Law Enforcement

LAPD fatally shoots man in Van Nuys; second fatal officer-involved shooting in Van Nuys in less than 24 hours
Los Angeles police shot and killed a man in Van Nuys on Thursday who they said had been armed with a gun. It was the second fatal officer-involved shooting in the San Fernando Valley within 24 hours. The shooting occurred after officers responded to a call of a person armed with a knife around 1:30 p.m. near an apartment complex in the 13800 block of Oxnard Street, Los Angeles police Officer Rosario Herrera said.
Los Angeles Daily News

Police: Man opened fire on LAPD cruiser before deadly shooting
An officer-involved shooting that left a man dead and a woman wounded in Van Nuys was set off after a car drove up alongside an LAPD cruiser and an occupant opened fire, police said Thursday. Officers were patrolling near Roscoe Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue in Sun Valley shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday when "a car pulled up to them and started opening fire, and a chase ensued," said LAPD Officer Bruce Borihanh.
Los Angeles Times

Judge stops LAPD warrant for Manson follower tapes
A federal judge in Texas has blocked an attempt by the Los Angeles Police Department to use a search warrant to obtain decades-old tapes of conversations between a Manson family disciple and his attorney that police believe could help clear up more than a dozen unsolved murders. U.S. District Judge Richard A. Schell's ruling stopped authorities from executing a search warrant earlier this month for the office of the bankruptcy trustee who has eight cassette tapes containing hours of conversations between Charles "Tex" Watson and attorney Bill Boyd.
Associated Press

LAPD to post 'Grim Sleeper' suspect's photos on Facebook, Twitter
Los Angeles police are again turning to the public for help in identifying dozens of women seen in photos found at the home of the alleged "Grim Sleeper" serial killer. Forty-two photographs found at the home of suspect Lonnie Franklin Jr. will be posted on Facebook and Twitter on Thursday, Los Angeles police announced. The photos, taken between 1976 and 2010, were among about 1,000 photos seized from Franklin's home when he was arrested in July 2010.
Los Angeles Times

Property crime is #1 crime in Sherman Oaks, says LAPD's Capt. Ivan Minsal
Capt. Ivan Minsal of the Van Nuys Police Division gave residents tips on how to protect their property Wednesday night at the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association meeting at Notre Dame High School. Minsal said that the type of crime that Sherman Oaks residents had to be most concerned about was crime against property, from leaving personal items unattended in the workplace to walking away from their vehicles with a GPS left on the windshield.
Sherman Oaks Patch

Indictments target South L.A. street gang, apartment complex
Federal agents and local police arrested four members and associates of a South Los Angeles street gang Thursday, the same day city prosecutors filed a civil injunction to force changes at an apartment complex that has been a center of gang activity, authorities said. Those arrested Thursday -- all tied to the Denver Lane Blood gang -- were Rodney Longmire, 29, of Lynwood; Jermaine McClelland, 36, and Marcus Washington, 40, both of Los Angeles; and Darrell Sanford, 29, of Hawthorne.
Los Angeles Times

Gunfire reported, man found shot near Taft High
Los Angeles police are investigating a reported shooting Thursday afternoon across the street from Taft High School in Woodland Hills. The shooting was reported around 3:15 p.m. in the Ralphs parking across from the school at Ventura Boulevard and Winnetka Avenue, said LAPD spokeswoman Norma Eisenman. The caller who reported the attack to police said they heard multiple shots. When police responded, they found a man, believed to be between 20 and 25, suffering from a gunshot wound, Eisenman said.
Los Angeles Times

Pensions

Garcetti opposes 401(k) plans for city employees
Los Angeles mayoral candidate and City Councilman Eric Garcetti this week staked out a position on public pension reform more squarely in line with City Hall unions than his leading campaign opponents, drawing a potential early contrast in a race that has been dominated by three veteran City Hall elected officials with strikingly similar records. Appearing with three rivals at a Westside forum, Garcetti said Wednesday that he would oppose any shift to 401(k)-style retirement accounts, which can grow or shrink with investments.
Los Angeles Times

City Election 2013

Former city controller backs Wendy Greuel for L.A. mayor
Former Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick on Thursday endorsed the mayoral campaign of current City Controller Wendy Greuel, saying Greuel will protect the taxpayers' "precious dollars" and help L.A. recover from a recession. Chick, who was controller from 2001 to 2009, described Greuel as a candidate who has been a watchdog on city spending and raised important red flags about the city's financial problems.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

Los Angeles Councilman Richard Alarcon, wife plead not guilty to voter fraud, perjury - again
Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon and his wife, Flora Montes de Oca, again pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of voter fraud and perjury for allegedly living outside the 7th Council District during Richard Alarcon's run for City Council in 2006 and 2008. But with the trial still months away, Alarcon used his hearing at a criminal courthouse downtown as an opportunity to accuse Raul Bocanegra, his opponent in the 39th Assembly District, of distorting the councilman's legal woes to voters.
Los Angeles Daily News