Law Enforcement

3 robbers steal jewels in Koreatown, beat security guard
Los Angeles police Tuesday night were looking for three men who robbed a Koreatown jewelry store, beat a security guard with a hammer and stole a woman's vehicle as they fled the area. One of the men pointed a gun at the owner of the store in the 3200 block of Wilshire Boulevard while the other two smashed jewelry cases with the hammer, stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
Los Angeles Times

Pharmacy owner shot in head during robbery
Detectives searched today for four men who carried out an armed robbery that left the owner of a family-owned pharmacy in Arlington Heights in serious condition with a gunshot wound to the head, police said. The robbers entered Botanica Indio de Samajat at 1322 2nd Ave. near Pico Boulevard around 9 p.m. Monday, said Sgt. Mike Ventura, a watch commander at the Los Angeles Police Department's Wilshire Station. The store is run by a man and his son. It was the older man who was shot in the head during the robbery, Ventura said. The victim's name was not immediately released.
Los Angeles Daily News

Missouri officer killed laying spike strips
A Caruthersville, Mo., police officer was killed while attempting to lay spike strips during a pursuit early Tuesday morning, according to KFVS-TV. Officer Evan Burns, 28, was fatally hit after the suspect broadsided his cruiser with a stolen SUV on Highway 84. The pursuit began around 12:30 a.m. when Pemiscot County deputies spotted the suspect in the 2002 Cadillac Escalade traveling south on I-55. He was wanted on assault first degree and auto theft. Deputies attempted to pull him over, but he continued driving.
Officer.com

Prisons

L.A. County officials say crime would rise under prison plan
Los Angeles County supervisors on Tuesday condemned Sacramento's cost-cutting decision to keep some state prisoners in local lockups and have parolees be supervised by county agencies, asserting that both would lead to an increase in crime. While discussing a prisoner transition plan submitted by Sheriff Lee Baca, Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich said he expected county jails to quickly run out of space if they must continue to handle the 7,000 low-level felons that courts normally send to state prison each year.
Los Angeles Times

Bill would let some inmates appeal lifetime terms
Human rights advocates and a state senator are pushing a bill through the Legislature that would let some offenders - juveniles sentenced to life without parole - appeal their lifetime sentences and possibly qualify for parole after serving at least 25 years in prison. Supporters of the bill, SB9, by Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, say juvenile criminals should be treated differently than adults because they are not as good at making decisions and have the capacity to change.
San Francisco Chronicle

State Budget

California revenues down, Department of Finance confirms
Gov. Jerry Brown's Department of Finance said Tuesday that California was $541 million shy of its July revenue forecast, a total similar to one released last week by state Controller John Chiang. School officials grew nervous last week because the state budget signed by Brown requires K-12 districts to absorb cuts if the state falls $4 billion shy of revenue expectations for the fiscal year. The budget also would impose cuts to higher education, social services and public safety programs.
Sacramento Bee

LA mayor urges 'big solution' for Calif. finances
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is challenging Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers to think boldly in repairing California's finances and pursue a "grand bargain" that would link property tax reforms to an overhaul of public pensions and K-12 schools. The Democratic mayor told the Sacramento Press Club Tuesday that he would give political cover to the governor and lawmakers by suggesting changes to Proposition 13. The 1978 initiative limited property tax increases and is seen as untouchable.
Associated Press

City Government

Villaraigosa against waiving environmental rules for NFL stadium
L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa expressed skepticism Tuesday that the Legislature would give a proposed NFL stadium downtown an exemption from environmental lawsuits. "I don't think they are going to do that, and I don't think they should," Villaraigosa said in an interview with reporters in The Times' Sacramento bureau. "I think the public wants a level of transparency, and I think we've had it up to now." Stadium developer Anschutz Entertainment Group is working on state legislation to limit the type of legal challenges that could be pursued based on environmental issues.
Los Angeles Times

L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa appoints Rafael Bernardino to Board of Fire and Police Pension Commissioners
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the appointment of Rafael Bernardino to the Board of Fire and Police Pension Commissioners on Monday. "Rafael Bernardino brings decades of legal experience representing both high profile public and private clients," Mayor Villaraigosa said. "His legal acumen will be a great asset to the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners." Rafael Bernardino, Jr. is currently a partner at Hobson, Bernardino & Davis, LLP
California Newswire