Law Enforcement

Pursuit Suspect In Custody Following Standoff With Officers In South LA
LAPD officers on Monday evening took a DUI suspect into custody following a high-speed pursuit that took them through downtown Los Angeles and Gardena, followed by a 90-minute standoff in South LA. During the pursuit, the suspect's Dodge truck collided with at least one LAPD vehicle and at one point was driving along railroad tracks.
CBS Los Angeles

LAPD: Baby buried alive was born to mother who hid pregnancy
The 33-year-old woman whose buried baby was found alive near a Southern California bike path had been hiding her pregnancy and did not want to deliver, Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Richard Ruiz of the Special Victims Bureau said at a press conference Monday. The woman, identified as Porche Laronda Washington, delivered on Nov. 26 and the baby was found the following day at 24-48 hours old, Ruiz said. She had been hiding her pregnancy and "She did not want people to know she was pregnant," he said, adding that she had been successfully concealing her condition.
CBS News

Missing man found shot dead in El Monte
Detectives on Monday identified the man discovered shot dead in a sport utility vehicle parked in El Monte as a missing Los Angeles man. Lt. Steve Jauch of the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said 34-year-old Rodolfo Avina was reported missing to Los Angeles police on Nov. 24 by his girlfriend. He said Avina died of gunshot wounds. Investigators have not arrested a suspect in the case.
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

San Bernardino attacker was 'normal guy' while practicing at shooting range
One of the San Bernardino attackers practiced firing a military-style weapon at a Riverside County gun range, according to an employee who described him as a "normal guy." John Galletta, a firearms instructor at Riverside Magnum Range, said shooter Syed Rizwan Farook had practiced there before, but couldn't comment on when or how frequently. Galletta said Farook's wife, Tashfeen Malik, had never been there.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

Los Angeles Sues Gas Company Over 6-Week-Old Leak
The Los Angeles city attorney sued the Southern California Gas Co. on Monday over a six-week-old natural gas leak that has sparked complaints of illness and forced hundreds of families out of a San Fernando Valley neighborhood. The Superior Court lawsuit alleges unfair competition and creation of a public nuisance. "No community should have to endure what Porter Ranch residents have suffered," City Attorney Mike Feuer said in a statement. "It's not only the odor — it's the potential health issues from long-term exposure to chemicals including benzene; the impact on the daily lives of thousands of families; and the enormous greenhouse gas emissions that remain unmitigated."
ABC News

LA wants to hire homeless, former gang members, veterans
Homeless people, former gang members and veterans are all being sought for city of Los Angeles employee positions as part of a new program. The Workforce Restoration Program aims to add hire 5,000 full-time city workers by fiscal year 2017-2018, officials said during a Los Angeles City Council committee hearing. Former Los Angeles City Councilwoman and California Assembly member Jackie Goldberg told the city's Budget and Finance Committee she was brought on earlier this year by Mayor Eric Garcetti's office to help run the program.
Los Angeles Daily News

Pensions

Dan Walters: State has pension dilemma
California has long prided itself on having an upwardly mobile, egalitarian gestalt, so there's much irony in its evolution into a two-tiered society. But there's also much angst as the relative few in the top tier prosper and the many in the lower tier deal with stagnating incomes and very high living costs, particularly for housing. One aspect of California's socio-economic stratification is that more than 60 percent of California's private-sector workers lack any employer-based retirement plan, either a defined benefit pension or a 401(k) savings/investment plan.
The Sacramento Bee

Public Safety

LAFD introduces new unit equipped with nurse to help in medical emergencies
Mayor Eric Garcetti joined fire department officials Monday to show off a new firefighting unit staffed with a nurse practitioner able to treat patients at the scene, and announced that fire response times have improved. The Los Angeles Fire Department Nurse Practitioner Response Unit vehicle — staffed with one firefighter paramedic and a nurse practitioner — will respond to medical emergencies, which make up the majority of the fire department's calls.
mynewsLA.com