Sunday, July 31, 2011

1 dead, 1 hurt in Hawthorne shooting

Authorities are searching for at least one suspect in a Sunday afternoon shooting in Hawthorne that left one man dead and another in critical condition.

Two men were sitting inside a vehicle in the 13500 block of Doty Avenue, about a block from Zela Davis Park,  when at least one person approached them and started shooting shortly after 1 p.m., said Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Deputy Benjamin Grubb.

 One of the men in the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other was taken to the hospital in critical condition, Grubb said.

 

--Ari Bloomekatz

 

Swerving driver strikes, kills pedestrian on sidewalk in Koreatown

A 73-year-old driver swerved into oncoming traffic early Sunday before running off the road and fatally striking a man on a sidewalk in Koreatown, authorities said.

 The female motorist, who has not been identified, was not arrested, and there was no sign drugs or alcohol were involved, said LAPD Officer Karen Rayner. She said authorities will  determine later whether to file charges.

The motorist was driving a 2000 Nissan Pathfinder on Vermont Avenue at 8th Street when she “veered into the northbound lanes of traffic and off the roadway” about 7:30 a.m. Sunday, police said.

 Los Angeles resident Yueany Qisquina, 27, was walking on the sidewalk when he was hit by the car. Authorities said he was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

 -- Ari Bloomekatz

Man shot and killed in Norwalk

Hrrr L.A. County sheriff’s homicide detectives said they are investigating the shooting death of a Latino man in Norwalk.

The man, whose name has not been released, was  killed Sunday in the 11900 block of Pioneer Boulevard, according to Deputy Benjamin Grubb.

Grubb said the shooting occurred about 1 p.m. He said no more details were available Sunday.

ALSO:

LAPD officer stabbed with butcher knife; suspect killed

Crystal Cathedral: $50-million offer -- if certain conditions met

Pellet fired from BB gun hits KABC's Leanne Suter; teens arrested

-- Ari Bloomekatz

Image: Map shows location of Sunday's shooting in purple, as well as 13 other homicides (in red) since January 2007. Credit: Homicide ReportClick to visit The Times' interactive Homicide Report

Reader photos: Southern California Moments, Day 212

Click through for more photos of Southern California Moments En garde: Eric Kim found this feisty mime during the Downtown L.A. Art Walk on July 14.

Every day of 2011, we're featuring reader-submitted photos of Southern California Moments. For the first week of August, we challenge you to go mobile. Follow us on Twitter and visit the Southern California Moments homepage for more on this series.

Woman stabbed in Pacoima; suspect at large [Video]













Police sealed off a two-block area of Van Nuys Boulevard in Pacoima for more than six hours early Sunday in an unsuccessful search for a suspect who allegedly stabbed a woman during a domestic dispute.

The incident occurred in the 12800 block of Van Nuys at about 3:20 a.m., when the woman was stabbed in the upper body, said Los Angeles police Sgt. Jesse Ojeda of the Foothill station.

The woman, whose name was not released, was taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, where she was undergoing surgery. She was reported to be in stable condition with wounds that were not life-threatening, Ojeda said. Police were still trying to determine what weapon was used.

The suspect and victim had previously been in a relationship, Ojeda said. Several children were in the home during the incident but were unharmed, he said.

Police set up a perimeter in the area around the intersection of Van Nuys Boulevard and De Foe Avenue until about 10 a.m. but the suspect remained at large. Police provided no description.

ALSO:

Man shot to death in L.A.'s Chesterfield Square

LAPD officer stabbed with butcher knife; suspect killed

Man still seeks surgery after taking knife to his stomach hernia

-- Carla Rivera

Click for crime reports across L.A. County on The Times' interactive database

Huntington Beach gets grant to crack down on alcohol crimes

Photo: A man is arrested after a fight in downtown Huntington Beach. The city placed restrictions on new bars, and police began tracking where people had their last drink before their arrests. Credit: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times The Huntington Beach Police Department, which has been combating problems with public drunkenness in downtown, has received a $50,000 state grant to fight alcohol-related crime over the next year.

The grant, which will fund undercover enforcement as well as educational programs for restaurant and bar owners, is the first the department has received since 2008.

Huntington Beach previously won grants in 1999 and 2000, Lt. Russell Reinhart told the Huntington Beach Independent.

The state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control received 130 applications and awarded grants to 46 police agencies, according to spokesman John Carr. Though Huntington Beach has been in the news receently regarding alcohol-related crime, Carr said the media attention didn't factor into the state's decision.

Reinhart said the enforcement will target problem areas around the city, predominantly downtown, where 38 businesses have licenses to serve alcohol within a few blocks.

RELATED:

Huntington Beach tops DUI collisions list

One bar linked to 72 drunken-driving arrests

Huntington Beach won't post drunk drivers' photos on Facebook 

-- Michael Miller, Times Community News

Photo: A man is arrested after a fight in downtown Huntington Beach.  Credit: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

Woman stabbed in Pacoima; suspect at large

Pacoima Police sealed off a two-block area of Van Nuys Boulevard in Pacoima for more than six hours early Sunday in an unsuccessful search for a suspect accused of stabbing a woman during a domestic dispute.

The incident occurred in the 12800 block of Van Nuys at about 3:20 a.m., when the woman was stabbed in the upper body, said Los Angeles police Sgt. Jesse Ojeda of the Foothill station.

The woman, whose name was not released, was taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, where she was undergoing surgery. She was reported to be in stable condition with wounds that were not life-threatening, Ojeda said. Police were still trying to determine what weapon was used.

The suspect and victim had previously been in a relationship, Ojeda said. Several children were in the home during the incident but were unharmed, he said.

Police set up a perimeter in the area around the intersection of Van Nuys Boulevard and De Foe Avenue until about 10 a.m. but the suspect remained at large. Police provided no description.

ALSO:

Man shot to death in L.A.'s Chesterfield Square

LAPD officer stabbed with butcher knife; suspect killed

Man still seeks surgery after taking knife to his stomach hernia

-- Carla Rivera

Image: Map shows location of where a woman was stabbed in Pacoima. Source: Mapping L.A.

Click for crime reports across L.A. County on The Times' interactive database

Work continues on water main break in Hollywood

Wilcox Utility crews Sunday morning continued to repair one of two early morning water main breaks.

An 8-inch pipe that connects to a 16-inch valve broke just after 3 a.m. near Wilcox Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, said Karen Hughes of the Department of Water and Power. She did not know how many customers were affected by the break.

“Our first priority is to stop any kind of flow and to make the necessary repairs and get it restored as quickly as possible,” Hughes said.

Another break, reported just after 1 a.m. at 4400 Victorine Street near Rose Hill Park in Montecito Heights, affected the residents of a nearby housing complex and was restored a few hours later, she said.

ALSO:

LAPD officer stabbed with butcher knife; suspect killed

Crystal Cathedral: $50-million offer -- if certain conditions met

Pellet fired from BB gun hits KABC's Leanne Suter; teens arrested

-- Paloma Esquivel

Image: Map shows location of a water main break in Hollywood. Source: Google Maps

Assault of hospital workers is common, Times investigation finds

Hospital violence
There is a new push to better protect hospital workers against violence, which some medical professionals and groups believe is rising, according to a Times investigation.

