Family Corruption In The Big Easy

Principal Posed As Child To Gain Access To Children Online

2008-07-03T16:55:00.000-07:00

We have to protect our children from online predators:

A Los Angeles school principal who has been charged with possessing child pornography had posed as a 12-year-old girl in an online chat room and engaged in sexually explicit talk, authorities said today.

Randolph Barnett Cornfield, 60, the principal of Del Rey Continuation School in Westchester, was arrested in June when investigators allegedly found images of child pornography on his home computer.

Dr. Jan Adams makes headlines Again

2008-06-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

The doc was probably under the influence when Kanye West's mother died:

The Los Angeles plastic surgeon who operated on rap star Kanye West's mother before she died last year was arrested in Solano County early Thursday on suspicion of drunk driving and driving on a suspended license.

Dr. Jan Adams was stopped by the California Highway Patrol after it received calls about 2:41 a.m. of a car traveling south in the northbound lanes of Interstate 680 near Benicia after using an offramp to enter the freeway, officials said.

To CHP officers, Adams, who lives in Laguna Beach, appeared to have been driving his 2004 Jaguar XJ8 under the influence of alcohol.

He was booked into Solano County Jail on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a blood-alcohol level above the state's 0.08% limit and driving on a suspended license from a 2006 DUI conviction, officials said.

Man Guilty In MetroLink Crash

2008-06-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

He thought someone would believe his bogus excuse of a failed suicide attempt.

Jurors today convicted Juan Manuel Alvarez of 11 counts of first-degree murder for the deadly Metrolink crash he caused three years ago when he parked his vehicle on railroad tracks.

The jury also found the 29-year-old Compton laborer guilty of arson and a special circumstance allegation that makes him eligible for the death penalty. Jurors will now hear testimony to determine whether Alvarez should be put to death for his crimes.

It's time for him to pay the consequences.

Are You Religious?

2008-06-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

Well, according to a new survey, Californians may not be:

A national survey released Monday revealed that Californiana are less religious and less certain about the existence of God than the nation as a whole.

Residents of the Golden State do not pray as much as people in other parts of the country. They are less inclined to take scripture literally. And they are likelier to embrace "more than one true way" of interpreting their religious teachings.

You Can't Be Choosy

2008-06-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

You can't pick and choose who you will service:

Several employees of the county clerk's office have been reassigned to other duties because they expressed "sincerely held religious objections" to gay marriage, county clerk Gregory Smith said Friday.

No employee is being allowed to perform marriage duties involving only heterosexual couples, Smith said. Instead, employees are being shifted to other duties that do not include issuing marriage licenses, officiating at civil weddings or acting as witnesses.

To Probe Or Not To Probe

2008-06-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

Shouldn't there be a valid reason to probe someone's activities?

A legal ethics watchdog group Wednesday called on the House Ethics Committee to investigate Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Long Beach) for actions surrounding the foreclosure of her Sacramento home and defaults on her homes in San Pedro and Long Beach.

William Marshall, a spokesman for Richardson, called the complaint "pretty mean-spirited. It rehashes old news." He said the House ethics counsel last week met with the congresswoman and said her ethics statement met House rules.

Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, acknowledged that the chances for an investigation were slim because members of Congress must ask for the probe, and the committee has shown little interest lately in investigating representatives.

Same Sex Marriages

2008-06-17T08:20:00.000-07:00

Opponents will be watching their every move:

The first legal same-sex marriages in California were performed Monday night, and thousands more gay couples are expected to flood into clerks' offices in the coming weeks to obtain marriage licenses. It's all happening with both sides keenly aware that in less than five months, voters will decide whether to amend the state Constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a woman only.

With that in mind, proponents are trying hard to manage what kinds of same-sex marriage images Californians see during this year's so-called Summer of Love.

Opponents maintain that Californians' views have not changed substantially since 2000, when more than 60% of voters cast ballots against same-sex marriage. They predict that the spectacle of men marrying men and women marrying women will anger voters and spur them to support the anti-same-sex marriage amendment.

Same Sex marriage Licenses Issued

2008-06-16T17:50:00.000-07:00

Although county offices are typically closed by 5 p.m., the registrars and clerks who issue marriage licenses in several counties -- Los Angeles, San Francisco, Alameda, Sonoma and Yolo -- remained open to allow at least two dozen same-sex couples the distinction of being among the first to wed.

Upcoming Trial Of Ira Isaacs

2008-06-09T06:17:00.000-07:00

How does one define obscenity?

Hollywood filmmaker Ira Isaacs says the videos he sells are works of art, protected under the Constitution. Federal prosecutors contend they are criminally obscene. The prosecution is the first in Southern California by a U.S. Department of Justice task force formed in 2005 after Christian conservative groups appealed to the Bush administration to crack down on smut.

For jurors to determine whether Isaacs' work is obscene, they will view hours of hard-core pornography so degrading that in one film, an actress cries throughout, prosecutors said in court papers. But if jurors find that any of the four videos at issue in the case have any "literary, scientific or artistic value," the work is not legally obscene, according to a 1973 Supreme Court ruling.

One man's art can be another man's trash.

Teachers Can Protest State Budget

2008-06-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

What will your children be doing the first hour of classes on Friday? Well, the teachers have already made plans:

Los Angeles teachers can skip the first hour of their workday Friday to protest the state's education budget while students are overseen by aides and administrators, a Superior Court judge ruled today.

The Los Angeles Unified School District had filed for a temporary restraining order this morning, but Superior Court Judge David P. Yaffe declined the request. Earlier in the week, the state Public Employment Relations Board also declined to file an injunction on behalf of the district, which has expressed concern that the demonstration could endanger students.

California Facing A Drought

2008-06-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this morning proclaimed a statewide drought, warning that California's water supply is falling dangerously low because of below-average rainfall and court-ordered water restrictions aimed at protecting fish.

Along with the proclamation, the governor issued an executive order intended to speed transfers of water to areas experiencing the most severe shortages, help local water districts boost conservation efforts, identify risks to the state's water supply, and assist farmers.

Who Will Be The Next O C Sheriff?

2008-06-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

It looks like Assistant Sheriff Jack Anderson is out of the race:

The Orange County Board of Supervisors today selected two finalists to become the county's next sheriff -- retired Los Angeles County sheriff's Division Chief Sandra Hutchens and Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters.

Supervisors voted to have background checks conducted on each finalist before making their final decision June 10. The new sheriff will succeed former Sheriff Michael S. Carona, who resigned in January after he was indicted on federal corruption charges. Carona, who has pleaded not guilty, said he needed to focus his attention on his upcoming corruption trial.

Hospital's Penalty For Dumping Homeless Patients

2008-06-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

What will the paraplegic man get?

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center on Friday settled charges that it left a paraplegic man crawling around downtown Los Angeles' skid row in a hospital gown and colostomy bag by agreeing to pay $1 million and be monitored by a former U.S. attorney for up to five years.

As part of the settlement, Hollywood Presbyterian agreed to adopt new discharge rules and enhance services for homeless patients. The $1 million will go to nonprofit groups that aid the indigent and homeless patients in the Hollywood area and other parts of the city.

Who Framed The Fullerton Teacher?

2008-05-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

When a high school teacher is arrested for a crime he did not commit, one usually would think that disgruntled students set him up. In this case, however, the police suspect other.

A Fullerton high school history teacher who was jailed this week when police -- acting on a tip -- found a shotgun and marijuana in his car in the school parking lot was actually the "victim of an elaborate setup," police said Thursday.

Investigators are now convinced that Gregory Abbott, 31, of Placentia, who has taught at Sunny Hills High School for seven years, is innocent and was actually a victim, said Sgt. Mike MacDonald of the Fullerton Police Department.

Detectives want to talk to Abbott's estranged wife and a male friend. MacDonald declined to identify the pair, calling them "persons of interest at this time" and not suspects.

I am so glad that this matter has been cleared up. There is nothing worse then being accused of a crime you did not commit.

