Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
California Supreme Court reinstates major change to three-strikes law
Efforts to roll back life sentences for nonviolent offenders under California's "three strikes" law got a boost Thursday from the state Supreme Court, which allowed some longtime prisoners to seek release if they are not shown to be currently dangerous. The three strikes law, approved by the state's voters in 1994, required a sentence of 25 years to life for anyone convicted of a felony who had at least two previous convictions for serious or violent felonies.
San Francisco Chronicle
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City seeks to overturn judge's order limiting LAPD use of crowd control weapons
The city of Los Angeles said it would appeal a recent court order that prevents LAPD officers from targeting members of the press with crowd control weapons. The notice of appeal filed Tuesday comes less than a month after U.S. District Judge Hernán D. Vera barred the LAPD from using so-called less lethal munitions against journalists and nonviolent protesters.
Los Angeles Times
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Prosecutor was remiss in assuring judge that victims’ restitution claims were valid
It was misconduct for a prosecutor to tell the judge presiding over a restitution hearing that he had “spoken with the victims” and was confident of the legitimacy of their claims, Div. One of the First District Court of Appeal has declared. Justice Monique Langhorne Wilson authored the unpublished opinion, filed Wednesday, acting upon an appeal from restitution orders by Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Jennifer Lee totaling $190,677.60.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Judge remains undecided on treatment plan for man charged with stalking Jennifer Aniston
A judge remained undecided Friday on the treatment and placement plan for a man charged with stalking Jennifer Aniston and ramming his car into the front gate of her home. Jimmy Wayne Carwyle, a 48-year-old from Mississippi, has pleaded not guilty to felony stalking and vandalism. But in May, Judge Maria Cavalluzzi found him not competent to stand trial after evaluations from two experts.
Associated Press
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C.A. says no reversible error due to prosecutor saying in closing that facts ‘broke his heart’
A prosecutor’s closing argument, in which he said that the circumstances of the case “broke my heart,” asked the jury to “do justice,” and likened the crime to a “Hollywood slasher movie,” did not mandate reversal of the defendant’s attempted murder conviction relating to a domestic violence incident in which the accused stabbed his then-girlfriend with a broken bottle, Div. Five of this district’s Court of Appeal has held.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Supreme Court rejects Live Nation appeal in ticketing antitrust case
The Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Live Nation and Ticketmaster Monday in an antitrust suit brought by ticketbuyers, letting stand an appeals court decision that invalidated the companies’ arbitration regime. The suit - Heckman et al v Live Nation - was brought by a group of consumers early 2022, alleging monopolistic control of the ticket market by the live giant and its ticketing subsidiary. Live Nation attempted to send the case to arbitration under the Ticketmaster terms of service.
Pollstar
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Minor ‘commits crime with adult’ even if elder is cleared
Div. Four of this district’s Court of Appeal held yesterday that a defendant, who was sentenced to 75 years to life in prison for a murder he committed when he was 17 years old, is entitled to a resentencing hearing because he committed the crime with an adult - one of the relief-triggering factors under the statutory scheme - even if the other party later had her conviction for the killing overturned.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Federal prosecutors, LAFD and court outline new findings in Palisades Fire investigation
Federal prosecutors have charged a 29-year-old Florida resident, Jonathan Rinderknecht, with deliberately setting the January 2025 Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Los Angeles County. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Rinderknecht was arrested in Florida on 8 October and charged with destruction of property by means of fire.
International Fire & Safety Journal
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Ex-school board member accused of $93,000 embezzlement scheme at Burbank Unified
A former member of the Burbank Unified School District Board of Education is facing criminal charges following allegations that she approved a contract with a company registered to her daughter and then funneled $93,000 worth of payments into her own bank account, authorities said. In the same meeting that the alleged embezzlement scheme came to light, the district's superintendent suddenly resigned.
