Law Enforcement

Knife-wielding man shot, killed by officers outside NoHo home: LAPD
A man who was allegedly throwing boulders outside a residence in North Hollywood was shot and killed after a confrontation with officers, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The incident, which occurred around 11:25 p.m. in the 11600 block of Stagg Street, began when residents returned to their home and discovered a man inside their yard throwing boulders - which were estimated to weigh between 20 and 30 pounds - at their vehicle, LAPD Sgt. Albert Gonzalez said.
KTLA5

Prostitution in Los Angeles: Cracking down on johns and pimps
Police, prosecutors and legislators are cracking down on pimps and johns, traditionally the least likely offenders in the underground sex trade to see jail time. Advocates have long argued existing penalties and strategies unfairly target sex workers, while fines and jail time for the men who force women into illicit sex and the men who pay for prostitution amount to little more than a slap on the wrist.
Los Angeles Daily News

Ramona Gardens firebombing has some black residents fleeing the area
For the last few years, many residents of Ramona Gardens took pride in a remarkable turnaround. Once controlled by a Latino gang, the Boyle Heights housing project had seen crime drop dramatically. Moreover, black families were beginning to move back into the rows of garden apartments - more than 20 years after the firebombing of two black families prompted most African Americans to flee. Then on Monday night, someone threw flaming Molotov cocktails at four apartments in Ramona Gardens. It had all the hallmarks of the racial attack from the area's darker years.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD seek public's help in finding owner of possible stolen goods
Los Angeles police are seeking help in identifying the owner of a large cache of electronics gear that appears to have been stolen by several suspects arrested Friday on suspicion of burglary. Detectives from the LAPD's Topanga Division recovered what they believe to be items taken from one location, including laptops, notepads, cameras, cases and other miscellaneous items.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD continue to search for man who grabbed hiker in Griffith Park
Los Angeles police Friday continued to search for a man who punched, then attempted to sexually assault a woman hiking in Griffith Park, authorities said. The woman was alone in the park Wednesday morning when a man approached and attempted to grab her, said detectives with the LAPD's Northeast Division. As she pushed him away, he began to punch her, detectives said.
Los Angeles Daily News

Hit-and-run leaves boy with broken leg, arms in South Los Angeles
A 13-year-old boy who had run into a South Los Angeles street chasing a ball suffered a broken leg and arms when he was struck by a vehicle whose driver fled the scene, police said Saturday. The boy was struck around 10:05 p.m. Friday by a white Toyota Corolla travelling northbound in the 6700 block of Central Avenue, said Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Dave Rich. The vehicle was found abandoned several blocks away, Rich said.
City News Service

2 women rammed by hit-and-run driver in South LA
Police are looking for the driver who struck two women with his car Saturday night in South L.A. and then took off. The accident occurred around 10:30 p.m. as the women were crossing Colden Avenue just east of Figueroa Street, the LAPD reported. Both victims were taken to Harbor UCLA Medical Center, where they were listed in stable condition. Police say the car that hit them was a gray Honda.
CBS LA

Use of license plate photo databases is raising privacy concerns
A growing number of cameras - hundreds around Los Angeles, thousands nationwide - are engaged in a simple pursuit: Taking pictures of license plates. The digital photos, automatically snapped by cameras mounted on cars and street poles and then tagged with time and location, are transmitted to massive databases running on remote computer servers. Cops can then search those databases to track the past whereabouts of drivers.
Los Angeles Times

Election 2014

Monday is deadline to register to vote in the June L.A. County election
For Los Angeles County residents who want to cast a ballot for a new sheriff, governor or member of Congress on June 3, the deadline to register to vote is fast approaching. Monday is the last day to register for the upcoming primary election, which includes an array of races for county, state and national office, as well as two statewide ballot measures. Primary elections in California used to be party-based.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

L.A. councilman proposes tightening rules against 'mansionization'
Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz wants the city to tighten its rules against "mansionization" amid an outpouring of complaints about big, boxy homes overshadowing their smaller neighbors. As the economy recovers and housing values bounce back, "there's too many opportunities for developers to build these giant, blocky McMansions," Koretz said. "There's a profit motive to destroy neighborhoods."
Los Angeles Times

L.A. Council OKs controversial pedestrian bridge over Temple Street
The Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved a controversial downtown pedestrian bridge that a developer said was needed to protect his tenants from homeless people living nearby. Developer Geoffrey H. Palmer sought permission to build an elevated private bridge over Temple Street to join two sections of his 526-unit Da Vinci apartment project, which is under construction. His company told the city that transients under the nearby 110 Freeway pose a safety threat to his future renters.
Los Angeles Times

Neighbors burning mad over Van Nuys fire station
It's the fire station that is creating a conflagration. In a city where most residents complain about delays in fire response times, a Van Nuys community has become roiled in a bitter controversy over plans to relocate Fire Station 39 from its current central location across from Van Nuys City Hall to an industrial area on Oxnard Street. "I've never seen anything like it," said Councilwoman Nury Martinez. "I was at a meeting in Van Nuys and someone came up and got right in my face over it."
Los Angeles Daily News