Law Enforcement

LAPD finds marijuana, no explosives, in Van Nuys warehouse
Los Angeles police found about 100 marijuana plants inside an industrial building in Van Nuys and are awaiting a search warrant to investigate further, a police spokeswoman said Tuesday. Despite initial concern that the building may have been booby-trapped, prompting a call to the bomb squad, no explosives were found, Officer Karen Rayner said. Police arrived at the building in the 15800 block of Stagg Street, west of the 405 Freeway, about 5:15 a.m.
Los Angeles Times

Tennis official 'bludgeoned' husband to death with coffee mug in Woodland Hills
A longtime tennis official from Woodland Hills was arrested Tuesday on charges of beating her husband to death with a coffee mug. Police arrested Lois Goodman, 70, while she was in New York to work the U.S. Open. She called 911 on April 17 to report her husband, 80-year-old Alan Goodman, had died in their home on Oxnard Street. "Her story was that he must have had a heart attack and fallen down the stairs," said Lt. Dave Storaker, detective commander for the Los Angeles police Topanga Division.
Los Angeles Daily News

Northridge man remains in jail 2 years after court ordered his release
A man arrested in Northridge for carrying a concealed knife and sent to prison for 28 years remains behind bars two years after a federal court in Los Angeles ordered his release, with California's attorney general appealing the ruling on grounds that he waited too long to ask for freedom, it was reported Tuesday. Two federal judges concluded that the jurors who had convicted Daniel Larsen would never have found him guilty had they heard from additional witnesses who saw a different man with the knife, the Los Angeles Times reported.
City News Service

Making sense of big data to fight crime
Analytics technology is assisting law enforcement agencies all over the world to sort through information — part of the 2.5 quintillion bytes of data we create and consume every day — to get ahead of crime. Having access to all that information is an invaluable resource for law enforcement agencies, but it can also be pretty paralyzing if there is no way to make connections from oceans of seemingly unrelated data. After all, only a small portion of the data can actually help law enforcement connect the right dots.
Police One

Downtown L.A.'s Pershing Square Park gets its very own task force
Following the recent attacks on a security guard and repeated instances of verbal and physical abuse, the City of Los Angeles has unleashed the beast: The Pershing Square Park Task Force. The Downtown L.A. task force, spearheaded by Councilman Huizar and other city departments, includes Council District 14, the Los Angeles Police Department, General Services Department, the City Attorney's office and Department of Recreation and Parks. Since the task force's inception, the LAPD has made two arrests and increased patrols at the park as promised.
LAist

Pensions

City moves toward two-tier pension reform
The City Council took some initial steps toward new pension reforms Tuesday, looking at having new workers stay on the job longer and contribute more to the system. After a closed-door session, the council instructed City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana to meet with actuaries and report back on the impact of the proposed changes. "We are going to address our problems when it comes to pension reform," City Council President Herb Wesson said. "It's too early to say exactly what we are doing, but I asked that actuaries look at different options."
Los Angeles Daily News

City Government

Parking taxes might increase
L.A.'s top budget administrator made an impassioned plea Tuesday for new and higher taxes to help balance the city's projected $250 million shortfall next year. City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana proposed a number of tax hikes, including on entertainment, sports tickets and a sales tax. But the City Council, in a 12-1 vote, only expressed interest in two proposals - doubling the documentary transfer tax paid when homes are sold and increasing the parking occupancy tax.
Los Angeles Daily News

Ballot Propositions

Villaraigosa wants name taken off Proposition 32 ad
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa made a cameo appearance in an online ad for Proposition 32, and he's not happy about it. Villariagosa opposes the measure, which would prevent unions and corporations from using automatic payroll deductions to use for political donations. Labor leaders say it is aimed at curbing their power and influence in state politics. In a letter to Yes on 32 campaign attorney Ashlee Titus, Villaraigosa said he was "shocked" to find his name used in a campaign Web video. "But perhaps my surprise is misplaced," Villaraigosa wrote.
Los Angeles Times

Immigration

California poised to grant driver's licenses to young illegal immigrants
California is on the verge of allowing hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants to receive driver's licenses for the first time in nearly two decades. The key question is how to do it. The issue of granting driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants has raged in the Legislature for much of the past decade, without resolution, but fighting is largely moot now due to a new federal policy.
Sacramento Bee

The Economy

Chunk of L.A. skyline could be for sale
After years of struggling with too much debt and too few tenants, the largest office landlord in downtown Los Angeles is considering selling itself to the highest bidder, according to real-estate executives with direct knowledge of the planning. MPG Office Trust Inc., formerly known as Maguire Properties Inc., has tapped real-estate adviser Eastdil Secured to search for firms to buy the company or make a significant cash investment, those executives said.
Wall Street Journal