Election 2014

McDonnell sweeps Tanaka for sheriff
Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell swept to an easy victory over former Assistant Sheriff Paul Tanaka in Tuesday's election to become the next sheriff of Los Angeles County. McDonnell, who spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Police Department, rising to the rank of assistant chief, has been the odds-on favorite to win the election since the June primary, when he received 49.4 percent of the vote. Tanaka received 15.1 percent to come in second, and he all but abandoned his campaign.
Los Angeles Daily News

Kamala Harris re-elected as attorney general
Incumbent Kamala Harris has been re-elected as Attorney General. Voters backed the Democratic Attorney General in early returns Tuesday as she made a bid for her second term as California's top attorney against little-known Republican challenger Ronald Gold. She was named victorious with 72 percent of precincts reporting, winning 55 percent of votes cast, with 2,360,077 total in the early hours of Wednesday.
NBC4

Prop 47, reducing penalties for lower-level crimes, passes
California voters on Tuesday approved a ballot initiative that will reduce penalties for low-level drug and property crimes to save hundreds of millions of dollars in prison costs. Under Proposition 47, shoplifting, forgery, fraud, petty theft, and possession of small amounts of drugs including cocaine and heroin are among the offenses that will be treated as misdemeanors rather than felonies. With about 2.6 million ballots counted, the measure had 58 percent support.
ABC7

Law Enforcement

LAPD Chief: Violent crime up 9 percent in L.A.
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck says violent crime is up 9 percent in the city this year but the overall crime rate has fallen by 3 percent. City News Service says Beck gave the figures to the Police Commission Tuesday. With two months left in the year, the number of homicides was up 4.5 percent compared to the same period in 2013. Rapes are up 12 percent.
Associated Press

LAPD to move forward with Taser body cameras
Los Angeles Police Department officials today said they plan to move forward with using Taser body cameras, which offers a cloud-based video storage system. Officers who field-tested two brands over the past 90 days noted the ease of storing and accessing recorded video, as well as other "back-office" features associated with the Taser cameras, department officials told the Police Commission today.
Westside Today

Police arrest man in connection with violent Griffith Park attack
Los Angeles police have made an arrest in connection with a violent attack Monday in Griffith Park that left a person in critical condition, officials said. The suspect -- who police did not immediately identify -- was arrested about 7:30 p.m. Monday by officers in the LAPD's Hollywood division, said Sgt. Wayne Guillary.
Los Angeles Times

Palisades charter HS deemed safe after alleged social media threat
A high school in Pacific Palisades was evacuated Tuesday after an alleged threat was made on social media. Los Angeles Police Department officers responded shortly before 10 a.m. to Palisades Charter High School, 15777 Bowdoin St., officials said. A bomb squad was called to do a sweep of the campus after the unidentified threat was discovered.
CBS LA

Man wanted on suspicion of exposing himself to 2 children in Pacoima
Police Tuesday were looking for a man police believe exposed himself to two children in the San Fernando Valley. The incident took place on the night of Oct. 15 in the 12000 block of Osborne Place in Pacoima, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
CBS LA

Pregnant woman hurt in crash with LAPD car
A pregnant woman was injured in Wilmington on Tuesday night when a police car crashed into a vehicle she was riding in while the officers were following another driver wanted in a murder case, officials said. The collision took place about 6 p.m. at North Island Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
NBC4

City Government

L.A. council moves to curb teardowns in 'mansionization' hot spots
Los Angeles lawmakers unanimously voted Tuesday to draft rules that would temporarily curb demolitions in more than a dozen neighborhoods where residents have bemoaned "mansionization" - homes being knocked down and replaced with bigger buildings seen as too large for their lots.
Los Angeles Times

LAFD firefighters closing in on new contract with city
A proposed two-year contract with Los Angeles firefighters received support from a City Council panel on Tuesday, which in turn urged the full City Council to give it the green light on Friday. The Personnel and Animal Welfare Committee recommended the agreement, expected to cost $1.6 million this year to cover increases in benefits and other subsidies for firefighters.
Los Angeles Daily News