Let's Blame It On The Internet

2008-05-28T17:34:00.000-07:00

Let's not forget how the internet has also caught criminals:

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Devin Vanderlaan, the investigator who arrested Cyrus Yazdani, a.k.a. "Buket," said he believes the explosion in graffiti in the Los Angeles area in the last few years has been driven in no small part by the Internet, which not only is a convenient way to show off your tags but pushes its boundaries.

Social networking sites have absolutely helped graffiti's popularity. It's everywhere. Graffiti doesn't have economic or race rules anymore. When people think of graffiti years ago they thought of black urban and hip-hop. Now, graffiti is not defined by race or tax bracket."

New Sheriff For Orange County

2008-05-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

New way to pick the sheriff. Let's see, who will it be?

For decades, Orange County's sheriff has been elected by voters. But after Sheriff Michael S. Carona stepped down in January to focus on his upcoming federal corruption trial, the board was given the task of hand-picking his successor. A federal grand jury indicted Carona in October on charges that he sold access to his office for tens of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts. His trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 26.

The finalists, identified in a nationwide search, include interim Sheriff Jack Anderson, former Sheriff's Lt. Bill Hunt, longtime Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Commander Ralph Martin.

Beware Of The West Nile Virus

2008-05-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

Two counties in California should be wary of the West Nile Virus. According to published reports, two crows were found dead last month in Lost Angeles County. The crows tested positive for the West Nile virus:

On Tuesday, the Orange County Vector Control District announced that 13 birds collected earlier this month tested positive for the virus. In Orange County, the dead birds -- nine crows, two house finches, a hermit thrush and a black-headed grosbeak -- were found in a wide area that included San Clemente, Anaheim, Brea and Huntington Beach. Six were collected in Garden Grove, county health officials said.

Phil Spector Faces New Murder Trial

2008-05-22T15:20:00.000-07:00

A new day to face the music:

Without waiting for a California Supreme Court decision on whether he will preside over music producer Phil Spector's second murder trial, a judge has set a new trial date for Sept. 29.

Spector's first trial ended in a jury deadlock last September. Spector is accused of killing actress Lana Clarkson at his Alhambra mansion on Feb. 3, 2003.

Are California Beaches Cleaner?

2008-05-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

A recent environmental report claims that the beaches are cleaner. But hold on folks; there is more news:

While water quality is improving overall statewide, Los Angeles County is home to the most bacteria-laden seawater in California for the third straight year. Half of the 10 foulest shorelines in the state are in Los Angeles County, with the dirtiest water at Avalon Harbor Beach on Santa Catalina Island.

The report after all does not do us much good.

Rogue Cop Sentenced To 102 Years In Prison

2008-05-20T16:46:00.000-07:00

Did anybody expect any more from this officer who had five felony arrest before he became a Los Angeles police officer?

William Ferguson was the latest in a string of ex-cops to be sentenced in connection with the ring, which conducted bogus drug raids staged to look like legitimate police operations.

He just continued what he knew how to do when he became a cop: steal

Is Sheriff jack Anderson Right For The Job?

2008-05-19T11:50:00.000-07:00

Some believe that Jack Anderson may not be the right candidate for sheriff because of his ties to Carona. Some have spoken out publicly concerning their feelings:

At least one board member is also said to harbor doubts about Anderson because of two recent incidents: his appearance, in uniform, before San Clemente City Council members in November to urge them to stay neutral on a political endorsement, and his presence at the scene of an apparent suicide by the son of two department officials in January where proper procedures may have been ignored.

The state attorney general concluded that Anderson's appearance in uniform at the City Council meeting violated state law. The district attorney's office is investigating the handling of the suicide scene.

Does Jack Anderson deserve our support?

When Can Same Sex Couples Wed?

2008-05-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

There is good news for the gay and lesbian community regarding same sex marriages:

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky announced today that he, along with Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke, will order county officials next week to begin complying with the state Supreme Court's decision on same-sex marriages.

Let's try to let this process begin without any glitches because people should be allowed to make choices.

Gay Marriage Ban Overturned In California

2008-05-15T18:33:00.001-07:00

The California Supreme Court decided today that same-sex couples should be permitted to wed, ruling that gay unions must be given the "respect and dignity" of marriage.

In a 4-3 vote, the court became the first in the country to apply the constitutional protections reserved for race and gender to sexual orientation. The Massachusetts high court struck down bans on same-sex marriage in 2003, but under a different legal theory.

That $20 Bill May Not Be Real

2008-05-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

A glitch has occurred in California's economy with the discovery of counterfeiting ring:

On Tuesday, federal authorities announced that Troy Stroud and four other men have been arrested and charged in connection with a massive counterfeiting scheme that U.S. Atty. Thomas P. O'Brien called "one of the largest, if not the largest, counterfeit currency rings we have seen in Southern California."

The ring is responsible for printing and distributing nearly $7 million in bogus currency over the last two years, authorities said.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Tracy L. Wilkison, the prosecutor on the case, said it was unusual not just because of the amount of money, but because agents were able to go up the food chain in their investigation.

Check your wallets. You may be carrying a bogus bill.

Gold Prices Bring Out Gold Thieves

2008-05-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

Wow....why pick on JC Penney?

A gang of gold thieves has broken into at least 11 JCPenney stores across the state in the last 18 months, stealing about $2.5 million in jewelry, authorities said.

Investigators say the thieves probably are motivated by gold's market price of $1,000 an ounce. Typically, two to four masked men break into a closed store, smash a display case and take only the gold jewelry.

Were They Hearing Things?

2008-05-12T12:47:00.000-07:00

I wonder how this will play out. Where did the shots really come from?

Believing they were under fire, Inglewood police officers Sunday shot and killed a passenger in an approaching car and wounded the driver, but no weapons were found and no one has been charged, authorities said.

The passenger was identified as 19-year-old Michael Byoune of Los Angeles, who died at the scene from gunshot wounds to the torso, said Los Angeles County coroner's investigator Jerry McKibben.

The officers were in their patrol car near Crenshaw Boulevard and 8th Avenue about 1:40 a.m. when they heard gunfire and pursued a man who was running, said Inglewood Police Sgt. Hector Ramirez.

The man jumped into a slow-moving car in the 3000 block of Manchester Boulevard, and the officers heard more shots and felt something hit their cruiser, Ramirez said.

The officers then fired several shots as the vehicle came toward them, according to police. The driver is in stable condition with a leg wound, and a third man in the car was not injured. He was taken into custody, questioned and released, police said.

Police Sgt. Dennis Brown later said the patrol car had not been hit by gunfire. Investigators initially indicated that the incident might have been gang-related, but later said the three men were not suspected gang members.

Let's hope this matter is not swept under the rug.

Pay The Workers Their Due

2008-05-09T12:36:00.000-07:00

Equal pay for all:

Hoping to prevent the strike from escalating as it did eight years ago, Mayor Villaraigosa called a closed-door meeting at City Hall between the janitors and key building owners to encourage the two sides to return to the bargaining table. Although the contract negotiations are technically between the janitors and the cleaning companies that hire them, building owners hold significant leverage in moving negotiations along.

Because the owners pay the contractors for janitorial services, they can threaten to stop hiring a cleaning company if prices get too high. But if a strike becomes widespread and disruptive, owners might feel pressured to settle quickly rather than risk bad publicity.

The union is seeking unspecified wage increases, but the main issue is to narrow the gap between janitors with the highest and the lowest pay. Janitors in downtown Los Angeles and Century City earn $1.30 an hour more on average than janitors in outlying areas.

Drug Dealing Doctor Gets Indicted

2008-05-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

When they are good, that fine---but when they are bad, it makes the entire profession look bad.

Dr. Masoud Bamdad, 54, of Granada Hills was arrested April 17 and indicted by a federal grand jury late Tuesday. He faces numerous counts of prescribing drugs for no medical purpose.

Bamdad, who is being held without bail pending trial, could not be reached for comment. There is no indication that Bamdad knew homeless people were being recruited to see him as part of a scheme to sell the drugs he prescribed for a profit, authorities said.

An eight-month undercover DEA investigation into Bamdad's practice was cut short last month after the apparent overdose death of a 23-year-old recovering drug addict to whom he had prescribed oxycodone and another drug, according to court documents.

