~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From LA Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Police search for 2 suspects in Santa Monica shooting [Updated]

September 30, 2009 | 9:37 pm

Two people, one of them a bystander, were wounded in an apparent gang-related shooting tonight in Santa Monica, police said.

Police pursued a car containing two suspects, but they got out near Centinela Boulevard and the 405 Freeway and took off running. Officers were searching the area tonight, said Lt. Mohamed Marhaba of the Santa Monica Police Department. [Updated at 10:28 p.m.: Police said the two suspects were arrested near the area where officers were searching.]

The shooting occurred about 6:15 p.m. at Lincoln Boulevard and Marine Street, near a normally quiet neighborhood of single-family homes and a park.

One man, the intended target, was shot in the calf by the attackers in the car, police said. The second victim was a "nontarget" who also was hit in the calf, Marhaba said. Both men were taken to the hospital.

As police searched the area near the freeway, the California Highway Patrol closed the onramps and offramps near Bundy Drive.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

FBI confirms civil rights probe of Burbank police

September 30, 2009 | 7:13 pm

FBI officials today confirmed that they are investigating possible civil rights violations alleged by officers at the Burbank Police Department.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller would not comment on specifics of the probe by the agency's civil rights division or how long the probe would last.

At least seven suits have been filed by officers against the Burbank Police Department, alleging a pattern of racial discrimination and retaliation, as well as unlawful demotions or firings.

Mayor Gary Bric said he was confident that investigations of the Burbank Police Department, including an independent probe by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, would be thorough and complete. He said there would be no limits to investigators.

"I'm sure people are looking at this and have questions and concerns about what's happening to our Police Department," he said. "But we can assure there's been no impact on public safety."

Bric said the city had begun its own investigation of the department long before the series of lawsuits were filed and that it had brought in the Sheriff's Department to open an independent review of the accusations. That review is completed and expected to be turned over to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

The latest suit was filed last month by Bill Taylor, who alleged that his demotion to captain from deputy chief resulted from supporting officers who had filed complaints against the department.

In July, Christopher Lee Dunn, who won the Medal of Valor as a Los Angeles Police Department officer before joining the Burbank force, sued the department, arguing in a 22-page complaint that he was subjected to years of racial taunts and discouraged from joining the department's narcotics unit because he was not white. After success with another unit, the lawsuit alleges he was targeted by management before eventually being run out of the department.

Two months before his suit, five other officers sued, alleging that they tolerated an environment in which officers commonly used slurs about race, ethnicity and sexual preference directed at them, their colleagues, suspects and the public at large.

City Atty. Dennis Barlow said he was unable to comment on the FBI investigation or the series of lawsuits against the city and Police Department, citing pending litigation.

News of the FBI investigation was first reported by the Burbank Leader.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/fbi-investigating-burbank-police-department-.html#more

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

2 companies told to pay $36.5 million in 2002 wildfire

September 30, 2009 | 6:24 pm

A federal jury in Los Angeles today ordered two construction companies to pay nearly $36.5 million to reimburse the government for costs connected to a 2002 wildfire that scorched the Angeles National Forest.

The bulk of the money — $28.8 million — is to compensate the federal government for environmental damage.

The award is the largest ever in a federal firefighting cost-recovery case and marks the first time that a jury has awarded damages for environmental damage caused by a wildfire, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles.

"The jury clearly appreciated the value of the Angeles National Forest and understood the severe damage caused by the fire," acting U.S. Atty. George S. Cardona said in a statement.

The weeklong trial stemmed from a lawsuit filed last year by the U.S. attorney's office against two Texas-based firms —CB&I Constructors and the now-defunct Merco Construction Engineers.

The 23,400-acre Copper fire near Saugus was started by sparks from a welder's torch. Nine homes were lost in the blaze.

Merco was a general contractor working on a Newhall Water District project at the time of the blaze. Its subcontractor was CB&I.

The government alleged that both firms were negligent for allegedly allowing the sparks to spread and for failing to wet the area to prevent a fire from breaking out.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

Family of man killed by L.A. County deputy files claim [Updated]

September 30, 2009 | 4:19 pm

The family of an unarmed man fatally shot by a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who was chasing him filed a legal claim against the county today, saying the department had a propensity for such shootings, and a change in policy is needed to stop deputies from firing at fleeing people.

Darrick Collins, 36, posed no threat to a deputy who chased him up his driveway Sept. 14 and was in his own backyard behind a gate when the deputy fired three times, fatally injuring him, said attorney Randy McMurray of the law firm found by the late Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. [Updated at 5:38 p.m.: An earlier version of this post misspelled Darrick Collins' first name as Derrick.]

McMurray represents the family that filed the claim, a precursor to a lawsuit.

Collins was found about 15 feet behind the wooden gate on manicured Poindexter Street in the heart of the Athens neighborhood.

McMurray said Collins' killing is one of four shootings of men, three of which were fatal, that have occurred at the hands of deputies in a small part of southeast L.A. County in recent years.

"This isn't something we've seen before in one area," said McMurray, whose law firm represents the families in all four cases that occurred in Athens and Compton.

"This family wants change," said Brian Dunn, another family attorney."The family wants to make sure this type of thing does not happen to another family, to another daughter to another son to another community."

Dunn said Sheriff Lee Baca, in the wake of community outrage over the shooting, has made a public commitment to examine the way deputies deal with suspects they are pursuing.

"Saying they got to do it is not enough for this family," he said. "They have to change procedure."

At a news conference today just a few feet away from where Collins was killed, his mother, Bernastein Huckaby, said, "I just want justice for him. They took my son's life."

Sheriff's officials said there have been 13 fatal officer-involved shootings so far in 2009 compared to five for the same period last year. Of this year's shootings, four of the victims were unarmed, said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.

According to sheriff's investigators, deputies were searching for two robbery suspects when they spotted Collins and another man shortly after 10 p.m. As they tried to detain Collins, he ran up an alley next to a home and went into a gated yard, officials said. A deputy tried to follow.

Believing Collins was reaching for a weapon in his waistband, the deputy fired three shots, according to investigators. Collins was hit twice in the side and once in the back of his neck. The deputy fired at least two of the rounds through a 6-foot wooden gate, investigators said. Detectives found a cellphone but no weapon on Collins. They also determined that he was not the robbery suspect they were looking for

Collins, the father of two, had been arrested two weeks before on suspicion of drug possession, investigators said. When he was killed, he was found with 24 tablets made with ecstasy and methamphetamine, officials said.

The attorneys said all three bullets traveled through the closed gate. They also said that deputies too often claim to have seen a "furtive movement" by their unarmed victims, who are frequently young, black men killed at night.

In the wake of the shooting, Baca has ordered all shootings of unarmed people to be completed in 90 days instead of the usual year or more, and he convened a panel of his top shooting experts to examine deputy-involved shootings and the tactics used in such confrontations.

Baca has refused to identify the deputy involved in the shooting.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/sheriff-shooting.html#more

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

Former L.A. County deputy sentenced in DUI crash

September 30, 2009 | 2:50 pm

A former veteran deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was sentenced today to six months in jail and three years of informal probation for injuring two people when he crashed his department-issued sport utility vehicle into their car a year ago while under the influence of alcohol, said officials with the Orange County district attorney's office.

Robert A. Moran, 43, of Buena Park has almost already completed the jail term under house arrest. He was ordered to complete a three-month first-offender program and face a Mothers Against Drunk Driving panel, according to a statement from the district attorney's office. In such panels, offenders pay MADD a fee to hear victims or relatives of victims of drunk driving crashes relate their stories.

Moran pleaded no contest Feb. 27 to one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence, causing injury and one misdemeanor count of driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08% or more causing injury, according to the statement.

