Law Enforcement

LAPD won't turn over some illegal immigrants, Chief Charlie Beck announces
The Los Angeles Police Department will refuse to turn over some arrestees to federal immigration authorities under a new policy announced Thursday by Chief Charlie Beck. Beck said the LAPD won't honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement "detainer" requests for most undocumented immigrants arrested for public nuisance offenses or low-grade misdemeanors. It will still honor the requests, Beck said, for people charged with felonies, drunken driving or crimes of violence, as well as those suspected of gang membership and those with prior felony records.
Los Angeles Daily News

Sun Valley prostitution sting nets at least 17 arrests
On Thursday, 50 officers and detectives with seven vice units of the Los Angeles Police Department conducted an 18-hour sting, with undercover female officers posing as prostitutes on a six-block portion of Lankershim Boulevard, one of the most heavily trafficked areas for sex workers in the San Fernando Valley. At least 17 people were arrested - mostly male johns, and at least one female prostitute.
Los Angeles Daily News

Prank at Ashton Kutcher's home was a crime, LAPD chief says
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said Thursday that a false report of a home-invasion robbery at Ashton Kutcher's Hollywood Hills home was a crime. Los Angeles police detectives were continuing to investigate who did it, and officials said they would press charges. Authorities responded to the 3000 block of Arrowhead Drive about 11 a.m. after a woman called police and said she was hiding in a closet because there was a man with a gun inside the home, sources said.
Los Angeles Times

Shuttle Endeavour Parade

South L.A. shuttle boosters are feeling jettisoned
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa touted it as "the mother of all parades" -- a historic celebration in a part of Los Angeles that doesn't get much fanfare. Over two days, on the major thoroughfares of Westchester, Inglewood and South Los Angeles, space shuttle Endeavour would slowly make its way from LAX to its new home at the California Science Center. Community activists planned events, residents said they would line the streets and local businesses organized viewing parties. But that excitement has turned to anger as officials clamped down on security and significantly reduced public access to the shuttle route.
Los Angeles Times

Prison Realignment

One year in to realignment, local law enforcement voice fears
A year into the implementation of Gov. Jerry Brown's public safety realignment, dozens of law enforcement officials from across Southern California came together Tuesday to express concerns about its impact on crime and on their scarce resources. "Crime appears to be on the increase," Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine said, citing statistics from downtown Los Angeles, Sacramento and Fresno. "It's frightening."
Los Angeles Daily News

Prison & Parole

Manson follower Davis should stay in prison, prosecutor says
A prosecutor on the Manson murders case said he's dismayed that a state prisons panel granted parole to a notorious killer described as a "right-hand man" to Charles Manson. It will be ultimately up to Gov. Jerry Brown to determine whether Bruce Davis, 69, walks out of California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo after spending more than four decades behind bars. Brown has 120 days to review the case.
Los Angeles Times

Proposition 32

Another view: No on Prop. 32
Before you vote, remember the saying: "If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is." Californians should heed that warning when considering Proposition 32, a statewide ballot measure intentionally written to seem like it will fix a broken political system when, really, it isn't at all what it seems. Real estate developers, insurance companies and venture capitalists are just three groups exempt from Prop. 32, while labor groups will no longer be able to contribute to candidates.
Tom Dominguez/Orange County Register

City Government

Councilman Tony Cardenas proposes free evening street parking on Van Nuys Boulevard
In a sign that business is starting to rebound in the Van Nuys area, Councilman Tony Cardenas has proposed offering free street parking in the evening to make the area more customer friendly. Cardenas has asked the city to study a plan to reduce the parking meter hours from the current 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the area between the Orange Line and Vanowen Street and one block to the east and west of Van Nuys Boulevard.
Los Angeles Daily News

The Economy

Gas shortage shutters Costco stations, prices skyrocket
California had its largest single-day gasoline price spike in almost five years Thursday, leading to long lines at the pump, gas shortages and even station closures. Experts said the price increases could continue for weeks and the average might even break the $5 mark. Already by Thursday afternoon, at least five Los Angeles area gas stations had crossed the $5 per gallon mark, according to GasBuddy.com, including one charging $5.29 per gallon in Burbank and another at $5.11 in Norwalk. One station in Calabasas was even charging $5.69.
Los Angeles Daily News