As part of the Drug Enforcement Administration investigation, agents went to Bamdad's office pretending to be people in search of drugs, according to an arrest affidavit by Special Agent Susannah Herkert.

During the visits, Bamdad made only cursory physical examinations -- or conducted no exam -- before prescribing the powerful and addictive painkillers, authorities say. He prescribed the medications even though the "patients" said they were experiencing only minor pain, that they wanted the drugs only for enjoyment or were getting them for somebody else, authorities allege. The doctor even discussed the street price of OxyContin with one of the undercover agents, authorities said.

DEA agents believe Bamdad was generating up to $100,000 in cash per week by writing the bogus prescriptions. Bamdad charged $100 to $300 for each prescription, depending on the number of pills a person wanted, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Lisa E. Feldman, who is prosecuting the case.

"And he would put the cash right into his pocket," she said.

Based on a review of pharmacy records, agents determined that Bamdad prescribed about 70,000 OxyContin tablets in 2007, making him one of the top five prescribers of the drug in Southern California, Nevada and Hawaii.

Could it be possible that there are doctors responsible for the illegal drug activity in this country?

UCLA Medical Records Snooper Gets Indicted

2008-04-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

This news is not surprising:

Lawanda Jackson, a former administrative specialist at UCLA Medical Center, was indicted April 9 on a charge of obtaining individually identifiable health information for commercial advantage. Actress Farrah Fawcett and her lawyers allege that Jackson leaked personal information about her battle with cancer to the National Enquirer and other tabloids.

Earlier this month, The Times reported that Jackson had allegedly pried into the private medical records of California First Lady Maria Shriver, Fawcett and 60 others. In an April 8 interview with the newspaper, Jackson denied that she had leaked the information or otherwise profited from it.

There are probably countless others who are trying to make a buck off of others right to privacy. The National Enquirer should face criminal charges as well.

Awarding Of Airport Contracts Called Into Question

2008-04-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

Take it from the City of New Orleans; you better nip this in the bud before it gets out of hand:

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn said Monday that she wants to question airport executive director Gina Marie Lindsey about the awarding of a $25-million management contract in March to DMJM Aviation Inc. of Tampa, Fla., whose parent company is based in Los Angeles.

DMJM was selected by the Board of Airport Commissioners although Bechtel Corp. of San Francisco was initially recommended for the job during the evaluation process.

If you think that is bad, it gets worse:

A letter, which began circulating last week at City Hall and the headquarters of Los Angeles World Airports, accused Lindsey of manipulating the contract process and pushing for the hiring of DMJM instead of Bechtel. After weighing bids from competing companies, airport records show that on Jan. 9 an evaluation panel recommended four to one that Bechtel be awarded the project management contract.

Bechtel also was slightly ahead of DMJM in points earned during written and formal presentations to the review panel. But for reasons airport officials would not explain, a second panel was convened Jan. 15-16, which voted 5 to 0 in favor of DMJM and awarded the company enough points to take a 43-point lead over Bechtel.

Airport records show that two airline representatives who had been on the first panel were no longer part of the evaluation process and that Lindsey attended the meetings to observe the reevaluation of DMJM and Bechtel. The airport sources said Lindsey was unhappy with the initial recommendation of Bechtel and ordered the second review.

Now do you think the contract was awarded fairly? Lindsey's actions should not be taken lightly. It is time to call in the feds.

Defining Intent To Commit Murder

2008-04-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

When one intends to commit suicide, the offsetting effects to others is of little importance to that person.

Juan Manuel Alvarez does not dispute that his actions led to the tragic Metrolink train collision three years ago in which 11 people were killed and more than 180 injured. What he does contest is that he intended to harm anybody other than himself.

The issue of whether the 29-year-old Compton man willfully set out to derail a train, commit arson, maim and kill people will be at the core of arguments that a jury of three men and nine women will begin to hear today as Alvarez's trial gets underway.

Alvarez's intent is important in a legal sense: If he meant to kill passengers on the train, he could be found guilty of first-degree murder. But even if jurors do not find that intent, Alvarez could be convicted of second-degree murder if it can be shown that his actions created a high probability of death, and that he knew of the
risks associated with parking his vehicle on the tracks.

He should at least face second degree murder.

How Do You Help A Bald Penquin?

2008-04-25T15:54:00.000-07:00

You build him a wetsuit..

Biologists at the California Academy of Sciences had a custom-made wetsuit created for, 25 year old Pierre, an African penguin to help him get back in the swim of things.

Isn't science amazing?

Being Falsely Convicted

2008-04-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

What should be your compensation when a rogue judge bullies you into confessing to a crime you did not commit? A California man is about to find out:

A state agency has recommended that a former Buena Park man be paid $31,700 for spending 10 months in prison for a carjacking he did not commit.

On Wednesday, James Ochoa, 22, also reached a tentative $550,000 settlement of lawsuits he had filed against Buena Park, its Police Department and a dog handler involved in the investigation.

The judge should lose his job.

Los Angeles Imposes Green Building Rules

2008-04-23T06:27:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles has begun its fight against global warming by imposing "green" building rules that would potentially cut millions of tons of pollution over the next decade.

In a unanimous vote, the City Council passed an ordinance requiring builders of large commercial and residential developments to adopt such measures as planting drought-resistant landscaping and using recycled materials and energy-efficient heating, cooling and lighting.

Let's hope other cities follow Los Angeles' lead.

Couple Who Stole From Pentagon Plead Guilty

2008-04-22T06:02:00.000-07:00

This husband and wife crime team could not fathom buying a race car, home and luxury items based on old fashion hard work. They decided that the government should fit the bill:

A former Northrop Grumman employee and his wife pleaded guilty Monday to scamming the defense contractor and the Pentagon out of $2.5 million.

Michael Crabtree, 47, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and money laundering. His wife, Susan Crabtree, 44, pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

Susan Crabtree faces up to 20 years in prison, and her husband faces 15 years when they are sentenced July 14. They also face fines of up to $750,000.

I hope they are not parents. Just look at the example they have set.

L.A. Revised Anti-Gang Strategy

2008-04-21T05:54:00.000-07:00

The Mayor of Los Angeles is making revisions to his strategy of curbing gang violence. Will his plan work?

Under Villaraigosa's proposal, prevention programs once spread across 27 middle schools will now be placed primarily in 12 gang-reduction zones -- neighborhoods where gang violence is four times the citywide average.

Instead of focusing on children who face milder difficulties, the programs will target children who are at the most extreme risk of joining gangs, Carr said. Each of the 12 zones -- neighborhoods such as Panorama City, Cypress Park and Baldwin Village -- will receive $1 million per year in prevention funds, enough to target at least 200 children per zone.

Wrongly Convicted Marine's Widow May Sue

2008-04-19T01:54:00.000-07:00

Can yo imagine spending over 2 years of your life, in prison, for a fabricated crime? Well, that is exactly what happened to Cynthia Sommer:

On Thursday, San Diego County Dist. Atty. Bonnie Dumanis moved to dismiss murder charges against Sommer, telling reporters that overlooked evidence and new scientific scrutiny had poked holes in the prosecution's assertion that she used arsenic to kill Sgt. Todd Sommer.

It was a startling conclusion to a murder prosecution built on a tabloid-style scenario of a scheming wife poisoning her younger husband, watching as he died and then -- soon after -- getting a $5,400 breast augmentation, partying and having sex with several partners.

I hope she sue the pants off of these incompetents. She has lost precious time, with her children, that can never be replaced.

LAX To Use New "Body Imaging" Technology

2008-04-18T06:05:00.000-07:00

How would you like airport officials to get a glimpse of your naked body before boarding a plane? Well, that day has finally come:

Some travelers at Los Angeles International Airport will be searched for weapons and explosives using a new scanner that peers through their clothes and creates an image of the person's body.

The machine uses radio waves to create an image from energy reflected from the human body. This results in a 3-D image that essentially shows how the person looks without clothing. It also shows hidden objects such as guns and explosives.

True, we want to be safe-----but what about that constitutional notion of right to privacy.

Helen Golay Convicted Of Murder

2008-04-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

A jury has convicted a Helen Golay, a 77-year-old woman of murder and her 75-year-old co-defendant of conspiracy to commit murder in a chilling slow-motion plot to kill two homeless men for $2.8 million in life insurance.

