Murderer Kills Again One Week After Parole Lifted; People Injured by Police Eligible for Victim Compensation; County Homicide Rate up 200% and Other Stories: Monday Morning Memo

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Courts & Rulings

Federal disability discrimination law does not require websites be accessible, appeals court holds

A website is not a "place of public accommodation" and an inaccessible website is not necessarily equal to the denial of goods or services, a federal appeals court has held in a groundbreaking decision on disability discrimination under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Gil v. Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., No. 17-13467 (11th Cir. Apr. 7, 2021).

JD Supra

Federal appeals court sides with Evers over press access

A federal appeals court ruled Friday that Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers can exclude members of a conservative think tank from attending press briefings and keep them off his email list sent to other reporters, upholding a ruling from a lower court. The MacIver Institute for Public Policy filed the lawsuit in 2019 alleging that Evers violated its staffers' constitutional rights to free speech, freedom of the press and equal access.

AP

Judge denies woman's motion to take actor's DNA sample

A judge denied a request by one of five women who accuse Robert Knepper of sexual assault to take a DNA sample of the "iZombie" actor in order to assess the credibility of his denial regarding one of the other accusers. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Christopher Lui did not state the reasons behind his decision Thursday to reject the motion by plaintiff Susan Bertram, a costume supervisor who has worked in Hollywood for more than 30 years.

City News Service

SLO County judges send Tianna Arata controversy to the appellate court

A panel of three San Luis Obispo County Superior Court judges on Friday ordered another appeal of Judge Matt Guerrero's ruling to recuse the entire district attorney's office in a cases regarding Black Lives Matter protesters transferred to the appellate court in Ventura, another win for prosecutors. The SLO County three member panel includes retired Judge Barry La Barbera, Judge Linda Hurst and Judge Gayle Peron.

CalCoastNews.com

Coronavirus shutdown of jury trials upends California's federal courts

Ronald Ware spent five months in a Santa Ana jail awaiting trial after his arrest in Brea last summer on a federal gun charge. His day in court never came. U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney dismissed the case in January, saying emergency rules that shut down federal jury trials during the pandemic had denied Ware his right to a speedy trial.

Los Angeles Times

Motion for Durst mistrial denied, `gory' evidence allowed

A Los Angeles judge Monday denied a defense motion for a mistrial in the case of Robert Durst, a New York real estate scion charged with murder for a longtime friend's killing in Benedict Canyon just before Christmas Eve 2000, ruling that evidence the defense sought to exclude can be admitted.

MyNewsLA

Threat to bring sham lawsuit was attempted extortion

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday affirmed the conviction of a man for attempting to extort $1 million from entertainer Andy Grammer by threatening to accuse him in a civil action of sexual misconduct that had not occurred, rejecting the contention that threats of sham litigation do not come under the federal Hobbs Act.

Metropolitan News-Enterprise

Policy/Legal

People injured by California police would be eligible for crime victim funds under new bill

Californians injured by police or family members of those killed in such encounters may qualify for financial compensation from the state crime victims fund under a controversial bill making its way through the state legislature. Senate Bill 299, by state Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, would allow the injured or families of the dead to receive financial aid for recovery, burial or other costs from a fund typically used for victims of traditional crime.

Southern California News Group

'It's an appalling story': 67-year-old murderer charged with another murder only weeks after parole conditions lifted

Only weeks after his parole conditions were lifted by the state of California and he was released to society, a 67-year-old convicted murderer in Los Angeles who killed a woman in 1982 was charged with the stabbing murder of another woman. According to court documents, Eddie Allen Harris murdered a woman in South Los Angeles on March 23.

The Daily Wire

Prosecutors

Villanueva 'disappointed' after DA reportedly declines to prosecute alleged hate incident

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Friday he was "disappointed" that the L.A. County District Attorney's Office has reportedly declined to prosecute an alleged hate incident that happened last month in Diamond Bar during a "Stop Asian Hate" rally. In a statement posted to Twitter, Villanueva alleged that the DA's office said its decision was based on a "lack of sufficient evidence."

CBS LA

LAPD officer, 2 others, charged in illegal Super Bowl gambling operation

A Los Angeles police officer and two of his associates were arrested following an investigation into a high-dollar betting operation surrounding the outcome of this year's Super Bowl, officials said Friday. Officer Robert Felix, a 13-year veteran of the L.A. Police Department, Francisco Martin Del Campo and Gabriel Martin Del Campo are facing bookmaking charges in the case, LAPD said in a news release.

