State regulations allow the information to be withheld by Reddock, who has promised not to participate in any pension board decision that would involve one of her clients. Nevertheless, Parks spokesman Domingo Orosco said his boss did not feel comfortable recommending her to the pension board until she had submitted more documentation.

“If she reapplies and submits her paperwork, that would be fine,” Orosco said.

Neither Reddock nor a Villaraigosa spokeswoman immediately responded to requests for comment.

The issue of potential conflicts of interest has been a pressing one at Fire and Police Pensions in recent months.  The Times reported today that former board member Elliott Broidy voted to invest $30 million in 2007 in a fund managed by CIM Group, a company that had invested $500,000 in his own.

Although CIM’s investment represented a tiny portion of Broidy’s fund, the city’s lawyers considered the potential for a conflict great enough that they urged the Fire and Police Pensions board on Thursday to cast a new vote on CIM – one that did not involve Broidy. The board also cast a second vote on another decision involving a possible conflict of interest.

Disclosure of legal clients was also a major issue in this year’s race for city attorney. Councilman Jack Weiss frequently criticized his opponent, Carmen Trutanich, for refusing to disclose the names of his legal clients. Weiss warned that Trutanich would need to repeatedly recuse himself, forcing the city to hire costly outside law firms.

Trutanich, who won the election, said that in cases where he has a conflict, he would turn matters over to another attorney in his office.


-- David Zahniser at Los Angeles City Hall

The donation was delivered about 11 a.m. by Pastor Matt Olthoff of the Mariners Church in Newport Beach. A church member made the donation but requested anonymity, Olthoff said.

Pilgrim church member Lorraine Cook-Curry, whose grandfather the Rev. Henry Cook founded the small, white church, accepted the money.

“I was expecting $10 or $100,” Cook-Curry said in a telephone interview. “But then I saw one too many zeros, and I almost went over the rail.”

In addition to the donation, volunteers from Mariners will help rebuild Pilgrim church, Cook-Curry said.

Neighbors have volunteered to help with demolition, which is set to be completed next week. Local churches also have offered to help, but nothing has been organized yet, she said.

“I’m still kind of numb,” she said. “I want to wash this man’s feet. He’s an angel. What a blessing.”

Donations to assist Pilgrim Community Church can be sent to P.O. Box 111728, Los Angeles, CA 90011.

--Ruben Vives

The comments to the media “were not authorized by Mr. Polanski. The French lawyers do not represent him in the case and do not speak for him about it,” the California attorneys handling the director’s 1977 child sex case said in a written statement.

The statement did not name the unauthorized lawyers, but it came the same day that the French daily Le Figaro published an interview with Parisian lawyer Herve Temime. In the interview, Temime was identified as Polanski’s attorney and said the director, who is being held in Switzerland, would never voluntarily agree to extradition to the United States and had not received a fair trial in Los Angeles.

L.A. attorneys Bart Dalton, Doug Dalton and Chad Hummel wrote, “Any statements made in the press to the effect that Mr. Polanski will not accept lawful orders of the courts, including relating to extradition, are not true.”

Polanski was charged with rape and other crimes after a 13-year-old girl accused him of sexually assaulting her during a photo shoot. He pleaded guilty to a single count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor in exchange for prosecutors dropping the other charges and spent 42 days in prison.

He fled to Europe on the eve of sentencing after his lawyer told him the judge intended to make him serve additional prison time.

Polanski, 76, was arrested in Zurich in September. The U.S. request to extradite him to L.A. for sentencing is pending before a Swiss court, and next month a California appellate court is to hear his request for a complete dismissal of charges on the grounds of prosecutorial and judicial misconduct.

-- Harriet Ryan

The novel legal claim was filed by Lucie J. Kim in a class action suit against the singer earlier this year that sought $4,000 in damages for each Asian and Pacific Islander living in Los Angeles County. The suit argued that Cyrus, 16, violated a state law that prohibits businesses from discriminating against people based on race, gender, ethnicity and other traits.