Jurors are still considering two murder charges and a second conspiracy count against the younger woman, Olga Rutterschmidt.

Theo Lacy Jail Makes Headlines Again

2008-04-16T06:24:00.000-07:00

What is wrong with the deputies at the Theo Lacy Jail? First they were accused of allowing inmates to do whatever they wanted now they may be into killing animals.

Concern about the conduct of deputies inside Orange County jails intensified Tuesday as the Sheriff's Department investigated reports that deputies used a Taser stun weapon on a cat at Theo Lacy Jail.

What next...molesting young children. Let's stop the madness.

Elderly Murderers Turn On Each Other

2008-04-15T01:59:00.000-07:00

The two elderly women, on trial for murdering homeless men, are trying a new strategy in order to win their cases: turn on each other.

In an eleventh-hour shift in defense strategy, one of two septuagenarian women charged in a hit-and-run murder case turned on her co-defendant Monday, a move some legal experts said could backfire.

Roger Jon Diamond, who represents Helen Golay, 77, told jurors shortly before they began deliberating that co-defendant Olga Rutterschmidt, 75, conspired with Golay's daughter Kecia in the 2005 slaying of Kenneth McDavid.

This pathethic shift will definitely backfire on these two geezers.

Senior Citizens Get Their Due

2008-04-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

Deliberations begin today in the trial of the two elderly women who are accused of killing two homeless men in order to collect insurance money. Should the jury feel sorry for them? Well, there is speculation that that could happen. I do not feel sorry for them because these two old biddies are ruthless killers.

Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt are accused of killing Kenneth McDavid, 50, in 2005, and Paul Vados, 73, in 1999. The men died in staged hit-and-run accidents, according to the prosecution. Their mangled bodies were found in alleys in Hollywood and Westwood.

History of Snoops at UCLA

2008-04-11T04:07:00.001-07:00

Don't these employees know that everyone has a right to privacy?

Though UCLA Medical Center has portrayed recent privacy breaches as the rare actions of rogue employees, the hospital has known since at least 1995 that staffers were peeking into the medical records of such prominent patients as Tom Cruise and Mariah Carey -- and even spying on one another's medical care, according to records and interviews.

Nutty Judge To Resign

2008-04-10T04:11:00.000-07:00

When you start acting like you lost your mind, then it is time you lose your job.

Superior Court Judge James M. Brooks, who was disciplined several times for misconduct has agreed to resign. The judge will step down April 30.

On Friday, the state Commission on Judicial Performance publicly admonished him for failing to uphold order and decorum in the court during a 2005 employee discrimination case. He jokingly used hand-lettered signs to overrule objections and allowed an attorney to taunt a plaintiff with the "Twilight Zone" theme.

Sheriff Anderson Suspends Employees

2008-04-09T03:54:00.000-07:00

Getting the FBI involved is a good move but what made them feel so comfortable in doing this anyway?

Orange County Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson suspended five employees Tuesday and called for an FBI investigation after the release of grand jury transcripts that showed Theo Lacy jail guards relying on inmates to enforce order while they watched TV, slept, played video games and engaged in cellphone text chats.

The paid suspensions include the three jailers on duty in October 2006 when John Derek Chamberlain was tortured, sodomized and beaten to death by fellow inmates during an attack that lasted nearly an hour not far from the glass-enclosed guard station.

Maybe other jails should be investigated to see how widespread is this type of behavior .

Prisoners Rule

2008-04-08T05:41:00.000-07:00

If you are an inmate, the best place to be locked up is in Orange County:

A grand jury transcript released Monday describes an Orange County jail in disarray, with deputies watching television, playing video games and taking naps while inmates were allowed to use brutality and intimidation to keep order in the cellblocks.

Some incentive to deter crime, hey deputies!!!

Breaking Confidentiality

2008-04-07T02:11:00.000-07:00

What's with the snooping? People will do anything in order to make a quick buck.

A UCLA Medical Center worker who sneaked into the confidential medical records of '70s TV icon Farrah Fawcett last year also improperly viewed the electronic files of 32 other celebrities, politicians and high-profile patients, including California first lady Maria Shriver, according to interviews with hospital and state officials Sunday.

The breaches expose UCLA to state sanctions and amount to a major embarrassment for one of the nation's preeminent medical centers. The UCLA employee allegedly looked up information on noncelebrity patients as well, accessing 61 patients' records without permission in 2006 and 2007, state and hospital officials said.

This is how the tabloids get their stories.

Exchange Between Killers

2008-04-06T01:43:00.000-07:00

This exchange between the two elderly women who are on trial for murdering homeless vagrants in order to collect insurance money shows how the two did not even trust each other during their scams.

"I want to report a fraud. I'm the fiancee; she's not the fiancee," said the woman, identifying herself only as Olga, Resmick recalled recently outside court.

Speaking in a heavy accent, Olga began "ranting and ranting like a lunatic" that Helen Golay had committed fraud by listing herself as the beneficiary on a policy for a down-and-out man who had been killed in a hit-and-run accident.

Those two old bitties are what you call psychopaths. I hope they receive the maximum sentence.

Deputy Commits Suicide Before Impending Arrest

2008-04-05T04:15:00.000-07:00

An O.C. Deputy committed suicide, after he accessed computer information concerning his impending arrest for molesting a 12 year old boy.

Gerald Stenger, a 20-year veteran of the department, was charged with molesting a boy he met through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County, where he had served as a volunteer from 1991 to 1995. The molestation began in 1995 and continued for two years.

Farrah Fawcett's Privacy Breached At UCLA

2008-04-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

Months before UCLA Medical Center caught staffers snooping in the medical records of pop star Britney Spears, '70s TV icon Farrah Fawcett learned that a hospital employee had surreptitiously gone through records of her cancer treatments there, documents and interviews show.

Fawcett's lawyers said they are concerned that the information may have been subsequently leaked or sold to tabloids, including the National Enquirer.

Shortly after UCLA doctors told Fawcett that her cancer had returned -- and before she had told her son and closest friends -- the Enquirer posted the news on its website. Indeed, alarming headlines regularly cropped up in the Enquirer and its sister publication, the Globe, within days of Fawcett's treatments at UCLA.

UCLA terminated the employee who inappropriately reviewed Fawcett's records, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.

If You Want Dirt, Call Pellicano

2008-04-02T04:04:00.000-07:00

It seems that Hollywood had their own henchmen:

In the federal courtroom where Anthony Pellicano and four co-defendants are charged with various counts of wiretapping and racketeering there has been plenty of testimony about what the government alleges is Pellicano's scheming with clients to get dirt on behalf of the angry ex-wife, the neurotic filmmaker, the burned benefactor.

Now comes the vindictive investor, Adam Sender, who confirmed he spent $800,000 -- half a million to Pellicano, the rest to lawyers -- to recoup $1.1 million from Russo, a one-time manager of Bette Midler, who had a respectable career managing entertainers and producing movies then turned to politics in the 1990s. Russo died last year.

Actor John Cusack Being Stalked

2008-04-01T00:31:00.000-07:00

A woman who showed up Sunday outside John Cusack's Malibu home -- despite a restraining order barring her from approaching the actor -- was arrested on suspicion of stalking, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said Monday.

Deputies were called to the 24000 block of Malibu Road about 7 p.m. Sunday after a cab driver reported that a passenger was refusing to pay a fare for a ride to that area.

As deputies approached the scene, they were flagged down by Cusack, who told them that he recognized the woman in the cab and that she had been stalking him.

Emily Leatherman, 33, was booked on suspicion of felony stalking, violating a restraining order and petty theft. Leatherman, who was booked at the Malibu-Lost Hills station, was being held in lieu of $150,000 bail, said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.

Bill Clinton Says -- Take A Chill Pill

2008-03-31T01:44:00.000-07:00

Sit back, relax and don't let anyone discourage you. Well, that is sort of the message Bill Clinton wants America to know:

Former President Clinton urged Democratic Party superdelegates and activists Sunday to be patient in selecting a presidential nominee and let the primary election process play out over the coming months.