Moran was driving his Chevrolet Blazer south on Beach Boulevard in Stanton about 5:30 a.m. June 29, 2008, when he crashed into a sedan near Garden Grove Boulevard, district attorney officials said. The sedan's 33-year-old driver and his 20-year-old female passenger were knocked unconscious and taken to a hospital. At the time of the crash, the sedan's driver was in possession of and tested positive for methamphetamine. He also tested positive for sedatives and opiates, the statement said.

His case is under review, said Keith Bogardus, an Orange County deputy district attorney. His name and the name of his passenger were not released because the investigation is ongoing.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/sheriff-sentencing.html#more

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

Retired prosecutor says he lied about Polanski case

September 30, 2009 | 2:45 pm

A retired Los Angeles County prosecutor who claimed in a 2008 documentary that he advised a judge to sentence Roman Polanski to prison for having sex with a minor now says that he lied on film about his role in the case.

The on-camera statements by David Wells in “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired” were seized upon by Polanski’s defense attorneys, who say in court documents that Superior Court Judge Laurence J. Rittenband and Wells engaged in misconduct by improperly discussing the 1977 case behind closed doors.

Wells, who at the time of the alleged misconduct was not the assigned prosecutor on the case, claimed in the film that he spoke to Rittenband before sentencing and told the judge that Polanski deserved prison time.

He claimed that he suggested a way that the judge could sentence the director to prison by sending him to Chino State Prison for a 90-day “diagnostic testing,” despite a probation officer’s recommendation that Polanski serve no time behind bars.

“That was not true,” Wells told The Times today during a brief interview. “I like to speak of it as an inept statement, but the reality is that it was a lie.”

Wells, 71, said that he made up the story, believing that the documentary would never been shown in the United States. The film was broadcast on HBO.

In January, Wells told The Times that he regretted making the statements but never said they were untrue. Rittenband died in 1993. Wells said today that he notified the district attorney’s office several months ago that he had lied during the film and apologized for his actions.

He said he decided to make the announcement public after the weekend arrest of Polanski, who fled Los Angeles on the eve of sentencing after pleading guilty to sexual intercourse with a minor.

“Why am I owning up to it now? If Polanski does come back, that’s going to be an issue as to whether he can withdraw the plea,” Wells said.

Wells' comments were first reported by The Daily Beast.

Wells statements in the HBO documentary make up a portion but far from all of the misconduct allegations Polanski's attorneys leveled at Rittenband for his handling of the original case. His attorneys cited interviews in the documentary in their unsuccessful effort to dismiss the case.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/retired-prosecutor-hbo-roman-polanski-case.html#more

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

L.A. City Council OKs 12-story Westside condo near Beverly Center

September 30, 2009 | 12:48 pm

The Los Angeles City Council voted today to approve a 12-story condominium building near the Beverly Center that had drawn fire for months from neighborhood activists and a nearby hotel.

The vote will allow MCLV Properties LLC to demolish 84 apartments at the corner of 3rd Street and Wetherly Drive and build a new, single residential building containing 95 condominiums.

Opponents had included the Burton Way Foundation, a nonprofit group focused on the neighborhood near the Beverly Center, and Burton Way Hotels, the owners of the nearby Four Seasons Hotel. Both said weeks ago that the city planned to provide more height than the zoning allowed, because a portion of the site allowed buildings no taller than 45 feet.

The fight involved roughly a dozen City Hall lobbyists, lawyers and consultants.

Before the vote neither side would say whether foes of the project had forged a written agreement with MCLV to avert a legal fight. But Councilman Paul Koretz said he believed he had fashioned a compromise that would prevent the homeowners group and the owners of the Four Seasons Hotel from suing to stop the project.

As part of that compromise, the developer agreed to redesign the project and reduce its height from 14 to 12 stories, he said.
"I think everyone has reluctantly bought off on it," said Koretz, who represents the area.

MCLV attorney R.J. Comer, one of the project's lobbyists, refused to say whether his client had reached any form of private agreement with Harald Hahn, president of the Burton Way Foundation. Hahn referred The Times to his lawyer, who had no comment.

In addition to Comer, MCLV relied on such lobbyists as Steve Afriat and Kristen Montet Lonner, who previously handled land use issues for former City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski. The developer also had support from the county Federation of Labor, which spent more than $20,000 on Koretz's behalf in the May election.

Opponents of the project had their own firepower. Burton Way Hotels retained lobbyists John Ek and Rick Taylor, as well as outreach consultant Doane Liu, a onetime deputy mayor in the administration of former Mayor James Hahn.

Neighbors near the site had their own team, including elections attorney Frederic Woocher, who represents at least two of the council's 15 members.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/la-council-okays-12-story-westside-condo-near-beverly-center.html#more

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

Advocate for sex-abuse victims criticizes Polanski supporters

September 30, 2009 | 12:26 pm

A member of a group for victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy spoke publicly today, urging Roman Polanski’s quick extradition from Switzerland. Joelle Casteix challenged those who have jumped to his defense to speak with abuse victims.

Casteix said she was speaking out “to show our disgust … with those who have decided to say that protecting a child molester is more important than keeping children safe.”
Casteix is the Southwestern regional director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP). The group had planned a larger rally outside the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, with several abuse victims and their families holding pictures of themselves at the age each was abused.

But at the news conference today, Casteix was accompanied by just one other group member and was the only one to address the journalists surrounding her with microphones, cameras and video cameras.

Casteix said they chose to hold the rally-turned-news-conference outside the district attorney’s office to show support “for those doing the right thing.” SNAP also is urging people to boycott movies and TV shows made by Polanski and his outspoken defenders.

Casteix said Polanski had been receiving special treatment because of his position in the film industry.

“Child molesters can be rich and famous,” she said. “But they also need to be held accountable.”

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/roman-polanski.html#more

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

Federal officials to review their handling of Station fire after Times investigation raises questions

September 30, 2009 | 11:00 am

The U.S. Forest Service said today it would review the way the agency fought the Station fire amid questions raised in a Times investigation.

The Times reported that the Forest Service had been confident that the fire was nearly contained on the first day, and the agency decided that evening to order just three water-dropping helicopters to hit the blaze shortly after dawn on its second day -- down from five on Day One, documents and interviews show.

The Forest Service also prepared to go into mop-up mode with fewer firefighters on the ground, according to records and officials.

Early in the morning on the second day, the Forest Service realized that three helicopters would not be enough and summoned two more later in the morning, Angeles Forest Fire Chief David Conklin said. More engine companies and ground crews were also deployed, but it would prove to be too late.

On Day Two, the Los Angeles County Fire Department lent the Forest Service a heli-tanker but denied a request for another smaller chopper -- an action that residents say should be reviewed. Deputy Chief John Tripp, the No. 2 official in the County Fire Department, said he withheld the second aircraft because he did not believe the fire was endangering neighborhoods near its suspected ignition point above La Cañada Flintridge, and because the county must hold on to some helicopters for other emergencies.

The Station fire would become the largest in the county's recorded history, blackening more than 160,000 acres of the forest, destroying dozens of dwellings and killing two county firefighters who died when their truck fell off a mountain road.

U.S. Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell said today that the new review will look at how the Forest Service worked with other agencies and decisions that were made on how to fight the fire, according to the Associated Press.

At a public hearing Monday, Big Tujunga Canyon residents and others called for a federal investigation into what they termed a poor initial response to the deadly blaze by the U.S. Forest Service.

"It was beyond irresponsibility, beyond neglect," said Cindy Marie Pain, who lost her Big Tujunga Canyon home to the fire, which broke out in the Angeles National Forest on Aug. 26.

"When it's small, that's when you jump on it," said Bronwen Aker, a Vogel Flats resident who set up a website, www.angelesrising.org, for fire victims.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/federal-officials-to-review-their-handling-of-station-fire-after-times-investigation-raised-question.html#more

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

State investigating whether parole agency failed Jaycee Dugard

September 30, 2009 | 8:32 am

California's inspector general is reviewing whether lapses in the state's parole system allowed Jaycee Dugard's alleged kidnapper to go undetected for 18 years, a spokeswoman said.

