“AEG has made this decision” to hold the memorial at its stadium, Zine said. “I don’t fault their decision. I’m just saying that it should be at their expense, not the taxpayers'.”

Zine argued that AEG, as Jackson’s concert promoter, should not add to the financial woes of the city, which has been trying to eliminate a $530-million shortfall.

“They were going to do the tour. They’re talking about marketing the rehearsal. AEG is going to, one way or another, make a lot of money,” he said.

An AEG spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Zine, who represents part of the west San Fernando Valley, said he has asked City Atty. Carmen Trutanich to find out whether the city can take legal action to recoup its costs, which could top $2 million once police, paramedics, traffic officers and other city employees are factored in.

A Trutanich spokesman would not discuss what steps the city attorney plans to take, saying only that Trutanich and his staff are “researching all options available to the city for reimbursement for any costs involved with the event.”

-- David Zahniser at L.A. City Hall

The decrease in value translates to at least $520 million less in public money to fund local agencies, said County Assessor Webster J. Guillory.

The total taxable value of $418.8 billion, assessed as of Jan. 1, 2009, includes more than 1 million units of property, Guillory said. More than 200,000 are now assessed below their Proposition 13 taxable values, he said.

Some cities -- including Irvine, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach -- have slightly increased their assessed values, mainly because development; but in general, resales, new construction and development are at their lowest level in 20 years, Guillory said.

 the local budget equation. Property tax is the biggest contri“The big question for everyone is, 'OK, now that we have the bad news for this year, what’s going to be the news for next year?' ” he said. “People are already starting to look ahead, and with the job market what it is, income tax, sales tax and property tax all trending down.  Those three make up the largest three contributors to those numbers.”

Guillory said next year’s property tax trend (2010-11) will probably become more evident in the next three to four months.

-- Tami Abdollah

Passengers who get on or off buses inside of the area bounded by West 5th and 6th streets on the north,  Alvarado Street on the west, Washington Boulevard on the south, and Spring and Main streets on the east will have to walk to one of the streets to use the bus lines.

All planned bus detours are subject to change, and passengers should allow extra travel time to destinations.

“It’s a fluid situation,” said Dave Sotero, a spokesman for Metro.

Metro rail services will operate on regular schedules but the Metro Blue Line Pico Station may be closed or service may be suspended north of the Metro Blue Line Grand Station.

To see which lines are affected go to the MTA website. For other route and schedule information, call (800) 266-6883.

--Nicole Santa Cruz

Panorama: Fans pay their respects at Staples Center

Photos: Behind the gates at Neverland

Photos: Fans grieve worldwide

Photos: Michael Jackson, 1958-2009

Video: Celebrating Michael Jackson's legacy

Interactive map: See significant sites in the life and death of Michael Jackson, including Neverland Ranch and his boyhood home in Gary, Indiana.

The teen, whose name is being withheld due to his age, had a loaded handgun when he was shot by a deputy on a routine patrol in Compton, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective Steve Blagg.  He was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Blagg would not release other details such as the name of the deputy or the circumstances of how the shooting occurred. The incident is under investigation.

The shooting, which occurred near south Poinsettia Avenue and Alondra Boulevard, was reported at 3:43 p.m. Sunday, according to the sheriff’s department. Officials initially said the person who was killed was an adult.

-- Nicole Santa Cruz

Judge Mitchell Beckloff  said that until an Aug. 3 hearing when longtime control of the estate will be addressed, such deals require the approval of the court and input from the performer’s 79-year-old mother.

The judge said executors John McClain and John Branca do not need Katherine Jackson’s permission to hammer out contracts, but that he would consider her opinions of deals before signing off on them.

“I didn’t appoint Katherine Jackson as a co-administrator and I am not saying she has to approve everything.... I’m just trying to open up that free flow of information,” said Beckloff, the head of the probate division.

At a news conference after the hearing, an attorney for Jackson’s parents said he was “relatively pleased” with the outcome of the proceeding, citing the judge’s decision to listen to Katherine Jackson’s wishes as he evaluates plans proposed by Branca and McClain.

“We will be watching closely,” attorney L. Londell McMillan said.