KTLA

Grand jury indicts four suspected militia members tied to cop killer

A federal grand jury indicted four members of a militia connected to the antigovernment, pro-gun "Boogaloo" movement on charges of destroying records to throw off an investigation into a shooting at an Oakland courthouse in May 2020 that killed one federal officer and wounded another.

Courthouse News Service

Feds charge 3 more in massive California unemployment fraud

Federal prosecutors said Friday that they have charged three Southern California women with using prison inmates' names to bilk a state agency out of a combined nearly $1.25 million in coronavirus-related unemployment benefits, the latest allegations in an ongoing scandal that has cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

AP

Harvey Weinstein hit with new indictment by L.A. grand jury; extradition from NY delayed again

With a new indictment coming down from a Los Angeles grand jury, Harvey Weinstein's long delayed extradition hearing in upstate New York to face West Coast justice just hit the pause button anew. Due to objections by the incarcerated producer's East Coast lawyer over the latest developments in the City of Angels, further discussion on the interstate transfer has been pushed to April 30 at 9:30 AM ET.

Deadline

Former priest charged with lewd acts

A former Catholic priest has been charged with lewd acts on four boys at two parishes in Palmdale and Redondo Beach between the mid-1990s and 2001, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday. Christopher John Cunningham, 58, was charged April 2 with a dozen felony counts of lewd acts on a child under the age of 14, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Valley Press Wire Services

Man charged in killing spree pleads not guilty by reason of insanity

An ex-con from Sylmar who is charged with killing five people - most of them within less than a week - during a shooting spree in the San Fernando Valley pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity today. Alexander Hernandez, now 40, is charged with the 2014 murders of Sergio Sanchez on March 14; Gilardo Morales on Aug. 21; and Gloria Tovar, Michael Planells and Mariana Franco on Aug. 24, along with the 11 attempted murders - the bulk of which occurred between Aug. 20-24.

City News Service

Huntington Park man accused of robbing 15 Trader Joe's across Southern California

A Huntington Park man has been indicted for robbing 15 Trader Joe's stores across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and Ventura counties, federal prosecutors said Friday. Gregory Johnson, 42, of Huntington Park faces 15 counts of interference with commerce by robbery, five counts of knowingly using and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release.

San Gabriel Valley Tribune

O.C. man with 3 intoxicated driving convictions charged with DUI, murder in hit-and-run death of 74-year-old man

Orange County prosecutors on Tuesday announced charges against a Costa Mesa man suspected of fatally hitting a 74-year-old man while driving under the influence last weekend. Stewart Waithanji, 28, has been charged with one felony count of murder, one felony count of driving under the influence, one felony count of driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or higher, and two misdemeanor counts of hit and run, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said in a news release.

KTLA

Kern prosecutors file carjacking charges against LA woman suspected of killing her 3 children

The Kern County District Attorney's office has filed auto theft and carjacking charges against Liliana Carrillo, the Los Angeles woman suspected of killing her three young children. Four felony charges have been filed against Carrillo in connection with the carjacking and theft of one vehicle and the attempted carjacking of a second vehicle, prosecutors said. The alleged crimes occurred within moments of each other on Saturday.

KGET

Los Angeles District Attorney

Sister of gang violence victim slams LA DA Gascón's push to eliminate juvenile strikes

Aja Courtney, who reportedly lost her brother in a gang-related shooting, argued on Sunday that Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón's policies are "giving way to more violence." Courtney made the comment on "Fox & Friends Weekend," two days after Gascón argued that eliminating juvenile strikes "will make our community safer."

Fox News

South LA mom wants DA to seek gang enhancement in daughter's death

She's no longer here, but the memory of Leah Evan's daughter is never out of her mind. "I did get to hug her 10 hours before she died, which was a blessing," Evans said of her last interaction with Chloe, before she was gunned down in a car-to-car shooting in 2019. The South LA middle school teacher is caught in the middle of multiple crisis: the Covid-19 pandemic, remote learning and rising gang violence in her neighborhood.

Spectrum News1

Pico Rivera becomes 3rd city to approve vote of no confidence in Gascón's reforms

The City of Pico Rivera approved a 3-2 vote of no confidence in Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón's special directives Tuesday evening. The cities of Santa Clarita and Beverly Hills both previously approved votes of no confidence against Gascón last month. Now, La Mirada is considering doing the same.

