Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
Oversight of sheriff's offices affirmed by California Supreme Court
County governments in California can establish agencies to oversee their sheriff's offices and obtain their records under a ruling affirmed Wednesday by the state Supreme Court. The justices unanimously denied an appeal by Sonoma County sheriff's officers and their union of a lower-court ruling upholding the authority of an independent agency established by county supervisors in 2016 and strengthened by a ballot measure approved by local voters in 2020.
San Francisco Chronicle
| | |
Claim that racism accusation provoked killing is rejected
Div. Four of this district’s Court of Appeal has rejected a convicted murderer’s assertion that a Los Angeles Superior Court judge prejudicially erred in not instructing the jury on voluntary manslaughter based on a heat-of-passion theory due to evidence that the victim aggressively yelled at the defendant’s companion for using a racial slur before the fatal shots were fired.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
| | |
ICE detention center to pay $100K settlement in landmark California case
The private immigration detention company GEO Group has settled a landmark case over conditions in one of its Central Valley detention facilities. It has agreed to pay more than $100,000 over allegations the company failed to keep detained immigrants safe when they worked inside the facility.
CalMatters
| | |
Judge rebukes Trump and DOJ over IRS lawsuit, refers lawyer for disciplinary proceedings
A federal judge on Monday imposed professional penalties against lawyers representing President Trump in a civil lawsuit he brought against the IRS and harshly criticized the Justice Department for its handling of the case, concluding that the suit was brought for an "improper purpose.” In a scathing 56-page decision, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams referred one of Mr. Trump's lawyers, Alejandro Brito, to the Florida Bar for potential disciplinary action.
CBS News
| | |
Justices make rare personal plea to Congress for more security funding
In a rare moment on Capitol Hill, a pair of Supreme Court justices on Tuesday implored congressional appropriators to greenlight millions more in government funds for high court security, including expanded personal protection for the justices themselves.
Courthouse News Service
| | |
Suit over State Bar exam foul-up settled for $5.25 million
The State Bar of California has settled its Los Angeles Superior Court case against the company it blames for the February 2025 bar exam debacle, agreeing to accept a $5.25 million payment and a waiver of the $1.36 million the defendant claimed is owing to it for its services. It will dismiss the lawsuit within two business days of receiving the money, which is to occur within 45 days from last Monday.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
| | |
Judge pauses California 'Truth in Recycling' law before it goes into effect
A federal judge halted enforcement of a California law, sometimes dubbed the Truth in Recycling law, that sets new criteria for labeling packaging as recyclable and was to go into effect in October. Senior U.S. District Judge William Hayes in San Diego issued a preliminary injunction at the request of a coalition of trade organizations representing food producers, grocers, retailers and restaurant owners who argue the statute, SB 343, is unconstitutionally vague and violates their commercial speech rights under the First Amendment.
Courthouse News Service
| | |
School-district immunity turns on location of negligent act
Div. Two of the Fourth District Court of Appeal has held that a public educational district may be liable for harm occurring off-campus and unrelated to officially sanctioned activities, despite a California law providing immunity for conduct occurring “when [a] pupil is not on school property,” if the plaintiff can point to an on-site negligent act that led to her injuries.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
| | |
L.A. fitness influencer shot dead by Oakland robbery crew, prosecutors say
Four Oakland men, one now deceased, have been identified in connection with the murder of a Los Angeles fitness influencer after a judge ruled last week that the three surviving members of the alleged robbery crew will stand trial on charges of robbery, assault and murder.
KTLA
| | |
5-star hotel settles wildfire price-gouging case brought by LA County DA
The owner of a landmark five-star hotel in Pasadena will pay $320,000 to settle allegations that it illegally raised room rates during the January 2025 wildfires, according to prosecutors. Langham Hotels Pacific Corporation must also provide at least $216,795 in refunds to eligible guests who were charged more than the maximum rate allowed under California’s anti-price-gouging law for stays at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Los Angeles Patch
| | |
Comedian Carlos Mencia brushes off alleged $8.7M tax dodge with brazen seven-word statement
Comedian Carlos Mencia isn’t shying away from his tax mistakes, getting very blunt with The California Post on exactly what led to his multimillion-dollar case. “All I did was not pay my taxes,” the comedian, facing 12 felonies connected to his more than $8 million in alleged tax fraud, told The Post as he left an LA courthouse Tuesday.