Phillip Garrido is accused of snatching Dugard when she was 11 from outside her South Lake Tahoe home. Since his arrest, officials have revealed he was being monitored by the state parole system for years and had at least five parole officers.

Some have questioned why none of the parole officers discovered the backyard prison where Garrido allegedly kept Dugard at his home in Antioch.

“We all are shaking our heads, saying the same thing: 'How did this happen?”' Laura Hill, spokeswoman for Inspector General David Shaw, told the Orange County Register.
Garrido is charged with kidnapping Dugard outside her South Lake Tahoe home in 1991, when she was 11. She resurfaced last month, along with two daughters allegedly fathered by Garrido.

"We're not so much focused about what one parole officer did wrong, but what went wrong," Hill told the Associated Press.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/state-investigating-whether-parole-agency-failed-jaycee-dugard.html#more

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

Defense strategies could keep Polanski out of prison
Prosecutors have yet to say what punishments they'll pursue if the director is extradited, but experts say the defense's strongest option is asking that the case be dismissed for judicial misconduct.

By Harriet Ryan and Jack Leonard
October 1, 2009

Roman Polanski rushed up to the British Airways counter at LAX in late January 1978 with an American Express card and an urgent desire to get out of town. He bought the last seat on an overnight flight to London and 15 minutes later, he wrote in his autobiography, watched Los Angeles gradually disappear out a jet window.

The criminal case that Polanski was fleeing never went away, as his recent arrest in Zurich attests. But how a Los Angeles court would restart the case if Switzerland extradites the film director, 76, is a question complicated by the passage of decades and recent allegations of judicial misconduct.

The district attorney's office contends the yellowing case file only needs dusting off and proceedings should pick up exactly where they left off in 1978 -- with a judge sentencing Polanski for a statutory rape charge. "He will appear before the court and the court will decide what his sentence is," said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office.

Legal experts, however, said Polanski has options beyond begging for leniency. There are a number of legal maneuvers, such as withdrawing his guilty plea, that could result in the case being dropped entirely or in a sentence of no prison time.

"This is an interesting case of strategy from the defense side," said veteran defense attorney Harland W. Braun. "It's going to get very complicated."

Before he became a fugitive, a grand jury indicted Polanski, then 43, on six felonies, including rape and sodomy, for an assault on a 13-year-old girl. Prosecutors agreed to a plea deal because the victim's family did not want to subject her to the trauma of testifying at trial.

Under the terms of the deal, Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful intercourse with a minor in exchange for the other charges being dismissed. He agreed that Judge Laurence Rittenband would determine the sentence. Rittenband sent the filmmaker to the prison in Chino for a 90-day "diagnostic evaluation" that he said would "enable the Court to reach a fair and just decision."

Prison officials released Polanski after 42 days and advised the judge that testing indicated his sentence should not include additional prison time. Rittenband labeled the prison report "a whitewash" and said he planned to send Polanski back to prison for an additional 48 days if he voluntarily agreed to deportation. Informed of this by his attorney, Polanski left the country, seeking refuge in France.

If he is returned to Los Angeles, Polanski's first move would probably be requesting that all charges be tossed because of alleged judicial and prosecutorial misconduct, said Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson.

"Bring that motion first and try to get the entire case dismissed," said Levenson, a former federal prosecutor.

The misconduct allegations would rest on interviews in a 2008 HBO documentary -- "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" -- in which the original prosecutor, retired Deputy Dist. Atty. Roger Gunson, and defense attorney Douglas Dalton detailed improper and unethical conduct by the judge, who died in 1993.

The men said in the film and reiterated in court declarations this year that Rittenband improperly sent Polanski to Chino for the purpose of punishment rather than testing. The judge, they said, had agreed to set Polanski free after that stay, but reneged and decided to imprison the director again at his official sentencing in what amounted to a second round of punishment.

"I told Judge Rittenband that the diagnostic study was not designed to be used as a sentence, but [he] said . . . he was going to do it anyway," Gunson wrote in an August declaration in appellate court.

In the documentary, retired L.A. County prosecutor David Wells recalled giving Rittenband the idea of using the diagnostic testing as punishment during backroom conversations about the case. Wells recanted that statement Wednesday.

Polanski's attorneys presented evidence of misconduct by Rittenband and Wells to the Superior Court's supervising criminal judge, Peter Espinoza, last year, but he refused to consider their arguments because the defendant was still a fugitive. Espinoza, who could preside over Polanski's case in the future, noted, however, that he found evidence of "substantial . . . misconduct."

If Polanski's lawyers can establish that Rittenband went back on his word, they could argue that the director has already served his prison time and should now be placed on probation. That would mean his immediate release.

There is precedent for such a move in the case history. In 1997, when Polanski's lawyer quietly approached Judge Larry Paul Fidler about resolving the case, the judge agreed to a plan in which the director would return to the United States and immediately receive a sentence of probation. According to a court declaration by Dalton, the judge faulted Rittenband's actions in a meeting in chambers, saying the judge should have honored his pledge to release Polanski after his imprisonment in Chino.

Another defense strategy could be seeking to withdraw Polanski's 1977 guilty plea. Voiding the plea deal would open the door to a trial on all six felonies originally charged, including more serious counts such as rape and sodomy, and the possibility of a much longer prison sentence.

But, longtime defense attorney Roger Jon Diamond said, "it could be good for him because the victim is not going to cooperate with the prosecutor."

Samantha Geimer, now a married mother living in Hawaii, has repeatedly said Polanski has been punished enough and demanded that the case be dropped. Earlier this year, she accused prosecutors of victimizing her anew by mentioning "lurid" details of her assault in court papers.

"Theoretically, they could proceed without her, but it makes it very difficult for them," Diamond said. Under California law, sexual assault victims cannot be jailed for refusing to testify.

Still, getting a conviction without the victim is possible if prosecutors rely on incriminating statements Polanski made in interviews, to police and probation officers, and in his autobiography as well as other evidence, said Robin Sax, a former Los Angeles sex crimes prosecutor. She said withdrawing his plea would be a dangerous gamble for Polanski.

"He got a celebrity deal at the time," Sax said. "It doesn't make sense for him to go to trial."

If the defense strategies fail or if Polanski -- who almost certainly would be denied bail in Los Angeles -- opts for a quick resolution, the case would proceed to sentencing. He faces a maximum of 16 months behind bars, an official with the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Wednesday.

Prosecutors declined to say whether they would seek to charge Polanski in connection with his flight from the court.

The plea agreement called for the judge to decide punishment based on the arguments of attorneys and a probation officer's report. That report recommended no time behind bars, citing in part Polanski's mother's death in the Holocaust as well as the murder of his pregnant wife by members of the Charles Manson gang.

"It is believed that incalculable emotional damage could result from incarcerating the defendant whose own life has been a seemingly endless series of punishments," a parole officer wrote.

The victim and her family also pushed for a sentence without incarceration. The prosecution asked that "Mr. Polanski be placed in custody," but did not specify a length of time.

The district attorney's office declined to say what they would request at a new sentencing hearing.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-polanski-legal1-2009oct01,0,6414704,print.story

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

Some officials challenge legality of over-the-counter medical marijuana sales
The L.A. city attorney and county district attorney say purchasing marijuana at dispensaries is illegal. Officials aim to stamp out 'greedy' dispensary owners who buy, rather than grow, their supply.

At hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, cash is changing hands, typically about $45 for an eighth of an ounce.

The dispensary owners call it a donation because state law requires their stores to operate as nonprofit collectives. But their critics -- police, the district attorney and the newly elected city attorney -- insist that it's a sale and that marijuana sales remain illegal under state law.