Fox11

A media savvy deputy DA is leading a noisy crusade against George Gascón

On March 9, the Fox News morning show Fox & Friends aired a blistering segment attacking newly elected Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón and his decision to bar prosecutors from pursuing the death penalty against a pair of accused child murderers. The guest for the segment was Jon Hatami, head of the DA's child abuse unit and the lead prosecutor on the case.

Los Angeles Magazine

LA DA Gascón says it's time to remove youth offenders from career criminal law

Los Angeles' new reform-minded top prosecutor said Friday that it's time to remove youthful offenders from California's tough career criminal law that can greatly extend their prison time later in life. District Attorney George Gascón, who runs the nation's largest prosecutors' office, backed pending legislation that would prevent juvenile "strikes" from counting toward future sentencing enhancements under the state's "three-strikes" law that can lead to life prison sentences for repeat serious offenders.

AP

Soros-Gascon protects gangs - not the community - in Los Angeles

If you are an MS-13 member imported into the United States by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, you will be very safe in L.A. or San Fran. The Soros owned DA's in those counties will protect you from vigilantes, law enforcement and the courts. The first step was for the DA's to get rid of the Gang Task Forces - during the defunding of the cops. At the same time Gascon and his buddy in San Fran, Boudin, are working hard to take away our guns.

California Political Review

Will justice remain served?

On Thursday, we mentioned that April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. In that same op/ed, we also mentioned the names of local children who died at the hands of their abusers. One of those children is Gabriel Fernandez. His story is not only tragic, but one that sheds light on a flawed child protection services system. They failed Gabriel and as a result, he was routinely beaten, tortured and starved, then eventually, killed.

Antelope Valley Press

Los Angeles County/City

How LAPD's Community Safety Partnership Bureau is working to build trust with the community

Tension between police and the public it serves is an issue in Southern California and nationwide. The Los Angeles Police Department has found a way to address it and build trust within the community. When the department launched its Community Safety Partnership Bureau in 2018, officers literally took to the streets and walked the neighborhood to meet and get to know its residents. But there was real skepticism.

ABC7

Murders in Los Angeles up nearly 200%, violent crime rising at rapid pace, sheriff's statistics show

Murders in Los Angeles County have spiked nearly 200% so far this year compared to the same time in 2020, with at least one official blaming the "defund the police" movement and progressive law enforcement officials. There were 60 people murdered in L.A. County as of Feb. 28 - a 186% jump from the 21 killings reported during the same period in 2020, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department told Fox News in a segment that aired Thursday.

Fox News

LA still cracking down on COVID rule breakers (Video)

The NBC4 I-Team has been tracking how the city has been enforcing public health rules. Eric Leonard reports for the NBC4 News on Friday, April 9, 2021.

NBC4

LAPD after-action reports point to crowd control, training problems in protests (Video)

Three so-called "after action" reports have now been made public, and all point to problems at the LAPD related to crowd control, training, and planning, not to mention the multi-million-dollar cost to business owners and taxpayers. Eric Leonard reports for the NBC4 News on Tuesday, April 13, 2021.

NBC4

LAPD detective involved in drunken shooting on skid row challenges 55-day suspension

A Los Angeles police detective who narrowly avoided getting fired after drinking for hours with his subordinates in downtown bars and then shooting a homeless man during an early-morning altercation on skid row in 2019 is challenging the lesser suspension he received. Det. Michael Johnson, who was hospitalized in critical condition and placed in an induced coma after being badly beaten and losing his gun during the fight, argued in a filing in L.A. County Superior Court last week that the 55-day suspension without pay he received should be overturned as excessive.

Los Angeles Times

National Guard ready if George Floyd murder verdict protests turn violent in LA: LAPD, sheriff on board

Los Angeles' top law enforcement officials said Tuesday that they are ready to call on the National Guard for help as they brace for protests over the upcoming verdict in the trial of a former Minnesota police officer charged with murdering George Floyd and another recent police killing in that state. "We are inquiring with all our law enforcement partners as to their state of readiness, which includes contingency planning with the National Guard," Capt. John Satterfield, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, told the Los Angeles Times.

MyNewsLA

Authorities received repeated warnings in months before three young siblings were killed

In the months before three young siblings were slain inside a Reseda apartment, the alarms about Liliana Carrillo's ability to care for the kids grew louder and louder. Carrillo was "extremely paranoid" and erratic, according to her boyfriend's account in court papers, which described her increasingly bizarre claims: that she was "solely responsible" for the COVID-19 pandemic and that his hometown of Porterville was beset by a pedophile ring.

