Courts, Rulings & Lawsuits | |
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Judge orders lawyers for UCLA and Jewish students to craft plan to ensure equal campus access
A federal judge Monday told UCLA and Jewish students who sued the university that they have one week to hash out a court-enforceable plan that would ensure equal access to campus for all if protests over the Israel-Hamas war or other disruptions erupt in the future. The directive, issued during a hearing in downtown Los Angeles, followed a lawsuit three Jewish students filed last month against UCLA alleging that an April pro-Palestinian encampment violated their civil rights by illegally blocking them and other Jews from parts of campus, including the site of the camp, Royce Quad.
Los Angeles Times
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California sues to block Fresno County vote for sheriff, DA in gubernatorial election years
The state of California filed a lawsuit Friday to prevent Fresno County, in the state's relatively more conservative Central Valley, from holding its election for district attorney and sheriff in gubernatorial rather than presidential election years. Fresno County's Measure A, which was approved by 55% of the county's voters in March establishes that the election dates for sheriff and district attorney be held in gubernatorial, non-presidential election years.
Courthouse News Service
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Federal judge says New Jersey’s ban on AR-15 rifles is unconstitutional
New Jersey’s ban on the AR-15 rifle is unconstitutional, but the state’s cap on magazines over 10 rounds passes constitutional muster, a federal judge said Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Peter Sheridan’s 69-page opinion says he was compelled to rule as he did because of the Supreme Court’s rulings in firearms cases, particularly the 2022 Bruen decision that expanded gun rights.
AP
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Biden unveils his proposals to reform the Supreme Court
President Biden on Monday unveiled three proposals aimed at reforming the United States Supreme Court to combat what he called the “increasing threats to America’s democratic institutions” aimed at restoring “trust and accountability to the court and our democracy.” The proposals have an uphill battle in a divided Congress, particularly in an election year - and from a president who is not running for reelection.
Yahoo News
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California deputy removed from civil suit after fatally shooting knife-wielding woman
As part of a tentative ruling on Friday, a Nevada County, California, deputy who in 2021 fatally shot a knife-wielding woman in front of her children was removed from a civil lawsuit over the incident. The other officer involved in the incident - along with the county itself - were not so lucky. A judge denied those parties' motions for summary judgment, meaning they could still face civil liability over the shooting.
Courthouse News Service
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Disney can’t dodge Elon Musk-backed lawsuit by fired ‘Mandalorian’ actress
Walt Disney Co. failed to win a quick dismissal of the wrongful termination lawsuit by actress Gina Carano, who was dropped from "The Mandalorian" television series after sharing a post on X that compared the treatment of conservatives in the U.S. to that of Jews in Nazi Germany. U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Garnett wasn't persuaded by Disney's argument that Carano's lawsuit - backed by X owner Elon Musk - is somehow barred by the media company's freedom of expressive association under the First Amendment.
Courthouse News Service
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Caltrans sues former supervisor who sexually harassed employee, seeking damages repayment
The California Department of Transportation filed a lawsuit against a former supervisor this week seeking financial relief from him after a Sacramento jury found he sexually harassed another state worker at the agency. A Sacramento judge had ordered Caltrans and Steven Medina, the former supervisor, to pay Sarah Schimpf and her legal team a total of $850,000 last year in damages and attorney’s fees.
Merced Sun-Star
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Judge dismisses most claims by Utah man run over while being detained
A federal judge in Utah dismissed claims that West Valley City Police officers violated the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights of a man who suffered traumatic brain injuries after being tased and told to stay in the middle of a street, where a car ran him over. U.S. District Judge David Barlow, in his order filed on Thursday, dismissed a majority of the claims filed by Antonio Sivatia's mother, Nonnie Masaniai Pea - who sued on behalf of her son in 2021.
Courthouse News Service
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Victims of antisemitic riot outside Los Angeles synagogue sue radical groups behind ‘shocking’ violence
Members of a synagogue in Los Angeles have filed a lawsuit against three major protest groups for organizing a "riot" that "violently blocked Jews" from their place of worship last month. "Targeting Jewish families on their way to exercise their religious freedom at a house of worship is abhorrent and has no place in modern society," Carly Gammill, Director of the StandWithUs Center for Legal Justice (SCLJ), said in a press release.
Fox News
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Mandatory e-filing reinstated at LA Courts
The Los Angeles County Superior Court’s mandatory electronic filing requirement will resume Thursday for CARE Court, Civil, Family Law, Juvenile Dependency and Probate cases. Self-represented parties can choose to e-file their documents or in person. The Los Angeles County Superior Court was closed on July 22 as officials sought to repair and restart the court’s electronic system following a ransomware attack three days prior.
