Protest

Opponents of a planned Walmart in Burbank drew upon the strength of unions Tuesday night to give the noisiest local protest yet to the mega-retailer. More than 100 people, bolstered by the organized support of labor unions, swarmed outside Burbank City Hall before the City Council meeting, using a loudspeaker to sound off on the idea of a Walmart next to the Empire Center. In a show of how the labor movement has latched on to the cause, about 30 members of Warehouse Workers United - which advocates for better working conditions in Inland Empire distribution centers - marched down Olive Avenue to the beat of a snare drum to join the protest.

Ryan Carter Police say they are not expecting traffic problems but will monitor a protest today in front of Disney Studios at 500 S. Buena Vista Street. Protest organizers expect about 200 people to show up to protest alleged disparaging words made toward the Catholic religion on the ABC television show "Politically Incorrect." The Catholic group, called The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, took offense to words spoken by television personality Jimmy Kimmel during a March episode of the show, hosted by Bill Maher.

Mark R. Madler The City Attorney's office is considering filing charges against two actresses for interfering with a police officer during a protest against the disposal of electric cars. Alexandra Paul and Colette Divine were released on their own recognizance following their arrests Monday afternoon at the General Motors Training Center, 1105 W. Riverside Drive. "They had a statement to make and made it," Burbank Police spokesman Sgt. Jay Jette said.

CITY HALL — This year, Nicole Perez had to protest. She sat out last year’s demonstrations, even though she said half her teachers were laid off. The John Burroughs sophomore said she’s seen teachers break down and cry in class. She knows kids who can’t get into the classes they need or want, and her school band has seen members quit because they can’t afford fees reaching up to $400, she said. About 85 teachers stand to lose their jobs this year due to reduced state education funding.

Irma Lemus MEDIA DISTRICT WEST -- Calling the NBC television show "Will and Grace" an assault on the Latino community and against family values, five Los Angeles pastors protested outside the Burbank studios. Thursday morning's sparsely attended protest consisted of the Rev. V. Martin Garcia, executive director of the coalition La Amistad, reading a statement to the media. "We are against this show making a joke of the Latino community," Garcia said.

Edgar Melik-Stepanyan Dan Mitchell expected his players to execute routine plays, and they couldn't. Tom Crowther expected his ace, Camron Collard, to have a strong outing, and he did. In short, that was the storyline to Tuesday's Foothill League game between the Burroughs and Burbank baseball teams. Mitchell's Bulldogs committed eight errors and Crowther's Indians received a boost from Collard in their first meeting of the season. In the end, Burroughs got the upper hand, winning, 10-1, at home to notch its first league victory of the season.

Regarding your readers' response (April 5-6 edition from Eva and Derek Shelton) to the photograph of the student holding the "Let's Bomb Texas ... They Have Oil Too!" poster in front of City Hall. Your readers have misconstrued the protester's meaning and have implied some troubling things about the very freedoms that our servicemen are purportedly fighting and dying for. The student is in no way negating the importance of Texas, its people or its servicemen, as your readers suggest.

Thank you for covering the protest in Burbank against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ("Protesters get pumped up," Saturday). If he is doing such a good job with the budget, as the visitor from Texas says, then why are his approval ratings tanking, now at 37%? He was voted into office on the promise he would advocate for the "people." Who are the people, if not teachers, firefighters and nurses, who make modest salaries, work for the health of the public, and ask only to have decent benefits?

Opponents of a planned Walmart in Burbank drew upon the strength of unions Tuesday night to give the noisiest local protest yet to the mega-retailer. More than 100 people, bolstered by the organized support of labor unions, swarmed outside Burbank City Hall before the City Council meeting, using a loudspeaker to sound off on the idea of a Walmart next to the Empire Center. In a show of how the labor movement has latched on to the cause, about 30 members of Warehouse Workers United - which advocates for better working conditions in Inland Empire distribution centers - marched down Olive Avenue to the beat of a snare drum to join the protest.

Paul Clinton MEDIA DISTRICT WEST -- Waving signs and chanting for "Justicia," Burbank janitors staged an old-school labor protest Friday to pressure their employers to give them a wage increase. Dozens of the 8,500 members of Service Employees International Union Local 1877 blocked traffic at several Media District intersections as they shouted their defiant slogans at the large glass buildings that house many of the city's entertainment companies.

Despite an online petition that garnered over 200,000 signatures protesting the re-imagining of Pixar 's "Brave" heroine Merida, Disney has no intention of abandoning its sexier version of the Scottish archer. The modified Merida was created specifically to welcome the character into the company's princess collection. And according to a Disney representative on Wednesday, the image of Merida that sparked this maelstrom is part of a limited run of products including backpacks and pajamas.