The picture appeared on websites like gossipteen.com in February, and Cyrus repeatedly apologized. Cyrus’ attorney, Bryan M. Sullivan, referred all inquiries to Miley's spokesperson, who declined comment.

Henry M. Lee, Kim’s attorney, said his client is considering appealing the case. The fact that the judge did not order Kim to pay the tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees Cyrus was seeking shows that the judge thought his client made a good-faith argument, Lee said.

-- Seema Mehta

Photo: The image of Miley Cyrus and her friends pulling back their eyelids that sparked the controversy. Credit: Gossipteen.com

The incident occurred about 1:20 p.m. when the woman, in her mid-50s, was walking eastbound along the tracks near 115th Street. The woman died at the scene, said Erik Scott, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Northbound trains are experiencing a 15-minute delay because of the accident, and southbound trains are operating normally, said Metro spokesman Jose Ubaldo.

The train that struck the woman was carrying 150 passengers, all of whom were transferred to another train.

-- Baxter Holmes

Anyone who has spent time in or around government, from the deeply embedded bureaucrat to the young policy wonk, knows that there are two important issues in funding a public program.

One, is it getting enough money? Two, is the money being spent wisely?

On both counts, California's method of financing its schools gets a big fat F. On a per-pupil basis, our schools are among the most poorly funded in the country, and no one can be sure that the money they do get serves its purpose.

Ask those who have devoted time to examining the system: The way this state doles out money to K-12 education isn't merely inefficient and ineffective, it's insane.

Hiltzik spoke about the issue with Warren Olney on KCRW-FM's "Which Way, L.A.?" Thursday. Click link below to listen.

 Michael Hiltzik on "Which Way, L.A.?"

Defendant Kai Harris, 32, along with another man, was convicted of the 2004 killing of a rival member of his gang in a drug dispute, before turning his gun on three women who witnessed the attack in the apartment.

Two of the women survived gunshot wounds to the face, but the third, Annette Anderson, 52, considered a pillar of the community, was killed. Her death spurred an outpouring of grief in the Watts neighborhood where she lived all her life.

After the judge announced his decision today, Harris, slender and muscular, his hair in long tight braids, turned to a half-dozen relatives sitting in the back of the courtroom and stared without emotion. He eventually forced a smile. Two small children, Harris’ cousins, choked back tears. Harris’ family had ties to two of the victims.

Anderson and the man involved in the drug dispute who was killed, George Brooks, were family friends.

“You don’t know how to feel now. You love both families,” said Harris' aunt, Lavett Outlaw, who was dressed in black. “We have a great loss on both sides.”

Harris and the other defendant, Donte McDaniel, entered an apartment in the Nickerson Gardens public housing project in April 2004 looking to settle a drug dispute. One of the two surviving women, who has since died of unrelated causes, suffered bullets in her chest and face, shattering her upper jaw and palate.

The woman, Debra Johnson, a frail drug addict, later drew attention for her fearless testimony against her attackers.

“The crime scene was so bloody the coroner investigator said that she could taste a metallic taste in her mouth just from all the blood that had been spilled,” said L.A. County Deputy Dist. Atty. Halim Dhanidina. “She had to throw away her work clothes.”

Judge Michael Johnson called the crime “cruel and inhuman” and said the the loss to family and friends was enormous, particularly for Anderson, who was known to help those in need.

“She was the kind of person who would take in anyone who needed a place to stay or something to eat,” Dhanidina said about Anderson.

Neighbors said at the time of the murders that Anderson, a cancer survivor, would often watch over neighborhood kids.

The judge rejected the defense’s argument that Harris was intimidated by McDaniel into committing the murders. Harris is set to be executed at San Quentin State Prison.

-- Robert Faturechi

According to Brown, the kiosks were pitched as high-tech devices that could serve as electronic message boards, print retail coupons from local businesses and generate advertising revenue.

“The promise was that the churches involved would be able to attract more customers,” said the Rev. Dr. Clyde W. Oden Jr., senior pastor at Bryant Temple AME Church in Los Angeles, who spoke at a press conference at his church with Brown and other clergy. “There was a promise for more advertising down the road.”

