Which Way, L.A.?

Homeland Security in LA, Other American Cities

From midnight until 3 tomorrow morning, the LA Police Department will simulate -a major emergency- at LAX, as part of local planning for homeland security. City Councilman Jack Weiss says that, despite such plans and the new, federal Department of Homeland Security, Los Angeles is not a lot safer today than it was on September 10, 2001. He claims that the federal government has failed to come through with training, equipment and money to help protect against possible terrorism. Republican Chris Cox, who heads a new Congressional Committee on Homeland Security, says we-re a lot better off than Weiss thinks we are. We hear from them both. Newsmaker: South Gate-s Recall Election In the City of South Gate, elected officials are responding to charges of rampant corruption by handing out favors and even auctioning off a free house to one lucky resident. One local political scientist says South Gate-s government resembles the PRI, which governed Mexico for 70 years. Richard Marosi, who is covering tomorrow-s recall election for the LA Times, has more on the confused electorate and third world politics. Reporter's Notebook: Justice Department Signs Consent Decree with New Times, LA Weekly Last year, the publishers of LA-s two alternative news weeklies made a deal the US Justice Department saw as an anti-trust case. New Times closed its Los Angeles operation, leaving a clear field for the LA Weekly, in return for the latter closing its paper in Cleveland, giving New Times a monopoly there. One of the beneficiaries could be former LA Mayor, Richard Riordan. Former LA Times editor Michael Parks explains.