Politics, Government & Business in California's Inland Empire
Victoria Kim and Cindy Chang
July 2, 2014
Former Los Angeles County Undersheriff Paul Tanaka was testifying in the case of a deputy charged with obstruction of justice earlier this year when the prosecutor asked if he was familiar with a common investigative tactic: Start with low-level criminals, then go after their bosses.
Victoria Kim and Cindy Chang
July 1, 2014
A jury Tuesday found six members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department guilty of attempting to impede a federal civil rights inquiry into the county jails, providing prosecutors with a decisive victory as they continue to investigate higher-level officials tied to the scandal.
BY KEEGAN KYLE / STAFF WRITER
Published: June 28, 2014 Updated: June 30, 2014 10:58 a.m.
California’s system for tracking deadly police shootings is plagued by confusion and inadequate oversight, further clouding public knowledge of an officer’s greatest power.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 06/26/14, 2:01 PM PDT | Updated: 18 hrs ago
Los Angeles County CEO William Fujioka, credited with helping the county emerge virtually unscathed from the Great Recession while many other local governments teetered on bankruptcy, announced Thursday he will retire at the end of November.
By Fred Shuster, City News Service
Posted: 06/20/14, 6:02 PM PDT |
A prosecutor urged a jury Friday to convict six members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department of witness tampering, but their attorneys countered that the defendants were simply following orders from superiors when they helped keep an inmate informant hidden within the jail system during a federal probe of prisoner abuse.
Cindy Chang
June 18, 2014
A videotape of an encounter between two sheriff’s sergeants and an FBI agent outside the agent’s home, played in federal court Wednesday, showed a surprisingly polite exchange, even as the agent was advised she would soon be arrested.
Sunday, June 8, 2014 – 12:30 p.m.
It just never ends!
William “Buck” Johns is back at it again.
Victoria Kim
June 3, 2014
The deputy described beating inmates unprovoked, slapping them, shooting them with a Taser gun and aggressively searching them to pick a fight — something he learned “on the job.” He would huddle with other jail guards to get their stories straight and write up reports with bogus scenarios justifying the brutality. If the inmate had no visible injuries, he wouldn’t report the use of force, period.
May 31, 2014 7:09 PM
SHEA JOHNSON, STAFF WRITER
ADELANTO • City Manager Jim Hart said this week Adelanto would allow a new private correctional facility on its turf in a potential deal being marketed right now to Los Angeles County by a familiar and controversial figure.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 05/31/14, 9:53 PM PDT | Updated: 46 secs ago
Tuesday’s primary election for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is expected to be among the most competitive in recent history.
Abby Sewell
May 28, 2014
Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to require candidates to file their campaign finance reports electronically, allowing the public to see them quicker.
By Thomas Himes, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 05/20/14, 11:08 AM PDT | Updated: 7 hrs ago
Sheriff’s candidate Paul Tanaka’s testimony in federal court this week set off a firestorm of criticism, as rivals called on him to bow out and some supporters remained steadfast.
Cindy Chang, Victoria Kim
May 19, 2014
The former undersheriff and a current captain of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department are subjects in an ongoing federal grand jury investigation into excessive force and corruption in the county’s jails, a federal prosecutor said Monday.
Victoria Kim
May 15, 2014
The wide-reaching federal investigation into abuse and corruption in L.A. County jails that has thus far ensnared 20 deputies in the largest mass arrests of sheriff’s officials in decades arose out of a letter from a jail inmate detailing instances of violence by deputies, the lead case agent testified Wednesday.
By City News Service
Posted: 05/12/14, 6:37 AM PDT |
LOS ANGELES (CNS) – The first of 20 current and former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies to be indicted on various corruption and civil rights charges is scheduled to formally plead guilty today to a weapons violation.
By Abby Sewell
May 6, 2014
After years of debate about how to best modernize the county’s aging and troubled jail system, Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday for a $2-billion plan to replace the deteriorating downtown Men’s Central Jail and create a new women’s jail.
Corina Knoll
April 30, 2014, 7:50 p.m.