[Updated at 3:08 p.m.: A previous version of this post and photo caption incorrectly spelled Oden's last name as Ogden.]

Instead, once the churches agreed to house a kiosk, the alleged scam artists — who originally said they would cover all leasing costs — presented the institutions with lease agreements for as much as $45,000 a year from national leasing companies.

These companies were named as Balboa Capital Corp., United Leasing Assoc. of America Ltd., and Banc of America Leasing and Capital, LLC. They demanded payment for the kiosks, which in reality were little more than desktop computers and printers housed inside podium-sized wooden boxes.

In many cases, the kiosks didn’t even work, according to clergy whose churches were targeted.

Brown is also investigating the role the leasing companies may have played in facilitating the alleged scam.

Even after learning of the alleged misdeed, they continue to enforce the terms of the leases, and even filed lawsuits against some churches in order to collect payment, interest and late fees, Brown said. The companies have been served with investigative subpoenas.

“What we have here is a typical rip-off that you see when times get tough,” Brown told reporters. “This is a matter of justice. This is a matter of treating people fairly, and being straight with people.”

Churches in Los Angeles, Compton, Long Beach, Moreno Valley, Pasadena, Perris, Pomona, Rialto, Riverside and San Bernardino were among those targeted by the individuals Brown is probing.

The individuals are named as Michael Morris, Willie Perkins, Tonya Wilson, and Wayne Wilson, and they are also suspected of targeting dozens of churches in at least 10 other states. They operated their alleged scam under companies called Urban Interfaith Network and Television Broadcasting Online, Brown said.

“We did see content. It’s just that the content never changed,” said Oden. “Ultimately, the charade began to become clear.”

Balboa Capital Corp. sued to collect on the kiosk lease at Bryant Temple even after the church informed the company of the alleged scam, Oden said. For months, the church pooled funds amounting to around $20,000 to pay down the lease and avoid the cost of litigation, Oden said.

Rev. Ronald Woods, senior pastor at A.K. Quinn Community AME Church in Moreno Valley, said the leasing companies tried to withdraw payments electronically from the church’s checking account, but did not succeed.

Gayle Davis-Culp, senior pastor at Holy Trinity AME Church in Long Beach, said her church lost between $7,000 and $9,000 paying for the computer kiosk service.

“People who are predators know exactly what to do with people who want to do right,” said Davis-Culp. “We were looking at ways to support our congregation. But instead of being supported, we were used.”

-- Ann M. Simmons

The suspect, 17-year-old Christian Daniel Castro-Alvarez, and an unspecified number of co-conspirators, lured Agent Robert W. Rosas Jr. out of his vehicle while he was on routine patrol near the border community of Campo, according to the agreement.

Rosas was shot multiple times by Castro-Alvarez and one or more co-conspirators. Federal authorities provided few details of the investigation, and it is unclear how Castro-Alvarez was captured and whether the co-conspirators have also been arrested.

The shooting prompted a large-scale manhunt on both sides of the border involving U.S. and Mexican federal agencies. The incident occurred about 60 miles east of San Diego in a rugged area favored by drug- and human-smuggling operations.

-- Richard Marosi in San Diego

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Man falls to death from downtown L.A. apartment

Police seeking suspects in three murders in Long Beach and Pico Rivera

Alleged scam aimed at African American churches in Southern California to be investigated

Delays expected on Metro Blue Line for track installation

Police seek attempted rapist in Thousand Oaks

Parts of 91 Freeway to be closed early next week

Ventura County man arrested for reportedly paying teens to spit on him

Dr. Conrad Murray acknowledged giving Jackson the drug propofol in a police interview two days after Jackson’s June 25 death, and according to a police affidavit made public by a Las Vegas judge, Los Angeles police and federal drug agents subsequently worked to connect the doctor to drug bottles found in the pop icon’s rented Holmby Hills mansion.

