Thursday, December 6, 2012
Page 11
SNIPPETS (Column)
Trutanich Explains Refusal to Take Pay Cut: ‘We Are Not a Rich Family’
According to a Dec. 2 post at losangelesdragnet. blogspot.com, Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich “stunned some observers recently when he blamed his wife and ‘four children’ for his financial situation, one that prevents him from taking the same pay cut as the rest of his staff.”
LA Dragnet reports that at a Nov. 14 city attorney candidates’ forum hosted by the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, Trutanich was asked why he would not take the 13 percent pay cut imposed on his staff two years ago by mandatory furlough days.
During that time, according to the post, Trutanich has continued to receive his full $214,547 salary, plus benefits that include a chauffeur-driven SUV.
Trutanich is reported to have cited his wife’s loss of her pension, which was “wiped away” when her former employer declared bankruptcy, as well as the needs of his “four children” whom, the post notes, are all gainfully employed adults.
“My wife, my four children, we live on my salary… we are not a rich family,” he is quoted as saying.
Trutanich’s rivals in the March 2013 primary election, police rights attorney Greg Smith and former Assemblyman Mike Feuer, have both said that if elected they would take the cut in pay.
•The Anti-Defamation League will present its Centennial MCLE Civil Rights Symposium in partnership with Bet Tzedek on Jan. 25 at the Skirball Cultural Center.
Topics will include “The Federal Courts and Civil Rights Today,” presented by Erwin Chemerinsky, founding dean of the UC Irvine School of Law.
“Civil Rights Topics Facing Minority Communities” will feature Jon W. Davidson, legal director of Lambda Legal’s Western Regional Office; Constance L. Rice, co-director of the Advancement Project; Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund; and Karin Wang, vice president of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center.
The final topic, “Working with Challenging Clients: Ethics & Practical Solutions for Pro Bono Attorneys,” will be presented by Grant Specht, directing attorney of Bet Tzedek Legal Services.
The program also includes a docent-led tour of the exhibit, Creating the United States, organized by the Library of Congress, which features original artifacts, autographed letters, rare books and manuscripts.
Three units of MCLE credit are offered (two hours of general credit and one hour of ethics).
Breakfast and registration is at 8 a.m. The program runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
The cost to attend is $36.
Space is limited and reservations are required.
RSVP by Jan. 15 to sworley@adl.org or (310) 446-4244.
•The Central District of California Bankruptcy Court has announced closures tomorrow.
The clerk’s offices for the Santa Ana, San Fernando Valley, and Northern Divisions will be closed, but the Intake Section at the Los Angeles Division, located at 255 East Temple Street, 9th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012, will be open for non-electronic filings from all divisions.
All electronic services will still be available, including CM/ECF, LOU, PACER, and VCIS. The CM/ECF Help Desk will also be open for inquiries regarding CM/ECF on that day and can be reached during business hours at (213) 894-2365.
As a courtesy, a small number of staff members will be available at the Riverside Division, located at 3420 Twelfth Street, Riverside, CA 92501, to accept emergency matters only, for filers unable to travel to Los Angeles. The court requests that you call (951) 774-1102 to make arrangements if you must make an emergency filing at the Riverside Division on that date.
•Stephen Kong, former senior corporate counsel for Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC, has joined Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, P.C. as a shareholder, the firm announced yesterday.
Kong will be based in Santa Monica, but will spend part of his time working out of the firm’s San Francisco office. His practice focuses primarily on technology transactions and intellectual property licensing, with an emphasis on patent and trademark licensing and transactions, general technology transactions, content licensing and streaming, IP support for corporate M&A and financing deals, and open source counseling.
Kong has represented clients in various industries including consumer electronics, e-commerce, semiconductor, aerospace, retail and food and beverage. He graduated from Emory University School of Law in 1995 and from UC San Diego in 1992.
Copyright 2012, Metropolitan News Company