The debate turns largely on the interpretation of one sentence in the law, but it touches on one of the biggest concerns about dispensaries in Los Angeles: that the rapid proliferation of stores is being driven by people who are hoping to profit from the so-called Green Rush and who are buying rather than growing much of their cannabis.

"The people who are simply trying to make a profit are the ones messing it up for those people that need it and those legitimate distributors who are trying to help people," said L.A. City Councilman Dennis Zine.

The issue boiled over at two recent meetings of the City Council planning committee, which has struggled for two years to write an ordinance to control medical marijuana.

On Tuesday, the committee kicked an unfinished draft over to the Public Safety Committee without resolving some of the thorniest issues, including whether to prohibit sales.

"We punted," Zine said.

The City Council's drawn-out deliberations could be a civics lesson on unintended consequences. The council adopted a moratorium on new dispensaries in 2007, but failed to ensure it was enforced.

It wasn't, and in the last two years the 186 dispensaries allowed to stay open during the ban have been joined by hundreds of others.

That has irked law enforcement officials who argue that many, if not most, of the dispensaries operate as nonprofit collectives in name only. Next week, police officers and prosecutors from around the county plan to meet for a training lunch to discuss "the eradication of medical marijuana dispensaries."

L.A. County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley and City Atty. Carmen Trutanich have decided that, based on a state Supreme Court decision issued last year, the way most dispensaries in California distribute marijuana violates state law. Neither was available to comment Wednesday.

The city's high-profile drive to gain control over dispensaries is moving slowly.

Most dispensaries requested an exemption from the moratorium and opened without approval while their cases were pending. Three months ago Councilman Ed Reyes, chairman of the planning committee, began the process of considering those requests and the council hasn't approved any so far.

City officials said 82 requests have been denied. Of those dispensaries, 51 either never opened or have shut down, and 31 are defying orders to close. The city attorney has not decided whether to pursue fines or jail time for violations.

The council's Sisyphean task was underscored by an exemption request it considered Tuesday.

It came from Kedrin Rhodes, who opened King Collective Caregivers in Leimert Park just five weeks ago, almost two months after Reyes launched his campaign.

Rhodes, a retired probation officer whose mother-in-law died of cancer, opened her store on a block that police and neighbors say is traversed daily by middle school students.

Listening to Rhodes, who responded to questions respectfully, council members appeared dumbfounded.

"Did someone tell you you had the right to open?" Councilman Jose Huizar asked.

"Yes, my attorney," she said, explaining that her lawyer said the city's contention that an exemption request does not give a dispensary permission to open was "just opinion."

Despite skirting controversial issues, the planning committee did make progress on a draft ordinance.

The proposal would require dispensaries to be at least 1,000 feet from schools, parks, libraries, religious institutions, child-care facilities, youth centers, hospitals, drug rehab centers and other collectives. That restriction could make it extremely difficult to find acceptable locations; city officials are still drawing maps to see whether it would work.

The ordinance also restricts operating hours to 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and requires that membership, cash flow and inventory records be available for inspection without a search warrant or court order.

But the key issue -- how the city can ensure that "greedy bastards," as Zine put it in a radio interview, are run out of business and only nonprofit collectives are allowed -- was left for another day.

When Californians approved Proposition 215 in 1996, they decided patients with a doctor's recommendation and their caregivers could possess and grow pot for the patient's medical use. The initiative said nothing about collectives.

In 2003, the Legislature adopted a bill that attempted to clarify the initiative, allowing patients and caregivers to "associate within the State of California in order collectively or cooperatively to cultivate marijuana for medical purposes" and exempting them from prosecution for selling, transporting and distributing pot.

The city attorney's office argues that these exemptions apply only to the act of cultivating marijuana, and not to selling it.

Medical marijuana advocates say that's ludicrous, that the Legislature meant to shield collectives from prosecution for selling, transporting or distributing their crop. The three council members who have devoted the most study to the issue appear sympathetic to that view.

"Whether the sales happen over the counter, under a basket or standing on their head, they're legal," said Don Duncan, California director of Americans for Safe Access.

Dispensary owners argue that they are not engaging in over-the-counter sales. "It's an incremental reimbursement for costs that have been collectively incurred," said Michael Backes, who runs Cornerstone Collective in Eagle Rock.

Duncan said he believed no dispensary in Los Angeles could stay in business if such sales were barred. "There's really no other way to do it," he said.

"This ordinance pretends that medical marijuana facilities are some sort of idyllic Maoist commune and everyone simply shares in the labor of producing the medicine."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-medical-marijuana1-2009oct01,0,509560,full.story

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

Supreme Court decision may open up other gun laws to challenges
By agreeing to hear a 2nd Amendment challenge to Chicago's handgun ban, the justices may open the door to similar lawsuits in cities and states nationwide.

Reporting from Washington - The Supreme Court's decision Wednesday to hear a 2nd Amendment challenge to Chicago's handgun ban could open the door to similar lawsuits in cities and states across the nation.

At issue is whether the right to keep and bear arms is a full-fledged constitutional privilege that can be invoked by individuals against the government at all levels, or a freedom that applies only as it concerns the federal government.

Last year, the justices in a 5-4 ruling said for the first time that the 2nd Amendment protected an individual's right to have a handgun at home for self-defense. Though that ruling struck down a handgun ban in the nation's capital -- which is a federal enclave -- it did not decide whether the right extended to states and cities.

After the Civil War, the Supreme Court on several occasions ruled that the 2nd Amendment applied only to national laws. In the last year, gun rights advocates in Chicago and New York went to court to challenge local or state gun restrictions but lost. Judges said they were bound by the high court's 19th century rulings.

On Wednesday, the justices said they would decide the issue in the fall term, which begins Monday.

Legal experts have said that gun rights advocates are likely to prevail in the Chicago case. The five justices who ruled against the District of Columbia handgun ban, led by Antonin Scalia, are likely to extend the same gun rights to states and municipalities.

But lawyers disagree on the practical effects of such a ruling.

Chicago and the nearby village of Oak Park, Ill., are thought to be the only municipalities that enforce a ban on the private possession of handguns. Several other cities, including New York, make it difficult to legally register a handgun. But many other communities have regulations that could be challenged.

Alan Gura, a Virginia lawyer who won last year's ruling and now represents the gun owners in the Chicago case, said Americans had the right to carry guns in public for self-defense, including across state lines.

"This case will not be the end of all gun control, but it means politicians must be aware this is a fundamental right," he said in an interview.

Under the 1st Amendment, restrictions on free speech are suspect and need a strong justification, he said, adding that "the same should be true with gun restrictions."

Gura sued on behalf of four Chicagoans, including Otis McDonald, a retired maintenance engineer who said he had been threatened by drug dealers in his neighborhood.

"I only want a handgun in my house for my protection," McDonald said when the suit was filed. "This lawsuit, I hope, will allow me to bring my handgun into the city legally."

Even if McDonald and the others succeed in striking down the city's ban, a lawyer for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence predicted the ruling would not result in the overturning of most other gun control measures. "It will likely lead to more challenges to state and local gun laws. But when the dust settles, the vast majority of the existing state and local laws will survive," lawyer Dennis Henigan said.

In last year's decision, Scalia agreed that laws restricting felons or the mentally ill from having guns were constitutional. He also agreed the government could keep guns out of airports or government buildings.

The gun rights cause is not limited to conservatives. Libertarians and some self-proclaimed progressives say the court should rule that the Bill of Rights' protections are a privilege of U.S citizenship.

The 14th Amendment says that states may not "abridge the privileges" of a U.S. citizen. At the time the amendment was written, this was seen as extending the rights -- such as freedom of speech or freedom from unreasonable searches -- to protect citizens against state and local officials. However, the Supreme Court disagreed in 1873, and this provision was left unenforceable.

In the Chicago case, the justices agreed to rule on whether the 2nd Amendment and its right "to keep and bear arms" was a privilege of citizenship.