During a July raid on the cardiologist’s Las Vegas medical office, investigators found a receipt showing that a local pharmacy, Applied Pharmacy Services, had shipped quantities of the drug to Murray in May, when he was living in Los Angeles and working full-time for Jackson, according to the affidavit.

The lot numbers on the bottles in Jackson’s house matched those sold to the company by drug manufacturers, according to the affidavit. Investigators have said in other court documents that Murray is the target of a manslaughter investigation, but prosecutors have not filed charges against him.

The physician told police Jackson was dependent on propofol to sleep and that he was trying to wean the singer off the drug. The court papers were released after attorneys for media outlets, including the Times, petitioned the court.

-- Harriet Ryan

Photo: Michael Jackson. Credit: Los Angeles Times archives.

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Mexican teen pleads guilty to killing U.S. Border Patrol agent

Man falls to death from downtown L.A. apartment

Police seeking suspects in three murders in Long Beach and Pico Rivera

Alleged scam aimed at African American churches in Southern California to be investigated

Delays expected on Metro Blue Line for track installation

Police seek attempted rapist in Thousand Oaks

Parts of 91 Freeway to be closed early next week

Ventura County man arrested for reportedly paying teens to spit on him

Officers called to the 500 block of South Spring Street about 5:30 a.m. initially investigated the death as a suicide, said Officer April Harding, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department. A recent string of suicides in the area, the city’s Old Bank District, has confounded residents.

But coroner’s officials say the death appears to be accidental, and that a section of the fire escape outside the man’s apartment apparently gave way and was found on the sidewalk near the man’s body, according to Investigator Mario Sainz of the coroner’s office. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man’s name will not be released until relatives are notified, but Sainz described him as white and about 80 years old.

Attempts to reach officials with the Alexandria Hotel were unsuccessful. The hotel, once a glamorous magnet for Hollywood celebrities and American presidents, is now an apartment complex with low-income housing that recently underwent a major renovation.

A neighbor who lived below the man wrote on a downtown blog, “His body laying outside my window is the most disturbing thing I have ever seen.”

--- Seema Mehta

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Mexican teen pleads guilty to killing U.S. Border Patrol agent

Police seeking suspects in three murders in Long Beach and Pico Rivera

Alleged scam aimed at African American churches in Southern California to be investigated

Delays expected on Metro Blue Line for track installation

Police seek attempted rapist in Thousand Oaks

Parts of 91 Freeway to be closed early next week

Ventura County man arrested for reportedly paying teens to spit on him

One person was killed and two wounded about 11:30 p.m. Thursday in a shooting outside a liquor store in the 3600 block of Santa Fe Avenue in Long Beach, according to city police spokeswoman Jackie Bezart. The  murder is believed to be gang-related, and the victim's identity is being withheld pending notification of his family.

[Updated at 11:28 p.m.: The victim was identified as 19-year-old Frank Castro Jr. of Long Beach. A man approached him and the two other victims on foot and shot all three of them. Castro was hit multiple times in the upper body and torso and pronounced dead at the scene. The two other victims, ages 18 and 40, were treated at a local hospital and released.]

At about the same time, a driver in the 6400 block of Rosemead Boulevard in Pico Rivera saw a body in the street and called police, who found a Latino with gunshot wounds in the upper torso, said Dep. Aura Sierra of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The victim, whose identity is being withheld until his family is notified, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The body of Comontray Lenoir was also found Tuesday in an apartment complex courtyard in the 2700 block of East 57th Street in Long Beach, Bezart said. The 24-year-old man had been shot multiple times, and the murder is believed to be gang-related.

Anyone with information on any of these cases is asked to call Long Beach police at (562) 570-7244 or the Sheriff’s Department at (323) 890-5500.

-- Seema Mehta

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Man falls to death from downtown L.A. apartment

L.A. cold-case detectives arrest man in 1982 murder 

Fork-in-the-road sculpture will be site of food drive

Good morning from the City Desk, where we're staring at mounds of traditional Friday morning doughnuts. Some California stories from today's paper to boost your caloric intake:

Tighter drug-abuse rules: California is cracking down on health professionals who abuse drugs, subjecting them to frequent drug tests, monitoring them closely when they're in treatment and removing those who relapse. This comes after an investigation by The Times and the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica.

