Special Election 2012

Political newcomer Joe Buscaino captures vacant L.A. council seat
Police officer Joe Buscaino, a political newcomer who captured an open Los Angeles City Council seat in a decisive win over a comparably seasoned opponent, said in a victory speech late Tuesday night that he is an "average Joe" who is part of a "new generation of leadership." Preliminary results show Buscaino won 60.7% of the votes cast in the runoff for the 15th council district, with Assemblyman Warren Furutani earning 39.3%.
Los Angeles Times

Law Enforcement

Crowd protests impound change
When Los Angeles police commissioners in Northridge asked for public opinion, they got an angry earful Tuesday about a pending plan to go easy on unlicensed drivers, mostly illegal immigrants. Residents, concerned about plans to halt a policy of 30-day car holds for first offenders, jammed St. Nicholas Church in Northridge to express their outrage. Some 300 people filled the church's auditorium seats, with another 100 forced to stand in the back and dozens more prevented from squeezing in the building.
Los Angeles Daily News

Search to resume Wednesday in area where head was found
Los Angeles police Tuesday night suspended a search near a Hollywood Hills crime scene where two dogs uncovered a human head hidden in a plastic bag. Investigators were planning to resume searching below the Hollywood sign near Canyon Drive after sunrise Wednesday to determine whether additional human remains were left in the area, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
Los Angeles Times

Two arrested in murder of El Camino Real High soccer goalie Francisco Rodriguez
A man and woman with long rap sheets have been taken into custody on suspicion of killing a popular El Camino Real Charter High School soccer player, police said Tuesday. Jason Schumann, 24, of Calabasas, and Elizabeth Ibarra, 19, who has lived in various locations around the San Fernando Valley, were arrested in connection with the murder of Francisco "Pancho" Rodriguez Jr., the star goalie who was fatally shot on his front lawn Jan. 11.
Los Angeles Daily News

Man fires at LAPD, prompting South Los Angeles school lockdown
Police were searching for a man who allegedly fired shots at Los Angeles police officers Tuesday morning in South L.A. Authorities said a man got out of his car on 53rd and Hoover streets around 10 a.m. and opened fire on officers. The suspect then fled on foot. Undercover police officers and FBI agents were conducting surveillance in the area. LAPD and FBI SWAT teams were called to the scene.
ABC7

Sexually explicit tattoo angered Pinkberry founder, officials say
A founder of the Pinkberry yogurt chain allegedly beat up a homeless man with a tire iron because he found the transient's sexually explicit tattoo offensive, according to L.A. prosecutors. The incident took place in June 2011 on an off-ramp of the Hollywood Freeway at Vermont Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Los Angeles Times

89-year-old mother of LAPD captain rescued from Westlake fire
As an LAPD captain, Rigo Romero often relays information about crimes and crises to the public. But on Sunday morning, he received an emergency phone call that hit much closer to home. His sister called to tell him that a fire had broken out at his childhood home in the Westlake district -- and his thoughts immediately turned to his 89-year-old mother.
Los Angeles Times

Police chiefs to discuss terrorism at White House
The Obama administration is providing senior state and local police officials with its analysis of homegrown terrorism incidents, including common signs law enforcement can use to identify violent extremists. The warning signs identified for police include someone joining a group advocating violence, receiving support from a network that plans attacks or seeking out charismatic leaders who encourage violence.
Associated Press

Prisons

Judge to end Calif. prison receiver
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered California officials to prepare for the end of a six-year, court-ordered oversight of the prison system that has cost taxpayers billions of dollars and helped force a shift of lower-level criminals from state prisons to county jails. U.S. District Court Judge Thelton Henderson cited improving conditions in the prison system in a three-page order that says "the end of the Receivership appears to be in sight."
Associated Press