Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
L.A. City Council ban on two words draws challenge
An action has been filed seeking a declaration that a ban on the use of two particular words during the public comment periods of Los Angeles City Council meetings is facially invalid under the First and Fourteenth Amendments, and as applied to the plaintiff who was removed from the legislative body’s chambers and forbidden to return for two days based on her violation of the stricture.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Felony-murder conviction stands in slaying of off-duty L.A. Sheriff’s Department deputy
Div. One of this district’s Court of Appeal has affirmed an order denying a petition for resentencing filed by a man who aided in an attempted robbery during which a co-conspirator fatally shot an off-duty deputy, with the justices rejecting the contention that the decedent did not qualify as a “peace officer” - for purposes of a statutory carve-out to the legislation virtually abolishing the felony-murder rule - because she served in a custodial assignment.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Prominent LA attorney accused of orchestrating online smear campaign against model
A model and former Master Chef contestant accused Los Angeles attorney Bryan Freedman of orchestrating an online smear campaign against her at the behest of her boyfriend’s parents. In the complaint, Paige Jimenez claims that Freedman called her in 2024 and told her that he had been hired by the wealthy parents of her then-boyfriend, Kaiko Manson.
Courthouse News Service
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Appeals court blocks California law requiring federal agents to wear identification
An appeals court on Wednesday blocked a California law that required federal agents to wear identification. The Trump administration sued in November, arguing that the law exposed officers to safety risks. Specifically, forms of identification targeted federal agents facing harassment, doxing and violence, the administration argued. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the injunctions.
The National News Desk
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Enforceability of ‘Safe Worship Zone Act’ draws challenge
A comedian/political commentator has filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California seeking to block enforcement of the Safe Worship Zone Act, signed into law on Sept. 25, arguing that it would prevent him from engaging in assertedly constitutionally protected activity such as holding a sign reading “Gays for Palestine” in front of a synagogue and obtaining persons-on-the-street reactions from passersby.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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C.A. says Kern D.A. lacks authority to appeal Alameda Superior Court resentencing order
Div. One of the First District Court of Appeal held yesterday that Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer lacks authority to appeal a resentencing order entered in Alameda Superior Court that resulted in the early release of a convicted killer where the local prosecutor in that jurisdiction and the Attorney General each declined to challenge the decision.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Doctors, insurers sue Newsom over health insurance premium increases
Doctors and health insurers filed a lawsuit Friday alleging Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature violated the law when they approved a healthcare tax that could substantially increase insurance premiums for Californians. The lawsuit claims the recently passed tax on health plans, known as the managed care organization tax or MCO tax, circumvents a 2024 initiative that limits healthcare taxes and directs revenue toward specific purposes.
CalMatters
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California’s fiscal watchdog accused of using fake addresses to seize fortunes in bombshell lawsuit
California’s top fiscal watchdog and private contractors are accused of falsifying foreign investors’ addresses to seize and sell hundreds of thousands of dollars in stock, according to a federal court filing seeking to halt the state’s $15 billion unclaimed property program. The allegations are part of a lawsuit that accuses state Controller Malia Cohen and two contractors, Kroll LLC and Kelmar Associates LLC, of taking private property without adequate notice and improperly profiting from its sale.
California Post
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Murder charges filed against man accused of fatally shooting bus driver in Culver City
A man accused of fatally shooting a Culver City bus driver after an argument over a bus stop has been charged with murder, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced. The shooting happened Oct. 1 when, according to police, 55-year-old Jose Antonio Zayas was trying to get bus driver Bruce Rodriguez, 42, to pull over.
ABC7 Los Angeles
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Arcadia couple at center of surrogacy scandal pleads not guilty to child abuse charges
Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies raided an Arcadia home on Tuesday morning and arrested a couple accused in a surrogacy scandal involving 21 child victims, authorities said. Silvia Zhang and Guojun Xuan, the man and woman who housed the children and are at the center of the case, were taken into custody during a joint operation involving the sheriff's department and the FBI.
