Which Way, L.A.?

Governor Davis- Job Rating Falls to New Low

Governor Gray Davis was re-elected just four months ago, but in the latest Los Angeles Times Poll, his approval rating dropped low enough for any politician to consider a different line of work. Just 27 percent said the Governor was doing all right. Sixty-four percent disapproved, though that doesn-t mean they support a recall. It-s a paradox. Why are so many so mad? We hear the reasons and the voters- search for leadership and solutions from Michael Finnegan, who reported the story for the Times, Steve Maviglio, press secretary for Governor Davis, and Mark Baldassare of the Public Policy Institute of California. We look for reasons and solutions with Michael Finnegan, who reported the story for the Times, Steve Maviglio, press secretary for Governor Davis, and Mark Baldassare of the Public Policy Institute of California. Making News: Combating California-s Dirty Bombs In Vienna, Austria today, the US vowed to help developing countries track down the loose radioactive materials that can be used with conventional explosives to make so-called -dirty bombs.- In California, some 30 radioactive devices used in industry have been lost or stolen over the past few months, according to a report by KCBS-TV. Such devices are brightly marked, often carried in open trucks and seldom guarded. State Senator Gloria Romero (D-LA) is looking at possible legislation to protect the public. Reporter-s Notebook: Corruption Rife in Southeast LA County In South Gate, Lynwood, Bell Gardens and several other cities in Southeast LA County, public corruption is epidemic. Local officials have been bribed, indicted, threatened and recalled, and there have been fire bombings and shootings. Fernando Guerra, director of Loyola Marymount University-s Center for the Study of Los Angeles, attributes so much municipal wrongdoing to a -perfect storm- of demographic change.