Law Enforcement

Downey Police Officer Found Shot To Death At Station Parking Lot
Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies are investigating the shooting death of a Downey police officer whose body was found in the parking lot of the Downey Police Department Wednesday night. The police officer, who has not yet been identified, was found dead at the police station in the 10900 block of Brookshire Avenue shortly after 11 p.m. Authorities taped off the entire parking lot area, and Downey police officers at the scene appeared to be emotionally shaken.
ABC7 , KTLA5

KABC-AM Radio: LAPPL Vice President Jerretta Sandoz Discusses Dangers of Preservation of Life Award
LAPPL Vice President Jerretta Sandoz discusses the dangers of the proposed Preservation of Life Award with KABC host Doug McIntyre on McIntyre In the Morning on November 18th.
KABC-AM

LAPD Chief Beck on police shootings, TASERs, terrorism readiness
After a KPCC investigation found a quarter of people shot by police officers were unarmed, and a spike in shootings this year, LA Police Commission president Matt Johnson called the trend "alarming." LAPD Chief Charlie Beck is being asked to improve the way his department polices the city. One controversial tool is Beck's new "Preservation of Life" award that would recognize officers who refrain from using deadly force when they legally could.
KPCC

YouCaring Teams Up With Eagle & Badge Foundation of Los Angeles to Raise Funds For LAPD Officers & Families
Nonprofit crowdfunding platform, YouCaring, announced on Wednesday that it is partnering with the Eagle & Badge Foundation of Los Angeles, a nonprofit created by members of the Los Angeles Police Protective League and members of the community, raise funds for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers and their families.
CrowdFundInsider.com

Angeleno Kindergartners And LAPD to Open a Little Free Library
Los Angeles police command officers will be on hand to assist kindergarten students from the Harry Bridges Kindergarten in opening a Little Free Library for the Harbor area. The event is set to take place at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Harbor Community Police Station, 2175 John S. Gibson Blvd., in San Pedro.
Echo Park - Silver Lake Patch

LAPD heads to Paris: What can we learn from terrorist tragedy?
Hoping to learn about ways to prevent and respond to terrorist attacks, the Los Angeles Police Department will send a team to Paris to meet with authorities there as they continue to carry out raids on suspected terror cells in response to the attacks that left 129 people dead.LAPD Officer Liliana Preciado said Chief Charlie Beck will not be among those traveling to Paris, and she declined to provide details about when the group will be traveling or which members of the department would take part in the trip.
MyNewsLA.com

Father Of Teen Decapitated In Palms Hit-And-Run Wants Justice, Not Revenge
Jack Phoenix was just 15-years-old when he was decapitated after being hit by a car fleeing police on Sunday. That driver is still on the loose. A $50,000 reward is now being offered for information leading to the arrest of the suspect. The Los Angeles Police Department's Multi-Disciplinary Collision Investigation Team is handling the case and said the suspect is described as a young African American male driving a burgundy Buick LeSabre with California license plate number "7KWC773."
ABC 7

Police ask for public's help to find missing UCLA student
Police Wednesday sought the public's help in locating a 25-year-old UCLA student who went missing earlier this month after texting his roommate that he was going on a trip to the eastern Sierra Nevada area. Michael David Meyers, an experienced hiker and climber who has gone on multi-day excursions alone, sent a text to his roommate on Nov. 5 indicating he was going to Mount Russell in the Inyo National Forest, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Los Angeles Daily News

Homelessness

LA, NYC mayors announce new programs to tackle rising number of homelessness
On Tuesday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced new programs to tackle homelessness in their respective cities. In Los Angeles, the city council initially approved a plan that would allow public buildings to shelter the homeless. These buildings, which are vacant municipal structures and parking facilities, would be selected by council members in consultation with residents. The plan would also allow people living in their cars to stay overnight in designated parking lots, although only a limited number of vehicles will be permitted.
PBS

Pensions

Calpers vote to lower investment return target draws governor's ire
Nov 18 California Public Employees' Retirement System on Wednesday adopted a policy to gradually reduce the amount that the pension fund expects from its investments, a decision that came under fire from California's governor for not going far enough. The move by the nation's largest public pension fund is controversial because lower investment returns must be offset by higher contributions from the state's cities and public workers. Calpers will reduce its expected rate of investment returns in years after the fund outperforms its 7.5 percent target by 4 percentage points. The goal is to ultimately reduce the rate to 6.5 percent, although that could take decades under the new policy.
Reuters