A vigorous campaign between his wife, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama will not damage the party's prospects of beating the Republican nominee in the fall, Bill Clinton said in a speech to the California Democratic Party convention.

High Tech Exam Cheating

2008-03-30T03:09:00.000-07:00

A 2006 national survey found that more than 60% of high school students said they had cheated on a test, and the number of self-admitted cheaters has steadily risen over the years.

Students today can use an array of high-tech gadgetry, challenging schools to keep pace. One click of the Internet opens a world of possibilities and temptations, devious and ingenious, with Web sites devoted to the best cheating practices, and cheating tutorials on YouTube.

One YouTube compilation offers such strategies as taping answers under a tie and designing a T-shirt with a cheat sheet printed on the front in a form that can be overlooked as a logo.

Elderly Murderers Missed The Mark

2008-03-29T04:43:00.000-07:00

When I first heard about the elderly women who were killing homeless men after they took out life insurance on them, I said to myself...there has to be other victims out there. The following confirmed my suspicion:

He was sitting on the steps of a Hollywood office building when an elderly woman approached him. She said she would give Covington, who was living on the streets, a place to stay. And if he just filled out some paperwork, she could get him $2,000 in benefits within a month.

The woman seemed sympathetic and sincere at first. On the day he met her, she moved him into a minimally furnished room and brought three pages of paperwork, with some basic questions about his background.

But she came back the next day with more, and even more the day after that. The questions started getting uncomfortably personal. He left.

Covington, who testified in court Friday, said he realizes now how close he came to falling victim to the two elderly women who are accused of killing homeless men and collecting life insurance benefits.

After all, Helen Golay, 77, and Olga Rutterschmidt, 75, had taken out an $800,000 policy on his life.

From the witness stand, Covington pointed to Rutterschmidt and said she was the woman who demanded from him personal information, including his Social Security number, the date and location of his birth, his mother's maiden name, family history and medical details.

I wonder what sort of crimes these women were committing when they were younger. After all, one doesn't wake up on morning, in their twilight years, and decide to be murderers.

Who Released Sarah Jane Olson Early?

2008-03-28T00:32:00.000-07:00

That is the question we all want answered. Will they get to the bottom of this?

Five employees at the state prison where former Symbionese Liberation Army member Sara Jane Olson is incarcerated are under investigation in connection with her erroneous release last week.

The employees are three rank-and-file workers who calculate inmate release dates, and two supervisors.

Sarah Jane Olson was probably shaking in her boots when she found out she had to go back to prison.

LA Times Admits Error Over Article About Rapper

2008-03-27T03:24:00.000-07:00

A Los Angeles Times story about a brutal 1994 attack on rap superstar Tupac Shakur was partially based on documents that appear to have been fabricated, the reporter and editor responsible for the story said Wednesday.

Reporter Chuck Philips and his supervisor, Deputy Managing Editor Marc Duvoisin, issued statements of apology Wednesday afternoon. The statements came after The Times took withering criticism for the Shakur article, which appeared on latimes.com last week and two days later in the paper's Calendar section.

LAPD Suicide Rate

2008-03-26T01:10:00.000-07:00

This news is very alarming:

Police officers in Los Angeles are more likely to take their own life than be killed by a criminal, according to a report presented today to the Police Commission.

The data was included in a study by police psychologists who are in the process of retooling the agency's suicide prevention program.

The report said 19 Los Angeles police officers killed themselves between 1998 and 2007, while only seven died in the line of duty during that time.

This has to be the result of being exposed to so much violence.

Mortgage Fraud Suspects Indicted

2008-03-25T01:35:00.000-07:00

Federal prosecutors Monday charged 19 individuals, mainly from Southern California, with defrauding homeowners in trouble partly by using "foreclosure rescue pitches" and an equity-draining technique called equity stripping.

Two indictments made public Monday accused Charles Head, 33, of La Habra; his brother, Jeremy Michael Head, 30, of Huntington Beach; and others of taking part in a nationwide mortgage scam that stole $12.6 million and fraudulently obtained the titles to more than 100 homes.

Prosecutors said they found victims of the mortgage scam in California, Oregon, Washington state, Nevada and at least 14 other states.

Medi-Cal Exodus

2008-03-24T02:13:00.001-07:00

After San Diego ear, nose and throat physician Ted Mazer recently billed the state's medical insurance program for the poor for a tonsillectomy, he got a check for $168, too little to cover surgical costs. The balance came out of his pocket.

Now legislators have cut the rates even further, leaving Mazer resolved to shut his doors to new Medi-Cal patients. Almost every other specialist in his field countywide has already done the same, he said.

The Failings Of The Criminal Justice System

2008-03-22T04:29:00.000-07:00

Of course people would be upset when a former SLA member is released from prison early for her horrendous crime:
Ex-SLA Fugitive's Release Sparks Anger

Kathleen Soliah was released from prison Monday after serving about six years behind bars for her role in a separate case involving a plot to kill Los Angeles Police Department officers by blowing up their patrol cars. She had been sentenced to 12 years in prison for her crimes but earned credit against her sentence for working in prison.

Where is the real justice?

Give Them Back Their Tips, Starbucks

2008-03-21T02:47:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine working for Starbucks and having to hand over part of your tips to your supervisor?

Money collected in tip jars was put into safes at each Starbucks and apportioned weekly to each employee based on the number of hours they worked. The average tip distributed to baristas and supervisors was $1.71 an hour.

Starbucks' practice was a violation of a state law that prohibits managers and supervisors from sharing in employee tips.

I wonder if the supervisors paid taxes on their illegal cash flow.

UCI Medical Center Appointment

2008-03-20T02:15:00.000-07:00

UC Irvine on Wednesday appointed to head its medical center a registered nurse who spent 12 years as one of the hospital's top administrators during a period in which it suffered a series of scandals, including one in which more than 30 patients on the liver transplant list died as the hospital turned down scores of organs that were then successfully transplanted elsewhere.

Maureen Zehntner has held the post of interim chief executive since 2005, but it is her association with the medical program's troubled past that has led some to criticize the university for choosing one of its old guard at a time when it is trying to wipe clean its stained reputation.

LAPD Cannot Explain Increase In Homicide Rate

2008-03-19T01:31:00.000-07:00

LAPD cannot explain the increase in homicide rate in Los Angeles. According to LAPD:

Neither race nor any other single factor can explain the increase in homicides.

Department statistics for this year found that in cases in which police have information about the suspect, the vast majority of alleged assailants in the killings of Latinos were other Latinos and the vast majority in killings of blacks were other blacks.

School Districts Prepare For Cuts and Layoffs

2008-03-18T01:46:00.001-07:00

The California Department of Education estimated that nearly 20,000 employees received early termination notices, with at least one district -- Placentia Yorba-Linda Unified -- offering a $1,000 bonus to employees who retire or resign by April 1. At least 14 Los Angeles-area school districts reported that they might not be able to avoid running a deficit over the next two years.

Educators have been preparing to cut costs since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his budget, which proposes $4.8 billion in education cuts this year and next. It's the biggest education reduction in memory, school officials say.

Los Angeles Unified, the largest district in the state, is facing a projected $460-million deficit next year. Because of the financial uncertainty, the Board of Education voted to submit a "qualified" interim financial report to the county, which means that the district may not be able to meet its obligations over the next two years.

Spinsters' Ages Could Become Part Of Trial

2008-03-17T00:25:00.000-07:00

Jailhouse birthdays for Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt, accused of staging the hit-and-run deaths of two homeless men, quietly came and went uncelebrated this year. Golay turned 77 in February and Rutterschmidt became 75 this month.

But age could be a key factor in a trial set to begin this week before a three-woman, nine-man jury, who will determine the fate of the two women who prosecutors allege conspired to kill the men and collected nearly $3 million in life insurance claims. Opening statements are expected to start Tuesday.

Prosecutors decided last year not to seek the death penalty. Because capital punishment appeals take a minimum of 10 years, the women could die in prison before any decision was reached.

In a case that has drawn the attention of legal experts and moviemakers, prosecutors allege that the women befriended the homeless men, put them up in apartments and hired security guards to keep an eye on them before staging their deaths.