Months after it unsuccessfully sought to stop the Los Angeles Times from publishing information gleaned from officers’ personnel files, a union representing Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies has been ordered to pay the newspaper more than $41,000 in legal fees.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 04/24/14, 10:19 PM PDT | Updated: 33 secs ago
SANTA MONICA>> All seven candidates for Los Angeles County Sheriff talked about transparency and accountability, jail construction and disciplining wayward deputies at their latest debate Thursday.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 04/14/14, 11:15 AM PDT | Updated: 8 hrs ago
Los Angeles County’s budget officials on Monday unveiled a proposed $26.1 billion spending plan for fiscal year 2013-2014 that calls for hiring about 1,300 new employees — mostly nurses and social workers — as well as funding for reforms in the troubled jail and child welfare systems.
By Cindy Chang
April 14, 2014, 7:40 p.m.
At the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department headquarters, a winding hallway leads to an unexpected oasis.
Surrounded by trees, with a built-in grill and tables, the patio is an ideal place for a barbecue. Until recently, though, only a select few enjoyed it, smoking cigars and fashioning it into their own private hangout.
By Catherine Saillant and Abby Sewell
April 13, 2014, 5:15 p.m.
Bobby Shriver, the first Los Angeles County supervisorial contender in 18 years to opt out of voluntary campaign spending limits, is calling for a major overhaul of county election laws, including lifting fundraising restrictions on candidates who use personal wealth to help pay for their campaigns.
Posted: 04/07/14, 9:03 PM PDT |
All seven candidates for Los Angeles County sheriff will debate at Loyola Marymount University at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday in Ahmanson Auditorium in University Hall. The event at the Westchester campus is free and open to the public.
By Adam Poulisse, Pasadena Star-News
Posted: 03/26/14, 9:59 PM PDT | Updated: 15 mins ago
A disbarred attorney on Wednesday was sentenced for stealing more than $3 million from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and other clients while handling their cases, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
By Robert Faturechi
March 12, 2014, 11:06 p.m.
The candidates for Los Angeles County sheriff sharpened their attacks Wednesday night, accusing each other of mismanagement and opportunism in front of a Van Nuys audience gathered for their second debate.
By Richard Winton
March 11, 2014, 5:18 p.m.
A disbarred attorney charged with stealing nearly $2 million from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and more than $1 million from other clients was convicted Tuesday of grand theft and will be sentenced to a decade in prison.
By Doug Saunders, The Sun
Posted: 03/11/14, 2:14 PM PDT |
LOS ANGELES >> Disbarred Rancho Cucamonga attorney James Reiss, 52, of Upland pleaded no contest to two counts of grand theft, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said today.
By Robert Faturechi
March 6, 2014, 8:45 p.m.
Former Sheriff Lee Baca and his top aide authorized the controversial handling of a Los Angeles County jail inmate who was found to be secretly working as a federal informant, according to a court filing by three of the deputies facing federal charges in connection with the incident.
By Abby Sewell
February 25, 2014, 6:12 p.m.
Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to ask the newly appointed inspector general of the Sheriff’s Department to work with interim Sheriff John L. Scott to study setting up a civilian commission that would oversee the department.
By Catherine Saillant
February 22, 2014, 7:35 p.m.
NBC correspondent Maria Shriver said she sees no need to step down from her news job while campaigning for her brother, Bobby Shriver, a candidate for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 02/20/14, 8:13 PM PST | Updated: 9 hrs ago
Realizing they both have a lot to lose if public employee retirement costs continue spiraling out of control, Los Angeles County and its labor unions have agreed to what they called “sweeping reforms” that could save as much as $840 million over the next 30 years.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 02/19/14, 6:27 PM PST |
Interim Sheriff John Scott is not wasting any time.
Given only 10 months — at most — to lead the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department out of the mess left behind by now-retired Sheriff Lee Baca, he is scrambling to put reforms in place.
By Paul Pringle and Jack Leonard
February 11, 2014, 10:30 p.m.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office is looking into whether thousands of dollars in taxpayer money was misspent on improvements to Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas’ home last year, an office spokeswoman said Tuesday.
By Jack Leonard, Richard Winton and Robert Faturechi
February 7, 2014, 1:23 p.m.
Two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies conspired to assault a handcuffed jail inmate and struck him with a flashlight before writing reports that falsely claimed he attacked them, according to a federal indictment made public on Friday.
By Jack Leonard and Paul Pringle
January 31, 2014, 8:09 p.m.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas obtained a building permit Friday to renovate what appears to be an improperly converted garage at his Leimert Park home by adding a carport and removing a section of the detached building.
