<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0">
	<channel>
	<title><![CDATA[Local News ]]></title>
	<copyright>Copyright 2012 Copyright © 2011  Los Angeles Wave.  All rights reserved. </copyright>
	<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local</link>
	 			<description><![CDATA[ ]]></description>
		<language>en-us</language>
	<pubDate>Wed, 8 Feb 2012 12:07:59 PST</pubDate>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 8 Feb 2012 12:07:59 PST</lastBuildDate>
			<generator>Broadcast Interactive Media</generator>




		
			
				
			
			
				
		                      	
			
				
				
			
				
					
				
							
		
	
			
	
	
									
																					
				
						


					    	    	                						        	 	
				


		 				
	
	
		
	
	
	 
					
	
	
		
	
	
	 
						
						
	
	
		
	
	
			 
										
						
	
	
	
	
	
						
						
	
	
		
	
	
			 
										
					
	
	
		
	
	
																																						
	
	
		
	
	
						 
																						
																																		
	
	
		
	
	
						 
																			
																							
	
	
		
	
	
					
	
	
		
	
	
		 
							
				
		
	 				
	
				
	                 	 		 		



 		 		        	 

			



				
	
	
	


		

																	
						
		
		


					    	    	                						        	 	
				


	 				
	
	
		
	
	
	 
					
	
	
		
	
	
	 
						
						
	
	
		
	
	
			 
										
						
	
	
	
	
	
						
						
	
	
		
	
	
			 
										
					
	
	
		
	
	
																																						
	
	
		
	
	
						 
																						
																																		
	
	
		
	
	
						 
																			
																							
	
	
		
	
	
					
	
	
		
	
	
		 
							
				
		
		
	
				
	                 	 		 		



 		 		        	 

							
																											
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Mayor kicks off African-American Heritage Month]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Mayor-kicks-off-African-American-Heritage-Month-138680894.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">138680894</guid>		
			<pubDate>Fri, 3 Feb 2012 15:31:20 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



				
	
	
	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/Mosley-+Ralph.jpg" length="130258" type="image/jpeg" />
																																																						<video>http://cdn.bimfs.com/WAVE/20a4d78b3761fd734d99aa67d1e59699008fd855_fl9.mp4</video>
																		                                                                        <description><![CDATA[

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the City Council and business and community leaders launched a month of cultural events honoring African-American history and culture at the city&rsquo;s annual African-American Heritage Month celebration Friday.

This year the city is honoring Sheryl Lee Ralph, Walter Mosley and Dr. Keith Black.

The heritage month themed &ldquo;Stepping Back Into The Future,&rdquo; began with a ceremony inside the City Council Chambers and also recognized the 20th anniversary of the Pan African Film Festival and the work of Our Authors Study Club.

&ldquo;The city of Los Angeles is proud to recognize three uniquely talented individuals whose lasting contributions have left a mark on both the African-American community and our broader society,&rdquo; Villaraigosa said. &ldquo;We recognize those whose spirit and accomplishments embody this heritage month and inspire the next generation to achieve greatness.&rdquo;

The Spirit of Los Angeles award was given to Sheryl Lee Ralph, the original Dream Girl, a role which earned her a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award nomination for best actress. Her career includes an award-winning body of work in film, television and the stage.
Walter Mosley, a critically acclaimed and award-winning New York Times-bestselling author, was honored with the Dream of Los Angeles award. Mosley&rsquo;s books have been published around the world and translated into 23 languages.

The Hope of Los Angeles award went to Dr. Keith Black, an internationally renowned neurosurgeon and scientist. Dr. Black is chairman and professor of the Department of Neurosurgery,director of the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute and director of the Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Brain Tumor Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

During the event, Villaraigosa unveiled the 2012 African-American Heritage Month Calendar and Cultural Guide produced by the Department of Cultural Affairs. The ceremony was followed by food and live entertainment at the Triforium, a public sculpture in the Los Angeles Mall Civic Center Complex adjacent to City Hall in Downtown Los Angeles.

African-American Heritage Month launches a month-long calendar of cultural events and a Poster Contest open to all Los Angeles County students that encourages the creation of original artwork based on their interpretation of the 2012 African-American Heritage Month&rsquo;s theme. Poster competition winners will be announced Feb. 29.

A list of all activities and events is available at www.culturela.org.]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Beutner reports lackluster fundraising]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/jan-perry-eric-garcetti-wendy-greuel-austin-beutner-los-angeles-fundraising-138457954.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">138457954</guid>		
			<pubDate>Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:50:55 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/6758526717_6c98bb4e5a.jpg" length="30241" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[Mayoral candidate Austin Beutner sought Tuesday to put a positive spin on a campaign fundraising effort that fell short of three other top contenders in the mayoral race that is still about 14 months away.

Beutner reported raising about $222,000 in the second half of 2011, while City Councilman Eric Garcetti raised more than $1 million in the last four months of the year. City Controller Wendy Greuel also reported amassing a total campaign war chest of $1.1 million since she entered the race last spring.

Beutner's fundraising effort brought his total haul to $627,446. He has spent a good deal of that money already — $535,879, according to the City Ethics Commission's website.

City Councilwoman Jan Perry has raised a total $827,328, but still has more than $625,500 to spend.

"The very ritual of bragging about money raised by politicians from special interests they are supposed to oversee or regulate is one of the reasons why so little changes in our city," Beutner said.  "I'm building a campaign built on ideas — ideas to create jobs, ideas to fix problems and the independence needed to get things done."

Beutner also suffered a setback last week when his two top political strategists parted ways with the campaign over strategic differences. Beutner has described the separation as mutual.

Campaign spokesman Bret VandenBos framed Beutner's fundraising as a success given his lack of a political base on account of never having run for office.

"We are building a foundation for future fundraising and we are building a campaign operation to reach out to voters, all without the usual taxpayer supported staff system career politicians rely on," VandenBos said. "Anyone who knows Austin knows his track record of accomplishment. We will have the resources to get our message out."

Beutner said earlier this month that he would "invest" in his campaign after establishing a base of supporters.

Conservative talk radio host Kevin James trailed the front-runners, raising $154,253 through Dec. 31.

Two other potential candidates, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and real estate developer Rick Caruso, have not ruled out entering the race.

Other candidates that have filed paperwork to raise money for a campaign, but have yet to file fundraising reports, include actor Theodore Crissell, filmmaker Malcolm Mays, Northridge East Neighborhood Councilman YJ Draiman, Jose F. Di Raimondo, Addie Miller, David Saltsburg and Rick S. Young.]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Police, volunteers fail to find gun used in soccer player's slaying]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Police-volunteers-fail-to-find-gun-used-in-slaying-of-high-school-soccer-player-138185329.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">138185329</guid>		
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:21:44 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/20120112__francisco_rodriguez_470.jpg" length="89101" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[AGOURA HILLS — Police officers and community volunteers Thursday spent a second day searching the Calabasas Landfill in Agoura Hills for the gun used in the slaying of a popular El Camino Real High School student and soccer star, but came up empty-handed.

The search for the weapon used to kill 17-year-old Francisco "Pancho" Rodriguez began shortly before 10 a.m. at the landfill at 5300 Lost Hills Road and ended shortly before 4 p.m. A search party also spent much of the day at the landfill on Wednesday.

Richard French of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Section said no further searches of the landfill are planned.

Jason Schumann, 24, and Elizabeth Ibarra, 19, were arrested Jan. 16 in connection with the slaying of Rodriguez. Both have criminal records.

A police source told the Daily News that Ibarra met Rodriguez at a party last summer, when Schumann was in jail after pleading no contest in a forgery case. Ibarra later found Rodriguez on Facebook, and the two became friends.

Schumann and Ibarra had a volatile relationship marked by mutual accusations of cheating, the newspaper reported. He found out about the Ibarra- Rodriguez relationship when he got out of jail in August.

Perhaps out of spite, Ibarra told Schumann she was seeing Rodriguez, the source told the Daily News, which reported that Rodriguez may have the victim of jealous rage.

Rodriguez was gunned down in front of his Winnetka home in the 6900 block of Cozycroft Avenue around 6 p.m. Jan. 11, soon after returning from a soccer game in which he played. Police said a woman knocked on his door, and he went outside and was shot.

Schumann was charged with murder, and Ibarra was being held on a probation violation.]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Downey Soroptimists reach out to service women in Afghanistan]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Downey-Soroptimists-reach-out-to-service-women-in-Afghanistan-138011188.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">138011188</guid>		
			<pubDate>Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:14:11 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/Soroptimist+outreach+.jpg" length="125168" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[DOWNEY — Soroptimist International is composed of business and professional women whose goal it is to reach out to help other women. In the case of the Downey chapter, the outreach is to Afghanistan.

'Through Ladies of Liberty and Soldiers Angels, we have partnered with 16 women in the military stationed at various sites in Afghanistan,' said Mia Vasquez, co-chairman of the Soroptimists Social Services Committee and past president of the club. 'Every week we send them a letter to uplift their morale and let them know there are people who care about them.

'And once a month we send packages containing toiletries and other items which they can use.'

Vasquez's co-chair is Lindsey Louder,  who manages the Bob's Big Boy Restaurant in Downey.

'It was Lindsey's brainchild,' said Vasquez, of Saywell Florists in Downey. The program began last July.

The mail and packages are sent to one address and distributed to the women who are stationed throughout the country. Two are in the Marines, one in the Air Force and one in the Army, Vasquez said.

'We form relationships with the women and will try to help them when they get out,' she added.

The women are from different parts of the country, but the club will do the best it can to help, Vasquez said, noting one of the 16 is coming back to the United States in a couple of weeks.

The returning woman will be replaced by another woman in Afghanistan so the number will remain at 16.

"We feel it is important for deployed females to not only receive the basics of toiletries, but also the special things that give them a boost in morale and remind them that they are ladies, even in the harsh environment of war,' reads a club publication seeking help from the community.

'We can't afford to do this by ourselves. We need help from the community and they have responded. The community has been great. We get donations from individuals and businesses,' Vasquez said.

The recipients are grateful.

'We get letters from them telling us how much they appreciate it,' Vasquez said.

She noted that the baskets of food and toiletries are not just meant for the recipient.

'We send enough items in each package so they can share with their follow squad members and with the children of Afghanistan,' Vasquez said.

The community can get involved in the program with donations of money or items, such as blankets, body and facial wash location, hair spray, shampoo, hair conditioner, make-up, nail polish, hair ties, toothbrushes, deodorant and feminine hygiene products.

Also needed are dry food snack items such as cookies, candy, chips, crackers and protein bars.

Donated items may be dropped off at Bob's Big Boy, 7447 Firestone Blvd.; the Downey Family YMCA, 11531 Downey Ave.; and Saywell Florist, 10235 Paramount Blvd.

Area residents may also help by supporting Soroptimist fund-raising events. The next one is a casino night, entitled Mardi Gras Masquerade, set for 7 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Rio Hondo Event Center, 10627 Old River School Road in Downey.

Cost is $40 per person and includes casino games, food, entertainment, drawings and a silent auction. Checks should be made payable to Soroptimist International of Downey and mailed to the Downey Soroptimists at P.O. Box 365, Downey, 90241.

Although the Ladies of Liberty program is for women, Soroptimist members are concerned about all military personnel.

'My nephew, Robert Rennie of Whittier, is in the Army and will be deployed to Afghanistan. I will support him, too,' Vasquez said.

Information: Vasquez at (562) 806-3217 or Louder at (310) 415-9406.
]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Councilman: All hail the mighty SigAlert]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Councilman-All-hail-the-mighty-SigAlert-137872668.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">137872668</guid>		
			<pubDate>Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:36:07 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/Los_Angeles_Freeway_Interchange.jpg" length="44166" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[Los Angeles transportation leaders plan to gather at Caltrans headquarters Monday morning to commemorate the anniversary of what may be L.A.'s most iconic gift to the rest of the world: the SigAlert.