Daily Journal
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California high court allows suit over N word in SF DA’s office
Twanda Bailey didn’t tell her supervisors that a colleague called her the N-word in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, but she said in court claims when they learned about it, her workplace was forever changed. In court records, she said a human resources officer seemed to mock her, jeering at her and telling her that a workers’ compensation claim she filed wasn’t a "real issue.” When Bailey, an investigative assistant, sued the city over the 2015 incident, a Superior Court and appellate court ruled against her.
CalMatters
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‘Justice was not done’: Man acquitted on state charges for shooting at deputy faces federal charges
The U.S. District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday federal charges against a man who was caught on camera assaulting a San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy, then stealing and firing her own weapon at her. Ari Aki Young, 26, was charged with possessing a stolen gun and discharging a gun during a violent crime, among other crimes.
Los Angeles Times
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Suspect in deadly sword attack charged with murder, attempted murder
A woman arrested earlier this month in connection with a deadly domestic violence incident involving a Samurai sword has been charged with murder and attempted murder. On Monday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that Weichien Huang was to be charged in the death of her wife and the attempted killing of her mother-in-law.
KTLA
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Ventura and Los Angeles County prosecutors now filing murder charges in fentanyl cases
For the first time, Ventura County's District Attorney has charged an accused fentanyl dealer with murder. Throughout Southern California, a growing number of county prosecutors are deciding to do something that didn't used to be a typical or simple thing for local DAs to do: charge accused drug dealers with murder after someone dies. In fact, prosecutors for almost every other county in SoCal aside from Ventura have pursued such cases in fentanyl deaths or have announced plans to.
KCAL News
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Father of Monterey Park teen facing charges for falsely reporting her missing, DA says
A Monterey Park father is facing charges for allegedly falsely reporting his teenage daughter missing and hiding her while authorities sent out search parties to look for her. Jeffrey Chao, 40, faces charges including one count of felony child stealing/concealment and one misdemeanor count of false report of an emergency in connection with the missing person report filed July 16, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
KCAL News
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Facing 11 felonies Gascon ‘ethics chief’ pleads not guilty
Assistant Los Angeles County District Attorney Diana Teran pleaded not guilty Friday to eleven felony charges brought against her by state Attorney General Rob Bonta. In April, Teran was charged by - now clearly former Los Angeles DA Gascon ally - Rob Bonta, alleging she illegally used LA County Sheriff’s deputies personnel file information while she worked in that department as a “Constitutional Policing Advisor” six years ago.
California Globe
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Nathan Hochman outraises Gascon by 10-1 margin, has massive financial lead in L.A. County D.A. race
Nathan Hochman, the former federal prosecutor and Assistant U.S. Attorney General who is running to unseat D.A. George Gascon and restore public safety in L.A. County, has a massive fundraising lead over Gascon, according to newly filed campaign finance disclosure statements. Hochman raised $1.56 million between Feb. 18 and June 30, and his campaign had more than $1.1 million cash on hand as of June 30, public records show.
Nathan Hochman Press Release
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Justice Dept. asks court to reject TikTok challenge to crackdown law
The U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal appeals court late on Friday to uphold an April law requiring China-based ByteDance to sell TikTok's U.S. assets by Jan. 19 or face a ban. The DOJ argued in its filing that TikTok under Chinese ownership poses a serious national security threat because of its access to vast personal data of Americans, asserting China can covertly manipulate information that Americans consume via TikTok.
Reuters
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Report: Crime down, but repeat recidivism up in SoCal in wake of Prop. 47
Crime and the overall recidivism rate decreased in San Bernardino and Riverside counties following the implementation of Proposition 47, but recidivism among repeat offenders with four or more convictions increased, especially with regard to theft, according to a report published by the California State Auditor. Thursday's report examined data from three law enforcement agencies in the two counties from 2011, before Prop. 47 of 2014, and from 2016, after it was implemented.
