SEE PAGE 3 for 8th annual LA baby & kidz expo in pasadena
Pasadena Press
MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2015 - JANUARY11, 2015
pasadenapress.com
Improved Conditions for Hens Increase Egg Prices By JENNIFER SCHLUETER As of January 1st, eggs sold in California must come from hens that live in a space of at least 116 square inches in which they are able to stretch their limbs and turn around, which means about 70 percent more space compared to the previous minimum. This new law, Proposition 2, resulted from a voter initiative and was passed in 2008 with a majority of over 60 percent. Because of the changes farmers were forced to make, consumers now see an increase in egg prices. The president and CEO of the California Grocers Association Ronald Fong told NPR: “We can confirm that egg prices have gone up at least 35 percent. Some have reported going up 70 percent.” With California being the largest consumer of eggs nationwide, according to the Los Angeles Times, farmers all over the US have adjusted to the new regulation because challenging it in court failed. California’s state veterinarian, Dr. Annette Jones reported to NPR that egg producers have switched to newly constructed
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Governor Brown Appoints Three to Los Angeles County Superior Court Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. recently announced the appointment of Keith H. Borjón, John A. Slawson and Anthony A. Trendacosta to judgeships in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
-Courtesy Photo by Matt MacGillivray
free-range henhouses, built larger cages, or cut down the number of hens in already existing ones. “In general, poultry farmers are trying to move in that direction, to provide more space and the ability for their
hens to exhibit more natural behaviors,” NPR quoted her. However, the website also notes that even though “[f]reerange houses allow chickens Please see page 4
Former Pasadena City Official, Two Others Charged in $6Million Embezzlement Scheme Pasadena City Manager Michael J. Beck, Mayor Bill Bogaard and City Attorney Michele Beal Bagneris held a hurried press conference Tuesday afternoon regarding the arrest of former Pasadena city employee, Danny Wooten. Mr. Wooten who was was arrested Tuesday in connection with an investigation by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s
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Office into the alleged misappropriation of public funds and embezzlement of $6.4 million from the City of Pasadena. A former Pasadena Public Works analyst and two of his friends were arrested on charges they embezzled more than $6 million in city money over a decade, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced today.
Anthony A. Trendacosta -Courtesy Photo
Danny R. Wooten, Tyrone Collins, and Melody Jenkins were arrested this morning by the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation. They are charged in a 60-count felony complaint for arrest warrant, case BA430233, with embezzlement, conflict of interest and grand theft with excessive tak-
Borjón, 55, of Whittier, has served as a supervising deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General since 1990, where he has served as a deputy attorney general since 1985. He was a clerk and attorney at Westside Legal Services from 1984 to 1985. Borjón earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree
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Please see page 2
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$6 Million Embezzlement scheme Continued from page 1
Danny Wooten
- Courtesy Photo
ing allegations. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Bjorn Dodd with the Public Integrity Division. Wooten was a management analyst in the city’s Public Works Department, which was in charge of relocating all of the city’s utility lines underground. Between 2004
and March 2014, Wooten is suspected of creating false invoices for the underground utility program and stealing more than $6 million. He allegedly directed more than $2 million of the stolen money to Collins, who owns Collins Electric.Wooten also allegedly gave Jenkins, who was a temporary Pasadena City employee, more than $40,000 in stolen city money. In addition, Wooten is suspected of setting up bank accounts in his name and directing city money to two churches he was affiliated with – the Southern California Evangelist Jurisdiction Center and the New Covenant Christian Fellowship Center in Pomona. Prosecutors said the alleged theft was discovered earlier this year when the city ordered an audit.
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If convicted, Wooten faces up to 28 years in state prison. Collins faces up to 18 years in state prison. Jenkins faces up to four years in state prison. City officials provided in-
formation about an internal audit conducted into the embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds and and offered details on the City’s response and initiatives for greater oversight in the future.