Paul Vados, 73, and Kenneth McDavid, 50, were both killed in apparent hit-and-run incidents in 1999 and 2005, respectively. Vados was covered by more than a dozen life insurance policies, and McDavid by 23. Rutterschmidt and Golay claimed the bodies under the pretense of being relatives or associates of the men, and collected the insurance payments, authorities say.

Fighting Northeast L.A. Gangs

2008-03-16T02:00:00.000-07:00

Northeast Los Angeles residents concerned about losing their streets to gangs quietly filed into a Glassell Park middle school Saturday where frightened students were locked in for hours after a widely publicized midday shooting last month.

As kids kicked a soccer ball on a playing field outside, city officials, including Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton and City Council President Eric Garcetti, sought to reassure residents assembled in the school's auditorium that they will continue to put pressure on multi-generational gangs that for years have terrorized the compact community.

The chief urged patience, saying he plans to work with other agencies to incarcerate gang members in other states, including Maine and Alaska, to break up a handful of families that run powerful local gangs.

Was Britney Spears Privacy Violated?

2008-03-15T00:55:00.000-07:00

UCLA Medical Center is taking steps to fire at least 13 employees and has suspended at least six others for snooping in the confidential medical records of pop star Britney Spears during her recent hospitalization in its psychiatric unit. In addition, six physicians face discipline for peeking at her computerized records.

Questioned about the breaches, officials acknowledged that it was not the first time UCLA had disciplined workers for looking at Spears' records. Several were caught prying into records after Spears gave birth to her first son, Sean Preston, in September 2005 at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital. Some were fired.

Comedian Gary Shandling Testifies At Pellicano's Trial

2008-03-14T00:56:00.000-07:00

Comedian Gary Shandling told a federal jury that he became the target of ugly media stories after he sued Brad Grey, believing that the executive, then the comedian's manager, was improperly pocketing proceeds from a popular HBO television program Shandling starred in and helped create, "The Larry Sanders Show."

After he hired an attorney to explore Grey's financial dealings, Shandling testified, the then-manager called him late one night at home and angrily threatened that he "would make my life miserable."

Shandling said he later learned from the FBI that Pellicano and his alleged accomplices, including a former LAPD sergeant, had rifled confidential police databases for personal information about the actor and others close to him, including his former girlfriend, Linda Doucett, and a close friend, comedian Kevin Nealon.

Shandling did not detail what Pellicano might have found in the police files. Nor did he describe the negative stories, other than to say that reporters told him they were planted by Pellicano.

But with its famous names and charges of chicanery, Shandling's testimony hinted at what federal authorities have been alleging for years: that Pellicano and others resorted to dirty tricks to sidestep the justice system and give his powerful clients an upper hand in battles inside and outside court.

Assistant Principal, In Sex Case, Faced Earlier Inquiry

2008-03-13T02:52:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles school officials transferred an assistant principal to a Watts middle school just months after he had been removed from a previous school where he was investigated for allegedly having sex with an underage student and pulling a gun on her stepfather.

Last week, the assistant principal, Steve Thomas Rooney, 39, allegedly molested a student at the new campus, Markham Middle School. He was arrested and charged with five counts of forcible lewd acts on a child, stemming from allegations that he sexually assaulted the 13-year-old girl March 1 and at least one other occasion.

Los Angeles Unified School District officials declined to comment Wednesday about how Rooney had been reassigned to Markham last fall, saying they are conducting an internal investigation and citing a policy barring them from speaking publicly about cases under those circumstances.

District policy requires officials to conduct their own investigation into employee misconduct regardless of whether the allegations result in criminal charges. Officials would not say Wednesday whether such an inquiry occurred in the earlier case.

Witness Testifies About Pellicano's Bragging

2008-03-12T00:54:00.000-07:00

A calm Anthony Pellicano confidently assured a onetime assistant not to worry that his alleged wiretapping enterprise would come to the attention of authorities, the former employee and government witness told a federal jury Tuesday.

"He said, 'Calm down. Relax. They are not going to find anything,' " Tarita Virtue recalled during her second day on the stand in the trial of former private investigator Pellicano and four others charged with illegal eavesdropping and other crimes.

Virtue, a 38-year-old model testifying under a grant of immunity, said Pellicano made his reassurances almost eight years ago when the private investigator allegedly wiretapped the ex-girlfriend of a client. The ex-girlfriend, Virtue said, could be heard on a recording speculating that her conversations were being recorded.

Judge Overturns Conviction In 1983 Murder

2008-03-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

A Los Angeles judge on Monday overturned the conviction of a man who has spent the last quarter-century in prison for a murder he insists he did not commit, concluding that the prosecution's star witness lied.

The ruling comes after the witness recently recanted his testimony and could lead to freedom for Willie Earl Green, a former chauffeur who was sentenced to 33 years to life in a 1983 execution-style slaying at a South Los Angeles crack house.

Los Angeles County prosecutors must decide whether to appeal the decision, retry Green or free him. Considering the judge's conclusion that the star witness was unreliable, prosecutors would probably have a difficult task if they chose to retry the case.

Gang Violence & Political Fights

2008-03-10T02:54:00.001-07:00

As a wave of high-profile gang shootings continues to rattle parts of Los Angeles, city leaders are locked in a turf battle of their own over who should control gang-prevention programs and the millions of dollars to pay for them.

Each side blames the other for waging the kind of political infighting that for years has hamstrung the city's ability to combat some of the nation's worst youth violence.

Some leaders fear the impasse will only raise public doubt about City Hall's ability to rise above territorial squabbles and act responsibly.

Schwarzenegger's Agenda

2008-03-09T03:50:00.000-07:00

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants California to implement its own vehicle emission standards to fight global warming. At first glance, Congress might seem a likely ally in his efforts to overturn the Bush administration's refusal to let the state do so.

After all, global warming is at the top of the agenda in Washington. The three remaining major presidential candidates back California's efforts. And the state's congressional delegation is the largest.

Man Wins Judgement Against Deputies

2008-03-08T01:39:00.000-08:00

On Friday, Winston Hayes, 46, walked out $1,326,468.60 richer after a civil court jury decided that Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies used excessive force on him three years ago.

During a four-week trial, Hayes showed jurors nine bullet wounds he suffered when deputies fired 120 shots at him at the end of a low-speed pursuit on May 9, 2005. A total of 66 bullets struck Hayes' sport utility vehicle. Eleven bullets struck the deputies' own patrol cars, and another 11 pelted nearby residences.

In the end, only Hayes and a deputy were hit. The deputy was wearing a bulletproof vest and was not seriously injured.

Keeping Crime In The Family

2008-03-07T01:39:00.000-08:00

One has to wonder how Curtis H. Connor is feeling, now that his alleged career path has led two generations of his brood into handcuffs.

Before dawn Thursday, 200 Los Angeles police officers raided homes throughout the city and across the Southland with arrest warrants for more than 40 people, who, investigators say, were involved in one of California's largest, longest-running auto insurance fraud scams.

At the center of the ring, police say, is Connor, who already has served several years in prison for a previous auto insurance fraud conviction, and several of his sons, daughters and grandchildren.

Does Riverhead Accept Fiction?

2008-03-06T00:38:00.000-08:00

More fallout from fake memoir:

Those who believed in Margaret Jones and were inspired by her courage are justified in feeling angry and betrayed. So are the residents of South Los Angeles, whose real stories, and real pain, were appropriated and repackaged for the purpose of selling books to a largely white audience. Yet Seltzer's unmasking is more sad than infuriating. Her fictional self was so inspirational because hers was a tale so seldom told.

There have been other gang memoirs -- "Monster" by Sanyika Shakur and "Inside the Crips" by Colton Simpson come to mind -- but none we're aware of from a woman's perspective. "Love and Consequences," in the words of one radio commentator, gave "a girl's-eye view of the brutality and tenderness" of growing up in a gang neighborhood. That's a story we'd still very much like to hear -- only next time from someone who actually lived it.

--------------
Would Riverhead had published it if they knew it were fiction? We can also learn a lot from a good piece of fiction.

How Many Is Too Many?

