Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Sylmar, Silver Lake, 11 other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 13 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Four neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Sylmar was the most unusual, recording 11 reports compared with a weekly average of 3.4 over the last three months. Silver Lake topped the list of nine neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD commemorates 'Onion Field' murder
Police officers and others gathered in Hollywood Friday afternoon to commemorate the death of Los Angeles police officer Ian Campbell, who was murdered 49 years ago in the infamous Onion Field case. The memorial, at the Hollywood police station, included a tribute by a police captain and a bagpipe performance by the Emerald Society. The "Onion Field" case has been the subject of a book and a movie, and a short film of the case was played before the ceremony.
Los Angeles Times

Hit-and-run driver sought in fatal Canoga Park crash
Authorities are seeking a driver who fled the scene of an accident that left a motorcyclist dead Saturday in the west San Fernando Valley. The crash happened shortly before 1 p.m. at the intersection of Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue in Canoga Park. The motorcyclist was going southbound on De Soto, while the driver of a pickup truck was making a left turn from the northbound side, said Officer William McConnell of the Los Angeles Police Department Valley Traffic division.
Los Angeles Times

Carjacking suspect hospitalized after police chase
A suspected carjacker, who apparently cut his neck with a knife during a police chase ended by officers who used a patrol car to nudge his pickup truck into a spin, was hospitalized Sunday. The man, whose name police withheld, is suspected of stealing a gray Dodge Ram pickup truck from someone at knifepoint at or near 82nd and Figueroa streets about 7:55 p.m. Saturday, said Los Angeles Police Officer Roger Aguirre of the 77th Street Station. He was taken to a hospital and expected to be booked for felony evading and possibly other crimes.
Los Angeles Daily News

More closures scheduled this week on 405 Freeway
Commuters will face more closures on Interstate 405 this week while Metro contractors continue work on the reconstructed Mulholland Drive overpass. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, partial lane closures on the southbound lanes will begin at 7 p.m. from the 101 Freeway south to Getty Center Drive. The entire southbound 405 will be closed from midnight until 5 a.m. each night. Similar closures will take effect on the northbound lanes between Westwood and the Valley on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

Politics lights a fire under L.A. Fire Department
A Los Angeles mayoral candidate took an early campaign swipe at his leading opponents this week and inadvertently exposed the city Fire Department for publishing misleading performance data. Top brass at the Los Angeles Fire Department on Friday admitted that for years the agency put out data that made it appear that firefighters were arriving at the scene of emergencies faster than they actually were.
Los Angeles Times

Labor Unions

Labor unions rethinking their role in politics
As top union leaders gather in Florida on Tuesday to determine labor's political strategy this year, the influential AFL-CIO appears poised to endorse President Obama's reelection - despite some lingering dissatisfaction with his record. But the way in which unions back him and other Democrats this year is likely to take a very different form than in past campaigns. Concluding they need to be more independent of the Democratic Party, many unions are increasingly financing their own efforts instead of writing large checks to candidates and the party.
Los Angeles Times

The Economy

L.A. County jobless rate dips to 11.8%
In another sign the recovery is gaining traction, unemployment fell again in the county and state in January and is now at levels not seen since 2009, the state said Friday. Los Angeles County's jobless rate fell to 11.8 percent in January from 12 percent in December and from 12.5 percent a year ago, according to the Employment Development Department. It's the first time the rate has been below 12 percent since August 2009, said EDD labor market analyst Robert Lee. And it's the sixth monthly decline in a row, he said.
Los Angeles Daily News