Nearly 40% of employees in California emergency rooms said they had been assaulted on the job in the previous year, according to a survey by UC San Francisco and other researchers in 2007. More than one in 10 emergency room nurses surveyed in 2010 said they had been attacked in the previous week, according to the Emergency Nurses Assn., which represents 40,000 emergency room nurses nationally.

The violence flares most often in emergency rooms and psychiatric wards, say staffers, researchers and security officials. In emergency rooms, waiting times have grown as increasing numbers of unemployed and uninsured patients seek basic care they can't afford to pay for in doctors' offices.

Staffers are obligated by law to evaluate anyone who comes in for treatment, said Michael B. Jackson, an emergency room nurse at UC San Diego Medical Center. He said that whether they be gang members, drug users, psychotic patients or just "people that get frustrated with wait times," they might act out.

ALSO:

$50-million offer for Crystal Cathedral

LAPD officer stabbed with butcher knife; suspect killed

Man still seeks surgery after taking knife to his stomach hernia

-- Jessica Garrison and Molly Hennessy-Fiske

Photo: Emergency room nurse Michael B. Jackson has been attacked on the job. Some patients give warnings, but “other times it just happens,” he said. Credit: Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times

Crystal Cathedral: $50-million offer -- if certain conditions met

Offer made for Crystal Cathedral

A Norco-based church has filed papers in federal bankruptcy court saying it will pay $50 million in cash for the financially troubled Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove on the condition that family members of cathedral founder Robert H. Schuller and staff members resign from the organization’s board of directors.

A letter and plan filed by My Father's House Church International is one of several proposals offered to the cathedral’s board of directors, which was reorganized this week. On Saturday, Crystal Cathedral spokesman John Charles said he did not believe the proposal was “a viable plan.”

According to a letter of intent filed Thursday, the Norco church would accept resignations from all Schuller family members and their bankruptcy lawyers if the proposal were accepted.

“There will be a respectful transition that allows everyone to leave with dignity, so everyone wins,” said founding Pastor Mark A. Thomas, who leads the church with his wife, Kimberley.

My Father's House Church broadcasts a twice-a-week program called “Latter Day Kings,” which officials say draws at least 10,000 viewers. The church would also set up an escrow fund to repay the cathedral’s debts, using 75% of donations received monthly.

The letter said that the “current church administration is perceived as self-serving.”

“A church can never prosper as a business once it has lost the trust and support of its “parishioners,” the letter read.

Thomas said in a phone interview Saturday that his church would evaluate staff members through the period of transition.

“We’re not coming in to hit people on the head and say goodbye on the first day,” he said.

He said that Robert H. Schuller will continue to be honored. “It is not a cut-off of what Dr. Schuller has done, it’s a continuation,” he said.

A bankruptcy hearing before Judge Robert Kwan is scheduled for Aug. 1 in Santa Ana.

RELATED:

Buena Park police officer dies after training exercise

Man still seeks surgery after taking knife to his stomach hernia

L.A. Police chief on the Dodgers beating case: 'We can do much better'

-- Nicole Santa Cruz

Photo: The Crystal Cathedral. Credit: Arkasha Stevenson / Los Angeles Times

Man seriously hurt in leap from third floor of skid row building

A distraught man jumped from the third-floor fire escape of a skid row building shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday and was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, authorities said.

The man, who had been threatening to jump since 4:30 a.m., missed an inflatable mattress the fire department had placed on the ground to try to catch him, said LAPD Sgt. David Lopez.

"He was able to jump past it," Lopez said. An LAPD Crisis Negotiation Team had been trying to talk the man down for hours. Lopez said the man was distraught over personal issues.

The building, which is owned by the Jonah Project, a Christian nonprofit organization, serves the homeless of skid row with food, housing and programs.

The man was taken immediately to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. "It wasn't looking good," Lopez said. "It appeared to be critical."

ALSO:

LAPD officer stabbed with butcher knife; suspect killed

Crystal Cathedral: $50-million offer -- if certain conditions met

Pellet fired from BB gun hits KABC's Leanne Suter; teens arrested

-- Raja Abdulrahim

Wild weather brings flooding, lightning, brush fires to Southland

 











 

A flash-flood warning remains in effect Sunday for parts for Southern California's mountains, high deserts and some inland valleys.

On Saturday, sudden bursts of intense rain caused flooding in several Inland Empire communities and left thousands without power in Victorville and the Antelope Valley.

Lightning sparked several small brush fires in the San Bernardino Mountains. Firefighters, with help of aircraft, were able to contain the fires.

Crime alerts for Hancock Park, Playa Vista and seven other L.A. neighborhoods

Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in nine L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times’ Crime L.A. database.

Five neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Hancock Park (A) was the most unusual, recording five reports compared with a weekly average of 0.8 over the last three months.

Playa Vista (F) topped the list of six neighborhoods with property crime alerts. It recorded 14 property crimes compared with its weekly average of 4.0 over the last three months.

Two neighborhoods triggered alerts for both violent and property crime.

Alerts are based on an analysis of crime reports for July 19–July 25, the most recent seven days for which data are available.

Ben Welsh, Thomas Suh Lauder

Camp Pendleton Marines in Afghanistan warned of Taliban threat

Chairman3

During a surprise visit Saturday with Marines and sailors from Camp Pendleton deployed in Afghanistan, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warned against complacency and said Taliban fighters could be planning increased attacks.

"We are in a time right now where ... the number of attacks is down," Adm. Mike Mullen told members of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. "That doesn't mean it isn't going to jump back up. You have been here when it did so that certainly could happen."

Mullen spoke to members of the 1/5 at Forward Operating Base Jackson. The battalion is assigned to Sangin, the onetime Taliban stronghold in Helmand province, the center of the region's poppy crop. The crop is turned into heroin, providing income for the insurgency.

From late April to late June, seven Marines from the battalion were killed. There have been no reported deaths in July.

Marines must continue pushing the Taliban farther away from Sangin, Mullen said: "There is still a lot of work to be done. I know that; you know that. In this province, you are at the core of completing what some people thought couldn't be done."

As the Taliban loses ground, its leaders could be forced "into making some decisions they haven't had to make in the past," Mullen said.

Mullen praised the progress of the Afghan security forces toward assuming responsibility for protecting the population of Helmand province, according to accounts of the visit made available by the Marine Corps.

"They are the way home" for U.S. troops, he said. "They're the ones who are going to have to take this over."

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Adm. Mike Mullen with Marines and sailors in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Credit: U.S. Marine Corps

Saturday, July 30, 2011

$50 million offer for Crystal Cathedral

A Norco-based church has filed papers in federal bankruptcy court saying it will pay $50 million in cash for the financially troubled Crystal Chathedral in Garden Grove on the condition that family members of cathedral founder Robert H. Schuller resign from the organization’s board of directors.

