Law Enforcement

Man sentenced for pelting LAPD squad car during Westlake shooting protests
A Los Angeles man could receive jail time for pelting a police vehicle with a plastic water bottle during protests related to the fatal police shooting of a Guatemalan immigrant, city prosecutors said Tuesday. The sentence handed down by L.A. County Superior Court Judge Yvette Verastegui came after Cameron Hughes entered a no contest plea Tuesday to throwing an object at a vehicle. Hughes must choose between spending a month in county jail or working on a Caltrans crew. He also received two years formal diversion, city prosecutors said.
Los Angeles Times

Delivery driver carjacked near 101 Freeway on-ramp
Three men believed responsible for an overnight crime spree were in custody Tuesday. And a woman who was carjacked while delivering diet meals is speaking out about a night of terror. The incident happened in Silver Lake along the 101 Freeway. Three suspects in custody are allegedly responsible for a local crime spree Monday night, including one other carjacking.
ABC7

State Budget Crisis

Prisons

Brown's plan to shift inmates faces big challenges
Gov. Jerry Brown's ambitious proposal to shift responsibility for thousands of state prisoners to county jails is a complex challenge that remains elusive even as he prepares to sign legislation to launch his agenda. Most immediately, Brown must win legislative and voter support for his proposal to extend temporary increases in income, sales and car taxes to help pay counties to handle the new responsibilities.
California Budget Watch

Pensions

Police, firefighters, make pension sacrifices
Police officers, firefighters and general government employees have given up benefits over the past two years, as efforts to bring runaway pension costs under control intensify, according to a recent survey by the League of California Cities. A majority of the state's 481 cities responded to the survey (a total of 296), so the results show an interesting trend toward change.
Orange County Register

Congress members collect above-average pensions
While some members of Congress have criticized state and local public employees for the generous pensions they receive, those lawmakers aren't doing bad themselves. Most pension plans have an accrual rate of 1.3 percent to 1.5 percent, according to an analysis by McClatchy Newspapers. That means that after the employee racks up the requisite number of years and reaches the required age, they receive an annual pension of 1.3 percent to 1.5 percent of their final pay multiplied by the number of years employed. Federal employees have an accrual rate of 1 percent for their pensions. However, members of Congress have an accrual rate of 1.7 percent.
Orange County Register

City Government

Villaraigosa's transportation innovation
In politics, as in commerce, there are times when you have to grow to survive. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa believes that's the case with his 30/10 transportation initiative, which is why he's in Washington on Wednesday arguing for a national version of the plan that its improbably bipartisan backers are calling America Fast Forward. Essentially, 30/10 proposes using federal loans to leverage the half-cent sales tax increase to which 67.9% of Los Angeles County residents agreed when they passed Measure R.
Los Angeles Times