Palm Springs Police Chief Resigns Over "Bag A F*g" Incident

Well, that was fast! Just last week, Palm Springs Police Chief David Dominguez apologized for profane language he used to describe gay men who had been caught up in a homophobic police sting in the Warm Sands area of the city where several gay nude vacation resorts are located. Today comes word that Chief Dominguez has decided to retire early in wake of the ongoing scandal.

"After careful consideration of the recent debates surrounding the Warm Sands Law Enforcement Operation, I believe this decision is in the best interest of my family, my health, the Department and the City," Dominguez said in a statement. "It has been a privilege to be the Chief of Police and work with the professional men, women and volunteers in the Police Department who are extremely dedicated to the community."

Steve Pougnet, the openly gay mayor of Palm Springs, made his first statement on the controversy, saying:

"I support the decision by the police chief to retire and agree that it is in the best interest of the city and the department – to begin the healing process for the community. Yet, there remains much work to be done."

The question of what the final impact will be on the 19 gay men who were arrested during the sting operation should be resolved at a hearing on January 20th.

Is Koo Koo Roo Dying?

One of my favorite chains of "fast food" in Los Angeles is Koo Koo Roo chicken. I was surprised recently to find out that there are basically only three franchises of the store remaining in Los Angeles: West Hollywood, Larchmont Village and Santa Monica. Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles have closed recently. I remember there used to be one in the Miracle Mile area of Wilshire Boulevard also.

Apparently the parent company of the grilled chicken joint was bought by Luby's this summer after the parent company Magic Brands (which also owns Fuddruckers burgers) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April.

Koo Koo Roo has a prominent location in the "gay ghetto" in West Hollywood, but it seems like the gay boys have changed their allegiances to Tender Greens (which also only has 3 locations in Southern California).

Have you eaten at any of these chains? What do you think of them?

Jury in Lawrence King Killing To Be Drawn From Santa Barbara County

Today comes news that the judge in the Brandon McInerney trial has decided not to move the venue of the trial but he will have jury selection drawn from Santa Barbara County.

McInerney had just turned 14 when he allegedly shot King execution-style in a computer class in February 2008. Student witnesses said the effeminate King had expressed a romantic interest in McInerney, who was humiliated by the attention. The boys had verbally sparred in the days before the shooting.

The case has garnered international attention from gay and lesbian groups, who see King as a victim of homophobia. McInerney’s defenders say that school officials and the boys’ parents should have done more to quell tensions between them.

McInerney is being tried as an adult on a first-degree murder charge with a hate crime enhancement and could face 53 years to life if convicted.

MadProfessah has been following the case very closely since February 2008 when the incident first happened. I agree with the decision to try McInerney as an adult but I do not support the death penalty (for any crime).

CA-45: Pougnet Shows Strength Against Incumbent Bono

Openly gay Palm Spring Mayor Steve Pougnet is the Democratic candidate in the 45th Congressional District running to dismiss U.S. Representative Mary Bono Mack. In a tough year for Democrats Pougnet is showing his strength in the race by matching the incumbent in fundraising dollar for dollar in the 2nd quarter:

Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet today announced that his campaign for Congress raised over $400,000 for the second quarter reporting period. Pougnet has raised over $1.2 million since entering the race, more than any challenger to Congresswoman Bono Mack has ever faced.

“I am incredibly humbled by the support we have received. In these very difficult times, our Congresswoman has been absent and it’s clear people are hungry for change,” Mayor Pougnet said.

“I am committed to fighting every day to create jobs here at home, fix the mess in Washington and end wasteful spending so we can balance the budget. Our region face major challenges but Congresswoman Bono Mack has failed to lead. I pledge that I will work tirelessly to address the needs of people here in the unique and special communities that make up the 45th district.”

Pougnet’s 2nd quarter fundraising puts him in the top tier of Congressional candidates across the county. His fundraising success is coupled with an aggressive grass-roots effort throughout the 45th district. Pougnet is actively engaging in grassroots campaign activity all throughout the district. The campaign has been going door to door talking to residents from Moreno Valley, Palm Desert, Hemet, Blythe, Mecca, Coachella and throughout the district.

The 45th Congressional District is a bit of a purple district, but it is a good sign that Pougnet is doing so well in the money race.

