Law Enforcement

LAPD body cameras: 90-day test seeks to answer key questions to create new policy
On Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles, a man walks into the middle of the road and waves down an LAPD patrol car. The officer shouts to the man to return to the sidewalk. He parks the cruiser and turns on the blue-and-red caution lights. It's a quarrel between two people over a haircut, with some name-calling involved. Eventually, a handshake resolves the dispute. However trivial the problem, the officer's small lapel camera should have caught the entire encounter on video.
Southern California Public Radio

LAPD officers violated policy in manhunt shooting
Eight Los Angeles police officers violated department policy when they mistakenly riddled a pickup truck with bullets, injuring two women, during a manhunt last year for cop-turned-killer Christopher Dorner, a civilian oversight board announced Tuesday. Police Chief Charlie Beck and Alex Bustamante, inspector general for the Los Angeles Police Commission, independently recommended that the shooting be ruled out of policy, commission President Steve Soboroff said.
Associated Press

Long Beach police warn of 'Purple Drank'
It's a sweet concoction that gives drinkers a feeling of euphoria. It's also highly addictive, with dangerous and deadly side effects. Authorities are warning of the rise in popularity of a concoction called “Purple Drank,” which is so named for its synthetic purple hue. Purple Drank's main ingredient is prescription-strength cough syrup that contains the sedative promethazine and codeine, a powerful painkiller. Abusers will typically add clear soda, such as Sprite or 7Up, and a Jolly Rancher candy for sweetness.
Orange County Register

Manhunt continues in Hollywood Hills for suspect in fatal stabbing
An extensive manhunt in the hills above the Greek Theatre extended into midday Tuesday as authorities tried to track down a 54-year-old man wanted in connection with a fatal stabbing. Dozens of law enforcement officers from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department and other local agencies were searching the Hollywood Hills area around the theater and Runyon Canyon for the suspect, identified as Oscar Bridges.
Los Angeles Times

Police seek driver in fatal South L.A. hit-and-run
Police were looking Tuesday night for a driver who struck and killed a 19-year-old man and then fled the scene in South Los Angeles. The hit-and-run incident was reported about 7 p.m. after a man in a dark newer-model Camaro was seen speeding and driving erratically near 105th Street and Wadsworth Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The driver struck the man, who was walking on the street, and then plowed into at least three cars, the LAPD said.
Los Angeles Times

Pedestrian critical after Boyle Heights hit and run by Honda van
A pedestrian was hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday after a hit and run accident in Boyle Heights, police said today. Edward Nix, 54, of Los Angeles, was struck by a red Honda van travelling eastbound in the 2800 block of East Olympic Boulevard around 5:55 p.m. Monday, said Detective Felix Padilla of the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Traffic Division. Padilla said the victim was crossing Olympic in a marked crosswalk.
City News Service

Prisoner Realignment

Releasing prison inmates without supervision could increase crime, probation chief says
Warning that it could trigger a spike in crime, Chief Probation Officer Jerry Powers said about 15,000 inmates diverted from state prisons to Los Angeles county jails under the state's public safety realignment have served their sentences and returned to the community without having to report to a probation officer, undergo rehab, see a psychiatrist or seek other essential services.
Los Angeles Daily News

Prisons

Admissions halted at problem-plagued Stockton prison
A court overseer has halted inmate patient admissions at California's newest prison amid reports that the sprawling medical facility is beset by problems, including the unanswered calls of a dying patient. After meeting last week with corrections officials, Clark Kelso, the court-appointed medical receiver, ordered admissions stopped at the 6-month-old California Health Care Facility in Stockton and the opening of an adjacent 1,133-bed prison facility put on hold.
Los Angeles Times

Legislation

Bill would push minimum wage to $13 an hour
Top ranking lawmakers in the state Senate have introduced legislation that would raise the minimum wage above the $10 per hour that was approved by California lawmakers in 2013. The bill co-authored by state Sen. Mark Leno and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg would set minimum wage at $11 per hour in 2015, and grow it by a dollar the next year, and another dollar after that. Beginning in 2018 the wage guarantee would be annually adjusted for inflation.
Sacramento Business Journal

City Government

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti to propose eliminating business tax
In an attempt to make Los Angeles more competitive with neighboring municipalities, Mayor Eric Garcetti will propose phasing out the city's business tax as part of his first budget. It is the first sweeping initiative for Garcetti, who has made attracting and preserving jobs a key priority since taking office six months ago. That could happen if the tax is eliminated, proponents say.
Los Angeles Daily News

Mayor Garcetti appoints Peter Marx as Chief Innovation Technology Officer
Mayor Garcetti today appointed Peter Marx as the city's first Chief Innovation Technology Officer. A key part of Mayor Garcetti's back to basics agenda, Marx will oversee the implementation of new tools and technologies across L.A. city government better solve problems for residents and make City Hall work more efficiently and effectively. In addition, he will partner with L.A.'s growing tech industry to deploy innovative technology and promote local job creation.
Mayor Press Release

New DWP head confirmed as Feuer fights for subpoenas
The Board of Water and Power Commission on Tuesday approved Mayor Eric Garcetti's nomination of Marcie Edwards to take over as general manager of the Department of Water and Power as legal battles continued over a proposed audit to two trusts funded by the utility. Edwards was confirmed on a 5-0 vote for the post, for which she will be paid $345,000 a year.
Los Angeles Daily News