Which Way, L.A.?

Will Proposition 64 Mean an End to Shake-down Lawsuits?

Proposition 64 on next month's ballot is being advocated as protection for small businesses, but much of the campaign money is coming from big ones. It's opposed by consumer groups, environmentalists and trial lawyers. At issue is the right of individuals to enforce the Unfair Business Competition Law. While supporters claim it'll stop "greedy lawyers" from filing "shakedown lawsuits," opponents say it'll stop private actions in the public interest. We hear what they're fighting about, and what voters will have to decide, from John Sullivan of the Civil Justice Association of California, which advocates tort reform, and Jamie Court, who's heading the opposition to the proposition. Making News: City Council Approves LAX Modernization Plan By a vote of 12-to-3, the Los Angeles City Council has approved Mayor Jim Hahn's $11 billion renovation of Los Angeles International Airport. Voting against it were Antonio Villaraigosa and Bernard Parks, two of the Hahn's opponents in next year's election. Rick Orlov, who covers City Hall for the Daily News, updates the story. Reporter's Notebook: A Shake-up at the Getty Deborah Gribbon is stepping down as director of the J. Paul Getty Museum, but she's not going quietly. Christopher Knight of The LA Times says "all hell broke loose" after her declaration that she and the Getty Trust's CEO Barry Munitz don't get along. Usually tight-lipped museum directors across the US have expressed an "avalanche of public dismay." KCRW art critic Edward Goldman considers what it all means to the world of art and culture.