A letter and plan filed by My Fathers House Church International is one of several proposals offered to the cathedral’s board of directors, which was reorganized this week. On Saturday, Crystal Cathedral spokesman John Charles said he did not believe the proposal was “a viable plan.”

According to a letter of intent filed Thursday, the Norco church would accept resignations from all Schuller family members and their bankruptcy lawyers if the proposal were accepted.

“There will be a respectful transition that allows everyone to leave with dignity, so everyone wins,” said founding Pastor Mark A. Thomas, who leads the church with his wife, Kimberley.

The Fathers House Church broadcasts a twice-a-week program called “Latter Day Kings,” which officials say draws at least 10,000 viewers. The church would also set up an escrow fund to repay the cathedral’s debts, using 75% of donations received monthly.

The letter said that the “current church administration is perceived as self-serving.”

“A church can never prosper as a business once it has lost the trust and support of its “parishioners,” the letter read.

Thomas said in a phone interview Saturday that his church would evaluate staff members through the period of transition.

“We’re not coming in to hit people on the head and say goodbye on the first day,” he said.

He said that Robert H. Schuller will continue to be honored. “It is not a cut-off of what Dr. Schuller has done, it’s a continuation,” he said.

A bankruptcy hearing before Judge Robert Kwan is scheduled for Aug. 1 in Santa Ana.

--Nicole Santa Cruz

Reader photos: Southern California Moments, Day 211

Click through for more photos of Southern California Moments.

Angel in the infield: César Corona photographs Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick, playing against the Dodgers on June 25. The Angels won that day, 6-1, at Dodger Stadium.

Every day of 2011, we're featuring reader-submitted photos of Southern California Moments. For the first week of August, we challenge you to go mobile. Follow us on Twitter and visit the Southern California Moments homepage for more on this series.

Buena Park police officer dies after training exercise

A 31-year-old Buena Park police officer who showed signs of fatigue during a training exercise died Saturday at an Orange County hospital, authorities said.

Officer Daniel Ackerman was participating in a SWAT physical fitness test Friday at about 8:15 a.m. when he was rushed to St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, Buena Park Cpl. Andy Luong said. He died about 3:40 a.m. Saturday.

Ackerman, a resident of Irvine, appeared to be in good physical shape. “We just don’t know until the autopsy is completed,” Luong said.

Ackerman began with the department as a police Explorer in October 1995 and became a reserve officer in April 2001. He was hired full-time in June 2005. He is survived by his mother, sister and 2-year-old daughter.

The SWAT fitness test takes place every six months and involves an obstacle course and distance running.

ALSO:

Man still seeks surgery after taking knife to his stomach hernia

Car slams into parked police cruiser, injuring 4 LAPD officers

Bankrupt San Diego toll road to be  purchased by regional government

-- Corina Knoll

San Diego County regional government to buy bankrupt toll road

Tollroad 
A San Diego regional government organization has agreed to purchase the bankrupt State Route 125 toll road near the U.S.-Mexico border for approximately $345 million.

Opened in November 2007, the 10-mile toll road in southern San Diego County was described initially as an example for Los Angeles and other traffic-beset regions on how a private-public partnership could build new roads and ease congestion.

Instead it became a cautionary tale about risky assumptions, and the stubborn opposition of motorists to paying tolls. In March 2010 the road's operator filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, noting that traffic counts were less than 50% of projections.

Tolls were based on the size of vehicle and distance of the trip. For most cars, a short trip has cost 85 cents, the entire 10-miles, $4.

The road stretches from State Route 905 near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry north through eastern Chula Vista to State Route 54 near the Sweetwater Reservoir.

The San Diego Assn. of Governments, governed by a board composed of officials from the region's 18 cities and the Board of Supervisors, voted in closed session Friday to make the purchase, once a public hearing is held.

Under the new ownership, the road won't be free but tolls will be reduced, officials said.

ALSO:

Exonerated beating suspect wants judge to ‘do the right thing’

Bel-Air billionaire and philanthropist John Anderson dies at 93

Officials intercept destructive beetle on Costa Rica pineapples

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Choir members from Bonita Vista High School cavort along the South Bay Expressway, a.k.a. State Route 125, at the toll road's dedication in November 2007. Credit: Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times

 

 

Car slams into parked police cruiser, injuring 4 LAPD officers

Four LAPD officers responding to a party call in West Hills were hurt -- one seriously -- early Saturday morning when a woman apparently fell asleep behind the wheel of a sports car and collided with one of their parked patrol cars, authorities said.

The accident took place about 2 a.m on Fallbrook Avenue just north of Victory Boulevard. Two officers were outside their patrol cars and two others were nearby when the sports car, a late-model black Jaguar, slammed into one of the cruisers, police said.

The impact led to a chain reaction in which two officers were hit by their patrol car, which hit another cruiser, injuring the other two officers.

Three officers were taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center. One was in serious condition with unspecified internal injuries and a broken leg. There other two officers were treated at the hospital and released.

Investigators determined that the woman, who was also taken to the hospital, was not intoxicated. She too was treated and released.

"The officers were extremely fortunate not to have suffered more devastating injuries than they did," said LAPD Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger.

"Although the collision remains under investigation, the incident serves as a reminder to all motorists of their obligation to remain attentive and alert whenever they're behind the wheel."

ALSO:

Exonerated beating suspect wants judge to ‘do the right thing’

Bel-Air billionaire and philanthropist John Anderson dies at 93

Officials intercept destructive beetle on Costa Rica pineapples


-- Andrew Blankstein (Twitter: @Anblanx)

Man still seeks surgery after taking knife to his stomach hernia

Glendale resident Maria Demestihas holds a photo of her husband Nicholas at their home on Wednesday, July 27, 2011. Nicholas attempted to perform surgery on himself last weekend with a 6-inch butter knife. (

A man who used a butter knife to try to remove a football-sized hernia protruding from his stomach is still trying to get doctors to treat him, his wife said.

For several days now, Maria Demestihas told the Glendale News-Press, she's been at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, pleading desperately with doctors to treat the hernia.

Her husband, Nicholas Demestihas, was taken to a hospital earlier this week after he attempted to perform surgery on himself. Doctors addressed the knife wound but left the hernia alone. Maria Demestihas said her husband’s schizophrenia has made it more difficult for him to solicit surgery.

“The issue is the money because we don’t have insurance,” she said. “If he had insurance, they would do it right away.”

--Veronica Rocha, Times Community News

Photo: Glendale resident Maria Demestihas holds a photo of her husband, Nicholas, at their home on Wednesday. He attempted to perform surgery on himself with a 6-inch butter knife. Credit: Roger Wilson / Times Community News

459,000 marijuana plants removed, 100 arrested in huge crackdown

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef012876d02ef3970c-800wi

Federal authorities said they have made 100 arrests in a crackdown on marijuana cultivation in Mendocino National Forest.

At a press conference Friday, Melinda Haag, U.S. attorney for the northern district of California, said the forest is "under attack" by armed drug traffickers.

"People don't go hiking in the summer" for fear of coming across the marijuana cultivators, she said. "I tell people be careful when they go hiking. This is an intolerable situation and it has to be stopped."

