Police searched Fresno State fraternity house after hazing death

FRESNO — Fresno police searched a fraternity at Fresno State University as part of an investigation into the hazing death of an 18-year-old freshman, according to newly released court documents.

A search warrant filed in Fresno County Superior Court said detectives wanted to search the Theta Chi fraternity after its members evaded questions, leading to fears that they might hide or destroy evidence about the death of Phillip Dhanens of Bakersfield. Police declined to discuss the results of the search.

Dhanens died of alcohol poisoning after he and 14 other fraternity pledges were locked in a room the night of Aug. 31 and told they could not leave until they had consumed bottles of tequila, rum and vodka, police said.

Dhanens, a football player and band member in high school, drank heavily and became agitated before passing out. Fraternity members then carried him to a designated "Drunk Room" for observation by the "Sober Brothers," the search warrant said. About three hours later, he stopped breathing.

An autopsy found that alcohol consumption caused Dhanens brain to swell. His blood-alcohol level was 0.36.

The death was the second alcohol-related fatality at a Fresno State fraternity party in six years. In 2006, a 19-year-old died of alcohol poisoning at a Phi Gamma Delta fraternity party. The university suspended that fraternity for five years.

Hank Nuwer, a professor at Franklin College in Indiana who has written four books on hazing, said the university needs to act more aggressively to prevent such deaths. Nuwer said the 2006 fatality was "a terrible bystander death with 70 witnesses, and no one there said anything to police — and the school only suspended the organization."

"After this latest death, Fresno State students and administration held a candlelight memorial. Is that enough?" asked Nuwer, whose research found that 80% of hazing deaths over a seven-year period were alcohol-related.

A statement by Paul Oliaro, vice president for student affairs, said "Fresno State is awaiting completion of the police investigation before deciding upon the appropriate university response to this tragic incident. Theta Chi remains on interim suspension from university recognition."

The mother of a young man who died at a fraternity initiation at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2008 said she found the Dhanens' death "too familiar, too similar to what happened" to her son.

After the death of Carson Starkey, Julia Starkey and her husband founded an organization called Awake Aware Alive to teach students the signs of alcohol poisoning. Their son died after fraternity members started to drive him to a hospital but changed their minds because they feared getting into trouble. Instead, they put him on a mattress to sleep it off, and he never woke up.

diana.marcum@latimes.com

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Prop. 39 would end tax giveaway, raise $1 billion for California

SACRAMENTO — During the middle of a winter night in 2009, sleep-deprived legislators and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger devised the deal from hell. It included a tax incentive for out-of-state corporations not to build facilities or hire employees in California.

You read right. It was nonsensical.

The main feature of the agreement, you may recall, was a four-year tax increase. But the groggy legislators and governor foolishly gave voters an opportunity to halve the tax hike's duration. And the voters eagerly did.

To soften the tax bite, voters also had to kill a rainy day reserve — a sort of spending cap — cherished by Schwarzenegger and Republicans, but despised by unions. So everyone in Sacramento lost in the special election: tax-seeking Democrats and unions; the spending-control-demanding GOP and governor.

But, to be truthful, the deal wasn't all the work of the devil. As a price for the tax vote of then-Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria), a measure was placed on the 2010 ballot to dramatically change California's election system, creating the "top two" open primary.

The new system may result in the election of some more pragmatic, centrist-leaning lawmakers.

Also surviving from that convoluted package, however, is the tax disincentive for out-of-state corporations to invest in California.

The purpose of Proposition 39 on the Nov. 6 ballot is to finally drive a stake through that monster giveaway, killing it and raising $1 billion.

Polling on Prop. 39 indicates weak voter support and general confusion.

A recent USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll found a slim 51% majority of registered voters in favor, but only 29% against. A narrower Field Poll survey just of likely voters showed 45% in support, with 39% opposed.

Under Prop. 39, roughly half the new tax revenue would flow into the state's general fund to help pay for services, including education. Kindergarten through community colleges would automatically receive at least $200 million annually.

The other half would be spent on stimulating the green economy. Specifically, it would pay for retrofitting public buildings, including schools and universities, with alternative energy equipment.

The energy spending would last five years. After that, the entire $1 billion would be poured into the general fund.

The driving force behind Prop. 39 is hedge-fund billionaire Thomas F. Steyer of San Francisco, a Democratic donor and environmentalist.