The world's first automated traffic alert was transmitted by the Los Angeles Police Department's AM radio station on Jan. 21, 1955. Today, 57 years after radio engineer Lloyd Sigmon invented the SigAlert, the California Highway Patrol still uses that term to alert people to an unplanned lane closure of more than 30 minutes duration.

City council member Tom LaBonge said it is important for Angelenos to understand the history of SigAlerts, and of Sigmon, the "710-KMPC'' executive and engineer who thought up the concept of using radio alerts to trigger reports on commercial radio stations.

"There are so many people who went before us who did amazing things,'' LaBonge told City News Service. "This man came up with a system that is now used by all the people to get around the challenges of the world's largest freeway system.''

Sigmon was a vice president at Gene Autry's KMPC, which in the pre-wired world of the 1950s revolutionized Southern California driving by launching a fleet of airplanes and helicopters to cover traffic during rush hours. But the "KMPC Air Force'' could not fly day and night, and Sigmon wanted LAPD officers to phone KMPC when freeways or streets were clogged.

LAPD brass rejected that. Sigmon had been an electrical engineer for the U.S. Army in World War II, and he went to the KMPC engineering lab to devise a device that would listen to radio squawks on LAPD radio station KMA 367.

According to radio historian Harry Marnell, a SigAlert could be triggered by a watch sergeant at LAPD headquarters if he pressed a button to generate the tone on the LAPD radio system. At 11 commercial AM radio stations in L.A., Sigmon's technology would prompt then-new reel-to-reel tape recorders to start up, and would flash lights or buzzers.

The news staff or announcers could then relay the breaking traffic news to the listeners. Chief William Parker approved the idea, but only if KMPC's competitors could also share the technology.

A train derailment triggered a SigAlert to call doctors to a smashed-up train from San Diego at the L.A. River near Washington Boulevard in 1956, where 30 people were killed and 122 were injured. Other SigAlerts that day summoned blood donors to hospitals.

SigAlerts were credited with saving the lives of hundreds when the Baldwin Hills Dam collapsed Dec. 14, 1963, and an unlikely flash flood washed north through houses and apartment buildings near La Brea Avenue at Rodeo Road. Five people were killed.

Sigmon's theory is in use nationwide today in the form of the Emergency Alert System, although the national EAS system uses computer hash tones to activate digital recorders.

LaBonge said Monday's celebration will include a 1958-vintage "Broderick Crawford'' car. "I've had police officers tell me they don't know what a Broderick Crawford car is, and I told them they should teach that at the Academy,'' he quipped.

For the record, a Broderick Crawford car is the model of police car made famous in the 1955-59 TV series "Highway Patrol,'' starring the gruff- speaking Crawford barking "10-4, 10-4'' into police radios.

"It's important we use this date in our history to remember the impact of this invention here,'' LaBonge told CNS. Sigmon moved to his native Oklahoma and died at the age of 90 in 2005.

The public is invited to the SigAlert celebration at 9 a.m. Monday outside the Caltrans building, 100 S. Main St.

"It will start at 9, unless there is a big SigAlert,'' LaBonge promised.]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Coroner IDs victim in severed head case ]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Coroner-IDs-victim-in-severed-head-case--137874508.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">137874508</guid>		
			<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:35:01 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/S010167611.jpg" length="51374" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[

HOLLYWOOD &mdash; Detectives were searching Saturday for leads to the killer of a Los Angeles man whose head, hands and feet were found in Bronson Park near the Hollywood sign earlier in the week.

The victim was identified as 66-year-old Hervey Medellin, according to the coroner's office.

Medellin, a former  Mexicana Airlines employee, had left the company and lived in the Hollywood area for some time, according to media reports.

Medellin's head was found about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 3200 block of Canyon Drive, when two dogwalkers saw two of their nine animals playing with it. Investigators do not believe it had been there long, and discounted an earlier theory that the case was connected to the discovery of a human torso in Arizona.

Authorities who again searched the area near the Hollywood sign Wednesday found two hands and feet, said Los Angeles police Officer Bruce Borihanh.

Investigators had said the man was believed to have been between 40 and 60-years-old, said LAPD Officer Gregory Baek.

The search continued on Thursday but no other human remains were found. The search was called off late Thursday night and the area reopened to the public on Friday.

A search warrant was served at a Hollywood apartment on Thursday, police said. No one has been arrested, said LAPD spokesman Richard French.

At least one person has been questioned and detectives were looking to talk to at least one other man, according to media reports.

&quot;Detectives are continuing to make investigative progress on the case, and will release more details and developments when they can,&quot; French said.

Anyone with information on the case was urged to call (877) LAPD-24-7. All tips can be made anonymously.]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[ACLU sues Sheriff’s Dept. over jail issues]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/ACLU-sues-Sheriffs-Dept-over-jail-issues-137693943.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">137693943</guid>		
			<pubDate>Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:21:53 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/Men's+Central+jail2.jpg" length="158060" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[Sheriff Lee Baca and his top commanders condoned a long-standing, widespread pattern of brutality by deputies against inmates in Los Angeles County jails, the ACLU alleges in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed Wednesday.

The proposed class-action complaint, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Southern California on behalf of plaintiffs Alex Rosas and Jonathan Goodwin, asks that a federal judge order new training procedures, revised use-of-force policies, more rigorous supervision and increased transparency overall on behalf of all present and future inmates.

Attorneys for the civil rights group contend the plaintiffs were beaten and threatened by sheriff's deputies while they were pretrial jail detainees.

A spokesman for Baca said the sheriff had a lengthy meeting with ACLU officials Friday, in which he outlined all alleged use-of-force incidents currently being investigated within the jail system.

'The sheriff reached out to them last week because he wants to work with the ACLU,' said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore. 'They never mentioned a lawsuit. The sheriff's attitude is, 'Let's do this together' — and then they sue him. The sheriff has always believed that critics have a value in order to make this a better department. His goal is to right any wrongs. The only difference today is all the increased publicity.'

Whitmore said that regardless of the lawsuit, the department would continue to work with the ACLU.

'It's just curious that after the sheriff met with them for hours, they file this,' he said. 'But nothing surprises us when it comes to the ACLU.'

According to the lawsuit, Baca and his staff have intentionally avoided placing tougher restrictions on jail deputies.

'Jail officials are responsible for ensuring that their subordinates do not engage in a pattern of unspeakable acts of violence against inmates,' said Peter Eliasberg, legal director of the ACLU/SC.

'But in the face of a longstanding pattern of deputy abuse, they have deliberately and knowingly failed to put in place the basic pieces of an accountability system — sound policies on the use of force, adequate training, careful investigation of force incidents and a rigorous system of discipline,' he said. 'This suit is directed at them because they have allowed deputies to go unpunished, covered up their behavior and for years made no effort to reform this broken system.'

Los Angeles County has the largest jail system in the nation, with an average population of 15,000 inmates.

The lawsuit alleges violations of the inmates' constitutional rights to be free of cruel and unusual punishment before and after conviction.

Last September, the ACLU issued a report documenting more than 70 recent cases of alleged deputy violence, and shortly afterward it was announced that the FBI had launched a criminal probe. 

The Board of Supervisors convened a commission in December to investigate and make recommendations.

In the first charges to arise out of the federal probe, a former sheriff's deputy pleaded guilty Tuesday to a bribery charge, admitting that he accepted money in exchange for smuggling a cell phone, cigarettes and a note into the Men's Central Jail for an inmate.

Gilbert Michel, 38, entered his plea to one federal count of bribery of a public official and is scheduled to be sentenced in March.
]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Severed head, body parts found near Hollywood sign]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Severed-head-body-parts-found-near-Hollywood-sign-police-say--137653623.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">137653623</guid>		
			<pubDate>Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:29:47 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/S010167609.jpg" length="58790" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[

HOLLYWOOD &mdash; Investigators discovered two feet and two hands in separate locations Wednesday, all within 50 yards of where a head in a bag was found in an area near the Hollywood sign.

The head was found about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 3200 block of Canyon Drive, when two people walking nine dogs saw two of the animals playing with an object in a bag. Investigators do not believe it had been there long.

Coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter said the body parts were being examined at the coroner's office.

&quot;We've got to see if we can get any prints from the hand,&quot; Winter said. &quot;If we get any prints, then the LAPD can go knocking on doors.&quot;

The coroner's office had not determined the victim's ethnicity, Winter said. The Los Angeles Times reported it was an Armenian man in his 40s.

&quot;I've seen the head and I can't tell,&quot; Winter said.

Winter said he did not know whether the hands were also found in bags.

&quot;I believe the first hand was uncovered by a cadaver dog,&quot; Winter said, adding that he was notified by a coroner's canine handler about the second hand find around 3:15 p.m.

&quot;I don't know if there are more pieces strewn around,&quot; Winter said.

Later in the afternoon, police said one of the feet was in a bag. It was not known if the other foot that was found was in the bag. It also was not known if the two hands found earlier in the day were in a bag.

Los Angeles police detectives believe the man was killed elsewhere.]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Buscaino wins City Council special election]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Buscaino-wins-City-Council-special-election-137550218.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">137550218</guid>		
			<pubDate>Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:09:50 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/buscaino_joe_4701.jpg" length="110801" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[

Los Angeles Police Department Officer Joe Buscaino was a decisive winner in Tuesday's special election in the 15th Council District, defeating Assemblyman Warren Furutani.

Buscaino had 9,734 votes, 60.69 percent to Furutani's 6,304, 39.31 percent, with all 94 precincts reporting and vote-by-mail ballots counted, according to figures released by the City Clerk's Office.

The turnout was 15.93 percent.

The special election was prompted by Janice Hahn's election to Congress in July.

Buscaino, a senior lead officer assigned to the LAPD's Harbor Station for the past six years, branded himself as an outsider in the race representing a district from San Pedro to Watts.

&quot;It's clear that I'm the chosen candidate from the community,&quot; Buscaino told City News Service before the polls closed. &quot;I'm not the chosen candidate from Sacramento or City Hall.&quot;

Furutani's campaign did not respond to requests for an interview.

Buscaino said he will focus on finances in a district he sees as being largely ignored by the rest of the 15-member City Council.

&quot;There's been a lack of economic justice around this district,&quot; Buscaino said, citing a nearly 20 percent unemployment rate in Watts, poor basic infrastructure in Wilmington, and a flight of businesses from Harbor City.

Buscaino, a 37-year-old San Pedro High School graduate, sought to overcome criticism that he had little preparation to represent a council district.

&quot;The senior lead officer position is something like a small town councilman who problem solves, who improves quality of life, who works with community-based organizations,&quot; Buscaino said.

Buscaino criticized Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council for passing a budget that held up millions of dollars for police in overtime and early retirement pay for city employees.

&quot;It's just putting the city on a credit card system,&quot; Buscaino said. &quot;It's putting a Band-Aid on the problem that we're going to have to fix later on.&quot;

Furutani, a 64-year-old Democrat, touted his success in finding money for projects in and around the Port of Los Angeles, including leading the effort to bring the USS Iowa to San Pedro as a permanent museum and helping get funding to maintain the Gerald Desmond Bridge that links the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Furutani was elected to the state's 55th Assembly District seat in 2008 in a special election to replace Laura Richardson, who succeeded the late Juanita Millender-McDonald in Congress. Before that, he served on the Los Angeles Unified School District board and the Los Angeles Community College District board.

About half the votes in the district come from San Pedro.

Buscaino slightly outraised Furutani Dec. 4 through Dec. 31, with $60,467 compared to $56,228. Both received $150,000 in public matching funds for the runoff.