ABC7 Los Angeles
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Elderly woman charged with ‘intentionally' running over puppy in Santa Ana
A 75-year-old woman was charged Friday with intentionally running over and killing a puppy in Santa Ana. Hahn Nguyen was charged with two felony counts of cruelty to animals with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon. Nguyen, who was arrested Thursday, was released from custody after posting $20,000 bail, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
City News Service
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Judge raises bail to $200,000 despite defense argument accused is ‘no flight risk’
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Monday granted the prosecution’s request to raise the accused’s bail from $80,000 to $200,000 despite the defense arguing that the accused has a 2-year-old daughter and would not be considered a flight risk. According to court records, on Sept. 12, the accused was involved in an altercation over a parking spot.
Vanguard News Group
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Justice Department finds UCLA law school illegally used race in admissions
The Justice Department found Thursday that the law school at the University of California, Los Angeles, illegally considered race in admissions. The announcement follows a similar finding against the university's medical school and comes as President Donald Trump's administration ramps up scrutiny of colleges' processes for selecting students.
Associated Press
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Suspected Chinese foreign agent arrested at Los Angeles Airport
The FBI arrested a suspected Chinese foreign agent at the Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday after she allegedly surveilled the Taiwanese President’s family. Bill Essayli, the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, posted on social media platform X that FBI agents in Los Angeles nabbed 34-year-old Wanying “Heather” Zhang of Irvine, Calif., as she was attempting to depart for China.
Time
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Nithya Raman caught in ‘dangerous’ video targeting LAPD chief: ‘Fascist liars’
Los Angeles mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman is facing backlash over a social media campaign interview with an influencer where she appears to call LAPD Police Chief Jim McDonnell ”a fascist liar,” with a red X across his face. The interview, with prominent lefty influencer Ed Choi, opens with images of Mayor Karen Bass and McDonnell as Raman says: “Only you can stop fascist liars.”
California Post
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LAPD union will oppose half-cent sales tax hike pushed by firefighters' union
The Los Angeles Police Department’s officer union said Tuesday it will oppose Measure FD, the half-cent sales tax measure on the Nov. 3 ballot pushed by the city firefighters’ union - setting up a bitter and expensive clash between two of the city’s most powerful unions. The Police Protective League said it plans to spend several million dollars on broadcast and digital advertising as well as mailers to oppose Measure FD, which if approved by voters would direct hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the Fire Department to build new stations, hire firefighters and upgrade equipment.
Los Angeles Times
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Former L.A. traffic officer accused of abusing sick leave to work USPS job
A former Los Angeles traffic officer allegedly collected paid leave from the city dozens of times while working shifts at her second job with the U.S. Postal Service, prompting ethics charges over claims that she abused her government position for personal gain.
KTLA5
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Public safety labor groups plan to continue push for pension enhancements after Newsom veto
As local governments in California breathe a sigh of relief following the governor’s veto of a bill that would have enhanced retirement benefits for police and firefighters - potentially raising annual taxpayer pension costs by millions of dollars - labor groups are taking stock of their loss and preparing to mount a new campaign for changes.
The Press Democrat
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Five justice bills sponsored by the LA County District Attorney’s Office signed into law
Five bills sponsored by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office have been signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, strengthening public safety and advancing criminal justice in California. The newly enacted laws protect abused animals (AB 2344); hold intoxicated drivers (SB 907), labor traffickers (AB 1583) and large-scale corporate polluters (AB 2310) accountable; and give prosecutors the tools to fully investigate post-conviction claims of factual innocence (SB 1211).
L.A. County District Attorney’s Office News Release
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CA Supreme Court cited a lobbyist’s memo as legislative history
As a general rule, California courts exclude or heavily discount statements by lobbyists as cognizable legislative history when interpreting ambiguous statutes. Based upon the landmark decision in Kaufman & Broad Communities, Inc. v. Performance Plastering, Inc. decided by the Third District Court of Appeal, California courts restrict cognizable legislative history to documents that shed light on the collective, objective intent of the Legislature as a whole, rather than subjective or unilateral opinions.
