Law Enforcement

LAPD chief: Wilmington attack on officer is part of growing trend
The Thursday night attack on a police officer in the Wilmington area is part of a rising trend of violent crimes against LAPD officers, Police Chief Charlie Beck said Friday. Beck told KPCC's Patt Morrison that as of last week violent attacks on police officers in L.A. are up 29 percent - with 125 violent assaults in 2011 alone. Three more assaults have already occurred since those numbers were released last week. Beck said overall crime is down in L.A., but that the rise in violent assaults against the LAPD is of great concern.
KPCC

Crime alerts for Carthay, University Park and five other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in seven L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Seven neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Carthay recorded three reports compared with a weekly average of 0.5 over the last three months. University Park was the lone neighborhood with a property-crime alert.
Los Angeles Times

A legal ruling's unfortunate impact
On June 23, U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez issued a ruling in a case involving a lawsuit filed on behalf of a group of homeless individuals. Two months later, the impact of his decision is clear: Skid Row sidewalks have been legally converted into scenes we'd imagine in some third world country, not blocks from our own City Hall. LAPD and Department of Public Works crews are now prohibited from removing abandoned items from Skid Row sidewalks.
LA Downtown News

Prisons

Jerry Brown appoints new state prison watchdog
Gov. Jerry Brown has named Kern County prosecutor Robert Barton as the new inspector general of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The inspector general is responsible for offering independent oversight of the state prison system. Matthew Cate, secretary of the department, held the inspector general position before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2008 named him director, a post to which Brown later reappointed him. Bruce Monfross replaced Cate as inspector general.
Los Angeles Times

Pensions

Remembering 9/11

Immigration

Sanctuary city? Not L.A.
In the ever-divisive debate over the proper role of local police in enforcing federal immigration law, there is a recurrent theme, especially as it involves Los Angeles: Critics complain that this and other municipalities have become "sanctuary cities," in which those in the country illegally are shielded from immigration authorities. That complaint is widespread - it's a regular feature of letters to the editor of this newspaper, and it crops up in politics at all levels. Meg Whitman argued it during her failed effort against Jerry Brown. Even Wikipedia lists Los Angeles as a sanctuary city. That's widely believed. It's also utterly false.
Los Angeles Times

California's budget may weigh on DREAM Act
A bill allowing undocumented students in California to use public funds to help pay for college is quickly moving through Sacramento, but cost may be an issue if and when it crosses Gov. Jerry Brown's desk next month. A Brown spokeswoman said the administration supports the general principal behind AB 131, but it will take a long hard look at the bill considering the deep fiscal challenge of a $26 billion budget gap.
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Politics

Perry delivers on Texas death penalty
As Texas governor, GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry has presided over 234 executions. It's a record number, which, the Washington Post reported last week, bestows on Perry "a law-and-order credential that none of his competitors can match - even if they wanted to." Watch how pundits will try to turn that statistic into a political negative - and paint Perry as the governor with blood on his spurs - even though American voters overwhelmingly support the death penalty.
San Francisco Chronicle