Los Angeles Times

More LA County employees accused of exchanging Kobe Bryant crash scene photos

A new filing in Vanessa Bryant's invasion of privacy lawsuit against LA County notes that at least 18 employees, including sheriff's deputies and firefighters, took, exchanged, or possessed photos of human remains from the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash scene, a greater number than had previously been alleged.

NBC4

A legal motion demands immediate action to house Skid Row's homeless

A new court filing in a landmark federal lawsuit over homelessness in Los Angeles asks a U.S. District judge to order unprecedented actions to house the unhoused, including requiring the city and county to offer housing to anyone living in the area of Skid Row. Filed by attorneys suing the city and county on behalf of a group of downtown residents and business owners called the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, the motion for preliminary injunction traces the current catastrophe to 1976, when it says the city adopted a policy that contained "poor, disabled, mentally ill, and other marginalized people who were suffering or at risk of suffering homelessness" to the area that's now famously known as Skid Row.

Los Angeles Magazine

Black Lives Matter again asks judge to restrict LAPD's crowd control tactics

Attorneys representing Black Lives Matter in Los Angeles have again asked a federal judge to restrict, or enjoin, LAPD officers from using certain "less lethal" weapons when trying to control or disperse street protests, citing the city's own after-action reviews that found some officers' use of the weapons at demonstrations last summer were improper.

NBC4

Public Safety/Crime

Los Angeles woman admits to killing her three children in jailhouse interview

In an exclusive interview with 17 News, the "prime suspect" in the deaths of her three children in Reseda admitted to the killings. Eytan Wallace: Did you kill your three children? Liliana Carrillo: I did. Carrillo spoke to 17's Eytan Wallace on Thursday afternoon. She admitted to drowning the children, she says to protect them from their father who she alleges was involved in human trafficking.

KGET

Kristin Smart case: Suspect Paul Flores also facing sex assault allegations in Los Angeles

Los Angeles police are investigating separate sexual assault allegations against Paul Flores, the San Pedro man who has been arrested for the murder of Kristin Smart, Eyewitness News has learned. Los Angeles Police Department detectives tell Eyewitness News two cases have been presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for filing.

ABC7

Son of slain Riverside woman wonders why attacker was not in jail

Ke Chieh Meng was friendly to everyone she met. Meng would prepare meals for visitors and load up relatives and neighbors with the apples, pears, mangos, lemons and vegetables that she grew in the backyard of her Riverside home. She was often photographed doting on strangers' pets. And Meng would dole out food and cash to the homeless people she met while walking her dogs.

The Riverside Press-Enterprise

Beverly Grove homeless encampment cleared, but residents say problems with crime have not gone away

A homeless encampment has been cleared from a Beverly Grove street, more than a week after a homeless man was accused of a deadly stabbing, but neighbors said the problems have not gone away. "We are on extremely high alert," Craig Brill, a Beverly Grove resident, said. "When you have people crawling on your property and going in your crawl spaces, I mean, that's terrifying."

CBS LA

UCLA community members express skepticism toward review of safety policies

UCLA is planning to commission a review in the Jackie Robinson Stadium incident and campus safety policies, but some UCLA community members said the review comes too late and lacks transparency. UCLA announced Friday that it formed a commission that will assess campus safety policies and make recommendations on new public safety procedures.

Daily Bruin

Consumer

Bookends & Beginnings files class-action suit against Amazon, becoming face of new antitrust battle

When Nina Barrett (Medill '87) expanded Bookends & Beginnings earlier this year, she hoped the bookstore's new window on Sherman Avenue would increase its visibility. By late March, the window was serving a higher purpose: displaying copies of a bright orange booklet, titled "How to Resist Amazon and Why." Barrett - and Bookends - are well acquainted with the zine's message.

The Daily Northwestern

California/National

California Correctional Center in Susanville to close in June 2022

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) announced Wednesday the closure of California Correctional Center in Susanville. The closure is expected June 30, 2022 and is in line with a decreased incarcerated population, the CDCR said. It's also part of Governor Gavin Newsom's 2020-21 Budget and is estimated to save $122 million each year.

