Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Encino, Larchmont and 11 other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 13 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. 11 neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Encino was the most unusual, recording six reports compared with a weekly average of 0.7 over the last three months. Larchmont topped the list of two neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

Drunk man fires gun, kills himself at Boyle Heights party, LAPD says
Los Angeles police are investigating an incident in Boyle Heights where witnesses said a drunken man accidentally shot himself in the face during a party. Police were still interviewing witnesses, and it is unclear if charges will be filed, but Lt. Perry Griffith gave this account: Early Monday morning, a group of people were drinking in a home in the 3200 block of Folsom Street when "a handgun joins the party," Griffith said, with the homeowner taking out the gun to show it off.
Los Angeles Times

Westfield Topanga mall kidnapping and rape suspect charged with 14 felonies
An 18-year-old Lancaster man was charged Monday with more than a dozen felony counts, including forcible rape and kidnapping, stemming from a July 4 attack on a worker at the Westfield Topanga mall in Canoga Park. Kioki Ray Snowden made his initial appearance today at the Van Nuys courthouse, but his arraignment was rescheduled to July 29.
City News Service

Police seek clues in Arleta road-rage shooting
Authorities Monday identified a motorist killed in a car-to-car shooting in Arleta that police say was motivated by road rage, and detectives continued their search for the shooter. The shooting occurred just after 3 p.m. Saturday on Branford Avenue, as the victim's red Kia and the suspect's gray late-model Dodge Challenger passed under the Golden State (5) Freeway, said Lt. Paul Vernon of the Los Angeles Police Department's Mission Detective Division.
City News Service

The Courts

9th Circuit says Miranda warning must be given in correct Spanish
A Miranda warning given in both English and Spanish to a Spanish-speaking suspect is insufficient if a police officer's translation fails to convey the true meaning of the arrested person's rights, a federal appeals court decided Monday. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a drug and gun conviction on the grounds that a district judge erred by admitting comments made by the suspect after he was given the Miranda warning in English and poor Spanish.
Los Angeles Times

Pensions

CalPERS, CalSTRS post double-digit annual gains
The nation's two largest public pension funds on Monday reported double-digit annual returns from rising stock and real estate prices, but cautioned against focusing too much on short-term performance. The California Public Employees' Retirement System reported a 12.5 percent annual return while the California State Teachers' Retirement System announced it gained 13.8 percent for the year that ended June 30.
Associated Press

Traffic

Most 5 Freeway lanes should reopen by Tuesday morning rush hour
Three days after a fiery tanker truck crash destroyed parts of a tunnel underneath the 5 Freeway and jammed traffic throughout northeastern Los Angeles, officials expected that most freeway lanes would reopen in time for the Tuesday morning rush hour. Sections of the 5 were entirely shut down after the Saturday morning crash inside a tunnel connecting the 2 Freeway with the 5. Two southbound lanes of the 5 reopened Monday and all of the northbound lanes were expected to reopen by Tuesday morning, Caltrans officials said.
Los Angeles Times

Public Safety

After controversy, Dodgers end ambulance deal with LAFD
Following criticism from city fire commissioners and union leaders, the Los Angeles Dodgers are dropping a plan to staff home games with city firefighters and ambulances. The deal came under fire last week after LAFD officials acknowledged it required shifting on-duty units from other parts of the city and would result in some cost to taxpayers.
Los Angeles Times

Prisons

CA governors question realignment, support stay on prisoner release
California's four living former governors have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to grant Gov. Jerry Brown's request for a stay of a federal court order requiring the state to reduce its prison population by nearly 10,000 inmates. The Criminal Justice Legal Foundation said today that it had filed a "friend of the court" brief on behalf of Govs. George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson, Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Sacramento Bee

City Government

Garcetti cuts short East Coast trip after Zimmerman protests
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Monday cut short a weeklong trip to the East Coast in what a spokesman described as "an abundance of caution" over civic unrest in the aftermath of the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. After less than two weeks in office, Garcetti left Los Angeles on Saturday for Pittsburgh for a family visit with friends over the weekend, followed by meetings later this week in Washington with members of Congress and Obama administration officials.
Los Angeles Times