Magic Castle boss resigns amid controversy [Los Angeles Times]
Joseph Furlow, the embattled general manager of the organization that operates the Magic Castle, has resigned, he confirmed in a statement to The Times on Friday afternoon.
Furlow, general manager of the Academy of Magical Arts since 2012, wrote in an email that he “enjoyed great success in my career, most especially transforming” the fortunes of the organization “from near bankruptcy to solvency.” The Academy of Magical Arts is a roughly 5,000-member group that calls the Hollywood private club home.
But the move comes two weeks after an investigative report by The Times disclosed allegations of sexual misconduct, racism and other issues at the Castle, which is temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, a fractious dialogue on Facebook about various claims roiling the Castle led the academy’s board of directors to engage a law firm to conduct an investigation into “alleged inappropr
L.A. County appeals court’s order barring renewal of outdoor dining ban [Los Angeles Times]
Los Angeles County on Thursday appealed a judge’s decision that barred an extension of its temporary ban on outdoor dining, calling the ruling “plainly erroneous and directly contrary to governing law.”
L.A. County Superior Court Judge James Chalfant ruled last week that the county should not be allowed to continue the ban indefinitely and would need to provide a risk-benefit analysis to justify the restriction if it wanted to extend the ban beyond its initial three weeks, which ended Wednesday.
The Department of Public Health, which issued the order in late November, said the law is clearly on its side.
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Los Angeles County on Thursday appealed a judge’s decision that barred an extension of its temporary ban on outdoor dining, calling the ruling “plainly erroneous and directly contrary to governing law.”
L.A. County Superior Court Judge James Chalfant ruled last week that the county should not be allowed to continue the ban indefinitely and would need to provide a risk-benefit analysis to justify the restriction if it wanted to extend the ban beyond its initial three weeks, which ended Wednesday.
The Department of Public Health, which issued the order in late November, said the law is clearly on its side.
Dive Brief:
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has cited two companies for violations related to the falling death of a worker during construction at SoFi Stadium in June, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The newspaper said Fabritec Structures and ZD Inspections received five citations related to the death of Juan Becerra, who was employed by ZD Inspections and fell approximately 120 feet through a roof opening that wasn’t protected by temporary railings, toeboards or covers. Total proposed penalties amount to more than $54,000.
In addition, the article said ZD Inspections was cited for additional serious violations, including employees not wearing “personal fall arrest, person restraint or positioning systems.” The L.A. County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s report on Becerra’s death noted that no “cat line” or safety line was attached to the worker’s harness. The companies have a right to appeal the citations.
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From his Wilshire Boulevard office, Tom Girardi has dominated consumer law in California and beyond for decades, wresting billions of dollars from drug companies, carmakers and polluters on behalf of the injured and cheated, most famously in the case that inspired “Erin Brockovich.”
His cut of those legal victories, up to 40%, brought him spectacular wealth. With his third wife, a pop singer known as Erika Jayne, he appears on “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” flaunting the couple’s historic Pasadena estate and lifestyle: private planes, jewelry, exotic cars, couture-filled closets and vacations in Aspen and Mykonos.
The millions Girardi poured into Democratic political campaigns made him a confidant of generations of power brokers, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who last year gave the attorney an official role in filling coveted state judgeships.