Law Enforcement

Gunman at large after man killed in Pico-Robertson neighborhood
Police on Monday were investigating a shooting that left a man dead in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood. The victim, described only as a Latino man, was walking in the 8800 block of West 18th Street at 11:40 p.m. Sunday when he was shot, said Lt. Carlos Islas of the Los Angeles Police Department's West Los Angeles station. Police responded to a report of shots fired, and neighbors heard a vehicle leaving the scene, Islas said.
Los Angeles Times

Man is shot after leaving Hollywood nightclub
A man was shot and wounded after a hip-hop show in Hollywood early Monday. The man was leaving the Wonderland Club, where Compton rapper Problem and the Inglewood hip-hop group Cali Swag District performed, when the shooting took place. Officer Gregory Baek of the Los Angeles Police Department said the victim, a 25-year-old man, had gotten in an altercation with someone at the club. The man left the club and was walking near Yucca Street and Cahuenga Boulevard about 1:18 a.m. when a vehicle approached him from behind and someone shot him in the back.
Los Angeles Times

Gunfire wounds 13-year-old girl in home
Suspected gang members fired gunshots at a home in South Los Angeles on Monday, wounding a 13-year-old girl as she slept, police said. The shooting occurred in the 4100 block of Dorsey Street south of Jefferson High School around 1:20 a.m., said Sgt. Dino Caldera of the Los Angeles Police Department's Newton Station. "Nine rounds were fired, six hit the house and one hit the girl in the right knee," Caldera said. The girl was hospitalized in stable condition, said Officer Gregory Baek of the LAPD's Media Relations office.
Torrance Daily Breeze

Immigration

U-visas gaining momentum
The U-visa program gives temporary legal status to undocumented abuse victims who help police investigate crimes. Supporters want it to grow, while foes seek tighter controls. The program got off to a sluggish start, with advocates complaining that immigration officials were slow to approve applications. It grew quickly, however, with the help of outreach efforts, including local visits by officials with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Los Angeles Times

Prisons

Spike in crime warned if prison realignment initiated October 1
Beginning October 1, 7,000 to 8,000 state prisoners will be reassigned to county facilities, according to Fifth District County Supervisor Michael Antonovich. Fifteen thousand more are expected next year. Those figures don't include the 9,000 parolees the county would also be forced to monitor. Antonovich called the prisoner realignment "a Trojan horse style attack" on local governments that would "ensure catastrophic consequences" for Los Angeles County's criminal justice system.
KHTS Santa Clarita

County preps for parolee transfer
Gov. Jerry Brown met privately Monday with Los Angeles County supervisors in an effort to ease their concerns about the thousands of state prisoners and parolees poised to flood local jails beginning Saturday. Under Brown's so-called realignment program, the county Probation Department will take over the supervision of some 9,000 parolees - those whose last conviction was for a nonviolent, nonserious or nonsexual offense. County officials, however, have expressed serious misgivings about the sudden influx of parolees - concerns the governor hoped to address.
Los Angeles Daily News

California state prisoners to resume hunger strike
California prison inmates announced Monday that they will be resuming their hunger strike. Inmates staged a hunger strike in July to protest what they described as inhumane conditions, particularly long, punitive stays in isolation cells. The strike began at Pelican Bay State Prison and spread across California. Advocates for the prisoners said in a statement Monday that 6,600 inmates took part.
Los Angeles Times

City Budget

L.A. shortfall to top $200M next year, official says
Budget officials said Monday that Los Angeles' financial prospects are gloomier than expected, with the projected shortfall growing to $200 million next year. Assistant City Administrative Officer Ray Ciranna said rising costs and less-than-expected revenue forced officials to revise the projected deficit for 2012-2013, which was estimated at $196 million just a few months ago.
Los Angeles Daily News