California Post
| | |
NBA legend Dwyane Wade’s son faces felony domestic violence charge in L.A
Zaire Wade, the 24-year-old son of NBA icon Dwyane Wade, has been hit with a felony domestic violence charge stemming from an alleged incident involving a woman he was dating. According to a felony complaint reviewed by Los Angeles Magazine and filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, prosecutors allege that on or about June 21, 2026, Wade “willfully inflicted corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition” upon a woman identified in court records only as Jane Doe.
Los Angeles Magazine
| | |
A California man took a selfie at a crime scene. It led to his arrest
A poorly considered selfie will usually result in, at worst, a little online ridicule. This week, one led to felony arrests in the Bay Area. Two men were taken into custody this week in connection with a burglary of $100,000 in tools, copper wire and vehicles that was reported on Monday. The items were taken from a business on Green Island Road in American Canyon, a city in Napa Valley, Calif. A photo that one of the men took - of himself - at the crime scene led officers to make the first arrest.
New York Times
| | |
LACo, DA urge dismissal of former Gascón era lawyer’s case
Los Angeles County and the county’s District Attorney’s Office are asking a judge to dismiss once and for all a lawsuit by a lawyer who says she was demoted for her support of former District Attorney George Gascon’s reform policies, saying the plaintiff has failed in multiple attempts to shore up the suit’s deficiencies.
MyNewsLA
| | |
California will use new national bar exam after failed online test
California will begin using the new national bar exam in July 2028 in the latest fallout from the state's failed experiment with designing and administering its own in-person and remote licensing test for would-be lawyers in February 2025. The California Supreme Court on Wednesday approved moving to the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam, which is the updated exam from the National Conference of Bar Examiners that is set to debut later this month.
Reuters
| | |
Cowboys, margaritas and toxic trash: Some sour on lawyers in lucrative L.A. landfill cases
Val Verde is a place with few strangers. Forty miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, the tiny foothill community of 3,000 has one main road, spotty cell service and a lone local market. Yet nobody could remember ever seeing the man in a cowboy hat before 2024, when he was spotted talking to residents about lawsuits against the local dump. At the time, the neighboring Chiquita Canyon landfill had never smelled worse.
Los Angeles Times
| | |
LAPD is short-staffed. How will it provide security for LA28? (Video)
The good news is security planners said LA still has plenty of time to get ready to protect the 2028 games. Eric Leonard reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
NBC4
| | |
LAPD watchdog urges reconsideration of automatic license plate readers
The Los Angeles Police Department has been urged by its official watchdog to reconsider the terms of its agreements with a trio of vendors, which operate or support about 2,000 automatic license plate readers, or ALPRs, that constantly surveil residents and visitors by capturing hundreds of millions of images every year and logging each time and place their vehicles are observed.
NBC4
| | |
‘Psychological war’: Inside California’s expanding use of jailhouse stings
When Jason Zapata was arrested for allegedly firing a gun into the air, he was thrown in a dimly lit holding cell with trash strewn across the floor and a broken payphone on the wall. It had nothing more than a rusted toilet, sink and three wooden benches that looked as though they had never been cleaned. Two older men with shaved heads sat in the back, eyeing the 24-year-old’s wristband that the jail used to display his personal information.
CalMatters
| | |
Detective sues LAPD, alleges cover-up of billionaire’s daughter’s death
A veteran Los Angeles police detective is suing the LAPD, alleging the department retaliated against him after he investigated the suspicious death of a billionaire's daughter and uncovered what he describes as efforts to cover up critical failures in the case. Detective Alexander Tan, a decorated officer formerly assigned to the Van Nuys Division Narcotics Enforcement Unit, says the retaliation began while he was investigating the 2023 death of Amelia Salehpour.
The Independent
| | |
How crime and the politics of crime rise and fall in California
For two decades, beginning in the late 1970s, the most powerful issue in California politics was crime. Sensational crimes such as the 1993 kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas fueled anti-crime furor and new laws, including the infamous three strikes measure. By depicting Democrats as soft on criminals, Republicans dominated elections for president, U.S. Senate and the governorship and made strong gains in the Legislature.