Friday, July 29, 2011

Group seeks probe of Crystal Cathedral board shake-up

The organizers of an online petition seeking an independent board of directors for the financially troubled Crystal Cathedral called on the federal bankruptcy trustee Friday to "investigate the validity" of the church's recent board shake-up.

The Garden Grove church, which is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, announced Wednesday that its board had been expanded from five members to nine and restored founder Robert H. Schuller to voting status.  The new configuration means five members are independent.

"While the changes reflect a movement that appears to be in the right direction, it does not address the basic issues of conflict of interest and self-imposed positions by the Schuller family," according to a statement released by petition organizers.

The new board consists of Schuller; his wife, Arvella; daughter and senior pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman; son-in-law Jim Penner; and five independent members. Schuller Coleman serves as a non-voting member and interim chairwoman.

The board is considering at least four offers to buy the property, which would allow the church to exit bankruptcy.

Truck driver convicted on lesser charges in fatal 2009 accident

Marcos Costa verdict A truck driver involved in a fatal 2009 collision off Angeles Crest Highway was convicted Friday of two counts of vehicular manslaughter, but the jury found him not guilty of the more serious second-degree murder charges.

Marcos Costa, 46, also was convicted of three counts of reckless driving causing an injury, but acquitted of two second-degree murder charges, the Glendale News-Press reports.

Costa's big rig lost its brakes as he traveled along Angeles Crest Highway. The runaway car-hauler sped through the intersection at Foothill Boulevard in La Cañada Flintridge and slammed into a vehicle carrying Palmdale residents Angel Posca, 58, and his 12-year-old daughter, Angelina, killing them.

Several other cars were hit, and the truck wound up in a bookstore.

Exonerated beating suspect wants judge to ‘do the right thing’

Giovanniramirez Giovanni Ramirez, the exonerated suspect in the beating of San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow at Dodger Stadium, issued a statement Friday saying he is "upset" at being wrongly accused.

Ramirez was arrested in May and Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck had said he was confident police had arrested the right man. But Ramirez was never charged.

"More than anything, I'm upset. Not for myself, but for the grief and embarrassment that my friends, family, and loved ones have been put through," Ramirez said in a statement released by his attorney.

Ramirez was on parole for a firearms possession conviction. During a search of the apartment where he was arrested, police found a gun under a mound of clothes in a laundry basket and the parole board concluded that Ramirez violated his parole by having "access to the firearm" and ordered that he serve 10 months in prison.

California moves presidential primary back to June

California’s next presidential primary will be one of the last in the nation thanks to a measure signed Friday by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Historically, the California primary has been held in late spring, toward the end of the nominating process and long after the presidential primary fights have been settled.

State lawmakers moved the primary to February before the 2008 presidential contest in hopes that the most populous state in the nation would play a pivotal role in deciding the next major party presidential nominees.

With President Obama running for reelection, statehouse Democrats backed a bill to move the primary back to June in the name of saving money.

$10,000 reward offered in theft of rifles from Army base [Updated]

Photo: A soldier walks past a dome shelter powered by solar panels and wind turbine at Fort Irwin in the Mojave desert. Credit: Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times A $10,000 reward has been offered for information in the July 15 theft of 27 rifles from Ft. Irwin, officials announced Friday.

Twenty-six AK-47 rifles and a Dragunov rifle were stolen from a supply warehouse at the Army post at Ft. Irwin, in the Mojave Desert near Barstow. [Updated at 5:02 p.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly identified the weapons as AK-74 rifles, based on a news release from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.]

Officials from several different agencies have investigated the theft, and said Friday that an undisclosed number of arrests have been made and one of the rifles recovered. Investigators are now asking the public's help in identifying other people who might have been involved and in finding the other 26 weapons.

Wrongly accused Dodger Stadium beating suspect wants judge to ‘do the right thing’

Giovanniramirez Giovanni Ramirez, the exonerated suspect in the beating of San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow at Dodger Stadium, issued a statement Friday saying he is "upset" at being wrongly accused.

Ramirez was arrested in May and Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck had said he was confident police had arrested the right man. But Ramirez was never charged.

"More than anything, I'm upset. Not for myself, but for the grief and embarrassment that my friends, family, and loved ones have been put through," Ramirez said in a statement released by his attorney.

Ramirez was on parole for a firearms possession conviction. During a search of the apartment where he was arrested, police found a gun under a mound of clothes in a laundry basket and the parole board concluded that Ramirez violated his parole by having "access to the firearm" and ordered that he serve 10 months in prison.

$10,000 reward offered in theft of rifles from Army base

Photo: A soldier walks past a dome shelter powered by solar panels and wind turbine at Fort Irwin in the Mojave desert. Credit: Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times A $10,000 reward has been offered for information in the July 15 theft of 27 rifles from Ft. Irwin, officials announced Friday.

Twenty-six AK-74 rifles and a Dragunov rifle were stolen from a supply warehouse at the Army post at Ft. Irwin, in the Mojave Desert near Barstow.

Officials from several different agencies have investigated the theft, and said Friday that an undisclosed number of arrests have been made and one of the rifles recovered. Investigators are now asking the public's help in identifying other people who might have been involved and in finding the other 26 weapons.

Reader photos: Southern California Moments, Day 210

Click through for more photos of Southern California Moments.

High-wire ornithology: Kristina Krause photographs birds on electrical lines at the edge of her property in Glendale on July 21.

Every day of 2011, we're featuring reader-submitted photos of Southern California Moments. For the first week of August, we challenge you to go mobile. Follow us on Twitter and visit the Southern California Moments homepage for more on this series.

Bel-Air billionaire and philanthopist John Anderson dies at 93

Johnanderson John E. Anderson, a billionaire Bel-Air businessman and philanthropist who founded Topa Equities Ltd. and was the namesake of UCLA's graduate school of management, died Friday morning. He was 93.

Anderson died of pneumonia at UCLA Medical Center, a family spokesperson said.

A self-made man who was ranked No. 153 on Forbes' list of the 400 richest Americans in 2010 with a net worth of $2.4 billion, Anderson was the founder, president and chief executive of privately owned Topa Equities Ltd.

X Games: LAPD will be enforcing teen curfew

http://latimesphoto.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/x-games-1701.jpg

With X Games 17 in downtown Los Angeles this weekend, Los Angeles police are warning minors and their parents that authorities will enforcement the city’s curfew rules.

According to the L.A. municipal code, unaccompanied children under the age of 18 are generally not permitted in public places -– including streets, parks or buildings -– between 10 p.m. and sunrise, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

There are exceptions to the rule, however: if the minor is running an errand for his parent or legal guardian, traveling to or from an event or work, or in emergency situations. Exceptions also are made if the minor is traveling in a car or is on a sidewalk next to his home.

State fines Stockton nursing home $100,000 after patient death

Creekside Care Center in Stockton was fined $100,000 Friday after a state investigation found inadequate care led to the death of a resident, according to officials at the California Department of Public Health.

