Law Enforcement

'Onion Field' killer Gregory Powell dies in prison of cancer at age 79
Gregory Powell, known as one of the kidnappers whose case was made famous in the 1973 best-selling novel "The Onion Field" and a later film, has died at age 79. Powell and his partner Jimmy Lee Smith abducted a pair of L.A. police officers in 1963, Ian Campbell and Karl Hettinger, after the officers pulled them over on a Hollywood street. The kidnappers drove the officers to an onion field in Bakersfield where they killed Campbell, shooting him in the face; Hettinger escaped to a farmhouse four miles away.
Southern California Public Radio

LAPD reports no connections in 4 East LA murders
The Los Angeles Police Department said Monday there are no connections between four murders in East Los Angeles, where women were killed and dumped in close proximity. A 54-year-old woman was found stabbed to death Sunday in the industrial section of Boyle Heights at Sixth and Rio streets. Detectives believe the transient victim was killed at the scene. Police said she dabbled in drugs and prostitution. The woman's death comes on the heels of three unsolved murders in the area.
CBS2

Round two of Skid Row cleanup starts Monday; includes installation of 21 new trash cans
Seven more days of trash pick-up, power-washing and disinfecting continue throughout Skid Row on Monday, as part of the city's massive cleanup of the area continues in response to a laundry list of health code violations doled out from the L.A. County Department of Health earlier this year. Operation Healthy Streets, the ongoing cleanup of the area, is led by the Department of Public Works (DPW) and includes the mayor's office, LAPD, LAFD, Department of Sanitation, and other organizations.
Blogdowntown

Police helicopter locates lost hikers on rustic canyon trail
Two lost hikers made it home safely Sunday night after a search and rescue effort near Rustic Canyon Trail, according to Palisades Patrol. Palisades Patrol, the Los Angeles Police Department and state park rangers responded to a call for help at the entrance to Rustic Canyon Trail, located at the top of Capri Drive and Sullivan Fire Road, around 8:30 p.m. Sunday night, said Palisades Patrol Chief Executive Officer Scott Wagenseller. Wagenseller said the LAPD used an air ship, and stationed public safety personnel at the trail entrance as well as an entrance to Will Rogers State Park.
Pacific Palisides Patch

Law enforcement trains to stay calm during RNC
Law enforcement won't allow violent assaults at the Republican National Convention. They won't stand for property damage, either. But up to that point, they plan to let a lot slide. Baiting has long been a way to get police to react. Protesters yelled "Pigs!" and "I smell bacon!" at the 2008 RNC in St. Paul, Minn. Some lunged threateningly at officers. Others dangled doughnuts. Cameras recorded the officers' reactions. Tampa expects its officers to be even-tempered. Actions that appear to be assaults could be traps.
Tampa Bay Times

Proposition 32

Judge orders changes to Prop. 32 language
A Sacramento County Superior Court judge on Monday ordered the secretary of state to change language on the November ballot describing Proposition 32, the initiative that promises to eliminate special-interest money in politics. According to the new ballot label, the measure "prohibits" unions and corporations from contributing directly to candidates, as well as using payroll deduction to raise political cash. The label initially used the word "restricts."
Los Angeles Times

State Budget

California scrambles to pay its bills with more borrowing
Embedded in a Monday report from the California controller is a statistic showing just how much the state is straining to pay its bills before November's vote on higher taxes. Controller John Chiang, who manages the state's cash flow, finished July with more than $18 billion in outstanding loans after using high-speed accounting to cover day-to-day expenses. That means he borrowed some money from the state's 500-plus "special" funds, used it to pay a bill and promised to repay it later when more tax revenue rolls in.
Los Angeles Times

Capital Punishment

Harris takes a pass on death penalty initiative
Attorney General Kamala Harris is one of California's best-known opponents of capital punishment. She promised not to seek the death penalty as a candidate for district attorney in San Francisco and kept that pledge even after a notorious cop killing soon after she took office in 2004. She's promised to enforce the law as attorney general but maintained her personal opposition, calling the death penalty expensive and ineffective and citing DNA evidence that has exonerated Death Row inmates in other states.
San Francisco Chronicle

Election 2013

Police rights attorney Gregory Smith formally declares Los Angeles city attorney candidacy
West Los Angeles attorney Gregory Smith on Monday formally declared his candidacy for the post of Los Angeles city attorney. His candidacy comes as no surprise. Smith has already raised $161,425, according to his latest report, filed with the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. That amount is dwarfed by the $655,524 raised by termed-out Assemblyman Mike Feuer, D-Los Angeles, who announced his candidacy Feb. 14.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise

City Government

Hundreds of parking meters to be removed in San Pedro, Wilmington
Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino and community leaders will celebrate a plan Monday to make it easier to park in San Pedro and Wilmington by lopping off the heads of a handful of parking meters. The City Council voted Aug. 1 to rip out 645 parking meters on streets near the Port of Los Angeles - 540 in San Pedro and 105 in Wilmington. Buscaino and an array of business groups have argued that such a move will attract more shoppers and diners to places such as downtown San Pedro.
Los Angeles Times