Buscaino also benefited from $389,000 spent by political action groups, including the Los Angeles County Business Federation, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Los Angeles Police Protective League.

Furutani received less PAC money. The Los Angeles Democratic Party spent $10,000 on his behalf, and the Golden State Leadership Fund spent $3,590.

Photo: Los Angeles City Councilman-elect Joe Buscaino. Credit: John Mattera/via Facebook.]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Family of man killed by Downey police files claim ]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Family-of-man-killed-by-Downey-police-files-claim--137321218.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">137321218</guid>		
			<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:02:40 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/Downey+Shooting+Protest.jpg" length="156429" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[DOWNEY — Friends and family of Michael Nida, shot to death by Downey police Oct. 22, continue to protest at City Council meetings and have also filed a legal claim against the city and are planning a street march Jan. 28.

Doug Kaufman, of the Answer Coalition, an anti-police brutality group, Tuesday said fliers about the march are being distributed at noon each Saturday at Imperial Highway and Paramount Boulevard, the scene of the shooting.

He said the march will begin at noon and go to the Downey Police Station, 10911 Brookshire Ave.

Nida, 31, of South Gate, was fatally shot after he allegedly struggled with police and broke free twice and tried to flee when stopped for questioning about a nearby ATM robbery.

Police later acknowledged that Nida was not involved in the robbery and was unarmed.

Officers said Nida was shot when he appeared to be turning toward the police, but family members say he ran because of his fear of police and was in fact shot in the back, according to reports from the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.

A claim for damages has been filed with the city on behalf of Nida's mother, Lois Jean Thaxton; his stepfather, Gerald L. Thaxton; his wife, Naily Nida; and children Alexis, Samantha, Xavier and Marlee; by attorney Brian Claypoole, a family member said.

A claim filed against the city is usually a precursor to a lawsuit.

After being criticized for not responding to protesters at council meetings Nov. 28 and Dec. 13, Mayor Roger Brossmer read a statement of condolences at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

'We do care. We are concerned. We realize your frustration and grief,' Brossmer said.

He said the council could not discuss the situation with those commenting about it at council meetings because of state laws regarding how public meetings are conducted and because of the possibility of future litigation.

The response was welcomed by some but termed 'not enough' by others of the 21 people who spoke for 90 minutes at Tuesday's meeting, demanding that the officer who shot Nida be identified and punished.

They once again said the City Council is responsible for its employees and demanded better training in use of non-lethal weapons and anger management for officers.

Some called for council members to help the Nida family and one said grief counseling should be provided for the four Nida children.

Others suggested placing an item on the agenda on police policy.

Nida's mother, Jean Thaxton, said the family does not hate police and that a family member is a the Los Angeles police officer, whose officers are trained to make non-lethal arrests.

'There are good guys and bad guys on the force. You should fire the bad guys,' Thaxton said.

'People who run from police are not necessarily guilty,' said Nida's sister, Terri Teramura, who said her brother feared police because he had been harassed in the past by officers, possibly because of his shaved hear, tattoos and goatee.

She said non-lethal means, such as bean bags, should have been used.

Steve Figueroa, who said he is a former Downey resident and a victims advocate in police shootings, threatened to follow council members in their re-election campaigns and obtain a list of their campaign donors and contact them.

Augustine Zavala, who said he is a member of the Nida Justice Committee, said Police Department officials should have more closely examined the background of the officer he believes to be the shooter.

Figueroa and Zavala also took part in protests regarding the February 2002 fatal shooting of Gonzalo Martinez after a freeway pursuit.

The District Attorney's Office declined to press charges in that case and a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family was dismissed.

Since the Martinez case, there have been three other officer-involved fatal shootings. In March 2010, Stephen Bours, 30, of Downey, who allegedly refused to drop a hatchet; and Albert Valencia, 31, who was chased by Downey Police into South Gate after allegedly threatening people, were both killed by police.

And last Oct. 12, a man identified as a transient was shot and killed by police as he allegedly came toward them with a weapon while officers were investigating a fire.
]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Montebello school employees hit lottery jackpot — again]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Montebello-school-employees-hit-lottery-jackpot-again-137152018.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">137152018</guid>		
			<pubDate>Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:49:02 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/LOTTO+WINNERS1.jpg" length="169956" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[MONTEBELLO — A group of Montebello Unified School District employees struck it big — again — winning the California State Lottery for a second time.
 
Several employees, who work at MUSD's Bandini Elementary School in the city of Commerce, won a $12 million SuperLotto Plus prize last February, and recently, they claimed a Mega Millions prize worth $262,743.
 
The Mega Millions draw was Dec. 2, and the winning numbers were 48, 24, 51, 56, and 30. The winning ticket was purchased at a store near the school.
 
So what is their secret to winning? Teamwork and believing it can happen, says the winning team when asked.
 
In a gesture of generosity and kindness, the 12 lucky winners purchased a much-needed new sound system for the school with their previous winnings. The 16 winners of the second prize also plan to spend some of their winnings on the school. Upgrading the school marquee that announces and promotes school events and improvements to the school playground are being considered.
 
'Teachers are always thinking what they can do to help their students,' Principal Deanna Plascencia said. 'Bandini Elementary School is fortunate to have teachers and staff who really love and care about their students.'
 
They also are contributing to public education in more than one way. The California Lottery is a state-level fundraiser for public education. Lottery players have contributed more than $23 billion to education since it first started in 1985.
 
The winning team has drawn a lot of media coverage and they were featured recently on ABC's 'Good Morning America' television show, which dispatched a production team to the school to film an interview. They are scheduled to fly to New York next week to appear on the TV talk show 'Anderson' with host Anderson Cooper.
 
Believing that the third time will be the charm, the MUSD employees say they will continue to play the Lottery.
]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[L.A. City Council declines takeover of redevelopment agency]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/LA-City-Council-declines-takeover-of-redevelopment-agency-137129493.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">137129493</guid>		
			<pubDate>Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:59:57 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/La_live_downtown_la.jpg" length="56540" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[The Los Angeles City Council severed ties Wednesday with the Community Redevelopment Agency, a move top policy advisers said would shield the city budget from $109 million in costs but is not likely to fully protect the municipality from lawsuits.

After a lengthy debate, the council decided — on a 9-3 vote — against becoming the so-called successor agency in charge of liquidating the CRA/LA, a task required by a recent state Supreme Court ruling.

The move leaves the city with little control over the fate of 86 major projects, including many affordable housing developments, worth about $4 billion in total development costs.

The city has until the end of the month to decide whether to put the agency's housing assets under the charge of its Housing Department.

The California Supreme Court in late December upheld a state law that eliminated the 400 redevelopment agencies across the state, which use increases in property tax revenue to fund development projects mainly in blighted parts of cities.

The law passed by the Legislature required the elimination of the agencies by Feb. 1. It also forced local governments to establish successor authorities to dismantle the agencies.

The council had by Friday to decide whether to take on the responsibility, which would include absorbing all of the CRA/LA's employee and administrative costs.

City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana and Chief Legislative Analyst Gerry Miller warned in a report released late Tuesday that the salary and retirement costs for the 192 CRA employees could be as high as $109 million.

The law passed by the Legislature to dissolve redevelopment agencies did not provide enough protection for the city on employee and other liabilities, the report said.

"The reality of the situation is the CRA as we know it is dead,'' Council President Herb Wesson said. "And I think it is time for us to take it off of the machine.''

The council approved Wesson's motion for the city to begin immediately working with legislators in Sacramento to protect it from some of the costs and to request an opportunity to become the successor agency if the terms become more favorable to the city's budget.

Councilmen Eric Garcetti, Richard Alarcon and Ed Reyes cast the dissenting votes, all saying the council did not have enough time to assess Miller and Santana's report.

"It is difficult to make a decision in 24 hours,'' Garcetti said.

Alarcon argued it was unnecessary for the council to vote today when the deadline was not until Friday.

"We should use every minute of the day until the last minute to get more analysis,'' he said.

Alarcon also chided the Executive Employee Relations Committee, which is jointly run by Wesson and Reyes, for moving begin the process of laying off CRA/LA employees.

"We should fight for these city employees. We should fight for the projects. We should fight in court if necessary,'' Alarcon said.

Nearly all the council members were vocal in their opposition to the elimination of redevelopment agencies.

"This is a dark day,'' said Councilwoman Jan Perry, who described herself as a strong supporter of CRA/LA. She said the move jeopardized more than 900 units of low-income housing and 3,000 construction jobs in her district.

Perry asked for a report back from legislative analysts on the possibility of creating a new redevelopment agency modeled after New York City's.]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Hollywood arson suspect's mom denied bond]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Hollywood-arson-suspects-mom-denied-bond-137064068.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">137064068</guid>		
			<pubDate>Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:47:26 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/burkhart_harry_sketch.jpg" length="108459" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[(CNN) — A federal judge ordered that the mother of the German national charged in a series of Los Angeles fires be held in jail until a court decides whether she will be extradited to Germany to face fraud charges.

Dorothee Burkhart, handcuffed and shackled, addressed reporters while waiting for the judge to enter the courtroom for a hearing in her extradition case Tuesday afternoon.

"How do I look like? Like a bitch? Humiliation, the next step," Burkhart said.

Burkhart, a 53-year-old German national who lived in Chechnya, defended her 24-year-old son, who was charged last week with 37 counts of arson in connection with 52 fires in Los Angeles.

"He's not capable to do," she said. "My son is mental ill. He can't act alone."

She also spoke to Harry Burkhart's court-appointed lawyer was sitting in court.

"Try to bring him to a hospital," she said. "Otherwise, he can become very, very sick."

The hearing itself was filled with awkward exchanges between Burkhart and U.S. Magistrate Judge Margaret Nagle.

"You have the right to send me back to Germany to be killed? That's what you said?" Burkhart asked Nagle. "That's not what I said," Nagle replied.

Nagle finally ruled that Burkhart would be held without bond until her extradition hearing because she was a flight risk. She is a German citizen with no ties to Los Angeles, she said.

"It's a little bit stupid," Burkhart told the judge. "I'm fighting against going to Germany, because in Germany I will be killed."

She said "criminal Nazi groups in Germany" want her dead for money, although she was not allowed to elaborate.

Her next hearing was set for January 25, but it will likely be another month before a judge hears a probable cause hearing to decide whether Burkhart will be returned to Germany to face 16 counts of fraud and three counts of embezzlement.

The charges include an allegation that she failed to pay for a breast enhancement operation performed on her in 2004, court documents said. Most of the German charges, however, stem from phony real estate deals that Dorothee Burkhart allegedly conducted from 2000 to 2006.

Dorothee Burkhart was arrested a day before the fires started on an international arrest warrant issued by a district court in Frankfurt, Germany, court documents said.

Prosecutors said the son's "rage against Americans," triggered by his mother's arrest, motivated his "campaign of terror" with dozens of fires in Hollywood and nearby communities.

The arson spree began on December 29 with a car fire in Hollywood that spread to apartments above a garage, and no new fires have happened since Burkhart was arrested a week ago, Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley said.

No one was hurt in the fires, but property damage is likely to reach $3 million, authorities said.]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Former Bell police chief doesn't have to testify at hearing]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Former-Bell-police-chief-doesnt-have-to-testify-at-hearing-137061568.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">137061568</guid>		
			<pubDate>Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:48:24 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/Bell+city+hall4.jpg" length="21695" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[Attorneys for former Bell city officials accused of misappropriating millions of dollars in public funds lost their bid Tuesday to have the district attorney's office removed from prosecuting the case, and to have the city's former police chief testify in a hearing on whether some charges should be dismissed.

Attorneys for former City Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo and his one-time top assistant Angela Spaccia asked Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy to throw out some of the charges against them. Kennedy did not immediately rule on the request.