Victorville Daily Press
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Former State Bar Executive Director Dunn lied to Board of Trustees about funding
A State Bar Court judge has found that then-State Bar Executive Director Joe Dunn in 2013 intentionally assured the Board of Trustees, falsely, that no money of the agency would be used in connection with his upcoming trip to Mongolia - proceeding to spend $6,041.72 of its funds - but the judge recommended that he be spared an actual suspension of his law license.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Newsom calls on Oakland to allow more police chases, stop suspects from ‘fleeing with impunity’
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday sent a letter to Oakland officials urging them to allow police to engage in more vehicle pursuits, contending that the limitations placed on officers contribute to public safety challenges in the city. The California Highway Patrol inspired the governor’s missive after the agency “observed criminals fleeing with impunity” during the governor’s campaign to boost law enforcement and reduce crime in a city that has historically been one of the most dangerous in the state.
Los Angeles Times
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California’s largest police group says rural departments need more officers
Police staffing across California is at the lowest point in decades, with rural communities struggling the most in efforts to recruit officers, according to a new report from the state’s largest law enforcement organization. The analysis comes just months ahead of an election in which Californians will vote on Proposition 36, a ballot measure that would toughen criminal penalties for retail theft and drug offenses and lead to an increase in arrests.
Los Angeles Times
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How Kamala Harris sidestepped California’s criminal justice revolution
Vice President Kamala Harris was elected California attorney general in 2010 as the state began to thoroughly rethink how it sentences and imprisons lawbreakers. Yet she chose to keep the debate over criminal justice reform at arm's length. In the years that followed, California voters were presented with a series of proposals to break from decades of tough-on-crime policies by relaxing penalties for nonviolent and drug-related offenses while facilitating prisoners’ early release.
Politico
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Encino townhouse trash collection fees could jump 500%
Residents of a 61-unit townhouse complex in Encino say they're outraged that the bill for collecting the property's trash and recycling may increase to more than $37,000 a month because of newly assessed add-on fees imposed by the area's city-designated trash hauler, Waste Management. "We have no other choice. It's terrible," longtime Villa Espana Townhomes resident Julie Ditchik told the I-Team of the price hike, adding her and her neighbors' monthly fees for trash collection will go from $92 to more than $600 per unit.
NBC4
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LAPD releases body cam video of officer who punched a man in Watts
The LAPD released body cam footage that showed the moments that led up to 28-year-old Alex Mitchell being punched by an officer while being handcuffed. The incident happened during a traffic stop on July 28 when officers at the intersection of 113th Street and Graham Avenue said they saw Mitchell’s car double-parked and facing against traffic.
NBC4
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Metro board OK’s $65 million for security tech, metal detectors
Metro’s governing Board of Directors committed $65 million on Thursday to a mix of initiatives intended to curb fare dodging and boost public safety on the county’s transit system. The money will be used to expand a suite of pilot programs, including taller faregates, metal detectors, more “smart” restrooms that require a cell-phone to access, and an expansion of the “Tap-to-Exit” program at some end-of-the-line rail stations.
Los Angeles Public Press
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Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department sends law enforcement team to Paris Olympics
Members of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department are joining officers from around the world who are supporting law enforcement efforts at the Paris Summer Olympics. The department said 28 people from the LASD are in France to be a resource for American citizens and athletes visiting and competing in the Games, and help sheriff’s deputies prepare for hosting the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Times
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Will voters bring ethics to Los Angeles County government? Some aren’t so sure
For the past month, the big news out of Los Angeles County government has been the plan to expand the Board of Supervisors, which has divided political allies and produced heated debates at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration. That proposal, planned for the Nov. 5 ballot along with several other changes to county government, has come under fire from some on the board, who warn that it still has an unknown price tag.
Los Angeles Times
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Some “Inside Safe” residents fed only instant noodles, LA city controller says
Unhoused Angelenos staying at a temporary shelter as part of LA Mayor Karen Bass’s Inside Safe initiative were served primarily a diet of instant ramen noodles at one of the program’s sites, according to findings made by the LA City Controller’s investigations unit. In response to a tip to the controller office’s “waste, fraud and abuse” hotline, investigators with Kenneth Mejia’s office visited an Inside Safe location where they saw that the location’s food inventory “consisted almost entirely of instant ramen noodles,” according to a news release put out by Mejia’s office.
Los Angeles Public Press
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KTLA credited with helping LAPD apprehend suspect
L.A.’s Very Own KTLA 5 helped the Los Angeles Police Department take a suspect into custody on Sunday. LAPD Central Bureau Assistant Commanding Operations Officer Lillian L. Carranza confirmed early Sunday afternoon that a suspect featured in a video published to the KTLA website, YouTube and social media pages was caught after an “alert citizen” recognized the man on the news and called police.
