Law Enforcement

Police seek hit-and-run driver who killed woman in North Hollywood
Police today sought a hit-and-run driver who fatally struck a woman in her 50s who was pushing a cart across a North Hollywood street. The accident in the 4100 block of Cahuenga Boulevard, near Lankershim Boulevard, was reported at 8:55 p.m. Friday said Officer Bruce Borihanh of the Los Angeles Police Department. The car that struck the woman was described only as a four-door sedan. A second vehicle also struck the woman, but its driver stopped and talked to police, Borihanh said.
Los Angeles Daily News

Man shot, wounded by police after domestic violence incident in Venice
A man suspected of firing a handgun during a domestic violence incident in Venice during which he allegedly held a woman and two children hostage was shot in the face and wounded by police today, authorities said. Officers heard gunshots as they went to a house near the intersection of Penmar Avenue and Lake Street around 1:15 a.m. in response to a call reporting that a woman was screaming for help, said Sgt. Richard Parks of the Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific Station.
Los Angeles Daily News

Man dies in shooting at artists' colony
A party at the Brewery Lofts artists' community ended tragically early Sunday when a 22-year-old man was shot to death, police said. Another man, whose age was not released, was shot in the arm. The Brewery is a community of about 300 people, mostly artists, on the site of an old Pabst Blue Ribbon plant in Lincoln Heights. LAPD Sgt. Michael Morisseau said the shooting apparently took place among the artist-residents of the complex, and did not appear to be gang-related.
NBC4

Gun buyback program nets more than 600 weapons in first hour
Authorities were hoping to net about 2,000 weapons in the city's annual gun buyback program Saturday, but the total tally of firearms that locals exchanged for gift cards won't be available until Monday, according to officials. The program, in its fourth year and held on Mother's Day weekend, is aimed at cutting down on shootings by allowing people to turn in the weapons - no questions asked - at six locations around the city, including Facey Medical Center in Mission Hills.
Los Angeles Daily News

One man dead, another wounded in South L.A. drive-by shooting
One man was killed and another wounded in a drive-by shooting in South Los Angeles on Saturday morning, police said. A late-model Honda pulled up about 6 a.m. and someone inside fired several shots at two men standing outside a residence on the 100 block of West 45th Street, LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman said. One man was shot in the chest and pronounced dead at the hospital. The other victim, who was shot the leg, was in stable condition.
Los Angeles Times

State Budget

Brown: California facing $16 billion shortfall
California's budget deficit has grown to a projected $16 billion and the state will have to make severe cuts to schools and public safety if voters reject tax hikes in November, Gov. Jerry Brown announced Saturday. The Democratic governor said the state's shortfall grew from $9.2 billion in January because tax collections have not come in as high and the economy isn't ramping up as fast as the administration had hoped. The deficit has also gone up because billions of dollars in state cuts have been blocked by lawsuits and federal requirements.
Associated Press

City Government

Taxpayers' bill for Occupy L.A. protest rises to $4.7 million
A new report says Occupy Los Angeles cost taxpayers at least $4.7 million, two-thirds of which was spent policing the protest. The report by City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana says the Los Angeles Police Department spent $1.3 million monitoring protesters during the course of their two-month demonstration outside City Hall, and $1.3 million evicting them. An additional half a million dollars was spent by city security officers, according to the report. The tally of city costs is $2 million higher than an estimate reported in February.
Los Angeles Times

Beutner's exit shows waning influence of business at City Hall
When Austin Beutner entered the mayor's race last year, it looked like the wealthy former investment banker and onetime city jobs czar might give the Los Angeles business community its best chance in years at regaining influence at City Hall. His abrupt exit from the campaign this week after struggles with fundraising and a poor showing in the polls highlights the decline of political power that was once wielded by the city's business elite.
Los Angeles Times