Law Enforcement

Skateboard attacker sexually battered women, LAPD says
Los Angeles police Tuesday night were looking for a man who has sexually battered three women in Van Nuys while swooping by them on a skateboard. The man approached the woman from behind and grabbed them, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The incidents took place between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. in an area bordered by Sherman Way on the north, Vanowen Street on the south, Van Nuys Boulevard on the west and Hazeltine Avenue on the east.
Los Angeles Times

Police need public's help in finding Venice woman
Police are asking for the public's help in finding a missing 31-year-old Venice woman. Sheng-Wen Shiao was last seen by her husband around 8 a.m. Oct. 17 at the couple's house in the 5000 block of Via Donte Boulevard. Her family has not had any contact with her during the past several days. Shiao was described as Taiwanese, 5 feet 3 inches tall, around 105 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information regarding the woman's whereabouts was asked to contact Det. A Mercado of the LAPD's Missing Persons Unit at (213) 996-1800.
CBS LA

Porter Ranch police chase reportedly hits speeds of 120 mph before suspect is arrested
A stolen vehicle suspect led officers on a three-county, high speed chase Tuesday morning from Porter Ranch to Rancho Cucamonga, authorities said. The chase began at about 12:40 a.m. near Reseda Boulevard and the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway after an officer determined the suspect was driving a car reported stolen in downtown Los Angeles, according to Los Angeles police Sgt. Bernard Fitchpatrick.
City News Service

North Hollywood residents return home after mysterious explosion
Residents in a North Hollywood neighborhood were allowed to return home Tuesday after a bomb squad investigated a mysterious explosion. Police began receiving calls about 12:30 a.m. after an explosion in the cab of a truck in the 11300 block of Miranda Street, said Sgt. Mike Kammert of the Los Angeles Police Department. The truck was parked behind a home. The explosion blasted open its roof, damaged the home and blew out several windows in the area, authorities said.
Los Angeles Times

Campaign shows teens costs of distracted driving
With traffic collisions the leading cause of death for America's teens - some 3,500 died in car crashes last year, about 10 percent of them in California - National Teen Driver Safety Week hopes to educate kids and their parents about the need to pay attention behind the wheel. According to LAPD's Valley Traffic Division, there were 15 drivers between the ages of 16 and 24 killed on San Fernando Valley streets in 2012. The Safety Week is co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Mercedes-Benz and Impact Teen Drivers.
Los Angeles Daily News

Prisons

California prison officials defend treatment of mentally ill inmates
The state began its defense Tuesday of how it treats mentally ill inmates, with a psychiatrist from the California State Prison at Corcoran testifying that the use of pepper spray and strong restraints against prisoners in their cells sometimes is necessary to save an inmate's life. Testifying in U.S. District Court in Sacramento, Dr. Ernest Wagner described his treatment of a prisoner known in court only as "Inmate A," a suicidal inmate who was sprayed repeatedly with pepper spray and pulled forcibly from his cell because he was refusing his medication. Wagner said he was present at the cell extraction.
Sacramento Bee

Public Health

West Nile virus claims three L.A. County residents' lives
Three men died last week from complications due to West Nile Virus, bringing Los Angeles County's death toll attributed to the mosquito-transmitted disease to seven so far this year, public health officials announced Monday. Their deaths indicate that the potentially fatal virus is still being transmitted in October, which is considered late in the season, Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health, said in a statement.
Los Angeles Daily News

Local Governments

Garcetti might veto challenge to app-based ride-sharing program
Despite a threatened veto, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday is expected to consider challenging a state decision to legalize app-based ride-sharing companies. The California Public Utilities Commission acted last month to create a new regulatory scheme for firms such as Lyft, UberX and Sidecar to legally compete with taxis for customers. The so-called "transportation network companies" will be required to obtain permits, perform background checks and create driver training programs.
Los Angeles Times

3 of L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti's Harbor Commission appointees live or work in the Harbor area
In a sweeping change of the city's Harbor Commission, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti on Tuesday made his final nominations to the panel, with three of the members now living or working in the Harbor area. "The Port of Los Angeles is the nation's number one port and is a major economic driver for our local, regional and national economy," Garcetti said. "Keeping our port at peak performance is key to bringing and keeping jobs here in L.A. and to putting the recession in the rearview mirror."
Los Angeles Daily News

Remaking the San Fernando Valley: Pedestrian-friendly, community-oriented projects underway
From Northridge to Panorama City and Sun Valley to Sherman Oaks, new efforts are underway to provide a greater sense of community to the disparate neighborhoods that make up the San Fernando Valley. Borrowing from the "centers concept" developed by former Planning Director Calvin Hamilton in the 1970s, the latest plans focus on creating town centers in each community - areas that will be pedestrian friendly and serve as a meeting place for residents.
Los Angeles Daily News

Strike authorization vote by 55,000 L.A. County workers set to begin
Tens of thousands of unionized Los Angeles County employees will begin voting Wednesday on whether to authorize a strike because of stalled contract negotiations. The weeklong vote will not automatically lead to a strike if approved, but it does represent an escalation in tension between SEIU 721, which represents 55,000 workers, and the county. The union's contract expired Sept. 30, and leaders staged a walkout that drew thousands of protesters to downtown Los Angeles on Oct. 1.
Los Angeles Times