Dozens of healthcare workers from the Motion Picture & Television Fund rallied outside the charity's Wasserman campus in Woodland Hills and other locations around Los Angeles on Thursday to protest stalled contract talks with their employer. The workers, including nurses and other caregivers, said they were picketing after contract talks between the charity and their union, S ervice Employees International Unio n- United Healthcare Workers , appeared to hit an impasse over a host of issues.

Good morning, readers. Today is Wednesday, September 19. Smokey Robinson will read some "Words" from the heart this weekend in North Hollywood. The singer-songwriter has apparently been itching to share his poetry with an audience. He'll read at the El Portal Theatre on Friday and Saturday . L.A. Times Lucy's 51, a restaurant in Toluca Lake, is buying the space next door and turning it into a coffee shop , reports Patch . The cafe will seat around 50 people, which seems rather large for such a venue.

Good morning, readers. Today is Wednesday, July 25. Medical marijuana dispensaries are now banned in the city of Los Angeles, the City Council decided Tuesday. All 762 registered shops will be shut down. But some may be allowed to stay open . L.A. Times One pot shop owner in North Hollywood isn't taking the ban seriously , saying "It's just a bunch of hoopla, and next week it'll be something different. " An owner of a Toluca Lake dispensary calls the ban a "good idea," but he operates a location that may be exempt from the law. NoHo Patch One group against puppy mills is organizing an event this weekend in Burbank to push officials to ban the sale of animals from retail shops.

The Burbank City Council this week cleared the way for Walmart to open a new store near the Empire Center, leaving opponents with few options other than legal action to stop the world's largest retailer from moving in. On Tuesday, more than 100 people - bolstered by the support of labor unions - rallied outside City Hall and then crammed into the council chambers to protest the planned Walmart. The show of opposition failed to sway city officials, who say zoning codes allow the Walmart to open so there's little they can do. Opponents have been trying to force Walmart to conduct an economic impact review and the city to carry out major improvements to road infrastructure around the former Great Indoors site before approving the building plans.

Opponents of a planned Walmart in Burbank drew upon the strength of unions Tuesday night to give the noisiest local protest yet to the mega-retailer. More than 100 people, bolstered by the organized support of labor unions, swarmed outside Burbank City Hall before the City Council meeting, using a loudspeaker to sound off on the idea of a Walmart next to the Empire Center. In a show of how the labor movement has latched on to the cause, about 30 members of Warehouse Workers United - which advocates for better working conditions in Inland Empire distribution centers - marched down Olive Avenue to the beat of a snare drum to join the protest.

Opponents of a planned Walmart in Burbank drew upon the strength of unions Tuesday night to give the noisiest local protest yet to the mega-retailer. More than 100 people, bolstered by the organized support of labor unions, swarmed outside Burbank City Hall before the City Council meeting, using a loudspeaker to sound off on the idea of a Walmart next to the Empire Center. In a show of how the labor movement has latched on to the cause, about 30 members of Warehouse Workers United - which advocates for better working conditions in Inland Empire distribution centers - marched down Olive Avenue to the beat of a snare drum to join the protest.

A $12.7-million renovation of Memorial Field has ignited a debate about where John Burroughs High School will host its May graduation, with administrators arguing that the facility needs to be protected and students calling for a return to the traditional commencement site. “I definitely want to graduate at Memorial Field,” said senior Austin Ross, 17. “My mother graduated on it, my brother graduated on it and my sister graduated on it. I just feel like it has been a tradition for years at Burroughs.” The high school hosted graduation at its field for decades before a much anticipated overhaul - kicked off in January following years of planning and fundraising - forced officials to move it to the Starlight Bowl last year.

Burbank teachers took to city streets Thursday to demand that school district officials return to the bargaining table to finalize the terms of a new contract. Burbank Unified and the Burbank Teachers Assn. have been locked in negotiations for months, trying to work out a successor agreement to the one that expired in June 2010. The parties hit an impasse last month, and state-supervised mediation is scheduled for Friday. Among the points of contention are unpaid furlough days - union representatives said they will accept conditional furlough days that would be implemented only if forthcoming state revenue figures trigger mid-year cuts to education.

Four environmental activists who were arrested Wednesday after chaining themselves to the entrance gate and unfurling a banner at Walt Disney Studios have been released after posting $1,000 bail. Two members of Rainforest Action Network dressed as Mickey and Minnie Mouse bolted themselves to the gates of the studio lot while two more climbed to display a large banner beneath the Walt Disney Co. sign. Jennifer Binstock, 29, of San Francisco; Christopher Toomey, 52, of Redondo Beach; Blake Hodges, 26, of Irvine; and Alexia Dickason, 27, of Los Angeles, were arrested while protesting the studio’s use of fiber from endangered Indonesian rain forests in its children’s books.