Earthquake: 3.1 quake strikes near Salton Sea

A shallow magnitude 3.1 earthquake was reported Sunday afternoon one mile from Obsidian Butte, near the Salton Sea, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 5:01 p.m. Pacific time at a depth of 1.2 miles.

According to the USGS, the epicenter was 27 miles from El Centro and 93 miles from Tijuana, Mexico.

In the past 10 days, there have been seven earthquakes magnitude 3.0 and greater centered nearby.

Read more about California earthquakes on L.A. Now.

-- Ken Schwencke

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A court case highlights questions about the Salton Sea's future

UC president says he's "appalled" by UC Davis pepper spray incident

Flood advisory in Los Angeles County

Image: Location of the epicenter. Credit: Google Maps

UC President "appalled" at UC Davis pepper spray incident

Two UC Davis campus police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave over their controversial use of pepper spray on student protesters, university officials announced Sunday as the UC system president said he was “appalled” by the incident and promised a review of police procedures at all 10 University of California campuses.

Mark G. Yudof, the UC system president, said he would be talking to the 10 campus chancellors, as well as experts and other campus groups, “to conduct a thorough, far-reaching and urgent assessment of campus police procedures involving use of force, including post-incident review processes.”

“Free speech is part of the DNA of this university, and non-violent protest has long been central to our history,” Yudof said. “It is a value we must protect with vigilance. I implore students who wish to demonstrate to do so in a peaceful and lawful fashion. I expect campus authorities to honor that right.”

Yudof said he was prompted to seek the review by the UC Davis spraying as well as by how campus police at UC Berkeley used their batons to jab protesters at a recent demonstration there.

A video that showed an officer spraying a group of UC Davis students who were huddled on the ground Friday quickly went viral, drawing outrage and calls for the chancellor's resignation.

UC Davis spokeswoman Claudia Morain said the two officers placed on leave were the only officers they were able to identify as having deployed pepper spray.

The officers, whose names were not released, will remain on paid leave indefinitely.

UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi initially did not criticize police, but on Saturday said she would convene a task force to look into the incident. On Sunday, she said the faculty, students and staff who will serve on the task force will be chosen immediately and that they will have 30 days  to complete their report.

“I spoke with students this weekend, and I feel their outrage,” Katehi said in a statement. “I am deeply saddened that this happened on our campus, and as chancellor, I take full responsibility for the incident. However, I pledge to take the actions needed to ensure that this does not happen again.”

Police said officers were trying to get out of the protest area when they used the pepper spray. UC Davis Police Chief Annette Spicuzza told reporters Saturday that the decision to use the pepper spray was made at the scene. “The students had encircled the officers,” she said. The officers "needed to exit. They were looking to leave but were unable to get out.”

But the school said in a statement, “Videos taken during Friday’s arrests showed that the two officers used pepper spray on peacefully seated students.”

The incident occurred as police were attempting to clear an overnight encampment of 25 tents associated with the Occupy Wall Street movement. Ten protesters were arrested on misdemeanor charges of unlawful assembly and failure to disperse. Eleven were treated for the effects of pepper spray, including two who were taken to a hospital. The students were treated and released.

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Flood advisory issued for parts of L.A. County

Voters think teachers unions are too powerful, new poll finds

Woman wounded in police shooting at Baldwin Village apartment

-- Larry Gordon

Reader photos: Southern California Moments Day 324

I'm ready: Delio Leon's dog Maximiliano cleans his nose right before their daily workout on Mt. Lee on Nov. 13.

Every day of 2011, we're featuring reader-submitted photos of Southern California Moments. Follow us on Twitter and visit the Southern California Moments homepage for more on this series.

Flood advisory issued for parts of L.A. County

The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory Sunday for Long Beach and downtown Los Angeles as well as the L.A. County communities of Tujunga, Sunland, Sierra Madre, Lake View Terrace, La Crescenta, La Cañada Flintridge, Monterey Park, Diamond Bar and Acton.

The advisory is in effect through 4 p.m. 

The weather service continued to predict moderate to heavy rains through the afternoon, with the heaviest rains centered in the Santa Monica Mountains and the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Already, the rain has kept California Highway Patrol officers busy with fender-benders caused by the slick roadways starting at about 10 a.m., said Officer Ed Jacobs. The collisions have been concentrated in the western part of the county and so far have involved only minor injuries.

In one incident, a semi truck slid off the eastbound 118 Freeway at Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Pacoima at about 11 a.m. The truck fall down an embankment onto a surface street and overturned, striking a power pole. The driver sustained minor injuries.

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Shooting in Downey leaves two men in critical condition

UC Davis officers placed on leave after pepper spray incident

Voters think teachers unions are too powerful, new poll finds

— Abby Sewell

 

Shooting in Downey leaves two men in critical condition

Two men were in critical condition after a shooting in Downey on Saturday night.

Police responded to a report of shots fired in the 11400 block of Horton Avenue at 8:50 p.m. and found two men suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to a Downey police statement Sunday. Paramedics transported the victims to a local hospital.