She did, however, rule that former Bell police Chief Randy Adams did not have to take the stand. He was subpoenaed by defense attorneys and attended the court hearing.

Attorneys for Rizzo and Spaccia have questioned why charges were never filed against Adams, who was earning an estimated $457,000 a year. Defense attorneys have alleged that Adams avoided charges because of his relationship with District Attorney Steve Cooley.

The district attorney's office has denied any impropriety in the decision not to charge Adams, saying there was not enough evidence to warrant pursuing a criminal case against him.

Rizzo, Spaccia, former Mayor Oscar Hernandez and former council members Teresa Jacobo, George Mirabal, Luis Artiga, Victor Bello and George Cole are accused of bilking taxpayers out of roughly $5.5 million through lofty salaries, benefits and illicit loans of public money.

In December, Kennedy rejected a defense motion to dismiss some of the charges against Hernandez, Jacobo, Mirabal, Artiga, Cole and Bello. In that case, Kennedy ruled that there was 'ample probable cause' to believe the Bell defendants knew they were acting criminally when they allegedly looted the city's treasury, or 'should have known that their conduct was illegal.'

Kennedy was not expected to rule on the remainder of the motions to have charges dismissed until at least next month.

Another hearing is set for Feb. 28.
]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Arson suspect hates Americans, district attorney says]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Deputies-hold-Harry-Burkhart-upright-as-he-appeared-limp-during-his-initial-court-hearing--136762003.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">136762003</guid>		
			<pubDate>Thu, 5 Jan 2012 13:00:00 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/burkhart_470.jpg" length="165042" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[

(CNN) &mdash; A German national's &quot;rage against Americans,&quot; triggered by his mother's arrest last week, motivated his &quot;campaign of terror&quot; with dozens of fires in Hollywood and nearby communities, according to Los Angeles prosecutors.
 
Harry Burkhart, dressed in an anti-suicide jail gown, appeared before a Los Angeles judge Wednesday afternoon to face 37 counts of arson. The 24-year-old kept his eyes closed and remained limp during most of his hearing, requiring sheriff's deputies to hold him up.
 
The district attorney called his courtroom behavior &quot;very bizarre.&quot;
 
&quot;This defendant has engaged in a protracted campaign in which he has set, the people believe, upwards of 52 arson fires in what essentially amounts to a campaign of terror against this community,&quot; Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Sean Carney said. &quot;The people believe he has engaged in this conduct because he has a hatred for Americans.&quot;
 
Carney told the court Burkhart would flee the country if he was allowed out of jail on bond, but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Upinder Kalra said he had no choice but to set a bail. To go free while awaiting trial, Burkhart must post a $2.85 million bond and surrender his German passport.
 
It was revealed that Burkhart is also under investigation for arson and fraud in relation to a fire in Neukirchen, near Frankfurt, Germany.
 
The worst arson sprees in the city's history began early last Friday morning with a car fire in Hollywood that spread to apartments above a garage, but no new fires have happened since Burkhart was arrested Monday, Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley said.
 
No one was hurt in the fires, but property damage costs are likely to reach $3 million, authorities said.
 
Cooley called it &quot;almost attempted murder,&quot; because people were sleeping in apartments above where Burkhart allegedly set cars on fire with incendiary devices placed under their engines.
 
The criminal complaint filed Wednesday also alleged that the fires were &quot;caused by use of a device designed to accelerate the fire,&quot; Cooley said. &quot;If found true, the allegation could mean additional custody time for the defendant.&quot;
 
The initial 37 counts are related to just 12 of 52 fires under investigation, so the number of arson charges is likely to at least double, Cooley said.
 
&quot;In numerous instances the cars were parked in carports, resulting in the fires spreading to the adjacent occupied apartment buildings,&quot; a sworn affidavit from a Los Angeles arson investigator said. &quot;The vast majority of these fires occurred late at night when the occupants of the apartment buildings were asleep.&quot;
 
Investigator Edward Nordskog's affidavit detailed Burkhart's behavior a day before the fires began, when he was in a federal courtroom during extradition proceedings for his mother.
 
&quot;While in the audience the defendant (Burkhart) began yelling in an angry manner, 'F&mdash;k all Americans.' The defendant also attempted to communicate with his mother who was in custody. Shortly thereafter, the defendant was ejected from the courtroom by Deputy U.S. Marshals,&quot; Nordskog wrote.
 
Dorothee Burkhart was arrested a day before on an international arrest warrant issued by a district court in Frankfurt, Germany, said federal court spokesman Gunther Meilinger. The 53-year-old German woman is wanted on 16 counts of fraud and three counts of embezzlement, he said.
 
The charges include an allegation that she failed to pay for a breast enhancement operation performed on her in 2004, Meilinger said. Most of the German charges, however, stem from phony real estate deals that Dorothee Burkhart allegedly conducted between 2000 and 2006.
 
&quot;It is my opinion that the defendant's criminal spree was motivated by his rage against Americans and that by setting these fires the defendant intended to harm and terrorize as many residents of the city and county of Los Angeles as possible,&quot; Nordskog wrote.
 
A search of Burkhart's Hollywood apartment found newspaper clippings about the Los Angeles fires and articles from Germany reporting similar car fires in Frankfurt, Germany in September, 2011, the investigator said.
 
&quot;It is my opinion based on my experience that it is highly likely the defendant has a history of setting arson fires in Germany before he came to the United States,&quot; Nordskog wrote.
 
Burkhart's mother is scheduled for another extradition hearing Friday, while he is due back in court for arraignment on January 24. Meanwhile, both Burkharts are housed in a Los Angeles jail.

]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Deputy who caught arson suspect hailed as hero]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Deputy-who-caught-Hollywood-arson-suspect-hailed-as-hero-136637323.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">136637323</guid>		
			<pubDate>Tue, 3 Jan 2012 20:09:03 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/lalezary_shervin_conference.jpg" length="157335" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[

(CNN) &mdash; A reserve sheriff's deputy  who draws a salary of $1 a year was hailed as a hero for arresting the  suspect in one of the worst arson sprees in Los Angeles history.

&quot;I'll give him a raise of another dollar a year,&quot; Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca joked.

Shervin  Lalezary, an Iranian-born lawyer who moonlights as a deputy, was among  hundreds of law enforcement officers who spent four days looking for the  person accused of setting a rash of car and building fires across the  city.

Early Monday, Lalezary pulled over a van in Hollywood driven  by a man who resembled the person seen on the surveillance video &mdash; a  suspect described as having a pony tail and a receding hairline. With  the help of backup officers, Lalezary then arrested the driver,  identified as Harry Burkhart.

Burkhart, a 24-year-old German  national, was charged with one count of arson of an inhabited dwelling.  He likely will face additional charges as the investigation moves  forward, said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Burkhart lives  less than a mile from the site of the traffic stop.

A humble Lalezary told reporters Tuesday afternoon he felt &quot;a big sense of relief&quot; for the community after making the arrest.

&quot;That  whole shift we received so many suspicious person calls. You got the  sense everyone on the city was on edge, rightfully so,&quot; he said.

The  reserve deputy declined to give any details about his personal life and  focused on the extensive weapons, field and academics training &mdash; about  1,064 hours &mdash; reserve deputies receive.

The public, Lalezary noted, expects the same professionalism from reservists as they do from full-time deputies.

&quot;This  is one of the most significant arrests anyone can make &mdash; regular or  reserve &mdash; in the history of law enforcement, &quot; Baca said. &quot;And this  will follow him for the rest of his life.&quot;

The deputy has a law  practice in Beverly Hills, according to the State Bar of California,  which admitted him in 2008. Lalezary attended the University of Southern  California law school.

Lalezary on Monday appeared at a  post-arrest news conference with his mother and his brothers. One  brother is a doctor, the other a law student who is also a reserve  deputy.

The younger Lalezary said he now has &quot;big shoes to fill.&quot;

&quot;I'll continue to strive to be as good of a brother and deputy as he is,&quot; said Shawn Lalezary.

For his part, Lalezary was quick to give credit to his fellow law enforcement officers.

&quot;Thank  you for coming in to work every day full time, putting your lives on  the line every day full time,&quot; he said. &quot;I look forward to coming back  for my next shift with you guys.&quot;

CNN's Sara Weisfeldt contributed to this report.]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Man charged with arson in connection with 52 fires]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Man-charged-with-arson-in-case-of-fires-136555648.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">136555648</guid>		
			<pubDate>Mon, 2 Jan 2012 20:49:12 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/cummings_arson_fires.jpg" length="136004" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[(CNN) &mdash; A 24-year-old  man was charged Monday with arson in connection with a rash of car and  building fires across the Los Angeles area, authorities said.
 
Harry  Burkhart was charged with one count of arson of an inhabited dwelling  and will likely face additional charges as the investigation moves  forward, said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.


Arson  investigators counted 52 fires, most starting in parked cars, since  Friday morning, but none since the man was was detained at 3 a.m.  Monday, according to officials.

Burkhart is currently being held without bail.

&quot;These  were serious and potentially deadly crimes that needlessly endangered  thousands of innocent lives,&quot; Villaraigosa told reporters. &quot;These crimes  will not be tolerated.&quot;

Burkhart is believed to a foreign national from Germany, according to Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck.

Authorities  hope, and believe one arsonist acted alone, but will behave as though  he did not until they know for sure, Beck said.

Burkhart's arrest  came when a sheriff's deputy stopped a van near the intersection of  Sunset Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in Hollywood early Monday, said Los  Angeles Fire Capt. Jaime Moore. The van matched the description of a  vehicle believed related to some of the suspicious fires and the driver  resembled a man seen in a surveillance video near the scene of one fire,  he said.

The video showed a man who appears to be in his late 20s to mid-30s, with a ponytail, dark hair and a receding hairline.

No  one was killed or seriously injured in the fires, though one  firefighter and one civilian sustained minor injuries, said Los Angeles  City Fire Chief Brian Cummings. Both he and the mayor estimated the  fires caused some $3 million in damages.

Among the homes damaged was one that was once occupied by the Doors frontman Jim Morrison.

Eleven  of the fires took place overnight, in the very early hours of Monday:  nine within the city of Los Angeles and two in West Hollywood, fire  department spokesman Cecco Secci said.

Cars were set on fire in Hollywood and Van Nuys, Moore said.

Los Angeles has not seen such a rash of fires since the city's riots in 1992.


CNN's Irving Last, Josh Levs, Drew Griffin, Stan Wilson and Casey Wian contributed to this report.










]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


					    	    	                						        	 	
				


	 				
	
	
		
	
	
	 
					
	
	
		
	
	
	 
						
						
	
	
		
	
	
			 
										
						
	
	
	
	
	
						
						
	
	
		
	
	
			 
										
					
	
	
		
	
	
																																						
	
	
		
	
	
						 
																						
																																		
	
	
		
	
	
						 
																			
																							
	
	
		
	
	
					
	
	
		
	
	
		 
							
				
		
		
	
				
	                 	 		 		



 		 		        	 

			



				
	
	


									

																											
						
		
		


					    	    	                						        	 	
				


	 				
	
	
		
	
	
	 
					
	
	
		
	
	
	 
						
						
	
	
		
	
	
			 
										
						
	
	
	
	
	
						
						
	
	
		
	
	
			 
										
					
	
	
		
	
	
																																						
	
	
		
	
	
						 
																						
																																		
	
	
		
	
	
						 
																			
																							
	
	
		
	
	
					
	
	
		
	
	
		 
							
				
		
		
	
				
	                 	 		 		



 		 		        	 

							
																											
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[123rd Rose Parade comes off without a hitch]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/123rd-Rose-Parade-comes-off-without-a-hitch-136537973.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">136537973</guid>		
			<pubDate>Mon, 2 Jan 2012 11:51:11 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



				
	
	


									

																		



															<enclosure url="http://cdn.bimfs.com/WAVE/4abdaa84eadb9e7b08651e2eec8652546f4b2457.jpg" length="false" type="image/jpeg" />
																																																						<video>http://cdn.bimfs.com/WAVE/4abdaa84eadb9e7b08651e2eec8652546f4b2457_fl9.mp4</video>
																		                                                                        <description><![CDATA[

PASADENA &mdash; The 123rd edition of Tournament of Roses Parade came off without a hitch Monday and was followed by a roughly 5,000-strong demonstration organized by activists fed up with the national malaise that some blame on corporate greed.