California Globe
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Judge allows 3 Palestinian protest lawsuit plaintiffs to use pseudonyms
A judge has ruled that three of 35 plaintiffs - who wish to use pseudonyms in their pleadings as their lawsuit proceeds toward a trial of their allegations that UCLA violated the civil rights of those taking part in 2024 campus protests - can do so. Nine of the 35 had asked to remain anonymous in the pleadings, but on Tuesday, Judge Samantha Jessner granted permission to just three.
MyNewsLA
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‘Disappointing.' LAPD chief responds to ‘fascist liars' video featuring Nithya Raman
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell on Wednesday called a recent social media video featuring Councilmember Nithya Raman "disappointing" after the footage appeared to link the longtime law enforcement leader to the phrase "fascist liar.” McDonnell spoke exclusively with NBC Los Angeles on Wednesday and confirmed he had seen the video, in which Raman, a candidate for Los Angeles mayor, appeared alongside digital content creator Ed Choi.
NBC4 Los Angeles
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Parents get expensive lesson after LAPD impounds 200 cars at street takeover
A month after Los Angeles police surrounded a massive street takeover and hauled away 200 vehicles, some of those cars are finally going home - along with bills running into the thousands of dollars. Drivers and vehicle owners showed up Monday at the Los Angeles Police Department’s South Traffic Division with paperwork needed to recover cars seized during September’s “Operation Street Sweeper.”
Guessing Headlights
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New speed cameras set to be activated across LA in late October, with more to come
Los Angeles is expected to begin activating new cameras on streets across the city near the end of the month as part of a state law approved in 2024 aimed to curb speeding and to improve street safety. L.A. Department of Transportation General Manager Laura Rubio-Cornejo said the first set of cameras will be up and running on Oct. 26 with the goal of having all 125 cameras activated before the end of the year.
ABC7 Los Angeles
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Voters to decide 2 L.A. County measures
Santa Clarita Valley voters will see city, state and federal races on their ballots next month, and in addition to a slew of state propositions, there are also two county measures that address labor negotiations and the county’s Ethics Commission. Starting this week, county election officials statewide are expected to start mailing ballots, with the vote-by-mail period officially starting today, according to the Secretary of State’s website.
The Signal
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Traci Park declares war on ‘Van Lords’ exploiting L.A.’s homeless!
Los Angeles Councilwoman Traci Park (CD-11) has introduced legislation directing the City of Los Angeles to implement a new state directive aimed at "breaking the cycle that allows abandoned and dilapidated RV's to be resold and returned to City streets by so-called van lords." Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 647, authored by Assemblymember Mark González, expressly giving public agencies, including municipalities, within Los Angeles County authority to dispose of qualifying abandoned RVs valued at $4,000 or less rather than putting them back on the auction block.
CityWatch
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'Operation Save Skid Row' targets over 2 dozen alleged drug dealers in notorious Downtown LA area
Federal law enforcement officials, along with the Los Angeles Police Department, are targeting drug dealing in Downtown Los Angeles with "Operation Save Skid Row.” Authorities announced that 28 people in total will be charged with drug-related offenses as part of the takedown. Local law enforcement, in collaboration with the FBI, DEA and even the IRS, executed 44 search warrants across L.A. County on Thursday, taking 21 people into custody for alleged drug distribution so far.
ABC7 Los Angeles
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FBI exposes suspected Mexican-Mafia murder, extortion plot in L.A.
A suspected Mexican Mafia associate opened fire on a vehicle in a Pomona neighborhood, spraying more than a dozen bullets at a person who had allegedly been marked for death over a debt to the notorious prison gang, officials said. The July 2026 shooting was part of a larger murder conspiracy and extortion scheme that led to charges against nine people, including eight alleged associates of the Mexican Mafia, according to the FBI.