2008-03-05T01:38:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, at the urging of Supervisor Mike Antonovich, directed the county counsel to determine if state law allows local governments to restrict the housing of sex offenders in neighborhoods. Under state law, a convicted sex offender released on parole since 2006 may not live within 2,000 feet of parks or primary or secondary schools.

State law bars more than six registered sex offenders on parole from living together in a residential care facility, unless they are legally related by blood, marriage or adoption. Only one sex offender is allowed to live in a single-family dwelling. The law, however, does not address the number of sex offenders allowed to live in an apartment building, authorities said.

Firefighter's Harassment Suit Becomes Costly

2008-03-04T00:46:00.000-08:00

A jury awarded $1.6 million to two white captains suspended after a black firefighter they supervised had his meal laced with dog food.

Capts. John Tohill and Chris Burton sued the city in October 2006, alleging that they were made scapegoats for the misconduct of a Latino firefighter who placed dog food in the spaghetti dinner of firefighter Tennie Pierce four years ago.

In November 2006, the City Council voted to award Pierce more than $2.7 million for racial harassment, but the settlement was eventually reduced to $1.5 million after a political firestorm erupted at City Hall. The city spent an additional $1.3 million on legal fees in the Pierce case.

The city has not yet totaled the legal expenses for the white firefighters' case. But with Monday's verdict, the city's bill for the dog food incident already has reached $4.5 million.

Man Threatened To Kill Bush

2008-03-03T01:46:00.000-08:00

Charles Madrid was arrested last week for threatening to kill President Bush. He is being held in a federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles. At a hearing set for today, a judge is expected to determine whether Madrid is eligible to be released on bail.

Before his arrest Tuesday, authorities, concerned that Madrid's threat may have been prompted by mental illness, took him to Olive View Medical Center in Sylmar for evaluation. The doctor who examined him concluded that Madrid was not mentally ill "but has a severe anger problem," according to an affidavit by Secret Service Special Agent Kelly O'Hara.

O'Hara, who interviewed Madrid at the hospital, wrote in the affidavit that Madrid admitted to threatening to kill the president earlier in the day in front of an LAPD officer. When O'Hara asked Madrid what he would do if Bush were present right at that moment, he allegedly responded: "I'd deck his ass." He added that Vice President Dick Cheney also "needs an ass kicking," the affidavit states.

1981 Killing Draws Media Frenzy

2008-03-02T00:43:00.000-08:00

Retired LAPD Lt. Jimmy Sakoda stepped before no less than 11 TV cameras and dozens of reporters Saturday to speak about a Los Angeles homicide case he has followed for more than 25 years.

Dressed in a dapper dark suit and gray tie, Sakoda offered no new details about the convoluted case involving Kazuyoshi Miura, a Japanese businessman who allegedly conspired to kill his wife on a downtown Los Angeles street in 1981. More than a decade after being acquitted of the crime in Japan, Miura was arrested Feb. 22 by U.S. authorities in Saipan acting on a warrant issued years ago by Los Angeles police and the district attorney's office on charges of murder and conspiracy.

LA Airport Studies Pollution Effects

2008-03-01T01:54:00.001-08:00

Jacobs Consultancy will perform the nation's largest study of the effects of pollution at airports on nearby communities in a program at Los Angeles International Airport, according to a press release.

The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners agreed this week to start the $2.5 million study in June. The study is part of the contract that LAWA signed three years ago with more than 20 school districts, labor unions and environmental and community groups represented by the LAX Commission.

Schwarzenegger wants to close tax loopholes

2008-02-29T00:42:00.000-08:00

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger eased his long-held opposition to more taxes Thursday, saying some of California's $16-billion budget gap could be erased by reducing or eliminating billions of dollars in state tax breaks for businesses and individuals.

Addressing a community forum at a breakfast in downtown Los Angeles, the governor said he would like to raise as much as $2.5 billion in new revenue by closing "tax loopholes." Schwarzenegger said the money could be used to offset some of his proposed $4.4 billion in school cuts, which educators say would lead to teacher layoffs and larger classes.

L.A. Clinic Raided For Medi-Cal Fraud

2008-02-28T02:09:00.000-08:00

Authorities raided a busy downtown Los Angeles maternity clinic Wednesday, arresting two physicians and three administrators on suspicion of defrauding the Medi-Cal program of $2 million by recruiting thousands of poor, pregnant women for unnecessary medical procedures.

The arrests at Downtown M Medical Clinic at 2500 Wilshire Blvd. culminated a two-year investigation by the Medical Board of California, which began looking into the clinic after former employees complained of illegal billing.

According to a spokesman for state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown, clinic operators bribed expectant mothers with $30 cash, bassinets, strollers and other baby accessories so that they would submit to unnecessary prenatal services -- often under a false name.

Judge Wants To Shut Down Website

2008-02-27T00:43:00.000-08:00

A coalition of media and public interest organizations went to federal court in San Francisco on Tuesday urging a judge to reconsider his order to shut down a muckraking website that publishes leaked documents from businesses and government agencies worldwide.

Lawyers for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union, Public Citizen and several news organizations, told U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White that two orders he issued last week against wikileaks.org were prior restraints that violated the 1st Amendment.

Laura Handman, a Washington, D.C., attorney for the news organizations, said White's order was so expansive that the only way to describe it was as if a judge had shut down a newspaper because of controversy over one article.

Encino Judge Loses Lawsuit

2008-02-26T00:10:00.000-08:00

A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury has ruled against a federal judge who was seeking $21 million after alleging that he was severely injured when he fell from a malfunctioning escalator at an Encino shopping center.

U.S. District Judge George P. Schiavelli, 59, said he was riding the escalator at Encino Place shopping center in August 2005 when it stopped "suddenly and without warning," knocking him down the stairs and causing permanent injuries, according to court records.

Streamlining Rail Transportation In Los Angeles

2008-02-25T00:21:00.000-08:00

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is studying how to link the three major rail corridors that go into the city center: the Blue Line, the Gold Line and the upcoming Exposition Line.

The idea is to create a rail thoroughfare so that passengers can travel seamlessly from Pasadena to Long Beach -- and eventually from Culver City to East L.A.

Central Valley Taken Over By Gangs

2008-02-24T01:02:00.000-08:00

Up and down the valley, task forces have been formed as evidence mounts that street hoodlums are committing homicides, robberies and car thefts and trafficking in drugs. Some communities have taxed themselves to pay for more police. Local, state and federal sweeps have produced thousands of arrests -- but tens of thousands more gang members remain on the streets, authorities say.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has appointed former Sacramento U.S. Atty. Paul Seave as his anti-gang chief, hoping to improve the effectiveness and collaboration of state agencies that spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year to prevent and combat gang violence

Gang Has Tight "Hold" On Los Angeles

2008-02-23T02:28:00.000-08:00

The Drew Street crew is just one clique of the notorious Avenues gang that has tenaciously retained control over a wide swath of Northeast L.A., defying both the forces of gentrification and heavy crackdowns by police and federal agents. The gang, deriving its name from the avenues that cross Figueroa Street, took root in the 1950s and has wreaked havoc ever since.

The insignia tattooed on many members' bodies speaks to their virulent history: a skull with a bullet hole, wearing a fedora. Although the Avenues' presence in many neighborhoods has diminished in recent years -- currently, there are about 400 members -- it remains one of the most powerful gangs in the city. And it retains strong ties to the Mexican Mafia, known as the Eme -- a dominant force in California prisons.

The Drew Street clique is run by five interrelated families, police say. The layout of the small neighborhood -- cut off by San Fernando Road, backed up against Forest Lawn Memorial Park -- serves as a perfect redoubt.

Recall Of Beef Alarms School Districts

2008-02-22T00:59:00.000-08:00

Susan Hartley knows exactly where the now-shuttered Hallmark meat plant is: The high-walled compound sits just six blocks from her office. But until 143 million pounds of beef from the company were recalled this week, the Chino Valley Unified School District food director had no idea some of the beef served in her cafeterias came from the old dairy cows slaughtered just around the corner.