Regulators found staff at the nursing home failed to treat an elderly, wheelchair-bound patient after her left thigh bone broke mysteriously in October 2008, a serious injury that led her to suffer cardio-respiratory distress days later, according to the investigation. She died in the emergency room.

Document: Read the full state investigation

A Creekside administrator did not return calls.

On Friday, state regulators issued the nursing home an “AA” citation, the most severe penalty under state law..

[Updated at 2:10 p.m.: In response, the nursing home filed a required plan of correction with the department. In the plan, officials promised to retrain staff to better monitor and follow up on changes in residents’ condition. They also promised to audit all changes in residents’ condition daily. The plan was accepted by regulators July 6, according to a department spokesman.]

Creekside Care Center is a private, for-profit 75-bed facility, part of a chain of nursing homes. It earned three out of five stars in the federal Nursing Home Compare rating system.

ALSO:

Some cities say they'll keep red-light cameras operating

Clark Gable's grandson arrested in laser-pointing incident

Laguna Woods OKs shooting of coyotes by professionals

-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske

Bell sues its former city attorney, claiming faulty legal advice

Edwardlee

The city of Bell filed a malpractice lawsuit against its former city attorney and his two law firms Thursday, alleging that they were given faulty legal advice.

The suit contends that attorney Edward Lee provided legal advice that allowed Bell officials -- including former city Administrator Robert Rizzo and City Council members -- to receive extraordinary salaries and benefits. The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, also alleges that Lee gave the city poor advice regarding a variety of subjects, including business license fees and loans that Rizzo gave to employees.    

The lawsuit singles out Lee's most recent firm, Best Best & Krieger, for allegedly failing to properly advise Bell on a $35-million bond offering in 2007.

"The city attorney was responsible for preventing the abuses of power by the prior city government that left the city in its current difficult financial situation," Bell's attorney, William Stoner, said in a news release. "The lawsuit seeks to place responsibility for not protecting against those abuses of power where it belongs and obtain just compensation from those responsible."

Lee had been Bell's city attorney for 15 years, first with Oliver Sandifer & Murphy and, for the last four years, with Best Best & Krieger. He resigned from Best Best & Krieger shortly after The Times revealed that Rizzo's salary was nearly $800,000 a year.

Duff Murphy of Oliver Sandifer & Murphy said he didn't know about the suit.

Video: LAPD rescues man dangling from 13th floor of building

 

Police saved a man from jumping off the 13th floor of a downtown Los Angeles apartment building Thursday – and it was all caught on video.

A man in his 30s climbed to the roof of the building in the 100 block of West 7th Street at about 6 p.m., upset because of a breakup with his girlfriend, police said. Responding officers managed to handcuff the man to a metal railing to prevent him from falling over the edge.

The dramatic two-minute video, recorded by a witness and referenced in an LAPD news release, shows the man dangling over the edge of the building, and several officers working to bring him in. The man was eventually pulled to a concrete ledge on the building. Firefighters eventually cut the metal railing, removing it and the man.

Officials said the man bit the arm of an officer during the rescue.

The man was not arrested, but taken to an area hospital for evaluation and placed on a 72-hour hold.

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Laguna Woods OKs shooting of coyotes by professionals

‘Octomom’ Nadya Suleman says she was drugged when she consented to IVF procedure

-- Kate Mather

Video credit: via YouTube

US Airways to inspect plane after irritating smell reported

LAX
A US Airways airplane has been removed from service for inspection after passengers reported an irritating smell in the cabin.

Several people on Flight 1431 from Charlotte, N.C., to Los Angeles complained of minor eye and throat irritation. As a precaution, L.A. Fire Department paramedics were summoned to the aircraft after landing.

Two passengers were evaluated at the scene and released, US Airways spokesperson Valerie Wunder said. Four flight attendants went to the hospital to be evaluated, a mandatory practice when there is possible exposure to fumes or smoke, she said.

There were 183 passengers and six crew members on board. Authorities said all seemed in good condition and that no emergency landing was necessary.

ALSO:

Some cities say they'll keep red-light cameras operating

Clark Gable's grandson arrested in laser-pointing incident

Laguna Woods OKs shooting of coyotes by professionals

-- Dan Weikel

Photo: A plane prepares to land while being framed by the Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport. Credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

Man questioned in string of North Hollywood fires

North Hollywood fires
A homeless man was detained and questioned Friday morning in connection with a string of suspicious fires in North Hollywood, officials said.

The man was sleeping in his car next to a bag of burning paper in a parking lot, prompting authorities to detain him for questioning, said Los Angeles Fire Department arson investigators. He was later released, they said.

Firefighters responded to at least a dozen fires between 2 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. Sunday, and other  incidents are under investigation in connection with the case, officials said.

Most of the fires were set to vehicles in carports that extended into nearby structures along Lankershim Boulevard between Burbank Boulevard and Saticoy Street.

Though most were set Sunday, officials said the first was in the early morning hours of July 21.

People on flight at LAX report eye, respiratory irritations [Updated]

Lax

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded Friday morning to reports of people complaining of minor eye and respiratory irritation on an incoming flight at LAX.

Eight people were treated, four of them taken to hospitals as a precaution, fire officials said.

They did not know if those taken to the hospital were passengers or crew memers nor whether they were all seated in the same general area. It was unclear what airline it belonged to.

[Updated at 11:57 a.m.: Airport officials said it was a U.S. Airways flight.]

All seemed in good spirits, officials said.

Officials said it was not an emergency landing, and the Federal Aviation Administration had no information.

Firefighters did not notice any odor or irritant when the boarded the plane.

ALSO:

Some cities say they'll keep red-light cameras operating

Clark Gable's grandson arrested in laser-pointing incident

Laguna Woods OKs shooting of coyotes by professionals

-- Mike Anton

Citizens panel gives initial approval to new political districts

Redistricting

A citizens panel on Friday gave tentative approval to new political boundaries in California despite complaints from Republican and African American activists that the maps are not fair.

Republican Michael Ward, a chiropractor from Anaheim, was the only member of the 14-person Citizens Redistricting Commission to vote against the draft maps for state Legislature and Board of Equalization districts. He was joined by Republican attorney Jodie Filkins Webber from Norco in voting against maps for California's congressional districts.

Ward said the commission failed to "take politics and special interests" out of the decision-making.

The process, which now moves to two weeks of public comment before a final vote, was open and fair, said Helen Hutchison, vice president of the League of Women Voters of California.

Most members of the commission said they were satisfied that they had balanced the demands of the state's many ethnic, social and cultural groups in drafting the maps.

"I think this is a fantastic set of maps," said Commissioner Peter Yao, a Republican who is the former mayor of Claremont. "We made every attempt to satisfy as many people as we could. I think across the board most people will feel satisfied with the maps. No doubt about it, these maps are fair."

Even so, commissioners have taken action, including retaining legal advisors, to prepare for lawsuits.

