Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Carthay, Palms and 12 other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 14 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of Los Angeles Police Department data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Ten neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Carthay was the most unusual, recording four reports compared with a weekly average of 0.2 over the last three months. Palms topped the list of five neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

Search on for suspect accused of assaulting LAPD officer
Los Angeles police were searching a South Los Angeles neighborhood for a suspect though to have assaulted an officer Tuesday morning. The assault on a Los Angeles Police Department officer occurred in the 1000 block of East 28th Street at about 10:25 a.m., according to LAPD's media office. There was a perimeter set up in the area of East 27th Street and South Central Avenue. Aerial video showed yellow crime scene tape blocking off access to streets, with officers and patrols cars scattered across multiple blocks.
NBC4

Bratton makes rounds
Former New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton is signaling his interest in succeeding Commissioner Raymond Kelly, holding private meetings with potential mayoral candidates during which he's discussing public-safety strategies and his desire to return to service. Bratton has met with Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, former Comptroller Bill Thompson, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and media executive Tom Allon, each of whom is preparing a bid to succeed Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Wall Street Journal

Public Health

With rise in young painkiller abusers, officials see more heroin overdoses
With the steady rise of prescription drug abuse across the state, young pill addicts are succumbing in increasing numbers to another vice: heroin. For young people who otherwise might have been turned off by the needles and track marks associated with intravenous drug use, switching from abusing pills perceived as "clean" and "safe" to snorting or smoking heroin isn't a major leap, according to treatment specialists and public health officials.
California Watch

California sees a rise in sexually transmitted diseases
Syphilis cases in California jumped by 18% from 2010 to 2011, according to new data released by the state Department of Public Health. The data also show a 5% rise in chlamydia cases and 1.5% increase in gonorrhea cases. Public health officials said they were concerned about the rise of all three sexually transmitted diseases because they can lead to even more serious health problems, like infertility and an increased risk of HIV.
Los Angeles Times

Immigration

Obama administration's immigration changes begin Wednesday
Immigration authorities are bracing for a deluge of applications Wednesday, the first day when more than 1.2 million young illegal immigrants who were brought to America as children can seek to legally stay and work in the country under a policy change by President Obama. Even before the first request is filed, critics and advocates alike are warning of potential budget shortfalls and a logjam of paperwork that could mar the initiative, delay processing and facilitate fraud.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

Amid noise complaints, L.A. backs allowing FAA more control over helicopter flights
Despite concern about hindering the emergency uses of helicopters, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday voted to back a proposal giving the Federal Aviation Administration more authority to control the flights. Councilman Richard Alarcon voted against endorsing HR 2677 by Rep. Howard Berman, D-Van Nuys, which would give the FAA more power to develop a plan to reduce helicopter noise by specifying where and when the aircraft can fly.
Los Angeles Daily News

Legislation

Unions circulating draft of workers' compensation overhaul
Labor unions are making a late-blooming effort to raise long-frozen benefits for workers with job-related illnesses and injuries and promising employers enough administrative savings to pay for them. A 45-point summary of the proposed legislation is circulating among lobbyists who specialize in the multi-billion-dollar workers' compensation system, seeking to undo, in part, the reforms that former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pushed through the Legislature eight years ago.
Sacramento Bee

The Economy

California's gas prices up 40 cents in month
Gas pump pain set off by last week's fire at a Chevron refinery in Richmond was reflected in AAA's monthly statewide gas price survey released Tuesday. AAA said gasoline prices in California soared 40 cents to an average $4.10 a gallon since the July 10 survey. It was a complete reversal from the July survey, which showed a 40-cent statewide decline in gas prices from June to July.
Sacramento Bee