Top Story
Budget crises could shape L.A.'s future
More than any disaster the city has faced, the financial meltdown of the past year is serving to force Los Angeles to redefine itself and the services it provides.
Faced with a $212 million - and growing - shortfall for the final four months of this fiscal year and another $400 million next year, the city has been reeling from one crisis to the next trying to find ways to balance its budget.
On Thursday, after watching the City Council debate all day only to push off its decision by a month, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa ordered that work begin immediately to lay off 1,000 workers.
Read more...
mass state prison releases begin
falsely accused officers cleared of perjury
Budget Crisis: State and Local News
Calif. law to free inmates early draws protests
A law that took effect last month that was intended to reduce inmate overcrowding by allowing early releases at state prisons and county jails is sowing confusion throughout California.
Lawmakers of both parties have called for repealing and modifying parts of the law, a county deputies' union has filed a lawsuit asking a judge to block it and a loophole was exposed after an inmate with a violent past was arrested for attempted rape just hours after his release.
Read more...
Read the LAPPL's press release and letter to the Governor regarding the releases here
Inmate released early is arrested in rape attempt
L.A. police union alarmed by attempted rape suspect who got early release
Video meant to rebut LAPD statements is bogus
The attorney for the defendant in a handgun case concedes that a tape showing a license plate on the accused's car is a fraud. Police had pulled his vehicle over for lacking a plate.
Read more...
Read the LAPPL's reponse here
Jack Dunphy: L.A. criminal’s bogus video fools local Fox affiliate
LAPPL blog: Thank you, Deputy District Attorney Deann McCarthy!
Grim choices for cash-strapped L.A.
Los Angeles will need to lay off at least 1,000 employees, shut down three departments and make other changes if it is going to survive this year, the city's top analyst said Friday.
In a grim assessment to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Council members, City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana warned that the city is facing a budget crisis unlike any it has ever experienced. Read more...
California controller: State will run out of cash before April
What Obama's budget plan may mean for California
San Diego Police Department hit hard by cuts:
Budget forces cops to shed cell phones and Cash-strapped San Diego set to sell police horses and tack
State high court OK's 'John Doe' arrest warrant based on DNA
In a groundbreaking case out of Sacramento, a split California Supreme Court ruled Monday that the use of a DNA profile to identify an unknown suspect in an arrest warrant is a legitimate way to beat the deadline for filing criminal charges.
Recent storms' everyday heroes
Daily Breeze: Torrential rains pound San Pedro
A driving rain hit parts of San Pedro on Tuesday, flooding out streets and homes where police officers had to pull people to safety.
California Supreme Court upholds state enforcement of sex offender ban
Voter-approved limits on where sex offenders can live may be enforced on parolees who committed their sex crimes long before Jessica's Law passed, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday.
Beck wants cameras in LAPD patrol cars ASAP
Nearly two decades after the Rodney King beating prompted demands for heightened monitoring of LAPD officers, city officials were told Monday of a renewed effort to get video cameras installed patrol cars.
Read more...
L.A. County sees big drop in January homicides
Los Angeles County began 2010 with significantly fewer homicides in the month of January than in recent years, including a 40% drop in the city of Los Angeles, according to a Times analysis of crime data.
