Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Encino and 10 other L.A. neighborhoods
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. Eight neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Encino was the most unusual, recording three reports compared with a weekly average of 0.6 over the last three months. Elysian Valley topped the list of three neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

30-year-old transient sought in kidnapping of 10-year-old Northridge girl
A 30-year-old transient with ties to the North Hollywood area is being sought as the sole suspect in connection with Wednesday's kidnapping of a 10-year-old Northridge girl from her home. "We're here to announce a suspect in this case, somebody that we're seeking the public's help to find," LAPD Chief of Detectives Kirk Albanese said Saturday.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD, CA law enforcement announce distracted driving crackdown
As the holiday weekend got started, police stopped drivers Friday night at a checkpoint in South Los Angeles - one of their frequent crackdowns on drunk driving. Starting next week, California law enforcement agencies will also be going after drivers who text or use handheld cellphones while they're behind the wheel.
ABC7

Tests found major flaws in parolee GPS monitoring devices
A little more than a year ago, California quietly began conducting tests on the GPS monitoring devices that track the movements of thousands of sex offenders. The results were alarming. Corrections officials found the devices used in half the state were so inaccurate and unreliable that the public was "in imminent danger." Batteries died early, cases cracked, reported locations were off by as much as three miles.
Los Angeles Times

Feds lock up fewer predators after prison sentences end
The federal government has sharply scaled back a controversial effort to keep dangerous sexual predators in prison past their sentences after losing more than half the detention cases it filed. The U.S. Justice Department has said its program is critical for protecting the public, but it has been beset by problems since it began seven years ago. Most of its attempts to keep accused predators locked up have failed.
USA Today

Reward for dead California fugitive policeman shrinks
A second group has pulled its money from a pooled $1.2 million reward offered during a manhunt for a renegade former California policeman who died in a fiery standoff, a Los Angeles television station said. The Peace Officers Research Association of California withdrew the $50,000 it pledged for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Christopher Dorner, KNBC said.
Reuters

Pensions

Anti-pension propaganda disguised by think tanks and 'public policy' websites
Public employee critics, in their continuing attempt to place all blame for economic woes on public employees, have begun a new line of attack. This time they're employing social media and shadowy websites to bolster their cause. Here in California, they've have created a "think tank" to operate a series of websites that appear to be nominally independent.
LAPPL Blog

Parole

Gov. Jerry Brown's 65 Easter pardons include murderer
Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday continued a pattern of pardons tied to Christian religious days, granting clemency to 65 convicted criminals, including a Los Angeles man who spent 15 years in prison for a 1977 murder conviction. Brown's pardon of Robert Phillip Brown provided no details of the convict's crime, nor his case for clemency, other than to say the man had obtained a Superior Court order last year testifying that since release from prison, "he has lived an honest and upright life, exhibited good moral character, and conducted himself as a law-abiding citizen."
Los Angeles Times

City Government

L.A. mayor again vetoes pick for fire and police pension manager
For the second time in a year, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has rejected the person picked to run the pension system for police officers and firefighters, antagonizing representatives of public safety employees who rely on the agency's $15.8-billion investment portfolio.
Los Angeles Times

L.A. to launch new 311 app
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will unveil the city's first comprehensive mobile app allowing residents to report problems and request services on everything from tree trimming to pothole repair on their cellphones. Called MYLA311, the app has been in the development stage for months and early versions were used by several City Council offices to test out before the citywide version was released.
Los Angeles Daily News

City Election

Endorsements help define Garcetti and Greuel
Since winning spots in the mayoral runoff, Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel have been scurrying around Los Angeles rolling out new endorsements as they seek to gain an edge in what is expected to be a tight, low-turnout election. In statewide and national races, many endorsements are seen as little more than window dressing.
Los Angeles Times