Law Enforcement

Clark Gable's grandson guilty of pointing laser at LAPD chopper
The grandson of acting great Clark Gable pleaded guilty Thursday to pointing a laser at a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter last summer as it flew over Hollywood Boulevard, the district attorney's office announced. Clark James Gable, 23, of Canoga Park, pleaded guilty to one felony count of discharge of a laser at an occupied aircraft.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD: Don't leave valuable property in vehicles
The LAPD's auto unit at the Northeast Community station is recommending that resident not leave any valuables in their vehicles—including construction tools or equipment—to prevent their theft. The advice comes in response to Patch's inquiry about any leads that detectives might have into the December 1 burglary of some $1,000 worth of construction tools from the pickup truck of Floristan Avenue resident Stuart London.
Eagle Rock Patch

LAPD chief pays tribute to late 'Dragnet' star Harry Morgan
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck had a word of tribute for Harry Morgan, the actor who played half of the classic "Dragnet" TV detective team. "RIP 2 'Dragnet' actor Harry Morgan aka Officer Gannon. May you and Sgt. Joe Friday 'continue patrol' in heaven," Beck wrote on his Twitter account. Morgan played Officer Bill Gannon for four seasons on "Dragnet," a show that first was broadcast in the 1940s on the radio.
Los Angeles Times

No felony charges in Wal-Mart pepper-spray case
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has declined to file felony charges against the woman accused of attacking 20 Wal-Mart customers with pepper spray during a Black Friday shopping frenzy. Instead, they have referred the case against Elizabeth Macias, 32, of the San Fernando Valley, to city prosecutors for possible misdemeanor prosecution.
Los Angeles Times

Gun law-enforcement operation called 'reckless' by Holder
A U.S. law enforcement operation to track guns shipped illegally to Mexico was "reckless" and the tactics used weren't approved by the Mexican government, Attorney General Eric Holder told lawmakers. Holder made the comments today in response to questions at a House Judiciary Committee hearing about an operation called Fast and Furious designed to link guns smuggled from the U.S. to Mexican drug cartels. Holder repeatedly clashed with Republican lawmakers, who faulted his oversight of the Justice Department.
Bloomberg

Body found on Alabama Avenue in Canoga Park
A man's body was found Thursday in Canoga Park, and homicide detectives were sent to investigate the circumstances of his death, police said. The body of the man, who was about 55-60 years of age, was discovered about 7:30 a.m. in the 7600 block of Alabama Avenue, said Sgt. Martin Spann of the Los Angeles Police Department's Topanga Station. The cause of death was under investigation. The man's name was not immediately released.
Los Angeles Daily News

State Budget Crisis

Brown to seek more automatic budget cuts if California tax increase fails
California Governor Jerry Brown will propose a second round of automatic spending cuts that would be triggered if voters reject his proposal to temporarily increase income and sales taxes. Brown said he'll include projected revenue from the tax increase in the budget he'll propose next month for the fiscal year that begins July 1, even though voters won't be able to decide on the higher levies until November.
Bloomberg

The Economy

Recession has created more economic polarization in California
California's worst recession since the Great Depression has hit all economic classes, but has had a particularly harsh effect on those in the lower income brackets and has exacerbated the state's socioeconomic polarization, a new study by the Public Policy Institute of California determined. One result has been that the ranks of the economic middle class have thinned to less than half of the state's population, PPIC found.
Sacramento Bee

California officials vow to crack down on underground economy
A burgeoning underground economy is costing California about $7 billion annually in lost tax revenue and undercutting companies that play by the rules. That has state officials vowing to crack down on employers who pay their workers cash under the table to avoid payroll taxes, workers' compensation insurance and other government mandates.
Los Angeles Times

Election 2012

Candidates in 15th District election raise near-equal amounts of funds
A mere $12,000 in campaign contributions separates Los Angeles police Officer Joe Buscaino and Assemblyman Warren Furutani in the Jan. 17 runoff election to replace Janice Hahn on the Los Angeles City Council, according to finance reports filed Thursday. Buscaino raised $287,066 through Dec. 3, along with another $130,000 in matching funds, according to the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. Buscaino received an additional $147,285 in independent expenditures from the Los Angeles Police Protective League's political action committee for mailed advertisements and a televised commercial that aired on Harbor Area cable stations.
Torrance Daily Breeze