Brandon McInerney Pleads Not Guilty To Hate Crime

Brandon McInerney, the teenager who shot and killed an openly gay classmate in February 2008, has pleaded "not guilty" to murder. The 15-year-old is being tried as an adult.

Ventura County Superior Court Superior Court Judge Bruce Young set a pretrial hearing for Oct. 23 and a trial date for Dec. 1.

[...]

McInerney’s lawyers, Scott Wippert and Robyn Bramson, filed a legal motion Thursday to dismiss the special circumstance of lying in wait that was tacked onto the felony criminal charges by prosecutors after a three-day preliminary hearing.

Attaching a lying in wait special circumstance to a murder charge in a juvenile case, by law, automatically transfers the case to adult court.

[...]

McInerney is accused of murder and a hate crime in the killing of King, who wore female clothing to school and told classmates he was gay. Prosecutors allege McInerney waited 15 to 20 minutes in a classroom before shooting King, constituting grounds for adding the lying-in-wait charge.

McInerney faces as much as 53 years to life in prison if convicted of all charges in adult court. Prosecutors have offered to agree to a sentence of 25 years to life if he pleads guilty to first-degree murder and the hate-crime allegation.

Prosecutors allege McInerney, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, subscribed to a white-supremacist philosophy.

Hat/tip Joe.My.God

Featured Flora: Pink Beauty

Gymnocalycium denudatum 'Pink Beauty'

This small, dome-shaped cactus has flattened, spidery spines; no threat to anyone! This variety has pink flowers rather than the usual white. The Other Half purchased this one at Huntington Gardens Desert Collection by appointment.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

DOMA Challenge Smelt v U.S. Dismissed

The federal challenge to DOMA in which the Department of Justice defended the law in an arguably homophobic way was dismissed by the Judge yesterday.

The Obama administration scored a victory of sorts in federal court Monday when a judge threw out an Orange County gay couple's lawsuit claiming that the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.

[...]

Assistant Atty. Gen. Tony West, in his brief filed before U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, agreed with Smelt and Hammer that the Defense of Marriage Act is discriminatory and should be repealed. But West noted that he was obliged to defend the law until Congress moves to repeal or amend it. He urged the court to dismiss the men's suit on grounds that their allegations "fail to state a claim upon which relief can be granted."

Carter agreed, explaining in his seven-page decision that the absence of "an injury in fact" meant the court lacked jurisdiction to consider the broader constitutional questions.

Smelt and Hammer had also filed suit in California superior court. That action was dismissed earlier this year on similar grounds, as their marriage is legal in California.

It is likely the lawsuit will be refiled in federal court again. However, many LGBT activists were flabbergasted when the attorneys for the plaintiffs revealed their real intention in the lawsuit was to split the state of California into two pieces.

Hat/tip Joe.My.God

The Dracaena Bloomed!

Dracaena deremensis 'Janet Craig' in bloom

Look what I woke up to find in my living room this morning!

Lawrence King's Killer Will Stand Trial

Rod 2.0 reported last week while I was in the middle of preparing for finals and not reading the paper that the teenaged killer of gay teen Lawrence King has been ruled competent for trial. 14-year-old Brandon McInerney (pictured here) fatally shot 15-year-old King at point blank range in the head during an 8am class at a middle school in Oxnard in February 2008.

The incident became a cause celebre and there was a controversial Newsweek magazine cover story on Lawrence King which portrayed the murdered boy as "confused" and even called him a bully for wearing make-up and high-heels to class. Clearly, both teens were troubled(Lawrence had been living at home for abused kids and Brandon's parents had multiple run-ins with the police and documented substance abuse problems) but the reason why the case became so famous (and why bloggers like MadProfessah, Joe.my.god and Rod 2.0 arefollowing it so closely) is the visuals of one fourteen-year-old boy shooting another boy in the head because one boy was ashamed that the murdered boy had said he had a crush on the other boy.

Garth Trinidad Returns to 8-10pm KCRW Slot Dec 1

Well looks like even people who disagree about EVERYTHING can agree on music! Jasmyne Cannick is as excited as I am that DJ Garth Trinidad is returning to KCRW on Monday December 1. Praise Allah!

