Law Enforcement

Suspect in crash death of LAPD officer knew driver being pursued: sources
Investigators piecing together the car crash that killed a Los Angeles police officer Saturday believe the driver involved in the deadly collision is an acquaintance of the man the officer was pursuing when he was struck, sources told The Times. One source said the man arrested in the fatal crash was following the LAPD cruiser before the crash. Another source said there is no evidence he coordinated with the chase suspect to hit the officer.
Los Angeles Times

Driver pleads not guilty to killing cop in hit-and-run
The 20-year-old man charged with murder in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a Los Angeles police officer and injured another pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance Wednesday. Mynor Enrique Varela, 20, of Harbor City, entered the Long Beach courtroom in a wheelchair, apparently suffering from a leg injury his attorney said he sustained several months ago. Prosecutors charged Varela earlier Wednesday with charged with murder, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and leaving the scene of an accident.
Los Angeles Times

Hundreds of street signs to honor LAPD officers killed in action
The Los Angeles Police Department plans to install hundreds of street signs at locations where officers were killed in the line of duty. The signs, which will be unveiled at a ceremony Thursday, honor 207 fallen officers. For those killed outside the city or county, the signs will be put up near the officer's police station, the downtown administration building or the Elysian Park Academy grounds. Each sign will have a number that the public will be able to use on a memorial website to learn more about how the officer died.
Los Angeles Times

L.A. drivers take to Twitter to complain of #ObamaJam traffic
Los Angeles police said Wednesday evening that rush-hour traffic was delayed on the Westside as President Obama's motorcade maneuvered along several major thoroughfares that had been shut down. The president arrived at Los Angeles International Airport around 4:30 p.m. He left LAX in his Marine One helicopter, which landed a short while later at Cheviott Hills Park. The president was on the city's Westside to accept a humanitarian award at a gala event and attend fundraisers.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD searching for missing 42-year-old woman in need of medication
Police are searching for a 42-year-old Los Angeles woman who suffers from a medical condition. Michelle Marks, who is in need of medication, was last seen at 12:30 p.m. Friday in the 600 block of Dunsmuir Avenue. She was described as white, 5 feet 3 inches tall, 140 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. She was wearing a white shirt, beige skirt and silver sandals. Anyone with information on Marks' whereabouts was asked to call Det. A. Mercado of the LAPD's Missing Persons Unit at (213) 996-1800.
CBS LA

L.A. murder suspect wrongly released from jail captured in Mexico
A murder suspect mistakenly released from Los Angeles County Jail last year was apprehended in Mexico and returned to U.S. law enforcement officers, authorities said Wednesday night. Reputed gang member Johnny Mata, 34, was turned over to deputies at the San Ysidro port of entry in San Diego County, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.
Los Angeles Times

Prison Realignment

Realignment puts heavy pressure on jails, PPIC report says
The "realignment" that Gov. Jerry Brown championed to reduce overcrowding in state prisons has, in turn, created overcrowding in county jails that were already in some distress, according to a new study by the Public Policy Institute of California. "We show that a number of facilities are old and likely in need of costly updates or replacement and that growth in the state's population is likely to exert significant pressure on the county jail system," PPIC's report, released Wednesday, says.
Sacramento Bee

Metro

Survey: Sexual harassment makes 20% of Metro riders feel unsafe
One in five passengers on Metro trains and buses have recently felt unsafe due to sexual harassment or other forms of "unwanted sexual attention," according to new data. A Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority survey of nearly 20,000 passengers on the sprawling bus and rail system asked whether they felt unsafe during the last month while riding Metro due to "unwanted touching, exposure, comments, or any other form of unwanted sexual behavior."
Los Angeles Times

New contract guarantees a series of raises for some Metro workers
After months of negotiation, Los Angeles County transportation officials and a union that represents maintenance workers have both approved a new contract that guarantees a 3% annual raise for the next four years. Raises for nearly 2,300 Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority electricians, mechanics and other workers probably will add to an estimated $36-million operating deficit the agency expects to face in 2016.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

New 'adult' businesses are targets in bid to cool Valley sex trade
Battling prostitution has been a major focus for Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nury Martinez, who has pushed to bolster police patrols, increase enforcement against johns and pimps, and boost diversion programs for prostitutes in her San Fernando Valley district. Now, in the quest to stamp out the sex trade in the area, Martinez is zeroing in on the strip clubs, massage parlors and liquor stores that line Sepulveda Boulevard, aiming to prevent new "adult entertainment" businesses from opening along a nearly four-mile stretch of the street.
Los Angeles Times

DWP lagging behind on replacing old power poles; 87,000 have exceeded their lifespan
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has slipped far behind its schedule to replace aging power poles and other electrical infrastructure, raising questions about the dangers of wildfires, power outages and other consequences from failed equipment. While lagging on results, it also spends about three times the amount other utilities pay to replace old power poles, according to interviews and records reviewed by the Daily News.
Los Angeles Daily News

L.A. Dept. of Water and Power to resume more collections, shutoffs
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will resume automated collections this month on residential customers who are delinquent on their water and power bills -- and could shut off services to those who don't pay up as soon as June. The agency halted its automated collections in November amid a torrent of complaints about erroneous, sometimes vastly inflated bills. The problems followed the rollout of a new computerized billing system.
Los Angeles Times