High court rejects cop killer appeal
The California Supreme Court Thursday upheld a man’s death sentence for murdering a Maywood police officer and the owner of a Van Nuys market during a five-month crime spree. The state’s highest court rejected the defense’s contention that there were errors in Edgardo Sanchez’s trial for the May 4, 1992, killing of Lee Chul Kim, the owner of Woodley Market in Van Nuys, and the May 29, 1992, killing of Maywood Police Officer John Hoglund, shot while responding to a silent alarm activated during a robbery at George’s Market in Maywood. Along with the murders, Sanchez was convicted of one count of attempted murder, two counts each of attempted robbery and assault with a stun gun, five counts of assault with a deadly weapon and 26 counts of robbery stemming from takeover-style robberies starting on New Year’s Eve of 1991 at a Sun Valley bar and stretching through mid-1992 at businesses in Paramount, South Gate and Maywood.
MyNewsLA.com

Reward Offered in Disappearance of Stay-at-Home Mother
A $10,000 reward was offered Thursday for information that could help authorities find a mother who who mysteriously vanished more than a year ago. Monique Figueroa, then 27, left her home in the 7200 block of East Avenue U-12 in Littlerock on May 19, 2015 after telling friends she was going to visit some other friends in the Los Angeles area, her father Jeff Figueroa told NBC4. Her father said he received a text message from his daughter the next day that read, "Had to leave, be home soon." He reported her missing after her phone kept going to voice mail, and sheriff's deputies found her Mercedes SUV in a rural area a few days later.
NBC 4

Police ask for public’s help to find missing teen last seen in Van Nuys
Police Wednesday asked for the public’s help in the search for a 16-year-old girl who was last seen leaving a group home in Van Nuys a week ago. Jeida Moore was last seen around 10:30 p.m. June 15 leaving a residence in the 14500 block of Sylvan Street, near Van Nuys Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Jeida is from Alabama and does not have any family in California, police said. She is described as black, about 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing about 165 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a silver bow headband, a long-sleeved black shirt, black pants and green shoes and carrying a green cinched backpack.
Los Angeles Daily News

How to keep your car's catalytic converter from being stolen
The Los Angeles Police Department arrested four people involved in a catalytic converter theft ring early Thursday morning. An undercover task force had been following their activities across Los Angeles County after they noticed a spike of these thefts in the West L.A. area, LAPD Lt. Mark Day told KPCC. Plainclothes officers recovered 10 recently stolen converters from one of the four vehicles involved in the early morning operation — a fourth car with one other suspect fled the scene. The department believes they were involved in at least 38 previous similar heists that date back to April, Day said. A large portion of the stolen car parts are from the Toyota Prius, but the thieves have also been known to target Hondas, Day said.
KPCC 89.3

No movie, it’s real: He killed brother’s ex-boyfriend for $2.5M insurance
A 31-year-old murderer may be sentenced later this summer to life without parole after being convicted of killing his brother’s ex-boyfriend in Sun Valley in a plot to collect a $2.5 million life insurance payout. The brother was also charged in the case, and his fate will be determined Friday morning when a jury’s verdict will be read in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom. In the already concluded case, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury deliberated about seven hours before finding Hachik “Kriss” Maskovian guilty of first-degree murder and attempted kidnapping for the April 24, 2013, killing of Joshua West, the 33-year-old man with whom his brother, Hovanes, had been involved in a long-term romantic relationship.
MyNewsLA.com

Health care fraud cases in LA and OC involve phony billing schemes
Several doctors were among defendants charged in Los Angeles and Orange County with participation in health care fraud schemes that often targeted the U.S. military’s managed care program, federal officials announced Wednesday. A psychiatrist, a pharmacist and an occupational therapist were also charged in cases involving more than $125 million in fraudulent billings submitted to publicly funded health care programs such as Medicare and the military’s Tricare. Over the course of a few years, Tricare paid hundreds of millions of dollars for medications dispensed to “patients” across the nation, typically for creams that supposedly treated minor pain, scars, erectile dysfunction or “general wellness,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
City News Service

