Law Enforcement

LAPD officers rescue woman, 2 kids from burning South Los Angeles home
| Two Los Angeles police officers on patrol Wednesday morning helped a mother evacuate two children from a burning South Los Angeles home, a sergeant said. The incident occurred about 2:15 a.m. when Officer Steve Sainz and Officer William Chamberlain saw flames coming from the back of a home in the 500 block of West 59th Street, said Sgt. Rick Rodgers of the LAPD's 77th Street Station.
City News Service

Man charged with killing woman he allegedly challenged to street race
A Sunland man has been charged in the death of a woman who was killed after he challenged her to a street race, authorities said. Luis Tamayo Tapia, 28, faces one count of murder in the death of 38-year-old Claudia Perez of Sun Valley, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. Prosecutors said Perez was engaged in a street race with Tapia on Oct. 24 about 12:20 a.m. when her car hit a tree on Sunland Boulevard near La Canada Way in Shadow Hills.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD looking for robbery suspect who targeted 67-year-old woman
Detectives in the Los Angeles Police Department's Southwest Division asked for the public's help Tuesday in identifying a robbery suspect who targeted a 67-year-old woman. A suspect loitered around a bank near Jefferson and Crenshaw boulevards at 10:45 a.m. on Oct. 1. He surveyed several potential victims and then chose a 67-year-old woman.
My News LA

LAPD arrests San Pedro man suspected in Goodwill robbery in Wilmington
A tipster helped police identify a San Pedro man suspected of robbing a Goodwill store in Wilmington, a detective said Wednesday. Gary Allen Smith, 58, was arrested Tuesday in connection with the Oct. 6 crime at 311 W. Pacific Coast Highway, Los Angeles police Detective Kelvin Higa said. Higa released a surveillance photo of the man to the Daily Breeze on Oct. 16. A reader recognized it online and contacted him. Higa said he was grateful to the public for the information that led to the arrest. }
Torrance Daily Breeze

Vote No on Proposition 47

County police chiefs, sheriff's say no on 47
On Nov. 4, Californians will be voting on several important Propositions. You might have seen a television ad lately praising the benefits of Proposition 47, known as the “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act.” Like many recent propositions and legislative bills, this one is misleading and dangerously named, for several reasons.
Victorville Daily Press

Traffic

As economy improves, L.A. and O.C. rise in traffic congestion rankings
Several years ago, it looked as if the Los Angeles-Orange county area had finally shaken its reputation as the king of congestion. Studies showed that Chicago and Washington, D.C., had eclipsed this region as the nation's leader in sluggish commutes. Now, as the economy recovers from the Great Recession, L.A. and the O.C. are making a slow comeback in the congestion rankings.
Los Angeles Times

Courts

State high court to take up issue of police personnel files
At the request of San Francisco's district attorney and police, the state Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to decide whether prosecutors must examine officers' confidential personnel files for evidence of misconduct that could help the defense in a criminal trial. The case, involving charges of domestic violence against a San Francisco man, requires the court to balance competing interests: the privacy of police files and the duty of prosecutors, under a 1963 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, to turn over evidence that could strengthen a defendant's case for acquittal.
San Francisco Chronicle

Unions

Powerful L.A. labor boss Maria Elena Durazo leaving county union group
Maria Elena Durazo, a major force in political and worker issues as head the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, is leaving that post for a national union position in which she will focus on national immigration reform. Durazo is shifting from the county labor organization she headed for 8-1/2 years to a become a vice president for immigration, civil rights and diversity at UNITE HERE, the nationwide union for hospitality and casino workers.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

Los Angeles advances foreclosure registry program
The long-sought program to create an aggressive inspection program of foreclosed properties to prevent them from generating blight in neighborhoods received preliminary approval Wednesday from the Los Angeles City Council. Under the program, which will include a $356 fee charged to banks or other lending institutions, the Department of Building and Safety would be empowered to inspect properties and order the lenders to make changes to keep them from falling into disrepair.
Los Angeles Daily News

Garcetti says housing shortage, minimum wage linked in Los Angeles
The housing shortage in Los Angeles - possibly the most severe since the end of World War II - is linked to a low minimum wage and a host of other economic issues in the city, according to Mayor Eric Garcetti. Garcetti, in a speech at the Mayoral Housing, Transportation & Jobs summit on Wednesday, unveiled plans to build 100,000 new housing units by 2021.
Los Angeles Times

Mayor Eric Garcetti holds office hours for small business owners in Los Angeles
Mayor Eric Garcetti met Wednesday with half a dozen small-business owners - those he say often feel left out of the conversation - where he heard pitches for city support for new programs and complaints about the state workers compensation program. While Garcetti offered a sympathetic ear and some suggestions on ways to get help, the session at City Hall was designed more to let the business owners know that he and his office are accessible to deal with problems.
Los Angeles Daily News