ALSO:

 Some cities say they'll keep red-light cameras operating

 Clark Gable's grandson arrested in laser-pointing incident

Laguna Woods OKs shooting of coyotes by professionals

-- Patrick McGreevy in Sacramento

California redistricting

Districts were assigned names for the first draft of the maps. The customary numbers normally used to identify districts will not be assigned until the the second set of maps is released. (Allan James Vestal, Thomas Suh Lauder, Sandra Poindexter and Ben Welsh)

Click for interactive graphic: Has your district been redrawn?

Photo: Carson Mayor Jim Dear, seen with a redistricting map behind him, comments at a hearing last month. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

People on flight at LAX report eye, respiratory irritations

Lax

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded Friday morning to reports of people complaining of minor eye and respiratory irritation on an incoming flight at LAX.

Eight people were treated, four of them taken to hospitals as a precaution, fire officials said.

They did not know if those taken to the hospital were passengers or crew memers nor whether they were all seated in the same general area. It was unclear what airline it belonged to.

All seemed in good spirits, officials said.

Officials said it was not an emergency landing, and the Federal Aviation Administration had no information.

Firefighters did not notice any odor or irritant when the boarded the plane.

ALSO:

Some cities say they'll keep red-light cameras operating

Clark Gable's grandson arrested in laser-pointing incident

Laguna Woods OKs shooting of coyotes by professionals

-- Mike Anton

Near-riot in Hollywood: LAPD to review video footage

Los Angeles police said they plan to scour the Internet for videos that have surfaced showing the melee that erupted in Hollywood this week after an unexpected crowd converged at the film premiere of the "Electric Daisy Carnival Experience."

Some videos show footage of people jumping on police cars and throwing objects, actions that could result in criminal prosecutions, officials said.

Police did the same thing after the mayhem that followed the Lakers' victory in the 2010 NBA Finals.

Although Wednesday's ruckus forced the closure of Hollywood Boulevard for several hours, only three people were arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism in connection with damage to the windshields and roofs of three police cruisers.

The screening for the movie, which documented one of the nation's largest electronic dance parties, had been a private, invitation-only event promoted for weeks. But a popular DJ known as Kaskade may have inadvertently encouraged hundreds of uninvited fans to converge on Hollywood when he tweeted about a block party.

"What he tried to pull off at the Chinese Theatre was a marvelous stunt that went terribly wrong," said Michael Duddie, general manager of Supperclub Los Angeles, which invited the DJ to perform at an after-party but did not organize his actions in connection with the film. "I don't think he knows the gravity of his popularity."

Kaskade had tricked out a flatbed truck with his equipment -- and had planned to roll up, play two songs and head into the premiere, Los Angeles fire officials said. The event was permitted by the Los Angeles Fire Department, which planned a 30-minute lane closure of Hollywood Boulevard "with amplified music on the back of a flatbed truck," according to the permit.

But when hundreds of people showed up, the plan was aborted before he arrived at the theater.

RELATED:

DJ's "marvelous stunt" went "terribly wrong"

Near-riot in Hollywood: Debate over who is to blame

"'Electric Daisy" premiere near-riot recalls 1990 Depeche Mode chaos

-- Andrew Blankstein

Cooking With Summer Tomatoes

Few foods are as versatile as the tomato, as Martha Rose Shulman demonstrates in this week’s Recipes for Health. She offers tomatoes that are Sicilian and stuffed, slow roasted, sweet and sour, souped up or succulent in salad.

Check out Ms. Shulman’s five new tomato recipes below.

Tomato, Spelt and Herb Salad: This is a light summer chopped salad with chewy and crunchy textures. Give it time to marinate for the best flavor.

Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes With Basil Oil: Once roasted, cherry tomatoes become even sweeter. Serve these as an appetizer or side dish.

Tomato Straciatella: Tomatoes make an unusual appearance in this Italian-style egg drop soup.

Sicilian Stuffed Tomatoes: These stuffed tomatoes can be made more flavorful with additional anchovies.

Sweet and Sour Eggplant, Tomatoes and Chickpeas: Pomegranate molasses makes this Lebanese dish both sweet and sour.

Raids in Oceanside net meth, cash, guns and dynamite

Raids by a law enforcement task force investigating the trafficking of weapons and guns by gangs in northern San Diego County have scooped up an unusually large haul.

More than a pound of methamphetamine, $23,000 in cash, six firearms and four sticks of dynamite were found when warrants were served on two homes and a storage unit in Oceanside, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

Marvin Wight, 31, who lived at one of the homes, was arrested on suspicion of parole violation, officials said.

The warrants were served by investigators from the North County Regional Gang Task Force, which includes officers from local, state and federal agencies.

ALSO:

Union workers at Angel Stadium authorize strike

Horse killed, owner stung by swarms of bees in Riverside

California Supreme Court to hear Proposition 8 case Sept. 6

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

‘Octomom’ Nadya Suleman says she was drugged when she consented to IVF procedure

Nadyasuleman

Octuplets mom Nadya Suleman told celebrity doctor Drew Pinksy in an interview that she was drugged when she signed a consent form giving her fertility doctor permission to transfer 12 embryos.

"He wrote something, he gave it to me to sign," Suleman said during the HLN interview Thursday night. "I signed it, and I didn't read it."

She said she was on a "cocktail of drugs," including Valium for treatment of health problems.

The California Medical Board on July 1 revoked the medical license of Beverly Hills fertility doctor Michael Kamrava. The panel ruled that Kamrava "did not exercise sound judgment" in the transfer of 12 embryos to Suleman. Kamrava was accused by the attorney general's office of being grossly negligent in his treatment of Suleman and two other female patients: a 48-year-old who suffered complications after she became pregnant with quadruplets and a 42-year-old diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer after receiving fertility treatments.

Suleman gained notoriety after she gave birth to octuplets in January 2009. She was a single mother, living on public assistance and she already had six children. All 14 of her children were conceived through in vitro fertilization.

Suleman became widely known as "Octomom" and told Pinksy that she was speaking out to rebut being made into a "parody without permission."

"I have the spotlight, I know it's my responsibility [for my kids] to brush it away and get rid of the Octomom character," she said in the interview.

RELATED:

‘Octomom’ doctor's license to be revoked, state medical board rules

‘Octomom’ Nadya Suleman ignored advice, her doctor testifies

'Octomom' Nadya Suleman's 'disgusting' spanking video was a 'joke,' lawyer says

-- Kimi Yoshino

Photo: Nadya Suleman. Credit: Fox

Burning body found in Cypress Park

Burning body found in Cypress Park
A body was found burning in the Cypress Park neighborhood early Friday.

Firefighters responded to a report of a fire in an alley near Avenue 28 and Figueroa Street at 2:13 a.m., said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

There they discovered the burning body.

A crime scene was established and the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County coroner's office were called in. They are investigating the death.

ALSO:

DJ's 'marvelous stunt' went 'terribly wrong’

Homeless man killed in Fullerton police brawl; witnesses sought

Former LAX policewoman awarded nearly $1 million for gender discrimination

-- Kate Mather

Photo: Scene where burning body was found in Cypress Park. Credit: KTLA-TV.