KTLA5
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2 dead after shooting at strip mall near Cal State Northridge
Two people were killed in a shooting that erupted at an event venue in a strip mall near California State Northridge on Friday night, authorities said. Los Angeles police told Eyewitness News that officers responded to reports of a large party just after 11 p.m. Minutes after officers arrived and asked organizers to shut down the event, they heard gunshots.
ABC7 Los Angeles
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Fake construction worker targets celebrity plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills burglary spree
Plastic surgeons to the stars are offering a reward for the capture of a woman accused of posing as a construction worker to burglarize their Beverly Hills offices before going on a shopping spree with stolen credit cards. The alleged incident occurred on July 30 in several offices in a building on the 120 block of South Spalding Drive. The building is home to several celebrity plastic surgeons, including Dr. Garth Fisher of “Extreme Makeover” and Dr. Paul Nassif of the reality series “Botched.”
California Post
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Nobu chef killed as teen's SUV hits parked car on PCH
Homicide detectives will present the death of a man on Pacific Coast Highway to the L.A. County prosecutor, to see what type of charges might be filed against the 16-year-old boy who killed him as he slept in his car near Nobu restaurant Saturday. Ryo Uchimiya, 51, was a chef at the Malibu Nobu and was napping in his parked car when it was rear-ended at 6:53 a.m. Saturday.
KBUU Malibu.fm
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LAPD uncovers $1M in stolen BNSF and Union Pacific rail cargo at Los Angeles–area shoe retailer
LAPD detectives searched a Whittier, California, shoe retailer Sept. 30, uncovering 59 pallets containing branded merchandise. LAPD connected the goods to stolen BNSF and Union Pacific rail cargo. Recovered property totaled about $1 million. Police also arrested business owner Waseem Saman onsite. The haul included Nike, New Balance, Brooks and Sanuk footwear, according to LAPD. Investigators also located Yeti cups, jugs, JanSport backpacks, plus Shark vacuums.
FreightWaves
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Trump. Climate. AR-15s. The Supreme Court is about to go back to work
A new Supreme Court term will get off to a fast start when the justices on Oct. 5 take up a landmark case about climate change that could have broad implications for local governments to tackle national issues. In other politically charged cases that will be debated over the next few months, the court – which has a 6-3 conservative majority − is expected to continue expanding rights for both gun owners and religious groups.
USA Today
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Appeals court says Atlanta family cannot take the government to trial for a mistaken FBI raid
An Atlanta family cannot take the federal government to trial for a mistaken FBI raid on their home in 2017, but they can seek to hold the agent who led the SWAT team liable, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. FBI agents broke down the front door of Trina Martin’s Atlanta home before dawn on Oct. 18, 2017, stormed into her bedroom and pointed guns at her and her then-boyfriend as her 7-year-old son screamed for his mom from another room.
Associated Press
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Gavin Newsom signs bill distinguishing e-bikes and e-motos in California
Starting next year, an electric motorcycle that can speed over 28 mph can no longer be marketed as an e-bike in California, according to legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Senate Bill 1167, introduced by Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, clarifies which vehicles do and do not classify as Class 1, 2 or 3 electric bicycles. Specifically, the legislation says that devices faster and more powerful than e-bikes must be referred to and marketed as mopeds or motor-driven cycles.
Sacramento Bee
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California just made history taxing ICE detention centers - here's what changes
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1633 on September 29, 2026, making California the first state in the country to impose a dedicated tax on the for-profit companies that manage immigration detention facilities under federal contract, levying a 25% charge on gross receipts starting July 1, 2028.
The Latin Times
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Newsom signs AB 2727 to strengthen public safety safeguards for elderly parole
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 2727, authored by Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen (D-Elk Grove), following two years of work to strengthen public safety protections for children, survivors and communities within California’s elderly parole process. “Protecting our children and our communities has been at the heart of this bill from day one,” said Assemblymember Nguyen.