Police had apparently identified a suspect, but did not provide a description. They said the suspect and victims were acquainted and had apparently argued before the shooting. They did not release the names of the victims or suspect or any other details.

Police asked anyone with information about the shooting to call Det. Steve Aubuchon at (562) 904-2361 or Det. Pete Chamberlain at (562) 904-2328.

-- Abby Sewell

UC Davis officers placed on leave after pepper spray incident

Two UC Davis campus police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave over their controversial use of pepper spray on student protesters, university officials announced Sunday.

A video that showed an officer dousing a group of students who were huddled on the ground Friday quickly went viral on the Internet, drawing outrage and calls for the chancellor's resignation.

“I spoke with students this weekend, and I feel their outrage,” UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi said in a statement. “I am deeply saddened that this happened on our campus, and as chancellor, I take full responsibility for the incident. However, I pledge to take the actions needed to ensure that this does not happen again."

PHOTOS: Occupy protests

UC Davis spokeswoman Claudia Morain said the two officers placed on leave were the only two officers they  were able to identify as having deployed pepper spray after reviewing multiple videos of the events. 

The officers, whose names were not released, will remain on paid leave indefinitely.

Woman wounded in police shooting at Baldwin Village apartment

A mentally ill woman was wounded when she was shot by police after a confrontation in a Baldwin Village apartment early Saturday.

KTLA reported that LAPD officers responded to a domestic disturbance call at an apartment complex on Santa Rosalia Drive near August Street about 5 a.m. Saturday. They found Kamesha Davidson, 30, fighting with her mother inside the apartment.

Davidson allegedly brandished a stick with nails and bit an officer. She was shot once in the stomach and taken to a local hospital, where she was in stable condition.

Police told KTLA the fight began after Davidson's mother accused her of not taking her medication and was concerned that she would harm her 3-year-old niece.

Neighbors said Davidson was diagnosed with schizophrenia but was not violent. The officer-involved shooting is under investigation.

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Heavy rain expected Sunday in L.A. area

Shooting in Downey leaves two men in critical condition

UC Davis police defend use of pepper spray on Occupy protesters

-- Abby Sewell

Voters think teachers unions are too powerful, new poll finds

About half of California voters believe that teachers unions are too powerful, a new poll has found.

The bipartisan survey, conducted by the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles Times, also found that the views of voters aligned fairly closely with teachers unions on key issues, such as teacher pay and funding for schools. But that didn’t prevent many from having reservations about the role of unions in education and politics.

Overall, 52% of voters agreed with the statement that teachers unions are too powerful; 36% disagreed. And more voters took the position that teacher unions “are resistant to reforms that would improve schools.”

Still, more voters also agreed that teacher unions “know the best way to improve education because they are in the classroom every day.”

Look for another Times education poll story at www.latimes.com. 

Pollsters from Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, a Democratic firm, and American Viewpoint, a Republican company, surveyed 1,500 registered California voters from Oct. 30 to Nov. 9. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.52 percentage points.

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California public schools fare poorly in new poll

Californians willing to pay higher taxes for better schools

Survey finds ethnic divide among voters on DREAM Act

-- Howard Blume

Heavy rain expected Sunday in L.A. area

Wet conditions are expected in the Los Angeles area Sunday as a storm system moves across Southern California.

A low-pressure system will bring four to six hours of heavy rain, followed by several hours of scattered showers, the National Weather Service predicted. There is a chance of thunderstorms in some areas, and snow could fall at elevations of 4,000 feet and above, possibly including on Interstate 5 through the Grapevine. Snow combined with gusty winds are expected to make for hazardous driving in the mountains.

Across the region, rainfall totals are expected to average between half an inch and 1.5 inches, with some areas getting as much as two inches. Pools of water on the roadways are likely, with possible flooding in low-lying areas.

— Abby Sewell

UC Davis police defend use of pepper spray on Occupy protesters

UC Davis police officials said officers used pepper spray on Occupy protesters on campus Friday after the demonstrators had surrounded officers.

Police said the officers were trying to get out of the protest area when they used the pepper spray.

UC Davis Police Chief Annette Spicuzza told reporters Saturday that the decision to use the pepper spray was made at the scene. "The students had encircled the officers," she said. "They needed to exit. They were looking to leave but were unable to get out."

Videos of the event showed a police officer dousing the protesters with a canister of pepper spray as they sat huddled on the ground. The police had been attempting to clear the university's Quad of tents and campers. The videos made it appear the officers were in no immediate danger.

UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi initially did not criticize the police, but she said Saturday that she had since watched the video and reviewed more accounts from the scene.

"It left me with a very bad feeling of what went on," Katehi said in a telephone interview. "There was enough information to show that we need to take a serious look at what happened."

In a statement on the school's website, she didn't address whether officers had been surrounded:

Police remove Occupy Oakland protesters from new campsite

Hours after Occupy Oakland protesters attempted to set up a new campsite, police moved in Sunday morning to clear the encampment.