Los Angeles Times
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Five teens facing criminal charges in connection with August assault in Simi Valley movie theatre parking lot
Five teens are facing criminal charges in connection with an attack in a Simi Valley movie theater parking lot in August of this year. Three of the juveniles are facing felony assault charges with the special allegation of a hate crime, a fourth is facing a felony assault charge as well as a charge of misdemeanor criminal threats and misdemeanor battery, and the fifth teen has been charged with misdemeanor criminal threats and misdemeanor battery shared the Ventura County District Attorney's Office in a press release Friday.
KEYT
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Two men accused of rigging poker games, cheating casinos out of more than $30,000, prosecutors say
Two men were charged with allegedly rigging poker games at two casinos in Southern California to win more than $30,000, according to authorities. Vaagn Galustyan, 52, and Armin Martirosyan, 53, have been charged with two felony counts of conspiracy to commit a crime, according to a San Diego County District Attorney news release. They were arraigned Wednesday in San Diego Superior Court and face up to three years and eight months in prison if convicted.
Los Angeles Times
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Letitia James, NY attorney general and Trump foe, indicted for bank fraud
New York Attorney General Letitia James, a longtime foe of President Donald Trump, was charged on Thursday with lying on a mortgage application, as the administration steps up its use of government power against his perceived political enemies. A grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, returned an indictment charging James with one count of bank fraud and one count of making a false statement to a lending institution, court records showed.
Reuters
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L.A. County launches investigation into historic sex abuse settlement
Los Angeles County launched an investigation Tuesday to determine whether a record $4-billion sex abuse settlement approved this year may be tainted. County supervisors unanimously approved a motion to have county lawyers investigate possible misconduct by “legal representatives” involved in the recent flood of sex abuse litigation against L.A. County. The county auditor’s office also will set up a hotline dedicated to tips from the public related to the lawsuits, according to the motion.
Los Angeles Times
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USC officials weighed halting sexual assault investigation if professor left - emails reveal
Iris Kim threw away everything she owned with the letters “USC” on it after graduation. A 2019 Marshall School of Business graduate and star student highly involved in campus activities, Kim said she now laughs when she receives alumni donation requests in her inbox. Over a two-year period at USC, Kim alleges she was sexually harassed and assaulted five times by Choong Whan Park, a Marshall professor for whom she worked as an assistant.
LA Public Press
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Updated lawsuit claims LA County Sheriff's jail deputies watched videos and ate while inmate died
The parents of a man who died by suicide after being held inside an LA County jail said Thursday that they recently obtained documents and video recordings - that they say show deputies failed to check on their son and other inmates while the deputies were watching internet videos and eating.
NBC4
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Highest ranking woman in Seal Beach police history sues city alleging discrimination
The highest-ranking female law enforcement officer in Seal Beach is suing the city, alleging that a toxic culture has taken root in the Police Department where she's been subjected to blatant sexism and harassment for years. Lt. Julia Clasby, who also serves as the department's public information officer, alleges in the lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court last week that she was passed up for promotions, disparaged for being a mother and denied training opportunities that were routinely provided to her male colleagues.
Los Angeles Times
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She found an LAPD official's AirTag. Her lawsuit claims it derailed her career
When she was called last year to testify against a top Los Angeles police official, Sgt. Jessica Bell assumed she would be asked about the AirTag. Bell found the Apple tracking device under her friend's car while on a weekend getaway in Palm Springs in 2023. The friend suspected her former domestic partner, Alfred "Al" Labrada, who was then an assistant chief in the Los Angeles Police Department, had secretly planted the AirTag to monitor her movements after they broke up.
Los Angeles Times
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Safari, limo, 5-star resorts: CA insurance boss' taxpayer-funded travel, security raise questions
The Fair Political Practices Commission is assessing a state complaint into California's Insurance Commissioner. It's in response to a 7 On Your Side investigation exposing at least a dozen of Ricardo Lara's international trips on taxpayers' dime - all while missing some key state insurance meetings. For more than nine months, we've requested information about 48 of Commissioner Lara's trips.