Judge Orders Release Of Man Convicted In 2000 Palmdale Shooting Death
A judge has ordered the release of a man who was convicted in 2009 for the murder of an 18-year-old woman in a Palmdale park-and-ride lot. Raymond Lee Jennings was released from custody shortly before 3 p.m. but will wear an electronic monitoring device. In 2009, Jennings was convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Antelope Valley College student Michelle O'Keefe. Jennings had worked as a security guard at the parking lot where the shooting happened on Feb. 22, 2000. The prosecutor said Jennings murdered O'Keefe after she returned to her blue Ford Mustang, which she had left at the lot so she could carpool with a friend to a Kid Rock video shoot in Los Angeles, where they worked as paid extras.
ABC 7

DA Considers Hidden Camera Charges Against Lifeguard
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is expected to decide Friday whether to file charges against a 23-year-old Burbank city lifeguard accused of secretly videotaping people in a public pool locker room. Arturo Montano, 23, was arrested Wednesday at the Verdugo Park pool where he worked, police said. Detectives are reviewing videos and photos stored on the suspect's computer and cellphone, officials said. Police said they found numerous people, some of whom are minors, in various states of undress in the files. The images were taken "for the purpose of sexual stimulation," said Burbank Police Sgt. Claudio Losacco, a department spokesman.
NBC 4

As mass shootings continue, demand rises for advice on how to survive
Run. Hide. Fight. That’s what authorities on how to survive a mass shooting want people to remember if they find themselves under attack. That mantra is being promoted by the FBI and regional law enforcement experts trying to help meet the public’s rising demand for instruction after recent attacks at a Florida nightclub, San Bernardino’s Inland Regional Center and others. Following the June 12 Orlando massacre, police officials shared tips to arm the community with information they hope will shrink the number of people dying at the hands of determined killers in what has become a tragic 21st-century reality.
Los Angeles Daily News

Woman who defiled national parks with graffiti banned from 524 million acres of public land
A San Diego woman pleaded guilty last week to seven misdemeanor counts of defiling rock formations with graffiti in seven national parks and has been banned from 524 million acres of public lands during her two years of probation. U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheila K. Oberto also sentenced Casey Nocket, 23, to 200 hours of community work. A hearing to determine the amount of restitution Nocket is required to pay will be held at a later date. Nocket declined to make a statement on her own behalf during a sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court in Fresno, federal prosecutors said. She could not be reached for comment.
Los Angeles Times

Want to carry a concealed weapon? California could make it harder
Only Californians facing threats of violence could carry concealed weapons under legislation unveiled on Thursday, a change that could stem a proliferation of concealed guns in Sacramento. The bill follows a federal appeals court ruling allowing California counties to impose stricter standards for issuing concealed carry permits. Some local law enforcement officials have interpreted a state law requiring applicants to show “good cause” by asking those seeking permits to prove they face a heightened risk of being harmed.
Sacramento Bee

Police driver acquitted of all charges in Freddie Gray death
A judge acquitted a police driver of all charges on Thursday in the death of 25-year-old arrestee Freddie Gray, whose broken neck on the way to the station set off Baltimore's worst riots in decades. Six officers were charged in Gray's death, but only Officer Caesar Goodson was accused of "depraved heart" murder. Gray was fatally injured after officers bound his hands and feet and Goodson left him unprotected by a seat belt that prosecutors say would have kept him from slamming into the van's metal walls. Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams also found Goodson not guilty of manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office, and reckless endangerment after five days of testimony in the non-jury trial.
Associated Press

Orlando gunman visited club on night of attack, left and returned
The Orlando gunman went to the Pulse nightclub earlier Saturday night and then left before returning to carry out his attack as the gay club prepared to close early Sunday morning, law enforcement officials say. The gunman paid the entry fee, obtained a wrist band, and entered the club, the officials said. Investigators believe he may have been checking the club security. Surveillance video, cell phone tracking along with witness interviews have helped the FBI to build a timeline of his whereabouts on the night of the attack. But they are still working to determine what he was doing for a two-hour period between when he left the club and returned. The day before, he had bought three plane tickets for him, his wife, Noor Salman, and child to travel from West Palm Beach to San Francisco in July.
CNN