"The correct answer to this question should be important to all Americans, not just those focused on gun rights," said Doug Kendall, president of the Constitutional Accountability Center, a liberal think tank. He and other scholars argue that reviving the privileges clause would strengthen other constitutional rights.

Lawyers for the city of Chicago, however, have urged the justices to turn away the challenge. They said easily concealed handguns posed a special danger in cities.

"Homicides are most often committed with guns, especially handguns," they said, citing a Justice Department report. They also stressed it was legal for homeowners to have a rifle or shotgun for self-defense.

The court said it would hear arguments in the case, McDonald vs. Chicago, in February.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-supreme-court-guns1-2009oct01,0,5955852.story

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

Bill of Rights' scope at issue in Chicago gun case
Did the amendments protect the basic rights of all Americans, or did they only defend them against an overly powerful national government?

The Chicago gun case revives one of the fiercest debates in constitutional law: Did the Bill of Rights, including its famous provisions protecting the freedom of speech, the free exercise of religion and the right against "unreasonable searches and seizures," protect the basic rights of all Americans, or did it only protect them against an overly powerful national government?

In the 19th century, the Bill of Rights was limited to federal laws. The words of the 1st Amendment begin with the phrase, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion . . . or abridging the freedom of speech." Not surprisingly, the Supreme Court in its early years saw these rights as limited in their effect. They did not, for example, prevent Virginia from punishing abolitionists for speaking out against slavery or another state from having an official church.

After the Civil War, the Constitution was amended to put limits on states. The 14th Amendment said, "No state shall . . . abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States" or deprive them of "liberty" without due process of law.

In a step-by-step fashion from the 1930s to the late 1960s, the Supreme Court ruled that rights such as free speech and freedom against self-incrimination, and protection against "cruel and unusual punishment," were true rights state and local officials must abide by. In awkward phrasing, those rights were said to be "incorporated" into the "liberty" contained in the 14th Amendment.

Even today, there are exceptions. For example, the 5th Amendment says persons may be charged with a serious crime only by "indictment of Grand Jury." But that right was not deemed fundamental, so states and counties need not use grand juries to hand down indictments.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bill-of-rights1-2009oct01,0,2492843.story

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

Justices to consider timing of discrimination lawsuits
In another case involving race, firefighters and test scores, the Supreme Court will decide how soon plaintiffs must file claims. The court will also reconsider a law on advising terrorist groups.

By David G. Savage
October 1, 2009
Reporting from Washington

The Supreme Court plunged back into the legal fight over firefighters, test scores and accusations of racial discrimination Wednesday, this time to decide when those who say they were victims of discrimination must file a lawsuit.

In June, the justices ruled for white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., who were denied promotions after they earned top scores on an exam. Justice Sonia Sotomayor was sharply criticized during her Senate hearing because, as a judge, she had ruled against the white plaintiffs.

Now the court will hear an appeal from black applicants who said that Chicago's test for firefighters discriminated against them. However, the issue is one of timing and procedure: Was it necessary for the plaintiffs to file a discrimination suit shortly after the test was given? Or could they wait until later, after the results were used to hire new firefighters?

The justices also agreed to clarify part of the anti-terrorism law and to decide whether human rights activists in the U.S. can be prosecuted for giving "expert advice" or political training to a group like the Kurdistan Workers Party in Turkey, which the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization.

That case grew out of an 11-year legal battle in Los Angeles over a law that makes it a crime to provide expert advice and other material support to a terrorist group. Since 2001, the government has convicted several men under the law for undergoing training with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Earlier this year, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down parts of the anti-terrorism law because its references to "expert advice" or "training" could include a lecture on how to resolve disputes peacefully.

"We don't make the country safer by criminalizing those who advocate nonviolent means . . . or by making it a crime for a human rights group in the U.S. to provide human rights training," said Georgetown University law professor David Cole, who represented the challengers.

But U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan persuaded the Supreme Court to review the ruling. She said that the government needed broad power to prosecute those who knowingly helped a terrorist group, regardless of their motives.

The case is Holder vs. Humanitarian Law Project.

The Chicago firefighters' case concerns the same civil rights issue that gained so much attention during the summer. It is illegal for employers to use a test that has a "disparate impact" on minorities, unless it can be justified as a business necessity.

Four years ago, a federal judge in Chicago ruled that the city had discriminated against black candidates because its test in the mid-1990s had an unfair and disparate impact on minorities. White test-takers were five times more likely than their black counterparts to qualify for firefighting jobs, the judge found.

But last year, the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling and threw out the suit because the black applicants had waited more than a year to challenge the test results. "That was a fatal mistake," wrote Judge Richard Posner. The federal civil rights law says suits must be filed within 300 days of an unlawful employment practice.

The court also agreed to hear several other new cases, including one on whether the Miranda rule is triggered when a suspect voluntary talks to the police and another on whether Public Health Service doctors can be sued personally for providing negligent medical care to immigrants in custody.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-court-cases1-2009oct01,0,506091,print.story

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

Transportation Secretary LaHood says cellphones and driving don't mix
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says that he plans federal action to combat texting and other sources of distracted driving, which he calls a 'menace to society.'

Reporting from Washington - In 2008, Linda Doyle was killed at an Oklahoma intersection when another driver -- who was using a cellphone -- ran a red light and struck her car.

On Monday, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told more than 200 people participating in a meeting on the dangers of distracted driving that he intended to take federal action to combat this "menace to society."

"Every single time you take your eyes off the road or talk on the phone while you're driving, even for just a few seconds, you put your life in danger, and you put others in danger too," LaHood said. "This kind of behavior is irresponsible, and the consequences are devastating."

Distracted driving is nothing new -- people have been fiddling with their car radios since they were introduced in the 1930s. But in the digital age, the potential distractions have multiplied, often with perilous consequences.

In July, a tow-truck driver hit a car and crashed into a swimming pool while talking on one cellphone and texting on another.

And in 2008, 25 people were killed and 135 were injured in the Metrolink crash in Chatsworth. Federal investigators believe the commuter train's operator failed to obey a stop signal and crashed into a freight train 22 seconds after sending a text.

LaHood has endorsed legislative efforts to regulate behind-the-wheel behavior, but he warned that distracted driving is foremost an issue of personal responsibility.

"We need a combination of strong laws, tough enforcement and ongoing public education to make a difference," he said. But, he added, "in reality, you can't legislate behavior. . . . Taking personal responsibility for our actions is the key for the solution."

Whatever approach is chosen, experts said, one is needed soon.

Last year, 5,870 traffic fatalities, 16% of all road deaths, occurred in crashes involving distraction, said Bruce Magladry, director of the Office of Highway Safety at the National Transportation Safety Board. In 2007, 12% of fatalities resulted from crashes involving distraction.

Democratic Sens. Charles E. Schumer of New York and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota spoke at the event to promote a bill they are co-sponsoring that would require states to implement a ban on texting while driving or lose 25% of their federal highway funds.

"We need every state to put safety first," Schumer said. "We need a ban on texting while driving in every state across the country and we need it now."

LaHood said he would announce federal action against distracted driving action at the conclusion of the meeting Tuesday.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-texting1-2009oct01,0,7508100.story

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

Opinion

Polanski's pain isn't penance

Some argue that the director at the center of the controversial sex/extradition case has suffered enough. But personal ordeals are not the same as justice.
How lousy has Roman Polanski's life been? His mother died at Auschwitz; his pregnant wife was murdered by the Manson family; and in 1978, after pleading guilty to unlawful intercourse and serving an evaluation period in the Chino state prison, he says he learned that a judge who had led him to believe that he would serve no more jail time actually was considering a long sentence, followed by deportation. On the eve of his sentencing, the acclaimed director of "Rosemary's Baby" and "Chinatown" fled the U.S. and never returned.

OK, that's pretty lousy. But lousy enough?

