Law Enforcement

Woman found dead in North Hollywood apartment
A woman was found dead in a North Hollywood apartment Saturday morning, the victim of an apparent homicide, according to police. The victim, who has not been identified pending notification of next of kin, was found stabbed to death in the apartment in the 7100 block of Coldwater Canyon Avenue. Her death was reported to the Los Angeles Police Department just after 11 a.m.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD seeks public's help in locating missing elderly man
Authorities are seeking the public's help in locating a missing elderly man in need of ongoing medical care. Kenneth Morris, 74, was last seen around 1:30 p.m. on Friday leaving an adult health care facility in the 2300 block of West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles police said in a department statement. Police said he was possibly wearing a gray hoodie, a blue shirt with "Pacific Sales" on the front, brown pants, and white shoes.
CBS LA

Police seek public's help in finding missing Cal State L.A. student
Detectives are asking for the public's help in the search for a 19-year-old student who was last seen leaving Cal State L.A. aboard a Metro bus. Adilene Munguia has been missing since Thursday, said Cpl. Brian Namkoong of the Cal State L.A. Police Department. She boarded a bus about 3:35 p.m. headed toward East Olympic Boulevard and Soto Street in Boyle Heights. Her family reported her missing on Saturday. Munguia was wearing a pink sleeveless top and black pants and was carrying a beige and brown purse.
Los Angeles Times

Man injured in Canoga Park home-invasion robbery
Police Friday were investigating a home-invasion robbery in which a man was beaten at his San Fernando Valley residence. The crime occurred around 8 p.m. Thursday in the 6700 block of Eton Avenue in Canoga Park, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The call initially came out as a possible kidnapping, but when officers arrived on scene, they saw the home had been broken into and the man suffering from unspecified injuries.
CBS LA

L.A. law enforcement agencies host mounted police convention
More than 150 law enforcement personnel from across the United States and around the world are in Los Angeles to be trained in mounted policing. Mounted police officers patrol both urban and rural areas on horseback, and they're typically deployed to pedestrian-heavy areas like parks and public events. Participants in the North American Mounted Unit Commanders Association conference will receive training and share best practices, according to conference organizers.
Annenberg TV News

California cities, police chiefs support pot regulation for first time
The last time lawmakers tried to regulate California's medical marijuana industry, the League of California Cities warned of "a radical expansion of existing law" and "a slippery slope to distribution of marijuana for recreational use." And police groups rushed out talking points protesting the "creation of a massive, for-profit medical marijuana model." California cities and police were long considered obstructionists to regulatory legislation they said would legitimize marijuana businesses. But now they are jumping into the marijuana-regulation effort out of fear that the state is inevitably moving toward a sanctioned cannabis industry with or without their input.
Sacramento Bee

Courts

Two state laws ruled unconstitutional
A federal court judge has found two California laws that resulted from ballot initiatives - including the so-called "Victims' Bill of Rights" - to be unconstitutional. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton of Sacramento said the state's implementation of the laws improperly changed the punishment for crimes committed before the laws were enacted.
Sacramento Bee

City Government

San Fernando Valley teen prostitutes are victims, pimps the criminals in new Los Angeles rehabilitation plan
Hoping to combat street prostitution in the San Fernando Valley, the Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved a pilot program that aims to partly curtail the street crime through rehabilitation. The program stipulates that prostitutes will be referred to the Mary Magdalene Project for counseling and assistance and johns will be sent to counseling sessions. Tougher penalties will also be sought against pimps.
Los Angeles Daily News

Los Angeles redoubles efforts to host 2024 Summer Olympics
As a deadline to submit its bid approaches, Los Angeles officials are stepping up their efforts to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and overcome perceived obstacles that could keep the International Olympic Committee from looking elsewhere. But the very assets of the city - its enormous sports infrastructure and a history of staging the Games with little public assistance - could doom its bid in the eyes of the IOC, analysts and sports economists said.
Los Angeles Daily News

Bid to hike L.A. minimum wage gets pair of powerful backers
The debate on whether Los Angeles hotel workers should be paid at least $15.37 an hour opened last week with some less-than-expected allies for a "living wage" and some questions from City Council members about whether the proposal goes too far, or not far enough. Two of the city's business titans, billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad and mall developer Rick Caruso, broke from the standard business-versus-labor divide when they said in interviews they support a higher minimum wage.
Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles moves forward with fracking ban
Facing complaints from South Los Angeles residents living near oil fields, the Los Angeles City Council moved Friday to place a moratorium on fracking and other drilling methods, a move opposed by oil companies. On a 10-0 vote, the City Council ordered that a new law be drafted that bans fracking and other well-stimulation activities, such as acidizing and gravelling.
Los Angeles Daily News