Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
Feds sue LA over ‘sanctuary city’ policies
The U.S. Justice Department on Monday sued Los Angeles to invalidate the so-called sanctuary city ordinance that restricts local law enforcement from cooperating with the crackdown on immigrants by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. In a complaint filed in LA federal court, the Justice Department argues that the city's ordinance, "Prohibition of the Use of City Resources for Federal Immigration Enforcement," which Mayor Karen Bass signed into law this past December, is preempted by federal immigration law.
Courthouse News Service
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Appeals court says Vallejo can disclose names of badge-bending cops
After the revelation that Vallejo police were bending their badges after killing or wounding someone, the officers argued, and a judge agreed, that California law barred public disclosure of their names. But a state appeals court disagreed Friday and indicated at least some of the identities would have to be revealed. "The documents sought are not confidential personnel records, but instead personnel records that are now subject to public disclosure" under recent changes in state law, said the 1st District Court of Appeal.
San Francisco Chronicle
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Supreme Court sides with federal corrections officers in lawsuit over prison incident
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 30 that federal prison officers and officials cannot be sued by an inmate who accused them of excessive force during a 2021 incident, delivering a victory for federal corrections personnel concerned about rising legal exposure for doing their jobs. The case, Fields v. Federal Bureau of Prisons, 109 F.4th 264, 268 (4th Cir. 2024) began when officials at the U.S. Penitentiary in Lee County, Virginia, ordered that the plaintiff, Andrew Fields, be placed in solitary confinement.
Independent Voter News
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Supreme Court overrules two of its prior decisions in reversing sentencing ruling
In People v. Wiley, the Supreme Court yesterday held the Sixth Amendment guaranteed a defendant a jury trial on certain facts that were the basis for imposing an upper term sentence for making a criminal threat. The sentencing court, without a jury, had relied on the defendant’s prior convictions, his poor performance on probation, and the increasing seriousness of the charges.
At the Lectern
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Stay of now-defunct enhancement does not interfere with right to full resentencing
The California Supreme Court held yesterday that a criminal defendant, for whom a prior prison term enhancement was imposed and stayed under former Penal Code §667.5(b), is entitled to have a full resentencing hearing based on recent amendments to the Penal Code invalidating such sentencing aggravators, even though he was not subjected to any additional time for the now-defunct allegation.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Superior Court of Los Angeles County to transition Juvenile Dependency remote courtroom access to new remote appearance platform
Effective July 14, 2025, the Superior Court of Los Angeles County will transition remote appearances in Juvenile Dependency courtrooms from Webex to Microsoft Teams. This transition will streamline access by providing a single, non-expiring Microsoft Teams link for each courtroom, allowing users to access necessary resources with ease. Participants will be able to join directly without the need for pre-check-in.
L.A. Superior Court News Release
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Supreme Court narrows window for immigrants to challenge deportation orders
The Supreme Court ruled against an immigrant seeking to challenge his potential deportation over fears of persecution in his home country on Thursday, finding he filed his challenge well beyond the deadline for a final removal order. In a 5-4 decision, the high court found that Jamaican immigrant Pierre Riley should have petitioned the Board of Immigration Appeals within 30 days of a “final administrative review order” by the Department of Homeland Security, rather than 30 days after the immigration board denied him relief under the Convention Against Torture.
Courthouse News Service
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Appeals court upholds murder conviction for duo connected to shooting of two teens
A state appeals court panel Friday upheld the convictions of a man and woman in connection with a shooting in which two 15-year-old boys were killed and two other teens were wounded in in South Los Angeles on Mother’s Day in 2018. The appellate court panel found that “substantial evidence supports the determination that De La Rocha shared (co-defendant Cristian) Macias’s intent to kill, or attempt to kill the four victims and that she intended to assist him in carrying out the offenses.”