In papers filed today, Katherine Jackson’s attorneys argued she is best-positioned to oversee her son’s estate because she is the only one who has consistently and directly been in involved with his business affairs throughout his career.

Both in the filing and in the hearing, attorneys referred to an earlier will that has been filed with the court. Burt Levitch,  Katherine Jackson’s attorney, said at a news conference that the second will is from 1997 and would not become relevant unless the 2002 will is found to be invalid. While attorneys for Branca and McClain said they went through an exhaustive search for any additional wills and found none that were more recent, Katherine Jackson’s attorneys questioned how extensive the search was and contended that it remains possible other wills may surface before the Aug. 3 hearing.

“Many open questions remain about his final days, and the circumstances of his death and the existence of other competing wills,” attorneys for Katherine Jackson wrote.

-- Harriet Ryan and Victoria Kim, at Los Angeles Superior Court

Panorama: Fans pay their respects at Staples Center

Photos: Behind the gates at Neverland

Photos: Fans grieve worldwide

Photos: Michael Jackson, 1958-2009

Video: Celebrating Michael Jackson's legacy

Interactive map: See significant sites in the life and death of Michael Jackson, including Neverland Ranch and his boyhood home in Gary, Indiana.

The service will take place about two hours before a grand public memorial featuring Kobe Bryant, Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder and others takes place at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.

Sources said some family members will start at the Jackson family compound in Encino and go to the cemetery before going to Staples. It's unclear whether there will be a procession from the cemetery to Staples, though sources said law enforcement is against such an idea.

There are still no details available about Jackson's funeral.

-- Andrew Blankstein

Organizers announced the participants this morning. Many are entertainment figures, but there are also some from the political world, including Martin Luther King III and the Rev. Al Sharpton, who has been serving as a Jackson family advisor.

The full list:

Ron Boyd (family friend); Kobe Bryant; Mariah Carey; Andrae Crouch Choir; Berry Gordy; Jennifer Hudson; Shaheen Jafargholi (finalist on "Britain’s Got Talent"); Magic Johnson; Martin Luther King III; Bernice A. King; John Mayer; Lionel Richie; Smokey Robinson; the Rev. Al Sharpton; Brooke Shields; Pastor Lucious Smith (family friend); Usher; and Stevie Wonder.

-- Maria Elena Fernandez

Panorama: Fans pay their respects at Staples Center

Photos: Behind the gates at Neverland

Photos: Fans grieve worldwide

Photos: Michael Jackson, 1958-2009

Video: Celebrating Michael Jackson's legacy

Interactive map: See significant sites in the life and death of Michael Jackson, including Neverland Ranch and his boyhood home in Gary, Indiana.

Juror Alvin Dymally was accused of improperly contacting the defendant's sister before the verdicts. Defense attorneys allege that the juror, a seemingly mild-mannered Los Angeles City building inspector, twice reached out to the designer's sister near the end of the trial, possibly seeking a date, and then voted for a conviction after she refused to meet him alone.

Dymally insisted at a recent hearing that his contact with the designer's sister came after the trial. But he invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination when defense attorneys produced a barely audible recording of a phone conversation they said was between the juror and Alexander's sister.

Prosecutors said they believed Dymally did speak to Alexander's sister before the verdicts. But they said his contact amounted to little more than harmless flirting -- such as telling her, "I love your eyes" -- and did not affect the fairness of the trial.

--Jack Leonard

In a brief statement, the law firm representing Rowe said she had intended to attend Tuesday's service at the Staples Center but concluded after conferring with her lawyers that she should not go.

"The onslaught of media attention has made it clear her attendance would be an unnecessary distraction to an event that should focus exclusively on Michael's legacy," said a statement from Browne, Woods & George, the law firm representing her. "Debbie will continue to celebrate Michael's memory privately."

-- Maura Dolan in San Francisco

Roads in the immediate area of the Staples Center and the Nokia Theatre  already  are closed to vehicles and non-ticket holders, according to LAPD Officer Tenesha Dobine.

On the east side, Flower Street is closed. On the south side, Pico Boulevard is closed.  Blaine Street is closed to the west and Olympic Boulevard to the north.

