Alan Jackson

Slate Mailer Sleaze in L.A.

Political party “endorsements” jamming your mailbox are often phony

District Attorney Election Results: Jackie Lacey Beating Alan Jackson By Double Digits

Updated below. Lacey wins, thanks Cooley. Jackson concedes, boasts about defeating Carmen Trutanich in June. Jackie Lacey leads Alan Jackson by double digits in early returns in the race for L.A. County District Attorney.With vote-by-mail ballots counted, Lacey was up 56-44 percent. As precinct ... More >>

California Voter Guide for Nov. 6, 2012, Los Angeles Weekly

Confused about the measures and races on Tuesday's ballot? This California Voter Guide for November 6, 2012 contains a summary of all state measures and several key races. It does not take a position but does touch on controversies, polls and analysis. Proposition 30: Jerry Brown's Tax Hike Governo ... More >>

Jackie Lacey And Alan Jackson Vie For District Attorney; Race Shapes Up As Referendum On Steve Cooley

For the first time since 1996, Steve Cooley is not on the ballot in the race for L.A. County District Attorney. But tomorrow's election is largely a referendum on his 12 years in office.His chosen successor, Jackie Lacey, has the backing of the police and political establishment. Her opponent, Alan ... More >>

Jackie Lacey Takes Fundraising Lead In Campaign For District Attorney

Jackie Lacey has taken a solid lead in fundraising in the closing stretch of the campaign for L.A. County District Attorney.In filings posted this afternoon, Lacey reports raising $565,000 over the last three months. Her opponent, prosecutor Alan Jackson, reported $180,000.Lacey, the chief deputy D. ... More >>

Memo Fallout: John Shallman Calls Carmen Trutanich "The Kim Jong-Il of L.A. Politics"

Grab some popcorn, because Carmen Trutanich and John Shallman are fighting again. Shallman, you'll recall, is the political consultant who steered Trutanich's D.A. campaign onto the rocks. Trutanich is the city attorney now suing Shallman to avoid paying $165,000 in bills leftover from that campaign ... More >>

Jackie Lacey Wins Key Police Endorsements In Race For D.A.

Jackie Lacey has already claimed an "insurmountable" polling advantage in the race for L.A. County District Attorney. Today, she added two key endorsements from the L.A. Police Protective League and the Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs."This is a very important endorsement," Lacey said. "I ... More >>

The 5 Biggest Losers From Carmen Trutanich's D.A. Debacle (Other Than Trutanich)

The county updated its vote tally this afternoon, and it confirmed what we already knew: Carmen Trutanich crashed and burned on Tuesday night. With 59,000 extra ballots counted, Trutanich's margin of defeat is unchanged. He's still in third by 8,000 votes, and only 117,000 votes remain to be counted ... More >>

In A Shocker, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich Looks Beaten In District Attorney's Race

Update, 2 p.m.: Mike Feuer signals he is not dropping his bid for city attorney, which may mean the end of Nuch's career at City Hall East. More below.The crowd at the Croatian American Club of San Pedro watched the election returns Tuesday night in a state of shock and disbelief, as hometown hero C ... More >>

Armenian Assassin's Parole Pushed as Issue in D.A. Race

The case of Hampig Sassounian has been a cause celebre within the local Armenian community for nearly 30 years. In 1982, Sassounian and an accomplice assassinated the Turkish consul general, in an act of revenge for the Armenian genocide.Sassounian was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in pr ... More >>

D.A. Race: Carmen Trutanich Targets Jackie Lacey As Election Nears

A strategist for City Attorney Carmen Trutanich launched a broadside against Chief Deputy District Attorney Jackie Lacey on Thursday night, accusing her of making a "swiftboat attack" in the campaign for D.A.John Shallman, Trutanich's strategist, appeared on Fox's Studio 11 L.A. He was asked about a ... More >>

D.A. Race: Carmen Trutanich Rakes In Cash; Jackie Lacey Picks Up Steam

Despite a slew of negative publicity, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich continues to rake in cash in the race for L.A. County district attorney, according to campaign finance reports released late on Wednesday.Trutanich has brought in $1.4 million in all, more than two-and-a-half times the total of his ... More >>

Three Strikes? D.A. Candidate Jackie Lacey and the Teen Who Got Life for a Stolen Cell Phone

In 1997, 18-year-old Andre Wilks broke into a Nissan Maxima parked outside of a Target store in Granada Hills and stole a cell phone. The vehicle burglary qualified as a third strike for Wilks, who had been convicted in 1995 for a purse-snatching spree committed one week after he turned 16. If the ... More >>

Caught in a Fib, Carmen Trutanich Concocts Conspiracy Charge Against D.A.'s Office

Update, Thursday: Attorney general declines to investigate. More below.D.A. candidate Carmen Trutanich was caught last week in a fib about being shot at by gang members when he was a young prosecutor in 1985. The L.A. Times' Jack Leonard discovered that in fact, there were no gang members, and no gu ... More >>