ABC7
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Former CA fire chief accused of embezzlement seeks mental health diversion
Former UC Davis Fire Chief Nathan Jon Trauernicht, who is accused of embezzlement, is asking a Yolo Superior Court judge to suspend his criminal case and place him in a mental health diversion program. Attorneys argued in court Thursday morning over Trauernicht’s request for the diversion program, which could result in the dismissal of his felony charge for the alleged crime.
Sacramento Bee
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Sensitive police files to be opened up for watchdogs under new law signed by Newsom
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday that will allow police oversight officials investigating misconduct to access confidential law enforcement personnel records, a change that watchdogs have argued will increase accountability for officers who break the rules. Los Angeles County advocates and members of the county’s Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission pushed for months in support of AB 847.
Los Angeles Times
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California tightens oversight on bar exam after February testing fiasco
California lawmakers have enacted sweeping reforms to increase oversight and accountability in the state’s bar examination process following a high-profile testing disaster earlier this year. Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills designed to prevent future administrative failures and ensure transparency in how the State Bar of California develops and administers the attorney licensing exam.
JD Journal
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LA County supervisors asked its lawyers to draft a state of emergency related to ICE raids
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to pursue a state of emergency for the county as a result of ICE arrests of breadwinners during raids that have left families unable to pay rent, buy food and clothing for their children, and causing many to stay home and not report to work due to fear.
Los Angeles Daily News
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LA County’s CEO starts a months-long leave
L.A. County Chief Executive Officer Fesia Davenport is taking a months-long leave of absence with plans to return to the job early next year, according to emails sent to county staff this week. Second-in-command Joe Nicchitta - the county’s chief deputy CEO and chief operating officer - will serve as acting CEO while she’s out, according to a county spokesperson and Davenport’s internal announcements.
LAist
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Santa Ana councilman calls on state attorney general to probe police union spending
Santa Ana City Councilman Ben Vazquez is calling on the State’s Attorney General Rob Bonta to thoroughly probe how Santa Ana’s police union spent taxpayer dollars over the last decade to see if there has been any misuse of public dollars. It comes as the city’s police department faced a host of accountability questions this past summer and as city officials brace for an expected deficit in a couple years that city staff project will be tens of millions of dollars deep.
Voice of OC
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State law requires near immediate access to officials’ financial disclosures. LA County is taking far longer
To help ensure government decisions are in the public’s best interest, California law requires many officials to disclose their financial interests on public forms. Those disclosures - known as form 700s - report officials’ outside income, gifts and investments so the public can see whether those conflict with their decisions. State law says they’re public records, and that agencies have to make each disclosure available to the public within two business days of it being filed.
LAist
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You will soon have to pay more for street parking in Los Angeles
The cost of street parking in the City of Angels may soon feel hellish to some. On Friday, the L.A. City Council voted 10-0 to increase the parking meter rate by 50% - from a dollar to $1.50. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation currently charges between $1 and $8.50 for metered parking, depending on the area. It’s the first change in parking meter rates in the city of L.A. in over a decade.
KTLA
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Proposed city mandate could drive Santa Monica shops out
A proposed ordinance requiring businesses on city-owned property to sign labor peace agreements is drawing renewed opposition from business groups citing both constitutional concerns and economic risks to struggling establishments. The California Restaurant Association has enlisted legal counsel to challenge the mandate if adopted, while a new economic analysis warns the requirement could force closure of businesses still recovering from pandemic losses.
Westside Current
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LA County pauses marriage license fee increases after backlash from business community (Video)
The price increases were set to take effect on Oct. 17. Lolita Lopez reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Oct. 6, 2025.
NBC4
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City seeks dismissal of whistleblower suit over mayoral detail dispute
A whistleblower retaliation lawsuit filed against the city of Los Angeles by two veteran LAPD sworn members should be dismissed because neither of them suffered any adverse employment actions, the City Attorney's Office contends in new court papers. Lt. Eric Bixler and Det. Richard Jaramillo filed the complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that a captain and a deputy chief targeted them for being a witness to a Black officer's complaint that he was picked to be part of Mayor Karen Bass' bodyguard detail because he, like the mayor, is Black.
