Law Enforcement

Two violent incidents cause concern about Occupy L.A.
Two violent incidents at the otherwise peaceful Occupy Los Angeles encampment have caused concern among law enforcement officials about the safety of protesters and the future of the tent city on the lawn of City Hall. One woman was arrested on suspicion of setting another person's clothes on fire Friday, police said, and another woman was taken into custody after protesters told police she hit a man over the head with a tent pole. Occupy Los Angeles has been among the most peaceful of the nationwide Wall Street protests.
Associated Press

4 wounded, 1 critically, in South L.A. shooting
Police searched Friday for four men involved in a South L.A. shooting that left four victims wounded, one critically. Details were sketchy but four men between the ages of 25 and 30 were shot near 4340 Long Beach Avenue about 11:15 p.m. Thursday, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Rosario Herrera. Three of the victims suffered non-critical gunshot wounds and one man shot in the upper body was critically injured, she said. The suspects fled the scene. Herrera could not confirm media reports that the victims were on bicycles when they were shot.
Los Angeles Times

Police arrest four after stolen car pursuit
An hour-long police pursuit of a stolen car ended with the arrest of four suspects Sunday night. The incident began in West L.A. at the corner of Pico and Manning after 6:00 p.m. when officers ran the plate of a vehicle and discovered it had been stolen at gunpoint on November 4 in the City of Whittier, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. When they tried to stop of the vehicle, the driver escaped at high speed, the LAPD said.
NBC4

Martial arts experts thwart armed robbery
Good Samaritans in town for a martial arts tournament thwarted a suspected robbery attempt at a Los Angeles hotel in which they were staying, police announced today. The incident happened at about 11:40 p.m. Wednesday at a hotel in the 300 block of Vermont Avenue, Officer Rosario Herrera of the Los Angeles Police Department said. The LAPD declined to reveal the name of the hotel. "Officers responded to a radio call of an assault suspect armed with a gun," Herrera said in a statement.
Fox11

Lawsuits aren't hindrance to rising in LAPD ranks
After paying out $38 million in internal harassment and discrimination suits over the last three years, the LAPD is coming under fire for a perceived lack of discipline of command staff targeted in the complaints. Several supervisors have been promoted, although they were named as defendants in lawsuits that resulted in six- or seven-figure judgments or settlements, according to a review of city and court documents.
Torrance Daily Breeze

Chatsworth strip-mall stores look to fight L.A. sign fines as city touts business-friendly effort
Even as Los Angeles officials tout efforts to become more business-friendly, inspectors issued $350 citations to more than half of the merchants in a popular Chatsworth strip mall for violating sign codes. Ten of the 16 owners of mostly mom-and-pop shops were cited Wednesday for having signs that covered more than 10 percent of their window space. They can appeal the $356.16 citation -- but that would cost them $354 more in filing fees to do so..
Los Angeles Daily News

Exhibit A in 4th Amendment privacy cases: technology
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday will take up a hot-button 4th Amendment issue: whether GPS surveillance without a warrant constitutes an unreasonable search. The case, United States vs. Jones, will decide the law on GPS tracking across the country. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a decision by the usually liberal-leaning U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that an Ontario police sergeant's privacy had been violated when the city's police chief read through private text messages sent from his pager. The high court said public employees - who number 20 million nationwide - didn't have an expectation of privacy when sending personal messages on company devices.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

No. 2 official on L.A. City Council resigns post
The No. 2-ranking official on the Los Angeles City Council resigned from her leadership post Friday, saying she was troubled by what she described as behind-the-scenes maneuvering over redistricting and the council presidency. Jan Perry, the council's president pro tempore since 2009, voiced dismay that "private" talks had been held over replacing Councilman Eric Garcetti as president. She also suggested that new boundary lines for the council's 15 districts are being redrawn in secret, even though a 21-member commission is charged with doing that job in public.
Los Angeles Times

Nearly $2 million spent on race for open L.A. council seat
In a hotly contested Harbor area campaign where union support has loomed large, nearly $2 million has been spent in the run-up to Tuesday's vote to fill a rare open seat on the Los Angeles City Council. Five of 11 contenders vying in the special election to replace former Councilwoman Janice Hahn have raised more than $100,000, according to campaign filings posted Friday. Union support has been split among three labor-friendly front-runners.
Los Angeles Times

The Economy

Most of the unemployed no longer receive benefits.
The jobs crisis has left so many people out of work for so long that most of America's unemployed are no longer receiving unemployment benefits. Early last year, 75 percent were receiving checks. The figure is now 48 percent - a shift that points to a growing crisis of long-term unemployment. Nearly one-third of America's 14 million unemployed have had no job for a year or more. Congress is expected to decide by year's end whether to continue providing emergency unemployment benefits for up to 99 weeks in the hardest-hit states.
Associated Press