Law Enforcement

After years of violence, L.A.'s Watts sees crime subside
Since the 1960s, the Watts neighborhood of South Los Angeles has been synonymous with gang violence and racial tension. Combative relations between police and members of the community have long been the norm. Lately, there's been some improvement. Violent crime has dropped by almost 50 percent in three of Watts' toughest housing projects. There's been only one homicide there in the past two years. It's a dramatic turnaround - one that's explained in part by proactive efforts by community leaders and changes within the Los Angeles Police Department.
NPR

LAPD announces arrest of teen for inciting Hollywood, Crenshaw crime sprees
The Los Angeles Police Department Wednesday announced the arrest of a 16-year-old male suspect who is believed to have incited crime sprees in Hollywood and Crenshaw last week. The teen, whose name was withheld due to his age, was arrested for inciting a riot, saying he used social media to help organize robberies and vandalism on July 15 and 16 following the George Zimmerman verdict.
CBS LA

Feds indict 10 alleged Southland gang members
A Homeland Security probe into an alleged drug and weapons trafficking scheme by a Los Angeles street gang has led to the indictment 10 gang members, six of whom were arrested Wednesday, authorities said. The probe was part of a federal initiative known as Operation Community Shield, a national gang task force whose goal is to deter, disrupt, and dismantle gang activities by hitting them where it will hurt them -- in their pocketbooks, authorities said.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD: 2 men in drive-by shooting killed by rival gang members for tagging
Two men who perished in Glassell Park after a drive-by shooting on Cypress Avenue Saturday were gang members who were tagging in Cypress Park and were targeted by members of a rival gang, according to LAPD Northeast Division Capt. Jeff Bert. Bert told a meeting of the Community Policing Advisory Board at the Northeast Station Monday evening that the older of the two victims, Alfred Lopez, 32, was released from prison recently after serving a long sentence for violent crime.
Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch

Body found near Venice boardwalk; LAPD is investigating
Los Angeles police Wednesday night were investigating the death of man whose body was found near the Venice boardwalk. The body was found next to a bathroom near the boardwalk and Breeze avenue around 6 p.m., the Los Angeles Police Department said. Police were trying to determine whether the death was a homicide. The LAPD said the body was that of a male between 20 and 25 years old. No other details were immediately available.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD asks public to help find missing USC student
The Los Angeles Police Department wants the public to be on the lookout for a missing USC student. Authorities say Frank “Jaime” Jameson, 21, was last seen on June 26 in the 3700 block of South Figueroa Street, near the USC campus. Jameson was reportedly last heard from, via text, on July 19th. The missing student has never gone off on his own before. His family is concerned for his safety. Jameson is 6 feet 3 inches and weighs about 180 pounds. He has brown hair and green eyes.
CBS LA

Prisons

Hunger strike continues in California prisons but participation decreases
Inmates at prisons throughout the state are still refusing meals to protest conditions for gang members held in solitary confinement at Pelican Bay State Prison near Eureka. But the number of participants has continuously decreased since the hunger strike first started more than two weeks ago, prison officials said. On Wednesday 707 inmates at 10 California prisons were on a hunger strike, said Jeffrey Callison, a spokesman for California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Los Angeles Daily News

City Government

L.A. Council may end tickets for parking at broken meters
It's the parking meter blues. After driving around seemingly forever to find a parking spot near the city's more popular stores and restaurants, you finally spy an open space with a meter -- and it ends up being out of service. Park there and you could get a ticket, under the city's current laws. But the City Council on Wednesday began examining whether that policy should change. The council Transportation Committee recommended 4-0 that it be rescinded for at least six months to determine the impact. The matter will now go to the full City Council for a vote.
Los Angeles Daily News

Mayor Garcetti opens help desk outside his office in City Hall
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is vowing to make City Hall more accessible and user-friendly. Garcetti has opened a help desk right outside his office on the third floor, KNX1070s Claudia Peschuitta reports. "As people come to City Hall, they can come right here and ask us whatever question it is," he said. "My basic philosophy is you deserve whatever you want or a darn good explanation as to why you can't have it and nothing in between."
CBS LA

L.A. Council approves Hollywood Millennium towers project
City officials unanimously approved a New York developer's plans for two skyscrapers near the Capitol Records building in Hollywood on Wednesday, despite concerns about nearby fault lines and increased traffic. Mayor Eric Garcetti said he would sign off on the Millennium project, the final City Hall approval needed for the development. The backing comes amid new scrutiny of the twin towers, as a number of independent geologists called for additional earthquake research in light of the planned construction.
Los Angeles Daily News

Low turnout played role in Nury Martinez's L.A. council seat win
Former school board member Nury Martinez's upset election victory over heavily favored Cindy Montañez in the San Fernando Valley's Council District 6 race can be attributed to a shake-up of her political team after a second-place finish in the May primary, well-timed attack ads and the candidate's dogged campaigning, according to analysts and campaign officials on both sides of the contest. Big factors, according to interviews, were the timing of the election and low turnout, which amplified the effects of shifts Martinez made in campaign strategy during the runoff.
Los Angeles Times