Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Green Meadows, 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. Five neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Green Meadows was the most unusual, with 16 reports compared to a weekly average of 7.5 over the last three months. Chesterfield Square topped the list of seven neighborhoods with property crime alerts. It recorded 17 property crimes compared with its weekly average of 8.6 over the last three months.
Los Angeles Times

Victim of shooting on 110 freeway dies; case now a homicide
The victim of a car-to-car shooting on the 110 Freeway this week died on Friday morning, police said. After the death, detectives renewed their request for help from the public to find the killer. Details about the Tuesday afternoon shooting remained scant. Elroy Schneck, 41, was wounded at about 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday on the northbound 110 Freeway between Manchester and Florence avenues, police said.
NBC4

South LA christening, First Communion celebration turns deadly
One person was killed and four others were injured as violence erupted at a family gathering to celebrate the christening and First Holy Communion of two sisters. Police responded to the corner of 127th and Hoover streets in South Los Angeles following a call of "shots fired" around 11 p.m. Saturday. Upon arriving on scene, officers located four gunshot victims, one of which died. A fifth person, identified as a 17-year-old boy, was stabbed numerous times.
CBS LA

Man, 39, gunned down on Los Angeles street
Police say a 39-year-old man was shot and killed on a Los Angeles street Saturday night. Authorities said the victim was standing in the 6000 block of 2nd Avenue when another man came up and fired. The shooting occurred about 11:45 p.m., according to Sgt. Angela McGee of the Los Angeles Police Department's 77th Street Station. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, she said. No suspect information was released.
CBS LA

Man dies after being struck by hit-and-run driver in South L.A.
A man died early Friday after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver in South Los Angeles and transported to a hospital, authorities said. The victim, a 39-year-old transient, was apparently jaywalking across Avalon Boulevard between 83rd and 84th streets about 10:45 p.m. when he was hit, according to the Los Angeles Police Department's South Traffic Division.
KTLA5

Thief steals 2 box trucks in Downtown L.A.
A thief stole two trucks in succession Friday from a downtown business, prompting a high-speed pursuit that was called off when it threatened the safety of public, police said. A truck was reported stolen about 6 a.m. from a lot near 4th and San Pedro streets, according to the Los Police Department's Central Traffic Division. "It is a very interesting story, where he attempts to steal both vehicles," said Christopher No, an LAPD spokesman. "For what reason? Unknown."
KTLA5

Legislation

Bill restores rules on domestic violence cases
The state Senate has approved legislation that would reinstate mandates that police departments keep records of restraining orders and adopt standards for responding to domestic violence calls. The bill, AB81, passed Wednesday reverses language in a previously approved budget bill that would have made those practices optional for law enforcement agencies.
Associated Press

Prisons

Prison hunger strikes begin at High Desert
A week before protests in prisons are planned to start statewide, inmates at High Desert State Prison in far Northern California have launched their own hunger strike. Corrections department officials Friday confirmed that nearly two dozen inmates began refusing meals Monday. By Friday afternoon, that number had dropped to 20. Department spokeswoman Terry Thornton said the High Desert inmates had presented a list of 30 complaints, all centered on conditions within the prison's administration segregation unit.
Los Angeles Times

Traffic

Metro: 10 Freeway pay lanes have an average speed of 64 mph
Cars are traveling at top speeds on the new 10 Freeway Express Lanes during the morning rush hour, but for motorists who stick to the free, mixed-flow lanes, anecdotal evidence suggests their trip is a slow ride through heavy traffic. An incomplete report from Stephanie Wiggins, Metro's executive officer in charge of the pay lanes pilot project, said the average travel speed along the 14-mile pay lanes from the 605 Freeway to Alameda Street in downtown Los Angeles was 64 mph for the month of April.
Los Angeles Daily News

City Government

Mayor Eric Garcetti creating coalition of proven staffers
As he continues to assemble his staff, it appears as if Mayor Eric Garcetti is bringing together what can best be described as a coalition government, in an example of what happens when the incumbent is not running and the winner is able to draw from a variety of sources. Garcetti, so far, has taken on folks who worked for both former mayors Antonio Villaraigosa and James Hahn. The Hahn administration influence is the strongest.
Los Angeles Daily News

Harmony at City Hall
Over the last 20 years, there has been a lot of change in the top two offices of Los Angeles government. Mayors and city attorneys have been Republicans and Democrats. They've been political insiders and outsiders, and they've been ethnically diverse. Throughout all that, however, one thing has remained constant: No mayor and city attorney have worked well together. That may soon change.
Los Angeles Times