Laguna Woods OKs shooting of coyotes by professionals

Pooh, a Yorkie, was killed in Laguna Woods coyote attack In the wake of a coyote attack that left a dog dead and its owner injured, the Laguna Woods City Council has voted to allow professionals to shoot the wild animals.

Before Thursday's vote, only a police officer could shoot a gun in the city, and then only in the line of duty.

Now the city manager and police chief have the authority to issue permits to licensed exterminators, veterinarians or other animal-control professionals, allowing them to shoot coyotes.

The move comes after an uptick in coyote attacks in recent months, with several small dogs and cats having been killed.

The wild animals also have become more bold around residents.

On Tuesday, Karen Sherif, 64, was walking her Yorkshire terrier, Pooh, when a coyote snatched the dog and ran off, officials said.

Sherif, who was holding Pooh's leash, was dragged to the ground and suffered several cuts and bruises. The dog was killed.

In May, officials said, a woman was bitten in the hand when she tried to save her dog from a coyote.

Breast-Feeding Doll Is Coming to America

There’s a new doll entering the American toy market called The Breast Milk Baby. In addition to the doll, little girls (and boys) get a halter-top that they can wear, with two flowers that symbolize breasts.

As the doll’s mouth is brought to the flowers it makes a sucking sound, as if it is drinking milk. Afterwards, the doll cries until it is burped.

“The whole purpose behind a doll is to pretend like you’re a parent,” said Dennis Lewis, the American representative for Berjuan Toys, the Spanish company that makes the dolls. “The dolls are meant to just let kids play as mommies and daddies naturally.”

The company will not officially introduce the doll until a trade show in Las Vegas this weekend, though it has been sold in Europe. But already the doll has stirred up controversy here. Fox News host Bill O’Reilly declared the doll inappropriate for children. “I just want the kids to be kids,” he said. There’s even a Facebook page calling for a ban on the doll, though another Facebook page promoting the doll has far more fans.

The controversy brings up an interesting question about what sort of doll is appropriate. By letting little girls play with dolls that come with baby bottles — and there are many to choose from — are we conditioning them to think that the bottle is better than the breast?

“The question’s a legitimate one — it’s that whether we’re sending an implicit message to little girls,” said Charles Nelson, a professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at Harvard Medical School. “I think, though, you probably don’t have to worry; I don’t think it’s going to wind up swaying kids in either direction.”

Dr. Nelson said that while he was only speculating based on his own experience, he thinks that children will form their opinions based on what they see over many years, not from a single doll.

“Dolls are very important, and admittedly dolls can send certain messages. Barbie is the classic example, but there are a lot of other messages kids are getting from different places,” he said.

There are no scientific papers on The Breast Milk Baby, though the company says child psychologists, schoolteachers and mothers were involved in its development. But researchers have studied other dolls.

Last year, in a paper published in the journal Sex Roles, psychologists studied girls ages 6 to 10. Some were given thin dolls like Barbie to play with; others got dolls of average girth. Afterwards, the girls who had played with the thin dolls were likely to eat less food than those who had played with the average-sized dolls.

Joanna Koch, a lactation consultant at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in the San Francisco Bay Area who works with mothers struggling with breast-feeding, is doubtful that playing with dolls with bottles has a long-term effect. “There’s so much more that goes into breast-feeding,” she said.

The percentage of mothers in the United States who exclusively breast-feed at three and six months, as recommended by the World Health Organization, remains low. Nationwide, although three out of four mothers breastfeed their babies at birth, only about 33 percent exclusively breast-feed at three months and 13.3 percent exclusively breast-feed at six months, according to a survey done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year.

In some states, the numbers are extremely low. In Kentucky, West Virginia, Mississippi and Louisiana, less than 60 percent of mothers have ever tried breast-feeding at all.

Some mothers might not have the time to breastfeed after they go back to work. Others simply can’t breast-feed for medical reasons, Ms. Koch said.

Ms. Koch said that in her experience, the decision to breast-feed comes from having access to research on its benefits. And, she added, women make the decision to breast-feed not when they are children, but as they begin to plan families and when they are pregnant.

While she sees the potential benefit in The Breast Milk Baby, she says it’s unlikely that it will catch on in America.

“If you take your 5-year-old out in public and she’s breast-feeding her baby doll, some would find it cute — I would find it adorable — and some would be shocked,” she said.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Union workers at Angel Stadium authorize strike

Angels fans at anaheim stadium

Workers at Angel Stadium in Anaheim voted Thursday to authorize a strike in response to a wage freeze instituted by stadium management.

The vote gives the workers’ union, SEIU United Service Workers West, the right to call a strike at any time, according to a statement from the union.

Anaheim Stadium workers -- janitors, ushers and ticket-takers -- are the lowest paid at any of the major stadiums in California, the union says. Attendance at the stadium, it says, is fifth highest in Major League Baseball. The Angels' baseball team payroll, the union says, is $140 million.

Stadium officials did not respond to a request for comment.

ALSO:

Glendale considers ban on marijuana stores

L.A. is one step closer to privatizing zoo

Local day laborers: Older, undocumented, undereducated

 -- Sam Quinones

Photo: The dugout and stands at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

Jury deliberates elections code violation case against judge

A jury has begun deliberating in the case of a Los Angeles County Superior Court commissioner accused of offering to pay his only opponent to switch races so he could run unopposed.

Family court Judge Harvey Silberman, who was ultimately elected to Superior Court Seat 69 in the 2008 race, faces an allegation of violating the elections code by signing off on a proposal to pay the $1,787 it would have cost his opponent to run for a different seat. The code makes it a felony to pay or solicit money to dissuade someone from running for public office.

In closing arguments Thursday, a prosecutor told jurors that phone records and testimony showed Silberman had authorized his campaign consultant to make the offer to his opponent, Deputy Dist. Atty. Serena Murillo. Silberman was worried about running against Murillo because she is Latina, Deputy Atty. Gen. Zee Rodriguez argued.

An attorney for the judge, who has been off the bench since he was indicted in 2009, said whatever offer was made was the work of rogue, overzealous campaign consultants acting of their own accord.

Silberman’s two consultants, who were also indicted, have since pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and testified against their former client. The judge’s attorney, Shepard Kopp, contended that the consultants, Evelyn Alexander and Alan Steinberg, took the stand out of self interest and told jurors their testimony should not be believed.

If convicted, Silberman faces a maximum sentence of three years in state prison.

ALSO:

Tow truck crashes into Yoshinoya restaurant in Koreatown

Local day laborers: Older, undocumented, undereducated

Silver Star revoked for former Clinton defense official now in prison

-- Victoria Kim

Stolen loot discovered in Kern County lake

Divers search in a Kern County lake.

An errant golf shot led to the latest discovery of loot from a theft ring that apparently dumped its booty into the murky shallows of a Kern County lake.

A suspect who may have ties to the thefts was arraigned on a separate charge of receiving stolen property.

Divers recovered a trove of pilfered goods July 20 from the floor of Four Island Lake in Bear Valley Springs, an unincorporated community west of Tehachapi.