Tough-Talking Carmen Trutanich Softens His Image, Tacks To The Left In D.A. Campaign

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich has avoided debating his rivals in the race for district attorney, leaving a big question mark about where he stands on public safety issues.As the June 5 primary approaches, Trutanich is starting to fill in the blanks. In a 17-page "Blueprint for Justice," the tough-t ... More >>

D.A. Rivals Sharpen Their Attacks on Carmen Trutanich, Fear He May Win Outright On June 5

Candidates for L.A. County District Attorney are sharpening their attacks on frontrunner Carmen Trutanich, out of concern that he may win the race outright on June 5.Speaking at a forum in the Crenshaw area on Tuesday night, Chief Deputy Jackie Lacey urged the audience to unite behind her candidacy. ... More >>

Judge Faults Carmen Trutanich For Misleading Voters, Orders New Ballot Designation

A judge today ruled that City Attorney Carmen Trutanich was trying to mislead voters when he anointed himself "Los Angeles Chief Prosecutor."Judge Joseph Kalin ordered a change on the ballot for L.A. County district attorney. Trutanich will now be referred to as "Los Angeles City Prosecutor."Prosecu ... More >>

Carmen Trutanich Vs. L.A. Weekly: In Legal Brief, City Attorney Grouses About "Biased" Coverage

D.A. candidate Carmen Trutanich is going to court next week to defend his right to be called "Los Angeles Chief Prosecutor" on the June ballot.On his way there, Trutanich is taking a few shots at the L.A. Weekly, which broke this story last month. Here's what we wrote at the time about Trutanich's p ... More >>

D.A. Debate: Three Prosecutors Duke, As Carmen Trutanich Ducks

​Three candidates for L.A. District Attorney debated public safety issues on Saturday afternoon. But once again, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich was not among them.Trutanich, the leading fundraiser in the race, also skipped the first debate, back in November. At the time, he was still claiming publ ... More >>

Prosecutor Alan Jackson Sues To Block Carmen Trutanich From Calling Himself "Chief Prosecutor"

​Prosecutor Alan Jackson, a candidate for district attorney, filed a lawsuit this morning to prevent rival candidate Carmen Trutanich from calling himself "Los Angeles Chief Prosecutor" on the June ballot.Trutanich claims that his job as L.A. city attorney entitles him to use the "chief prosecutor ... More >>

Prosecutor Mario Trujillo Dropping Out of L.A. District Attorney Race

​Updated below with a statement from Trujillo. Prosecutor Mario Trujillo will soon drop out of the race for L.A. County district attorney due to health concerns, according to two sources close to the campaign.Trujillo was a serious contender for D.A. Though he had no prior political experience, he ... More >>

Carmen Trutanich Announces Campaign for D.A., Highlights Lawsuit Against Deutsche Bank

​L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich made it official this morning, announcing his candidacy for district attorney. Trutanich has been raising money for the campaign for a year, and has amassed a $1 million war chest, so this is not exactly a surprise.It does, however, give Trutanich's opponents y ... More >>

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich Rakes in More Than $1 Million in D.A. Race

​Updated below. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich will announce this week that he has raised more than $1 million in the race for L.A. County District Attorney.Trutanich has a commanding fundraising advantage, though he has still not officially declared his candidacy. His nearest competitor is prosec ... More >>

Carmen Trutanich A No-Show At District Attorney's Debate, As Six Prosecutors Spar For The Top Job

Carmen Trutanich: Uninvited?​The race for L.A. County District Attorney has been a quiet affair up to this point. The leading fundraiser, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, hasn't even officially declared. Meanwhile, the declared candidates -- half a dozen prosecutors -- are mostly unknown to the gen ... More >>

David Mamet Thinks Phil Spector Was Railroaded

Railroaded?​Playwright David Mamet has been on a press tour lately to discuss his recent conversion to Palin-loving conservatism. Clearly in a provocative mood, he also went to bat for bewigged murderer Phil Spector:"I don't think he's guilty. I definitely think there is reasonable doubt," Mamet s ... More >>

D.A. Steve Cooley Retires, Endorses Jackie Lacey As Successor

Steve Cooley​Updated at 3:08 p.m. District Attorney Steve Cooley will retire next year after serving three terms in office.In a letter to supporters, Cooley is endorsing his chief deputy, Jackie Lacey, to succeed him in next year's election. Cooley's retirement has been widely anticipated since he ... More >>

The Race For District Attorney: Mario Trujillo Close To A Decision

Mario Trujillo is considering a run for D.A.​There are at least two challenges for the career prosecutors considering whether to run for D.A. 1) How to deal with Carmen Trutanich, who has told supporters that he will run if Steve Cooley retires, and who would be the frontrunner. And 2) How to deal ... More >>

