How To Prevent The Californication Of America

"My child was killed by a gang member, and you had more sympathy for that gang member than my child who was killed in front of my home." This is the testimony of Emma Rivas, a grieving mother whose son was murdered in Los Angeles, as she confronted Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon for his refusal to uphold his most basic duty: Prosecute the criminals and protect the innocent. Last year, during a four-hour town hall in Los Angeles County, a small business owner told me about his store that was broken into four times within the span of just a few months. He called the police each time, but nothing was being done. I spoke with a few Los Angeles Sheriff's deputies at the same town hall who explained that – in addition to being wildly understaffed and working countless overtime hours – their hands are largely tied by soft-on-crime state and local laws. Simply put, they’re being prevented from holding criminals accountable. These types of stories are far too commonplace for California families and businesses. It’s crucial that we change course here in the Golden State, but it’s also crucial that Congress does everything possible to ensure this crisis of crime doesn’t further spread nationwide. The fundamental function of our government is to ensure the safety of its citizens – those in the Oval Office and Sacramento are fundamentally failing to uphold that sacred duty.

FOX News

LAPD Had More Applicants In January Than Any Other Month In The Last 2 Years, Mayor Bass Says

The Los Angeles Police Department received more job applications in January than in any other month over the last two years, Mayor Karen Bass announced Thursday. The 1,200 applications came amid a nationwide police shortage leading to staffing burnout in some departments, according to reports. “We are continuing our work to make Los Angeles’ neighborhoods safer as more and more applicants are expressing interest in serving our communities,” Bass said. “It’s good to see trends evolving as we continue to focus on recruiting and retaining officers to the department.” LAPD staffing has been a focus for Bass in her tenure as mayor, as in 2023 city council approved a new four-year contract with the police union in an effort to improve hiring and retention. The agreement increased the starting police salary by 13%. “We’ve been trying to hire,” LAPD Interim Chief Dominic Choi told KTLA on Thursday morning. “Retention goes down to employee wellness and morale. If officers are happy at work, they’re excited to go to work, they’re going to stay at work … As interim chief, one of my primary goals is to increase morale.”

KTLA 5

Suspect Sought In Venice After Double Stabbing Incident

Los Angeles police are searching for a suspect following the stabbing of a man and a woman in Venice yesterday. Just after 7 a.m. Wednesday, police were sent to 251 Lincoln Blvd after calls of a stabbing came in, according to the LAPD. When officers arrived, they located two victims, a male and female, who were suffering from stab wounds, according to the department. At least one victim was taken to a hospital, according to authorities. Police say the suspect was identified as a 35-year-old black man who was approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall and dressed in all black last seen headed northbound on Lincoln Blvd.

Westside Current

Police Investigate Shooting At Marina Del Rey Restaurant

Police on Wednesday were investigating a shooting that left one man injured at a Marina del Rey restaurant. Officers responded to shots being fired call at the Behind Closed Doors LA Restaurant located at 13484 Washington Boulevard and Del Rey Avenue around 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Upon their arrival, they found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound, LAPD Officer Rosario Cervantes told City News Service. The victim was taken to a hospital in an unknown condition. The suspect fled the scene. 

NBC 4

Santa Monica Woman Awoken In Own Home By Homeless Invader Masturbating, Touching Her Face

A disturbing incident was reported last week in the Ocean Park neighborhood of Santa Monica. Police said that around 2 a.m. on Feb. 27, Anthony Romero, 28, broke into a woman's home in the 2400 block of 2nd Street, where the victim was asleep in her bed. The victim allegedly awoke to find the intruder standing beside her bed, masturbating while touching her face. The suspect fled the scene before officers arrived. The 80-year-old victim told FOX 11 on Mar. 6 she confronted the suspect when she woke up. "I saw what they were doing and yelled at the top of my lungs to get out, get out now," the victim told FOX 11. "I locked the door and called police." Responding officers obtained security footage showing the suspect entering the victim’s house, leading detectives to quickly identify the suspect as Romero. The victim said she is thankful she didn't get physically hurt from the incident. 

