Law Enforcement

LAPD helping raise money for two girls orphaned, injured in Woodland Hills car crash
A fundraising effort for two young girls whose parents died in a car crash last week in Woodland Hills has been launched, with proceeds going to help pay for their medical bills. Officers with the LAPD's Topanga Division started the fund drive Tuesday to help get the word out about the girls' needs. "We want to be able to do what we can for the girls," said LAPD Senior Lead Officer Sean Dinse, speaking at a launch event held at Safir Mediterranean Cuisine on Ventura Boulevard.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD investigates vandalism at police headquarters
Los Angeles police are looking for whoever vandalized areas around their downtown headquarters, a department spokesman said Tuesday. The writing of graffiti is believed to have coincided with the one-year anniversary of the Occupy L.A. protests. Protesters rallied Monday in Pershing Square and marched to the area around City Hall. "It's unfortunate the way some people choose to protest things they don't like," said LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith.
Los Angeles Times

Woman awarded $3.2 million in LAPD shooting
As the city seeks to curb costs of police lawsuits, Chief Charlie Beck defends policemen who shot a mentally ill woman and shocked her with a Taser during a struggle. A federal jury has handed down the latest multimillion-dollar verdict against the Los Angeles Police Department, finding officers were "malicious" and excessive when they shot a mentally ill woman and used a Taser on her.
Los Angeles Times

Students feel effects of greater LAPD presence
As the Los Angeles Police Department adds more officers to the USC area, the number of citations for traffic and biking infractions among students has increased. This greater presence around campus comes from a request from the university to further ensure student safety, according to the LAPD. LAPD officers have replaced the Dept. of Public Safety at some intersections, and are now positioned on the perimeter of campus to monitor students when crossing the streets in the area.
Daily Trojan

L.A. drivers have high rate of fatal pedestrian, cyclist crashes
Los Angeles isn't known as a city for walking. Maybe there is a good reason - it's too dangerous. Drivers in Los Angeles kill pedestrians and bicyclists at a significantly higher rate than drivers nationally, according to a study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. In Los Angeles, pedestrians accounted for about a third of all traffic fatalities, or nearly triple the national average of 11.4%. About 3% of the fatalities were bicyclists.
Los Angeles Times

Crackdown on South L.A. gang nets three more convictions
For decades, the Pueblo Bishops Bloods kept a tight, violent rein on the South Los Angeles housing project from which it draws its name. But more than two years after the FBI, LAPD and other agencies swept up its members at the Pueblo del Rio housing project, armed with a federal racketeering indictment, 42 members are now convicted and face lengthy prison sentences.
Los Angeles Times

Traffic

Endeavour: LAPD warns of crowds, traffic jams during shuttle move
Ten days before space shuttle Endeavour begins its 12-mile trek through the streets of Los Angeles, authorities warned of "extremely large crowds" anticipated to descend upon the area, along with street and sidewalk closures they said could jam traffic. The space shuttle has been housed in a United Airlines hangar at Los Angeles International Airport since Sept. 21, when it arrived in L.A. on the back of a modified Boeing 747.
Los Angeles Times

Ballot Propositions

California is latest stage for election battle over unions
The battle to curb labor's political clout has moved from Wisconsin to California, where wealthy conservatives are championing a ballot measure that would bar unions from donating to candidates. Labor leaders describe it as the starkest threat they have faced in a year of nationwide challenges to diminish their once-formidable power. The measure, Proposition 32 on the November ballot, would prohibit both unions and corporations from making contributions, but the corporate provision is far less stringent than the one aimed at unions, analysts said.
New York Times

City Government

Los Angeles City Council rescinds ban on medical marijuana dispensaries
Anticipating an expensive ballot proposition, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday backed away from its total ban on medical marijuana dispensaries. In an 11-2 vote, the council gave preliminary approval to rescinding the ban as it appeals to the state Legislature to come up with more clear regulations on how to control the dispensaries. The council will give final approval to its reversal next week.
Los Angeles Daily News

L.A. Councilman Richard Alarcon ordered to stand trial for perjury, voter fraud charges
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Tuesday ordered Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon and his wife, Flora Montes de Oca, to stand trial on perjury and voter fraud charges. The ruling, by Judge M.L. Villar de Longoria, caps weeks of testimony over the Alarcons' Panorama City home, and whether the couple actually lived in the residence during Richard Alarcon's run for the City Council's 7th District seat in 2006 and 2008.
Los Angeles Daily News

DWP rate hikes win final approval from City Council
The Los Angeles City Council gave final approval Tuesday to two back-to-back increases in electricity rates totaling 11.1%. A 4.9% rate hike will show up on the Department of Water and Power's next bill, followed by a 6% increase next summer. Both increases passed on a 9 to 4 vote, with council members Bernard C. Parks, Jan Perry, Mitchell Englander and Dennis Zine opposed. The increases are expected to generate $321 million by June 2014.
Los Angeles Times