J.R. Martinez, a U.S. Army veteran burned in combat who later won &quot;Dancing with the Stars,  was the grand marshal in the procession themed&quot;Just Imagine ... .

The Tournament of Roses, dating to the 1890s when the floats were horse drawn, has a &quot;never on Sunday  tradition, and the parade was moved to Monday since New Year's fell on Sunday this year.

Forty-three 43 floats &mdash; all made of flowers, seeds and other natural materials &mdash; were the main attraction, along with 21 marching bands and 26 equestrian units from around the world. Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck, atop a fine police mount, led an LAPD equestrian unit.

Tens of thousands of people camped out along Pasadena sidewalks to secure a spot for the parade. Thanks to an offshore airflow, bringing warm air to the foothill city, overnight temperatures were mostly in the 50s &mdash; much warmer than the typical 30s. And the weather turned summer-like after sunrise.

About 5,000 Occupy demonstrators followed the last float along the parade route, but the group was met mostly with cheers, and no immediate problems were reported. The Occupy camp at Los Angeles City Hall was disbanded Nov. 30, with nearly 300 people being arrested.

Paramedics treated 65 people during the parade, said Lisa Derderian of the Pasadena Fire Department. That was more than twice the 29 people treated last year &mdash; in part because of Monday's sunny weather and higher temperatures.

One person also fell from a float, Derderian said.

According to the Tournament of Roses Association, the first parade was staged in 1890 by members of Pasadena's Valley Hunt Club &mdash; former residents of the East and Midwest eager to showcase the Southland's mild winter weather.

The first parade &mdash; something like a big community picnic &mdash; was followed by foot races and jousts in the town square. Later, the parade would include rodeo-type events, even ostrich races.

This year's parade included a float marking the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts, which were founded in Savannah, Ga., and another sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, honoring the fundraising work done by the late Elizabeth Taylor.

Another float paid homage to Loyola Marymount University in its 100th year, while another celebrated what would have been Roy Rogers' 100th birthday. That float was manned by Rogers' son &mdash; Roy Rogers Jr. &mdash; and grandson, Dustin. It also included floral sculptures of Rogers' horse, Trigger, and dog, Bullet.

Atop the Kaiser Permanente float was 13-year-old Mikavla Minnig, who has had juvenile arthritis since he was 3 and has worked for years to raise awareness of the affliction. The Downey teen testified before Congress at age 9 and has led an Arthritis Walk team for the past eight years.

The parade, starting near Orange Grove Boulevard and Ellis Street, went east on Colorado Boulevard, then north on Sierra Madre Boulevard. The floats will be on display at Sierra Madre and Washington boulevards for then next couple of days, so people can see them up close.

Martinez was chosen as grand marshal because Tournament of Roses officials decided he was the perfect fit.

&quot;J.R. is not only a courageous and engaging role model for us all but has dedicated himself to helping not only servicemen and servicewomen, but all Americans facing challenges,  said Rick Jackson, president of the Tournament of Roses.

&quot;His outlook on life is admirable and we couldn't be happier to have the chance to celebrate the New Year with him as we entertain the millions of fans around the world during the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game.

Martinez, 28, enlisted in the Army in 2002 and was sent to Iraq the next year. About one month into his deployment, the Humvee he was blown up by land mine. He spent nearly three years at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, where he underwent 33 surgeries, including skin grafts and cosmetic surgery.

Martinez said a nurse once asked him to talk to a fellow burn patient, and that led him to become a motivational speaker. In October 2008, Martinez was cast to play combat veteran Brot Monroe on &quot;All My Children.

Earlier this year, he won the dance competition show &quot;Dancing with the Stars.

&quot;To be able to participate in this iconic American tradition on New Year's Day is something I could only imagine,  Martinez said. &quot;I believe everything happens for a reason and I'm grateful the events of my life have provided me with the opportunity to share my message of hope and possibility on New Year's Day.

Drew Helen Washington, a 16-year-old Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy student, presided as Rose Queen, along with her Royal Court:

&mdash; Morgan Eliza Devaud, 18, La Canada High School;

&mdash; Stephanie Grace Hynes, 18, Maranatha High School;

&mdash; Cynthia Megan Louie, 17, La Salle High School;

&mdash; Kimberly Victoria Ostiller, 17, Flintridge Preparatory School;

&mdash; Hanan Bulto Worku, 17, Pasadena High School; and

&mdash; Sarah Nicole Zuno, 17, Benjamin Franklin High School.]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Court upholds state’s effort to abolish redevelopment agencies]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Court-upholds-states-effort-to-abolish-redevelopment-agencies-136397688.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">136397688</guid>		
			<pubDate>Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:21:56 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/Redevelopment+Rally.jpg" length="157207" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[

The California Supreme Court Thursday upheld a new state law abolishing the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency and hundreds of similar agencies throughout the state, but ruled that a companion law forcing CRAs to give a portion of their tax revenues to the state was unconstitutional.

The ruling is a major blow to redevelopment agencies, which sued earlier this year to block both laws. Since the court ruling aborted the plan to allow local governments to buy back into redevelopment, the agencies will be phased out when their contracted projects are completed.

The California Redevelopment Association and League of California Cities, the plaintiffs in the lawsuits, called on lawmakers &ldquo;immediately&rdquo; to develop legislation to revive the agencies.

&ldquo;Without immediate legislative action to fix this adverse decision, this ruling is a tremendous blow to local job creation and economic advancement,&rdquo; said Alhambra City Manager Julio Fuentes, who is also president of the California Redevelopment Association. Fuentes said it was not the Legislature&rsquo;s original intention to completely abolish the agencies.

Redevelopment agencies are funded by the increase in tax revenues generated by projects in their areas. The agencies use the revenue to invest in additional projects mainly in blighted parts of cities.

The agencies not only fund major building projects, like a proposed a new art museum, apartments and park in downtown Los Angeles and a proposed football stadium in downtown San Diego, but they also spend 20 percent of their income on affordable housing.

The court was unanimous in its opinion that the state had the right to dissolve redevelopment agencies &ldquo;when the Legislature deems it necessary and proper.&rdquo;

However, six of the court's seven justices agreed that Proposition 22, passed by voters in 2010, forbids the state from forcing municipal agencies to transfer money to the state, and ruled the law invalid.

Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye dissented on that point, saying the law does not &ldquo;compel&rdquo; community redevelopment agencies to violate Proposition 22.

Supporters of the agencies argue they are the best economic development tool to catalyze redevelopment projects that private investors would otherwise not build.

Gov. Jerry Brown hailed the court&rsquo;s ruling, saying that it &ldquo;validates a key component of the state budget and guarantees more than $1 billion of ongoing funding for schools and public safety.&rdquo;
County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky also applauded the court&rsquo;s decision. He said the agencies long ago stopped being a catalyst to reinvigorate blighted neighborhoods.

&ldquo;Unfortunately, over the years it evolved into a honey pot that was tapped to underwrite billions of dollars worth of commercial and other for-profit projects that had nothing to do with reversing blight, but everything to do with subsidizing private real estate ventures that otherwise made no economic sense,&rdquo; Yaroslavsky said.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa isued a statement saying he wanted to work with state officials to find a solution that will fund schools and still provide economic tools to cities that need to eliminate blight and create jobs.

&ldquo;I intend to work closely with leaders in Sacramento and across California to develop a responsible path forward that invests in our schools, our safety and puts the 14 million unemployed Californians back to work,&rdquo; Villaraigosa said in a statement issued by his office. &ldquo;This includes new legislation to provide economic tools to communities most in need.

&ldquo;I will invite mayors from across the state, Governor Jerry Brown, Speaker of the Assembly John Perez and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg to meet next month to discuss a sound, long-term solution.&rdquo;

Villaraigosa said redevelopment projects within the city of Los Angeles had created more than 18,000 jobs this year.

&ldquo;We all must acknowledge the difficult challenge before us to create jobs, world-class schools and safe communities, keys to the future of our Golden State,&rdquo; the mayor added.

&ldquo;Today our schools are in a dangerous and desperate financial position. An investment in education at this pivotal time could save an entire generation, and those to come, from falling behind academically and economically. Our communities have been dealt painful state and federal cuts to public safety while many mayors face an increasing need.

&ldquo;Many will see this decision as a set back, but I see it as an opportunity for California to step forward and responsibly invest in our future,&rdquo; Villaraigosa said.

Others called the ruling disastrous for low-income housing.

&ldquo;The ruling means that probably 25 percent of the citizens of Los Angeles who are rent burdened, paying above 30 percent of their income for rent, are going to continue not to be able to afford where they live,&rdquo; said Paul Zimmerman, executive director of the Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing.

&ldquo;They&rsquo;ll be making decisions to pay rent or pay for medical care, food or other basic needs. There is virtually no evidence from past periods that the private marketplace can produce housing that is affordable to 25-30 percent of the families in Los Angeles,&rdquo; Zimmerman added.

]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[USC space brainstorm factory proposes far-out ideas]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/USC-space-brainstorm-factory-proposes-far-out-ideas-136387803.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">136387803</guid>		
			<pubDate>Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:42:40 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/Space+brainstorming.jpg" length="120576" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[You might call it an idea factory for space exploration.

A unique program at USC asks students at the Graduate Space Concepts Studio of the Department of Astronautical Engineering to dream up humanity's next big space adventure.

Program graduates include George Whitesides, a top executive at commercial space outfit Virgin Galactic. Others have worked at SpaceX, NASA, Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin joined graduates this month to unveil their amazing ideas. Here are just a few:

• Make nuclear fuel in space.

Nuclear power may be the best viable solution for long-distance space travel. But where should the nuclear fuel be produced? Grad student Jake Dodd proposes a system to create it in space. This would avoid risks posed by creating it on Earth and use rockets to launch radioactive fuel through the atmosphere. 

Dodd named his idea SNAP: Space-based Nuclear Activision Plant. From a constant position in space, SNAP would "ingest fertile materials shipped from Earth, transmute them into useable nuclear fuels, and aid in the manufacture and distribution of space based nuclear fuel," Dodd said. He suggests that SNAP might use nuclear power technologies such as molten salt reactors or nuclear-pumped lasers.

• Build an industrial research park on the moon.

The U.S. — especially the private sector — could provide communications, navigation and lunar ground infrastructure for China, India and other nations to send their own vehicles to the moon and back.

• Use the space station to build space ships.

Use the International Space Station as a scaffold to build the next-generation lunar orbiting station. Use the lunar station to develop and build a manned spacecraft called the Cosmic Mariner, which would journey to targets like Mars, the asteroid belt and the outer planets.

• Build orbiting "filling stations" for rockets.

Rockets could fill up at these floating "gas stations" so they could use their powerful engines to re-enter Earth's atmosphere instead of the traditional method of "falling" through the atmosphere at high speeds.

• Commercial astronauts build energy satellites.

The private sector and NASA should develop a commercial astronaut corps program to start training crew who can go out on weekly missions to build, among other projects, satellites that would create microwave energy from the continually available sunlight and beam it to Earth. Such projects would create high-paying jobs and help bolster the sagging world economy.