FOX 11

‘We F— Them Up ... Lmao’: Northridge Woman Arrested In Jan. 6 Attack On Capitol

On Jan. 6, Northridge resident Kayla Reifschneider breached the Capitol, attacked members of the press and planned to give weapons to another rioter taking part, federal prosecutors allege. Reifschneider, 27, was arrested Wednesday by the FBI, three years after the 2021 insurrection. Reifschneider faces a felony charge of obstructing an official proceeding and misdemeanor charges that include entering and remaining in a restricted building and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building. Messages the day after the attack obtained by federal investigators allegedly show Reifschneider boasting about the violence that occurred at the Capitol, where federal prosecutors say she and others were trying to disrupt Congress and prevent the certification of the electoral votes of the 2020 presidential election. When one person asked Reifschneider in a message if police were hurt, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office, the woman replied: “I definitely saw one getting help. Limping. We f— them up worse than antifa and blm. Lmao.” The arrest comes more than three years after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, where supporters of then-President Trump stormed the building after a rally in Washington decrying the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Los Angeles Times

Man Suspected In Series Of Auto Burglaries In L.A. County Arrested

A 55-year-old man suspected of committing a series of vehicle burglaries throughout West Los Angeles last summer was arrested, police said Wednesday. Thomas Gardner of Los Angeles was located in North Hollywood on Feb. 20 in the 12600 block of Sherman Way, between Coldwater Canyon Avenue and Whitsett Avenue, where he was arrested, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Gardner was booked on suspicion of burglary and held in lieu of $1.65 million bail after detectives discovered that he allegedly burglarized numerous vehicles parked in underground parking garages in West Los Angeles since July 1, police said. Detectives discovered that Gardner was renting self-storage units throughout Los Angeles County to allegedly store stolen property while attempting to resale items at various online marketplaces. Multiple search warrants were executed between Feb. 20 and 23. During that time, LAPD West Los Angeles Division Auto detectives recovered golf clubs, designer sunglasses, and electronics inside Gardner’s vehicle and storage units.

MyNewsLA

Man Convicted Of First-Degree Murder In 2021 Ambush Shooting Of Baltimore Officer Keona Holley

A Baltimore man was convicted Wednesday of first-degree murder in the 2021 deadly shooting ambush of a city police officer — a verdict the jury reached without hearing evidence about a potential motive during a trial that spanned several days. Jurors agreed that Elliot Knox, 34, participated in the killing of Baltimore police officer Keona Holley and the fatal shooting of another man, who was found dead hours later in a different neighborhood. Holley was shot multiple times while sitting in her marked patrol car during an overnight shift. Police detained Knox after identifying him as the owner of a vehicle captured on surveillance footage leaving the scenes. He then gave a statement to detectives in which he admitted to some involvement but identified another man as the shooter: Travon Shaw, who would become Knox’s co-defendant. Shaw was convicted in October of murder and other charges for his role in the second shooting, but he hasn’t yet been tried in Holley’s killing. The second victim, Justin Johnson, was also sitting in a parked car when he was shot. Johnson’s partner testified that he was close friends with Shaw, but police weren’t able to uncover any relationship between Knox and either victim. Johnson’s mother, Justina Lawrence, told reporters after the trial that the verdict provided some consolation. “But it’s not going to bring my son back,” she said. Johnson left behind five children.

Associated Press

Video: Texas Officers Save Life Of Choking Boy, Get A Hug In Return

Newly-released video shows Austin Police Department officers saving the life of a 4-year-old boy who was choking, FOX 7 Austin reported. Officers arrived at a residence on Feb. 16 where William, 4, was possibly choking on a piece of candy, his mother, Guadalupe Romero, told FOX 7. “I started seeing blood coming out, and I panicked myself, too,” said Romero. “And then I started seeing his lips start getting purple, and he was trying to lie down and close his eyes.” Officer Jason Wright immediately began to deliver back blows to William, while Officer Dalton Schroeder retrieved a LifeVac device from the back of the cruiser, according to the report. “We’re usually the first ones there just because there’s so many of us on the street, as opposed to EMS, where they usually have one bus or fire may have one truck,” Wright said. “And then we start to handle the problem first.” Video shows Wright laying William on top of a metal utility box. Schroeder then applied the LifeVac device and attempted to pull the blockage out of William’s airway. After several pumps of the LifeVac device, Wright delivered more back blows. When William was still unable to breathe after several back blows, he was placed back on the box. After more pumps of the LifeVac device, the blockage was cleared, and William was able to breathe again. After confirming that William was breathing well, the officers exchanged high-fives and hugs with him.

