L.A. Observed, L.A. Weekly and the Los Angeles Times are all reporting, as Mad Professah noted earlier this week, that the City of Los Angeles has settled the racial discrimination "dog food eating" lawsuit of African American firefighter Tennie Pierce for $1.43 million. As the Weekly noted, the actual cost to city taxpayers is actually more than the original $2.7 million settlement vetoed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in November 2006, because the City Attorney's office has already spent $1.35 million preparing to defend the city against the Pierce lawsuit.
Mayor Villaraigosa's statement on the settlement agreement in the case of Tennie Pierce v. City of Los Angeles: “Today’s agreement is the best possible outcome for the taxpayers. It reduces the original settlement by nearly half, while protecting Angelenos from further liability.”
Although the Times pointed out the Fire Department has paid out $13.5 million in legal payouts over the past fiscal year, the settlement is paltry compared to the $6.2 million awarded in July to black lesbian Brenda Lee. However as part of the settlement Pierce will be eligible for his 20-year pension valued at over $1 million. This is good news for newly installed Fire Chief Douglas Barry, the first African American to ever serve in this position who has promised to clean house over what continues to be a problem when it comes to racial equality if LA's firehouses.
Props to Mad Professah on this one!