KOLO

White power probe leads feds to alleged identity theft 'hobby'

Federal wiretaps targeting cell phones used by Southern California white power gangs allegedly trafficking methamphetamine also turned up a surprise identity theft racket being run by an alleged member of the notorious Lakeside Gangsters, a "multi-generational criminal street gang" with ties to the Aryan Brotherhood and Supreme Power Skins, according to an FBI search warrant application obtained by The Daily Beast.

Daily Beast

Where murderers reign, it's 'catch and release' for low-level crimes

Citing the policy of State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, Baltimore City police commanders have all but forbidden arrests for drug dealing, prostitution, public urination and defecation, and an array of other nonviolent crimes. A deputy commissioner's memo, supplied to Courthouse News anonymously on Sunday night, instructs officers in the crime-plagued city to obtain permission from a supervising lieutenant before charging anyone for minor crimes.

Courthouse News Service

Judge pondering diversion for former DA's husband in gun case

A judge said today that he would consider whether to allow former Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey's husband to enter a diversion program for a misdemeanor case in which he is charged with pointing a gun out his door while ordering a group of Black Lives Matter protesters to leave the couple's Granada Hills property.

City News Service

Two suspects arrested in the disappearance of Kristin Smart, family and sources say

Two men were arrested Tuesday morning in connection with the disappearance of Kristin Smart, the California college student who vanished in 1996, a spokesperson for the family and two law enforcement sources confirmed to CNN. John Segale, a Smart family spokesperson, told CNN the family was notified by law enforcement officials Tuesday that Paul Flores and his father, Ruben Flores, were arrested Tuesday morning.

CNN

Ex-cop charged with manslaughter in death of Daunte Wright

The former Minnesota police officer who shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright, sparking more protests and law-enforcement crackdowns in the already tense Twin Cities metro, will be charged with second-degree manslaughter, prosecutors said Wednesday. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Courthouse News Service

Convictions/Sentences/Pleas

Ex-L.A. sheriff's deputy sentenced to seven years in federal prison for leading $2 million armed robbery of marijuana warehouse

A former Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison for orchestrating and leading a $2 million armed robbery - staged as a legitimate law enforcement search - at a downtown Los Angeles warehouse where more than half a ton of marijuana and over $600,000 in cash was stolen.

Department of Justice News Release

Hollywood man gets probation, fine for operating drone that hit police copter

A Hollywood man was sentenced Monday to probation and fined $500 for recklessly operating a drone that crashed into a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter and forced an emergency landing. Andrew Rene Hernandez pleaded guilty in January to a class-A misdemeanor charge of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles said the case constitutes the nation's first use of the unmanned aircraft charge.

MyNewsLA

Horrible hoax agony poisoning of eight homeless people in Huntington Beach video: 4 years in prison

A 38-year-old San Andreas man has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison for the bizarre videotaped agony-inducing poisoning of eight homeless people in Huntington Beach, according to newly obtained court records. William Robert Cable admitted 13 counts of poisoning, one count of inflicting injury on an elder adult, all felonies, and seven misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

MyNewsLA

Torture terror for little girl, 3, brother, 11, in Temecula: Evil foster 'mom' gets 11 years to life

A Temecula woman who tortured her two foster children has been sentenced to 11 years and four months to life in state prison. Details of the abuse were not made public ,. Yoko Isaac, 45, abused a 3-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. She pleaded guilty to felony charges of torture and child abuse in exchange for prosecutors agreeing to drop a dozen related felony counts as part of a plea deal.

MyNewsLA

Corrections & Parole

West Sacramento man convicted of October 2000 murder granted parole

A West Sacramento man who was convicted of an October 2000 murder was granted parole this week, officials said on Friday. David Cree, 41, is an inmate at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad. According to the Yolo County District Attorney's Office, Cree was granted parole on Wednesday, April 7 in what was his fifth hearing after being denied numerous times over the last decade.

CBS13 Sacramento

200+ male inmates in CA identifying as female, nonbinary request transfer to prison matching their 'gender identify'

Since January, hundreds of male prison inmates in California, who identify as female or nonbinary, have requested housing in a women's facility - a growing desire since Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill supporting the LGBTQ agenda. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says 261 male inmates have asked to be transferred to housing that matches their gender identity, according to The Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF).

CBN News

California prisons resume in-person visits with some changes

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has resumed prisoner visitations with a few changes. Visitors will have to go through temperature and symptom screenings before entering any facility. Only a limited number of in-person visits will be permitted at any given time. Physical distancing and face masks will also be required.