 The roads will remain closed indefinitely, Dobine said.

According to the California Department of Transportation, some freeway ramps will be closed due to the memorial service. The specific ramps have not been finalized yet. More information to come soon.

-- Nicole Santa Cruz

The two were diesel automotive mechanics with the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton. Galvan, 21, was from Maywood, Ill. Goldinez, 19, was from Calexico in the Imperial Valley.

The two were killed in an accident about 3 a.m. Friday in Mexicali, across the border from Calexico.

A third Marine, whose name was not released, was injured and has undergone surgery.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Stephanie Lazarus, 49, could potentially face the death penalty after being charged last month with the special circumstance death of Sherri Rae Rasmussen, who was badly beaten and shot multiple times in her Van Nuys condominium on the evening of Feb. 24, 1986.

Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Kristi Lousteau also granted Lazarus' request to name Mark E. Overland as her new attorney.

In the original investigation, detectives pursued the theory that Rasmussen had been killed by men she discovered burglarizing her home, according to police and a recent interview with the now-retired Mayer. Rasmussen's family said they told police investigators at the time that she was being harassed by an LAPD officer.

In February, cold-case detectives revisited the case. DNA samples from the crime scene thought to have been from the killer suggested that the attacker was a woman, contradicting the detectives' theory that Rasmussen had been killed by a man.

An undercover officer followed Lazarus to a store, where he recovered a plastic utensil or similar discarded item that bore traces of her saliva, police say. Her DNA matched the genetic profile extracted from the crime scene evidence, police allege.

Overland said after the hearing that many questions remain about the evidence recovered by police.

"DNA requires interpretation," Overland said. "DNA typing is only as good as the data you have and there are a lot of questions about that data."

--Andrew Blankstein

Photo: LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus at her arraignment in Los Angeles Superior Court. Credit: Al Seib  / Los Angeles Times

Read the full story at KTLA News.

The Los Angeles Superior Court judge appointed two longtime advisors of Michael Jackson -- an entertainment attorney and a music executive named in a 2002 will -- as temporary administrators pending an August hearing.

An attorney for Katherine Jackson said the pop star's mother was not contesting the validity of the 2002 will, but was "concerned" that the men named as executors, lawyer John Branca and music executive John McClain, might not be "the proper people." "Her concern is about handing over the keys to the kingdom this quickly to this group," said lawyer John E. Schreiber.

But a lawyer for the executors noted that McClain had known Jackson's mother for 40 years and Branca for 30. "She is well aware of who these people are," said lawyer Paul Gordon Hoffman.

[Updated at 10:20 a.m. Attorneys said they met for four hours over the weekend but were unable to reach a compromise. Beckloff said it appeared clear from the will that Jackson was comfortable with Branca and McClain acting as executors of the estate.

Beckloff set a $1-million bond for the estate, saying, "We can't even begin to have a number on what this estate is worth."]

--Harriet Ryan and Victoria Kim

Homicide detectives are investigating the circumstances of an officer-involved shooting in Compton.

The shooting, which occurred near south Poinsettia Avenue and Alondra Boulevard, was reported at 3:43 p.m. Sunday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The suspect, listed as a male adult, was transported to the hospital where he died. His name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

-- Nicole Santa Cruz

Sharon Miller was in San Diego to attend the National Education Assn. convention. She hit her head on the street after the pedicab in which she and another woman were riding tipped over late Saturday.

The pedicabs are a popular mode of transportation among tourists visiting downtown.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

But Perry, speaking on the CBS "Early Show," said city officials have not heard from the Jacksons. Perry, who represents the downtown area, said she did not have a cost estimate for police and other city services that will be needed Tuesday.

Perry told The Times on Saturday that the extra police deployment would be paid for from a Los Angeles Police Department fund reserved for overtime costs of special events such as "1st Amendment marches, protests and funerals and other special events large in scope and that have a potential to impact public safety."

Because the fiscal year started July 1, the fund for all police overtime -- which according to one source covers 1.6 million hours, or nearly $90 million -- is flush. But some city officials questioned the wisdom of spending possibly more than $1 million for overtime so early in the fiscal year, noting that the city could find itself cash-strapped later in the event of a fire, earthquake or other major disaster.