The two dozen items included iPhones, iPods, GPS devices, a flat-screen television and power tools, such as sanders and chain saws. Also recovered was a 12-gauge shotgun.

While some items were in bags, the bags were not water tight.

Investigators suspect thieves were not planning a later salvage operation, but rather disposing of evidence, possibly out of fear investigators might be closing in.

For burglarized residents, investigators had good news and bad, said Sgt. David Watts of the Bear Valley Police Department: “The bad news is I don’t think it’s going to work anymore.”

“The only thing that would come in on that TV is Nemo,” and only if Nemo “swam in,” said Watts referring to the animated fish character in the film “Finding Nemo.”

The divers were supplied by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, whose divers frequently have the grim task of recovering human remains from oceans, lakes and rivers.

Jury deadlocks on charges against truck driver in fatal crash

Marcoscosta

This post has been corrected. See the note at the bottom for details.

The jury in the murder trial for the driver of a runaway big rig that killed a 12-year-old girl and her father two years ago in La Cañada Flintridge reported Thursday that it had reached verdicts on the two counts of second-degree murder, but was deadlocked on the lesser charges of involuntary manslaughter.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court judge sent the jury back to deliberate on the involuntary manslaughter charges against the driver, 46-year-old Marcos Costa, the Glendale News-Press reports.

The courtroom in Pasadena was packed with supporters of Costa, and family and friends of the victims, Palmdale resident Angel Posca, 58, and his 12-year-old daughter, Angelina.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Carolina Lugo had argued that Costa acted with willful disregard for human life as he proceeded down Angeles Crest Highway and the truck's brakes went out, sending it barreling through Foothill Boulevard, striking several cars and crashing into a bookstore.

Costa's defense had portrayed the horrific crash an accident, one that he tried to steer out of despite losing control of the big rig.

The verdict marked the beginning of the end of a long chapter in which Costa was forced to accept professional legal help after a failed attempt to represent himself in trial. Testimony in the weeks-long proceedings included the scientific and the emotional as witnesses recalled the violent events of the crash.

One of them, Melissa Watkins, the bookstore's inventory manager at the time, testified that she and Costa locked eyes for a brief moment while the 25-ton truck barreled toward the store.

"I saw the horror on his face," she said. "His eyes were bulging out of his head."

ALSO:

Stolen loot discovered in Kern County lake

Former Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu found dead in Rancho Palos Verdes

Rep. Howard Berman proposes helicopter noise bill for L.A.

-- Jason Wells and Daniel Siegal, Times Community News

Photo: Marcos Costa. Credit: Times Community News

For the record, 6:02 p.m., July 28: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated in the text and the headline that the jury was hung on the second-degree murder charges. The jury is deadlocked on involuntary manslaughter charges.

California Supreme Court to hear Proposition 8 case Sept. 6

The  legal battle over Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure that reinstated a ban on same-sex marriage, will go before the California Supreme Court on Sept. 6, when the justices will hear arguments on whether initiative proponents are entitled to defend measures they sponsored.

The state high court scheduled the hearing for 10 a.m. at its San Francisco courtroom. The justices will then have 90 days to decide whether state law gives proponents of ballot measures like Proposition 8 legal standing to defend them in court when state officials refuse to do so.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has postponed a decision on the marriage ban's constitutionality pending clarification of state law by the California court. If the federal appeals court determines the opponents of gay marriage lack the right to appeal last August's ruling against Proposition 8, that ruling would likely become law.

California's top court has traditionally given wide latitude to initiative sponsors but has never before ruled on whether they can take the place of state officials in appealing court decisions. State officials have refused to defend Proposition 8.

ALSO:

Former LAX policewoman awarded nearly $1 million for gender discrimination

Homeless man killed in Fullerton police brawl; witnesses sought

DJ's 'marvelous stunt' went 'terribly wrong’

Lady Gaga fans line up early for Hollywood concert

-- Maura Dolan

Your commute: Live L.A. traffic conditions

Lady Gaga fans line up early for Hollywood concert

Lady gaga fans await pop diva's appearance

Hundreds of people lined up early Thursday along Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in the hopes of getting a glimpse and maybe an autograph from Lady Gaga.

The pop diva is scheduled to perform a concert at 7:30 p.m. and tape an appearance on the late-night talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live" -- which is filmed at the El Capitan Theater across the street from Grauman’s Chinese Theater, where a DJ's would-be block party got out of hand Wednesday night.

Dozens of police officers -- including 20 authorized to work overtime -- were on patrol in advance of Lady Gaga's appearance. The area was still recovering from disturbances the previous evening between police and thousands of people who showed up for a promised block party outside the premiere of a film about the Electric Daisy Carnival music festival.

Some Lady Gaga fans said they’d been in line since 4 a.m. Damien Hamlin drove from Bakersfield, arriving at 10 a.m.

“I love Lady Gaga for her message,” said Hamlin, 17. “Her shows are life-changing.”

Concert organizers had blocked off Hawthorn Avenue, parallel to Hollywood Boulevard, next to a parking lot where the concert is to take place. Promoters were expecting 2,000 people -- up from an original estimate of 1,000, most of whom had been given free tickets through radio and online promotions.

ALSO:

Stolen loot discovered in Kern County lake

Dog shot with arrow in Riverside is euthanized

Former Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu found dead in Rancho Palos Verdes

-- Sam Quinones

Photo: Michael Adame, left, and Edgar Sandoval came from Orange County to attend Lady Gaga's Thursday night concert. Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times

 

Jury is hung on murder charges against driver in fatal crash

Marcoscosta
The jury in the murder trial for the driver of a runaway big rig that killed a 12-year-old girl and her father two years ago in La Cañada Flintridge was unable to agree on a verdict on two murder charges.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court judge sent the jury back to deliberate on lesser charges of involuntary manslaughter for the driver, 46-year-old Marcos Costa, the Glendale News-Press reports.

The courtroom in Pasadena was packed with supporters of Costa, and family and friends of the victims, Palmdale resident Angel Posca, 58, and his 12-year-old daughter, Angelina.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Carolina Lugo had argued that Costa acted with willful disregard for human life as he proceeded down Angeles Crest Highway and the truck's brakes went out, sending it barreling through Foothill Boulevard, striking several cars and crashing into a bookstore.

Costa's defense had portrayed the horrific crash an accident, one that he tried to steer out of despite losing control of the big rig.

The verdict marked the beginning of the end of a long chapter in which Costa was forced to accept professional legal help after a failed attempt to represent himself in trial. Testimony in the weeks-long proceedings included the scientific and the emotional as witnesses recalled the violent events of the crash.

One of them, Melissa Watkins, the bookstore's inventory manager at the time, testified that she and Costa locked eyes for a brief moment while the 25-ton truck barreled toward the store.

"I saw the horror on his face," she said. "His eyes were bulging out of his head."

ALSO:

Stolen loot discovered in Kern County lake

Former Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu found dead in Rancho Palos Verdes

Rep. Howard Berman proposes helicopter noise bill for L.A.

-- Jason Wells and Daniel Siegal, Times Community News

Photo: Marcos Costa. Credit: Times Community News

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