KFSN

Articles of Interest

As protesters on left and right target public servants at home, one city pushes back

For government officials from Los Angeles to Seattle and beyond, 2020 was the year that political protests came home to roost. Demonstrators repeatedly ditched traditional venues, such as government buildings and big commercial streets, to chant, fulminate and sit-in outside the front doors of officials including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best, former Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey and the county's director of public health, Barbara Ferrer.

Los Angeles Times

Editorial: Fresno chief fired officer with Proud Boys history. Good. Now, onto police reforms

Last month, responding to breaking news about a Fresno police officer having been a member of a white supremacist group, Mayor Jerry Dyer said: "I will not tolerate any city of Fresno employee belonging to organizations that promote views of supremacy, racism or criminal conduct. This matter is under investigation and appropriate action will be taken to address any misconduct." On Friday, officer Rick Fitzgerald was fired from the Fresno Police Department.

Fresno Bee

The failure of 'defund the police'

The issue of policing in America shouldn't be such an angry and contentious one. In theory, no one wants to see 13-year-olds shot and killed by police. Yes, citizens should obey a police order to stop. But no citizen deserves to die over it, and certainly no one who is just starting out in life - especially not one who is obeying a police order when he's shot and killed. No one wants to see a police officer mix up her firearm and her Taser and accidentally use lethal force when she intended to use electricity.

National Review

Defunding police is racist: People of color die in record numbers while liberals cry about existence of police.

Want to harm, abuse and kill people of color? No need for a new KKK - just defund the police and let the violence go forth. Elect a DA like Gascon, Boudin, Rosen, Beaton or others owned by George Soros, and watch as people of color wind up in morgues and hospitals. Defund the police is the new way to terrorize people of color. From 2019 to 2020, homicides in nine U.S. cities rose by 722, according to police data.

California Political Review

How California politicians who owe $2 million in campaign fines don't get punished

California's secretary of state's office has failed to collect $2 million in fines owed by politicians, lobbyists and campaign donors who the office says filed disclosure reports late, a CalMatters analysis shows. It's allowed some of the largest fines to languish for many years with no consequences to those who are supposed to pay up.

CalMatters

Man falsely arrested because of facial recognition software error sues Detroit

A Michigan man Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Detroit over his wrongful arrest, which he says was caused by faulty facial recognition technology. Robert Williams, a 43-year-old father from the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills, Michigan, questions in his complaint whether facial recognition technology is too flawed to ensure that innocent people aren't mistakenly identified as criminals.

Courthouse News Service

Judge to decide if PricewaterhouseCoopers retaliated against whistleblower

A federal judge will decide if one of the world's largest accounting firms broke the law when it fired a senior manager for blowing the whistle on the company's allegedly cozy relationships with Silicon Valley companies it was tasked with independently auditing. U.S. Magistrate Judge Alex Tse heard closing arguments Tuesday following a nine-day bench trial that ended in early March to determine if PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) retaliated against a former employee for filing a Securities and Exchange Commission complaint against the company.

Courthouse News Service

Do headlines predict the future?

When examining crime headlines in the Los Angeles region and beyond, it should alert you to the hazards we are all exposed to in America. As the saying goes, knowledge is power, and power can save your life and that of your family and friends. Be Alert and Aware and always be Cautious of the hazards of living in a major metropolitan city like Los Angeles....

CityWatch LA

Lakers arena, Staples Center, gets absolutely destroyed for uber-strict arena policies

At long last, the Los Angeles Lakers will welcome 2,000 fans back to Staples Center on Thursday, just in time for a matchup with their long-time rivals, the Boston Celtics. While the Lakers players and coaches are amped to have fans back in the building, the arena's health and safety protocols quickly came under scrutiny. In particular, one restriction outlawing handbags and purses received immediate pushback on Twitter.

Clutch Points

Pensions

San Diego ready to reverse Proposition B pension cuts, potentially ending 9-year legal battle

The nearly nine-year legal fight over San Diego's Proposition B pension cuts came to an apparent end Friday when supporters of the 2012 ballot measure declined to appeal a court ruling that ordered the city to overturn the cuts. The end of the legal fight comes nearly three years after the state Supreme Court ruled Proposition B was illegally placed on the ballot because San Diego officials skipped key steps, such as negotiating the pension cuts with labor unions.

San Diego Union-Tribune