LA cops bust on Union-Tribune

The union representing police officers in Los Angeles wants the San Diego Union-Tribune to make its editorial page more union friendly, even if it means firing the editorial writers.

Why would LA cops try to meddle with San Diego's newspaper? Because the paper's new owner, Platinum Equity of Beverly Hills, "relies on a $30-million investment from the pension fund of Los Angeles police officers and fire fighters, along with large sums from other public-employee pension systems around the state, to help fund its acquisitions of companies."

From the Los Angeles Times:

As [police union] League President Paul M. Weber views it, that makes the League part owner in the flagging Tribune and League officials are none to happy with the paper’s consistent position that San Diego lawmakers should cut back on salaries and benefits for public employees in order to help close gaping budget deficits.

"Since the very public employees they continually criticize are now their owners, we strongly believe that those who currently run the editorial pages should be replaced," Weber wrote in a March 26 letter to Platinum CEO Tom Gores.

The newspaper's editor was more than a little cool to the idea, and Platinum officials said they won't interfere with the paper's editorial decisions.