Office of Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen News Release
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Haverford College professor Guangtian Ha charged in online harassment case
Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to keep a Haverford College professor in prison until trial as he faces a charge of cyberstalking and accusations of antisemitic harassment of a coworker. Haverford College leadership released a statement Tuesday revealing that Guangtian Ha, an associate professor of religion, was arrested earlier in the day for what they're calling "heinous online attacks," which were "antisemitic in nature."
ABC7 New York
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Flock is catching flak. Experts say other police surveillance tools are more worrisome
Police officers in cities across the U.S. are quick to extol the virtues of real-time crime centers as a game changer that helps them find missing children, monitor large events from the skies and scope out dangerous scenes before putting an officer in harm's way. Hundreds of police departments have one of these central hubs, which have existed for years.
NPR
| | Convictions/Pleas/Sentences/Parole/Corrections | | |
MS-13 member sentenced to life in federal prison for participating in two murders of fellow gangsters
A ranking member of a San Fernando Valley-based wing of the transnational criminal organization Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) was sentenced today to life in federal prison for participating in two murders of MS-13 associates who violated gang rules and were taken to remote areas of Los Angeles County, where they were killed.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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Nurse accused of causing Windsor Hills crash that killed 6 people found guilty of murder charges
A jury found a nurse guilty in a fiery crash in Windsor Hills that killed six people, including an infant and a pregnant woman. Nicole Lorraine Linton, 41, was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder after she drove her Mercedes-Benz through a red light at the intersection of Slauson and La Brea Avenues in August 2022. Her car slammed into several other vehicles, according to the California Highway Patrol.
CBS News Los Angeles
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Self-proclaimed ‘godfather’ sentenced to over 6 years in prison for fraud, tax evasion, and using LASD deputies to torment his opponents
A now-imprisoned fraudster was sentenced today to 78 months in federal prison for hiring several now-convicted off-duty former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) deputies to violate his perceived adversaries’ civil rights, stealing more than $37 million from Meta Platforms Inc. by fraudulently gaining access to its business manager accounts and their lines of credit, and for cheating on his taxes.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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Ventura County man convicted of trying to steal $4.8 million home
A Ventura County man was convicted of trying to steal a $4.8 million home through a real estate fraud scheme. Khambray Antoine Holloway, 34, was found guilty of filing a false or forged document to claim ownership of an Oxnard residence, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. In July 2025, Holloway filed a false, notarized grant deed with the Ventura County Recorder’s Office to establish himself as the owner of a $4.8 million beach home in Oxnard Shores.
KTLA5
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Former Charles Manson follower Patricia Krenwinkel again granted parole
Former Charles Manson follower Patricia Krenwinkel was again recommended for parole Tuesday as she continues to serve a life prison term for her role in the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders in Los Angeles. Krenwinkel, 78, was preliminarily granted parole Tuesday at her 18th subsequent suitability hearing, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
City News Service & NBC4 LA
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Lessons from Kai Spears v. The New York Times Co.: A historic defamation verdict
The first defamation verdict against The New York Times in more than 50 years highlights the significant litigation risks that can arise when reporting relies on inadequately vetted anonymous sources and critical editorial safeguards are not followed. The decision demonstrates that actual malice may be supported not only by what happens before publication, but also by a publisher’s response after concerns are raised.
Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP
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Diddy to pay nearly $500,000 for failed NBC defamation lawsuit: Judge
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been ordered to foot a hefty legal bill after unsuccessfully suing over the 2025 Peacock documentary The Making of a Bad Boy. A Tuesday (Oct. 6) court order, obtained by Billboard, says Combs must repay $478,000 that NBCUniversal spent convincing a judge to dismiss the defamation lawsuit earlier this year. This amount, while significant, is only about half of the $990,000 charged by NBC’s attorneys at the elite law firm Gibson Dunn.
Billboard
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