Law Enforcement

Man arrested in double stabbing case on Hollywood Boulevard
A 26-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a double stabbing on Labor Day near the Walk of Fame that left two people injured, police said Thursday night. Danny Moreno, who lives in the Simi Valley area, was taken into custody Wednesday on suspicion of attempted murder, the Los Angeles Police Department said. One of the victims was treated at a hospital after he was stabbed on Sept. 2 and released later that day. The second victim is still hospitalized in serious condition, according to the LAPD.
Los Angeles Times

Gang 'tax collector' gets life for shooting that left infant dead
A gang "tax collector" who helped set up 2007 shooting in a bustling Los Angeles shopping district that claimed the life of a 3-week-old boy was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Juvenal Cardenas Mejia, 40, was the last of seven defendants convicted in the shooting near MacArthur Park. "It's been a long time," Deputy Dist. Atty. Victor Avila said this week. "Now, finally the last defendant that participated in this murder is being held accountable."
Los Angeles Times

Police seeking Count-Three Bandit for Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valley armed robberies
Police are asking for the public's help in locating a man suspected of committing a string of robberies at stores in both the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys. Dubbed the Count-Three Bandit by local authorities, the man enters a store, brandishes a 4-inch Western-style revolver at the store clerks and demands money from the register. Once the money is handed over, he tells the clerks to lie down and count to three before getting up.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD officer charged with assault in death of woman
Prosecutors have filed an assault charge against a Los Angeles police officer for her alleged role in a 2012 incident captured on squad-car video in which a 35-year-old mother died after a violent struggle to place her in custody. T yler Izen, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents the department's 10,000 officers, would not offer specific comments on the incident because he had not seen the video and the officer has retained her own legal counsel. But he noted the allegations seemed out of character for a veteran officer who was dedicated to the community she served.
NBC News

Former LAPD officer of Indio receives Purple Heart
A few weeks ago, Jan McGaff slipped into a crisp new police uniform for the first time in more than 40 years. It fit like a glove. But McGaff, once an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, wasn't going back to work. Among close friends, family and old peers, McGaff received the Purple Heart for law enforcement from the Los Angeles Police Foundation, an overdue honor for a nearly fatal injury McGaff suffered in the line of duty, one that prematurely ended his career with the LAPD when he was just 27.
Desert Sun

New Laws

Gov. Brown orders swift response to mental hospital crimes
Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday signed legislation aimed at protecting victims of sex crimes in state hospitals and developmental centers. SB 651 by Senator Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) mandates that victims of suspected abuse in the hospitals and centers for the developmentally disabled receive immediate examinations by trained investigators at independent facilities to collect evidence. The investigations are in response a serious lapse in oversight at facilities, where numerous residents have been sexually assaulted under the state's care with no consequences, Pavley said.
Los Angeles Times

State job applications won't ask about criminal past
People who seek jobs with state or local government agencies in California will not be asked on their initial applications whether they have been convicted of a crime, under legislation that was signed into law Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown. AB218 by Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento, effective in July, will prohibit most government employers from requiring disclosure of past convictions on initial applications, information that often ends any realistic job prospects. Supporters promoted the bill as offering a second chance to ex-offenders.
San Francisco Chronicle

Public Safety

Tree branch used to override Angels Flight safety system, report says
Operators of the historic Angels Flight railway in downtown Los Angeles had been using a tree branch to override a safety system in the months before the funicular derailed in September, according to the National Transportation and Safety Board. The report, released Thursday, said the railway, which runs between the Hill Street shopping district and Bunker Hill, had been experiencing "unintended stops" for months before the accident, with multiple interruptions during each trip, the report said.
Los Angeles Times

Privacy

Facebook no longer lets users hide their profiles in search box
Facebook announced Thursday its plans to finalize the removal of the privacy setting that allows users to control who can search their name on the social-media site. The company first rolled out its plans to eliminate the service in December 2012, PC Mag reports. Last year's privacy-policy update ditched the security setting for members who were not using it, but now those who have the filter enabled have nowhere to hide.
TIME

City Government

Garcetti asks LAFD head to step down
Los Angeles Fire Chief Brian Cummings, who faced scrutiny over emergency response times during his two-year tenure, is being replaced, Mayor Eric Garcetti said Thursday. Garcetti said he is not satisfied that the Los Angeles Fire Department has done enough to improve response times or employ new technology.
Los Angeles Daily News

Mayor Garcetti outlines plan to spruce up L.A. streets
For 12 years, Eric Garcetti had the good fortune of representing Hollywood, Silver Lake, Echo Park and Atwater Village on the City Council just as a dramatic revitalization of those neighborhoods was taking hold. On Tuesday, the new mayor, who campaigned on a pledge to spread urban revival across the rest of L.A., started outlining how he hoped to do it. Garcetti launched his Great Streets Initiative, a plan to turn the main thoroughfares of up to 40 neighborhoods into more lively and pedestrian-friendly destinations.
Los Angeles Times