Officials at Chino and other school districts around the country have little clue where the food supplied through the National School Lunch Program comes from. After this week's largest-ever recall of beef -- nearly 50 million pounds of which went to schools nationwide -- officials are nervous about the quality of the U.S. Department of Agriculture food that they have no choice but to trust.

Paparazzis Arrested For Blocking Sidewalks In West Hollywood

2008-02-21T00:56:00.000-08:00

The price of chasing Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and other nightclub-hopping celebrities got steeper this week, at least for four paparazzi who were booked on charges arising from blocking sidewalks in West Hollywood.

The arrests, made by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies Tuesday night and early Wednesday, continued law enforcement efforts to crack down on aggressive paparazzi in the weeks since Spears was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. So many photographers, celebrity reporters and onlookers crowded the scene last month that patients and hospital staffers had trouble getting into the facility.

Santa Monica wants to ban 'Plastic Bags'

2008-02-20T00:17:00.000-08:00

The Santa Monica City Council delayed action late Tuesday on the drafting of an ordinance that would ban "single-use" plastic carry-out bags at all stores and restaurants within the city and would require retailers to charge a fee for paper bags.

The measure, supported by Heal the Bay, an influential environmental organization based in Santa Monica, is aimed at accelerating a shift away from highly polluting plastic bags in favor of reusable canvas and other bags.

A Crips Member and a Probation Officer

2008-02-19T00:39:00.000-08:00

Some women are really desperate:

A Los Angeles County probation officer and her boyfriend, a high-ranking member of a Pomona Crips street gang, have been arrested along with a dozen other gang associates on federal narcotics-trafficking charges, authorities said Monday.

County Probation Officer Crystal Dillard was arrested last month along with her boyfriend Jerron Johns, 27, following a yearlong investigation, authorities said. Dillard is suspected of participating in multiple crack cocaine transactions, including one in which she was accompanied by a young child.

The narcotics probe stemmed in part from an investigation into Dillard and Johns, a known member of the Pomona Crips gang called the Westside Mafia, with several felony drug convictions going back to 2000, authorities said.

Auditors Want LA Housing Director Removed

2008-02-18T00:11:00.000-08:00

Federal auditors have called for the ouster of the Los Angeles County Housing Authority's director, saying his agency has not properly administered the $200 million federal housing voucher program for the county's poor and has sought to conceal its shortcomings.

The unusual recommendations come in a report this month that criticizes the authority for failing to check annually, as required, on tenants' eligibility for subsidies under the federal Section 8 program. Some recipients were receiving more money than they were entitled to, the auditors found.

Sentencing Laws Blamed For Longer Prison Stays

2008-02-17T00:09:00.000-08:00

The thousands of incorrect release dates for state prisoners result from a series of decisions by the California Supreme Court and two state appeals courts between May 2005 and January 2006.

Under state law, inmates can receive 50% off their sentences for nonviolent offenses if they behave well or work while in prison and 15% off sentences for violent offenses. But inmates convicted of both types have been treated as violent offenders, restricting their time off for good behavior to 15%.

The judges said that policy was wrong. They ruled that on portions of prison terms exclusively related to nonviolent crimes, inmates should receive the more generous rate.

The state received a small reprieve last month, when the state Court of Appeal for the 3rd District said the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was correct in some circumstances to award only 15% credit to inmates serving sentences for nonviolent crimes.

L.A. proposes "green building" standards

2008-02-16T00:54:00.000-08:00

Two City Council committees voted Friday to require that all major commercial and residential developments slash projected energy and water use and reduce the overall environmental footprint, placing the city on the cutting edge of an international movement to address the global warming effects of buildings.

Under the ordinance, privately built projects over 50,000 square feet -- of which there are roughly 200 constructed annually -- must meet a "standard of sustainability" by incorporating a checklist of green practices into their building plans.

The checklist includes a choice of such items as low-flow toilets, paints with low emissions, use of recycled materials, efficient irrigation, solar panels and use of natural light.

Criminal Investigation sought over housing project

2008-02-15T00:16:00.000-08:00

Escalating their fight against the proposed 5,553-home development known as Las Lomas, Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith and Assemblyman Cameron Smyth (R-Santa Clarita) called Thursday for two law enforcement agencies to determine whether a real estate developer perjured himself in public documents submitted on behalf of the project.

Smith and Smyth, who represent portions of the San Fernando Valley, said in a news release that Santa Monica developer Dan Palmer submitted "falsified statements" in paperwork identifying his company, Las Lomas Land Co., as the sole owner of the property.

The accusations are the latest in the increasingly nasty fight over the 555-acre site, which is north of the interchange of the 5 and 14 freeways. The Los Angeles City Council is expected to decide this year on whether it will review the project, which -- if approved -- would rival in size Playa Vista, a mega-project being built near Marina del Rey.

OC Sheriff Wants 4 Charges Dismissed

2008-02-14T00:36:00.000-08:00

The embattled sheriff is grasping at strays when he made a request to have four charges dropped:

The attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Andrew J. Guilford to dismiss one count of conspiracy and three counts of mail fraud, a step that would leave two witness-tampering charges against Carona.

Come on Michael Carona; face the music like a man.

Good News for the city of Maywood

2008-02-13T00:21:00.000-08:00

A man who nearly two weeks ago was tapped to become the city of Maywood's interim police chief -- despite having been convicted of theft and resigning from the Los Angeles Police Department -- has stepped down from the position at the request of the city's mayor. On Tuesday night, Maywood city leaders voted 5 to 0 to appoint Maywood Cmdr. Frank Hauptmann as their interim chief while a search for a permanent replacement was conducted.

Unlike Al Hutchings, whose selection for the job on Feb. 1 prompted an immediate outcry from residents and officers, Hauptmann is generally supported by the rank and file and has an unblemished record, according to officials with the state attorney general's office.

Mayor Felipe Aguirre, who helped orchestrate Hutchings' appointment as interim chief, withdrew his support after meetings between the city and the attorney general's office, which has been investigating allegations of wrongdoing by officers in the troubled police department. The district attorney also is investigating, authorities said.

Maywood City Atty. Francisco Leal said authorities investigating the department had expressed concerns about Hutchings in the days before the council's decision. He said the Los Angeles County district attorney's office had requested several files they deemed "sensitive" and did not want to be accessible to Hutchings, including his own.

Officials from the attorney general's office also told city leaders that appointing Hutchings would be a mistake, Leal said. The council ignored those warnings, voting 3 to 2 to hire Hutchings. Although he was sworn in Feb. 4, he never assumed the duties of chief because his background check had not been conducted.

Senior Assistant Atty. Gen. Louis Verdugo said that after Hutchings' appointment, his office concluded that in selecting him, Maywood could have violated state and local codes regarding background checks and qualifications for those serving as chief of police. If Hutchings and Aguirre had not backed off, Leal said, the attorney general's office indicated that it would have taken legal action.

State investigators, he said, could not understand why Hutchings had been chosen, when it seemed "such an easy decision" to select someone with a clean background. In some ways, Hutchings' selection was not much of a surprise.

The Maywood Police Department is known for giving "second chances" to officers fired from other agencies. A Times investigation of Maywood last year found that at least a third of the officers on the force had brushes with the law or had left other departments with their ethics in question.

Hutchings, who was hired by Maywood in 2006, was one such officer. He pleaded no contest to charges that he bilked the LAPD for overtime pay while an officer there, a conviction he has had expunged from his record. And in 2005 he was fired for acts of dishonesty from Los Angeles Valley College, where he was a instructor. Before his one-year probationary period ended in Maywood, Hutchings resigned amid charges that he had been videotaped having an on-duty liaison with the female owner of a local doughnut shop.

LAPD under scrutiny

2008-02-12T00:39:00.000-08:00

If you have a complaint, against the LAPD, your complaint will turn into a book of fiction instead of reality:

Los Angeles Police Department investigators routinely fail to fully investigate citizens' complaints against allegedly abusive officers, often omitting or altering crucial information in ways that help exonerate the officers, according to a report to be released today.

The 34-page report by the Police Commission's inspector general raises questions about the department's ability to police itself, adding to still-unresolved problems highlighted in previous reports

It sounds more like a cover up. I hope something is done about this.