The Los Angeles County Bar Blog

Stars Rising and Falling

--On December 10th, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
--According to Reuters, Barack Obama has chosen Nancy Sutley, a deputy mayor of Los Angeles, to head the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
--Astronomers have pinpointed the location of a supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy. The all-devouring void is named "Sagittarius A*" (pronounced "Sagittarius A star").
--Above the Law has the story on Marc Dreier, who was arrested in Canada last week. The local affiliate of Dreier LLP will continue without its leader, according to the Daily Journal. Ideoblog examines the legal question: When is a partnership not a partnership?
--From Ron Kaye LA comes the news that "attorney Jane Ellison-Usher...is resigning...as head of the Planning Commission."

The Movie Star, the Prosecutor, the Gang, and the Biker

--According to Patterico, "Linda Fiorentino's boyfriend Mark Rossini has pled guilty to illegally accessing government computers to obtain documents that were used in the defense of Anthony Pellicano."
--LA Observed cites the LA Times and the Daily News: "Rocky Delgadillo is seeking cash damages from the 18th Street gang for damage to Pico Union and Westlake neighborhoods."
--The LA Times is itself in the news: Sam Zell's Tribune Company, which owns the LA Times and KTLA Channel 5, has filed for bankruptcy protection. More at Bloomberg.
--The LA Times is still reporting the news, however: David L. Brewer will go, but he wants his severance.
--Fugitive cyclist Stein Bagger turned himself in to the LAPD on Saturday.
--Assembly Speaker Karen Bass held a press conference yesterday afternoon in advance of the unprecedented joint session for the state legislature. She said: "Some of my colleagues… are in denial" about California's budget problems.
--According to Rough and Tumble, "In as few as nine days, nearly $5 billion worth of public works projects in California, including schools, roads and bridges, could be halted or indefinitely delayed." Coverage from the SF Chronicle, Sacramento Bee, and the San Diego Union-Trib.
--Speaking of budget troubles, the OC Register blog indicates that CSU contract negotiations are at impasse: teaching assistants have called for a strike.
--No bailout: "scuttling boats to collect the insurance money is on the rise," according to Red County.

Job Numbers "Almost Indescribably Terrible"

Reacting to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report indicating that "Nonfarm payroll employment fell sharply (-533,000) in November, and the unemployment rate rose from 6.5 to 6.7 percent...[following] declines of 403,000 in September and 320,000 in October, as revised. Job losses were large and widespread across the major industry sectors in November," the WSJ blog has rounded up comments from experts such as: "Nothing good in this report," and "much worse than was expected."

A Trademark Is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Last week, GM, Ford, and Chrysler showed how lax their brand management department is.

These three companies made the news for flying their private jets to Washington to beg for handouts. This not only created a backlash from Congress-folk and the public but also soiled their already dirty brands.

A wise CEO, faced with a failing company in need of a giant government check, would have demonstrated an intent to turn his company around through better products and lower costs. He would have flown coach instead of selling the corporate jet after the fact in response to public outcry. He would have said "we will radically cut costs, improve quality, and make what consumers demand" instead of saying "we will make green cars because it is trendy, while ignoring the giant, money gushing holes in our business model" (to paraphrase).

The purpose of a trademark is to distinguish your product or service from the competition. It is a double-edged sword: If people associate your Trademark with quality, value, and good feelings, it increases your company value.  But, as with the Big Three, if people associate your trademark with waste, greed, and ill will, it can cause you incalculable harm.

Esha Momeni Released

According to the Daily Sundial, "Esha Momeni, the 28-year-old grad student that was arrested last month in Iran, has been released by the Iranian government." LAist.

Five Reasons McCain Lost

Here are my top five reasons hypothesizing why McCain lost.  I phrase it this way for a reason: Obama ran a good campaign, but not a great one.  This was not an instance of the underdog coming from behind with brilliant political maneuvering; rather, McCain made serious miscalculations, while Obama stayed on point.  So here are the five top blunders, in no particular order:

1) McCain sounded like a Democrat.  There is nothing wrong with sounding like a Democrat... if you are a Democrat.  But McCain did not establish himself as a conservative.  Given the choice of voting for a Democrat or a democrat, voters will choose the Democrat.

2) McCain chose a vice president who did not add to his campaign.  Palin could have been a decent choice if the central issues were social (abortion, gay marriage, etc.).  But the central issue was the economy, and Palin did not demonstrate expertise in that area.  Her selection also took the focus off of McCain.  Although the election is supposed to be about the Presidential nominees, it became a race between Obama and Palin.

3) McCain stuck to his principles.  When Obama turned down public money, McCain should have as well.  Obama's ability to outspend McCain weakened McCain's campaign drastically.  McCain seemed to be gaining momentum during the few weeks when he was putting out clever television and internet ads every few days, but that level of self-promotion is expensive and it quickly petered out.  Although McCain's intent was to demonstrate integrity, the message was lost and the lack of money hurt the campaign.

4) McCain did not stick to his principles.  McCain constantly beat the drum of "getting rid of pork, getting rid of earmarks."  Yet, when the $700B bailout bill came up, he was against the first version.  It was only the much lengthier version, which included billions of dollars of pork, that McCain agreed to sign.  Had he stood his ground, he would have differentiated himself from Obama while demonstrating leadership qualities.

5) McCain did not approach the people.  McCain does not have Obama's oratory qualities.  McCain is older and appears physically uncomfortable in front of a camera.  It is irelevant whether this is due to natural ability or his years of torture as a P.O.W.  The burden was on McCain to show his personality to the public, and he did not do so.  His concession speech was probably his most sincere and compelling presentation to the American public.

Election Coverage

Obama's Win a "Nonviolent Revolution"—CBS News.

California election coverage from California Progress Report and the Secretary of State. General coverage from 538.

Also: Mexico's Interior Minister Juan Camilo Mourino died in a plane crash in Mexico City that also claimed the life of Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, the former chief prosecutor for drug crimes.

CSUN Student Student Jailed

CSUN student Esha Momeni has been jailed in Iran for "acting against national security."

The Meltdown

"The loose-leaf binders on Beverly Hills attorney Paul Kiesel's blond wood shelves contain hundreds of stories alleging deception, loss and heartache. Kiesel is representing struggling homeowners who contend they were misled about the terms of their mortgages." The LA Times has an article on how the meltdown means good business for some attorneys.

And on Gothamist: "Today, on the 79th anniversary of the 1929 Black Tuesday stock market crash, artists Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese...installed an ice sculpture of the word 'Economy' in Foley Square. And the piece, called 'Main Street Meltdown,' is a 'temporary monument' and Ligorano explained, 'To see the word "economy" melting down is representational of our extreme time.'"

But when it comes to the meltdown, this one is biblical.

The economic meltdown is not the only metaphor with a high profile. This article from RedState finds employment for "gone rogue" and "throw under the bus," among others. Maybe it's time to stop digging.

Two Silver Lake Histories

Here are two stories about Silver Lake, a Los Angeles neighborhood. One involves a regular middle-class family's lost daughter and another a music-loving punk with bright red hair.