"Look, why would I get involved in arcane tax law?" Steyer asks rhetorically. "The truth is, this is obviously good for every Californian. It's not going to raise a tax on any Californian.

"The state is not rich enough to throw away $1 billion a year."

Right here I should try to explain the tax giveaway and Prop. 39's solution.

Before the dead-of-night deal, corporate taxes were calculated on a formula that considered three factors: a company's sales, workforce and property in California. Many companies had complained justifiably that this penalized job creation and facility building in California because expanding here would lead to higher taxes.

So legislators moved to adopt a "single sales factor," as many other states had. Taxes would be based strictly on a company's sales in California. But lobbyists for out-of-staters quickly flooded the Capitol corridors complaining about higher taxes for their clients.

The Legislature's weak-kneed solution was to allow companies to choose whichever tax option best suited their bottom lines: the old formula or the new.

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L.A. schools chief gets one-year contract extension

L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy has received a one-year contract extension, but was unable to achieve ambitious performance targets that would have triggered a salary bonus.

His contract now runs through June 2015, with an annual salary that remains at $330,000.

"Our students are benefiting from his innovative and visionary direction," said school board President Monica Garcia.

The Board of Education voted 6 to 0 on the contract for the head of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second-largest school system, in a closed session Tuesday evening. Board member Richard Vladovic left before the tally for personal reasons. The action was announced at the end of the meeting before a nearly empty boardroom.

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FOR THE RECORD:
An article in the Oct. 11 LATExtra section about L.A. Unified schools Supt. John Deasy receiving a one-year contract extension said he took the district's top job in early 2010. He started last year.

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"Leadership is a valuable commodity," board member Steve Zimmer said later. "Even though there are policy disagreements on the board, there was unanimity in moving the work forward and the value of continuity in a time of upheaval. It was not a contentious decision."

Deasy could not meet targets related to third-grade reading scores, graduation rates and ninth-grade algebra that would have qualified him for as much as $30,000 extra.

Still, in recent weeks, Deasy has consistently celebrated "amazing progress," as he put it, and he's expected to find more to tout with Thursday's release of school and district scores on the state's Academic Performance Index, which is based on student scores on annual standardized tests.

"The district is strong and getting stronger every day," he said at a Monday "state of the district" address.

Deasy, who took the top job in early 2010, has set performance targets for L.A. Unified that are different but related to his contract incentives. One example is the graduation rate.

Before Deasy's first full year on the job, it had risen to a higher-than-anticipated 62%. The district target for the following year, 2011-12, was 60%. Deasy's benchmark to earn a $10,000 bonus was 70%. The actual rate was 64%.

Deasy noted the increased graduation rate with pride while acknowledging that it also fell far short of his aspirations. He also has repeatedly stated that district gains could evaporate if California voters fail to approve either Proposition 30 or Proposition 38 — tax measures on the ballot in November.

Third-grade reading scores rose three points this year, with 43% of students scoring at grade level or better. The district goal was 49%; Deasy's contract incentive required 48%.

Beyond the bonus provisions in the contract are district goals that the superintendent also is being measured by. L.A. Unified, for example, had a target last year for reducing the number of days students are out of school because of suspensions. The goal was a 5% improvement. But the district did much better: 43%, meaning suspensions dropped nearly in half.

The district fell short on other measures, despite improvements over the previous year.

Under the terms of Deasy's contract, the extension was automatic provided that he received a positive evaluation by the end of October. The school board and Deasy retain the right to terminate his employment at any time with 30 days' notice.

Deasy is also entitled to a car, a driver and a $500,000 life insurance policy under the ongoing agreement.

Like other employees, he has agreed to 10 unpaid furlough days. The unpaid days will cost him about $12,700, according to the district.

howard.blume@latimes.com

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Files of L.A. priests accused of sexual abuse to be released

Personnel files of Los Angeles Archdiocese Roman Catholic priests accused of sexual molestation will be released to the public within the next few months, an archdiocese lawyer said Wednesday.

The release follows a decision by the California Supreme Court on Wednesday to deny an attempt by individual priests to keep the records private.

J. Michael Hennigan, an attorney for the archdiocese, said the church agreed as part of a 2006 settlement to release the personnel files of several dozen accused priests. The archdiocese paid $660 million to settle more than 500 lawsuits filed by people who said they had been sexually abused by priests.

