Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for El Sereno, West Hills and five other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly in seven L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of the latest week of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Four neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. El Sereno was the most unusual, recording eight reports compared with a weekly average of 1.8 over the last three months. West Hills topped the list of three neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

Fatal shooting in North Hollywood
A 24-year-old man was fatally shot Monday night, while trying to rescue his grandfather during an apparent robbery attempt in North Hollywood. LAPD has identified the victim as Danilo Estuardo Morales. The shooting occurred at 6:45 p.m. in the driveway of a home in the 8100 block of Coldwater Canyon Boulevard, one block north of Strathern Street, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Karen Rayner.
NBC4

From boardwalk to barrio, Los Angeles cracks down
Los Angeles officials are beginning to crack down on illicit markets. Illegal vendors, the authorities say, bring with them threats of crime and an influx of people eager to sleep on city streets. Storekeepers who rent space on the other side of the Venice boardwalk complain that they are losing customers to the sidewalk sellers, or losing foot traffic altogether. "This is a real go-to place and people come here from all over the planet, and they were just taking over with junk and cheap trinkets," said City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who represents Venice.
New York Times

City, LAPD clear homeless from Veterans Square
On Sunday morning, volunteers from local American Legion Post 206 and the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council conducted a brief cleanup effort at the Veterans Square Memorial at the corner of York Boulevard and Figueroa Street. In recent months, the square had become a camp for the area's homeless, hosting up to 35 people on some days, according to Cmd. Sgt. Major Tony Howard from American Legion Post 206.
Highland Park - Mt. Washington Patch

LAPD cruiser in five-car crash downtown
An LAPD patrol car was involved in a five-car crash Monday in downtown Los Angeles, officials said. The collision near Olympic Boulevard and Hill Street left five injured, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Three were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and two others, including a police officer, were treated and released at the scene, fire officials said.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD cautions drivers as school resumes after holidays
As nearly 700,000 students return to class after their winter vacations, roadways on Monday will be congested with parents and buses carting around children, as well as youngsters walking and biking back to school. The return to school prompted authorities on Monday to remind motorists, cyclists and pedestrians of safety concerns, particularly around schools.
Los Angeles Times

Jailhouse snitch tainted conviction, justices say
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to intervene in the second chance given to a man who has spent 17 years in prison for murder, based almost entirely on the testimony of an otherwise unreliable jailhouse snitch. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit ordered California in November 2010 to either release Bobby Joe Maxwell or convene a new trial for him. In 1979, police pegged Maxwell as the so-called Skid Row Stabber, who allegedly murdered 10 men in downtown Los Angeles.
Courthouse News Service

Prison Realignment

Sacramento's new prison realignment plan is off to a terrible start
State leaders might have seen an ideal budget fix in their new law allowing felons with prison terms of six years or less to be housed in local jails and then supervised by local law enforcement agencies, but the last 48 hours have already given us two examples of just how terribly bad this idea will turn out.
LAPPL Blog

State Government

Gov. Jerry Brown proposes discount for avoiding DMV offices
Banks have tried to discourage customers from using tellers in person; now Gov. Jerry Brown wants to do the same for renewals at the Department of Motor Vehicles. The governor, in his latest budget plan, proposed a $5 discount for drivers who use the internet or mail to renew their "routine" vehicle registrations. The plan would save drivers an estimated $100 million statewide annually.
Sacramento Bee

Politics

Yaroslavsky says he's still undecided on L.A. mayoral run
Nine days into the new year, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky continued his will-he-or-won't-he dance, declining to tell a downtown lunchtime audience whether he will run for mayor in 2013. Appearing at the Los Angeles Current Affairs Forum, Yaroslavsky was coy -- as he was throughout 2011 -- when asked whether he wants the job currently held by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is in his final four-year term. He was less shy, however, on his views of L.A. city government.
Los Angeles Times

The Economy

Gasoline prices climb in California, nationwide
Retail gasoline prices jumped higher over the last week in California and most of the nation, adding to what was already a record start for a new year. The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in California rose 7.2 cents to $3.707, shattering the old record for this time of year: $3.332 a gallon, set last year, according to the Energy Department's weekly survey of filling stations.
Los Angeles Times