Law Enforcement

2,268 DUI arrests made in L.A. County during the holidays
Authorities from across Los Angeles County have arrested 2,268 people for driving under the influence during the holiday season, according to a report released Thursday. The drunk-driving crackdown involved about 100 law enforcement agencies and stretched from Dec. 13 to New Year's Day, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The 2,268 arrests is up 100 from a year ago when authorities conducted a similar campaign for 19 days.
Los Angeles Times

Bullet that hit man New Year's Day 'fell from the sky,' LAPD says
A man in Highland Park was injured early New Year's Day when he was "skimmed" by what investigators believe was celebratory gunfire, Los Angeles police said. The man was standing in the 6800 block of North Figueroa about 12:18 a.m. Wednesday when he was hit in the face by something that "fell from the sky," said LAPD Officer Gregory Baek. "He was basically standing in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Sgt. Juan Campos of the LAPD's Northeast Station.
Los Angeles Times

Hearing postponed for Venice boardwalk hit-and-run suspect
The suspect accused of using his car to kill an Italian honeymooner and injure 16 people on the Venice Boardwalk in August will have to wait at least another week to learn whether he will stand trial on murder and other charges, a judge ruled Thursday. The final day of a preliminary hearing in the case of Nathan Louis Campbell, 38, was postponed from Thursday to Jan. 8 at the request of his public defender, Philip Dube.
Los Angeles Times

Homicide suspected after woman's body found inside Wilmington motel
Los Angeles police homicide investigators continued their probe Thursday into the death of a woman whose body was found inside a Wilmington motel room. The body of 45-year-old Alicia Espinoza of Long Beach was found inside a room at Oscar's Motel, 1712 N. Wilmington Blvd., just after noon Tuesday, said Officer Wendy Reyes. Los Angeles firefighters pronounced Espinoza dead at the scene, officials said. An autopsy had yet to be conducted and a cause of death has not been determined.
Los Angeles Times

Man's body found inside Cadillac in Tujunga Wash
Officials are investigating the death of a 31-year-old Woodland Hills man whose body was found Thursday morning inside a 2008 Cadillac STS that apparently veered off the 101 Freeway, down an embankment and landed in the Tujunga wash near Vineland Avenue in Toluca Lake. The car was found around 7:15 a.m. when firefighters at Station 86, at 4305 Vineland Ave., saw the vehicle from a parking lot at the rear of the station, which overlooks a stretch of the flood control channel.
Los Angeles Daily News

Ex-Deutsche bank executive to go to trial against police
A former Deutsche Bank AG executive can take two Los Angeles policemen to trial over claims they beat him in May 2012 while he was in a neighborhood to visit a medical marijuana dispensary, a judge ruled. U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner Thursday denied a request by the police officers to throw out Brian Mulligan's claims they used excessive force, violated his civil rights, and engaged in assault and battery.
Bloomberg News

Have you seen this alleged vehicle burglar?
North Hollywood police are hoping a witness snapshot of a man suspected of stealing a car stereo will lead to his arrest. By unknown means, the unidentified man allegedly opened the passenger door of a vehicle at the parking lot of the Denny's at 11377 Burbank Blvd. at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday. He's suspected of stealing a Sony car stereo valued at about $200, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
North Hollywood - Toluca Lake Patch

Immigration

California illegal immigrants can get law license, state Supreme Court rules
Citing a new state law allowing persons living in the country illegally to get their law licenses, the California Supreme Court on Thursday paved the way for a Chico man to fulfill his dream of becoming an attorney despite his not being a U.S. citizen. In a unanimous ruling, the state Supreme Court determined there is no reason to block Sergio Garcia's bid for a California law license, now that a new law permits the state's high court to give such licenses to immigrants who are not yet citizens.
San Jose Mercury-News

Driving

Study: Self-driving car sales will explode
Annual sales of self-driving cars worldwide - including those that require some driver input - will balloon from 230,000 in 2025 to 11.8 million by 2035, a new study predicts. That would result in a cumulative total of 54 million self-driving cars in use around the world by that year, says consultants IHS Automotive. It's no longer a question whether such cars will be built, but how soon and how many. Already, virtually all major automakers are working on self-driving technologies.
USA Today

City Government

L.A. sues software firm over alleged illegal gambling
Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer filed suit Thursday against a computer software developer, accusing it of supplying Internet cafes in Los Angeles with illegal gambling programs. The company, Figure 8 Technologies Inc. in Greenville, N.C., is one of the major developers of software used by Internet "sweepstakes" cafes across the country. The increasingly popular cafes claim to offer promotional sweepstakes, but have been accused of violating gambling laws.
Los Angeles Business Journal

Health

Flu activity increases statewide among young, middle-aged adults
The flu is on the rise across California, where some counties are reporting an increase of illness among healthy young and middle-aged adults. The H1N1 strain appears to be the predominant influenza virus, although it is not yet widespread, the state's Department of Public Health announced this week. But while state officials can provide no data on cases or hospitalizations, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Christmas Eve alert cautioning that if H1N1 virus continues to circulate widely, illness may rise among young and middle-aged adults.
Los Angeles Daily News