Emergency measures. L.A. officials will go behind closed doors today to discuss changing the way the city’s troubled 911 call center is staffed. The cost-cutting move is backed by the mayor and Fire Chief Brian Cummings, but the head of the call center says it will put the public at risk. Dispatchers at the city’s emergency call center currently work 24-hour shifts, with some employees clocking up to 56 hours per week. That’s meant a hefty overtime bill for the city. Under the plan being pushed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, dispatchers would put in traditional eight-hour work days. L.A. Times
Fatal mistake. The L.A. County D. A. says it erred when it granted drug treatment – instead of prison time – to a man accused of killing four people in Northridge last week. Ka Pasasouk appeared in Van Nuys Superior Court in September after being arrested for possession of methamphetamine. Probation officials argued that he deserved prison time. But prosecutors said Pasasouk was eligible for a drug diversion program. The D.A. now says that it was wrong, and that Pasasouk should have been sent back to prison. L.A. Times
Graphic violence. Have you seen the new U.C. logo? It’s causing quite a stir. The logo was quietly rolled out last month, but the response has been fast and loud. Students and alumni have been slamming the new design, and there’s now a push to get rid of it. A petition being circulated calls for the new logo’s “quick, painful death.” Ouch. San Francisco Chronicle
Off switch. An appellate court says nearly 100 digital billboards in L.A. must go. The three-judge panel ruled that the city failed to follow its own rules when it allowed Clear Channel and CBS to upgrade the billboards in exchange for taking down some other signs. The suit, filed by another billboard company, argued that Clear Channel and CBS got an illegal sweetheart deal from then-City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. A spokesman for Clear Channel says the company is disappointed in the ruling and weighing its options. L.A. Daily News
No help. A new lawsuit targets Wells Fargo for failing to reduce homeowner loans as required in a national class-action settlement. The suit filed last week alleges that Wells Fargo should have granted requests for loan modifications to about 66,000 applicants. Instead, less than three percent of those homeowners received loan reductions. Wells Fargo denies the charges. L.A. Times
No reign. Time is running out for the L.A. Kings to have a chance to defend their NHL championship. Negotiators are due to return to the bargaining table tomorrow in a last-ditch effort to save the hockey season. Today is the 87th day of a lockout that has kept the players off the ice. Games have already been canceled through December 30th. NHL officials say that if a deal isn’t reached soon, the whole season will be a wash. The Kings beat the New Jersey Devils at Staples Center on June 11th to win the club’s first title. CBS Sports