Jason S. Mandell

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Hollywood: Local Incentives Trump Creativity

Jason S. Mandell
The trend of local tax incentives luring filmmakers to shoot everywhere from Toronto to Tuscany is nothing new. And it's costing the Los Angeles film industry hundreds of millions of dollars a year. What is new is that producers are increasingly willing to rewrite scripts in order to fit a......
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Today's City Council Agenda: Cigarettes and Water

Jason S. Mandell
Fans of smoking and showering -- not necessarily at the same time -- should be nervous today, as the L.A. City Council considers a ban on outdoor smoking and a DWP funding request tied to a plan that will increase our water rates. If passed, the ordinance drafted by the......
He's no Jerry Lewis.

France to Scientologists: Stop Defrauding Us

Jason S. Mandell
Apparently the French have less tolerance for financially exploitative religious institutions than we do. A Paris court today convicted the French branch of the Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology of fraud, says the Associated Press. The church's French office was fined more than $900,000 for demanding way too much money......
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Mayor's Affordable Housing Plan Takes a Hit

Jason S. Mandell
Mayor Villaraigosa's affordable housing plan could be in for some trouble. The California Supreme Court has struck down the city's plea that a developer be forced to include low-income units in his project. Yesterday's ruling, the latest and perhaps final chapter in a two-year legal battle between L.A. city and......
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High Speed De-Rail: Schwarzenegger Cronies Give Up $9 Million in Easy Money

Jason S. Mandell
Looking for proof that good old fashioned muckraking can alter the course of political decision-making? Well, consider the latest twist in the controversy over Schwarzenegger cronies who had been handed a staggering $9 million for public relations efforts concerning California's high speed rail. Turns out Mercury Public Affairs, whose partners......
The site of last year's Metrolink crash in Chatsworth.; Credit: Ted Soqui

Union Sues to Stop Surveillance Cameras on Metrolink Trains

Jason S. Mandell
Last year, after a horrific Metrolink crash in Chatsworth killed 25 people, federal investigators found that the engineer was busy text messaging instead of manning the train.Last week Metrolink completed a $1 million project installing surveillance cameras in every one of its locomotives to monitor engineers' use of cell phones......
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L.A. Artist Shepard Fairey Admits Lying About Obama Image

Jason S. Mandell
Controversial guerrilla artist-turned-mainstream maverick Shepard Fairey has done something he rarely does: admitted he was wrong. The Echo Park graphic designer, who has been embroiled in a lawsuit over his iconic poster for President Obama's campaign, has confessed to lying about the origins of the image.Fairey's admission sufficiently pissed off......

California Nurses' Strike Threat: Is It Really About Swine Flu?

Jason S. Mandell
California nurses have threatened a major walk-out on Oct. 30. Judging by the headlines in the press -- "Nurses Plan Strike Over Swine Flu Conditions at Hospitals," says the L.A. Times -- you'd almost believe that 16,000 nurses' biggest concern is that they might be infected with H1N1.Score one for......