On Monday, a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury ruled in favor of the city of Burbank in the discrimination/retaliation lawsuit trial of Burbank Police Officer Cindy Guillen-Gomez. In an article up on the Burbank Leader website, City Attorney Amy Albano is quoted as saying: “We believed that Ms. Guillen had not been discriminated against or retaliated against . We are pleased that the jury system worked for us in this case.” Wait, wait! It may be a little early for city officials to be high-fiving each other. I’m hearing an appeal is being seriously considered.

A well-connected source tells me the jurors were leaning toward ruling in Guillen-Gomez’s favor and giving her a six-figure award, however, the judge’s late decision to toss out most of the officer’s complaints tied their hands. Judges have been wrong, trial verdicts overturned — so this case may not be a closed book just yet.

In the past few months, the city has lost two of these BPD lawsuit cases and won one. Not a great score. The city has spent millions fighting these cases — reportedly as much as $3.4 million on Guillen-Gomez’s case alone. Also, the city has handed over millions for new programs, consultants, and changes in the BPD since a slew of  lawsuits were filed against the department beginning in 2009.  In the Leader article City Attorney Albano addresses this: ”It’s my understanding that the complaints happened before the changes with the current command staff.” You gotta wonder, if Guillen-Gomez’s case and the others were without merit, then why was it necessary to bring in Interim Police Chief Scott LaChasse and his team to make some sweeping and very expensive changes?

“Marvel’s The Avengers” has reached another milestone. Last Sunday, the superhero ensemble flick hit the $1 billion mark worldwide. It did so in only 19 days, according to Box Office Mojo. Meanwhile, “The Avengers” clobbered the competition in the domestic box office over the weekend, by holding onto the number one spot with a haul of $103 million.

Far behind in second place, “Dark Shadows” with a debut of $29.6 million. This is a  take-off on the Gothic TV soap opera, “Dark Shadows,” but despite having Tim Burton as the director and Johnny Depp as its star, the film stumbled. The word is this horror comedy has some funny moments yet fails  because of a disjointed script.

Meanwhile,  the romantic comedy, “Think Like a Man,” is continuing to pack them in at theaters. The movie earned $5.8 million, good enough for third. In a month, “Think Like a Man” has collected $81.4 million. “The  Hunger Games” took fourth with $4.5 million, and rounding out the top five in the weekend box office derby, “The Lucky One” with $4.1 million.

Lawsuit trial of Burbank police officer in hands of the jury

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Burbank Police Officer Cindy Guillen-Gomez at Fire Service Day/National Police Week celebration in Burbank May 12, 2012

A Downtown Los Angeles jury is expected to continue deliberating today in the lawsuit trial of Burbank Police Officer Cindy Guillen-Gomez. This is the third trial in the past few months  involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in the BPD brought by a current or former member of the force.

Guillen-Gomez’s trial got underway last week. Judge Joanne O’Donnell trimmed the allegations in the suit, originally filed back in May of 2009, to pregnancy discrimination and retaliation, and failure to prevent discrimination and retaliation. After spending the week in court, Guillen-Gomez was out representing the BPD at the Fire Service Day event in Downtown Burbank last Saturday (that’s where the photo with this post was shot). Guillen-Gomez has been the department’s community resources officer since February of 2011. In January of 2000, she became the first Hispanic female to be hired as a police officer by the BPD.

City of Burbank sued over Walmart store

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Site of a future Walmart 1301 North Victory Place at the Empire Center in Burbank

The retail giant Walmart is moving  ahead with plans to occupy  the old Great Indoors site at the Empire Center. Recently, three local residents, Shanna Ingalsbee, Katherine Olson, and Yvette Ziraldo filed a lawsuit to attempt to stop the Walmart store from opening in Burbank, according to this article that appeared on the Burbank Leader website dated May 8, 2012. The article is well written and contains the basic facts, including the attorney filing the suit, Gideon Kracov, who represents the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 770.

The group calling itself  Stop Walmart in Burbank sent out an announcement on Friday May 4 about this lawsuit and it said, “…we wanted to let everyone know the specifics of the case before it became public knowledge.” However, this announcement did not include the simple basic facts of the names of the persons filing the suit nor the attorney involved. I sent an e-mail requesting this information, but no one from the group responded. This is not the first time I have experienced a “no response”  from the Stop Walmart in Burbank  group to a request for additional information. Interesting.