Garth's now-legendary radio show Chocolate City (along with Trader Joe's) was one of the great joys of living in Los Angeles and Southern California. I look forward to hearing him nightly on the radio. Garth is responsible for popularizing such breakthrough artists such as Van Hunt, Kelis, Jill Scott, Macy Gray and Me'shell NdegeO'cello on the public airwaves.

John Morgan Wilson's SPIDER SEASON is coming!

My favorite mystery writer, John Morgan Wilson, wrote me an e-mail note today thanking me for MadProfessah's review of his most recently published book, Rhapsody in Blood, and to tell me that he has a new book, entitled Spider Season coming out late this Fall! December 9, 2008, according to Amazon.com. You can read the first chapter of the book at Wilson's personal website.

First of all, how cool of it is to get a letter from a writer whose work you admire and they tell you that they like the review you wrote of their work?

Secondly, how exciting is that finally after two long years, a new episode in the Benjamin Justice series will be out soon?

If you haven't heard of Benjamin Justice, he is the fictional openly gay, ex-reporter who won a Pulitzer Prize for the Los Angeles Times that had to be returned after a huge scandal.

He always seems to find himself in complicated murder mysteries set in Southern California and Los Angeles (the first several books are actually set in the heart of the gay ghetto itself: West Hollywood).

The first seven books in the series are: Simple Justice (1996), Revision of Justice (1997), Justice at Risk (1999), The Limits of Justice (2000), Blind Eye (2003), Moth and Flame (2004) and Rhapsody in Blood (2006).

I am thinking of re-reading (and reviewing) the first 6 books or so for this blog before the 8th one comes out in December. I would strongly recommend reading them in order, although each one is self-contained, the impact of the events on the character is deepened if you have experienced the events of the previous books.

Serena, Venus and Lindsay Withdraw From L.A. Tourney

Awful news for the East West Bank Classic in Carson, CA: American tennis stars Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams and Serena Williams have withdrawn from the WTA Tier II tournament that starts tomorrow.

Venus and Lindsay withdrew on Friday with knee injuries. Serena retired from her semifinal match against Aleksandra Wozniak on Saturday at the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford with an aggravation of her left knee injury. She was not moving at all and was down 2-6, 1-3, 40-15 when she stopped playing.

All three Americans are scheduled to represent their country at the Olympics which start on Friday August 8.

At The Beach (Black Gay Beach Party) Cancelled!

The At The Beach Beach Party has been cancelled this year. The Beach Party is part of the circuit of Black Gay Pride events which occur every summer (Los Angeles, July 3-6; Atlanta, August 27-September 1, Chicago July 3-6, New York City, August 2-10; and Washington, DC May 21-26).

Apparently only the Beach Party itself is cancelled, but all the other satellite events will continue to happen and I'm sure many people will still be in town this weekend.

Conservative California Newspaper Endorses Marriage Equality

From Andrew Sullivan and Joe.My.God comes the surprising news that the conservative newspaper of record in conservative Orange County, the Orange County Register has endorsed marriage equality:

Our preference would be for the government not to be involved in marriage, the most fundamental of institutions in a civil society. Why two people who want to be married should be required to get a license from the state is something of a mystery. Marriage existed long before the California or U.S. governments came into being and will continue long after they have been consigned to history. Whether a marriage is valid should be up to the people involved and the churches, synagogues, mosques or other religious institutions that choose to perform them or not.

As a practical matter, however, the government has so entwined itself into our daily lives that state recognition is important. Filing taxes as a married couple or as individuals makes a difference, as does the ability to own real estate, make end-of-life decisions or adopt children. Considering all this and the importance of equality before the law, the high court's decision was justified.

It is argued that allowing same-sex marriage will infringe on the religious freedom of people who have a religiously based objection to it. It is hard to see the validity. Church and state are correctly separate in this country, and the fact that the state recognizes a union as a marriage doesn't mean that a religious person or institution has to recognize it or approve of it. It's hard to imagine a minister, rabbi or imam who objects to same-sex marriages being forced to perform one, and we would be the first to object if anybody tried it.

Over time same-sex couples will find, as has been the case in Massachusetts, where such marriages have been legal for four years, (and as heterosexual couples know all too well) that marriage is not always easy. Married people disagree about all kinds of things, from money to recreational preferences, and have to find ways to work out their differences.

