L.A Times - Crime and Courts

L.A. City Council is poised to debate how many pot dispensaries to allow

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The number of shops selling marijuana has exploded from 186 two years ago. Officials hope to impose some order by capping the number of outlets or by requiring a certain distance between stores.

For a moment two years ago, Los Angeles officials thought they knew how many marijuana dispensaries the city had: 186. That's how many registered to operate under the city's moratorium. The city quickly lost control, and the number soared: 500, 600, 800, now perhaps 1,000.

Assault of Calabasas boy is not being investigated as a hate crime

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:30:05 -0800

The attack on middle school student may have been motivated by a Facebook message saying it was "Kick a Ginger Day," but authorities say incident doesn't fit hate crime criteria.

L.A. Sheriff's Department busts reputed tagger who was 'guest artist' at graffiti art store

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:39:28 -0800

California budget's going to be dreadful

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:32:00 -0800

Until long-term structural issues are fixed, there is no way legislators can produce an honest spending plan so the state lives within its means.

The Capitol's budget oracle projects $20.7 billion in new red ink for the next 19 months. Here's my projection: More punting, "kicking the can down the alley" and numbers-rigging.

Success of new Martin Luther King Jr. hospital could hinge on board's makeup

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Seven yet-to-be-named appointees would decide how to run the hospital and whom to hire.

With Los Angeles County supervisors expected to sign off next week on plans to partner with the University of California to reopen the Martin Luther King Jr. medical facility, the hard work -- creating a new hospital from the ashes of the old by 2013 -- begins.

Ex-pension chief rented from company seeking funds

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

CIM Group secured millions in investments from L.A.'s City Employees' Retirement System. Robert Aguallo's lawyer denies wrongdoing.

The former top executive of one of Los Angeles' public employee pension systems rented an apartment from a company that at the same time was securing millions of dollars in public funds from his agency.

Comedy shows to benefit homeless programs

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The Laugh Factory's owner arranged two fundraisers after meeting Bessie Mae Berger, a 97-year-old woman who was living in an SUV with her two sons. The family is now in temporary housing.

Ninety-seven-year-old Bessie Mae Berger was living in a car with her two sons six weeks ago when comedian Kevin Nealon encountered them at a Hollywood gas station. Nealon, who was on his way to perform at the Laugh Factory, bought a tank of gas for their 1973 Chevrolet Suburban before heading off to work.

Catholic teachers find themselves intensely immersed in Jewish history

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The Bearing Witness series of seminars created by the Anti-Defamation League is designed to teach educators about anti-Semitism and the history of the relationship between Jews and the church.

The challah was blessed, the Manischewitz wine was poured, the candles were lighted. It could have been any Shabbat dinner in Los Angeles, were it not for the fact that it took place midweek and the room was full of Catholic schoolteachers.

Center helps Asian Americans combat mental illness

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Among challenges: The subject is nearly taboo in many Asian countries, and research in this country tends to lump the diverse group into one ethnic category.

Since she was a teenager, Stella Ho has wrestled with fainting spells, seizures and suicidal tendencies.

3 killed as SUV slams into big rig on 210 Freeway

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

A 14-year-old boy, a man, 41, and a woman, 40, die in the crash in Sunland. A girl, 9, and a boy, 11, safely get out of the burning vehicle, possibly with the help of passersby.

Three people, including a 14-year-old boy, were killed Sunday morning when their sport utility vehicle rear-ended a big rig on the 210 Freeway in Sunland and became engulfed in flames, authorities said.