Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Chinatown, Carthay, 13 other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 15 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. Chinatown was the most unusual, recording three reports compared with a weekly average of 0.9 over the last three months. Carthay topped the list of seven neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD identifies two suspects in assault weapon incident
Los Angeles police Thursday identified two suspects who were arrested in connection with an incident in which a man allegedly tried to fire a Tec-9 Mini assault weapon at officers. Arturo Estrada, 18, and Alex Melendez, 25, both of Los Angeles, were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, LAPD officials said. Each suspect is being held in lieu of $200,000 bail.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD seeks Van Nuys suspect in 2006 shooting death of girlfriend
Los Angeles police detectives asked for the public's help Thursday to find a man wanted in the 2006 shooting death of his live-in girlfriend. David Allan Weir, 30, is suspected of killing Victoria Ramirez with a .357-caliber Magnum on Aug. 6, 2006, during an early morning fight after which he allegedly fled to Mexico in a 2003 Ford Mustang, according to homicide detectives. Ramirez was just 21 at the time.
City News Service

Size of LAPD questioned
In the first attack on the size of the LAPD as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa prepares to leave office, a City Councilman questioned Thursday why the department needs so many sworn personnel at a time when civilian jobs are vacant and other departments are hurting. Councilman Paul Koretz, a member of the Budget and Finance Committee, closely questioned Police Chief Charlie Beck on why he wants to keep the LAPD at 10,000 officers.
Los Angeles Daily News

Canoga High: Man dropped gun, tried to blend in, police say
Los Angeles School Police arrested a 19-year-old man who authorities said discarded a handgun and ran from officers onto the Canoga High School campus, prompting an hours-long lock down. The man was detained about 1 p.m., about the same the time authorities had discontinued the search on the school grounds. Police said that he had changed clothes and tried to blend in with the students.
Los Angeles Times

Northridge kidnapping suspect arraigned, pleads not guilty
The man suspected of kidnapping and assaulting a 10-year-old Northridge girl last month was arraigned Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court and pleaded not guilty to three dozen felony counts. Tobias Dustin Summers, 32, made his first court appearance since being returned from Mexico last week after his apprehension by Mexican authorities. Attorney Jeffrey S. Yanuck, who is representing Summers, had no immediate comment because he is still reviewing his client's case.
Los Angeles Times

Rash of burglaries prompts police alert to Eagle Rock residents
Los Angeles police are asking residents in Eagle Rock to be on the lookout for suspicious activities following a rash of residential burglaries between April 18 and 28th, and several car thefts during the same time frame. Police say the residential burglaries have occurred at different times of the days, so people should remain vigilant at all times. The auto thefts have been highest in the Eagle Rock and Colorado area, according to the LAPD alert. Burglaries are usually crimes of opportunity, so the best way to prevent them is “neighbors watching out for each other and reporting suspicious activity,” police said.
EGP News

Pensions

Math should trump politics in California pension debate
If there's one thing the debate over public employees' pensions has taught us, it's that California needs to invest more in mathematics instruction in its public schools. When Stanford professors who receive special interest funding for their work and self-proclaimed "taxpayer" organizations bankrolled by anti-union groups wag their finger at an investment system that yields 8 percent annual returns, it's clear there's a fundamental misunderstanding of the numbers.
Lou Paulson/President, California Professional Firefighters

Prisons

Calif. may speed inmate releases to ease crowding
California may speed up the release of some inmates while allowing other inmates with a violent history to become firefighters, under a proposal to cut crowding in state prisons filed by Gov. Jerry Brown late Thursday night. Brown filed the plan "under protest," said Corrections Secretary Jeffrey Beard. Brown warned that the options he presented to the court would undermine public safety, and Beard reiterated that the state plans to appeal in an attempt to avoid going through with the measures.
Associated Press

State Budget

California tax revenue yields multibillion-dollar surplus
California has been flooded with revenue this tax season and is on track to finish the fiscal year with a surplus of billions of dollars, according to officials. State coffers contain about $4.5 billion more than expected in personal income tax payments. Nearly $2.8 billion of it arrived April 17, the third-highest single-day collection in California history, according to government figures. Business taxes have also rebounded and are likely to be $200 million ahead of projections.
Los Angeles Times

City Election

Endorsement: Wendy Greuel is the one to lead L.A. back
The Los Angeles News Group editorial board repeats what it said before the primary: Wendy Greuel has the experience, know-how and personal qualities to be a fine mayor. Greuel's government experience is strong. She is the city controller and a former city councilwoman from the San Fernando Valley. She worked in the Clinton administration in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where her work was vital to getting the Valley back on its feet after the 1994 earthquake.
Los Angeles Daily News

DWP union fights salary release; mayoral candidates trade blame
As lawyers for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power employees' union fine-tune a proposed lawsuit to delay release of their members' names and salaries, both candidates for mayor are calling on the department to make the information public as soon as possible. The candidates -- City Controller Wendy Greuel and City Councilman Eric Garcetti -- also spent Thursday morning blaming each other for the fact that, as of 2011, DWP employees made an average of $99,381, or about 25% more than their counterparts at other public and private utilities.
Los Angeles Times