This is an interesting development, especially since in Sunday's Los Angeles Times conservatives Maggie Gallagher and Joshua Baker had a commentary entitled "Hate It/Love It" which summarized the Editorial Page reactions of major newspapers to the California Supreme Court ruling legalizing marriage equality on May 15th. Apparently of the 12 of the 20 largest newspapers in the United States that published an opinion on the matter, 7 opposed the ruling, 4 supported it (Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Boston Globe and San Francisco Chronicle) while 1 was unclear.

Magic Endorses Parks For Supervisor

Earvin 'Magic' Johnson endorsed City Councilman Bernard Parks in his race for Los Angeles County Supervisor in the June 3rd Democratic primary against State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas.

The Los Angeles Times covered the story

Parks, who has been endorsed by business interests, including the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the L.A. Business Federation, is in a tight race against state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) to replace retiring 2nd District Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke. Ridley-Thomas, a former assemblyman and city councilman, is backed by the powerful public employees unions, which have raised more than $2 million on his behalf.

The endorsement of Johnson, revered as a basketball legend, has been important in past campaigns. The former NBA star has become a successful entrepreneur, building a veritable franchise empire of Starbucks coffee shops, Washington Mutual banks and Loews movie houses.

[...]

The district stretches from Culver City and Mar Vista to Watts and Compton, Lynwood and Carson. Johnson said he will appear on radio spots urging voters to elect Parks.

It looks like the establishment Black community has picked Parks over Ridley-Thomas, with Rep. Maxine Waters and former Speaker Herb Wesson endorsing him.


However, Rep. Diane Watson along with many others has endorsed Ridley-Thomas, including Mad Professah.

Parks Leads Ridley-Thomas In Money Race

The Los Angeles Times reports that Bernard Parks is leading rival Mark Ridley-Thomas in cash on hand although the State Senator actually raised more money in the latest reporting period.

Ridley-Thomas outraised Parks $316,000 to $279,000 for the reporting period March 18 to May 17. However, Parks has now raised a total of $647,000 compared to Ridley-Thomas' $526,000. And the City Councilman has over $223,000 in cash on hand compared to his opponent's $66,000.

Mad Professah has endorsed Mark Ridley-Thomas for Los Angeles County Supervisor.

Mad Professah as Gay Hero

I'm the one in the fuchsia shirt in the back :-)

VIDEO: Prince Covers Radiohead's Creep at Coachella

Everyone is talking about Prince's cover of Radiohead's "Creep" at the Coachella Music Festival this weekend. Towleroad posted the video.

Should Lawrence King's Killer Be Tried As An Adult?

There's a big debate going on today at Joe.My.God's blog about whether the 14-year old killer of young gay boy Lawrence King should be tried as an adult ot not. A coalition of dozens of LGBT groups have sent a letter asking for eniency for Brandon McInerney who walked into an 8am computer lab and fatally shot his 15-year-old schoolmate in the head on Tuesday February12 .

Mad Professah's comment on te matter is below:

This is interesting.

When the story first came out and I heard thta he committed the act two weeks after hos 14th birthday and would be treated as an adult I thought "Oopsie--bad luck for him! Good riddance to bad rubbish" (O.k. I didn't really think that in thiose very words!)

But I did support the position. Now, I'm not so sure. I am opposed to reinforcing the menatlity which leads the US to having such a huge Prison-Industrial complex in the first place, so I would have signed the letter by the other Queer groups supporting treating the killer in the JUVENILE justice system.

The vast majority of the nearly 100 comments on Joe.My.God's blog are punitive towards the killer with phrases like "fry him" not uncommon.

Over 1000 March in Oxnard to Protest Anti-Gay Hate Crime

The Los Angeles Times continues its coverage of the shooting death of openly gay, 15-year-old Lawrence King with an article in today's paper about a student-organized march held in Oxnard Saturday. In addition, the paper's website has the above pictures by Michael Robinson Chavez added to a photo gallery.

New details are emerging about the issues involved between Lawrence King and the 14-year-old Brandon McInerney who shot him to death on Tuesday morning. Apparently King had told McInerney that he had a crush on him. Joe.My.God continues his excellent Lawrence King coverage here.