KTLA
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Cities scaled back traffic stops, and road deaths soared
In the early days of the pandemic in 2020, traffic stops by police plummeted around the country, as fewer cars were on the road and as agencies instructed officers to avoid nonessential contact with the public. But in the years that followed, a distinct pattern formed in many cities: The cars came back in full force, but the traffic enforcement didn’t. By the end of 2023, police in Baltimore, New Orleans and San Francisco were making fewer than half the traffic stops they did prepandemic.
New York Times
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LAPD investigating hate crime after Hollywood synagogue vandalized for second time in recent weeks
Police are investigating a possible hate crime after a Hollywood synagogue was vandalized for the second time in weeks. Security camera footage shows the moments that two men wearing hoodies cross Melrose Avenue and stop in front of the Kahal Ahavas Yisroel Synagogue on Thursday, one of which can be seen smashing the front windows with an unidentified object.
KCAL News
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82 arrested, 2K pounds of copper wire seized by LAPD’s Heavy Metal Task Force
In a massive downtown raid, members of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Heavy Metal Task Force arrested 82 people and seized 2,000 pounds of stolen copper wire, city leaders announced Tuesday. Formed earlier this year, the Heavy Metal Task Force, which includes members of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting, has been working to combat the sharp increase of copper wire thefts and scrap metal crimes, especially in areas like downtown L.A., Boyle Heights, El Sereno and Lincoln Heights.
KTLA
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4 US law enforcement agencies helping secure the Paris Olympics
The Olympic Games are an international event, bringing together the greatest athletes from around the world. Naturally, spectators flock to the games to support their teams and take in the sights of the host city. This places a great burden on the security agencies of the host city and nation as a whole. To secure the Summer 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, 35,000 French police and gendarmes are patrolling the City of Light.
We Are The Mighty
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Facing rollbacks, criminal justice reformers argue policies make people safer
California, once a leader in finding ways to lock up fewer people by lowering sentences for some drug and property crimes, is now considering reversing course. And it is not alone. Lawmakers across the country have rolled back reforms meant to decrease reliance on police and prisons, even though data suggests that crime rates are broadly trending down.
The Marshall Project
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10 years later, California may finally allow undocumented immigrants cell service subsidies
The California Public Utilities Commission issued a proposed decision last week that all Californians should have access to a state cell phone service subsidy program, even if they don’t have a Social Security number or can’t immediately provide one. Earlier this year, CalMatters reported that the LifeLine application still asks for Social Security numbers, even though the commission said in February it had implemented its 10-year-old decision to stop using them.
CalMatters
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California insurance commissioner unveils changes to state’s ‘insurer of last resort’
California Governor Gavin Newsom praised newly announced changes to the state’s FAIR insurance plan, saying the updates revealed Friday to the “insurer of last resort” will help stabilize the insurance market. However, a consumer group called the changes in an agreement between the FAIR plan and insurance commissioner a bailout that will lead homeowners to pay for losses under the new agreement.
Courthouse News Service
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Justice Department reaches $2M in settlements with FBI officials whose texts infuriated Trump
The Justice Department has agreed to pay a total of $2 million to settle legal claims brought by former FBI counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok and former FBI attorney Lisa Page over the DOJ’s release of text messages the pair exchanged. The agreement ends a lawsuit Page brought, but does not fully resolve Strzok’s separate suit, allowing him to continue to press his claims that he was fired in order to please then-President Donald Trump.
Politico
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Acting Secret Service head ‘ashamed’ rooftop wasn’t secure at rally where Trump was shot
A week after the Secret Service director’s disastrous appearance before a House committee, her interim replacement and a top FBI official offered a Senate hearing a more detailed breakdown of the security failures at a rally where former President Trump was shot - and the first potential clues about the shooter’s thinking.
Los Angeles Times
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Convictions/Pleas/Sentences | |
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8 sentenced for roles in flash-mob robberies across Southern California
Eight people involved in flash-mob-style robberies in three counties last year received state prison sentences after pleading guilty to federal charges, authorities announced on Tuesday, July 30. A ninth defendant was scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Los Angeles police Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton announced the sentences, from one to 10 years. Some of the defendants have prior strikes.
Southern California News Group
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Man who ordered killing of pregnant Hawthorne girlfriend fails in appeal of life sentence
A state appellate court panel has rejected an appeal from a man challenging his life prison sentence without the possibility of parole for arranging the killing of a pregnant woman in Hawthorne who had refused his demand that she get an abortion. In a ruling Tuesday, a three-justice panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal turned down Derek Paul Smyer’s claim that his sentence is unconstitutional and constitutes cruel and unusual punishment given his age - 20 - at the time of the crime.