"We have already selected the documents that are going to be released, gone through a process of redacting innocent names and we need a court order" signing off on the release of the documents, Hennigan said.

Anthony DeMarco, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said that the court order already has been signed and that he hopes to have the records within days. He insisted that the archdiocese has tried to prevent the records' release.

"They will show time and time again that complaints were raised to church leadership — to bishops and archbishops and everyone else in leadership — that given priests were sexually molesting kids, and time and time again the priests were shuffled elsewhere and the victims disregarded," DeMarco said.

He said the records will show that persons still in power at the archdiocese or in other dioceses did not protect the victims and made it possible for the priests to molest again.

Although Wednesday's court decision involved about 25 priests, the settlement calls for the release of records involving about 200 priests, DeMarco said. He said he expects all the records to be made public soon.

Elsewhere in the country, the release of personnel files of accused priests has produced damaging revelations.

In Orange County, where the files of 15 accused abusers were released five months after cases were settled in late 2004, records revealed that church officials dumped one serial molester in Tijuana, welcomed a convicted child abuser from another state and offered a repeat abuser up to $19,000 to leave the priesthood quietly.

maura.dolan@latimes.com

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Eric Garcetti edges Wendy Greuel in L.A. mayoral race fundraising

Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti has raised $2.87 million for his mayoral bid, edging ahead of City Controller Wendy Greuel by about $72,000 in the search for campaign cash, according to figures released Wednesday by the two campaigns.

Garcetti raised $664,000 in the three months ended Sept. 30, compared with $592,000 collected by Greuel, who has taken in $2.8 million since launching her campaign.

Garcetti also outpaced Greuel during the previous fundraising period, which ended June 30. At that point, he led in contributions by just $322.

In funding and opinion polls, Garcetti and Greuel have been at the top of a field of several candidates vying to replace Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who must leave office June 30 because of term limits. The election will be held in March with a runoff slated for May.

Garcetti campaign consultant Bill Carrick pointed out that his client entered the race and began fundraising five months after Greuel.

"We're not tied. We're ahead. Obviously it's not by some huge margin, but we're definitely continuing to be in a growth pattern here," Carrick said. "Obviously we're very happy that we're raising more money than other people in the race."

Greuel's campaign released a statement saying the totals highlight her "robust low-dollar fundraising network," which led to more than 6,000 contributions from 4,782 individuals.

John Shallman, Greuel's campaign consultant, said Greuel is more "focused on how much money she can save the city taxpayers than how much money she raises for her campaign."

Garcetti reported $2.35 million still available in his coffers, compared with $2.25 million for Greuel.

Meanwhile, Councilwoman Jan Perry reported raising $1.3 million since the start of her campaign, including more than $150,000 over the last three months. Perry said she wasn't worried about her third-place position in the money race.

"I will continue to raise money till election day," Perry said. "And I will have enough money to run my race in a competitive manner."

Former prosecutor Kevin James reported collecting a campaign total of $275,090 as of the end of last month. A fifth candidate, tech company executive Emanuel Pleitez, reported raising slightly more than $110,000 since joining the race in July.

david.zahniser@latimes.com

kate.linthicum@latimes.com

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Joel Silver to put his stamp on Venice Post Office

Movie producer Joel Silver brought his Hollywood panache to Venice on Wednesday, unveiling plans for revamping the former Venice Post Office as the new headquarters of his Silver Pictures.

With Tom Hanks putting in a cameo appearance, Silver and his design and construction team spoke to dozens of invited guests amid the exposed concrete and wires of the 1939 Works Progress Administration building that the producer of "The Matrix" and "Lethal Weapon" franchises recently bought from the downsizing U.S. Postal Service.

"Joel's decision to restore this historic post office is a win-win for Los Angeles," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told the guests. Silver "will now have an address that matches his grand imagination," he added.

Silver, 60, began seeking a new corporate location last spring, after Warner Bros. Pictures ended a long-running relationship under which he had operated out of posh offices on the studio's Burbank lot.

Plans call for transforming the post office structure over the next 18 months into a high-tech office and production facility with a screening room on the main floor and editing suites in the full basement. The facade and windows will be restored and the lobby will be rebuilt, with ceilings reconstructed to match their early opulence.

In his remarks, Silver said he wasn't going to make fun of Burbank but that after 25 years "it was kind of nice to be voted off the island."

He praised Venice as a vibrant hotbed of creative tech and entertainment companies.

