Report: Former Controller Steve Westly Tried to Use Political Influence to Save IPO Amid Scandal
California's former state controller and possible gubernatorial candidate Steve Westly is alleged to have used his influence to help a San Francisco tech company deal with scandal as it hoped to go public. That's the gist of a new Wall Street Journal investigation, which found that digital ad company RadiumOne tried to minimize the fallout of founder Gurbaksh Chahal severely beating his girlfriend by using board member Steve Westly's political influence. The report alleges Westly reached out to former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown. Chahal was charged with 45 felony counts, and was later fired as CEO of RadiumOne after pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges. The company never went public. The California Report is the recipient of a grant from the Westly Foundation.
Huntington Park Still Roiling Over Appointment of Undocumented Immigrants
The small city of Huntington Park south of Los Angeles drew big headlines when it appointed two undocumented immigrants to city commission seats this summer. It was a stunning move to many people outside the city, but for many locals there's less concern over the new commissioners' legal status than there is over how they were appointed.