This spring, development of the lunar research park idea will be shared with USC's School of Architecture in a special graduate study topic called "Moon Studio."
]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			







						
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Archbishop to celebrate Midnight Mass at cathedral]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Archbishop-to-celebrate-Midnight-Mass-at-cathedral-136187653.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">136187653</guid>		
			<pubDate>Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:38:13 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	







																														                                                                        <description><![CDATA[Archbishop Jose Gomez will celebrate the Christmas Eve Children's Mass and Midnight Mass on Saturday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

The Children's Mass is set to begin at 4 p.m. A Spanish-language Christmas Eve Mass is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and an English-language Christmas Eve Mass at 9 p.m. Christmas Carols will be sung beginning at 11:30 p.m. before the start of the Midnight Mass.

Gomez will celebrate a 10 a.m. English-language Christmas Day Mass Sunday and a 12:30 p.m. Spanish-language Christmas Day Mass. An 8 a.m. English- language Christmas Day Mass will also be celebrated.

In his Christmas message to the community, Gomez wrote "I pray that this Christmas we will all open ourselves to God's gift and allow a new spirit of generous love to be born in our hearts."

"Jesus told us to give our love in a special way to those who have nothing they can offer us in return," Gomez wrote. "So in this new year, let us try to have a more compassionate love for the poor, the unborn, the prisoner, the immigrant and the sick."

Gomez also asked Catholics "to be more generous with our time, more present to others, less distracted."

"One thing that would help — let's try to turn off our phones and computers more often so we can really pay attention to the people we love," Gomez wrote.]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Downey Planning Commission approves Tierra Luna project]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Downey-Planning-Commission-approves-Tierra-Luna-project-136153528.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">136153528</guid>		
			<pubDate>Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:35:09 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/Downey+Studios1.jpg" length="121322" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[DOWNEY — Plans for the $170 million, 77-acre Tierra Luna Marketplace mixed development are on their way to the City Council for action Jan. 10 after unanimous approval by the Planning Commission Dec. 21.

Proposed on the site, currently occupied by the Downey Studios, 12214 Lakewood Blvd., are 1.5 million square feet of retail space, including small shops, 'big-box' stores, restaurants, offices, a multiplex movie theater and a 150-room hotel. 

Officials estimate the project will provide 3,286 jobs.

No potential tenants have been announced by the developers, IRG and Manarino Realty.

Brian Saeki, the city's director of economic development, said the various ordinances recommended for approval by the commission will need approval at two readings from the City Council before they become official, probably in February.

After that, there will be a series of designs and construction plans must be submitted with the possible start of construction in mid-summer, Saeki said.

In a report to the commission, Principal Planner Mark Sellheim said five resolutions were needed. They included approval of the environmental impact report listing the effects the project will have on the surrounding area and how to reduce them' amending the specific plan approved in 2002 for the 154-acre Downey Landing development; and a formal agreement with the developers.

Other resolutions will divide the western most 57 acres, owned by IRG, into 16 parcels and the approximately 20 acres owned by the city on the east side into four parcels, Sellheim said.

All five were approved by the commission.

The project is bounded by Lakewood Boulevard on the west, Bellflower Boulevard on the east, Congressman Steve Horn Way on the south and the 34-acre Downey Landing Center on the north.

Southeast of Congressman Steve Horn Way is the 30-acre Kaiser Hospital and medical complex. To the southwest is the 13-acre Discovery Park, with two acres occupied by the Columbia Memorial Space Center.

The total 154-acre Downey Landing area was once the home of the nation's space program in the 1960s and '70s.The site, owned mostly by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was occupied by aeronautic companies including Rockwell, North American Rockwell and the Boeing Corp., which abandoned the site in 1998.

Sellheim said the square footage breakdown listed by the developers include 1,100 square feet of retail, including two big-box stores side by side on the north side of the site, totaling 125,600 and 153,000 square feet facing south toward the center of the project; a 65,000-square-foot theater, 300,000 square feet of office space and 116,000 square feet for the hotel.

Proposed are 13 smaller retail stores ranging from 13,000 to 50,000 square feet along the southern part of the site north of Congressman Steve Horn Way; and four stand-alone restaurants plus a food court.

A total of 5,712 parking spaces are proposed, scattered about the development and in two parking structures, Sellheim said.

IRG, based on the site, announced in 2009 that despite serving as the location for several popular full-length movies and with numerous television shows and commercials, the studio was not financially feasible. Officials blamed the popularity of computer-generated films and effects and movie producers no longer needing large backlot sets.
]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Molina speaks out for citizens placed on immigration holds ]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Molina-speaks-out-for-citizens-placed-on-immigration-holds--136080713.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">136080713</guid>		
			<pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:47:20 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/Gloria+Molina.jpg" length="16857" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[A county supervisor suggested Tuesday that Sheriff Lee Baca and District Attorney Steve Cooley need to do more to ensure that American citizens are not held without bail because of confusion about their immigration status.

Supervisor Gloria Molina's remarks, during a public hearing of the Board of Supervisors, were prompted by an American Civil Liberties Union report last week that U.S. citizens were denied their rights because they were mistakenly identified by a federal database as illegal immigrants. Four of the cases cited were in Southern California.

The ACLU has called for an end to the Department of Homeland Security's Secure Communities program, which uses fingerprint analysis to identify, and typically deport, illegal immigrants in local jails.

In one case, Antonio Montejano, 40 and a U.S. citizen, was arrested in Santa Monica for allegedly shoplifting a $10 bottle of perfume and candy his kids had eaten while shopping. Montejano had purchased about $600 in other items during the same shopping trip, according to the ACLU, and said he simply missed the other items.

Montejano spent four days in jail and, despite a judge's order to release him, was not set free until the ACLU sent over his passport and birth certificate.

'It's hard for me to understand how and why the sheriff defers to [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] when someone claims to be an American citizen and has documents to prove it,' Molina said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the federal database has helped the agency identify and deport more than 110,000 immigrants convicted of crimes, including more than 39,500 convicted of aggravated felony offenses, such as murder, rape and sexual abuse of children.

Obama administration officials have said the program is meant to target serious criminals and immigration officials have made clear that the program is not intended to detain U.S. citizens. They also say it has reduced the number of non-criminal deportations.

But opponents, including the ACLU, charge the federal program results in racial profiling and civil rights violations.

Molina asked that Baca, Cooley and Public Defender Ron Brown develop a local protocol to immediately investigate any claim of citizenship by an inmate on an immigration hold and report back to the board in writing by Jan. 30.

'Right now, it seems like everyone is passing the buck,' Molina said.

The detainer form Immigration and Customs Enforcement issues to local jurisdictions has been changed to emphasize that local authorities are not to detain an individual for more than 48 hours, according to the agency's website. The form also requires local law enforcement to provide arrestees with a copy of the form, which has a number to call if they believe their civil rights have been violated.
]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[South L.A. doctor who sexually assaulted patients gets 12 1/2 years in prison]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Doctor-sentenced-to-12-12-years-in-prison-for-sexually-assaulting-patients-135753848.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">135753848</guid>		
			<pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:59:42 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/Dr+Kevin+Brown1.jpg" length="175935" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[

A doctor convicted of sexually assaulting eight female patients and an undercover police detective while he was working at three medical facilities in Los Angeles and Glendale was sentenced Friday to 12 1/2 years in prison.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor rejected a defense motion for a new trial for Dr. Kevin Antario Brown, the son of former Bermuda Premier Ewart Brown.

&quot;I find that I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that each conviction is justified in this case,&quot; the judge said.

Brown, 40, was convicted Aug. 15 of nine counts of sexual exploitation by a physician, eight counts of sexual battery by fraud and one count each of forcible penetration by a foreign object, penetration by a foreign object by fraud, lewd act on a child and attempted sexual battery by fraud. The charges involved crimes between 2003 and 2008.

Jurors deadlocked on eight other charges against Brown, and Pastor dismissed those counts Friday.

The judge said he had been presented with &quot;two remarkably divergent portraits of Dr. Brown&quot; and understood that the physician had &quot;done a tremendous amount of good for the community.&quot;

&quot;I also know that Dr. Brown engaged in predatory behavior,&quot; Pastor said, adding that the physician &quot;preyed&quot; on vulnerable patients, &quot;took advantage of those individuals&quot; and engaged in &quot;criminal acts of force.&quot;

In a lengthy statement, Brown denied that he had done anything wrong and said he has spent his entire professional life &quot;trying to alleviate people's pain and worries.&quot;

&quot;Who is this person the prosecution presented to the jury? Because it's clearly not me,&quot; he said, noting that he had rescued two children from a fire and helped an elderly woman get to a hospital emergency room after she fell and broke her wrist. &quot;I am not the man they manufactured in this courtroom ... I'm not the person they made up.&quot;

He questioned who it would serve &quot;for me to spend years in prison&quot; and told the judge that he could send him to Afghanistan to help people if he wanted to mete out punishment.

Several of Brown's supporters also spoke, with longtime friend Sondra Adams-Koss telling the judge that she &quot;always had the utmost trust and faith in him.&quot;

&quot;It's not in his character. It's not in his heart. It's not Kevin,&quot; she said of the allegations against him. &quot;Kevin is a good man.&quot;

One of Brown's victims, identified in court only as &quot;Carla K.,&quot; said Brown &quot;ripped my life apart and shattered my confidence in myself and my judgment of others&quot; and said she notified police about what happened because she was &quot;haunted by the fear that he may have or would eventually attack a young girl.&quot; She told the judge she hoped &quot;for the most severe sentence&quot; for her former doctor.

Another woman, identified in court as &quot;Tanesha N.,&quot; told the judge that she forgives Brown for what he did to her, while noting that she was &quot;violated.&quot;

During the trial, Deputy District Attorney Ann Marie Wise told jurors the victims all described similar scenarios, including Brown flirting with patients, asking them out, making unnecessary comments and performing unnecessary breast and vaginal examinations.

Each one of them told someone what had happened before eventually going to police, including one who told police she was raped after Brown visited her at her apartment, Wise said.

Knowing that they had to come forward &quot;once they knew they weren't alone,&quot; the majority of the victims contacted authorities after Brown was charged with sexually assaulting one female patient and an undercover officer who had been sent into his office, Wise said.

Brown's attorney, Edi M.O. Faal, countered that there were inconsistencies in the women's stories, noting that no one ever heard the patients screaming or telling the doctor to stop.

The defense lawyer accused an undercover police detective of lying that the doctor had held her breasts during an examination involving a problem with her ankle. He noted that it was &quot;nowhere on (an audio) tape.&quot;

Faal told reporters after the jury's verdict that the defense was &quot;extremely disappointed&quot; with the jury's findings.

He said the defense believed that each of the women &quot;had a credibility issue,&quot; but added that &quot;the sheer numbers of alleged victims was a major hurdle to overcome.&quot;

&quot;We just couldn't overcome that,&quot; the lawyer said.]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Judge won't reinstate Octomom's doctor's license]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Judge-wont-reinstate-Octomoms-doctors-license-135697163.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">135697163</guid>		
			<pubDate>Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:22:36 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/Kamrava.jpg" length="91055" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[The Beverly Hills fertility doctor who treated octuplet mother Nadya Suleman lost his bid Thursday to have his medical license reinstated, with a judge saying the state Medical Board made the right decision when it revoked his right to practice in California.

'Revocation is the proper remedy here,' Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant said at the end of a hearing in which attorneys for Dr. Michael Kamrava sought to have the board's decision overturned.

Kamrava did not attend the court hearing.

The doctor filed court papers in June asking that he be placed on probation under specified terms and conditions instead of losing his license altogether. An administrative law judge had originally made that recommendation, but the state Medical Board rejected that proposal and ruled June 1 that it was revoking Kamrava's license based on his treatment of Suleman and two other women.

