Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Cypress Park, Silver Lake and 9 other areas
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 11 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Four neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Cypress Park was the most unusual, recording four reports compared with a weekly average of 0.8 over the last three months. Silver Lake topped the list of seven neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

Suspect killed by police after holding 2 kids hostage
A suspect was killed by police after holding his two young children with his ex-girlfriend hostage in a Baldwin Hills apartment. The hours-long hostage drama ended shortly before 5 a.m. Wednesday. The children, a 6-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy, are fine, police said. It all began just after 6 p.m. on Tuesday when neighbors called 911 reporting a domestic disturbance.
KTLA

LAPD searches for gunman who shot 14-year-old girl in face
The LAPD asked for the public's help Wednesday in finding a gunman who shot a 14-year-old girl in the face as she walked with friends in South Los Angeles. Jessica Garcia, who was in critical condition, was shot at 1:20 a.m. on Vernon Avenue near Hooper Avenue, the LAPD said in a statement. The suspect was walking down the street when he encountered the group. He's described as an 18- to 25-year-old Latino man with black or dark brown hair.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD park's maintenance malfunction
In February, following a wave of community complaints, the city allocated $800,000 to landscaping maintenance at the weed-infested LAPD Administration Building. Nine months later, a major portion of the site remains plagued by overgrowth and a pricey overhaul is still months away. The scenario underscores a budgeting and planning miscue that has hampered the site from day one - the city spent $440 million to build the headquarters that opened in 2009, but never accounted for who would maintain it.
Los Angeles Downtown News

Getaway car used in L.A. man's slaying found in Queens, NYPD says
New York police have found the getaway car used in the brazen slaying of a Los Angeles man this week on a busy Manhattan street. NYPD Officer James Duffy confirmed the Lincoln was found Wednesday in Queens. The car, which was parked and unoccupied, will be examined for evidence and towed to a police facility, Duffy said. The vehicle had been rented, Duffy said. Police on both coasts are continuing to investigate the death of Brandon Woodard, 31, of Playa Vista.
Los Angeles Times

Pipe bomb detonates in news rack outside Westside Jack in the Box
An improvised explosive device exploded early Wednesday morning in a news rack outside a West Los Angeles fast-food restaurant but caused no injuries, Los Angeles police said. The ceramic pipe bomb detonated in a news rack outside of a Jack in the Box in the 10700 block of Venice Boulevard near Overland Boulevard about 6:30 a.m. The blast caused what police described as limited property damage.
Los Angeles Times

Facebook helps FBI bust cyber crime ring
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has busted an international cyber crime ring that infected 11 million computers around the world and resulted in more than $850 million in losses. Facebook Inc.'s security team assisted law enforcement in the investigation by helping identify compromised accounts and the perpetrators around the globe who stole credit cards and bank and personal information - and in some cases spammed Facebook users - after infecting computers with malicious software.
Los Angeles Times

Immigration

California lawmaker proposes benefits for undocumented immigrants
A California lawmaker wants to expand government benefits for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who qualify for a new federal work-permit program. Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina) introduced legislation this week aimed at illegal immigrants who are part of an Obama administration protocol that allows undocumented immigrants who came to the United States before they were 16, and who are now 30 or younger and meet certain other criteria, to obtain work permits.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

Private operators sought for Los Angeles Convention Center
In its first step toward privatizing a major city facility, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday ignored the objections of unions and agreed to seek proposals to bring in a private operator for the Convention Center. The 13-2 vote came at the prodding of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and marked another step toward privatizing nonessential city services in an effort to reduce the budget deficit.
Los Angeles Daily News

State Government

California Gov. Jerry Brown being treated for prostate cancer
In a sign that age may be catching up with California's ageless politician, Gov. Jerry Brown's office revealed Wednesday that he is being treated for early stage prostate cancer. Dr. Eric Small of UC San Francisco, the 74-year-old governor's oncologist, said the prostate cancer is a "localized" case and that Brown is expected to make a full recovery after receiving "a short course of conventional radiotherapy." "The prognosis is excellent, and there are not expected to be any significant side effects," Small said in a statement.
Bay Area News Group