MyNewsLA
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Wall Street backs LA wildfire lawsuits, chasing billions
The Los Angeles wildfires have generated potentially thousands of new clients for lawyers and prospects for billions in fees. Wall Street wants in on the action, too. The chance at a piece of strong returns has encouraged investment banks, hedge funds and debt investors to vie for contracts to fund the litigation, according to people involved in transactions. That’s in addition to firms solely dedicated to funding lawsuits, which has grown into a $16 billion industry in the US over two decades.
Bloomberg
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California court rules state insurance policy on smoke damage is unlawful
A California judge has ruled the state's bare-bones home insurance program's handling of smoke damage claims is unlawful, a decision that could have wide-ranging implications as insurers increasingly deal with the aftermath of wildfires. Home insurance broadly covers fire damage, but there is a growing dispute over what damage must be covered when flames don't torch the property.
Politico
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Attorneys wrangle in lead-up to trial in deputy murder
Both sides discussed motions and set a new schedule Thursday in a hearing for the man charged with the murder of Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, a Santa Clarita Valley man killed in the line of duty in a September 2023 attack. Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar, 30, is accused in the Sept. 16, 2023, shooting of Clinkunbroomer, an eight-year veteran working at the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station in what the Sheriff’s Department described as an “unprovoked ambush” at the intersection of Sierra Highway and Avenue Q.
The Signal
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Additional charges filed in connection to immigration protests
More than 40 people have been charged in connection with the immigration protests last month, including a 17-year-old juvenile accused of attempted murder, a man accused of assaulting an officer with a flagpole and two people who allegedly assaulted Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department horses in separate incidents, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced today.
L.A. District Attorney’s Office News Release
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L.A. activist indicted after handing out face shields to anti-ICE protesters
A local activist who handed out protective face shields to protesters last month during demonstrations against the Trump administration's chaotic immigration raids was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday. Alejandro Orellana, a 29-year-old member of the Boyle Heights-based community organization Centro CSO, faces charges of conspiracy and aiding and abetting civil disorder, court records show.
Los Angeles Times
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Teen allegedly killed by soccer coach died of acute alcohol poisoning, family's attorney says
A 13-year-old Sun Valley boy who was allegedly murdered by his soccer coach died of acute alcohol poisoning, according to a civil attorney for the victim's family. The finding raises new questions about what happened in the hours before seventh-grader Oscar Omar Hernandez, known as Omar, was found dead - time allegedly spent with his soccer coach, a man previously accused of sexually abusing a teen.
Los Angeles Times
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International burglary ring charged in jewelry store heists
Seven members of a South American crime ring were charged with burglarizing two jewelry stores, stealing over $1 million in jewelry from a Glendale shop and disabling 911 and internet service to more than a million homes and hospitals during a La Verne break-in. “To those involved in organized crime targeting businesses in Los Angeles County: No matter how carefully planned your crimes may be, you will be identified, apprehended, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.
L.A. District Attorney’s Office News Release
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Tutor and young adult ward charged in plot to smuggle Xanax into Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall
A civilian contract tutor for incarcerated youth has been charged with multiple felonies for allegedly working with a young adult ward to smuggle a controlled substance into Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey. The ward has also been charged with a felony in connection with the case. “Our juvenile facilities must remain secure, drug-free environments where young people have a real chance at rehabilitation,” District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.
L.A. District Attorney’s Office News Release
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Operator, employee of Bellflower company are charged in $1 million crypto investment scheme, DA says
The operator and employee of a Bellflower financial services company are accused of allegedly stealing more than $1 million from low-income, primarily Spanish-speaking victims through a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment scheme, officials announced Friday. Yone Rios, 53, of Rancho Cucamonga and Erwing Cuevas, 35, of Norwalk are each charged with 30 felony counts of grand theft.
City News Service
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Southern California residents accused of running $93 million COVID-19 benefits fraud scheme
Federal prosecutors arrested four Southern California residents Friday in connection with the largest-ever COVID-19 benefits fraud scheme, including two who are additionally accused of shooting and trying to kill the group's ringleader to avoid prosecution, authorities said. All four defendants face federal charges for their alleged roles in "a $93 million COVID-19 tax credit fraud scheme - considered to be the largest ever identified," the U.S. Department of Justice announced in a written statement.