"I think we're going to make a difference here," he said. "Our intention is to make this place a center of new digital technology."

Gone from the building's interior is the long counter where residents bought stamps and mailed packages. Still in place is the 1941 lobby mural by Edward Biberman that depicts Venice's early history, with founder Abbot Kinney front and center.

The mural, which remains the property of the Postal Service, was "one of the reasons I loved this building," Silver said. As he spoke, conservationists on scaffolding painstakingly brushed or washed away decades of grime. Once the mural has been cleaned, it will be removed and fully restored, then reinstalled. Silver said he plans to let members of the public make reservations to see the artwork.

Silver said he and his 25 employees were "joining the community." He plans to allow nonprofit groups such as the Los Angeles Conservancy to use the space for fundraising. Also under discussion is a lecture series about WPA art and architecture and a program to expose Venice High School students to the movie business.

The redevelopment team includes architect Bret Thoeny of Santa Monica, mural restorer Nathan Zakheim, custom builder Dan McGhee and landscape architect Mia Lehrer. The team has been aided by the discovery of many original drawings and plans in a locked cabinet.

Silver praised the federal government's sturdy construction. "It is a magnificent building," he said. "It could take a direct hit from an ICBM missile and still be here."

martha.groves@latimes.com

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A year after deadly shootings, Seal Beach salon prepares to reopen

Irma Acosta's life had been torn into two distinct pieces — the sunny times that came before a gunman walked into the Seal Beach salon where she worked and the emotionally hollowed-out days that came in its wake.

But one day in November, about six weeks after the murderous rampage that left workers and customers dead, Acosta got a phone call that opened a path for putting those pieces together.

It was Sandi Fannin, who owned Salon Meritage with her husband, Randy. He had been one of the eight people killed that fall afternoon.

Would Acosta be willing to reopen the salon?

Rarely impulsive, Acosta immediately knew her answer.

"I just said yes," she said.

As the tight-knit community holds vigils, and churches open their doors to remember the victims a year after the darkest day in the little beach town's history, some of the survivors are trying to write a new ending to a story shaped by tragedy.

The salon will reopen.

Days after the Oct. 12, 2011, massacre, Acosta pulled into the salon's parking lot. The sadness was overwhelming.

"I lost so many of my close friends that day," she said.

About a week later, Acosta and the other stylists who survived, accompanied by family and friends, crossed the threshold of the salon for the first time since the shooting to clean out the employee work stations. The smell of gunpowder had faded, but the salon felt cold and foreign.

"It didn't feel like the same place," said Acosta, a Cypress resident.

So she and Fannin decided the 1,200-square-foot salon, with black barber chairs and birch cabinets, should be gutted, taken down to the studs.

Each decision carried weight. The restroom — where two stylists hid from the bullets — was moved. The shampoo chairs — where Michelle Fournier was shot while working on fellow employee Christy Wilson's hair — have been shifted to a different spot. The door that the shooter stormed through has been covered over by drywall. The signature awning captured in news photos of the death scene is gone.

Now, boxes containing new shampoo bowls and sleek silver barber chairs fill the shop, which should reopen within weeks. A travertine "M" — the old name will remain — is carved into the reception area, the design reminiscent of the old Salon Meritage logo.

Throughout the demolition, passersby sometimes grabbed a piece of the slate tile as a reminder. A spiritual counselor and a minister came to bless the salon. Sage was burned to cleanse the negative energy.

Acosta never took any keepsakes. To her, the space was about the people.

It was about Fournier's laugh, or the way that the Fannins would stop whatever they were doing each time "Unchained Melody" came on the radio and dance with each other in the middle of the salon.

"It's a dedication to them," she said of the victims. "In a simple way, it helps us heal."

The day of the shooting, as lives briefly intersected and then parted on what had seemed like just another busy Wednesday, Acosta had stepped out of the salon to grab a protein drink just minutes before chaos ensued.

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Professional clown who raped girl gets 10 years in prison

A professional clown was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in state prison for raping a girl a decade ago in Fullerton.

 Jose Guadalupe Jimenez, 43, of Anaheim pleaded guilty to one felony count of a lewd act upon a child under 14 and one felony count of a forcible lewd act on a child under 14.

"He will be required to register as a sex offender for life. The negotiated plea was a result of the totality of the evidence of the case, availability of witnesses and wishes of the victim," according to the Orange County district attorney's office.

