Law Enforcement

For public safety, 2011 a year of big decisions
California is carrying the weight of decades-old public safety woes into the new year. Not that the state is becoming a more dangerous place. To the contrary, crime rates across nearly all major categories and in almost every region are retreating, as they have for several years. Many of the concerns are financial conundrums - how Californians adjust to getting less than they're accustomed to from their criminal justice systems. The state will probably house fewer prisoners and find itself protected by smaller local police forces.
California Watch

Deputy, suspect dead in Ohio trailer park standoff
A sheriff's deputy investigating a report of gunfire at a trailer park in Enon, Ohio, was shot dead Saturday, and the shooting suspect was killed after a gun battle with police, authorities said. A police officer was wounded. Deputy Suzanne Hopper, who was married last year and had two children, was shot as she tried to photograph a footprint in the Enon Beach mobile-home park, Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly said. "Our deputy never had the opportunity to return fire or take cover," he said at a press conference.
Associated Press

State & Municipal Budget Crisis

Brown to propose broad list of budget cuts
The broad set of budget cuts that Gov.-elect Jerry Brown will propose in the coming days would touch nearly all Californians, eliminating local redevelopment agencies, shrinking social service benefits, shuttering parks and reducing library hours, according to a source familiar with his budget proposal. Brown, to be sworn in this morning, wants to slash virtually every state-funded program to help balance California's massive deficit, in many cases resurrecting cuts sought by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger but rejected by lawmakers.
Sacramento Bee

L.A. Fire Department plans further reductions in fire staffing
The Los Angeles Fire Department will impose a new round of reductions in fire staffing starting Sunday, part of its effort to slash expenses in a bad budget year, department officials said. Fire Chief Millage Peaks said the department will decrease by seven the number of fire companies that are on duty across the city. That means 22 of the department's 153 companies will be closed each day on a rotating basis.
Los Angeles Times

'Crash taxes' are growing in popularity among cash-strapped California cities
One more good reason to drive safely in California: If you cause an accident, you may be on the hook to pay the police and firefighters who show up to help. At least 50 cities in the state have adopted so-called crash-tax laws allowing local governments to seek reimbursement from insurance companies for the costs of sending public emergency crews to accident scenes. The fees can amount to hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Los Angeles Times

Price of a traffic ticket going up $4
The state is adding $4 to the price of every traffic ticket. The fee will pay for emergency air transport services because of a revenue shortfall in Medi-Cal funding. It is set to generate an estimated $34 million a year through 2016, according to state estimates. The increase is the latest in a string of fee increases statewide and in Los Angeles, as governments turn to motorists to pay more amid budget problems. Last year, the state increased the fines for traffic tickets and used the proceeds to help renovate courthouses. The changes included a $35 surcharge on traffic tickets.
Los Angeles Times

New Laws

Obama signs bill to help 9/11 workers
President Obama took time out of his Hawaiian vacation on Sunday to sign into law one of the surprise accomplishments of the lame-duck Congress: a measure covering the cost of medical care for rescue workers and others sickened by toxic fumes and dust after the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. To become law, the bill required Mr. Obama's signature before he returned to Washington on Tuesday, so he signed it at his rented vacation home in the town of Kailua, near Honolulu.
New York Times

New laws aim to make Californians healthier and safer
Starting January 1, Californians pay more for traffic tickets, face lower penalties for possessing marijuana and find less artificial trans fat in their donuts. Under hundreds of new state laws, they'll also pay higher fines for committing domestic violence and break the law if they cruelly impersonate someone on the Internet. Those under 21 must undergo safety training before riding a motorcycle. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed more than 730 bills into law in 2010.
Los Angeles Times

Prisons