Which Way, L.A.?

New Boss at LAUSD, Same as the Old City Council Boss

LA City Council Elects Padilla President Even though it has unanimously re-elected its old leader, the LA City Council itself will be different from anything City Hall has seen before. The new Council will feature political celebrities like Antonio Villaraigosa, Bernard Parks and former Assemblyman Tony Cardenas, and, for the first time in modern history, a majority of the 15 members will be black or Latino. Huizar Elected New President of LAUSD Board of Trustees The LA School Board has new leadership, and it too is a changed institution. Ousted in the May election, Caprice Young and Genethia Hudley-Hayes have been replaced by Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte and Jon Lauritzen. They were sworn in today and, along with the rest of the board, unanimously chose a new leader who-s half way through his first term. What-s ahead for two changed institutions? We talk with Council President Alex Padilla and Board President Jos- Huizar about what they see for the future. Making News: LAPD Average Call Response Time Increases Over the past three year, the average LAPD response time-the time it takes from when the dispatcher sends out the call until the police arrive--has increased from 7.7 to 10.5 minutes. City council members call the increase unacceptable, especially since the size of the Police Department has increased. Mary Grady, who heads the LAPD's Office of Public Information, responds. Reporter-s Notebook: It-s Canada Day, eh? July 1 is Canada Day, commemorating the establishment of that country-s central government in 1867. For most of the ensuing years, Canada had a conservative, almost Victorian image. More recently, Canada defected from the war in Iraq, legalized gay marriage, and proposed to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. Colin Robertson, Canadian Consul General in Los Angeles, talks about the newer cooler Canada.