Hospital plans: The reopening of Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital came a step closer to fruition yesterday when University of California regents approved a partnership with L.A. County to run the facility.

A dog's life: Redondo Beach allows dogs into just one of its parks. Owners of some of the city's 3,600 licensed canines want that to change.

Pay cuts: California's elected officials face an 18% pay cut in December. A state panel ruled that the cut is legal.

Bison birth control: The island's feral bison are getting birth control to help make the herd size more manageable.

We'll bring you other news as we get it. Got news for us? A story idea? Drop me a line at nita.lelyveld@latimes.com.

-- Nita Lelyveld

Leave us your comments here or follow @latimescitydesk on Twitter.

Victor Alvarez was arrested and charged earlier this month for the Aug. 16, 1982, murder of Hughes at her apartment on 4th Street near Vermont Avenue. Alvarez sexually assaulted Hughes during a burglary at her apartment before killing her, prosecutors allege.

Because of those special allegations, prosecutors could pursue the death penalty against Alvarez.

Hughes, 65, was one of two women whose bodies were found inside the 60-unit apartment building within 12 hours. Alvarez is also being investigated in the killing of Cordella Ferguson, 67, whose body was found the same day as Hughes'.

Ferguson's body was found by a maid. Hughes was discovered by her nephew when relatives became concerned that the sickly woman, who used a wheelchair or walker, did not answer her telephone.

Hughes' apartment at the six-story building was ransacked during the break-in. Investigators plan to reveal at a news conference this afternoon how they identified Alvarez with the help of scientific evidence.

-- Richard Winton

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Alleged scam aimed at African American churches in Southern California to be investigated

Delays expected on Metro Blue Line for track installation

Police seek attempted rapist in Thousand Oaks

Parts of 91 Freeway to be closed early next week

Ventura County man arrested for reportedly paying teens to spit on him

This time, they plan to use the giant utensil for a food drive.

From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, volunteers will collect nonperishable food items at the site of the whimsical sculpture at the intersection of South St. John and Pasadena avenues.

The food drive will benefit Union Station Homeless Services, which holds a Thanksgiving dinner each year in Central Park at South Fair Oaks Avenue and East Del Mar Boulevard.

The fork sculpture started off as a prank to celebrate the 75th birthday of Bob Stane, who owns the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena.

Philip Coombes, a friend of artist Ken Marshall, came up with the idea for the food drive. People can remain in their cars because volunteers will be standing by with bags for the food, Coombes said.

The Pasadena real estate broker said he wanted to put another positive spin on the fork, which went from birthday present to guerrilla art.

“It makes you feel good to help other people,” Coombes said. “At least, it makes me feel good.”

The fork was erected on Halloween and since has become a piece of impromptu public art in Pasadena.  Stane and his friends have now proclaimed the site as Fork Plaza.

“We’re trying to make it one of the biggest food volunteering projects ever in Pasadena,” Stane said.

Coobes is still looking for volunteers for the event. Anyone interested can contact him at phil@agentphil.com.

—Nicole Santa Cruz

Photo: Pasadena's newest piece of street art, "The Fork in the Road," at South Pasadena Ave and St. John Avenue will be the site of a food drive this weekend. Credit: Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Alleged scam aimed at African American churches in Southern California to be investigated

Delays expected on Metro Blue Line for track installation

Police seek attempted rapist in Thousand Oaks

Parts of 91 Freeway to be closed early next week

Ventura County man arrested for reportedly paying teens to spit on him

Charles Hersel, who was arrested on child annoyance charges and released on his own recognizance, reportedly sought out young male Westlake High School students on the MySpace social networking website, said Capt. Frank O’Hanlon.

“It didn’t take long for word to spread among local teens that they could get paid to spit in a man’s face,” O’Hanlon said.

