News Around Town

• With an expected $14 billion budget shortfall next year, the state assembly might have to consider a series of tax hikes and budget cuts for health and human services. It's always the poor and the sick who gets cut first, sigh. The budget crunch would likely stall talks on the Governor's proposed statewide healthcare plan, projected to cost an additional $14 billion. That's hefty change; it'd be interesting to see how Ahnold will fund his ambitious plan with his fellow Republicans sure to be yapping at his heels.

• The WGA filed an unfair labor practices lawsuit against the studios for abruptly breaking off negotiations December 7th. The AMPTP calls the complaint, which is standard in negotiations of this nature, "desperate" and "baseless". The WGA expects the labor board to assign an investigator who will complete an inquiry within 30 days. Meanwhile the strike continues, and the viewing public will continue to suffer through reruns and reality shows like Crowned and The Bad Girls Club. Groan.

• The Mitchell Report named 85 players as having illegally used steroids, including Barry Bonds (already under indictment), Roger Clemens and former Dodger Paul Lo Duca. According to the L.A. Times, the 400-plus page report implied that the Dodgers traded Lo Duca not because he was using steroids but because he stopped. Yet Senator Mitchell didn't propose any penalties or fines for any players or teams, which I find odd. Isn't steroid use illegal and at the very least, cheating for financial gain? After all, major baseball is big business. Isn't using steroids like a corporation cooking the books or using insider information to make a profit?

• In entertainment news, the Golden Globe nominees were announced, with period drama The Atonement and cable channel HBO leading the pack. Meanwhile, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its inductees, with the controversial inclusion of Madonna. Yeah, I think Janis Joplin and Etta James just rolled in their graves.

Image via UCLA Library Digital Collections.
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