Email Author Gene Maddaus

Awards

• 2012 - Best of the West/First Amendment Funding, Inc., published September 15, 2011

  "Secrets & Lies"

• 2011 - Southern California Journalism Awards/LA Press Club, published December 2, 2010

  "L.A.'s Light Rail Fiasco"

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2010 Stories by Gene Maddaus

• Meg Whitman Won't Touch Police Pensions, Predicts Union Prez Alan Barcelona

  published Oct 12, 2010

  The head of a state law enforcement union predicted Tuesday that Meg Whitman won't cut police pensions if she is elected governor."I wouldn't think that would be on her radar," said Alan Barcelona, pr... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Legalizing Pot Would Cut Mexican Cartel Revenues Only Slightly, Could Boost Violence, Study Finds

  published Oct 12, 2010

  Legalizing marijuana in California would cause only a modest drop in revenues for Mexican drug cartels, according to a Rand Corporation study released today.Proposition 19 could also lead to a short-t... More >>

• Meg Whitman Won't Weigh In On Los Angeles Police And Fire Pensions

  published Oct 10, 2010

  Meg Whitman, the Republican candidate for governor, declined to take a position Sunday on a proposed ballot measure that would cut pensions for L.A. police officers and firefighters.Whitman intends to... More >>

• Meg Whitman "Whore" Controversy: Los Angeles Police Union Official Appalled

  published Oct 08, 2010

  The Los Angeles police union official who received the voicemail in which Jerry Brown or his aide called Meg Whitman a "whore" said Friday that he was appalled by the remark."I was absolutely appalled... More >>

• Kamala Harris Hits D.A. Steve Cooley Over Gladwin Gill Contributions In Attorney General Race

  published Oct 07, 2010

  Fresh off the only scheduled debate in the attorney general's race, San Francisco D.A. Kamala Harris has released an ad attacking Republican rival Steve Cooley for accepting laundered campaign contrib... More >>

• Nicky Diaz Wants $6,210 From Meg Whitman; Says Whitman Didn't Buy A Present For Her Newborn

  published Oct 05, 2010

  Updated below with Diaz Santillan's wage claim at 3:35 p.m.In the latest in the escalating war of words between Meg Whitman and her maid, Nicky Diaz Santillan took to the microphones today to say that... More >>

• Meg Whitman, Trailing In Her Own Poll, Claims To Have Weathered Maid Story

  published Oct 05, 2010

  Meg Whitman's campaign has released a poll taken Sunday and Monday that shows her trailing Jerry Brown by a 43-41 margin. That's within the margin of error, and the Whitman campaign calls the race "a ... More >>

• Meg Whitman's Ex-Nanny: Meg Was Cheap, And I Believe Nicky

  published Oct 04, 2010

  You've met Meg Whitman's housekeeper. Now, get to know her nanny.Jill Armstrong, 59, of Mountain View, worked for Whitman for two months back in 1998, for which she was paid the princely sum of $5,200... More >>

• Meg Whitman Already Attacked For Hiring Illegal Housekeeper In Spanish-Language SEIU Ad. That Was Fast.

  published Sep 30, 2010

  The SEIU-backed group Cambiando California has already produced a TV ad, set to air this weekend on Spanish-language stations, attacking Meg Whitman for employing an illegal immigrant.The ad, titled "... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Meg Whitman's Husband: I May Have Seen Maid Letter; Gloria Allred Calls Whitman A Liar

  published Sep 30, 2010

  Updated, 2:58 p.m.:Griffith Harsh IV, Meg Whitman's husband, now says it is "possible" he saw a letter from the Social Security Administration alerting him to the inconsistency in their housekeeper's ... More >>

• McCourt Divorce Trial, Day Nine: As Settlement Talks Loom, Larry Silverstein Completes The Worst Three Days Of His Life

  published Sep 23, 2010

  rDay Nine. The Dodgers are 12.5 games out of first place. Since the trial started on Aug. 30, the Dodgers' record is 6-15. Larry Silverstein stepped down from the witness stand for the last t... More >>

