Law Enforcement

LAPD checks on parole, probation and sex offenders in Highland Park
Los Angeles Police Department officers from the Northeast Division led a surprise compliance check for parole, probation and sex offenders Thursday morning in Highland Park, arresting five people in as many as 50 locations. The sweep, known as the L.A. Saves Probation-Parole Task Force operation, was conducted within a one-mile radius of Franklin High School and was aimed at determining if people who are on parole, probation or are registered sex offenders are in compliance with certain laws, LAPD Capt. Jeffrey Bert, commander of the Northeast Division, told Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch.
Highland Park - Mount Washington Patch

LAPD: More cops to fight thefts in NoHo Arts District
In an effort to curb a recent surge of thefts in the NoHo Arts District, the Los Angeles Police Department announced Wednesday it would be stepping up its presence in the area for the next three months. While at a press conference at the Metro Red Line Station, Capt. Justin Eisenberg of the North Hollywood Community Police Station said Type 1 crimes, which encompass vehicle burglaries, bicycle thefts and gym locker break-ins, are up 20 percent year-to-date from 2011.
North Hollywood - Toluca Lake Patch

LAPD plans annual car show
The annual Still Saving Lives, a car show and safety fair hosted by the Los Angeles Police Department is set to take place this weekend. Now in its tenth year, the event will have more than 300 cars to view plus an LAPD helicopter, the department's SWAT, K-9 and bomb squad, motorcycle drill team, appearances by celebrities, raffles and silent auctions and 25 food trucks. The show runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Warner Center Park, 5800 Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Woodland Hills.
Woodland Hills Patch

Obama to pick Comey to replace Mueller at FBI
President Obama plans to nominate James Comey, a former senior Justice Department official under President George W. Bush, to replace Robert Mueller as the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to a government official knowledgeable of the nomination. The official, who was not authorized to comment on the pending announcement, said Obama decided on Comey over a list of candidates that included Lisa Monaco, who has served as the White House's top counterterrorism adviser since January.
USA Today

The Courts

California legislature may restore $100 million to court system from surplus funds
Lawmakers in Sacramento are considering adding $100 million from surplus funds to bolster local courts, which have seen their budgets slashed in recent years. But the money may come too late for the latest round of court closures across L.A. County. Starting on Monday, eight courthouses - including Pomona's and Whitter's - will close their doors under the Los Angeles County Superior Court consolidation plan. The plan was put into effect about six months ago, when the court system needed to cut $85 million from its budget.
KPCC

Prisons

California's death penalty on hold again
Ensuring California's death penalty system remains in limbo for the foreseeable future, a state appeals court on Thursday scrapped the state's latest attempt to update its lethal injection procedures. In a 28-page ruling, the 1st District Court of Appeal found that state prison officials failed to comply with administrative rules when crafting new regulations more than two years ago. The unanimous decision of the three-justice panel sends California back to the drawing board, unless the Brown administration takes the case to the California Supreme Court and keeps more than 700 Death Row inmates on an indefinite reprieve.
San Jose Mercury News

Agency: Realignment law undermines role of judges
Overcrowding in many county jails is forcing local sheriffs to assume the role traditionally held by judges in deciding who should make bail and how long convicts should serve behind bars, a state oversight agency said Thursday. The problem is aggravated by a two-year-old state law that is sending thousands of lower-level convicts to county jails instead of state prisons, the Little Hoover Commission said in an eight-page letter to the governor and legislative leaders.
Associated Press

Guns

Ricin attack puts spotlight on Bloomberg's gun control push
Letters laced with the deadly poison ricin sent to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the lobbying organization Mayors Against Illegal Guns illustrate how the group has emerged as a focal point of anger for opponents of gun control. Three letters containing an "oily substance" that turned out to be ricin were intercepted on their way to Bloomberg's office and the mayors group. A similar envelope was sent to President Barack Obama, the Secret Service confirmed on Thursday.
Reuters

Legislation

Calif. Assembly passes bill to raise minimum wage
Minimum-wage workers in California would see their first raises in six years under a bill that passed the state Assembly on Thursday. The measure from Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, would increase the state's minimum hourly wage to $8.25 next year from the current $8. It would rise to $9.25 in 2016 and would be adjusted for inflation in following years.
Associated Press

City Government