Teens also reported that Hersel asked them to urinate and defecate on him. He was arrested Wednesday after an undercover sting operation at the Westlake Promenade mall, where he paid a teen $31 to spit in his face.

-- Seema Mehta

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Parts of 91 Freeway to be closed early next week

Police seek attempted rapist in Thousand Oaks

Delays expected on Metro Blue Line for track installation

Alleged scam aimed at African American churches in Southern California to be investigated

The freeway will remain open during peak hours.

The actual construction project will widen six miles of the eastbound 91 Freeway between the 241 and 71 freeways. The project is expected to be completed near the end of 2010. It is intended to ease congestion on the 91 Freeway near Coal Canyon Road.

-- Baxter Holmes

A woman was running on the night of Nov. 6 near Northwood Place and Maybury Court when a man pushed her into some bushes, said Capt. Frank O’Hanlon of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Dept. The woman, who believed she was about to be sexually assaulted, kicked the man and fled.

The suspect is described as a white male between 30 and 35 years old, 6-feet-2, about 180 pounds, with short dark hair and a slender build. He was wearing a hoodie and sunglasses at the time of the attack.

Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Javier Chavez at (805) 494-8229.

-- Seema Mehta

Delays of up to 40 minutes between Washington Station and 7th Street/Metro Center are expected from        9 a.m. today until the line closes Sunday night. Metro buses will provide service between Washington Station and 7th Street/Metro Center and will stop at San Pedro, Grand, Pico and the 7th Street/Metro Center stations.

The Metro Red and Purple lines will run on a regular basis.

This is the first of eight planned station closures over the next four months to allow construction work for the Expo Line, an 8.5-mile light-rail line that will connect downtown Los Angeles and Culver City.

Other closures will occur in January, February and March 2010. The Expo Line will share tracks and two stations with the Metro Blue Line along the Flower Street portion of the alignment.

-- Baxter Holmes

According to preliminary information released by Brown’s office, the probe will focus on whether four individuals, two businesses and three national leasing companies defrauded more than 30 Southern California-based African American churches out of tens of thousands of dollars.

Churches hit by the alleged scam include houses of worship in Compton, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Pasadena, Perris, Pomona, Rialto, Riverside and San Bernardino, according to Brown’s office.

Churches in at least 10 other states were also affected. At this morning’s news conference, at least two pastors are expected to describe how the alleged swindle has impacted their churches and parishioners.

-- Ann M. Simmons

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Ventura County man arrested for reportedly paying teens to spit on him

Parts of 91 Freeway to be closed early next week

Police seek attempted rapist in Thousand Oaks

Delays expected on Metro Blue Line for track installation

Alleged scam aimed at African American churches in Southern California to be investigated

Herve Temime, in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro, said he believes the 42 days that Polanski spend at a California prison for various psychiatric tests back 1978 -- before he was scheduled to be sentenced -- is punishment enough.

Polanski pleaded guilty to having sex with the girl at Jack Nicholson's home. But he fled the country before sentencing, convinced, Temime said, that the judge in the case was treating him unfairly. The conduct of the judge was the subject of an HBO documentary.

"We also maintain that Mr. Polanski did not face a fair trial in Los Angeles," Temime told the French paper. "For all these reasons, among others, his position remains unchanged: He will not accept being extradited to the United States."

Temime also said the fact that the crime occurred 30 years ago should be considered in decided whether Polanski should be extradited to the U.S. Polanski is now in a Zurich jail awaiting a ruling by Swiss authorities whether he should be sent back to Los Angeles.

Swiss authorities have said Polanski could face up to two years in prison if sent back to L.A.

-- Shelby Grad

Nearly three months after the Station wildfire turned into the biggest blaze in L.A. County history, killing two firefighters, investigators say they don’t have the necessary evidence to arrest anyone for the arson.

Sheriff’s homicide detectives have questioned a man charged with setting a smaller blaze less than a week before in Angeles National Forest. But authorities say they have not been able to connect Babatunsin Olukunle, a 25-year-old Nigerian national, to the 160,577-acre Station fire that began Aug. 26 in a turnout near Mile Marker 29 above La Cañada Flintridge, authorities say.