City News Service
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Is Santa Ana overpaying or underpaying for local police officers’ health insurance?
A controversial audit that city officials have not released is sparking concerns as to whether Santa Ana officials are spending too much or too little to insure their over 400 local police officers, employees and retirees. It’s the biggest question emerging over a controversial audit that initially found Santa Ana officials overpaid $3 million for police health benefits in 2023, pitting the police union - one of the biggest spenders in local elections - against one of its biggest critics on the city council.
Voice of OC
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Hit-and-run driver injures LA Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky's staffer, kills her dog
A staff member for Los Angeles Councilwoman for Katy Yaroslavsky was recovering from her injuries Tuesday after she was struck by a pickup truck Sunday morning. The Los Angeles Police Department told NBC4 Investigates exclusively that the woman was taking her dog for a walk in the area of 8th Street and Cloverdale in the Miracle Mile neighborhood at around 8:30 a.m. Sunday when she - and the dog - were struck by a Toyota pickup truck.
NBC4
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Woman allegedly used dating apps to rob older men, say police
A woman has been accused of using dating apps to meet men and then burglarize their homes, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Adva Lavie is wanted for a string of burglaries in which she allegedly targeted older men, posing as a romantic companion on virtual dating platforms and social media, according to officials.
ABC News
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Early morning takedown targets San Pedro gang with Mexican Mafia ties
Authorities announced arrests Tuesday morning in a multi-year law enforcement operation that targeted a Los Angeles-area gang with ties to the Mexican Mafia. More than a dozen people were charged in connection with the investigation into the Rancho San Pedro gang. The probe led to an operation serving arrest and search warrants Tuesday morning that targeted 17 locations in San Pedro and other parts of the Harbor Region.
NBC4
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Owner of popular L.A. sneaker store arrested on felony charges after police raid
A popular Los Angeles sneaker store where famous streamers and athletes shop is speaking out after the owner was arrested during a police raid this week. The popular Melrose Avenue business, Coolkicks L.A., said in an Instagram post that it has no reason to believe a "small allotment" of Nike sneakers it received was stolen. The business also says none of the shoes were counterfeit.
ABC7
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Jewelry store owner robbed of $200K in merchandise after flat tire in Woodland Hills
A jewelry store owner is hoping suspects will be caught after he was robbed of hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise in Woodland Hills. Officers responded to the robbery call around 9 p.m. Monday on Ventura Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Ali Sedaghat, who owns a jewelry store in downtown Los Angeles, says it all started when he stopped to have dinner at a Mexican restaurant in the area.
ABC7
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House of South Carolina judge criticized by Trump Administration set ablaze
The home of South Carolina Circuit Court judge Diane Goodstein was set on fire after she had reportedly received death threats. State law enforcement is investigating the house fire on Edisto Beach which began at around 11:30 a.m. E.T. on Saturday, sources told local news outlet FITSNews. Goodstein was reportedly not at home at the time of the fire, but at least three members of her family, including her husband, former Democratic state senator Arnold Goodstein, and their son, have been hospitalized with serious injuries.
Time
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California’s long-running saga over local tax measures might return to the ballot
Last week, a state appellate court declared that a 2020 ballot measure to increase hotel taxes in San Diego is valid even though it did not receive the two-thirds approval that voters had been told it would require. The decision was the latest skirmish in a years-long political and legal wrangle over voting requirements for local tax increase proposals.
CalMatters
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SF judges release Tenderloin drug dealers despite high rates of failure to appear in court: DA
Eleven suspected Tenderloin drug dealers were charged with felony drug crimes this week. Of those 11 suspects, judges released eight from jail despite a high chance they will fail to appear in court, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced Thursday. “As of Sept. 27, 2025, we have 1,152 defendants with pending felony narcotics [cases], of which more than half (681) have bench warrants issued for failure to appear in court,” the DA’s office said in a statement.
