Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Pico-Union, 10 other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 11 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Seven neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Pico-Union was the most unusual, recording 13 reports compared with a weekly average of 5.7 over the last three months. Elysian Park topped the list of five neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

Buscaino, LAPD officers clean up empty land in South LA
Councilman Joe Buscaino from District 15, joined law enforcement officers and other community activists Saturday to clean up an empty plot of land near 103rd Street and Grandee Avenue in Watts. The plot was overgrown with weeds and had become a "magnet for trash, vermin and homeless encampments," according to a release by Buscaino's office. "Enough is enough," Buscaino said in the release.
Intersections South LA

Second shooting makes USC look 'really bad,' student says
Some USC students living near fraternity row said Wednesday that after another shooting near campus, they feel unsafe in their own neighborhood and fear for the reputation of their school. In the latest incident early Wednesday, police say suspect Jeremy Hendricks, 24, approached four students -- three men and a woman -- and demanded items. Hendricks then placed the items in a backpack and fled on foot before students flagged down USC security, who tracked down the suspect and confronted him, authorities said.
Los Angeles Times

Ex-con investigated in car burglaries near movie studios
An ex-convict who was free on probation has been charged in connection with burglarizing cars near movie studios that netted tens of thousands of dollars in merchandise. Police believe Sean C. Ray, 35, of Los Angeles allegedly rented a Mercedes convertible to avoid calling attention to himself while driving the streets scouting for cars to burglarize.
Los Angeles Times

Sears worker secretly filmed women with hidden cameras, LAPD says
A maintenance man at the Sears department store in North Hollywood has been arrested on suspicion of secretly filming women in the bathroom and fitting rooms, police said Wednesday night. Alejandro Gamiz, 27, allegedly placed video cameras behind the walls of the store at 12121 Victory Blvd., the Los Angeles Police Department said. Evidence supporting the arrest was obtained by LAPD sexual assault detectives, police said. Gamiz was released after posting $20,000 bail.
Los Angeles Times

FBI arrests man accused of pointing laser at jet and helicopter
A North Hollywood man was arrested Wednesday on federal charges alleging that he pointed a potentially dangerous laser beam at a private jet and a police helicopter, authorities said. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Adam Gardenhire, 18, is accused of shining a green laser beam at a Cessna Citation, operated by Netjets, and a Pasadena Police Department helicopter on the evening of March 29. He was taken into custody at his home.
Los Angeles Times

State of the City Address

Villaraigosa's legacy rides on transit plan
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's bid to indefinitely extend a transportation sales tax marks perhaps a last chance to jump-start what he hopes will be the cornerstone of his legacy: dramatically expanding rail service in L.A. A year before he leaves office, the mayor is desperate to break a logjam that has stalled his vision of quickly building a sprawling, interconnected rail system, including a subway extension across the traffic-clogged Westside.
Los Angeles Times

Legislation

Bill bars cell service shutdown by public agencies
BART and other government agencies in California would be barred from shutting down cellular phone networks unless they first obtain a court order under a bill that is sailing through the Legislature. The bill, first of its kind in the country, was introduced in response to the controversial decision by BART officials to shut down subterranean cell service at San Francisco stations Aug. 11 to quash a public protest over the killing of a man at a downtown station by a BART police officer.
San Francisco Chronicle