• Frank McCourt Dodger Divorce Trial: Hapless Lawyer Larry Silverstein Perfect Target For Malpractice Suit

  published Sep 22, 2010

  rAs word spread that Frank and Jamie McCourt will go into a closed-door mediation session on Friday, it started to feel like this whole trial is an elaborate trap for the hapless Larry Sil... More >>

• Frank McCourt Divorce: Larry Silverstein's Boner Is Key; On The Stand He's Not Sure What Year This Is

  published Sep 21, 2010

  Fred Merkle committed the most famous mistake in baseball history in 1908, when, in a game against the Chicago Cubs, he failed to touch second base as the winning run scored. Merkle's Boner... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Dodger Divorce Trial: With Jamie McCourt On The Stand, Steve Susman Sharpens His Knives

  published Sep 20, 2010

  rThree weeks after the McCourt divorce trial began, Steve Susman finally got his chance to cross-examine Jamie McCourt this morning. Like a bull that has been prodded and starved to ... More >>

• Frank McCourt Divorce Trial: As Jamie's Testimony Resumes, How Will Frank Reconcile With Dodger Fansr

  published Sep 20, 2010

  rJamie McCourt will be back on the stand today as the Dodger divorce trial returns from a two-week break.So far, there's no sign of a settlement -- though the trial has already taken a brutal to... More >>

• Meg Whitman Trumps Michael Bloomberg On Absurd, Neo-Gilded Age Campaign Spending

  published Sep 16, 2010

  A year ago, it would have been hard to imagine anyone making New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg look thrifty. He set a record in 2009 by putting $108 million of his own money into his re-election campai... More >>

• Loan Mod Torture Defendant Takes Plea, Is Released From Jail

  published Sep 14, 2010

  Mary Ann Parmelee, who was accused of torturing two loan modification consultants who had scammed her last year, has accepted a plea deal and has been released from jail.Parmelee and her partner, Dani... More >>

• LAX Concession Clash: Councilman Bernard Parks Hands $30 Million To Magic Johnson's Company

  published Sep 13, 2010

  rOverturning the wishes of LAX staff, a five-member council committee on Monday awarded an airport retail contract worth $30 million a year to a business grou... More >>

• What This Governor's Race Needs Is A Good Municipal Land-Use Dispute

  published Sep 09, 2010

  On the campaign trail, Meg Whitman has been telling a story about how it took eBay two and a half years to get a permit for a new building in Sunnyvale.She cites this as an example of California's bur... More >>

• LAX Concessions: Last Bidder Standing Is Wolfgang Puck Express

  published Sep 08, 2010

  In the battle for the right to serve rapidly prepared food to LAX passengers, most of the attention has gone to the two heavyweights: SSP America and HMS Host.But with both of them knocked out of the ... More >>

• A Matter of Impressions

  published September 9, 2010

  With the Dodgers' playoff hopes on the brink of blowing away in the Santa Ana winds, fans' attention has shifted to the... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  McCourt Divorce Trial, Lunch Update: The Return Of Vladimir Shpunt

  published Sep 03, 2010

  Would the Dodger divorce trial be complete without an appearance from Vladimir Shpuntr Dexter O'Connell sure didn't think so. On the fifth day of trial, O'Connell, 19, came to court wea... More >>

• Jamie McCourt's Attorney David Boies Batters Frank McCourt on the Stand, Puts Dodgers Owner on the Run

  published Sep 02, 2010

  rFrank McCourt is back on the stand for his third day of testimony, which I'm sure he hopes will also be his last. He held up pretty well on Wednesday, but this morning David Boies came out b... More >>

• McCourt Divorce Trial, Day Three: Screwing The Fans

  published Sep 01, 2010

  rDay Three. The Dodgers began the day 6.5 games out the wild card, but fell 7.5 games back with an afternoon loss to the Phillies. How's this for karmar At the same moment that Roy Oswalt was... More >>

• Nervousr Frank McCourt Blinks 75 Times/Min.

  published Sep 01, 2010

  Frank McCourt spent more than two hours answering questions from David Boies this morning. His answers have been concise and direct, and there haven't been any Perry Mason ... More >>