CalMatters
| | |
Meet California’s most dangerous judge - as another maniac she freed vanishes after heinous attack on kid
A soft on crime California judge has sparked fury after a wave of violent criminals were put on the state’s mental health diversion program - with at least one now on the run. Judge Lana Kim has released dozens of offenders back onto the streets, including at least nine violent felons in the last three years. The Los Angeles Superior Court judge did this by granting diversion, a court program that lets defendants avoid a criminal conviction and jail time.
California Post
| | |
Former DWP executive tentatively settles suit alleging she was fired for speaking out
A former Los Angeles Department of Water and Power executive who alleged she was fired after reporting an attempt to steer a contract toward a consulting firm has tentatively settled her lawsuit against the utility. Leticia Woodard, a former assistant director of supply chain services, accused former DWP Board President Cynthia McClain-Hill of pressuring officials to scrap a bidding process after Dakota Communications was disqualified from a 2022 contract competition for failing to submit required forms.
Westside Current
| | |
LAX people mover contractor sues city over ongoing dispute with airport
The contractor for Los Angeles International Airport’s long-awaited automatic people mover train filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles amid ongoing disputes with the airport over project delays. LAX Integrated Express Solutions accused Los Angeles World Airports, a city department, of concealing facts about delays in order to shift public blame to the contractor, changing drawings that altered the scope of the plans and creating barriers to move forward.
Los Angeles Times
| | |
Sacramento County sheriff criticizes California crime policies, calls for victim-focused reforms
With about a month left for California lawmakers and the governor to pass new laws for the year, Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper voiced frustration over the state's crime policies, citing issues with mental health diversion, domestic violence laws, and funding for Proposition 36, while urging lawmakers to prioritize victims' rights.
KCRA
| | |
Hollywood director’s son goes after water polo star who accused him of heinous sex attacks underwater
The embattled son of a Hollywood director is fighting back against the water polo star who accused him of disgusting underwater sex attacks. Lucca Van der Woude’s legal team filed a motion to strike large swaths of accuser Aidan Romain’s complaint, according to court documents obtained by the California Post.
California Post
| | |
LASD says records request in retaliation/sexual battery suit too broad
Attorneys for a former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who alleges she was sexually abused by three male supervisors during a six-year period and required by one of them to get an abortion are asking a judge to order the production of the personnel files of all three men, but the LASD says in new court papers that she is asking for too much.
City News Service
| | |
Los Angeles issued 12,500 wrongful street sweeping tickets worth nearly $1 million: Here’s how to check if you qualify for a refund
An investigation found LADOT issued thousands of street sweeping citations on days when no cleaning was scheduled. Here is what Los Angeles drivers should know about possible refunds. If you received a Los Angeles street sweeping ticket and paid the standard $73 fine, it may be worth taking another look.
Parriva
| | |
LA council delays plan to study pulling funds from troubled homelessness agency
L.A. city leaders have pushed back the timeline to start prepping a plan to strip hundreds of millions of tax dollars from the region’s troubled homeless services agency and move it under different control. For years, some members of the City Council’s homelessness committee have urged their colleagues to consider an exit, after major data accuracy issues and official reviews and audits that found serious oversight failures.
LAist
| | |
O.C. poll: Government doesn’t work for people
A new poll suggests that Orange County residents’ trust in local government hasn’t tanked, but people don’t feel that officials prioritize them. “Trust Divided,” a UC Irvine School of Social Ecology survey of about 1,200 residents, found that 42% of respondents trust county government in the wake of former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do pleading guilty to accepting bribes almost two years ago.
Los Angeles Times
| | |
Sheriff's watchdog group needs new lawyers to do its job, civil grand jury says
The civilian commission overseeing the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department needs to ditch the county counsel because that office is stifling the commission's role as a watchdog, according to the Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury. The Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, which is represented by the Office of the County Counsel, has repeatedly clashed with the office because its lawyers are also recommending the Sheriff's Department ignore the commission's subpoenas.