Each year, police officials expect a few extraordinary events. Last year saw marches for and against Proposition 8, a Metrolink crash and a few immigration protests, among other things.

--Shelby Grad

Today, there is almost no gap -- at least not between registered voters and the citizen population -- according to Census data and a recently released Los Angeles Times Poll. The poll was conducted for the Times by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and Public Opinion Strategies.

The city of Los Angeles has almost 2.9 million residents 18 or older, according to the latest Census data. Not quite 2 million of those residents are U.S. citizens. And of those, about 1.6 million (or roughly 80%) were registered to vote last month, according to the latest data from the California secretary of state’s office.

That rate of voter registration is somewhat higher than the national average. Whites still make up a bigger share of registered voters than of the voting-age citizen population, according to the poll, and the voter share for Latinos is just a bit lower than their share of the eligible population. But in both cases, the gaps are just barely larger than the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

According to the poll, 49% of the registered voters surveyed identified themselves as white. Among the voting age citizen population, whites are 44%. Latinos were 26% of the poll sample and are 29% of the citizen population 18 or older. There was no gap for blacks, who make up 14% of the registered voter pool. There was a somewhat larger gap for people of Asian ancestry -- 5% in the poll and 11% among the voting-age citizen population.

Latinos overall are 43% of the city’s population 18 and older, but the gap between that figure and the Latino share of the voting population no longer reflects a lower level of voter registration, but rather is a function of citizenship. About 23% of the city’s Latino residents 18 or older are not citizens, making them ineligible to vote.

--David Lauter

Cars and trucks blaring Michael Jackson music were lined up at Dodger Stadium as early as 6 this morning as people arrived to redeem their vouchers for the golden tickets and wristbands to Jackson’s Staples Center memorial service.

Bob and Shaneese Lewis of Palm Springs awoke at 3 a.m. to make the drive to the stadium. Both had registered for tickets online, and it was Bob Lewis' entry that got them through the gates.

“I feel very lucky,” he said. “I grew up on Michael Jackson and I learned to dance watching Michael Jackson.”

The Lewises plan to stay with friends this evening, then pay their respects and pray for Jackson at the memorial service, which will begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday. “I feel like I won the lottery,” Bob Lewis said.

About 1.6 million people signed up to receive the free tickets, which will grant entry either to the live event at Staples Center or to neighboring Nokia Theatre, where the memorial will be shown on a live feed.

-- Allen J. Schaben at Dodger Stadium and Nicole Santa Cruz

Photo: Michael Jackson fans Shaneese and Bob Lewis, of Palm Springs, show off the vouchers for tickets to the Jackson memorial that they won in an online lottery. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

> > > More photos

Daniel Gilberg, 42, of Lancaster, was apparently being treated at the emergency room of Ventura County Medical Center for a head injury he suffered in a fall. He became impatient and yanked out IVs and a catheter, then threatened two nurses with scissors, according to police.

Read the full story at KTLA News.

He was shot when he was running toward detectives with a gun in his hand, said Officer Karen Rayner, an LAPD spokeswoman.

Samos was taken to a hospital, where he was in stable condition and is expected to survive, Rayner said. The four children with him, ages 1 to 11, were unharmed and taken by police, she said.

Police said the incident began Saturday afternoon, when Samos allegedly sexually assaulted his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint in South Los Angeles. He then fled with the victim, her daughter, 11, and her niece, 6.

 On Saturday evening, the suspect allegedly shot a 24-year-old woman during an attempted carjacking at a gas station at 45th Street and Avalon Boulevard,police said. During the incident, the ex-girlfriend managed to escape, but the suspect fled with the two children, police said. The shooting victim was taken to a hospital, where she was listed in critical but stable condition.

 The suspect then met with his mother at a liquor store in Long Beach, police said. He left with two more children, both his own, according to police. The suspect subsequently offered by telephone to trade some of the children for his ex-girlfriend, said LAPD Det. Jason Delacova. The children were identified as Matthew Angel Samos, 1; Jose Angel Diaz, 5; Ariyanna Denise Wade, 6; and Ashley Elizabeth Tathkran, 11.