LA Count Superior Court Judges Continued from page 1
Keith H. Borjón and John A. Slawson
from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Charles W. McCoy. Borjón is a Democrat. Slawson, 64, of Rolling Hills Estates, has served as a commissioner at the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 1993. Slawson has served as adjunct faculty at El Camino College since 1994 and served as adjunct faculty at California State University, Dominguez Hills from 1999 to 2000. He served as the Redondo Beach City Prosecutor from 1978 to 1993 and was an attorney in private practice from 1977 to 1989. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Western State University College of Law and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from California State University, Long Beach. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Louise M. Meisinger. Slawson is registered without party preference. Trendacosta, 64, of Los
- Courtesy Photos
Angeles, has served as a commissioner at the Los Angeles Superior Court since 2006, where he was a court referee from 1998 to 2006. He was of counsel at the Law Offices of Donald Gindy from 2000 to 2005, general counsel at the Santa Monica Rent Control Board from 1989 to 1998 and was an associate at the Law Offices of Barry Rothman in 1989. Trendacosta served as supervising attorney at the Los Angeles Office of County Counsel from 1987 to 1989 and was a partner at Rose, Klein and Marias from 1983 to 1986, where he was an associate from 1975 to 1982. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the San Fernando Valley College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Northridge. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Janice C. Croft. Trendacosta is a Democrat. The compensation for each of these positions is $184,610.
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hlr media EDITORIAL jschlueter@hlrmedia.com Editor Jennifer Schlueter Publisher HLR Media Advertising advertising@hlrmedia.com
Regional Silver Gloves 8th Annual Los Angeles Boxing Tournament Jan. 9-11 Baby & The public is invited to Independence, Missouri. watch more than 200 OlympicTournament bouts will beKidz Expo style boxers compete in the Re- gin at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9; two
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The 8th Annual Los Angeles Baby & Kidz Expo will take place on Saturday, January 24, 2015, from 10am - 5pm at the Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. The Baby & Kidz Expo is about education and entertainment. Started twelve years ago, Baby & Kidz Expo has been featured on ABC, CBS, NBC & FOX and is the largest indoor family expo circuit which takes place in California, Colorado & Texas with an average of 10,421 in attendance. Each Baby & Kidz Expo has different vendors, prizes and entertainment. Baby & Kidz Expos is known for its wholesome environment and is attended by the entire family. At the expo, attendees can visit with family friendly vendors and find all sorts of things for their families from entertainment choices to parent resources, health information to new innovative family products and services. There are fun presentations, kiddie hands-on activities, diaper and toddler derby, jumpies, train rides, bubble rollers and more. Baby & Kidz Expos also supports local Children's Museums and Children's Hospitals by providing content information at the expos. Admission: Adults: $10 (save $2 with pre-purchase online), 65+ & Military: $5, Kids 12 & under: Free. To view a video of a past show go to: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=hFA4jwMfLdc Full Event Information: www.FamilyFunExpo.com
gion XIII Silver Gloves Boxing Tournament Jan. 9-11, 2015, at the Victory Park Community Center gymnasium, 2575 Paloma St. Hosted by the City of Pasadena’s Human Services and Recreation Department, the three-day tournament consists of matchups between amateur boxers ages 10-15 representing Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah. Finalists will advance to the national tournament February 5-7, 2015, in
sessions will be held at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10; and the tournament will conclude Sunday, Jan. 11, with final bouts starting at 11 a.m. Admission is $8.00 per session for adults, $5 per session for children ages 6-12 and free for children 5 and under. Tickets will be available at the door on tournament days only. For additional tournament information, contact Bill Davis, Recreation Coordinator, at (626) 744-6523 or bdavis@ cityofpasadena.net.
