Law Enforcement

Masked gunman steals $10,000 from TGI Fridays, pistol-whips worker
unman pistol-whipped a TGI Fridays worker and stole more than $10,000 from the restaurant chain's Woodland Hills eatery early Monday morning, police said. The masked thief also spirited away with some of the employees' cellphones. The restaurant, in the 5900 block of Canoga Avenue, was closed when a man walked in through an open door at about 2 a.m., pulled out a gun and demanded that the cashier turn over cash, said Los Angeles police Sgt. Alex Kim.
Los Angeles Times

Ed Sullivan statue stolen from Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
A solid bronze statue of Ed Sullivan has been stolen from atop its pedestal at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame Plaza, police officials said Monday. The statue, about 1 1/2 feet tall and weighing 20 pounds, was on display as part of an outdoor exhibit that featured legendary TV personalities and pioneers. Los Angeles police detectives are calling on the public to help provide any information that would lead to the arrest of whoever committed this "grand theft."
Los Angeles Times

New York fire captain charged with molesting 2 boys in Hollywood
A New York Fire Department captain faces extradition to California after being charged with sexually molesting two young boys this month in Hollywood, authorities said. Wilbert Riera, 50, was charged with six felony counts of a lewd act on a child under 14, prosecutors said Monday. Federal agents took him into custody Friday at his fire station in New York after Los Angeles County prosecutors obtained a felony complaint for an arrest warrant.
Los Angeles Times

Proposition 47

California's criminal-penalty ballot measure draws big money
Almost $1 million has poured into campaign committees supporting and opposing Proposition 47 on the Nov. 4 ballot in the past week, with proponents of the measure to reduce penalties for certain crimes outraising critics by more than 4-to-1 over the past two months. The initiative would change some drug and property crimes to misdemeanors instead of felonies.
Sacramento Bee

Prison Realignment

New definition of recidivism minimizes political fallout from prison realignment
From the state's standpoint, realignment has been a roaring success, dramatically reducing the prison population to very near the court's designated level. There is, however, continuing controversy over whether the realigned felons who otherwise might be in prison are committing new crimes in serious numbers, as well as complaints that their stretches in local jails are merely substituting local overcrowding for state prison overcrowding.
Sacramento Bee

City Government

Garcetti vows tighter oversight of injury claims
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued a warning to city police officers and firefighters who might be abusing a leave program that pays them 100% of their salaries, tax-free, while out with claimed injuries. "Watch out," Garcetti said during a downtown news conference. "We're going to make sure that we're coming after you."
Los Angeles Times

Making Los Angeles streets 'great,' ending pedestrian deaths are Mayor Eric Garcetti and LADOT's goals
Calling Los Angeles streets a "front door to the world and the place where public life and private enterprise connect," Mayor Eric Garcetti and the city Department of Transportation released a strategic plan Monday aimed at making them safer and more accessible by 2025. The 61-page report, titled "Great Streets for Los Angeles," looks toward ending all pedestrian-related deaths, improving safety around public schools and changing the timing of streetlights to account for the amount of time it takes people to cross streets.
Los Angeles Daily News

AEG seeks more time to build NFL stadium in downtown L.A.
With the clock running out on a proposal to build a pro football stadium in downtown Los Angeles, developer Anschutz Entertainment Group has appealed to the city for extra time. Citing progress in talks with the National Football League, AEG asked city officials Monday for an additional six months to land an NFL franchise and get underway building "Farmers Field" stadium while making improvements to the aging Los Angeles Convention Center.
Los Angeles Times

Eric Garcetti: There is no playbook to being Los Angeles' mayor
From Facebook to face time with fellow mayors, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Monday preached a gospel of inter-connectedness and civic engagement. Garcetti went from addressing a group of mayors and academics gathered in Los Angeles for CityLab, a program sponsored by The Atlantic magazine and the Bloomberg Foundation exploring urban issues, to a Facebook chat with residents who brought up topics both global in nature and extremely local.
Los Angeles Daily News