L.A Clippers owner Donald Sterling will settle a racial discrimination lawsuit with the U.S Department of Justice by paying a $2.725 million fine.

From LosAngelesBizJournals.com

The lawsuit, originally filed in August 2006, alleged that Sterling discriminated against African-Americans, Hispanics and families with children at apartment buildings he controls in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles.

Sterling’s wife, Rochelle, and the Sterling Family Trust were also named as defendants in the suit. Sterling owns and manages 119 apartment buildings comprising over 5,000 apartments in Los Angeles County.

According to a statement from the Justice Department, the payment is “largest monetary payment ever obtained by the department in the settlement of a case alleging housing discrimination in the rental of apartments.”

The $2.725 million penalty breaks down to a $100,000 civil fine and the other $2.625 million will be paid to a fund that will pay monetary damages to those “who were harmed by the defendants’ discriminatory practices.”

In the primaries, their candidate of choice was Hillary Clinton.

Latino Americans, who overwhelmingly backed Sen. Hillary Clinton in the primary election, now appear to be flocking to Sen. Barack Obama as their choice for president. In fact, more than three in four Latinos who voted for Clinton last time – 77 percent, according to a new Pew Hispanic Center survey – say that Obama is their man in November. Fifty-five percent of all Latinos said they believe Obama is better for their people, while about one in 10 believe Sen. John McCain is a better choice. When it comes to education, Latinos like Obama over McCain 66 percent to 19 percent; on jobs, it’s Obama 65 percent to 19 percent; health care, Obama over McCain 64 percent to 19 percent; crime, Obama 50 percent to McCain 26 percent. Twice as many Latinos prefer Obama over McCain on the issue of the war in Iraq, 58 percent to 27 percent. And while Obama did not fair well against Clinton in the primaries, the fact is, Latinos overwhelmingly identify with the Democratic Party. Only 26 percent of Latinos say they identify with Republicans the Pew survey shows. Latinos comprise about 15 percent of the U.S. population but only 9 percent of eligible voters, but as their numbers in society rise, they are becoming the most sought-after political bloc.