortgage News reports that Home Mortgage Disclosure Act figures for 2008 show that minorities “were big losers in the market contraction last year.” And with credit still tight, the outlook for minority access to home loans this year and next looks bleak. But is that a bad thing? Subprime lending enabled more minorities to become homeowners during the boom, but many of those folks got mortgages they couldn’t afford. The result: record foreclosures. Lending to Hispanics fell by more than half, from $266 billion to $130 billion. African Americans also registered a sharp drop in mortgages last year, from...

Travis Childers (MS-1) WASHINGTON D.C. OFFICE • 1708 Longworth HOB • Washington, DC 20515 • p. (202) 225-4306 • f. (202) 225-3549 • View Directions TUPELO OFFICE • 337A East Main Street • Tupelo, MS 38804 • p. (662) 841-8808 • f. (662) 841-8845 • View Directions HERNANDO OFFICE • 2564 HWY 51 S. • Hernando, MS 38632 • p. (662) 449-3090 • f. (662) 449-4836 • View Directions COLUMBUS OFFICE • 523 Main Street • Columbus, MS 39701 • p. (662) 327-0748 • View Directions Contact him https://forms.house.gov/childers/webforms/contact.htm Facebook http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=Travis+Childers&init=quick#/pages/Congressman-Travis-W-Childers/206217375056?ref=search&sid=1072359854.907843371..1 Myspace http://www.myspace.com/travischilders Jim Cooper (TN-5) * Please note that,...

....They say residents and visitors at Solone's home smoke in the backyard at all hours of the day and night. Several people puffing away at once has resulted in smoke settling in their backyard like a low fog, Richard Ganguet said....

Bobby Bright (AL-2) Washington D.C. Office 1205 Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515 p. (202) 225-2901 f. (202) 225-8913 Dothan Office 188 North Foster Street Suite 105 Dothan, Alabama 36303 p. (334) 794-9680 f. (334) 671-1480 Montgomery Office 22 Monroe St. Suite 1B Montgomery, AL 36104 p. (334) 277-9113 f. (334) 277-8534 Opp Office 101 North Main Street Opp, AL 36467 p. (334) 493-9253 f. (334) 493-0370 Ozark Office 275 N. Union Avenue Suite 214 Ozark, AL 36360 p. (334) 445-4600 f. (334) 445-0517 Contact him https://forms.house.gov/bright/contact-form.shtml Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Congressman-Bobby-Bright/105468186762?ref=search&sid=1072359854.2422322198..1 To read further follow the link http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977880434

CNSNews.com asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday where the Constitution authorized Congress to order Americans to buy health insurance--a mandate included in both the House and Senate versions of the health care bill--Pelosi dismissed the question by saying: “Are you serious? Are you serious?”

Marijuana Growers Upend Hard-Luck California Town They flock to Hayfork to bask in the sunny, cool climate and the permissive rules on medical pot farming and possession. An abandoned truck in Hayfork, Calif. Pot farmers are filling an economic void left by the logging industry. The unemployment rate in the county was 15.9% in September. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times / October 31, 2009) PHOTOS: Trinity County, Calif.: 'Pot paradise' Alana Semuels November 1, 2009 Reporting from Hayfork, Calif. — Education has long been preached as a way to keep kids away from drugs. It's the walk to school...