Law Enforcement

Money-throwing, suspect-bailing Canyon Country-to-L.A. bank robbery chase another bizarre SoCal tale
It was a dangerous new twist on a Southern California ritual, the televised freeway chase. As they drove through busy city streets Wednesday morning in Los Angeles, the suspects inside an SUV fleeing from a Santa Clarita bank robbery started to throw something out the window - money. Yes, cash was flying and fluttering around the streets of South L.A. Bystanders ran into the street after the money even as police chased the robbers, making an already dangerous situation even more perilous.
Los Angeles Daily News

Murder suspect shot by LAPD in chase in critical condition
A murder suspect wounded in a gunfight with police near downtown Los Angeles after he led them on a chase in a stolen car for more than an hour was hospitalized in critical but stable condition Wednesday. The chase ended at Bixel and Seventh streets about 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, with the suspect being shot after a collision with another car, said Los Angeles police Officer Rosario Herrera of the Media Relations section. Ian Schlesinger, 24, was hospitalized in critical but stable condition with multiple gunshot wounds to his lower extremities.
City News Service

1 arrested in East L.A. bank robbery where manager was told a bomb was strapped to her body
A man was arrested in connection with the Sept. 5 robbery of a Bank of America branch in East Los Angeles that involved the kidnapping of the bank's manager, who was falsely told by her two abductors that a bomb had been strapped to her body, authorities announced Thursday. Ray Vega, 33, of Bell, was arrested Sept. 6 and booked on suspicion of conspiracy and robbery, according to Huntington Park police Lt. Neal Mongan. Investigators declined to provide specifics, but KCAL9 reported that Vega was the boyfriend of the bank manager who had been kidnapped.
City News Service

Traffic

Run-up to Carmageddon II set for next two weekends
Motorists bracing for Carmageddon II can get a little practice over the next two weekends, with briefer closures scheduled for a portion of the San Diego (405) Freeway. Transportation officials have been working to alert drivers that the 405 through the Sepulveda Pass will close this weekend for workers to prepare the final demolition phase of the Mulholland Bridge. The northbound 405 between Getty Center Drive and Ventura Boulevard is scheduled to close at 11 p.m. Saturday through 9 a.m. Sunday. The closure of the Mulholland Bridge is slated for 10 p.m. Friday through 8 a.m. Sunday.
Los Angeles Daily News

Pensions

California unions assail public pension changes
As Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Wednesday aimed at overhauling the state's overburdened public pension system, he acknowledged that further action may be needed in the future, saying "government, like a battleship in the ocean, turns slowly." Labor unions representing California's public employees reacted swiftly, arguing that they were already taking fire. Willie Pelote, political director of the Assn. of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees, said Brown's signature on the pension legislation "made his disdain for a secure future for public employees crystal clear."
Los Angeles Times

City Government

DWP board backs 11.1% power rate increase over two years
Setting the stage for a battle over budgetary issues at the Department of Water and Power, the agency's board of commissioners voted Wednesday to support an 11.1 percent increase for power rates over the next two years. The proposal, which requires City Council approval, would raise rates about $3.65 a month for the average homeowner. Those with larger homes or mansions will see their monthly utility bills rise about $18.79 a month.
Los Angeles Daily News

L.A. council backs overhaul of campaign finance law
Candidates running for office in Los Angeles will have new incentives to collect donations from inside the city under a campaign finance law overhaul backed by the City Council on Wednesday. Under changes beginning in 2015, public matching funds will be given for donations raised only within city limits. To be eligible for the city money, candidates will have to collect contributions from at least 200 people living in the district they hope to represent. Starting next year, candidates will also be eligible for increased matching funds.
Los Angeles Times

Legislation

Bill to rein in red-light camera abuses
In the latest shot against what many say are the abuses of red-light traffic cameras, a state senator's bill to clamp down on how the devices are used has landed on the governor's desk for approval. The bill by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, would prohibit cities or counties from using the cameras purely to raise cash, make it easier to get wrongfully issued tickets dismissed and forbid the creation of so-called "snitch" tickets that threaten drivers with penalties based on sketchy information.
San Francisco Chronicle

Immigration

Debate over proposal to use Los Angeles library cards as official ID continues
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Wednesday that he supports a proposal to use city library cards as official identification - although he had not discussed the cards being used for other purposes. Villaraigosa, noting it would be his last time serving as mayor during Latino Heritage Month, said the proposal could help undocumented immigrants use banking and financial services.
Los Angeles Daily News

Prisons

Advocacy groups wary of new plan for prison isolation units
State corrections officials are moving forward with a plan for handling prison gangs and other violent groups, including changing rules that have kept some inmates locked in special isolation units for decades. But the initiative is raising concern among prisoner rights advocates and some experts who worry that it will do little to improve stark conditions or cut the backlog of inmates awaiting placement into the units.
California Watch