Los Angeles Times
| | |
Family members identify 15-year-old boy killed in El Monte stabbing
Family members identified the teenager who was killed in a stabbing that also wounded two others in El Monte earlier this week. They say that 15-year-old Aziel Zacapala was a promising student and athlete at Rosemead High School. The stabbing was reported in the 2600 block of North Potrero Avenue at around 1 p.m. Friday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which is assisting the El Monte Police Department.
NBC4
| | |
Off-duty Long Beach officer opens fire on robbery suspects, police say
An off-duty Long Beach police officer opened fire on two robbery suspects Sunday afternoon, authorities said. The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. near Bixby Road and Orange Avenue, according to the Long Beach Police Department. Police said the off-duty officer was approached by two male suspects. One of the men pointed what is believed to have been a firearm at the officer while the second suspect robbed him.
KTLA
| | |
Local law enforcement is cracking down on large-scale “teen takeovers”
“Teen takeovers,” or large-scale, all-ages parties, are now being thoroughly observed by local law enforcement across Southern California. These parties, which primarily promote their events on social media using AI-generated fliers, are popular in the Los Angeles, Orange County and Riverside areas and utilize warehouse spaces, large homes or in most recent controversy, public beaches.
Los Angeles Magazine
| | |
2 arrested for costly retail thefts across Southern California
Two suspects were arrested in connection with a series of costly retail thefts targeting businesses across Southern California. Authorities identified the suspects as Geradin Gonzalez Morales, 33, of Van Nuys, and Johana Catalina Vargas Rodriguez, 32, of North Hollywood. The investigation began on June 17 when Thermal Station deputies responded to a burglary at a business on the 78000 block of Highway 111 in La Quinta.
KTLA
| | |
Bank-jugging' suspects arrested after stealing $14K, Ventura County officials say
Two Los Angeles men were arrested for "bank-jugging" and stealing $14,000 from a victim in Thousand Oaks, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office announced Monday. "Bank jugging" is a type of crime during which thieves target people drawing large sums of cash from banks or ATMs." Criminals often hang out outside banks or ATMs and look for potential victims carrying bank envelops.
NBC4
| | |
New police and firefighters perks sail through Legislature. Will Newsom sign them?
The Legislature wants to make putting on a California police or firefighter uniform more lucrative. Three bills are moving forward that would either raise pay for state firefighters or boost retirement benefits for public safety personnel. Their supporters say the measures are meant to compensate people who risk their lives for others and who by the nature of their jobs are exposed to career-shortening hazards.
CalMatters
| | |
This ex-deputy police chief was California's highest-paid public employee in 2025
A former Redlands deputy police chief topped California's public payroll in 2025, taking home $1.26 million in total compensation - more than the combined salaries of the mayors of Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, state compensation data show. According to the state controller's office, the former deputy chief received $1.2 million in total wages, including $890,467 in "other pay" tied to a legal claim against the city and $231,099 in accrued sick and vacation pay, in addition to $81,804 in regular salary.
Los Angeles Times
| | |
Parole officer says supervisor told him to leave sex offender alone
When Ches Fry retired as a parole agent I with the California Department of Corrections Division of Adult Parole Operations, the job had become increasingly difficult, in part because of the city’s lenient reputation. “I’ve had many conversations with parolees, like drug dealers who all lived in Oakland. They said they came to San Francisco to deal because they don’t get arrested. They didn’t go past the San Francisco County line; they didn’t like going south.
The Voice of San Francisco
| | |
Can California protect its gun control laws?
California Democrats are used to defending gun control measures against lawsuits by Second Amendment advocates. Now, the state is facing a lawsuit from the Trump administration targeting a new law restricting sales of Glock semi-automatic handguns. Since July 1, the state has prohibited the sale of Glock handguns and various off-brand imitators that can be converted to fully automatic guns - which are already illegal under state and federal laws, with some exceptions - after inserting a converter into the gun.
Jefferson Public Radio
| | |
To protect cattle, California sheriffs can use rubber bullets, pepper balls on wolves
California wildlife officials have begun authorizing sheriffs in the state’s northern rangeland to use rubber bullets, paintballs, pepper balls and other injury-causing harassment methods against wolves, and are working on a plan to allow ranchers to use some of the same techniques.