Victorville Daily Press
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California man was member of white supremacist terror group with 'hit list' of officials, feds say
A 24-year-old California man gathered private information on federal officials for an assassination hit list that he shared with other members of a terrorist group known as the "Terrorgram Collective," according to an indictment unsealed in federal court Wednesday. Noah Jacob Lamb targeted people the group felt were "an enemy of the cause of white supremacist accelerationism,” and included their photograph, home address, and in some of cases, photos of their spouse, as part of the hit list, according to the federal grand jury indictment.
Los Angeles Times
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U.S. District Attorney reportedly investigating Pistons’ Malik Beasley for betting on NBA games, prop bets
In what could turn into an incredibly embarrassing and awkward situation for the NBA, the “U.S. District Attorney’s office is investigating Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley on allegations of gambling related to NBA games and prop bets,” reports ESPN’s Shams Charania. This gambling allegedly took place during the 2023-24 season, when Beasley was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. Beasley, 28, was one of the bigger names on the free agent market this summer after averaging 16.3 points a game while shooting 41.6% on 3-pointers for the Pistons last season.
NBC Sports
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LA City Council to seek legal actions against ‘unconstitutional searches
The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a motion directing the City Attorney’s Office to pursue legal action aimed to protect Angelenos by seeking “injunctive relief from unconstitutional searches, seizures and detentions.” No council members requested separate consideration. The vote, as part of the council’s consent calendar, took place one day after the Trump administration filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court accusing Los Angeles of obstructing federal immigration enforcement through its “sanctuary city” policies.
Los Angeles Daily News
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'It can be treacherous': Sudden exit of L.A. County sheriff oversight chair exposes rift
When a top official responsible for oversight of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced recently that he is being forced out of his position, it brought to a fever pitch tensions that had been building for months. On one side are watchdogs who say efforts to bring reforms and transparency to the Sheriff's Department are being stymied. On the other are county officials who claim fresh perspectives are needed on the Civilian Oversight Commission.
Los Angeles Times
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Trump admin stops handing over illegal migrant criminals to California for prosecution - it will just deport them instead
Keep dreaming, California. When the feds nabbed a Chinese illegal immigrant who was wanted in Monterey Park, California, for assault with a deadly weapon they refused to release him back to the sanctuary Golden State to stand trial. The risk, one Border Patrol leader said, is that he’ll just be released back onto the streets. Instead, they kept him in federal custody so he could be put on a one-way flight back to China, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
New York Post
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Protesters sue Orange County over forced hijab removal
Orange County and its sheriff’s department violated county policy and the First Amendment's religious liberty protections when deputies removed a protester's hijab, exposing her uncovered hair to news cameras, and then coerced her and another Muslim woman to remove their head coverings for booking photos, the women claim in a lawsuit. Salma Nasoordeen and Shenai Aini, both in their 20s, were arrested during the Orange County and other local law enforcement’s raid on the student Gaza solidarity encampment at the University of California, Irvine on May 15, 2024.
Courthouse News Service
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Dodgers DEI efforts target of federal civil rights complaint filed by conservative group
A legal group co-founded by Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and architect of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, filed a federal civil rights complaint against the Dodgers this week, accusing the team of “engaging in unlawful discrimination under the guise of ‘diversity, equity and inclusion.’” The lawsuit, filed Monday with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by America First Legal, was first reported Wednesday by the Athletic.
Los Angeles Times
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Santa Monica business owner offering plane tickets to reunite homeless people with families
A business owner in Santa Monica is offering to buy homeless people one-way flights out of Los Angeles to reunite with their loved ones. "I'll leave this here with a phone number," John Alle told a man sleeping on the street Thursday. "It has a phone number you can call if you ever want to reunite with your family or hometown.” Alle believes the current system for the homeless across Los Angeles isn't working. He believes reunifying the homeless with their family or close friends could help turn their lives around.