--Maeve Reston

California Highway Patrol Officer David Porter said the agency was investigating reports that the man was driving recklessly and trying to pass other cars on the narrow road.

CHP officers closed the roadway in both directions between Pacific Coast Highway and Piuma Canyon Road just before 8 p.m. to retrieve the car. The road was reopened just before 9:30 p.m.

 -- Maeve Reston

Fernando Damian Molina Azpeitia and 3-year-old Gabriel Ramos were fishing late Saturday when they apparently slipped into the steep-sided reservoir, officials said.

Family members saw the child's body floating in the reservoir. He was pronounced dead at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido. Sheriff's Department divers recovered Azpeitia's body.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Despite widespread rumors to the contrary, the e-mail notification process in fact took place today, and those who were selected have already received information on how to print vouchers that they must bring to Dodger Stadium on Monday to pick up the tickets and wristbands needed for entry to the service at Staples Center. About 1.9 million registered for the chance to attend the King of Pop's service, but organizers whittled that number to 1.6 million, eliminating duplicate entries and some generated by automatic dialers, said AEG spokesman Michael Roth. (AEG owns Staples Center and was producing Jackson's comeback concerts.)

This afternoon, several apparent ticket holders posted intentions to sell the tickets on EBay, but Roth warned that the security system in place will prevent anyone from doing so. In addition to the vouchers received via a special code, ticket holders will have to show a valid driver's license, and those whose IDs do not match the registration information will be eliminated as guests.

In addition, a lockable wristband will be placed on the ticket holder on Monday and if that band is altered or damaged in any way on Tuesday morning, that person will not be allowed inside the memorial, Roth said. Every attendee is being given a second ticket and wristband for a guest. Some attendees will watch the service at a nearby simulcast at Nokia Theatre, but the venues will be randomly selected when they arrive Tuesday.

"It  is true that anyone who has a wristband and receives tickets can invite anyone they want with the second ticket," Roth said. "So we are hopeful that they have these vouchers because they are a fan and it’s meaningful to them and they would also invite someone who it would also be very meaningful to them."

Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine said he believed most of the EBay sellers were fake, but admonished those who are trying to take advantage of a family tragedy for financial gain.

"This is a memorial," Sunshine said. "Words can’t describe how horrifying it is that people are ostensibly trying to do that. It’s beneath contempt."

-- Maria Elena Fernandez

Around 1 p.m., a Cessna 150 went down near Lake Tahoe Airport shortly after takeoff, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The pilot’s name was not immediately released, and the accident was under investigation.

-- Jason Song

About 300 firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service and Los Angeles city and county fire departments battled the blaze that broke out near 13000 Little Tujunga Canyon Road about 1:45 p.m., said Angeles National Forest spokeswoman Dee Dechert.

“We’re moving in the right direction. We will have crew on scene through the night, and we’re cautiously optimistic," Dechert said. "Unless the winds pick up, we should be picking this one up soon, I’d say within the day.”

Smoke could be seen from "quite a distance," she said.

The fire is in the same vicinity of last year’s Marek fire, Angeles National Forest spokeswoman Sherry Rollman said.

“Right now it’s up on the ridge, burning east,” she said.

Four air tankers were on the scene, with more expected. No structures were threatened, and no injuries were reported.

-- Corina Knoll

Photos: Behind the gates at Neverland

Panorama: Mourning at Jackson family home in Encino

Photos: Fans grieve worldwide

Photos: Michael Jackson, 1958-2009

Video: Celebrating Michael Jackson's legacy

Interactive map: See significant sites in the life and death of Michael Jackson, including Neverland Ranch and his boyhood home in Gary, Indiana.

Los Angeles police issued an Amber Alert today in the alleged kidnapping of four children by a suspect who police said sexually assaulted one woman and later shot another during an attempted carjacking.

The unidentified suspect, 29, was last seen in a 1991 gold and brown Toyota Previa, with license plate number 5SEF614. He was described as Latino, 5 feet 11, 220 pounds, with black hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a red shirt, blue shorts and red-and-white tennis shoes.

