Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Palms, Toluca Lake and 20 other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 22 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Twelve neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Palms was the most unusual, recording seven reports compared with a weekly average of 1.6 over the last three months. Toluca Lake topped the list of 12 neighborhoods with property-crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

Downtown crime ticks up, new maps online
The LAPD's crime statistics show a slight year-to-date increase in violent and property crimes in Downtown. So far, violent crime is up 7% compared to the same period last year. As of May 21, there were 318 violent crimes reported in Central Division, up from 298 at this time in 2010. Most of the increase stemmed from a rise in aggravated assaults, from 141 last year to 151 so far in 2011.
LA Downtown News

How a savage ballpark beating improved the LAPD's image
The brutal beating of a Giants fan at Dodger Stadium on Opening Day shook the entire city and led to a wave of cooperation with the LAPD - and renewed appreciation for its hard work. The LAPD is playing its cards very close to its chest so as not to jeopardize ongoing investigations, says Richard French, of LAPD Media Relations. But he confirms Police Chief Charlie Beck's confidence that Giovanni Ramirez, a parolee and former gang member is among Mr. Stow's assailants because of positive identifications given by those who witnessed the assault.
Christian Science Monitor

Vital tattoo details in Bryan Stow attack missing from parolee database
Key descriptive details such as a teardrop tattoo were never entered into a computer database that might have helped identify a high-risk parolee who is now the main suspect in the beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow. It took police eight weeks after the March 31 beating of Stow to arrest 31-year-old Giovanni Ramirez, and tattoos on his neck and face played a major role in his identification.
San Francisco Examiner

California gun-control laws cut flow to Mexico
California's tough gun-control laws are targeted at armed criminals in general and mass-shooters in particular. But they appear to have had the unintended consequence of making California gun stores unattractive to purchasers buying weapons for the Mexican drug cartels. A Hearst Newspapers survey of guns purchased in the United States and funneled to Mexican drug traffickers found that out of 1,600 guns identified by brand name and purchase point in court documents, a mere 70 came from California.
San Francisco Chronicle

Traffic

Officials hope to avert traffic nightmare during 405 Freeway closure
Warning motorists of potentially massive delays, transportation officials last week announced plans to shut down a 10-mile stretch of the 405 Freeway for 53 hours in July as part of an ongoing project to widen the expressway between the Westside and the San Fernando Valley. Starting before midnight on Friday, July 15, until early Monday, July 18, the northbound 405 will be closed between U.S. 101 and Interstate 10 so that workers can demolish half of the Mulholland Drive bridge as part of the $1-billion widening project. A four-mile stretch of the southbound 405 will also be closed.
Los Angeles Times

Immigration

California bill would let counties opt out of U.S. immigration program
California lawmakers have taken steps to opt out of a controversial federal immigration enforcement program, joining a growing number of states that say it harms public safety and undermines local law enforcement. Under the Secure Communities program, fingerprints of all arrestees booked into local jails and cross-checked with the FBI's criminal database are forwarded to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for screening.
Los Angeles Times

Budget Crises

Two L.A. unions ratify concessions on 2nd attempt
Two of the four employee groups that rejected Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's plan for worker concessions last month have ratified it on the second go-round - sparing them from dozens of unpaid days off in the coming year, union officials said Friday. Villaraigosa said he will abandon plans for up to 42 furlough days for 5,500 clerks, security guards and other city workers who had originally balked at more employee givebacks.
Los Angeles Times

'Perfect storm' ahead for summer youth programs
With widespread cutbacks around the country in public funding for both summer school and summer-jobs programs, youths in some cities, such as Los Angeles and Washington, may have plenty of time on their hands in the coming months. Many jobs programs for young people are facing a funding cliff now that federal stimulus money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has run out.
Associated Press