By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
02/19/2015 10:12 PM
It’s obvious that California’s highest-profile political contest next year will be for the U.S. Senate seat that Barbara Boxer will give up after 24 years.
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Archive for the ‘ County of Los Angeles ’ Category
After only three years in Congress, and citing gridlock in Washington, D.C., U.S. Rep. Janice Hahn announced Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, that she is running for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. (2014 file photo by Dean Musgrove/Los Angeles Daily News)
By Staff reports
Posted: 02/18/15, 7:58 AM PST
Confirming months of speculation, U.S. Rep. Janice Hahn announced her candidacy today for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
By Seema Mehta
February 4, 2015
Janice Hahn must decide whether to stay in Congress, with her party out of power, or run for county supervisor
By Abby Sewell
January 15, 2015
Los Angeles County officials Wednesday completed a major reorganization in the top tier of management, moving some upper officials out of the county’s chief executive office and bringing others into newly created positions.
Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca in 2011; a grand jury is now hearing testimony about the actions of Baca and Paul Tanaka, his top aide at the time, as they reacted to discovery of a cellphone provided to a county jail inmate by the FBI. (Al Seib, Los Angeles Times)
By Cindy Chang
January 11, 2015
It seems that federal prosecutors are after the “big fish” in L.A. County Jail obstruction-of-justice inquiry
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 01/03/15, 5:28 PM PST |
Elected officials in San Bernardino County take two of the top three spots in California for highest paid elected officials during fiscal year 2013-14.
Former Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon, shown at his sentencing in October, surrendered Friday to begin serving his 51-day term under house arrest. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
By Soumya Karlamangla
December 5, 2014
It took state investigators more than five years to build a criminal case against Richard Alarcon.
Filed under: County of Los Angeles, Courts, In the News, Jackie Lacey, Legal, Politics, State Superior Court
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich brought forward a proposal to remove the county’s acting chief executive Tuesday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
By Abby Sewell
December 2, 2014
At their first meeting following a major election turnover, the new Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors removed the county’s acting chief executive and appointed a new one.
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Curt Hagman’s wife, Grace, pins him after he was sworn in as a San Bernardino County supervisor on Monday. (Micah Escamilla — Staff Photographer)
By Staff reports
Posted: 12/01/14, 7:30 PM PST | Updated: 1 min ago
Former Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills, was sworn in Monday as San Bernardino County’s new 4th District Supervisor, representing several West Valley cities, in a day when new faces appeared on county boards in San Bernardino and Los Angeles.
Saturday, November 22, 2014 – 12:00 p.m.
It really looks as if Prisonville, commonly known as the city of Adelanto, is going to welcome construction of a couple more private prison facilities.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 11/20/14, 12:25 AM PST | Updated: 47 secs ago
ADELANTO >> The City Council late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning tentatively approved a fourth and fifth private prison in this High Desert community, which will bring with them six additional sheriff’s deputies for the city.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014 – 09:30 a.m.
Here’s some area election results of note.
In San Bernardino, voters dumped charter reform Measure Q. The measure would have removed wage-setting provisions from the city charter to collective bargaining. The city’s police and fire unions easily tubed the measure. The result is a blow to novice Mayor Carey Davis and backers, who put very little effort in support of the measure.
Filed under: Board of Supervisors - Los Angeles County, Board of Supervisors - Orange County, Board of Supervisors - San Bernardino County, Campaigns, Cities, County of Los Angeles, County of San Bernardino, Fontana, Highland, Inland Empire, Politics, Redlands, Republicans, San Bernardino, State Assembly, State of California, State Senate
Then-state Sen. Roderick D. Wright, on right, listens to the judge on Jan. 28, shortly after a jury convicted him on eight felony counts. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
By Jean Merl
October 31, 2014
Former Democratic state Sen. Roderick D. Wright showed up late Friday to begin serving a 90-day jail sentence but was released almost immediately due to jail crowding, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman said.
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Los Angeles County supervisors violated the open-meeting law earlier this year, the district attorney’s office concluded.
By Marisa Gerber
October 31, 2014
Los Angeles County supervisors violated the state’s open-meeting law earlier this year by discussing compensation negotiations behind closed doors without properly informing the public, according to the district attorney’s office.
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Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich has tapped Kathryn Barger-Leibrich, his chief of staff as his choice to replace him when he retires in 2016. Kathryn Barger-Leibrich is seriously considering a candidacy. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
By Garrett Therol
October 29, 2014
Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich has tapped his chief of staff, Kathryn Barger-Leibrich, as his preferred successor when he retires from public office in 2016 after 36 years in the job.