By Abby Sewell and Robert Faturechi
January 28, 2014, 6:07 p.m.
The newly named interim sheriff of Los Angeles County, current Orange County Undersheriff John L. Scott, said Tuesday that he would continue the momentum of reform in the department.
By Sarah Favot, Pasadena Star-News
Posted: 01/23/14, 7:45 PM PST |
COMMERCE >> An annual review of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which was issued Thursday, detailed instances of sex, lies and innovative uses of videotape.
By Paul Pringle and Jack Leonard
January 22, 2014
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas acknowledged Tuesday that a taxpayer-funded project to install a security system in a converted garage at his home involved improvements “over and above” that job, but said he reimbursed the county for the upgrades.
By Jean Merl
January 21, 2014, 10:08 p.m.
State Sen. Roderick D. Wright told jurors Tuesday that he thought he was doing what the law required and did not intend to deceive voters when he switched his official address to run for office.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014 – 12:00 am
Were one to identify California’s 10 most powerful political offices, the list would, of course, begin with the governor.
By Jack Leonard and Paul Pringle
January 19, 2014, 8:50 p.m.
A taxpayer-funded project to provide a home security system for Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas included improvements to his converted garage that involved a week of work and upgrades to the building’s electrical service, according to interviews and records.
By Paul Pringle and Jack Leonard
January 16, 2014, 8:13 p.m.
Los Angeles city building inspectors launched an investigation Thursday into whether county Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas has an illegally converted garage at his Leimert Park home, where government employees recently performed thousands of dollars worth of work.
By Robert Faturechi
January 16, 2014, 8:20 p.m.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials inappropriately kept more than $1 million belonging to county inmates in a two-year period, an audit released Thursday found.
By Beatriz Valenzuela, Press-Telegram,
Greg Yee, Press-Telegram and Sandy Mazza, Daily Breeze
Posted: 01/07/14, 8:05 PM PST |
Those who decide to run to be head of the nation’s largest sheriff’s department will face a series of issues that will test their leadership.
By Abby Sewell and Seema Mehta
January 7, 2014, 9:17 p.m.
A divided Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to add a cross back to the county’s official seal, despite warnings the decision would invite legal challenges.
Monday, Janaury 6, 2013 – 11:30 p.m
Los Angeles new outlets are reporting that embattled Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca will resign as early as tomorrow.
By Steve Lopez
December 28, 2013, 4:00 p.m.
In more ways than one, I’m sorry to see 2013 fade into the books. Thanks to a steady run of incompetence, corruption and bungling by various public officials, it was a banner year for local news in Greater Los Angeles.
By Ben Poston and Robert Faturechi
December 29, 2013
Dozens of police officers rejected for jobs at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department after investigators found evidence of dishonesty or past misconduct were given positions elsewhere in county government, according to interviews and internal hiring records reviewed by The Times.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Dec. 30, 2013 – 12:00 am
A seat in Congress is one of the nation’s most sought-after political prizes, and once elected, a member rarely gives it up voluntarily.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 12/18/13, 5:50 PM PST |
It was not only the Sheriff’s Department that absorbed troublesome officers from Los Angeles County’s now defunct police force despite knowing about their previous misconduct – several other county agencies did the same, including those charged with public safety.
By Kelly Goff, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 12/14/13, 1:11 PM PST |
Several of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies named in federal indictments last week are also named defendants in civil lawsuits that could end up costing the county millions of dollars.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 12/14/13, 1:00 PM PST |
Hours after the FBI rounded up 18 of his officers for various alleged crimes, ranging from beating inmates to obstruction of justice, Sheriff Lee Baca tried to project the image of someone who had the situation under control.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
and Kelly Goff, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 12/10/13, 8:08 PM PST | Updated: 1 hr ago
The union boss for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday stepped to the defense of deputies arrested in misconduct at county jails, accusing the FBI of waging a “vendetta” against some of them and adding that some of their behavior was authorized by higher-ups in the department.
By Jeff Gottlieb and Ruben Vives
December 9, 2013, 7:28 p.m.
L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey said prosecutors will seek the maximum sentence against Angela Spaccia, the former Bell official convicted Monday on 11 counts of misappropriating public funds and other corruption charges.
By Robert Faturechi and Jack Leonard
December 9, 2013, 1:40 p.m.
Eighteen current or former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials have been indicted in five separate criminal cases in connection with a wide-ranging investigation into allegations of abuse and misconduct inside L.A. County jails.
