NEWS
High Turnover Who would have guessed the fall of John Deasy could ultimately be pinned to technology? After all, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District was a proponent of tech in the classroom. But his commitment to a failed iPad program, as well as his insistence on trotting out a new scheduling system that created havoc for many schools this fall, led to Dr. Deasy resigning Thursday morning as supe of the second-largest school district in the country. (Rocky relations with teachers and the union didn’t help.) Deasy’s predecessor, Ramon Cortines, will fill the post on an interim basis. It’s a disappointing ending to this chapter in the frazzled history of the district.
Address Change Requested Veteran L.A. pol Richard Alarcon is the latest elected official to be convicted for lying about the district he lives in. You just can’t get away with saying you sleep in Panorama City—which fell in Alarcon’s 7th District when he was a city councilman—when you really live over the border in Sun Valley, as Alarcon did. On Tuesday a judge sentenced Alarcon to 120 days in county jail (which is, for the record, also not in Alarcon’s district).
Tiny Print L.A. is rightly derided for having perhaps the world’s most confusing parking restrictions. We’re so fascinated with the topic at the magazine that we devoted 6,000 words to a story on parking a few years back. So it was welcome news to us that graphic designer Nikki Sylianteng had created nifty signs that explain the dos and don’ts of street parking with style and ease. Look for them in your neighborhood—the city council is rolling out the experiment now.
Ebola Preparedness Your Twitter feed is no doubt teeming with Ebola rumors and scares—and God knows, Ebola is scary. On Wednesday Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, the director of the communicable disease control division of L.A. County’s department of public health, addressed questions about the preparedness of this most international of U.S. cities.
CULTURE
Photograph courtesy latimesblogs.latimes.com
HBO to Go Netflix has given the big cable companies a major stomachache. But word this week that HBO will finally offer a stand-alone streaming service next year must have cable execs—and, honestly, Netflix execs—reaching for the extra-large tub o’ Tums. Translation: You won’t need to be a cable subscriber anymore to watch the most prestigious premium channel in the land.
Foie Alarm Geese, run free! The California Supreme Court upheld the state’s foie gras ban, which had been challenged by L.A.-based Hot’s Restaurant Group (which runs Hot’s Kitchen restaurant in the South Bay).
Fashion Week Forever There’s not an official “week” to Los Angeles Fashion Week: It goes on kinda forever, with six organizations throwing their own versions to showcase designers. The Wednesday-night opening of “Style Fashion Week L.A.” featured the pageantry of Sue Wong’s creations, including gowns and headdresses worthy of a pharaoh’s tomb. Wong also received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