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A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy inside the Twin Towers Correctional Facility. (Patrick T. Fallon / Bloomberg)
By Kate Linthicum
Ovtober 7, 2014
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to extend a controversial partnership with federal immigration authorities designed to target potentially deportable immigrants who have been convicted of serious crimes.
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By Cindy Chang
October 2, 2014
Federal officials have rejected a last-ditch effort by Los Angeles County to maintain control over its jails and will move forward with a consent decree to address longstanding problems with mental health care in the troubled facilities.
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Filed under: County of Los Angeles, Courts, In the News, Law Enforcement, Legal, U.S. District Court
By Victoria Kim
September 23, 2014
A federal judge on Tuesday lambasted what he called a “corrupt culture” within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as he sentenced six current and former members of the department to prison for obstructing a federal investigation into abuse and corruption at the county jails.
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Filed under: County of Los Angeles, Courts, In the News, Law Enforcement, Lee Baca, Legal, U.S. District Court
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy James Sexton was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice Tuesday after a previous trial this year had ended with jurors deadlocked 6 to 6.
By Victoria Kim
September 16, 2014
A federal court jury convicted a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy Tuesday of conspiracy and obstruction of justice in a scheme aimed at hiding an inmate who had been working as a federal informant.
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Filed under: County of Los Angeles, Courts, In the News, Law Enforcement, Legal, U.S. District Court
The final decision in the suit sets the stage for the appeals process.
By MAGGIE SEVERNS | 8/28/14 9:34 PM EDT Updated: 8/29/14 9:15 AM EDT
A Los Angeles judge on Thursday affirmed a tentative June ruling that struck down five laws governing job protections for teachers in California.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Aug. 25, 2014 – 12:22 am
Last Modified: Monday, Aug. 25, 2014 – 12:31 am
It’s no secret that quite a few state legislators actually live outside districts they represent even though state law and constitution require them to reside in their districts.
Filed under: Cities, County of Los Angeles, In the News, Legal, Los Angeles, Politics, State of California
Los Angeles County’s five supervisors took a step Tuesday — over the objections of labor groups — toward approving a new set of rules that would require a four-fifths vote for any salary or benefit increases in union contracts.
By Abby Sewell
August 12, 2014
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Filed under: Board of Supervisors - Los Angeles County, Budget, County of Los Angeles, Finance, In the News, Unions
Retired Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, with wife Valerie Tanaka, speaks to reporters while awaiting results of the California primary race for Los Angeles County sheriff. (Patrick T. Fallon / For the Times)
By Cindy Chang
August 7, 2014
In a stinging final rebuke, the longtime civilian watchdog for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department accused top leaders of letting their worst employees run rampant, causing a series of scandals that tarnished the agency.
By Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 08/05/14, 3:12 PM PDT | Updated: 1 min ago
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors narrowly rejected a plan Tuesday to create a civilian oversight commission for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, voting 3-2 against the proposal.
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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.
A Register investigation shows that one in five fatal incidents across region isn’t disclosed.
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.
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William Fujioka is retiring as CEO of Los Angeles County at the end of November 2014.
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.
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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.
‘Buck’ Johns pitching private facility to ease woes in LA County
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.
Filed under: Adelanto, Business, Cities, County of Los Angeles, In the News, Law Enforcement, Local Government
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.
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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.
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Paul Tanaka says he will not bow out of the race for L.A. County sheriff in the wake of a federal probe into the sheriff’s department’s efforts to allegedly hide an inmate who was working with FBI agents to uncover deputy abuses inside L.A. jails. (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News)
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.
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Paul Tanaka, the former second-in-command to Sheriff Lee Baca, took the stand Monday in the trial of a deputy charged in a jail probe.
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.
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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.
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Filed under: County of Los Angeles, Courts, In the News, Law Enforcement, Legal, U.S. District Court
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.
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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.
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Filed under: County of Los Angeles, Courts, In the News, Law Enforcement, Legal, Los Angeles Times, Media, State Superior Court, Unions
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.
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Interim Sheriff John Scott, who is running the department until Lee Baca’s replacement is elected, says he is ending the era of political connections and stressing merit.
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.
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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.
Filed under: County of Los Angeles, Courts, In the News, Legal, Local Government, State Superior Court
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.
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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.
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Filed under: County of Los Angeles, Courts, In the News, Legal, Local Government, State Superior Court
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.
