Law Enforcement

Sexual predator targeting sleeping women in Los Feliz
A sexual predator is entering houses and apartments in Los Feliz through open windows and doors, then assaulting young women as they sleep, police said Thursday. At least three women have reported that they were sexually assaulted or battered inside their Los Feliz homes since March. Authorities believe the man is also responsible for at least 13 burglaries in the neighborhood in recent months, police said. LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division is investigating the cases, Lt. Andrew Neiman said.
Los Angeles Times

Suspicious death investigated in Chatsworth
Los Angeles police are investigating the death of a 22-year-old woman whose body was found Thursday at her home in Chatsworth. Sgt. Humberto Najera of the LAPD Devonshire Station said the death has been deemed "suspicious" based on the woman's age and the location of her body inside the residence. Detectives were still on scene Thursday night and had yet to determine the manner of death, he said.
Los Angeles Times

Jurors reject suit over LA fatal police shooting
A jury has rejected allegations in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the estate of an illegal immigrant who was killed by Los Angeles police after he lunged at an officer with a knife. Jurors last week found in favor of the Los Angeles Police Department, which was sued by the family of Manuel Jaminez, who was killed in September 2010. The Guatemalan day laborer was shot by police after he tried to stab a pregnant woman. Police said Jaminez lunged toward an officer after refusing orders in Spanish and English to drop the knife.
AP

Reward offered in Hollywood stabbing case
A $50,000 reward was offered Thursday for information that helps police solve the stabbing death of a man in a Hollywood area apartment. Samuel Michel, 25, was fatally stabbed about 2:30 a.m. April 10 in the 800 block of South Serrano Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Officers sent to the apartment on a report of a loud argument and altercation found Michel lying on the floor with a knife still in his back, LAPD officials said in a written statement. No suspect has been identified, and no motive for the crime has been determined.
City News Service

Immigration

DMV will issue licenses to some here illegally
California's Department of Motor Vehicles will start issuing driver's licenses to those here illegally who qualify for President Obama's two-year stay of deportation, potentially reigniting political battles in the state Capitol over undocumented immigrants. "We're not changing the law. We're not bending the rules," said Armando Botello, a DMV spokesman. Botello said state law allows DMV to grant driver's licenses to those who have what's called an "employment authorization document."
San Diego Union-Tribune

Pensions

L.A.'s public safety pension costs steadily growing
Taxpayers in Los Angeles will see retirement costs for police officers and firefighters climb by 56% over the next four years, even after passage of a ballot measure that trimmed the pension benefits paid to new hires, according to projections released by city budget officials. Pensions and retiree healthcare costs for sworn employees are projected to consume $789 million of the city's general fund budget in 2016, up from $506 million this year, according to figures prepared by budget analysts.
Los Angeles Times

Legislation

Bicyclists freed from bill to stiffen cellphone-while-driving law
California bicyclists will not be banned from using their cellphones after all. Legislation to increase the fine for motorists who text or hold a cellphone to their ear was approved Thursday by the Assembly Appropriations Committee, but a provision extending the ban to bicyclists was deleted. Senate Bill 1310, by Democratic Sen. Joe Simitian of Palo Alto, now moves to the Assembly floor for a vote next week.
Sacramento Bee

Bill to allow California sports betting shelved by Assembly panel
If you were willing to bet that California would pass legislation this year to allow sports wagering, you would have lost. The Assembly killed Senate Bill 1390 today, opting to shelve the bill in its Appropriations Committee. Sen. Rod Wright, D-Inglewood, had proposed the measure to permit California casinos, race tracks and other gambling facilities to accept wagers on collegiate and professional sports events.
Sacramento Bee

Assembly OKs bill to allow resentencing of some young killers
Juvenile murderers would have the possibility of eventual release under legislation that narrowly passed the California Assembly Thursday. The measure, Senate Bill 9, received no Republican support and was approved by a bare-minimum majority of the house. The 41-34 vote sends the bill to the Senate for concurrence in amendments. SB 9, by Democratic Sen. Leland Yee of San Francisco, would allow some offenders to petition for a resentencing hearing if they were minors when they committed a murder that landed them in prison with no chance of parole.
Sacramento Bee

City Government

Facing orders to close, L.A. pot shop owners vow to overturn ban
Medical marijuana dispensary owners across Los Angeles will be receiving glum news in the mail this week: a letter from the city telling them it's time to shut down. But despite threats of fines and jail time, some dispensary owners have vowed to stay open. They say they are working hard to qualify a ballot measure to overturn the ban on storefront sales of medical marijuana passed last month by the Los Angeles City Council.
Los Angeles Times

L.A. city leaders weigh strategies for inspecting porn shoots
Faced with a new law requiring condoms during porn shoots, Los Angeles officials have recommended that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council begin searching for a medical professional to conduct inspections of adult film performances. In a report issued Wednesday, a working group focused on ways to enforce the new condom ordinance said Film L.A. Inc., the office that processes film permits, should rework its applications so passages that discuss hazardous working conditions and dangerous special effects also mention the "transmission of blood and infectious materials."
Los Angeles Times

L.A. Controller Wendy Greuel on a search for hidden city money
In an effort to determine if there are any hidden pots of money in the city, Controller Wendy Greuel on Thursday said she plans to audit some of the 500 special revenue funds the city has created to finance its operations. "The audits that I am performing of these special revenue funds are more important than ever, given the recent challenges facing the state," Greuel said. "The public deserves to know how all funds are being used as well as be assured that there are not any inappropriate transactions or stockpiling of funds occurring at a time when our city needs immediate economic stimulus."
Los Angeles Daily News