Applications for two top Burbank city positions

Starting today, the Burbank City Council will be accepting applications for the next three weeks for the appointments of City Clerk and City Treasurer. In an odd twist that has fueled quite a bit of chatter in B-town, Margarita Campos resigned her position as City Clerk in a retirement letter dated March 5, 2012 and a few weeks later, in a similar retirement letter dated April 13, 2012, City Treasurer Donna Anderson resigned from her position. Campos will remain on the job until June 1, Anderson until July 7.

I received copies of both resignation letters from the City Attorney’s Office. Both letters were directed to City Manager Mike Flad. Anderson also copied a number of city officials and staff. Strangely, neither letter acknowledged the voters who elected Anderson and Campos to these important positions with six-figure salaries. Another curious twist of events in  Burbank politics.

UPDATE:

City of Burbank sent out a news release on these two positions just before noon today. Here’s the release.

05-14-12

BURBANK, Calif. – Burbank’s elected City Clerk and City Treasurer recently announced their retirements, effective June 1, 2012 and July 7, 2012, respectively. Pursuant to California Government Code § 36512, the City Council of the City of Burbank is accepting applications for appointments to the positions of City Clerk and City Treasurer. The appointments will complete the unexpired terms of the current incumbents, which run until May 2013. Pursuant to Charter Sections 800 and 810, applicants must have resided in the City of Burbank for at least 29 days prior to filing nomination papers or declaring their candidacy and must be a registered voter.

The City Clerk’s Office will accept applications for both positions during the three week period of  Monday, May 14, 2012 through Friday, June 1, 2012. The City Clerk’s Office will verify both Burbank residency and voting status for all individuals who submit applications by the closing date.  Applications and job information are available on the City’s website, BurbankUSA.com .

Candidates will have an opportunity to tape a three minute video to discuss their qualifications. This will be available for public viewing on the City’s website and The Burbank Channel. The Council is scheduled to make the appointments on Thursday, June 28, 2012.

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Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Firefighters demonstrated the technique for extricating victims trapped in vehicle accidents at Fire Service Day in Downtown Burbank May 12, 2012

Fire Service Day was celebrated in Downtown Burbank today with demonstrations, exhibits, displays, and special treats for the kids. In years past, a number of other agencies and groups have participated. This time around, the Burbank Fire Department partnered with only the Burbank Police Department and the California Highway Patrol — in conjunction with National Police Week.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Young potential firefighter is shown how to handle a hose in the kids' obstacle course at the Fire Service Day in Burbank May 12, 2012

Photo: Terje "Terry" Canavarro/Freelance Photog -- Crowds greeted President Obama as he arrived by motorcade in Studio City for a star-studded fundraiser at actor George Clooney's house May 10, 2012

President Barack Obama boarded Air Force One at LAX  this morning, headed for Reno, Nevada. Obama’s visit to the Southland was brief, but lucrative. Last night, the president was the main attraction at a posh dinner party at the Studio City home of actor George Clooney, which reportedly raised $15 million for his re-election bid — the most ever for a campaign fundraiser.

Local freelance photographer Terje “Terry” Canavarro got pictures of  the presidential motorcade arriving in Studio City around 7 p.m. last night.  Terry shot his photos from the balcony of a restaurant near Ventura and Laurel Canyon Boulevards.  Here are more of his photos.

Photo: Terje "Terry" Canavarro/Freelance Photog --A crowd gathered at Ventura and Laurel Canyon Boulevards in hopes of seeing the president's motorcade go by in Studio City May 10, 2012

Photo: Terje "Terry" Canavarro/Freelance Photog --President Obama's motorcade in Studio City May 10, 2012

Photo: Terje "Terry" Canavarro/Freelance Photog -- Crowd cheered and waved at President Obama as his motorcade traveled Studio City streets May 10, 201

The most detailed and interesting report about the Studio City fundraiser, including observations from the White House press pool, is over on Deadline.com. President Obama reportedly spoke for about 20 minutes before going around to chat with the guests at each of the 14 tables (among them Hollywood stars and major players like Robert Downey Jr. and Barbra Streisand).  First, however, he gave some shout-outs to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, San Fernando Valley Congressman Howard Berman, DreamWorks’ Jeffrey Katzenberg, and of course the host, George Clooney.

President Obama:

“… let’s face it, we raised a lot of money because everybody loves George.  (Laughter.)  They like me; they love him.  (Laughter.) And rightfully so.  Not only is he an unbelievable actor, but he is one of those rare individuals who is at ease with everybody, seems to just occupy a constant state of grace, and uses his extraordinary talents on behalf of stuff that’s really important.  And he takes time to actually figure out the facts and the issues.  (Applause.)  And so we couldn’t be prouder of George.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  And I couldn’t be prouder of him as a friend.”

Also, the president gave some props to the American people and their steadfastness during the past three years or so of tough economic times.