City News Service
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Mundelein woman sentenced to federal prison for exporting military items to Russia
A Mundelein woman has been sentenced to two years in prison after federal prosecutors say she illegally exported night-vision goggles and thermal riflescopes, among other defense items, to Russia. Elena Shifrin, 62, of Mundelein, and Vladimir Pridacha, 59, of Volo, were both arrested in June 2021 after a federal grand jury charged them with conspiring to unlawfully export defense articles to Russia.
Lake & McHenry County Scanner
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Single use of racial slur may be workplace harassment
The California Supreme Court held yesterday that a one-time use of a racial slur by a coworker may be sufficiently severe, under the circumstances, to create a hostile work environment and support a workplace harassment claim under California employment law. Actions by a human resources employee in interfering with the reporting and addressing of the harassment might amount to retaliation by the employer, the high court also held.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Appeals court: Separate, distinct minority groups can’t join together to claim vote dilution
Distinct minority groups cannot join together in coalitions to claim their votes are diluted in redistricting cases under the Voting Rights Act, a divided federal appeals court ruled Thursday, acknowledging that it was reversing years of its own precedent. At issue was a redistricting case in Galveston County, Texas, where Black and Latino groups had joined to challenge district maps drawn by the county commission.
AP
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Proposed FCC rules would require public disclosure when political ads use AI-generated content
With 102 days to go until the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday announced it would move forward with new proposed guidelines requiring political ads on TV and radio to include on-air disclosures if AI-generated content was used. “Today, the FCC takes a major step to guard against AI being used by bad actors to spread chaos and confusion in our elections,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement announcing the new rule.
Courthouse News Service
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A mysterious plot prompts a rare call from Russia to the Pentagon
Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III received an unusual request from an unlikely caller: His Russian counterpart wanted to talk. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Mr. Austin had spoken by phone with Russia’s defense minister only five other times, almost always at the Pentagon’s initiative and often in an effort to avoid miscalculations that could escalate the conflict.
New York Times
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Former AG Bill Barr personally involved in decision to publicize details of 2020 mail-in ballot probe, DOJ watchdog finds
A Justice Department watchdog has found that former Attorney General Bill Barr was personally involved in the decision to publicize an incident from the 2020 election - nine mail-in ballots for Donald Trump being discarded in a dumpster in Pennsylvania - that flamed the false narrative of widespread voter fraud. But the department’s inspector general stopped short of finding that Barr violated any internal policies, concluding that he had wide discretion as attorney general to disclose details from criminal investigations.
CNN
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Want to get a job at Meta? It doesn’t matter what you study - as long as you can ‘do one thing really well,’ Mark Zuckerberg says
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg joins a growing number of executives suggesting that a specific field of study is less critical for employment in today’s competitive job market. What matters most, he says, is being able to "do one thing really well.” When asked by Bloomberg's Emily Chang, “What should kids be studying these days?” Zuckerberg emphasized the importance of critical thinking and learning values.
Fortune
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LA Times bemoans death of California journalism - fails to acknowledge it helped kill it
This past week, the Los Angeles Times ran an entire series of articles on the terrible state of print media in California. It lamented the loss of local newspapers and was sad because of the dearth of Spanish-language print media. It reminded the world of the need for the bill making its way through the legislature that would force search engines like Google to pay for new links, worried about how AI will change the industry, and appalled that the declining news coverage in California is making room for misinformation.
California Globe
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A former PepsiCo exec sued the company for saying that he didn’t invent Flamin’ Hot Cheetos while working as a janitor
A former executive at PepsiCo has sued the company, claiming he should get credit for being the brains behind Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Richard Montañez has frequently spoken of his rags-to-riches story, from starting out as a janitor to pitching the idea for Flamin' Hot Cheetos to PepsiCo's CEO to becoming an executive himself at the drink and snack giant, which formed the basis of his successful career as a motivational speaker.
Business Insider
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Man denied parole for attempted murder of ex-girlfriend in 2008, deemed unfit for release
A 57-year-old man who tried to kill his ex-girlfriend after ending their relationship in 2008 was denied parole, said the Kern County District Attorney. On July 11, the Board of Parole Hearings (BPH) denied release for Jose Sepulveda, 57. The BPH found that Sepulveda, convicted of domestic violence related to the attempted murder, continued to pose a current and unreasonable risk to public safety.
BakersfieldNow
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