He was arrested in connection  with the crimes that occurred just before midnight on Jan. 19, 2002, when a man dressed as a clown kidnapped and raped a 12-year-old girl in Fullerton.

The suspect grabbed the girl from the corner of Lemon Street and Commonwealth Avenue, drove her to a nearby school parking lot and raped her.

The man then took her to a motel off Harbor Boulevard and molested her again. The girl escaped when he left the car to speak with the motel clerk.

When police conducted their investigation in 2002, the only physical description was that of a male Latino in a clown mask and wearing clown makeup.

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Makanan Yang bisa membunuh

Makanan Yang bisa membunuh Jika ada pembunuh berdarah dingin yang mampu membunuh ribuan orang hanya dalam waktu singkat. Makanan cepat saji adalah salah satu ahlinya.

Terlihat nikmat dan cepat itulah godaan dari makanan cepat saji. Tapi tanpa disadari hal ini menjadikan Anda sebagai pemegang rekor dengan kolesterol tertinggi. Pola makan tidak sehat akan menurunkan metabolisme tubuh dan menjadikan Anda tempat bersarang oleh beberapa penyakit mematikan.

Salah satu penyakit yang sudah tidak asing ditelinga kita adalah kolesterol. Kolesterol yang buruk akan menganggu metabolisme tubuh Anda sehingga akan menyebabkan kanker otak dan glioblastoma. Layaknya hormon yang mendorong pertumbuhan payudara tertentu dan kanker prostat.

Dilatar belakangi efek yang berbahaya dari glioblastoma, maka para ilmuwan dari Amerika berusaha untuk menciptakan sebuah obat khusus. Berdasarkan penelitan mereka, ternyata 90% dari glioblastoma memiliki sebuah jalur yang berbahaya dalam tubuh Anda.

Seperti yang dikutip jurnal Cancer Discovery, bahwa kolesterol yang tinggi merupakan jalur sinyal hiperaktif bagi sel-sel kanker. Tentunya ini semua bukanlah bualan semata.

Deliang Guo salah seorang asisten profesor dari radiasi onkologi di Ohio State University mengemukakan bahwa kolesterol merupakan penunjang hidup sel tumor.

"Penelitian kami menunjukan bahwa sel-sel tumor tergantung pada sejumlah besar kolesterol. Hal ini untuk pertumbuhan dan kelangsungan hidup tumor tersebut," jelasnya.

Dilaporkan, hampir 5.000 orang di Inggris terdiagnosa kanker otak. Dan tidak tanggung-tanggung angka kematian pun sudah mencapai 3.600 dalam tiap tahunnya. Jadi, makanan cepat saji tentunya memberikan Anda kematian yang lebih cepat Makanan Yang bisa membunuh

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Lemak Membuat Anda Malas

Lemak Membuat Anda Malas Kondisi badan Anda tidak selamanya akan selalu prima. Terkadang ada saatnya Anda merasa lemah, terlalu letih, dan bahkan tidak bergairah.

Jangan cemas, banyak cara untuk menghindari hal tersebut. selain mengkonsumsi multivitamin, Anda juga dapat memakan makanan sehat mulai dari telur hingga yoghurt.

Seperti dilansir dari berbagai sumber, berikut beberapa makanan yang bisa Anda konsumsi disaat merasa kurang bersemangat :

Bayam
Bayam kaya akan zat besi sehingga akan memberikan kita energi yang mengatasi kelelahan dan meningkatkan konsentrasi. Bayam juga merupakan sumber vitamin B6 dan folat, yang penting untuk mendukung kemampuan otak dalam menghasilkan neurotransmitter sehingga meningkatkan suasana hati.

Kentang manis
Kentang manis merupakan kudapan alternatif yang sehat karena kaya akan folat sehingga menstabilkan gula darah.

Ikan
Ikan seperti sarden dan makarel kaya akan asam lemak omega 3 yang membantu otak untuk mengangkat suasana hati dan tingkat konsentrasi.

Telur
Telur adalah sumber seng yang membantu Anda untuk merasa lebih terjaga dan energik dengan mengatur metabolisme dan gula darah.

Yoghurt
Yoghurt kaya akan kalsium dan protein sehingga bagus untuk mengurangi perubahan suasana hati, depresi, dan kecemasan Lemak Membuat Anda Malas

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