“And one of the great privileges of being President is you travel around the country and every day there’s an affirmation of how decent and how strong and how caring the American people are.  They’re not always paying attention to the babble in Washington.  They don’t have the time to read big briefing books on the latest ideas for Medicare reform.  But they have good instincts about what’s right and what’s true.  And it’s those instincts and it’s that resilience that really has enabled this country to weather an extraordinary storm.”

Photo: Pete Souza/White House -- President Obama spoke on the economy at the State University of New York in Albany, N.Y. May 8, 2012

President Barack Obama is due to arrive in the Southland tomorrow and is expected to attend a major star-studded re-election fundraiser in Studio City. It’s sort of a house party at the palatial pad of actor George Clooney.

The sold-out affair is shaping up to be a biggie with a number of major Hollywood players throwing down serious bucks to get on the guest list. The cost; as high as $40,000 per person, according to The Wrap. However, one lucky contest winner gets two free guest passes to the fundraiser. More here .

Also, LA Observed has a detailed post on President Obama’s  upcoming trip to the Southland, the Clooney bash,  and the traffic mess it could cause around Studio City.

Photo:FLLewis/Media City G -- Councilman Dr. David Gordon at Burbank City Council meeting March 20, 2012

A person of interest reportedly has been interviewed in connection with that brick through the window incident at Burbank Councilman David Gordon’s optometry office on Hollywood Way last month. It happened on March 16 at around 10 p.m. and according to Burbank Police Officer, Joshua Kendrick, a suspect “.. was last seen fleeing the scene, southbound on Hollywood Way in a vehicle.” Dr. Gordon say nothing like this has ever happened in his 30 years of business: “the act of violence against my office was shocking and most unfortunate.”

Yesterday I got an update on the investigation from Sergeant Darin Ryburn, over in BPD Media Relations. In an e-mail, Sgt.Ryburn stated a person of interest had been questioned. Also, Ryburn says the investigation is wrapping up and soon the results will be handed over to the City Attorney’s office “… for review of possible misdemeanor charges ..”

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- A new paint job for the Nickelodeon Animation Studio on Olive Avenue in Burbank April 4, 2012

The new paint job for the Nickelodeon Animation Studio on Olive Avenue is definitely eye catching. The nearby Nickelodeon parking structure/adjacent building got the same treatment. This studio produces kid friendly animated series like “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “The Fairly OddParents.”

A short while ago, Burbank City Council member Emily Gabel-Luddy brought up Nick’s new look at a council meeting and asked if  it is in line with city codes and regulations. What you think? Is it a dig or no dig?

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G --New paint job for Nickelodeon parking structure/adjacent building at Olive Avenue and Victory Boulevard in Burbank April 4, 2012

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Members of the Buffalo Bills Wild West Show took part in Burbank on Parade in Burbank April 14, 2012

A special slide show of last Saturday’s terrific Burbank on Parade is now in the middle column of this website. The SnapShots feature displays highlights — more than 70 photos of the parade action and the parade goers. Check it out.

Photo: Rodrigo Pena/Freelance Photog/pe.com -- Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio April 15, 2012

Thousands of music fans got a treat last night when Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg took to the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival out in the desert town of Indio. Inland Empire music reporter, Vanessa Franko, says it was a huge set, which will be remembered and talked about for a good while. The rap/hip hop legendary duo wrapped the first weekend of Coachella. Check out Franko’s blog reports. Also, more photos here.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Alumni of Burbank High School and John Burroughs High School marched in the Burbank on Parade in Burbank April 14, 2012

Oops. The marchers are alumni from both Burbank High School and John Burroughs High School. Burbank on Parade. A wonderful display of city pride and fun. More details and photos to come.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G - Burbank on Parade sign in George Izay Park 111 West Olive Avenue Burbank

Rain or shine, Burbank on Parade is set to roll at 11 a.m. along a stretch of Olive Avenue between Keystone and Lomita streets tomorrow morning. “The World of Aviation and Its Heroes” is the theme. The grand marshals are two Southland aviation pioneers, Bob Gilliland and Clay Lacy. There will be the usual floats, marching bands, and equestrian units. Burbank on Parade is organized by a committee of volunteers.  The Bob Hope Airport is the presenting sponsor.

After the parade, at George Izay Park, there will be a special drawing for a chance to win two JetBlue round trip tickets valued at $1,700.

For more information click over to the Burbank on Parade website or call the BOP Hotline at( 818) 736-7972.

Several lucky and now very rich lottery winners are probably doing a happy dance today. They are going to share in the record breaking Mega Millions jackpot of $640 million. There are reportedly winners in Kansas, Illinois, and Maryland. Each jackpot ticket is worth around $213 million before taxes.