Sacramento Bee
| | |
Newsom’s ‘first in the nation’ fast food council hasn’t met in two years despite million-dollar budget
California’s much-hyped “first in the nation” Fast Food Council has achieved something truly impressive: it has managed to do next to nothing for nearly two full years while still cashing taxpayer checks. The council, tasked with “giving workers a voice” on wages and conditions for hundreds of thousands of fast-food employees, hasn’t held a full meeting since September 2024.
California Globe
| | |
Vote requirements for the Legislature to amend voter-approved ballot measures
Initiative measures proposed by voters and approved at a statewide election can make changes to the state Constitution or statutes. Statutory initiatives can be amended by another statutory initiative approved by the voters at a statewide election. However, they cannot be amended by the Legislature, unless the initiative authorizes the two houses to amend the statutory language of the initiative (and with approval by the Governor).
Capitol Weekly
| | |
CA reverses its pension reform
Hard to believe, but the politicians in Sacramento are surveying the state’s pension obligations - and making them worse. Will Gov. Gavin Newsom dare to block this future tax on Gen Z? The state Assembly has whooped through two bills with near unanimous support that would reverse some of former Gov. Jerry Brown’s pension reforms and create a new retirement perk.
Wall Street Journal
| | Convictions/Pleas/Sentences/Parole | | |
Instagram posts helped fuel $2.8M SoCal stolen check scheme: Prosecutors
A Crips street gang member who used Instagram to recruit participants in a multimillion-dollar stolen-check scheme was sentenced on Thursday to nine years in federal prison, according to prosecutors. Chase Matthew Griffin, 26, also known as “Trey,” was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton and ordered to pay $307,386 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Los Angeles Patch
| | |
Former LA deputy jailed for lying in Adam Iza crypto extortion case
A former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after admitting he lied to federal investigators about threats made by a cryptocurrency businessman during a 2021 extortion incident. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson also imposed a $10,000 fine on Scott Allen Simpkins, who pleaded guilty on March 17 to one count of obstruction of justice.
Crypto.news
| | |
California dog trainer sentenced after dogs die in hot van, officials say
A California dog trainer has been sentenced after prosecutors say 11 dogs died in his care and that he later impersonated the owners to arrange for the animals' cremation to conceal how they died. Kwong (Tony) Chun Sit, 54, of Irvine, was given an 11-year and 10-month prison sentence after he was convicted in June of 11 felony counts of animal cruelty, seven misdemeanor counts of attempting to destroy evidence, and one misdemeanor count of destroying evidence, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a July 10 news release.
USA Today
| | |
Driver tied to fatal multi-car crash in Ontario gets nearly 5 years in prison
The driver who pleaded guilty to causing a deadly eight-car collision along the 10 Freeway in Ontario last year was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison. Jashanpreet Singh was accused of driving a semi-truck when he crashed into seven other cars - three semi-trucks, two pick-up trucks and two cars - in October 2025. Three people died, and four others were injured in the crash.
NBC4
| | |
LA Times’ billionaire owner repeatedly fell behind on payments to star correspondent, vendors: report
The Los Angeles Times repeatedly fell months behind on payments to contractors and vendors - even stiffing one of its own marquee hires - as billionaire owner Patrick Soon-Shiong pressed ahead with plans to take the 144-year-old newspaper public, according to a report.
California Post
| | |
The StubHub story keeps getting worse
StubHub's reputational problems continue to mount. Already battered by negative headlines surrounding customer service failures tied to the FIFA World Cup and Coachella, the company is now facing a new wave of scrutiny after a CBC News investigation detailed CEO Eric Baker's ties to companies that both sell tickets on StubHub and finance professional ticket resellers using the platform.
Decibel News
| | |
Ninth Circuit judges press Kalshi on why sports contracts aren’t just betting in tribal lands appeal
The hearing centered on an appeal brought by three California tribes: Blue Lake Rancheria, Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, and Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians. All three sought to reverse a lower court’s refusal to block Kalshi’s sports contracts from reaching their reservations. One judge stated directly that Kalshi’s contracts sound like a bet subject to Native American gambling laws.
Gaming America
| | | | |
