Law Enforcement

Man suspected of attacking another man with crowbar, knife in Reseda in custody
A man accused of attacking another man with a crowbar and apparently a knife, sending that person to a hospital, was captured Monday after police zapped him with a stun gun. It took about an hour to capture the suspect, who was taken into custody about 6:25 p.m. near Runnymede Street and Jellico Avenue in Reseda, said Los Angeles police Officer Karen Rayner. The motive for the attack was unclear, she said. But she said the two men had "an ongoing dispute."
City News Service

1 killed, 1 wounded in Wilmington drive-by shooting
One man was killed and another wounded in an apparently gang-related drive-by shooting in Wilmington, police said Monday. Emanuel Padilla, 24, of Wilmington died at a hospital following the 7 p.m. Sunday shooting in an alley at E Street and Gulf Avenue, police said. Authorities did not release the name of his wounded companion, who remained hospitalized in stable condition, Officer Bruce Borihanh said.
Torrance Daily Breeze

Crime statistics in an era of municipal budget woes
We would like to believe that it is a genuine commitment to putting public safety first that has given L.A. a national ranking it can be proud of. In calling Los Angeles the "safest big city in America," Chief Beck cited crime statistics for the first half of 2012, comparing our per capita violent crime rate to Houston, Chicago and New York - the other three cities with at least 2 million residents.
LAPPL Blog

Aurora's anonymous hero
She was nowhere near the Century 16 theater in Aurora, Colorado, early Friday morning. She didn't confront the killer or stanch any wounds or drive any of the injured to the hospital. She didn't wade through the wave of panicked, fleeing people to enter that gas-filled auditorium and bring order to the chaos. She did none of these things, yet she should be counted among the heroes of that horrible night. She was the calm voice when one was most needed.
Jack Dunphy/Pajamas Media

New Law

Gov. Brown signs bill aimed at public officials convicted of felonies
Gov. Jerry Brown said Monday that he has signed legislation that permanently bans elected officials and others from running for elective office in California if they are convicted of a felony involving a violation of the public trust. Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes (D-Sylmar) said he wrote the measure to clarify a law that already prohibits those convicted of specific felonies from holding elective office. The new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, says people cannot run for office if convicted of accepting a bribe or committing voter fraud or perjury.
Los Angeles Times

Ballot Initiative

Union political donation ballot measure questioned
Government reform groups lashed out Monday at a ballot initiative that claims its intent is to eliminate special interest money from Sacramento. At a news conference, leaders from Common Cause California and League of Women Voters said that Proposition 32, dubbed "Stop Special Interest Money Now," is an age-old assault on union power dressed up as campaign finance reform.
Bay Area News Group

Legislation

California prisons object to expanding media access to inmates
California prison officials are opposing legislation that would increase media access to inmates, saying it would cost too much money to facilitate interviews. In a letter dated Thursday, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said the bill would "create significant new costs and increase workload." Emily Harris of Californians United for a Responsible Budget, which opposes heavy prison spending, said officials are overstating the costs in hopes of persuading budget-cutting lawmakers to scuttle the legislation.
Los Angeles Times

The Courts

Handgun ammo law stuck in Calif. court
A battle is looming in California courts over whether gun owners should be required to appear in person and be fingerprinted before being allowed to buy ammunition - like the thousands of rounds James Holmes reportedly purchased on the Internet in the weeks before he entered a Colorado movie theater for a deadly shooting rampage Friday morning.
San Francisco Chronicle

City Government

Op-Ed: Getting L.A. growing again
There is no more consistent refrain among elected officials and candidates these days than that they will do everything they can to create jobs. It's a worthy goal given the sluggish state of the economy, and it's particularly crucial in California, which has the third-highest unemployment rate in the nation (behind Nevada and Rhode Island). But putting people to work is a lot easier to talk about than it is to do.
Jim Newton/Los Angeles Times

Medical-marijuana dispensary ban considered by L.A. City Council
With the Los Angeles City Council set to renew its debate over medical marijuana clinics, community groups and advocates on Monday pushed for competing proposals to either ban all clinics or allow a limited number to remain open. Returning from a three-week recess, the City Council is scheduled Tuesday to consider the different proposals on controlling dispensaries, estimated at numbers ranging up to 800.
Los Angeles Daily News