KRON
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ICE arrests 9 Chileans linked to South American theft group operating in NJ
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Newark officers have arrested nine Chileans linked to a South American Theft Groups (SATG) operating in New Jersey. ICE Newark, working with FBI Newark’s Criminal Enterprise agents and Joint Organized Crime Task Force agents, made the arrests in Jersey City and Princeton. Each individual arrested was found to have overstayed their visas; many were found to have extensive criminal histories involving theft and related offenses in multiple states.
The Center Square
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Chicago police sources blast department's response after officers were told not to help fed agents: 'Cover their a--‘
Two longtime, ranking Chicago police sources sharply rejected the department’s assertion that officers responded to calls for help from ICE agents who were rammed and surrounded by protesters on Saturday, telling Fox News the official statement is, in their words, "COVER THEIR A - BULLS - T!!”
Fox News
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Katie Porter’s viral videos plunge campaign into ‘disaster’
Katie Porter’s “unhappy experience” in a viral interview has become the news cycle from hell. The bipartisan pile-on following the widely-circulated clip of her contentious sit-down with a local CBS news reporter was only hours old when a new video surfaced from POLITICO of the former House member berating a staffer in 2021 - the two clips fueling long-simmering concerns about her temperament and judgment.
Politico
| | Convictions/Pleas/Sentences/Parole | | |
Former LA deputy mayor sentenced for hoax bomb threat at City Hall
A former Los Angeles deputy mayor was sentenced Monday to one year on probation and 50 hours of community service for making a false bomb threat at City Hall a year ago. Brian K. Williams admitted in a plea agreement with federal prosecutors that he falsely reported a threat in October, 2024 that caused a brief evacuation. Williams was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.
NBC4
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Los Angeles gunman who terrorized family after cocaine binge sentenced again
The gunman who terrorized a Thousand Oaks family and was deemed a “dangerous individual” by Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko is going back to prison after violating parole. Nasarenko announced Thursday that convicted felon Michael Gabriel Hosey of Los Angeles was sentenced to five years in state prison on Oct. 1 - which also happened to be Hosey’s 50th birthday, according to court records.
KTLA
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Mom gets 12 years in prison for abusing son
A Fountain Valley woman was sentenced Friday to 12 years in prison for repeatedly sexually abusing her son and misdemeanor child abuse of her daughter. Yan Zhang, 45, was convicted July 22 of felony continuous sexual abuse of a child and misdemeanor child abuse. Jurors acquitted her of attempted murder. Orange County Superior Court Judge Patrick Donahue dismissed a sentencing enhancement for attempted premeditated murder after closing arguments, which could have opened her to a life prison sentence.
MyNewsLA
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California resident gets over 8 years in prison for attempt to assassinate Justice Kavanaugh
A California resident who attempted to assassinate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his Maryland home was sentenced Friday to over eight years in prison by a federal judge, who imposed a punishment that is significantly more lenient than the Justice Department's recommendation.
Associated Press
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Judge sentences SFV woman who defrauded FEMA four months
A Sherman Oaks woman was sentenced Wednesday to four months behind bars for seeking disaster-relief funds by falsely claiming that a property she rented was destroyed in the Palisades Fire, despite having no connection to the residence affected by the disaster. Zenalyn McIntre, 38, pleaded guilty in June in downtown Los Angeles to one federal count of fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits.
MyNewsLA
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Causation doesn’t require showing of what happened
The Court of Appeal for this district yesterday reinstated a personal injury action against the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and others brought by a man who slid down a “super slide” at a church carnival, got his foot tangled in a mat - resembling a burlap sack - on which he was positioned, and fell off, incurring injuries. Div. Eight, in an unpublished opinion by Presiding Justice Maria E. Stratton, reversed a summary judgment granted by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kerry Bensinger.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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