Police said the incident began Saturday afternoon when the suspect sexually assaulted his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint in South Los Angeles. He then fled with the victim and her daughter, 11, and her niece, 6.

On Saturday evening, the suspect allegedly shot a 24-year-old woman during an attempted carjacking at a gas station at 45th Street and Avalon Boulevard, police said. During the incident, the ex-girlfriend managed to escape, but the suspect fled with the two children, police said. The shooting victim was taken to a hospital, where she was listed in critical but stable condition.

The suspect then met with his mother at a liquor store in Long Beach, police said. He left with two additional children, both of them his own, according to police. The suspect subsequently offered by telephone to trade some of the children for his ex-girlfriend, said LAPD Det. Jason De La Cova.

The missing children were identified as Matthew Angel Samos, 1; Jose Angel Diaz, 5; Ariyanna Denise Wade, 6; and Ashley Elizabeth Tathkran, 11.

Police asked anyone with information to call 911 or Det. Arroyo at (213) 485 2511.

-- Patrick McDonnell

Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell of the Los Angeles Police Department said downtown streets surrounding Staples Center will be closed Tuesday while the public memorial is held inside the arena.

More than 1.6 million people have registered for free tickets to the memorial. Only about 8,750 people will be chosen in a lottery. Winners are being notified today through e-mail by AEG, owner of Staples Center. Each person will receive two tickets. In all, 17,500 free tickets will be distributed for people to attend the ceremony at Staples Center and a simulcast at the Nokia Theatre across the street.

Police urged those who do not receive a ticket to stay away from downtown and instead watch the ceremony on television.

McDonnell also said the LAPD was working on a "private family function" with Jackson’s family members. He declined to elaborate during a news briefing today outside Staples Center. He also would not discuss the investigation into the singer's death.

Buses that normally pass by Staples Center will be rerouted Monday and Tuesday because of the street closures, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. To see a complete listing of affected routes, go to the MTA’s website.

-- Jason Song

Photos: Behind the gates at Neverland

Panorama: Mourning at Jackson family home in Encino

Photos: Fans grieve worldwide

Photos: Michael Jackson, 1958-2009

Video: Celebrating Michael Jackson's legacy

Interactive map: See significant sites in the life and death of Michael Jackson, including Neverland Ranch and his boyhood home in Gary, Indiana.

The memorial, which will take place at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, "will reflect the wishes of the family," said spokesman Ken Sunshine. Rumors of musical performances by some of the industry's most high-profile artists have run rampant since Thursday, especially after Jermaine Jackson told CNN that the family struggled with choosing a location for the memorial because no location seemed large enough or adequate enough and they want as much "of the industry" to be able to attend and participate.

But Sunshine, noting that "there's a lot of misinformation out there," said the family would not make any announcements about the details of the service before it takes place on Tuesday at 10 a.m. He did confirm that there will be no funeral procession.

"This is a memorial, not a show, and there will be no information about who will be a part of it before the event," Sunshine said.

About 1.6 million people have registered for a chance at 17,500 free tickets and a nearby simulcast at Nokia Theatre, officials at AEG, owner of the arena, said Saturday. Those chosen by computerized random selection will be notified by e-mail between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. today.

Each of the 8,750 people selected will get an exclusive code and instructions on how to obtain two free tickets Monday.

Jermaine Jackson also told CNN on Thursday that the family will have a private ceremony prior to the public memorial.

"We’re absolutely not addressing anything having to do with burial or private services," Sunshine said.

-- Maria Elena Fernandez

The fire broke out about noon near the Los Angeles Police Academy and burned about five acres of medium to light brush, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.

It took more than 70 firefighters and three water-dropping helicopters less than 45 minutes to put out the flames.

No structures were threatened, and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was under investigation, Humphrey said.

-- Corina Knoll

The victim was shot shortly after midnight in the 1300 block of North Tamarind Avenue and taken to a  hospital, where he died, said Deputy Guillermina Saldana, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.

The victim’s name and other details were not immediately available.