After Orlando, Slight Cracks In Gun-Rights' Grip On Congress
Even after the Orlando shooting slaughter, no one expects Congress to dramatically tighten firearms curbs. Yet a few modest election-year cracks have shown in the iron grip that Republicans and the National Rifle Association have long enjoyed on the issue. The June 12 carnage in Orlando left 49 dead, the worst mass-shooting in modern U.S. history. In the days since, Congress has seen predictable partisan standoffs over how to react, but also signs that Democrats feel emboldened and some Republicans sense a need to respond differently.
Associated Press

City Government News

AEG drops hotel project amid dispute at L.A. City Hall over convention center plans
Officials with entertainment giant Anschutz Entertainment Group said Thursday they are dropping plans for a 755-room hotel on Olympic Boulevard, the latest development in an escalating dispute over a proposal to put a hotel next to the Los Angeles Convention Center. AEG spokesman Yusef Robb said the company will no longer pursue construction of a high-rise Marriott project, which was announced in March 2015. The decision is a direct result of the city’s ongoing effort to modernize the convention center in a way that would include an on-site hotel, said Robb, a former aide to Mayor Eric Garcetti. Garcetti spokeswoman Connie Llanos issued a statement that did not address AEG’s assertions.
Los Angeles Times

Planning Commission backs LA's first regulations on Airbnb
Before a packed house Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission approved a proposal to regulate the short-term rental industry by limiting the number of days properties can be rented each year. The ordinance could become the city's first set of regulations on an industry that has grown dramatically as sites like Airbnb and HomeAway have become household names. If passed by the city council, a resident's primary residence could be used as a short-term rental for a maximum of 180 days per year. Owners would also be required to register and pay Transient Occupancy Taxes to the city.
KPCC 89.3

Sun Valley Hospital Settles Patient Dumping Case for $1 Million
Sun Valley hospital has agreed to pay $1 million to settle allegations of patient dumping, City Attorney Mike Feuer announced Thursday. The City Attorney's Office had accused Pacifica Hospital of the Valley of failing to contact the family of Kasey Lucious, a patient with a history of homelessness and mental illness, before putting her in a taxi and sending her to a nursing facility that had not confirmed it would take her in.
City News Service

Crow Triggers Power Outage for Thousands in San Fernando Valley
Thousands of people in the San Fernando Valley were without electricity Thursday after a crow flew into a circuit breaker and triggered a blackout, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said. The outage, which affected 15,000 customers, was reported about 8:45 a.m., after a crow landed on a 34,000-volt circuit breaker at a power distribution station in the Valley Village area, the utility and Mayor Eric Garcetti said. The affected areas included Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, Valley Village and North Hollywood.
NBC 4

State Government News

Hot-button initiatives fill November ballot
A list of 20 or so ballot measures can turn into a mind-numbing journey to obscure corners of government financing and bureaucracy. Not this time. Pot, the death penalty, condoms, plastic bags, the price of drugs, English only, Citizens United ... There’s a deep pile of hot-button initiatives on the November ballot that even non-voters are likely to have an opinion on. Here are the eight that so far have been determined to have filed adequate signatures to appear before voters, the two that have been put on the ballot by state legislators and a quick look at others likely to qualify.
Associated Press

$3B Bond To Improve State, Local Parks Considered For November Ballot
California lawmakers are proposing a nearly $3 billion November bond to pay for improvements at state and local parks. Supporters say many local agencies cannot afford to maintain their outdoor spaces. 3The Assembly approved the measure Thursday on a 55-14 vote, with six Republicans joining Democrats in favor. The Senate must also approve it before June 30 for it to appear on the statewide ballot.
Associated Press

Homelessness News

Los Angeles may pass new ban on homeless people living in cars
More than 4,600 cars and RVS were in use as living quarters this year in Los Angeles, a rise that has sparked bitter complaints that homeless people are taking up scarce street parking, dumping trash and bringing increased crime and safety risks into neighborhoods. A federal appeals court last year struck down the city's ban on vehicle dwelling, calling it an invitation to discriminate against the poor. Now, what could be a new legal confrontation with homeless advocates is shaping up as the City Council is poised Friday to adopt a new ban that could link enforcement to providing restricted parking for homeless people to sleep in their cars.
Los Angeles Times