Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for West Hills, Bel-Air and 11 other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 13 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of Los Angeles Police Department data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Seven neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. West Hills was the most unusual, recording four reports compared with a weekly average of 0.6 over the last three months. Bel-Air topped the list of six neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

5 arrested in Los Angeles store hostage drama
Five people were arrested for a brutal takeover holdup of a clothing store during which 14 employees were held hostage, including one who was stabbed and another who was sexually assaulted, police announced Monday. Three Los Angeles men are believed to be the gunmen who robbed the Nordstrom Rack store at a mall near the Los Angeles International Airport last week while two women were suspected of helping them after the robbery, Police Chief Charlie Beck said at a news conference.
Associated Press

A poorer San Bernardino, and a more dangerous one, too
Five months after San Bernardino filed for bankruptcy - the third California city to seek Chapter 9 protections in 2012 - residents here are confronting a transformed and more perilous city. After violent crime had dropped steadily for years, the homicide rate shot up more than 50 percent in 2012 as a shrinking police force struggled to keep order in a city long troubled by street gangs that have migrated from Los Angeles.
New York Times

Man charged in 2007 rape, 2012 killing after DNA test
A 35-year-old man was charged Monday with killing a 17-year-old girl, whose burning body was found in a South Los Angeles street in September, according to prosecutors. Damond Williams, 35, also has been charged, in a 2007 case involving a woman, with rape, sodomy by force, forcible oral copulation and assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, prosecutors said. The body of the dead girl, identified as Terry W., was found on Grand Avenue, just north of 94th Street on Sept. 17.
Los Angeles Times

Cocaine called 'major factor' in death of woman arrested by LAPD
Cocaine intoxication was a "major factor" in the death of Alesia Thomas, a woman who died shortly after she was forcibly taken into custody by several LAPD officers, according to the findings of an autopsy by the Los Angeles County coroner. The coroner concluded it was not possible to determine what role, if any, the officers' actions played in Thomas' death.
Los Angeles Times

Public Safety

LAFD, SoCal Gas warn against carbon monoxide poisoning
As it gets colder and residents look for less expensive ways to heat their homes, the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning increases, officials said. Southern California Gas Co. and Los Angeles Fire Department officials remind the public about important safety tips to reduce the risk of CO exposure. CO poisoning can occur as a result of a poorly ventilated heater or a CO leak from another source. Symptoms can include nausea, headaches, paralysis and even death.
City News Service

Prisons

California's prison realignment causes dangerous row of dominoes at local level
In 2011, California began "realignment" - shifting state inmates to local custody to comply with an order from a federal court to ease overcrowding as a way to improve prison medical care. Counties had only a few months from the time realignment became law to the day they became responsible for supervising thousands of additional felons coming out of state prisons. Officials focused on beefing up probation departments and city jails.
Southern California Public Radio

Immigration

Villaraigosa speaks in D.C., urging immigration overhaul
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa delivered a high-profile speech in the nation's capital Monday in support of overhauling immigration laws but sidestepped questions about his future once his mayoral term ends. "I'm focused on the job I've got and want to finish as strong as I can," he told a National Press Club audience. When asked whether he would serve in the Obama administration after his term ends June 30, he said, "When I'm asked, I'll answer the question."
Los Angeles Times

City Elections 2013

Third medical marijuana measure proposed for L.A. ballot
Even in the eminently complicated world of pot politics, the prospect is mind-boggling: In the May municipal election, Los Angeles voters could face not one but three ballot measures geared toward regulating medical marijuana. Each of the proposals would allow some pot shops to remain open. The differences between them are small and all in the details. Two of the proposed measures, which qualified for the ballot last week, are backed by opposing groups in the medical marijuana industry.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

Panel wants neighborhood councils to have more say in L.A. City Council decisions
With the City Council to decide on Tuesday whether to put a $3 billion bond measure on the May ballot to pay for street repairs, the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners voiced their frustration at how neighborhood councils are being overlooked in city decisions. The board voted to send letters to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council asking that policies be put in place requiring inclusion of the city's 95 Neighborhood Councils in major policy decisions.
Los Angeles Daily News

The Economy

Los Angeles attracts record number of tourists in 2012
Los Angeles enjoyed another banner year for tourism in 2012, when it welcomed 41.4 million visitors, surpassing the record set in 2011. Last year's tourist total represents a 2.5% increase over the 40.4 million visitors in 2011 - good news for the city's $16.5-billion tourism industry, according to the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. Tourism is one of the region's largest industries, supporting 372,000 jobs in Los Angeles County.
Los Angeles Times