-- Patrick J. McDonnell

The victim, whose identity was not immediately available, was shot once in the head about 1:30 a.m. at a home in the 400 block of Estudillo Avenue, near 4th and Lorena streets, said Officer Sara Faden, a Los Angeles police spokeswoman.

The man, who was in his 20s, was taken to a hospital, where he died, Faden said.

The suspect was described as a male Latino. It was unknown whether the shooting was gang-related, Faden said. “Every angle is being looked at,” she said

-- Patrick J. McDonnell

But getting a Jackson stamp could be difficult. According to the New York Daily News, the U.S. Postal Service usually considers memorial stamp requests five years after the subject's death. The post office gets more than 50,000 requests for commemorative stamps annually, according to the USPS.

Deputy Rick Pedroza said a sheriff's air rescue helicopter plucked two 28-year-old women and a 27-year-old man from the ledge of a 100-foot cliff near the Dawn Mine Trail in Millard Canyon. The emergency call came in about 12:15 p.m.

The hikers had been walking for more than four hours when they became disoriented and started to suffer dehydration, Pedroza said. They perched on the precipice to find shade under a few trees. After yelling for help for an hour to no avail, they finally were able to get cellphone reception and called for help.

-- Dan Weikel

Registration began at 10 a.m. Friday and ended at 6 p.m. Saturday. Those chosen will be notified by e-mail between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. today. Each of the 8,750 people selected will get an exclusive code and instructions on how to obtain two free tickets Monday.

AEG officials said 11,000 tickets will be for admission to the Staples Center service. The remaining 6,500 will be for the neighboring Nokia Theatre, where the memorial will be simulcast on big screens.

The random selection will be done by computer after the entries are "scrubbed" to eliminate duplicates and those submitted by automatic entry systems. Only people with a valid ticket and an unaltered wristband will be allowed in. No official program for the service has been announced.

-- Dan Weikel

A man and two women, all in their 20s, had been hiking for four hours along the Dawn Mine Trail when they became disoriented and lost, said Deputy Rick Pedroza.  Suffering from symptoms of dehydration, the "three hikers became frightened and began yelling for someone to save them,” and eventually used a cellphone to call for rescue, the deputy said.

A helicopter was dispatched to find the distressed hikers in a search that proved  “extremely challenging” because of the dense forestation in the area where they had become stranded on a sheer cliff under a canopy of trees.

A paramedic was lowered from the aircraft  to the hikers’ perch 100 feet above the canyon floor and helped them into the helicopter for the brief flight to a landing zone.

None of the hikers, who weren’t identified, suffered any serious injury and all were released shortly after the landing, Pedroza said.

-- Carol J. Williams

The body was discovered at 4:15 a.m. by a man who was searching the area for materials to recycle, said Sgt. Rick Martinez of the Anaheim Police Department. He said the site, located in the 900 block of East South Street, was closed because of a construction project.

"Right now, we have very little to go on," said Martinez, explaining that the victim had not been identified and that no arrests had been made. The body, he said, had been at the site for "just a few hours."

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at (714) 765-1944.

-- Robert J. Lopez

Jamel Lee Kelly, 25, was shot and killed when he and two others entered the shop in the 2700 block of North Wilmington Avenue, said Lt. Brian Elias of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

Two others involved in the botched robbery attempt fled the scene after two armed barbers fired on them, apparently wounding a second assailant as a trail of blood was found outside the shop, said Sheriff’s Deputy Guillermina Saldana.

Detectives are investigating the incident but hadn’t yet reported to dispatchers whether either of the fugitive suspects had been apprehended, she said.

 -- Carol J. Williams

A total of 17,500 free tickets will be distributed to people selected at random from among those who register by 6 p.m. today at www.staplescenter.com.

So many people tried to register for the lottery that the website's server briefly crashed Friday morning as the ticketing process was announced. More than 500,000 people had registered for the lottery by Friday evening, a spokesperson for the Jackson family said.

Seeking to discourage massive throngs, officials said that there would be no funeral procession and that no one would be allowed inside a large area around Staples Center unless they had a ticket and a wristband, a media credential or could prove they live or work there.

-- Maria Elena Fernandez