“He has told us nothing of relevance in connection with the Station fire,” said Sheriff’s Lt. Liam Gallagher, who is leading the homicide probe. “We’ve talked to him and we’d like to talk to him again.”

Nationally, only about 10% of arson fires yield charges .The task is made all the more difficult in arson wildfires because unlike structural fires there is no confined space. 

Arson wildfires are among the most difficult homicide cases to prove, especially when there is a lack of eyewitnesses in an area and point of origin has been repeatedly burned over during by the fire, Gallagher said.

Gallagher said Olukunle was charged last month with setting the Lady Bug Fire and was sent to Patton General Hospital, a state mental health facility, for an evaluation. Olukunle, a one-time UC Davis student who became a transient, was “articulate” during an interview but of little help, Gallagher said.

Olukunle has pleaded not guilty to setting the earlier fire in a forest. Detectives won’t even call him a person of interest anymore in the Station fire.

“We don’t label people,” Gallagher said.

Investigators know that a substance helped ignite the fire, according to sources familiar with the investigation. They have repeatedly combed the grid around the fire’s point of origin looking for markings or other clues to the human cause of the blaze.

“Basically we have nothing at this point. We have run down all our leads,” Gallagher said.

The fire became a double homicide Aug. 30 when County Fire Capt. Tedmund “Ted” Hall, 47, and firefighter specialist “Arnaldo “Arnie” Quinones, 35, died when their vehicle careened off a road south of Acton, plunging some 800 feet into a ravine.

 The slow progress in solving such fires is not unusual. Almost six years after the Old fire destroyed 1,000 homes in San Bernardino County and lead to six deaths, prosecutors last month charged prison inmate Rickie Lee Fowler with arson and murder. Fowler was first identified by a tipster as a potential suspect in the 140-square mile fire and interviewed in February 2004. The blaze was ignited by a road flare thrown from a vehicle. Investigators in Southern California have had a hard time identifying many such arsonists.

The 1993 Malibu fire, which killed three and caused $375 million in damage, and the 1994 Laguna Beach fire, which destroyed 441 homes and left $528 million in damage, are unsolved. Arson experts say when a case is cracked it is often because of other fires are connected to the same individual.

That was the case for Raymond Lee Oyler sentenced to death in the killing of five firefighters in the 2006 Esperanza fire. Shortly after that fire, Oyler was arrested by Riverside County authorities for two earlier blazes in the Banning area. Prosecutors later connected him to similar devices involved in a series of fires. In the Station fire probe, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday renewed a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the fire starter.

-- Richard Winton

Photo: Tiffany Brain searches for anything of value of what's left after the Station fire destroyed her uncle's home in Big Tujunga Canyon. Credit: Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Ventura County man arrested for reportedly paying teens to spit on him

Parts of 91 Freeway to be closed early next week

Police seek attempted rapist in Thousand Oaks

Delays expected on Metro Blue Line for track installation

Alleged scam aimed at African American churches in Southern California to be investigated

The other facilities will open next month in Ventura and West next year in Los Angeles.

The William J. “Pete” Knight Veterans Home of California in Lancaster, which was built by the state Department of Veterans Affairs, will offer long-term care, assistance with daily activities and provide a place for veterans to socialize.

“It’s incredibly important because veterans need this help,” said Thomas Craft, a retired Navy captain and chairman of the nonprofit Lancaster Veterans Home Citizens' Committee, which pushed for the facility to be established in the Antelope Valley.

“They realize they need help, but they don’t want to go away from their families,”  he said.

The Lancaster home had been a vision of veterans since the mid-1990s, when the late-state Sen. William J. "Pete" Knight, a retired Air Force colonel — for whom the Lancaster facility is named — helped shape legislation to fund California’s veterans homes.

In 1999, Lancaster donated 22 acres to the state Department of Veterans Affairs in hopes that a 400-bed facility would be built. The project was subsequently downsized to 60 beds and an adult day health center.

—Ann M. Simmons