Bobby Grace Mulls A Run For District Attorney

​Add career prosecutor Bobby Grace to the list of people considering a run for L.A. District Attorney.In an interview this week, Grace said he is interested in the job, but hasn't made up his mind whether to run. If elected, he said would focus on cleaning up corruption in the county's smaller cit ... More >>

D.A. Race: Two African-American Women Vying To Replace Steve Cooley

Steve Cooley is expected to back Jackie Lacey to succeed him​The race for district attorney is getting more interesting, as two African-American women are launching campaigns to succeed Steve Cooley in 2012.Jackie Lacey, the number three administrator in the D.A.'s office, filed paperwork on Monda ... More >>

Alan Jackson Announces Campaign For District Attorney

Alan Jackson​Alan Jackson made it official today, announcing his campaign for district attorney. As we've said before, Jackson is a career prosecutor who's best known for putting Phil Spector behind bars.The election isn't until June 2012, but the filing period will be opening shortly. Jackson, 45 ... More >>

Jackie Lacey Could Be L.A.'s First Non-White, Non-Male District Attorney

​Had D.A. Steve Cooley been elected attorney general, the odds-on favorite to replace him would have been his third-ranking administrator, Jacquelyn P. Lacey.Lacey, 53, was considered most likely to get Cooley's support for the appointment. She's also a Democrat and an African-American, which woul ... More >>

Steve Cooley Wants To Have A Big Role In Picking His Successor

Photo by Kevin ScanlonSteve Cooley​At a press conference in his office this afternoon, Steve Cooley all but ruled out running for a fourth term as district attorney.But Cooley, fresh off a narrow defeat to Kamala Harris in the race for attorney general, plans to have a big role in choosing his suc ... More >>

Lemonade Opens a 4th Location at MOCA: Abstract Expressionism Requires Food

Lemonade, which just opened a third location on Abbot Kinney in Venice last mongh, is set to open a fourth in a week or two: a museum cafe at MOCA. The opening date is tentatively set as "mid-September." The original Lemonade is on Beverly Boulevard; the second location is in on South Flower Street ... More >>

Full Court Press: 99 Candles — Phil Spector Sentenced to Life ... Clarkson Family Speaks

Spector faces civil suit next

Phil Spector Sentencing Has Begun

11:04 a.m. Dept. 106, Standing Room OnlyPhil Spector has just entered the courtroom wearing a chalk-striped suit with red tie and handkerchief. Judge Larry Paul Fidler as taken the bench. Alan Jackson is here for the prosecution although co-prosecutor Truc Do is absent. Doron Weinberg is here for th ... More >>

Wall of Years: Phil Spector Faces Mandatory Life Sentence

In the end, the jurors for Phil Spector's second murder trial did what the first jury did: They let Judge Larry Paul Fidler know their deliberations had reached a conclusion -- but late enough in the morning so that they would get one more catered lunch out of the case. The two panels' denouements w ... More >>

Phil Spector Trial Jurors Get the Case

Today jurors in Phil Spector's murder trial got the case and began deliberations, after six months of testimony. Actually, for a while this week it seemed as though closing arguments were going to go on for another half year. This morning co-prosecutor Alan Jackson finished his rebuttal argument tha ... More >>

Phil Spector's Trial Without End: "Now We're Back to Gist"

All around us there have been the signs of a change in seasons: Loquat trees are sprouting fruit, the Dodgers are in training and clocks have been set ahead. Even Phil Spector's second murder trial finally has its auguries of transition: The Associated Press' venerable Linda Deutsch was present toda ... More >>

Full Court Press: Dominick Dunne's Cameo at Phil Spector Retrial; Anand Jon's Explosive Evidence of Juror Shenanigans

Alvarez Beats Death, Gets Life x 11

Today jurors gave Juan Alvarez the gift of life 11 times over by sparing him the death penalty, instead sentencing him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In June the panel had convicted Alvarez of first-degree murder for his role in the January, 2005 Metrolink train derailment that ... More >>

Alan Jackson

The juror whisperer

Phil Noir: The Dark at the Top of the Stare

Phil Spector’s trial reaches its endgame

Phil Noir: Court Gesture

Dr. Baden’s ah-ha! moment

Phil Noir: If He Did It

Warning: Spector verdict spoiler

Phil Noir: Avenue of the Scars

The jurors see Lana Unleashed

Phil Noir: In a Lonely Place

With friends like Punkin Pie...

Theater of Pain

What made Lana run?

Phil Noir: The Heart of the Spatter

Jurors get put on a strict science diet

Phil Noir: Murder As a Second Language

As questions about defense attorney Bruce Cutler’s effectiveness circulate, immigrant witnesses place new accents on shooting timeline

Phil Noir: Accidental Suicide

Guns, slips and semiotics