Fox11
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Prop. 36 allowed more repeat offenders to face felonies. What to know in Ventura County
California prosecutors have filed thousands of new felony drug and theft cases under beefed-up terms voters authorized under Proposition 36, with hundreds of them coming in Ventura County, reports show. Passage last November came amid concerns over increasing retail thefts and 10 years after a previous initiative lowered certain drug and property crimes to misdemeanors, significantly reducing the penalties.
Ventura County Star
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LAO study on theft offers few answers
Few political issues energize the public more than ones involving public safety for obvious reasons. We all want to feel safe. Unfortunately, the correlation between specific policies and crime remains as inexplicable as ever. Lawmakers respond to perceptions more than data, so we end up seesawing between tough-on-crime policies and criminal-justice reforms based heavily on anecdotes.
Orange County Register
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‘Artistic expression’ defense won’t get Ye out of harassment lawsuit
Ye, the hip-hop artist formerly known as Kanye West, has failed to win quick dismissal of a former marketing specialist's lawsuit on the grounds that he is an artist. The controversial rapper had argued that his numerous antisemitic and misogynous texts to that person were somehow protected artistic expression. But Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Theresa Traber on Friday tentatively denied Ye's anti-SLAPP motion to strike discrimination, harassment, retaliation and other claims from the plaintiff, a Jewish woman who is only identified as Jane Doe in court filings.
Courthouse News Service
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Under Trump pressure, UC says student governments are banned from boycotting Israel
The University of California has announced that student governments and all other "university entities" are banned from boycotting Israel, a direct response to a Trump administration directive that institutions engaging in such boycotts would not qualify for federal medical and science research grants. In a letter to chancellors, UC President Michael Drake told campus leaders that "boycotts of companies based on their association with a particular country" were a violation of university policy.
Los Angeles Times
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Protesters say federal agents hit them with rubber bullets and tear gas. What happens to their complaints?
The videos are everywhere. They show federal immigration agents on the streets of downtown Los Angeles, Paramount and communities across L.A. County, masked and in tactical gear, facing off with demonstrators. As crowds protested the sudden presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies on the streets of Los Angeles, law enforcement officers responded in some cases with tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets. Some protesters reported injuries and accused federal law enforcement of excessive force.
LAist
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Huntington Park police arrest man possibly posing as Border Patrol agent
Amid stepped up immigration arrests in the Los Angeles area, Huntington Park police said Friday they arrested a man who may have been posing as a federal agent. Fernando Diaz, 23, was arrested Tuesday in the 7000 block of Alameda Street after officers came across an SUV parked in a handicapped zone, police said during an afternoon news conference. When officers began the process of impounding the car, Diaz approached them.
ABC7
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LAPD updates immigration FAQ to clarify enforcement role
The Los Angeles Police Department released an updated FAQ document Friday to clarify its role in immigration enforcement, Chief Jim McDonnell announced. The document, available in English and Spanish, outlines the department’s policies and limits regarding immigration status. The FAQ, titled “Community Policing and Immigration: A Guide to LAPD’s Policies,” addresses common questions about LAPD’s authority.
Yo! Venice
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LAPD tells officers to ‘keep the peace' when called to ICE arrests, confrontations
New guidelines direct LAPD officers dispatched to reports of federal immigration enforcement incidents to keep the peace, try to verify the identities of people making arrests, and document the events on body-worn video if those claiming to be federal agents refuse to cooperate. The instructions were issued in recent days following numerous citizen reports of "attempted kidnappings," when federal agents, who are often wearing face coverings, dressed in street clothes and driving unmarked vehicles, attempt to detain people on the street or in businesses.
