Law Enforcement

LAPD Youth Sports Program Changes Hearts, Minds In Watts
Los Angeles police officers are on the offense and defense this summer in Watts. They're taking part in Watts Bears, a track and football program that pairs officers with at-risk youth. All the players are 8- to 12-year-old children living in housing projects in Watts. In addition to playing on the team, they're required to attend a six-week summer school.
ABC 7

LAPD Releases Surveillance Video in Westlake Stabbing
Los Angeles police have released surveillance video of the stabbing of a 23-year-old man in Westlake in hopes the public can help identify the suspects involved. The victim got into a fight with multiple men at about 10 p.m. June 23 at Rockwood Street and Union Avenue. At one point, he was stabbed with an unknown weapon. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No motive is known.
ABC 7

LAPD Officers Shoot At 2 Pit Bulls At South Los Angeles Park
Los Angeles police officers combed the streets Wednesday in search of two pit bulls who allegedly tried to attack people at a South Los Angeles park. A boy dialed 911 at about 9:30 a.m. about aggressive dogs trying to attack people in the 4700 block of Honduras Street. "Parents were going inside their cars, running away, going inside the soccer fields," said Steven Gomez, who called police.
ABC 7 , Los Angeles Times

$20 Million Lawsuit Filed in Homeless Man's Skid Row Shooting Death by LAPD Officer
The family of a homeless man who was fatally shot on Skid Row by Los Angeles police earlier this year filed a $20 million lawsuit against the city and department Wednesday. Charly Keunang, known as "Africa" among friends, was killed March 1 during a struggle with police who approached the 43-year-old to investigate a robbery report. Police said Keunang allegedly tried to reach for an officer's holstered gun, prompting police to shoot him.
NBC Los Angeles

Search Continues For Mother Of Abandoned Newborn Found On Sidewalk In South LA
Detectives continued to search on Wednesday for the mother of an abandoned newborn who was found in a stroller near a church in Exposition Park. Around 10:30 p.m. on Monday, a man located a dirty stroller near St. Agnes Church at Vermont Avenue and Dana Street.
CBS Los Angeles

L.A. County Sheriff's Department agrees to sweeping reforms in jails
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department agreed Wednesday to sweeping reforms and federal court monitoring regarding suicide prevention and excess use of force in the county's jails. The U.S. attorney called the settlement a “landmark agreement” at a morning news conference with federal and county officials at the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Daily News

4 L.A.-area police officers accused of abusing 15 kids at boot camp
Two officers from the Huntington Park Police Department and two from the South Gate Police Department were arrested this week on suspicion of physically abusing children who were participating in a San Luis Obispo boot camp, authorities said. The arrests follow a two-month investigation by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department into allegations of abuse by children who had attended a weeklong boot camp, according to sheriff's officials.
Los Angeles Times

Police Find $130K Worth of Marijuana at Pot House
About $130,000 worth of marijuana was recovered from a drug house in La Quinta, deputies announced Wednesday. Riverside County Sheriff's Deputies issued search warrants on Aug. 4 in the 52400 block of Avenida Navarro and the 54500 block of Avenida Vallejo on Aug. 4 where about 300 potted marijuana plants were discovered, according to a news release.
NBC Los Angeles

City Government

Los Angeles reaches tentative labor deal with 20,000 city employees
City officials have reached a tentative contract agreement with the unions representing more than half Los Angeles' civilian workforce, bringing within reach the conclusion to more than a year of tense bargaining and sharp rhetoric over public-employee pay. The deal, which must still be approved by the City Council and union members, holds the line against higher spending in key areas, deferring city workers' raises and taking strides toward cost-saving pension reforms. Labor leaders also won concessions that Mayor Eric Garcetti had resisted. They preserved healthcare plans for which the city bears the full cost of premiums and kept in place workers' compensation benefits that critics say encourage abuse of the system.
Los Angeles Times , Los Angeles Daily News

Pensions

The destruction Chuck Reed wants to bring to California
This past month saw verdicts rendered on San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. The first verdict came from the City of San Jose, where after reeling from two years of real life consequences of Reed's 2012 pension measure, the City's Mayor announced a settlement with police and fire unions that eliminated the substantive changes Reed had enacted. The second verdict came in the form of an analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) of the initiative Reed wants to place on the 2016 ballot. Reed's proposed initiative would impose pension, compensation and retiree health care changes on all public employees in California. Reed's changes in San Jose proved to be disastrous, but the future changes he proposes for California would be catastrophic.
ADDA