Polanski exiled himself to France, where his citizenship protects him from U.S. extradition. When he was arrested in Switzerland en route to the Zurich Film Festival, by request of a suddenly energized Los Angeles justice system, officials in France appeared to chalk up the incident to a uniquely American combination of Puritanism and punitiveness. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner called the arrest "a bit sinister." And Frederic Mitterrand, the French culture minister, said he was "dumbfounded" by the arrest and "strongly regrets that a new ordeal is being inflicted on someone who has already experienced so many of them."

Also in play is a certain fetishization of artists and artistry -- the kind that lends itself to the notion that when a regular person commits a crime, it's a crime, but when an artist commits a crime, it's an act of understandable passion (think Norman Mailer stabbing his wife or Caravaggio fleeing after killing a man in a brawl). Debra Winger, jury president of the 2009 Zurich Film Festival, called Polanski's case "all but dead" and said "despite the philistine nature of the collusion that has now occurred, we came to honor Roman Polanski as a great artist." For his part, Kouchner, after the "sinister" remark, added: "A man of such talent, recognized in the entire world, recognized especially in the country that arrested him -- all this just isn't nice."

Non, ce n'est pas gentil, but, to put it mildly, neither is illegal sex with a 13-year-old, who testified before a grand jury that Polanski plied her with champagne and part of a Quaalude before sodomizing her over her protests.

Sure, Polanski may be a great artist. He appears to have been living a quiet, non-criminal family life in France all these years (he's married to actress Emmanuelle Seigner and has two children), and there may be some truth to the theory that he fled his sentencing in the U.S. partly because of residual trauma from the Holocaust.

And yes, Polanski's victim, Samantha Geimer (formerly Gailey) has publicly said he should serve no more time (after settling her civil suit against him for an unknown sum) and even joined his attorneys in requesting the dismissal of the case. She wrote an Op-Ed article on this page when Polanski received an Oscar nomination for best director in 2003 (for "The Pianist"; he won in absentia) saying "his film should be honored according to the quality of the work. What he does for a living and how good he is at it have nothing to do with me or what he did to me."

But are personal ordeals tantamount to prison time? Does artistic greatness explain away criminal behavior? Is justice served if the victim is willing to let the whole thing drop?

Part of what makes the Polanski case fascinating -- as well as repugnant -- is that it's infused with these sorts of existential questions about what evens the scales. The family of a murder victim might ask, isn't a lifetime of coping with the brutal killing of your pregnant wife penance enough? A certain breed of American might ask, doesn't being forced to live in France constitute punishment? Geimer has asked, isn't Polanski's inability to work in Hollywood sufficient punishment? (Hmm, try that on all the struggling directors out there who've never raped anyone but also cannot work in Hollywood.)

No one has suggested Polanski is innocent, but the notion that he paid for his crime, perhaps even before he committed it, somehow sways opinion. (It is this argument, not the possible misconduct of the judge and the prosecutor in the case, that motivates Polanski's loudest defenders.) Yet as emotionally compelling as his travails may be, they're simply not relevant from a legal standpoint. Just as our justice system is not designed around victims determining the appropriate punishments for the victimizers -- otherwise, Geimer would have set him free years ago -- it does not substitute a hard time in life for hard time in jail.

No matter what happens in the extradition case, the compassionate exile the U.S. effectively granted Polanski by not pursuing him more forcefully merits review. As for the great man himself, it's worth noting that his arrest came just before Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. It's hard not to see some justice in that. And -- please -- there is one sin at least that Polanski should be atoning for on American soil.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-daum1-2009oct01,0,1222126.column

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Daily News

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

City Council approves retirement plan
SAVINGS: Move will cut costs, avoid some layoffs, furloughs

By Rick Orlov, Staff Writer
Updated: 09/30/2009 08:02:29 PM PDT

The City Council on Wednesday approved a revised plan to offer 2,400 municipal employees cash bonuses to retire early in an effort to save payroll costs and reduce the need for layoffs and furloughs.

The program was granted preliminary approval two weeks ago but was revised Wednesday to reflect updated cost figures detailed in a new actuarial study.

If the Coalition of City Unions, representing 22,000 employees, votes to ratify the agreement, final council approval is expected by Oct. 30.

"I would recommend strongly that we vote on this and get it done unanimously," said Councilman Bernard Parks, chair of the City Council's Budget and Finance Committee, shortly before the 12-0 vote.

The Early Retirement Incentive Program would offer cash bonuses of $15,000 to $33,000 to workers who agree to retire early. Those with 30 years' experience would also receive up to five years' credit in their pension benefit calculation.

But in an effort to pay for the program with minimal city costs, the pension contributions of current employees would be increased from 6 percent to 7.07 percent, while retired workers would have to make a 1 percent contribution.

The program is intended to help resolve a $405 million shortfall in the city's $7.01 billion budget.

City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana said the new report represented minor changes to reflect the amendments to the proposal approved by the City Council.
If given final approval, civilian employees, including those at Los Angeles World Airports and the Port of Los Angeles - but not at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power - will be eligible to retire with full benefits during a 45-day window in November and December.

Shedding their salaries will help the city, the port and LAWA save a combined total of $175 million starting next fiscal year, officials said.

The Coalition of City Unions agreed to defer $27 million in cost-of-living increases that its members were supposed to have collected in July. They also agreed to an additional $78 million worth of concessions, including deferring or forego certain cash bonuses and holiday pay.

Additionally, the coalition agreed to let the city transfer some of its members to federally funded departments as well as proprietary departments like the ports, LAWA and LADWP, which have their own budgets.

The city is in the midst of negotiations with the Los Angeles Police Protective League and United Firefighters of Los Angeles City in hopes of reducing payroll costs by another $142 million.

The city has declared an impasse in its negotiations with UFLAC as talks continue with the Protective League.

The agreement also protects coalition employees from furloughs and layoffs that still might be needed to reduce spending.

http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_13456778

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

L.A. volunteers aim to prevent local high school dropouts
ENGAGE: City Year program enlists 150 to give their time

By Rick Orlov, Staff Writer
Updated: 09/30/2009 06:51:09 PM PDT

Los Angeles City Year kicked off its third annual volunteer project on Wednesday, with a new goal of working to prevent high school dropouts.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa administered the organization's oath to the 150 volunteers, ages 17 to 24, during a ceremony on the steps of City Hall.

"When you think about democracy, when you think about the fact that so few people are voting, that they feel cynical and don't think they can make a difference, you are showing that democracy can work," Villaraigosa said.

Dressed in red and yellow jackets, the teams of young adults began the day with mild physical training and enthusiastic responses from their team leaders.

Los Angeles City Year is part of a nationwide program, which has 1,500 volunteers conducting community service projects. Los Angeles has seen the fastest growth of the program, with double the number of volunteers from just two years ago.

In Los Angeles, the volunteers are committed to working at a dozen campuses to improve the grades of at-risk students and trying to persuade them to stay in school.
Villaraigosa said the City Year teams also served as an example of the volunteerism he has supported.

Recently, he and other big-city mayors pledged to increase volunteerism in their cities, with Villaraigosa promising to get 100,000 people involved in activities this year.
City Year received a $1 million donation this year from the Entertainment Industry
Foundation, a charity that is also coordinating a weeklong series of public-service announcements that will air beginning Oct. 19 on all the major networks.

"We believe our industry is uniquely positioned to ignite a service movement in the country," said EIF President Lisa Paulsen.

http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_13456770

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Run to help survivors of gun violence planned
FUNDRAISER: Event organized by two victims of 1999 Jewish Community Center shootings

By Kevin Modesti, Staff Writer
Updated: 09/30/2009 08:13:37 PM PDT

IF YOU GO

Victory Over Violence starts at 8 a.m. Sunday, with registration at 6:30 a.m. at the Matador Bookstore at Cal State Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St. Fees are $30 for adults, $15 for CSUN students and $15 for the kids' run. Information at www.wagv.