Kamrava has acknowledged implanting 12 embryos into Suleman prior to the pregnancy that produced her octuplets. She has a total of 14 children — all of whom were conceived as a result of Kamrava's treatment.

'He knew what he was doing was wrong,' Deputy Attorney General Judith Alvarado told the judge Thursday.

Chalfant said Kamrava committed a 'serious breach' of medical standards by failing to refer Suleman for a mental evaluation when she insisted on the transfer of a dozen embryos, even though she already had six children.

Chalfant referred to Suleman as 'an extreme narcissistic, self-absorbed person,' and said Kamrava 'deviated from the standards of care' when he agreed to her demand for the embryo implants. The judge even suggested that the Medical Board should have done more to sanction Kamrava.

'The Medical Board did not go far enough in its conclusion about [Kamrava's] misconduct,' he said.

In its June decision, the board recognized that Kamrava had made changes in his fertility practice since his treatment of Suleman and taken courses on record-keeping.

'However, when the board exercises its disciplinary functions, public protection is paramount,' according to the ruling. 'The board is not assured that oversight through probation is enough, and having weighed the above, has determined that revocation of [Kamrava's] certificate is necessary to protect the public.'

Kamrava argued in his court papers that losing his license 'would be detrimental to his ability to earn a living and be gainfully employed.'

The revocation took effect July 1.

During the administrative law hearing two years ago, Dr. Victor Y. Fujimoto, an expert witness for the state's medical board, testified that Kamrava should have referred Suleman for a mental health evaluation. 

Fujimoto also indicated that Kamrava's record-keeping was seriously deficient.

Kamrava's attorneys indicated they would appeal Chalfant's ruling.
]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Jury recommends death sentence for convicted serial killer]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Jury-recommends-death-sentence-for-convicted-serial-killer-135566503.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">135566503</guid>		
			<pubDate>Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:30:59 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/hughes_michael_470.jpg" length="87667" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[

A jury recommended Tuesday that a man be sentenced to death for strangling a 15-year-old girl and two women between 1986 and 1993.

The Los Angeles Superior Court jury deliberated less than an hour before recommending the death penalty for Michael Hughes, 55, who is already serving a life prison term without the possibility of parole for his earlier conviction in four other murders.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Curtis B. Rappe is set to formally sentence Hughes on March 29.

&quot;It's definitely rewarding because it's been a lot of years of work by an incredible team of people,&quot; Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said after the jury returned its verdict. &quot;I think it gives me a sense that I was able to give something back to the families.&quot;

Defense attorney Aron Laub declined to comment.

Outside court, jury forewoman C.J. Johnson of Los Angeles said, &quot;We just thought the crimes were so egregious we couldn't give the minimum time (life in prison without the possibility of parole).&quot;

On Nov. 3, the panel convicted Hughes of first-degree murder for the slayings of Yvonne Coleman, 15, Verna Williams, 36, and Deborah Jackson, 32, between 1986 and 1993.

Hughes was linked to the crimes through DNA samples from sexual assault kits. Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division were investigating unsolved murders between 1960 and 1997 when they got the DNA &quot;hits.&quot;

He was previously convicted in 1998 of the September 1992 killing of Theresa Ballard, the October 1992 slaying of the late Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley's niece, Brenda Bradley, and the November 1993 murders of Terri Myles and Jamie Harrington.

Hughes was serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for those crimes when he was charged in June 2008. He also is suspected in an eighth killing.

In her closing argument Monday, the prosecutor called him a &quot;psychopathic, sadistic&quot; killer who &quot;deserves to pay the ultimate penalty.&quot;

&quot;Nothing that happened to the defendant as a child could justify what he's done ... This is a defendant who takes joy in inflicting pain on women,&quot; the prosecutor said.

Silverman told jurors that Hughes &quot;embarked on a reign of terror&quot; and took &quot;joy in inflicting pain on women.&quot;

Laub countered that the defendant's mother was 15 when he was born, suffered psychiatric problems after the deaths of two of her younger children and repeatedly beat him in attacks that sometimes began after he was awoken from bed.

&quot;It wasn't one beating with an extension cord ... It was a mother screaming that she was going to kill them,&quot; the defense lawyer said in his closing argument. &quot;She would tell her children that she hated them.&quot;

Hughes suffered &quot;12 years of endless violence&quot; and did not have any hope or sense of stability, his attorney said of his client's upbringing.

&quot;That's not a childhood. That's a laboratory for destruction,&quot; the defense attorney said.

Laub noted that the defense did not vigorously contest the trial's guilt phase because &quot;the evidence was so compelling as to guilt,&quot; but said that he had to &quot;honestly and passionately&quot; present a defense in favor of a life sentence.

Photo: Michael Hughes. Credit: Booking photo.]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Storm prompts road closures in mountain areas; up to 14 inches of snow expected]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Storm-warning-issued-in-Southland-10-inches-of-mountain-snow-expected-135428088.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">135428088</guid>		
			<pubDate>Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:29:26 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/2077749035_bd0a375203_o.jpg" length="37362" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[A cold winter storm generated rain and snow around the Southland Monday, prompting the closure of some roads in the Angeles National Forest and making travel more treacherous on rain-soaked freeways.

National Weather Service forecasters said the storm could produce rip currents, waterspouts and thunderstorms accompanied by heavy downpours, lightning and erratic winds before it moves out of the area Tuesday.

Between a half-inch and 1.25 inches of rain had fallen in the coastal and valley sections of Los Angeles County by Monday evening, National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Kittell said.

Another quarter-inch to half-inch will fall before the rainfall tapers off later Tuesday, Kittell said.

Despite the fact that this winter is supposed to be a La Nina, meaning it will be relatively dry, this year's rainfall is running ahead of normal, with 3.4 inches of rain falling since the season began. Normally at this point the figure would be 2.69 inch, Kittell said.

Snow fell relatively moderately. Between four and six inches had fallen in the mountains and Highway 138 had to be plowed to keep it open, Kittell said. Some snowfall is expected in Lancaster and Palmdale Tuesday morning, he said.

Thunderstorms are possible Tuesday, Kittell said.

The Grapevine remained open, although most of the county roads over the San Gabriel Mountains that were closed Monday morning remained closed, he said.

Late Monday morning, the following roadways were ordered closed due to snow accumulation:

— Angeles Forest Highway, from Aliso Canyon Road to Angeles Crest Highway:

— Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road, from Angeles Forest Highway to Angeles Crest Highway; and

— Big Tujunga Canyon Road, from Vogel Flats Road to Angeles Forest Highway.

Gates will be closed on Angeles Forest Highway at Aliso Canyon Road and Angeles Crest Highway, and both sides of Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road. However, gates on Big Tujunga Canyon Road will not be closed, to allow anyone in the closed area a low-elevation route out, according to county Supervisor Michael Antonovich's office.

According to the California Highway Patrol, there were no updated accident reports. Monday morning there were about 120 accidents on county freeways during the 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. morning commute, about twice the number that occurred during those hours a week ago, when it did not rain. No serious accidents were reported, although a major big rig collision in the Newhall Pass occurred Monday night.

The county's Department of Beaches and Harbors, meanwhile, issued a "beach advisory" for White Point Beach in San Pedro, to be in effect through Tuesday. Beachgoers were advised to use extra caution and stay clear of the beach due to the potential for additional slide activity in the Paseo del Mar landslide area.

The freeways and highways expected to be most affected by snowfall in Los Angeles and Ventura counties today and Tuesday are Interstate 5 through the Grapevine, the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway, Pearblossom (138) Highway, state Routes 2 and 33, and Lockwood Valley Road, according to National Weather Service forecasters.

"Significant amounts of snow are forecast that will make travel dangerous. Only travel in an emergency. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in you vehicle in case of an emergency."]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Coroner identifies gunman in Hollywood shootout]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Police-shoot-kill-gunman-in-shooting-near-Sunset-and-Vine-135353648.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">135353648</guid>		
			<pubDate>Fri, 9 Dec 2011 16:30:19 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/tyler_brehm_la_shooter_2011.jpg" length="36838" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[

HOLLYWOOD &mdash; The man who marched down Sunset Boulevard, shooting at more than a dozen people and urging police to &quot;Kill me ... I'm gonna die!&quot; was identified Saturday by the coroner's office as a 26-year-old man who had recently moved here from Carlisle, Pa.

Tyler Brehm died on the pavement Friday, moments after two plainclothes police officers fired several shots into him. His name was not released by police until 24 hours after the shooting, at the request of his mother.

The Los Angeles Times reported on its website that Brehm and his girlfriend of four years had broken up last week.

Brehm hit at least three people as he emptied a handgun into cars, and fired wildly from the middle of Vine Street, Friday morning.

John Atterberry, a music industry executive in his 40s, was shot in his face as he sat in his car near the famous intersection, in the heart of Hollywood. Atterberry was in critical condition Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, according to the Los Angeles Times report that identified him.

Two passing motorists were also hit by bullets that had passed through their car door or window, police said Saturday. One was grazed by a bullet in the thigh, the other suffered glass cuts.

Numerous witnesses recorded video on cellphones, and one was heard shouting &quot;I want to die. Shoot me&quot; as he leaned out of a window in an attempt to distract the gunman from nearby targets.]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Ujima Village residents have had toxic relationship with complex]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Ujima-Village-residents-have-had-toxic-relationship-with-complex-135331638.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">135331638</guid>		
			<pubDate>Fri, 9 Dec 2011 10:46:24 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/Ujima+Village.jpg" length="31855" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[WILLOWBROOK — While attorneys fight in the courtroom against the County of Los Angeles and several other entities, many residents who lived in and around the shuttered Ujima Village complex are left to wonder whether their health problems are the result of toxic contamination.

Formerly the Athens Tank Farm between the 1920s and 1960s, the site was acquired from ExxonMobil and transformed into an apartment housing complex in 1972, with financing from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The site was later sold by HUD to the Los Angeles County Housing Authority and the Community Development Commissioners (the five sitting Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors at the time) for $1.

In 2004, after poor workmanship of the original construction led to deterioration of the units, the Housing Authority tried to solicit developers to purchase, rehabilitate and operate the site; but the selected developer 'later backed out of the proposed transaction, identifying gasoline and crude oil in the soil, soil gas and groundwater below Ujima Village,' said a county document on the chronology of village, which was named after the Swahili word for 'collective work and responsibility.' 

Willie Mitchell, son of Cordia Mitchell, lived on and off at the village with his mother. He last resided there was the year before the county began removing residents from the area. 

In 2007, 64-year-old Cordia died following a battle with leukemia. 'The doctor told her she had to have picked up from somewhere or that she was born with it,' Mitchell, 46, said. 'She stayed at home a lot, she didn't really work, she did babysitting. ... They said she had to be working somewhere like an oil refinery or somewhere there are a lot of chemicals. Leukemia is not in the family at all, neither side.'

Prior to his mother's passing, 'I noticed that a lot of people over there were dying. I just knew something was wrong,' Mitchell added. 'I would leave and then come back home and it was a ghost town over there. They were moving people out. We didn't understand what happened to her when she got sick and how this came about. I noticed people who lived there after so many … years, they would start getting sick. My mom lived there for over 12 years, she was diagnosed in 2005.'

Mitchell said he knows of neighborhood children who have developed irritable skin rashes, pneumonia, bronchitis and other respiratory problems, while elderly residents reported suffering from various forms of cancer. 

There was also talk of birth defects. According to Mitchell, he grew up with two girls who were born with one kidney. 'It's not a coincidence, there is something really wrong going on over there that they are trying to cover up for whatever reason,' he contends. 'We are tying to find answers.'