By Beatriz Valenzuela, Press-Telegram
Posted: 12/04/13, 6:31 PM PST |
On the heels of a scathing report card that gave failing grades to both Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties for their handling of the state’s prison realignment program, an advocacy group and concerned residents caravaned to Sacramento Wednesday to voice opposition to the counties seeking grant money to build what the group calls “cages for our children.”
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Nov. 4, 2013 – 12:00 am
Los Angeles County is home to more than a quarter of California’s population, and nearly 60 percent of its residents are Latino.
However, just one of the county’s five supervisors is Latino, and Gloria Molina was elected to the board 22 years ago only because the U.S. Justice Department interceded in redistricting and declared that not creating a Latino seat would violate the Voting Rights Act.
By Abby Sewell
October 31, 2013, 6:05 p.m.
A local resident and the American Civil Liberties Union are suing Los Angeles County for refusing to disclose how much it has spent defending lawsuits against the county sheriff’s department.
By Seema Mehta
October 24, 2013
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials who have backed a rival of Sheriff Lee Baca in next year’s election claim they are being retaliated against with reassignments to distant locales or less desirable duties, according to interviews and documents.
By Doug McIntyre, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 10/19/13, 4:27 PM PDT |
It hasn’t been a good week for politicians.
First came the pathetic end to the slow motion train wreck known as the government shutdown. Then came an avalanche of scandals closer to home.
By Rick Orlov, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 10/18/13, 7:42 PM PDT | Updated: 22 mins ago
The decades of problems within the Los Angeles County jail system took a new turn this week when a federal-court jury decided Sheriff Lee Baca should be held personally liable for the injuries suffered by an inmate in 2009.
By Abby Sewell and Robert Faturechi
October 17, 2013, 6:54 p.m.
A federal jury has found Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca personally liable in a case involving abuse of an inmate in the Men’s Central Jail, meaning the sheriff could be required to pay $100,000 out of pocket.
By Canan Tasci, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 10/07/13, 9:44 PM PDT |
A recent election to fill a vacant 52nd Assembly District seat saw less than 2 percent of voters flexing their citizen rights by walking into a polling place to cast a ballot.
By David G. Savage
October 1, 2013, 9:00 p.m.
WASHINGTON — Although Texas executes far more prisoners than any other state, Los Angeles and three other Southern California counties lead the nation in sentencing convicts to die, according to a report released Wednesday.
By Ed Mendel
Monday, September 23, 2013
A superior court judge overturned a freeze on retiree health care for Los Angeles city attorneys this month, citing some of the same case law that made public pensions a vested right that can only be cut if offset by a new benefit.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 09/17/13, 6:53 PM PDT | Updated: 5 hrs ago
Saying the troubled Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department should be placed under greater scrutiny, the county Board of Supervisors stepped up its search for an inspector general Tuesday but stopped short of creating a proposed citizens oversight commission.
By Seema Mehta
August 15, 2013, 7:57 p.m.
Paul Tanaka, a former Los Angeles County undersheriff who was ousted by Sheriff Lee Baca earlier this year, announced Thursday that he’s challenging his former boss.
By Robert Faturechi and Jack Leonard
August 14, 2013, 6:00 a.m.
A retired Los Angeles County sheriff’s commander who played a role in exposing abuses inside the agency’s jails announced Wednesday that he is going to challenge Sheriff Lee Baca in next year’s election.
By Dan Weikel
August 6, 2013, 9:29 p.m.
In an action that could influence government finance officials statewide, the Los Angeles County treasurer announced Tuesday that his office will no longer do business with securities brokers that make political contributions to school bond campaigns.
By Steve Scauzillo, Staff Writer
@stevscaz on Twitter
Posted: 07/12/2013 06:39:38 PM PDT
Updated: 07/12/2013 06:40:42 PM PDT
LOS ANGELES – A judge on Friday tossed out of court the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s case against former San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments Executive Director Nick Conway, declaring him innocent — as Conway and his attorney had maintained all along. The District Attorney had alleged Conway obtained contracts that benefitted him financially.
James Reiss facing 11 felony counts of grand theft and forgery
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/28/2013 01:26:54 PM PDT
Updated: 06/28/2013 07:36:55 PM PDT
A disbarred criminal defense attorney who represented former Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez in his two public corruption trials has been arrested in connection with the theft of funds from former clients.