Here in the Golden State, 29 ticket holders got five of the winning numbers correct. A ticket with those hot digits is worth $227, 955. In the Southland, there are winners in Hollywood, West Covina, Venice, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Montebello, and Long Beach — sigh, no Burbank. Here are those winning numbers again: 2, 4, 23, 38, 46, and 23.

The next Mega Millions draw is Tuesday, April 3. The jackpot: $12 million.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Last minute Mega Millions ticket buyers waited in a line at the 7-Eleven at 2055 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale March 30, 2012

The 7-Eleven at 2055 West Glenoaks Boulevard ,on the border between Burbank and Glendale, was flooded with lottery ticket buyers today. In fact, the staff set up two lines — one strictly for lottery ticket purchases. As the clock ticked down to draw time at 7:54 p.m, Mega Million ticket sales were restricted to only quick picks here.

I asked a staffer if the store had ever sold a lottery winner. Not a jackpot ticket, but one for $300,000 a while back I was told.

Here are the winning  numbers for the $640 million Mega Millions draw tonight: 2, 4, 23, 38, 46, and the Mega Ball 23. Update coming when a winner or winners are announced.

Time is running out to get in on that historic Mega Millions lottery draw.You have only a few hours to buy tickets for a shot at a jackpot that has soared to $640 million! The jackpot is now the largest ever in the world.Yeah, that kind of money is hard to imagine. Even a chunk of that jackpot would provide a nice lifestyle and secure future for most folks.

I bought a Mega Millions ticket at the Burbank Deli & Market near Beachwood Drive and Alameda Avenue yesterday morning. “Good luck to us,” the store clerk said as he handed me my ticket. I understood right away. I replied,”… the store retailer gets a million bucks for selling the winning lottery ticket.” He smiled and added, “we’re part of your team.”  Interesting way of looking at it.

The big Mega Millions draw is at 7:45 p.m. this evening.

The Mega Millions jackpot is now the world record holder for the largest lottery jackpot ever. The dreams and hopes of millions of lottery ticket buyers kicked that jackpot up to an incredible $540 million. Lottery fever is sweeping the Internet as well. “MEGA Millions jackpot is one of the top trending topics on the worldwide web currently,” lottery officials reported in a press release today.

The countdown is on for the next draw, which is tomorrow at 7:45 p.m.  You can follow the minute by minute countdown to the Mega Millions draw on the California Lottery website.

That colossal Mega Millions jackpot is continuing to grow. The Mega Millions jackpot has reached record-breaking territory. No one managed to match all of the winning numbers in last night’s draw, so the jackpot exploded to $476 million — and now has reached $500 million! That’s the largest Mega Millions money pot ever. The previous record holder was $390 million back in 2007.

Here are Tuesday’s winning numbers: 9, 19, 34, 44, 51, and the Mega ball 24. Nine players in California did score some serious cash. They matched all but the Mega. Each ticket is worth $308, 573.

The next Mega Millions draw is this Friday, March 30, 7:45 p.m.

The troubled Los Angeles Dodgers are about to get a fresh start with new owners. The Dodgers organization and present owner, Frank McCourt, announced the $2 billion agreement with Guggenheim Baseball Management in a PRnewswire release late today. The new owners include NBA legend/entrepreneur, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and movie executive Peter Guber.

In the release, Frank McCourt stated: “”This agreement with Guggenheim reflects both the strength and future potential of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and assures that the Dodgers will have new ownership with deep local roots, which bodes well for the Dodgers, its fans and the Los Angeles community. We are delighted that this group will continue the important work we have started in the community, fulfilling our commitment to building 50 Dream Fields and helping with the effort to cure cancer.”

Earvin “Magic” Johnson said, “I am thrilled to be part of the historic Dodger franchise and intend to build on the fantastic foundation laid by Frank McCourt as we drive the Dodgers back to the front page of the sports section in our wonderful community of Los Angeles.”

The deal must be approved by a bankruptcy court. McCourt took the team into Chapter 11 bankruptcy last June. The Los Angeles Times has more on the sale here.

Money, money, money! The Mega Millions lottery jackpot has now reached a mind-boggling $363 million. Yes, it could be  bigger by draw time tonight at 7:45 p.m. Money like that — even a piece of it — could make some impossible dreams come true.

The Burbank Coordinating Council has a new connection on the Internet — a new website!  There’s info on sending needy kids to camp, sharing with our community through the Holiday Baskets program, photos, and an easy donate page. Check it out at  Burbankcoordinatingcouncil.org