Three sheriff’s deputies charged with hindering a federal investigation file claims stating that Lee Baca and Paul Tanaka directed the handling of an inmate working as a federal informant.
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.
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New inspector general will work with interim sheriff to study setting up a civilian commission that would oversee the department.
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.
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Maria Shriver watches her older brother, Bobby Shriver, address supporters at a campaign event in Santa Monica. (Catherine Saillant / Los Angeles Times / February 22, 2014)
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.
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Filed under: Board of Supervisors - Los Angeles County, Campaigns, County of Los Angeles, Elections, In the News, Media, NBC, Politics
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.
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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.
County crews performed work on the garage of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas’ private home, installing drywall, an air conditioner, appliances and a security system, according to sources familiar with the job. (Paul Pringle / Los Angeles Times / December 31, 2013)
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.
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Two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies have been indicted in connection with the beating of a jail inmate in February 2009.
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.
L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas applied for 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. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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.
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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.
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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.
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L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas says he reimbursed the county for work done in addition to the installation of a taxpayer-funded security system.
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.
State Sen. Roderick D. Wright testifies during his trial. He is accused of perjury and voter fraud. (Anne Cusack, Los Angeles Times / January 16, 2014)
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.
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Filed under: Campaigns, County of Los Angeles, Courts, Democrats, Elections, In the News, Legal, Politics, State of California, State Senate, State Superior Court
Dan Walters
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.
A taxpayer-funded project to provide a home security system for Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas included extensive improvements to his garage that involved a week of work and upgrades to the building’s electrical service, according to interviews and records. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times / March 24, 2013)
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.
County crews performed work on the garage of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas’ private home, installing drywall, an air conditioner, appliances and a security system, according to sources familiar with the job. (Paul Pringle / Los Angeles Times / December 31, 2013)
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.
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The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department boosted its revenue by keeping more than $1 million of inmates’ money and mishandled at least $160 million in special funds, according to an audit.
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.
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The decision could face legal challenges, critics warn, over the constitutionality of including a religious symbol in the logo.
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.
It’s time to salute Sheriff Baca, IBEW executive Brian D’Arcy and L.A. Unified, among others, for contributing to a great news year. Now for the scandals of 2014.
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.
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Filed under: Bell, Cities, County of Los Angeles, In the News, Law Enforcement, Lee Baca, Local Government, Politics
Those hired by other L.A. county agencies included an officer who cut a man’s neck with a knife in an off-duty fight, records show.
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.
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Dan Walters
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.
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In this Oct. 3, 2012 file photo L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca holds a press conference at Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles to respond to the findings and recommendations of the Citizens’ Comission on Jail Violence. (Andy Holzman/Los Angeles Daily News)
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.
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Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Men’s Central Jail Wednesday, December 7, 2011. Hans Gutknecht – Staff Photographer
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.
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Filed under: Budget, County of Los Angeles, Courts, Finance, In the News, Law Enforcement, Lee Baca, Legal, Local Government
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca takes questions from the media after the FBI released results of a federal probe, Monday, Dec 9, 2013 at a news conference in Los Angeles. Nick Ut — The associated press
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.
Bill Lewis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Division, left, with Andre Birotte, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, right, comment on the five criminal cases filed against 18 current and former Los Angeles County sheriffís deputies as part of an FBI investigation into allegations of civil rights abuses and corruption in the nationís largest jail system, during a news conference in Los Angeles, Monday, Dec. 9, 2013. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
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.
Filed under: Bell, Cities, County of Los Angeles, Courts, In the News, Jackie Lacey, Legal, Local Government, State Superior Court
Andre Birotte Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, announces that 18 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 the county’s jails. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times / December 9, 2013)
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.”
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Dan Walters
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.
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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.
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Of the nine captains who have publicly backed former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, left, in his bid to replace Sheriff Lee Baca, right, four were transferred to other jobs. (Los Angeles Times)
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.
Filed under: Campaigns, County of Los Angeles, Elections, In the News, Law Enforcement, Lee Baca, Politics
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.
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Filed under: Barack Obama, Campaigns, Cities, County of Los Angeles, Elections, Healthcare, In the News, Lee Baca, Los Angeles, Montebello, Politics, San Bernardino, U.S. Government
In this 2010 file photo, Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca speaks after being sworn into office at Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church in Los Angeles. (File photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News)
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.
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Baca
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.
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Filed under: County of Los Angeles, Courts, In the News, Law Enforcement, Lee Baca, Legal, U.S. District Court