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Loveable Weirdo: The Unique Tom Green Returns, Jan. 23 The Ice House Comedy Club is thrilled to welcome the mischievous and always surprising stand-up of TOM GREEN on Friday, January 23. TOM GREEN sparked a TV revolution with his hit MTV comedy series The Tom Green Show. One of MTV’s top-rated programs, it paved the way for shows like Jackass, Punk’d and Fear Factor. With its guerrilla video tactics and outrageous stunts, it was unlike anything that had been seen before. The Tom Green Show began on public access TV and was picked up by MTV. In a sense, it was the original independent, viral-video hit, years before YouTube even existed. The raw home-video look was what made the show relatable to young audiences across the globe, and its hilarious clips are still hugely popular online. After his show was acquired and broadcast by MTV, Tom went on to produce, direct and star in several films. He appeared in such blockbusters as Road Trip and Charlie’s Angels, as well as the cult classics Freddy Got Fingered, Stealing Harvard, and Bob the Butler. He has appeared multiple times on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Oprah, The Jimmy
Kimmel Show, The View, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Live with Regis & Kelly, and The Wendy Williams Show. In fact, he is one of the few comedians in history given the chance to guest-host David Letterman’s program. He has also hosted Saturday Night Live, and has appeared on numerous magazine covers including the coveted cover of Rolling Stone magazine. His autobiography “Hollywood Causes Cancer” is a critically-acclaimed book detailing his battle with Testicular Cancer which he beat successfully at the peak of his MTV show’s meteoric rise. The Cancer Special, a full-length television special for MTV, documented Tom’s multiple surgeries and was called one of the Top Ten TV shows of the year by Time magazine. Tom’s independent online talk show Tom Green’s House Tonight was the first LIVE streaming talk show to become a massive success on the Internet. Audiences worldwide have enjoyed this groundbreaking series broadcast in real time from Tom’s homemade living-room studio living room. It is the highest-rated online talk show in history and has attracted A-list celebrities
–Courtesy photo
The “unique” Tom Green
and comedians to appear as Tom’s guests. Tom Green will headline two (2) shows on January 23. The complete show schedule for January 15 through 25 is listed below: Thu. 1/15 - Thursday AllStar Comedy with Pete Correale - 8 p.m.; $10 Fri. 1/16 - Call for Details Sat. 1/17 -Call for Details Sun. 1/18 - Rod Man (Special Event) - 7 & 9 p.m.; $20 Mon. 1/19 - Closed Tue. 1/20 - Closed Wed. 1/21 - Rudy Moreno’s Wednesday Night Fun-
nies - 8 p.m.; $12.50 Thu. 1/22 - 7 Comedians for $7 - 8 p.m.; $7 Fri. 1/23 - Tom Green (Special Event) - 8 p.m.; $20 Sat. 1/24 - Call for Details Sun. 1/25 - Comic Hypnotist Mark Sweet - 7 p.m.; $12.50 /// Fernando Flores’ Comedy Meltdown - 9 p.m.; $12.50 There is a two-drink minimum and patrons must be at least 18 to attend. The Ice House is located at 24 N. Mentor Ave. in Pasadena.For more information or to purchase tickets, please call 626-577-1894 or visitwww.icehousecomedy.com.
Improved Conditions for Hens Increase Egg Prices Continued from page 1
to move around freely, … critics say the birds are more frequently injured than those in cages.” On the other hand, the LA Times claims that “animal advocates say [squeezing chickens into cages] causes needless suffering and boosts the likelihood of salmonella contamination.” Representing almost all of the US’ egg farmers, president of the Georgia-based United Egg Producers Chad Gregory, told the LA Times that egg
farmers are adapting to consumers’ demands of more farm-animal-friendly conditions in several states. Lon Allan, questions the new law in his piece in the San Luis Obispo Tribune: “Come on, folks, they’re only chickens. […] you can fool them into laying more eggs by turning the lights on in the hen house so the day seems longer to them. “Come [Jan 1], all that is supposed to change. Backers of the law reasoned we’d have
healthier chickens if they had more room to literally spread their wings. “I do not know whether happy chickens lay more eggs. How do you know if a chicken is happy?” The LA Times visited Frank Hilliker’s egg ranch in San Diego County, a thirdgeneration family business established in 1942, which underwent layout changes to conform to the new space regulations. Since these changes,
Hilliker’s hens are now able to move more freely and “exhibit behavior he had never seen before — like a pecking order when it comes to feeding or their playful beak-tapping on old CDs and colorful string he’s hung from the beams,” reported the LA Times. The egg farmer himself feels “reinvigorated” about this “new challenge” and said: “I don’t know if the chickens know any better, but it’s made farming fun again.”