Monday, June 24, 2013 – 06:00 p.m.
InlandPolitics.com has learned that former Rancho Cucamonga attorney James Reiss has been arrested.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Jun. 23, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Sunday, Jun. 23, 2013 – 8:31 am
Los Angeles County contains a quarter of the state’s population and is home to the nation’s second most populous city, more than 80 smaller cities, a like number of school districts and literally hundreds of single-purpose districts providing fire protection, water, parks, recreation and other services.
Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/30/2013 11:37:47 AM PDT
Updated: 04/30/2013 07:36:59 PM PDT
Related: Two Los Angeles County supervisors push for local control of ONT | ONT special section
View: Agenda item | Agenda amendment | Ontario letter | ARSAC letter
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has joined more than 100 government entities and officials calling into question the management of L.A./Ontario International Airport and advocating it would be better under local control.
Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/29/2013 11:10:55 AM PDT
Updated: 04/29/2013 07:05:51 PM PDT
View: Agenda item
Special Section: Ontario airport Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Don Knabe and Mike Antonovich are recommending that the agency that oversees LA/Ontario International Airport return it to local control.
By Louis Sahagun and Joseph Serna
April 5, 2013, 5:36 p.m.
Three retired judges will determine who gets the $1-million Christopher Dorner reward, the Los Angeles Police Department said Friday. People have until April 19 to claim their portion of the money.
By Matt Clark
March 27, 2013 – 06:01 p.m.
Here’s a list of the top 10 highest-paid county executives.
December 26th, 2012, 11:57 am
Posted by Jeff Collins
The value of homes in the Los Angeles-Orange County area jumped $122 billion in 2012, the biggest cumulative gain of any major metro area in the nation, the online real estate site Zillow.com reports.
Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/28/2012 01:03:57 AM PST
Updated: 11/28/2012 01:18:37 AM PST
Elections officials have nearly completed their tallies of the votes cast in the General Election, and the numbers show a notable drop-off in voter turnout from the previous presidential election.
Lori Fowler, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/22/2012 04:23:09 PM PST
Updated: 11/23/2012 12:47:00 AM PST
The Los Angeles Superior Court recently announced plans to cut spending by $30 million this fiscal year – the most significant reduction of services in its history.
By Jack Dolan, Ruben Vives and Jack Leonard, Los Angeles Times
October 17, 2012, 6:07 p.m.
About six months before John Noguez was elected Los Angeles County assessor, he received an $80,000 check from his old friend and prominent property tax consultant, Ramin Salari. Over the next few months, Salari cut Noguez two more checks, for a total of $180,000.
In return, authorities say, assessor officials began giving tax breaks to many of Salari’s clients.
Monday, July 2, 2012 – 07:30 p.m.
One has to hand it to California Governor Jerry Brown.
A man who knows no bounds in his political quests to get what he wants.
By Anthony York, Los Angeles Times
July 1, 2012
SACRAMENTO — With the fate of his tax initiative hanging in the balance, Gov. Jerry Brown was in a tight spot.
So he called Dave Macdonald, the top elections official in Alameda County, for a conversation about Macdonald’s progress in verifying thousands of petition signatures needed to help move Brown’s measure onto the November state ballot.
May 3, 2012 | 4:30 pm
Moving swiftly after a judge dismissed its case, the district attorney’s office refiled 24 perjury and voter-fraud charges late Thursday afternoon against Councilman Richard Alarcon and his wife, Flora Montes De Oca Alarcon.
The new charges make the same allegations as a case thrown out by Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy on Thursday morning, accusing the Alarcons of lying about living in a house in Panorama City so that the councilman could run for his 7th District office.
By Jason Song, Los Angeles Times
April 10, 2012
Los Angeles County could receive almost $50 million less than expected in property taxes next year, according to the latest estimates, which could lead to cuts in law enforcement, education and other services.
Last year, Assessor John Noguez estimated that the county property tax base would grow by almost $18.7 billion for the next fiscal year. But he revised that figure to $5.1 billion last week.
BY DUG BEGLEY
STAFF WRITER
dbegley@pe.com
Published: 05 April 2012 10:43 PM
Faced with a half-trillion dollars in Southern California transportation needs through 2035, officials Thursday called for higher gas taxes or a shift to a fee drivers would pay based on how far they drive.