Organizing an anti-gun-violence fundraiser is the latest way that two survivors of the North Valley Jewish Community Center shootings 10 years ago have tried to turn a negative into a positive.

Mindy Finkelstein, now 26, and Josh Stepakoff, 16, hope as many as 500 people will take part in Sunday's Victory Over Violence, featuring a 10K run, a 5K run-walk and a kids' fun run.

Proceeds will benefit Women Against Gun Violence to help the Los Angeles-based organization pay the expenses of shooting victims who support the group's cause by telling their stories.

Finkelstein said she especially encourages victims of gun violence to participate.

"I think they'll be pleased with the warmth of the community around them," Finkelstein said.

Finkelstein, who was a camp counselor at the Jewish center in Granada Hills, and Stepakoff, then a summer camper, were among five people wounded by an avowed white supremacist on Aug. 10, 1999; all have recovered.

Their assailant, Buford O. Furrow, also shot and killed Filipino mail carrier Joseph Ileto later that morning.

Finkelstein, a Chatsworth resident, and Stepakoff, who lives in Northridge, have become active as speakers against gun violence and hate crime. They were busy in August with events marking the 10th anniversary of the JCC incident.

They came up with the idea for Sunday's event nearly a year ago, Finkelstein said, and scheduled it for October to avoid the summer heat and conflicts with the Jewish holidays.
"Usually, anniversaries (of the JCC shootings) have been really sad, but this year was uplifting and encouraging," Finkelstein said. "Working on this race has kind of given us a positive feeling about what we've gone through."

Sponsors of the Victory Over Violence event include Providence Holy Cross Medical Center and JDate, the online Jewish singles' network.

http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_13456765

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rail car manufacturing plant will create more than 2,200 jobs, mayor says

Daily News Wire Services
Updated: 09/30/2009 01:09:25 PM PDT

Construction of a rail car manufacturing plant in downtown Los Angeles will create more than 2,200 full-time jobs and 1,000 temporary construction jobs, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced Wednesday.

The Italian company AnsaldoBreda intends to build the plant after securing a $300 million deal last week to build 100 rail cars for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

"With this agreement, we have reinforced the foundation of economic prosperity in Los Angeles," Villaraigosa said. "The rail cars on the Gold Line to the San Gabriel Valley, the Crenshaw line and the Expo line will proudly bear the label 'Made in L.A.' and at a time when most cities are shedding jobs, we will be bringing them back home."

He hopes the plant will serve as an anchor tenant in the so-called CleanTech Corridor along the Los Angeles River. The plant is to occupy 240,000 square feet on 14 acres of city property at 15th Street and Santa Fe Avenue.

The awarding of the contract to AnsaldoBreda was not without controversy. Negotiations lasted months because Metro was dissatisfied with AnsaldoBreda's performance in its base contract for 50 cars. Those cars were three years late and 6,000 pounds overweight.

Villaraigosa supported AnsaldoBreda, however, because the company's proposal included building the plant. Unions also backed the deal.

Voting 8-3, Metro's board approved the contract after AnsaldoBreda's parent company offered a $300 million performance bond and a $75 million irrevocable letter of credit that could be used if the company underperforms. If that fund is used up, the company must replenish it up to $300 million.

http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_13453249

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Supervisors offer $10,000 reward for information on missing South L.A. woman

Daily News Wire Services
Updated: 09/30/2009 10:58:23 AM PDT

The county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday offered a $10,000 reward for tips leading to a South Los Angeles woman who was arrested in Malibu and disappeared after being released about 1:25 a.m.

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas asked for the reward in the case of 24- year-old Mitrice Richardson, a Cal State Fullerton graduate missing since Sept. 17.

"Every minute counts in our effort to safely reunite Ms. Richardson with her family," Ridley-Thomas said.

Richardson was arrested at Geoffrey's restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu Sept. 17, when she was unable to pay an $89 bill, according to sheriff's deputies.
Richardson was booked at the Malibu-Lost Hills station in the 27000 block of Agoura Road in Calabasas for not paying her bill and possessing less than an ounce of pot, which deputies found in her 1990 Honda Civic when she was arrested. The car was impounded.

Friends and relatives said something apparently was amiss with Richardson. She sat alone at a table, then attached herself to a group nearby, witnesses told the Los Angeles Times.

When she couldn't pay her bill, she gave her great-grandmother's telephone number, who offered to use her credit card, though the restaurant declined without having a faxed signature from the woman.

Restaurant owner Jeff Peterson told the Times that Richardson was saying she was from Mars and talking in a made-up language. He said she also told a valet that she was there to avenge Michael Jackson's death.

After her arrest and release, a homeowner on Cold Canyon Road reported a woman resting in her yard about 6:30 a.m. But when deputies arrived, the woman was gone.
A search turned up no new clues this past weekend.

Richardson had no transportation, cell phone or purse when she was released.

A sheriff's spokesman said Richardson did not appear to be intoxicated, but the woman's parents said something was wrong, and deputies should never have turned her out in unfamiliar surroundings.

She was told she could stay in the lobby overnight, according to the sheriff's department.

Michael Richardson said he was worried about his daughter's mental state after seeing her booking photo.

"She looked like a demon had come inside her. That was not my daughter," he said. "It ran chills up my spine. I've never seen my daughter look like that."

Richardson is black, about 5 feet 5 inches and 135 pounds, with brown, curly hair and hazel eyes; she was last seen in a dark shirt and blue jeans, and has tattoos on her lower abdomen and behind her neck.

Los Angeles police are aiding in the search. Anyone with more information was asked to call detectives Chuck Knolls or Steve Eguichi at 213-485-5381, or LAPD Missing Persons at 877-527-3247.

http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_13453184

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No new cops, no more fees

Updated: 09/30/2009 09:35:23 PM PDT

WITH the city's budget in such a godawful mess - made no better by the Los Angeles City Council's refusal to make hard decisions about employee retirement last month - elected officials are now talking about slowing growth at the Police Department.

They are pondering such ideas as: Does Los Angeles, a city of nearly 4 million people and several thousand gang members, really need 10,000 cops? Wouldn't it be better to use the money intended to hire new cops to give raises to the experienced cops we've got so they don't leave?

"Having 10,000 cops is unsustainable for the city," said the council's newest member, Paul Koretz, during a debate. And this from the man who just a few weeks ago warned that people would die if the city sidelined a small portion of the city's Fire Department paramedics and he couldn't support any policy that endangers Angelenos.

So, paramedics save lives, but cops don't? That might not go over too well with the officers on the streets whose work has likely saved thousands of us from violence or victimization.

Still, the council is mulling it over, despite the fact that both Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Chief William Bratton think 10,000 is the minimum number of officers that the city should have for public safety. And statistics seem to support this more cops, safer streets theory. As the LAPD's work force has expanded (it's actually hit 10,000 a few times, before going back down due to attrition), violent crime has dropped.

But if the council is determined to stop hiring an "unsustainable" number of cops, then they owe Angelenos something - a refund.

In 2006, the council voted to hike trash fees to find a dedicated stream of revenue to hire enough cops to get the force comfortably over the 10,000 mark. It was bad policy, but at least for an admirable goal.

So if the council decides - against the will of the police chief, the mayor and the public - to back away from hiring new cops, then it should refund any excess revenue and stop collecting the higher fee. Heavens knows we will need it to buy more door locks, adopt a scary dog or pay a private company to provide the kind of home security that the city won't be able to do.

Granted, the trash-fee money has funded many things besides new cops since it was jacked up - such as salaries for current LAPD officers and more equipment - but at least some of it subsidized the expansion of the police force.

If expansion is over, then the fee should be, too. That money was intended for hiring cops, not for helping politicians avoid hard budgeting decisions.

http://www.dailynews.com/opinions/ci_13456888

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the LAPD

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Help Find Missing 12-year-old Boy

Update: Relatives of Christopher Perez took him to Hollywood Division and told the officers he was found in good health.

