Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Cypress Park, Arlington Heights, 6 more L.A. areas
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in eight 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. Cypress Park was the most unusual, recording three reports compared with a weekly average of 0.6 over the last three months. Arlington Heights topped the list of four neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

Nearly 1,200 DUI arrests made in 10-day July 4th crackdown
Nearly 1,200 DUI arrests were made throughout Los Angeles County during 10 days of beefed-up law enforcement efforts designed to combat drunken driving in connection with the Fourth of July holiday period, authorities reported Monday. The Avoid the 100 Los Angeles County DUI Campaign began on June 29 and continued through Sunday. During that time, law enforcement officers conducted 21 sobriety/driver's license checkpoints and 58 "DUI saturation patrols" around the county, and arrested 1,188 people on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
City News Service

1 man killed, 1 wounded in South L.A. drive-by shooting
One man was killed and a second wounded Monday in a drive-by shooting at a gas station in Hyde Park, Los Angeles police said. The shooting occurred shortly after 4 p.m. at a gas station near Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard in South Los Angeles, police said. The names of the victims have not been released. Both men were taken to a hospital, where one died and the other was in stable condition with a gunshot wound to the leg, police said. A search was underway for the suspects.
Los Angeles Times

Son's death fuels Westlake Village man's push against unlicensed drivers
It took Don Rosenberg months before he could read through the police report describing the crash that killed his son in San Francisco nearly two years ago. "I would say: 'I can't do this anymore. I can't go forward reading,' " the Westlake Village man said. "I would only get through three pages and put it down." He eventually learned his son, Drew Rosenberg, 25, of San Francisco, was hit by an unlicensed driver. Further digging led him to a proposed state bill that would bar law enforcement officers from impounding the cars of unlicensed drivers.
Ventura County Star

Rival gangs fueling violence on Monte Vista Street
The killing of Pedro Morales and the wounding of his brother in a shooting on Monte Vista Street Saturday evening were the latest in a string of violent incidents fueled by rival gangs that have moved into the area, according to police. Homicide detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Northeast Division, who on Monday morning were still in the field, investigating the shooting, confirmed that they believe the killing of Morales to have been gang related. Police have not released the name of Morales' wounded brother.
Highland Park - Mt. Washington Patch

Prostitution plagues Lankershim Boulevard and area residents
A woman dressed in dark shorts and a tank top with a plunging neckline stands on a corner on Lankershim Boulevard in Sun Valley on a gray early morning. She shifts her weight from side-to-side watching the cars and trucks drive by. It's 6:30 a.m. "I'm just trying do what I need to and be done," the woman said, declining to give her name. Lankershim Boulevard is a well-known prostitution track prone to u-turns, slow moving traffic, curbside chats and used condoms thrown out on parking lots.
Southern California Public Radio

Ventura Boulevard vandal leaves police stumped
For months, perhaps even years, a vandal has been driving up and down Ventura Boulevard, armed with a slingshot and ball bearings. Aiming and firing, usually at night, the vandal - believed to be a man in his 50s or 60s - has destroyed dozens of businesses' windows and caused tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. Detectives have only a few scattered clues as to his identity. The attacks have spread over three Los Angeles police districts as well as the city of Beverly Hills. There have been more than 30 in the LAPD's West Valley Division since the start of the year.
Los Angeles Times

Pensions

Revealing their true colors by their silence and votes
Dramatically overstated "unfunded liabilities" of public pension systems are a cornerstone of the arguments used by public-pension opponents. They deliberately and drastically lower the amounts of money public pensions can expect to receive from their investments, which makes for dramatic headlines about alleged shortfalls and inflames public opinion. And just to show their purity of motive, these opponents often decry the fact that the public systems assume higher investment returns than their corporate counterparts.
LAPPL

Ballot Initiative

Billionaire Thomas Siebel drops $500K into Prop 32, anti-union initiative
Since the presidential candidates aren't mingling with Californians who don't write them big checks - and we all know why - one of the most interesting races on the November ballot is a measure that would prohibit payroll deductions to be used for political contributions. The measure cut to the heart of union political power - and unions are girding for a battle royale on this one. And don't look now, but the big money is starting to roll in: Thomas Siebel, the billionaire founder of Siebel Systems, just dropped $500,000 on the pro-side.
San Francisco Chronicle

City Government

Nearly 5 tons of trash collected in L.A. skid row sweep
Hundreds of hypodermic needles. Gallons of human waste. Dead rats. These were among the items cleared from the streets and sidewalks of Los Angeles' skid row neighborhood during a 13-day sweep that wrapped up Friday, according to city officials. The cleanup was launched in response to a Los Angeles County report citing numerous public health dangers in the area. In all, nearly five tons of trash and more than 81 cubic yards of waste water were collected from six miles of roadway and sidewalks between 5th and 7th streets and Gladys Avenue and Wall Street, said Michelle Vargas, a spokeswoman for the city Department of Public Works.
Los Angeles Times