Law Enforcement

LAPD chief on Secure Communities: 'It tends to cause a divide'
Los Angeles' chief of police is less than gung-ho about a controversial immigration enforcement program known as Secure Communities, a federal fingerprint-sharing program that has drawn complaints from some law enforcement and state officials, while it is embraced by others. During a radio interview yesterday with KPCC's Patt Morrison, the Los Angeles Police Department's Chief Charlie Beck expressed some of the same concerns that more vocal critics of the program have voiced, among them Sheriff Michael Hennessey of San Francisco.
KPCC

Prostitution crackdown enters new phase
The Los Angeles Police Department is planning to get officers out of their cars and out on foot patrols in an effort to combat street prostitution in neighborhoods adjacent to Sepulveda Boulevard. The increased patrols could put as many as 20 additional officers in the area on foot and in squad cars. The crackdown is part of a joint effort by police and the city attorney's office in response to complaints from residents who say they are witnessing sex acts on their streets, said Tamar Galatzan, a deputy city attorney.
Sherman Oaks Patch

'California stops' are getting costly
State legislators, faced with a crippling $10 billion budget deficit, have added a slew of new penalties to traffic violation fines since 2009 and are considering more assessments for those who are convicted of moving violations. Ticket fines in Los Angeles County are a combination of a base fine and 15 added penalties that are either a flat fee or are calculated as a percentage of the base fine. The base fine for running a red light is $100, but a ticket will cost $480 in Los Angeles County. A citation for failing to stop for a pedestrian at a crosswalk is $234 - $200 more than the $35 base fine.
Torrance Daily Breeze

City Government

Jaime de la Vega to lead the troubled Los Angeles Transportation Department
Moving to address problems in Los Angeles' embattled Transportation Department, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Friday nominated one of his closest deputies to lead the agency and installed a top police commander to oversee reform. Villaraigosa also temporarily appointed Police Department Commander Michael C. Williams to oversee reform in the Transportation Department's parking enforcement division. Williams, who is assistant commanding officer of the Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau, said one of his priorities will be to see whether high-tech management systems can improve accountability and communication.
Los Angeles Times

State Budget Crisis

Prisons & Parole

Most California's parolees return to prison within two years
Five years ago, the state paroled 69,000 prisoners - a normal year. Within two years, about 36,000 were back in prison, according to the latest data from the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Car thieves were the most likely parolees to come back to prison quickly statewide; murderers were the least likely.
Sacramento Bee

Pensions

Real data needed for California pension reform
The pensions received by California's public employees have erupted into a very hot political issue, so hot that it has become one of the key issues in the state budget stalemate. Scarcely a day passes without some new anecdotal revelation of seeming pension excess, such as quarter- or even half-million-dollar pensions for some retirees, including those who face criminal charges.
Sacramento Bee