Law Enforcement

Unidentified women sought in FBI hunt for child sex predator
Federal investigators Wednesday sought the public's assistance in identifying two females who may have information about a sex abuse case involving a minor. The unidentified women, "Jane Doe #25" and "Jane Doe #26", are not seen in newly released digital images and video, but they may be able to provide valuable details regarding the identity of the victim, FBI investigators said.
CBS LA

Police warn Sylmar parents about suspected child predator
Police warned Sylmar parents Tuesday about a man in his early 20s who has been seen lurking around young girls. The suspect has approached at least three girls as young as 12 years old on several occasions since May 3 in the area of Dronfield Avenue and Tyler Street, according to Lt. Paul Vernon of the Los Angeles Police Department's Mission Station. The most recent incident happened a week ago.
CBS LA

Search is on for group suspected of shooting gun from moving car
Gunfire shot out a car window and forced a Pacoima elementary school to be placed on lockdown Wednesday afternoon, authorities said. Police are searching for four or five men who apparently shot at a moving car on a surface street. A shooting in which a car's rear window was damaged happened about 3:35 p.m. in the 13500 block of Weidner Street, near the 15 Freeway, according to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department.
NBC4

Gardena elementary students participate in LAPD 'Kid Cop' program
Nearly 1,000 new LAPD officers were sworn in Wednesday, but these little officers are younger than the typical street cop. "I'm going to learn how to be a good kid in every single way as I can, like at home, school, just everywhere," said "kid cop" Kalise Barrow. The goal of the Los Angeles Police Department's Kid Cop Program is to reach the youth of 186th Street Elementary School in Gardena early on in order to build a relationship of trust and respect with Harbor Division police officers
ABC7

Legislation

California lawmakers support amnesty for illegal gun owners
State lawmakers are expected to be divided along party lines Wednesday when they act on eight gun-control measures, but one firearms-related measure approved this week won bipartisan support. The state Senate voted 39-0 to approve legislation that would provide an amnesty program for thousands of Californians who own 40,000 guns but are disqualified from possessing firearms because of criminal convictions, severe mental illness, arrest warrants or temporary restraining orders.
Los Angeles Times

Assembly approves driver licenses for undocumented immigrants
The state Assembly has passed a bill on a 53 to 20 vote that allows people without a Social Security Number to apply for a state driver license. Democratic Assemblyman Luis Alejo says the bill will reassure undocumented immigrants. "They don't want to live fear that, on a morning taking their children to school, they might get pulled over and have their vehicle taken away or perhaps taken to county jail because they have no have identification," he says.
Capital Public Radio

More gun regulations approved by California Senate
The California Senate today approved a package of bills that tighten the state's regulation of firearms by outlawing detachable and large capacity magazines, keeping track of people who buy ammunition and widening the category of offenders who are prohibited from owning guns for 10 years. Senate Democrats drafted the bills in response to December's school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
Sacramento Bee

Prisons

California Gov. Jerry Brown bristles at releasing more prisoners
California Governor Jerry Brown is asking the Supreme Court to intervene in a battle over the state's prison population. A federal court has ruled the state's prison system is over-crowded, and it's ordered thousands of prisoners to be released by the end of the year. Over the years, California has sent far more criminals to state prisons than it has room for. California's prisons are built to accommodate 80,000 prisoners, but there are almost 120,000.
CBS News

People

CityThinker: Meet Jackie Lacey, our new legal leader
She's L.A. County's first African American district attorney-and the first woman to hold that post. "The election of the first African American president changed my view. I started to think, 'What else could I do?' I set these limits for myself. I've got to go for more." California's reform of the three-strikes law last year? That's a good thing. "We can make mistakes in this society if we base a law on one set of circumstances. Because if we did that, then everybody would be going to jail for spitting on the sidewalk."
Los Angeles Magazine

The Economy

A welcome revenue boost for L.A. County
Local government coffers are beginning to feel the effect of the region's slowly improving economy, led by the significant increase in property tax valuation in Los Angeles County. The total value of taxable parcels in the county is expected to rise by about 4.25% in 2013, the largest jump since the depths of the recession in 2009, according to new figures released by the county assessor.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

L.A. Council creates consolidated planning department
The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved the creation of a new Department of City Planning & Development. Councilmembers Mitchell Englander and Paul Krekorian first proposed consolidating the planning department with building and safety in January. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa brought up the idea again during his budget message last month.
Los Angeles Business Journal