Los Angeles. Local law enforcement is looking for a missing 12-year-old boy, Christopher Perez, who ran away from a Whittier foster home last night, September 28, 2009, around 10 p.m.

At 3 p.m. today, a convenience store clerk reported letting Christopher use a telephone at a store near the intersection of Firestone Boulevard and Compton Avenue of Los Angeles County. Police think he last spoke to his sister who encouraged him to go to police. According to the clerk, deputies missed the boy by five minutes.

Christopher was placed in protective care last night by the Department of Children and Family Services after his mother was admitted to a hospital near downtown Los Angeles. Soon after being placed in the home in Whittier, the boy ran away. Deputies with the Norwalk Substation, Los Angeles County Sheriff (LASD), used blood hounds to follow Christopher's trail to the Norwalk Green Line Rail Station.

Los Angeles police officers have been checking two residences downtown since midnight, but have found no one home. Christopher lives with his mother downtown, and visits two siblings who also live downtown. Police have also contacted school police officers for the Bancroft Middle School, where Christopher attends school, and have visited a home in Hollywood where a cousin lives.

Christopher Perez is described as a male Hispanic, 4 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 90 pounds. He has black, shoulder-length hair. He was last seen wearing a green shirt and green pants.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call LAPD Central watch commander at 213-485-3294. During off-hours, call may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247). Callers may also text "Crimes" with a cell phone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on Web Tips. When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with "LAPD." Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Tipsters can also call the LASD Norwalk Substation desk at 562-863-8711.

Christopher's MySpace photograph is available from Media Relations Section at 213-485-3586.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sexual Assault Suspect Arrested

Los Angeles: Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) detectives announce the arrest of a sexual assault suspect.

On September 28, 2009, at around 1:05 a.m., the female victim was walking in the area of Alta Vista Place and Melrose Avenue. The suspect walked alongside the victim and engaged her in a conversation. He then pulled the victim into an alley and attempted to sexually assault her. Nearby residents heard the victim's cries for help. 911 operators received numerous calls. As responding units were arriving with lights and sirens, the suspect ran from the area and escaped.

Detectives from Operations-West Bureau Sexual Assault Detail began a case with very limited leads. Detectives developed their case and eventually identified registered sex offender Christopher Webb, 22 years old, as the suspect.

On September 29, 2009 at 10:30 a.m., Detectives arrested Webb and booked him at the Wilshire Area Jail for attempted rape. Webb is being held on $225,000 bail.

Detectives believe Webb may be responsible for additional assaults on other teenage victims. Webb has distinctive script lettering tattoos on the top of each hand, "Honey" on his right hand and “Combs” on his left hand.

Anyone with information about this crime or similar assaults by Webb is asked to call Operations-West Bureau Sexual Assault Detail at 213-473-0447. During off-hours, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247). Callers may also text "Crimes" with a cell phone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on Web tips. When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with "LAPD." Tipsters may remain anonymous.

September 30, 2009

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two Women Arrested after Thelma and Louise-Type Crime Spree Police Encourage Any Other Victims to Come Forward

Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has released the photographs of two women who were charged last week in a six-day-long spree of robberies, burglaries, and assorted other crimes, which spread from downtown Los Angeles to Venice Beach.

Myra Lopez, who is 34, and 25-year-old Latascha Bulmer met at the Chowchilla Women's prison. In mid-August this year, both women were paroled to finish their sentences at the Walden House in El Monte, Calif. Lopez was doing time for robbery and Bulmer for auto theft.

"Apparently the duo walked away from Walden House over the Labor Day weekend," said Captain Blake Chow, commanding officer of the LAPD Central Division station. "We now know their crime spree apparently started with stealing a Cadillac Escalade from a man on September 8, but the first crime reported to our detectives was September 12, 2009."

That victim was a woman who stopped for lunch at a McDonald's restaurant at 7th and Alameda Streets, south of downtown Los Angeles. Using their signature mode of operation, Bulmer walked up to the victim in her Mazda minivan and asked for money. Now distracted, the victim didn't notice Lopez, who shoved a hard object against her side as Bulmer pulled the victim from the van. LAPD Officers Tony Gutierrez and Chelsea Krawczyk (pronounced: Kraw-check) completed the carjacking report, describing the two tattooed women.

Then at 3p.m. the same day, two women knocked down another woman to take her purse near a carwash at Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street. Only the intervention of a good Samaritan kept the suspects from getting away with the stolen money. Another person also saw the getaway car, a silver minivan, and sent a text tip into LAPD. Officers Gutierrez and Krawczyk realized the connection and made it their personal goal to capture the Thelma-and-Louise duo.

"We encourage officers to do more than just take crime reports," Captain Chow said. "Gutierrez and Krawczyk recognized the crime spree quickly. Maybe one in 100 crimes involve women as perpetrators. So the officers knew this pair would really stand out."

Over the next two days, the officers drove a SMART car, a high-tech police car equipped with a license plate scanner, and looked for the silver minivan in-between answering radio calls. Detectives brought in victims and prepared a composite sketch of what turned out to be Myra Lopez, and contacted neighboring police stations.

Two days later, around 10 a.m., Gutierrez and Krawczyk noticed a silver minivan near 6th Street and Towne Avenue in Skid Row. The driver resembled a man at first, then the police car's license plate reader reported the plate on the van was stolen, matching a GMC van. The officers stopped the van only to discover the driver was actually a woman, Myra Lopez, and the minivan was the one officers had hoped to find.

"The minivan was a treasure chest of stolen loot," said Lt. Paul Vernon, head of LAPD Central Division Detectives. "We found identification and stolen property that implicated Lopez and her partner in robberies in Venice and Northeast, but the biggest haul was only one hour old."

Officers found computers and a jewelry box filled with Mexican silver, and Lopez was wearing diamond earrings, all taken one hour before in a burglary two miles away in Angelino Heights. "The home owner was amazed at how efficient the police department was at solving burglaries," said Lt. Vernon.

The van's contents also revealed the extent of Lopez' and Bulmer's activities: a Costco card from a women robbed in Venice on September 8; the stolen license plate that was taken September 13 from a van in Venice; and Hebrew-language CDs from a woman robbed on Berkeley Avenue in Silverlake on September 14.

"The woman had her 4-year-old with her when Lopez held a box cutter to the mother's throat and demanded her car keys," Lt. Vernon added. "We found a box cutter on Lopez when she was arrested."

While Lopez was not talking, detectives were able to identify her partner in crime through the parole agent assigned to Walden House in El Monte. "The parole agent knew right away when we mentioned Lopez that we were also looking for Latascha Bulmer," Lt. Vernon confirmed.

After distributing a wanted poster, officers found Bulmer walking on Skid Row. When they arrested her, she had more credit cards in her sock belonging to another woman robbed on September 13 in the 4000 block of Washington Boulevard, just one hour after the botched robbery at the carwash.

"As best we can tell, the spree began with the taking of a black Escalade on September 8," said Lt. Vernon. "We know that SUV was used in the crimes committed in Venice, but somehow the owner got his SUV back and has yet to make a theft report. We've released the women's booking photos expecting there may be other victims or even a more serious crime."

"This crime spree ended quickly thanks to the officers, detectives and parole agent's tenacious work, and the help of new technology like the SMART cars and text tips," said Captain Chow. "Such efforts have kept crime declining, already down nearly eight percent in downtown this year."

Lopez and Bulmer are being held without bail, both charged with four counts of robbery and one of carjacking. Lopez was also charged with residential burglary.

Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD Central Division robbery detectives at 213-972-1248. After-hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247). Callers may also text "crimes" with a cell phone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on web tips. When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with "LAPD." Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Photographs of Lopez and Bulmer are available from media relations and being disseminated with this release.

September 30, 2009

http://lapdblog.typepad.com/lapd_blog/