Almost a week after being evicted from Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in downtown Oakland, which they had occupied for five weeks, protesters set up camp Saturday night in a vacant lot at 19th Street and Telegraph Avenue.

A post on the Occupy Oakland website late Saturday said, "Over 30 tents now. Celebratory mood undampened by light rain."

PHOTOS: Occupy protests

But police in riot gear moved in shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday and ordered the group to leave.

Video from the scene showed the protesters being cleared from the lot, apparently without incident, though some protesters appeared to be facing off with police on a corner nearby.

RELATED:

City crews remove Occupy San Francisco tents, protesters

UC Davis chancellor forms task force in wake of pepper-spraying

FULL COVERAGE: Occupy Wall Street protests around the nation

— Abby Sewell

Photo: Tents put up by Occupy Oakland protesters Saturday night at a new campsite at 19th Street and Telegraph Avenue before police moved in Sunday morning. Credit: Noah Berger / Associated Press

Protesters force UC Davis chancellor to halt news conference

The embattled UC Davis chancellor, Linda P.B. Katehi, had to stop a news conference prematurely Saturday night after protesters angry that police had used pepper spray on Occupy demonstrators disrupted the event.

Hundreds of students surrounded the building where Katehi was speaking, and police were called in. 

A video of a Friday incident posted on the Internet showed a police officer dousing the protesters with a canister of pepper spray as they sat huddled on the ground. The police had been attempting to clear the university's Quad of tents and campers.

Faculty and students reacted with outrage. Nathan Brown, an assistant professor of English, said in an interview that the episode was the latest example of "the systematic use by UC chancellors of police brutality" to suppress protests.

PHOTOS: Occupy protests around the world

In an open letter, he wrote: "Without any provocation whatsoever, other than the bodies of these students sitting where they were on the ground, with their arms linked, police pepper-sprayed students. Students remained on the ground, now writhing in pain, with their arms linked."

Katehi initially did not criticize the police, but she said Saturday that she had since watched the video and reviewed more accounts from the scene.

"It left me with a very bad feeling of what went on," Katehi said in a telephone interview. "There was enough information to show that we need to take a serious look at what happened."

Geoffrey Wildanger, a graduate student in art history, said he was sprayed "in my ears and my nose. It hurts a lot. You feel like your whole body is on fire."

He said the police overreacted. "The cops weren't threatened in any way."

Two students were treated at a hospital and released, and several others were arrested, officials said.

The Davis Faculty Assn. issued a letter Saturday demanding that Katehi step down. "The Chancellor's role is to enable open and free inquiry, not to suppress it," the association wrote, calling Katehi's approval of police force to remove the Occupy Davis tents a "gross failure of leadership."

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-- Paul Pringle and Sam Quinones

Two Newhall teens killed in suspected drunk-driving crash

Two Newhall teenagers died in a suspected drunk-driving crash in Castaic on Saturday night.

Kevin Sanchez, 16, and Richard Lagunas, 19, were passengers in a 1999 Ford Escort driven by Carlos Hernandez, 28, also of Newhall, the California Highway Patrol said. Hernandez and a third passenger survived.

The car was eastbound on Hasley Canyon Road, approaching Commerce Center Drive, at about 11:35 p.m. when it went off the road. The car hit a concrete curb bordering the roadway and then vaulted off the road onto the raised shoulder, where it crashed into a plastic fence and a number of trees, according to a CHP statement.

The front-seat passenger, a 17-year-old boy whose name was not released, was ejected and seriously injured. Sanchez and Lagunas, who were sitting in the back, were severely injured. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver, Hernandez, also sustained major injuries. He and the third passenger were transported to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, where they remained Sunday.

According to a CHP statement, the three passengers were not wearing seat belts and alcohol is considered to be a factor in the crash. Hernandez faces arrest if he recovers, CHP officials said. 

-- Abby Sewell

Violent crime reports up significantly in 10 L.A. neighborhoods

Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 14 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times’ Crime L.A. database.

Ten neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Winnetka (A) was the most unusual, recording seven reports compared with a weekly average of 2.3 over the last three months.

Pico-Union (K) topped the list of four neighborhoods with property crime alerts. It recorded 17 property crimes compared with its weekly average of 10.2 over the last three months.

Alerts are based on an analysis of crime reports for Nov. 10–Nov. 16, the most recent seven days for which data are available.

— Ben Welsh, Thomas Suh Lauder

Partial shutdown on Blue Line today; shuttle buses to fill gap

Blue Line service will be interrupted by construction throughout the day Sunday. All day, trains will operate normally between Washington Station and Long Beach Transit Mall, but will not run between Washington Station and 7th/Metro Center, Metro announced.

Shuttle buses will carry passengers between Washington Station and 7th/Metro Center. Metro advised passengers to allow up to 40 minutes extra to complete their trips.

The closures are required to allow construction work to integrate the future Expo Line with the Blue Line.

For more information, see Metro's website.

-- Abby Sewell