NBC4
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ICE flips script on Los Angeles mayor after telling authorities to 'go home’
Immigration and Customs Enforcement clapped back at Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after she suggested that federal immigration authorities "go home.” "We would like for the ICE raids to stop. We would like the array of federal officials or civilians dressed as federal officials to go home," she said at a news conference on Tuesday held in response to the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against the city’s sanctuary policies.
Fox News
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CHP officer killed in Culver City crash suffered ‘medical emergency' before striking tree
A 34-year-old California Highway Patrol officer has died after crashing into a tree following a medical emergency behind the wheel of a patrol SUV Wednesday morning in Culver City, the CHP said. The crash, which injured the officer's partner, was reported just after 12:30 a.m. at Bristol Parkway near Green Valley Circle. The SUV slammed head-on into a tree near the top of an embankment as the officers were transporting a DUI suspect in the vehicle to jail.
NBC4
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Mold, rats and neglect: a year of inspections at Men’s Central Jail reveals ‘horrific’ conditions
Nearly every inmate in the jail unit had a cough. Inside their cells, mold coated ceilings, streaked down walls and crept onto mattresses. It was stuffy, humid and the air smelled of smoke. Despite wearing a mask, Sybil Brand Commissioner Haley Broder struggled to breathe as she and another inspector walked through the 2300 housing unit during an October 2024 inspection at Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Daily News
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LA County’s new dispatch center for homeless services will soon take requests from the public
Los Angeles County’s first centralized dispatch center to quickly connect unsheltered people with housing, treatment and other services will start taking requests from the public on Tuesday, according to officials. The county’s Emergency Centralized Response Center (ECRC) started operating in January to centralize intake to the various services and programs for unhoused individuals run by a host of county and city departments, agencies and outreach teams.
LAist
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Inside the L.A. Zoo's messy $50-million breakup
In 2022, Robert Ellis pledged $200,000 to create a garden in the Los Angeles Zoo's bird theater. By January, the city of Los Angeles had sued its nonprofit partner, the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn., amid longstanding tensions over spending and other issues. Ellis, a GLAZA board member, redirected his donation to a fund for the nonprofit's legal fees. At stake in the messy divorce between the city and the association is a nearly $50-million endowment that each side claims is theirs and that funds much of the zoo's special projects, capital improvements and exhibit construction.
Los Angeles Times
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Los Angeles has paid out nearly $1B in liability claims since 2020
The city of Los Angeles has paid nearly $1 billion in liability claims since 2020, and that threshold could be crossed once this year’s figures are released. City Controller Kenneth Mejia debuted the Liability Claims Dashboard on Monday, showing that since fiscal year 2020, $940.1 million has been paid out. That figure, however, only goes through March of this year, meaning the numbers for April through June haven’t been released.
KTLA
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Law enforcement authorities question ‘terrorism' description of fiber optic cable damage
Law enforcement agencies pushed back Tuesday on an internet service company's characterization of damage to some of its fiber optic lines in the San Fernando Valley as an act of "domestic terrorism.” Several of Charter Communications aerial cables were severed last month in Van Nuys causing service disruptions across Southern California, and the company initially characterized the incident as vandalism.
NBC4
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7 businesses burglarized during street takeovers in 2 L.A. County communities
More than half a dozen businesses were burglarized during street takeovers in Bellflower and Lakewood overnight, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department says. It was around 1:50 a.m. Saturday when deputies received reports of a street takeover involving a large crowd at the intersection of Artesia Boulevard and Woodruff Avenue, an LASD spokesperson confirmed. The calls also indicated burglaries were in progress.
KTLA
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7-Eleven worker ‘clinically dead’ after attack by store manager in Hollywood, family says
A Hollywood 7-Eleven employee has died after she was allegedly attacked by her store manager during a shift last week, according to her family. It was around 2:15 p.m. on June 24, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, when officers from the Wilshire Division responded to a call about a felony battery at the convenience store on the 5700 block of Melrose Avenue.