A non-smoker, Mitchell said he has bronchitis and experiences severe migraines and itching. Nervousness, he said, may be due to lingering grief over his mother's death.

'Sometimes it feels like I'm going to scratch my skin off,' he said, 'and it takes a good 10 to 15 minutes before I can even soothe it.'

Don Brown, 57, lived at Ujima for approximately five years. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy for stage four cancer of the liver, which has spread to his intestines. 

'When I first realized that something wasn't right was when my neighbor caught pneumonia — a little boy who was about five caught pneumonia. I caught pneumonia twice,' he said. 'My neighbor who was on the back side of my apartment, he caught pneumonia and he died. His neighbor, she caught pneumonia. And then a lot of the kids started having respiratory problems.

'We would get information from the mailbox,' he added. 'You would go and get the mail and hear Miss So-and-So passed or so-and-so is real sick. You have over 29 people who have died, you have a lot of people like myself who have cancer and a lot of the kids who lived there have respiratory problems. There are a number of women in there who have had miscarriages. There is a real problem here.'

Brown said he learned of his cancer during a routine check-up. The doctor, he said, was astonished by what she found. 'For my age and the health that I am, the cancer is rare and she hadn't seen it before, and where it was … in the backside of my liver. She said it was real unusual.'

At several community outreach meetings, Brown said he and other residents were never warned about the possible health risks that could be associated with the toxic remnants left behind by Exxon Mobil after the former tank farm was acquired by HUD.

When residents began to question county officials about contamination on the site and possible health risks, 'it was hushed,' Brown said. 'They said there was nothing around us — yet 20 feet from my door, they were drilling holes. You have people dying. No one came over to Ujima Village to rescue us, they just had us there with a bunch of lies. They left us there to fend for ourselves.'

Today, the father of three daughters says he is 'angry. I have three [kids] that are all in college, and they don't know a whole lot, they still need their dad around. Now they are worried about what might happen to me. I can see that it is bothering them.'

But he has no way of reassuring them that things will be OK. That's because, he said, those who may have been affected are being left in the dark.

One of those left with questions is Ernest Boldin, who lives on 125th Street. 'As far as the itching, I get itches. Sometimes I swell up. I went to the doctor for it and they said it was hypertension, so I accepted it to be hypertension,' he said. 'I have a son, who was born and raised in this area, he and his wife have been trying to have a kid and they can't. They said his sperm count was too low. I don't know if this has anything to do with it or not. My wife had two miscarriages since we've been in this area.

'I'm angry because if someone would have told me it would have given me an opportunity to either move or do something concerning it,' he added. 'I would have had the opportunity to chose my life in a different area or if I had known this I never would have bought my home and I've been here for over 30 years.' 

And approximately 700 families are still at risk, according to Michael Kinworthy, managing partner of Waterstone Environmental, Inc., an environmental consulting and engineering service company, who said the toxins are spreading.

'The groundwater carries the contamination and then from that it, in vapor form, starts coming to the surface because it's trying to get to daylight,' he said. 'The regulatory limit in parts per billion is 36 — we're talking 70,000.'

When he and his team put probes in a few locations at the site, 'as soon as you poke a hole, about ten feet down, it smells like gasoline,' Kinworthy said. 'We went all the way down to 32 feet to take soil vapor samples, it was strong. When we got our results back, it was astronomically high. Hexane was way over, it was hundreds of millions of elements there. The benzene, the ethyl benzene and others were also astronomically high.' 

The site was found in the mid 1990s to be contaminated with underground toxins, something the county was aware of at the time. Around 1995, residents began complaining of discolored water and chemical odors coming from their taps and sprinklers. It was discolored. This, many used to drink, cook with and bathe with. Some reporting hair falling out, upper respiratory problems, skin rashes, headaches, cancer, miscarriages, birth defects, death and low sperm counts. 

By 2008 underground soil and water samples were tested, showing considerable amounts of benzene, a carcinogen that can cause cancer; and methane gas, a flammable toxin. These are all remains of a petroleum storage tank that had been on the property for decades.

But Kinworthy said his own study found other contaminants — one of which is hexane, a substance that can cause neurological damage. 

That same year, HUD circulated a letter to Ujima Village residents informing them of a voluntary relocation program. Residents began leaving the property, armed with them away with first and last month's rent and vouchers. It wasn't until 2010 that the village was fully vacated and fenced off.

In April 2010, approximately 1,000 former residents, families of those deceased and others affected by the site filed a lawsuit in Superior Court against Exxon Mobil Oil Corp., the county of Los Angeles, the Community Development Commission, Carlos Jackson, head of the county Housing Authority; Bobette Glover, Jackson's assistant; and several other entities. 

The plaintiffs, represented by Anderson Kill Wood & Bender, P.C., allege that contamination at the 300-unit complex built on a former oil tank storage site caused cancer, leukemia, miscarriages, respiratory distress, chronic infections, asthma, anemia and cognitive and neurological issues. They are seeking unspecified damages to compensate for back rent, injuries, medical costs and what they contend are wrongful deaths. The suit makes 389 allegations within 18 causes of action.

County officials have responded over the years to the allegations, but contend that despite contaminants at the site, they do not pose health risks. 

A number of fact sheets and risk assessments have been revised since 2007, and environmental investigations have been ongoing. The purpose of the environmental investigation is to evaluate soil, soil vapor, air, and groundwater at the site and in the surrounding area, for presence of petroleum products and other contaminants and to assess whether a potential human health or environmental risk is associated with the groundwater and/or soil on or beneath the site.  

Thus far the investigation has found, according to a fact sheet issued by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, that 'indoor air and outdoor air data collected to date at the site are consistent with air quality throughout the Los Angeles area, indicating that subsurface soil vapor contamination does not adversely affected the air quality at the site,' it states. 'Indoor air tests indicate that health hazards are within regulatory acceptable levels and there are no immediate threats to human health.'

Subsurface soils are impacted with low levels of petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), benzene, naphthalene, ethylbenzene, and lead. 

The concentrations, the Water Board said, are low and do not pose a risk from direct contact by current site users. Higher levels of these chemicals have been found in deeper soils at some locations, but are unlikely to reach the surface.

As for soil vapors, 'elevated levels of several volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and methane are present in subsurface soil vapor on portions of the site.  Some of these compounds do exceed the California Human Health Screening Levels (CHHSLs) set by the California Environmental Protection Agency,' it further states. 

'Exceeding these levels does not automatically mean there is a health risk or that people have been exposed to these compounds. But it does mean that additional investigation and evaluation work will be done to determine if there is any health risk and ensure protection of human health and the environment. This additional work will involve testing outdoor air.'

Groundwater, the agency said, was found to have petroleum products beneath the site at an average depth of 42 feet. But due to that depth, the groundwater is 'unlikely to come into contact with people and is not used for drinking water.'

Drinking water for the area is provided by the Metropolitan Water District and the Golden State Water Company and comes from the Colorado River and Central Groundwater Basin. It is tested prior to being given to consumers.

An evaluation of shallow soil and indoor and outdoor air quality samples of the Ujima properties determined that the total cancer risk and noncancer hazard for exposure to contaminants in shallow soils were within California and US EPA acceptable limits.

The fact sheet contends that the village was not closed due to environmental concerns, rather residents were 'relocated because of the materials used to build the complex,' which are said to be poor and have deteriorated over time.

And when it comes to the Earvin Magic Johnson Park, where 'do not eat' signs are posted along the park's lakes, that area is also safe, according to the board. 

'Fish tissue samples taken from the lake show the presence of polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) and methylmercury,' said the sheet. 'The Regional Board requested that the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) evaluate the potential health risk posed by consumption of fish from these lakes. Based on the evaluation, OEHHA issued a Health Advisory and Safe Eating Guidelines in June 2010 which recommended limits on consumption for some fish species. As an added precaution, however, the County of Los Angeles continues to advise park visitors not to consume fish from either of the Park's two lakes.'

After living in and around Ujima Village for years, residents say they are wracked by uncertainty and fear.

'We just want to know the truth,' said Andrea Anderson, who lives on 123rd Street. 'I will never have peace with this. I don't know if 20 years down the line I am going to [contract] an illness because of this. And then how will I be able to trace it back to here?'
]]></description>
										</item>
			
													
																					
				
						


	

			



	


		

																	
						
		
		


	

							
															
								
				
		
                                           											
									
				
											<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Edison: Power restored to customers after windstorm]]></title>
															<link>http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/Santa-Ana-winds-return-to-Southland-135013143.html</link>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">135013143</guid>		
			<pubDate>Thu, 8 Dec 2011 17:38:28 PST</pubDate>
			<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>																	



	


		

																		



															<enclosure url="http://media.wavenewspapers.com/images/S009454595.jpg" length="49557" type="image/jpeg" />
																																											                                                                        <description><![CDATA[

Southern California Edison &mdash; under investigation by the California Public Utilities Commission over windstorm-related outages that have lasted more than a week, in some cases &mdash; announced Thursday that the last of its customers still without power have had their electricity restored.

Full service was restored at 6:21 a.m., SCE reported. The embattled utility had reported that 543 San Gabriel Valley customers were without power as of Wednesday night and had vowed to have all service restored by this afternoon.

Nearly 434,000 SCE residential and commercial customers lost power after winds gusting at up to nearly 100 miles per hour lashed the region Nov. 30. Edison says its crews &mdash; some brought in from Sacramento and Bakersfield &mdash; had been working around the clock to restore service following something &quot;unprecedented in our experience.&quot;

The California Public Utilities Commission announced Wednesday it was investigating the prolonged power outages in SCE's service area following the windstorm.

&quot;Our enforcement staff is looking into why the outages occurred and why it is taking so long for power to be restored,&quot; commission Executive Director Paul Clanon said Wednesday. &quot;SCE has a duty to provide safe and reliable service to its customers and we have a duty to make sure SCE is doing all it can to fulfill that mandate.&quot;

SCE President Ron Litzinger said the utility would cooperate fully.

&quot;Some of our customers are upset, and we aren't happy either,&quot; he said. &quot;I'm committed to thoroughly examining what happened every step of the way and creating ways to improve our response in the future.&quot;

Clanon said the PUC was working to determine what factors contributed to the outages, such as pole failures and staffing levels, and assess Edison's response to customer calls.

&quot;We will determine whether SCE met all safety requirements and did all it could to prevent outages, and that it is now doing all it can to restore power and communicate with its customers,&quot; Clanon said. &quot;If we determine that SCE has violated safety rules, it may face fines and penalties.&quot;

Litzinger wrote an &quot;open letter&quot; to customers that appeared in a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times Wednesday.

&quot;Access to make needed repairs has been difficult due to storm debris and the thousands upon thousands of trees and branches downed by the hurricane- strength winds,&quot; he wrote. &quot;Local fire and police departments have been especially helpful, as have local public works agencies, in helping us gain access. I would like to thank them for this vital assistance.

&quot;We are committed to doing what we can to help our customers through this difficult time and will continue to work with cities and communities on a daily basis to set up emergency supply distribution centers.&quot;

In Pasadena, all but 75 customers of municipally owned Pasadena Water and Power had their electricity restored as of late Wednesday afternoon, but many properties still needed their connections to nearby power poles replaced.

&quot;We're dealing with the equivalent of a hurricane-force event that impacted most of Pasadena's 23 square miles with 325 miles of streets,&quot; said City Manager Michael J. Beck.

Storm-related costs are expected to be in the tens of millions of dollars, according to Pasadena Public Information Officer Ann Erdman.

Officials are asking that homeowners and business owners report all storm-related losses to the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management so local governments can more accurately demonstrate the need for state and federal aid.

Damage can be reported online at www.211la.org or by calling 211.]]></description>
										</item>
			
							</channel>
	</rss>

