Law Enforcement

Suspects at Vegas hotel hours after Northridge killings, police say
The suspects arrested in connection with a quadruple homicide in Northridge drove to Las Vegas and checked into a hotel the same day the victims were discovered, police said. After learning the four suspects fled Los Angeles for Las Vegas, LAPD and FBI agents contacted Las Vegas police and asked for help in the case, according to Las Vegas police. A team of investigators later determined the suspects were traveling in a black Audi with no license plates and were possibly staying at a local hotel.
Los Angeles Times

Westchester home invasion: Men posing as gas co. workers pistol-whip oldster, take safe
A pair of men disguised as gas company workers robbed a Westchester residence and pistol-whipped an elderly man in what appears to be an alarming home invasion. The LAPD says it happened at 9:30 Wednesday in the 7400 block of El Manor Avenue. According to a statement from the department's Pacific Division: The suspects were posing as gas company workers to gain entry into homes. Upon entry they used guns to commit the robbery.
LA Weekly

L.A.'s bloody hit-and-run epidemic
In the United States, 11 percent of vehicle collisions are hit-and-runs. But in Los Angeles, LA Weekly has learned, an incredible 48 percent of crashes were hit-and-runs in 2009, the most recent year for which complete statistics are available. According to data collected by the state, some 4,000 hit-and-run crashes a year inside L.A. city limits, including cases handled by LAPD, California Highway Patrol and the L.A. County Sheriff, resulted in injury and/or death.
LA Weekly

LAPD to host barbecue benefit for cancer-stricken daughter of Hermosa Beach officer
The Los Angeles Police Department is hosting a barbecue today at the Olympic Area station to raise money to help the cancer- stricken 10-year-old daughter of a Hermosa Beach police officer. The Los Angeles and Hermosa Beach police departments formed a partnership to support Jasmine Faulk, who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and over the next year will undergo several costly and debilitating chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
City News Service

LAPD toy drive
On December 15, the Los Angeles Police Department - Pacific Area Station, will be hosting its "Annual Winter Wonderland Xmas Toy Give Away" for needy families. Last year over 3,000 needy families and children attended our event. We anticipate as many this year. We will provide toys, entertainment, food, photos with Santa Claus, Hollywood movie show cars, and much more. All of this will be free thanks to generous donations.
Venice - MarVista Patch

Immigration

Baca will no longer turn over low-level offenders to immigration
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said Wednesday he will no longer honor requests from federal authorities to detain suspected illegal immigrants arrested for low-level crimes, a reversal from his previous support of the controversial Secure Communities program. Until recently, Baca has been adamant about complying with the federal requests, arguing that they were mandatory. He was the most outspoken opponent of a bill called the Trust Act, which would have required California law enforcement to disregard the requests in many cases.
Los Angeles Times

Illegal immigration in the US drops after decade-long rise
New census data released Thursday affirm a clear and sustained drop in illegal immigration, ending more than a decade of increases. The number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. dropped to an estimated 11.1 million last year from a peak of 12 million in 2007, part of an overall waning of Hispanic immigration. For the first time since 1910, Hispanic immigration last year was topped by immigrants from Asia.
Associated Press

Prisoner Realignment

Realignment: The need for fixes continues
On Thanksgiving, a specialized group of police officers, the FBI and Mexican authorities were able to capture a dangerous fugitive, Jose Luis Saenz, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Saenz, an American citizen, who had vowed to murder police officers, was arrested without incident and extradited back to the United States. The Los Angeles Police Protective League has warned the community that realignment would result in mass discharges of very dangerous felons and the deaths of innocent individuals. While realignment was enacted years after Saenz was first wanted, what justification does the Parole Department have for discharging Saenz in August, when he's still wanted for killing four people?
LAPPL Blog

City Government

L.A. Council may regulate valet parking services
The City Council moved to regulate the valet parking industry Wednesday, a decision that received mixed reviews from community members, restaurant owners and valet parking companies. Under the final ordinance being considered by the council, valet companies would need operating permits and insurance. Their drivers would also require valid operating drivers' licenses and insurance. The new rules are intended to rein in rogue valet parking companies, said City Councilman Eric Garcetti, who pointed to a growing number of problems in his district of Hollywood.
Los Angeles Daily News

L.A. City Council upholds ban on parking at broken meters
The Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to uphold a policy that makes it illegal to park at spaces with broken meters. The action exercises an option for cities to override a new state law that greatly limits the practice of issuing tickets to drivers who park where meters are malfunctioning. Under the state law, motorists may park for free at broken meters up to the maximum time allowed for the space.
Los Angeles Times

City Election 2013

At least seven qualify for March 5 ballot in Los Angeles mayor's race
At least seven candidates for Los Angeles mayor have qualified for the March 5 ballot as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gives up the office because of term limits, according to papers filed by Wednesday's deadline. At least 21 candidates have qualified to run for the eight City Council seats up in March, and a handful of others have qualified for city attorney, controller and the Community College District board.
Los Angeles Daily News