KTLA
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Los Angeles-area first responders named as Pat Tillman Award recipients at ESPYs
Two Los Angeles-area first responders have been selected as recipients of the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the upcoming ESPY Awards in July. David Walters, a member of the Los Angeles Fire Department, and Erin Regan, with Los Angeles County Fire, are both being honored for their response to the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires in January.
KCAL News
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A ‘poison pill’ in California’s budget deal ties state spending to construction
After days of confusion in which a deal with Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened to unravel over his demand to include new housing and infrastructure regulations, the California Legislature passed an updated state budget on Friday. With the start of a new fiscal year looming on July 1, budget negotiations - already challenged by a $12 billion and growing deficit - dragged on this week as Newsom and legislative leaders struggled to reach an agreement on waiving state environmental reviews for priority projects.
CalMatters
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Sinaloa cartel hacked security cameras to track and kill FBI informants, US says
A hacker working for the Sinaloa drug cartel was able to obtain an FBI official’s phone records and use Mexico City’s surveillance cameras to help track and kill the agency’s informants in 2018, according to a new US justice department report. The incident was disclosed in a justice department inspector general’s audit of the FBI’s efforts to mitigate the effects of “ubiquitous technical surveillance”, a term used to describe the global proliferation of cameras and the thriving trade in vast stores of communications, travel, and location data.
The Guardian
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New California law requires bars to provide lids to combat drink spiking
California is implementing a new law requiring bars and nightclubs to provide beverage lids to customers to combat drink spiking and enhance safety. "The reality is I'm scared constantly about watching my drink," said Sacramento resident Renee Ublias. Starting in July, bars and nightclubs with a Type 48 license, which includes venues that serve alcohol but not food, will be required to have drink lids available for any customer who asks for one.
KCRA
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California law stops city from flying world flag above U.S. and California flag
From City of Arcata v. Citizens in Support of Measure M, decided Friday by the California Court of Appeal (Justice Charles Smiley, joined by Justices Jim Humes and Monique Langhorne Wilson); seems quite right to me: In November 2022, the City's voters passed Measure M, an initiative to enact an ordinance requiring the City to "fly the Earth Flag at the top of all city-owned flagpoles, above the flag of the United States of America and the California flag, and any other flags that the city may choose to display.”
Reason
| | Convictions/Pleas/Sentences/Parole | | |
DA Hochman announces guilty verdict in murder of 7-year-old girl by her mother, boyfriend in Hawthorne
A jury convicted Ida Helen Brockman and her boyfriend, Malachi Xavier Whalen, of the torture and murder of Brockman’s 7-year-old daughter, A’Miya D., at their Hawthorne residence in September 2021. Following a 10-week trial, jurors found 34-year-old Brockman, and 33-year-old Whalen, guilty yesterday in case BA514909 of one count each of murder, also finding true the special circumstance of intentional torture-murder for each.
L.A. County District Attorney’s Office News Release
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Guilty plea delayed for LACo Sheriff’s Deputy in jail smuggling case
A change-of-plea hearing was delayed Thursday until July 10 for a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy charged with taking part in a Mexican Mafia operation to smuggle heroin into a Castaic jail in exchange for cash bribes. The indictment against Michael Meiser, 40, of Lancaster and others stems from a sheriff’s department and FBI investigation that began in early 2022 into reports of drugs being smuggled into the county jail system.
MyNewsLA
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Man who killed Sacramento officer Tara O'Sullivan sentenced to death
The man convicted of killing Sacramento police officer Tara O’Sullivan in 2019 has been sentenced to death. A jury previously returned a death sentence for Adel Ramos in March, but he was formally sentenced Friday. It's unlikely he'll face execution though, due to an executive order by Gov. Newsom halting executions in California, but prosecutors can still seek capital punishment. O’Sullivan was out with a training officer responding to a domestic violence call on June 19, 2019, when Ramos shot her while she was helping the victim gather their belongings. She later died at the hospital.
ABC10 Sacramento
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