PoliceOne

LAFD Calls On City To End Pilot Program That Sent Health Workers To 911 Calls

The Los Angeles Fire Department has recommended ending a pilot program that sends mental health workers to non-emergency calls, saying it didn’t actually free up first responders and hospital emergency rooms. The recommendation was made by Peter Hsiao, assistant chief of the Emergency Medical Services Bureau, in a report submitted to the Los Angeles Board of Fire Commissioners at its Tuesday meeting. The board did not discuss the item, which now will be sent to the L.A. City Council for its consideration. In his report, Hsiao said that the idea behind the therapeutic van pilot — sending a van staffed with a psychiatric response team instead of LAFD paramedics or emergency medical technicians to handle 911 calls involving patients suffering nonviolent mental health crises — was “sound in theory” but not in practice. He wrote that workers with the county Department of Mental Health “lacked the requisite training and thus were unqualified to perform medical assessments or provide emergency medical services.”

Los Angeles Times

Fire At Van Nuys Auto Body Shop Under Investigation

Firefighters quickly knocked down a fire at an auto body shop Thursday in Van Nuys. The fire was reported at 12:32 a.m. and fire crews responded to the 7400 block of North Van Nuys Boulevard and Cabrito Road where they found heavy flames coming from the one-story commercial building, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange. It took about 70 firefighters 25 minutes to extinguish the flames. No injuries were reported.

NBC 4

Flash Flood Warning Issued For Parts Of Los Angeles County

Another storm is hitting Southern California. After historic rainfall hit the region last month, another system is making its way through the Southland. The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Warning until 10 p.m. for parts of L.A. County, including Malibu, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Glendale, and Topanga. “We’re seeing some moderate rain making its way through the L.A. Coastal Basin,” KTLA 5 Meteorologist Vera Jimenez said. “Everyone in O.C. is going to get it.” The storm will make its way into the Inland Empire and impact San Bernardino County as well. The rainfall will continue into Thursday when it is expected to taper off in the afternoon, although temperatures will stay cool. Temperatures are forecast to hit the low 70s on the weekend.

KTLA 5

LA Fails To Deliver On Promises To Clear Homeless RV Encampments

In nearly every corner of Los Angeles, residents have complained about RVs that park on their streets, giving shelter to the homeless, so last year Mayor Karen Bass promised to take action and start dismantling some of the encampments. But three months later, some of those promises remain unfulfilled, and thousands of homeless RVs still monopolize entire blocks across the city, like in the Harbor Gateway area in the southern tip of LA. “Everyone's afraid to come into the areas where the RVs are because we don't know what's in the RVs," said Dave Matthews, a community activist and the head of the Harbor Gateway Chamber of Commerce. “When is the city going to clear away these RVs?” Matthews told the I-Team. “People are afraid to walk by these RVs,” said Lisa Pascoe, one of 300 employees at a furniture company near Harbor City where RVs line the street near the entrance to her office. “[The workers] tend to go into the middle of the street because they're not comfortable walking down in between the RVs and the gates of the building,” Pascoe told the I-Team. Across LA, the I-Team has documented how some homeless RVs dump raw sewage into the streets, how trash piles up around them, and how some RVs go up in flames, creating a fire hazard for residential neighborhoods.

NBC 4

Early Results Show Kevin De León Heading To Runoff For City Council Seat

Councilmember Kevin de León seems to have overcome a major obstacle in his reelection campaign after the latest Super Tuesday ballot count from the Los Angeles County Registrar. The incumbent currently has a six-point lead on his closest competitor, Assemblyman Miguel Santiago. The two candidates appear to be advancing to the general election in November. Attorney Ysabel Jurado about a point behind Santiago with 19.18% of the vote. Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo is the only other candidate with double-digit returns at 15.92%. The race for Los Angeles' 14th District turned into a closely watched race after de León was involved with an infamous racist audio recording that put him in the ire of protests and powerful politicians. The 2022 scandal captured de León and two former councilmembers spewing racially charged rhetoric and rocked the city's political landscape. After publicly apologizing, de León stepped away from council meetings and focused on his district while powerful politicians, such as President Joe Biden, urged him to step down.  

CBS 2

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 8,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education.