Elon Musk Buys Twitter for $44 Billion, Promises to Uphold Free Speech

Elon Musk, owner of Hawthorne-based SpaceX and by some accounts the world’s richest man, is buying Twitter for the staggering sum of $44 billion, it was announced Monday. “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Musk, […]

LAHSA Director Heidi Marston Announces Resignation

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s executive director submitted her resignation letter Monday, citing disagreements over compensation for staff. Heidi Marston noted that LAHSA previously paid employees as low as $33,119 a year, and as executive director she raised the 196 lowest compensated employees’ pay to $50,000 a year in March 2021. “The employees of […]

Hearing Begins for OC Judge Accused of Misconduct

An Orange County Superior Court judge, when he was a state prosecutor, was part of an effort to “collude” with California Highway Patrol investigators to “facilitate” a murder conviction, an attorney for a judicial watchdog agency said Monday in a disciplinary hearing — while the jurist’s attorney said that claim was false and that the […]

LA County’s COVID Hospitalizations Rise for Second Straight Day

The number of coronavirus patients in Los Angeles County hospitals has increased by 12 people to 230, according to the latest state figures out Monday. Of those patients, 27 were being treated in intensive care, the same as Sunday. Patient totals have leveled off after a major drop from last winter’s peak in mid-January, as […]

Repeat DUI Offender Sentenced For Crash That Killed Woman In Long Beach

A repeat DUI offender was sentenced Monday to 15 years to life in state prison for a crash that killed a woman in Long Beach just over four years ago. Judge Laura Laesecke imposed the term on Richard Wade Roberts, 54, of Long Beach, in connection with the Jan. 27, 2018, crash that killed Bridget […]

Criminal Case Dismissed Against Two LAPD Officers

Criminal charges were dismissed Monday against two of three Los Angeles police officers accused of falsifying records that claimed people they had stopped were gang members or gang associates, after a judge earlier this year dismissed similar charges against three other officers. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Kerry L. White dismissed the case against […]

Vehicle Fire Sparks Small Brush Fire Near 5 Freeway in Gorman Area

A vehicle fire sparked a small brush fire Monday near the southbound Golden State (5) Freeway in the Gorman area. The fire was reported about 1:15 p.m. near Smokey Bear Road, according to the California Highway Patrol. Forward progress of the fire was contained within about a half hour, the Los Angeles County Fire Department […]

LA City Council Considers Phasing Out Single-Use Plastics At City Facilities

A motion aimed at phasing out single-use plastics from Los Angeles city facilities and city-sponsored events will be considered by the Los Angeles City Council Wednesday. The motion, if passed, would instruct the city attorney to draft an ordinance banning single-use plastic at city facilities and at events on city property. The Bureau of Sanitation […]

Near-Record Temps Hit Southland, But Cooler Conditions on the Way

Some high-temperature records for this date could be toppled in parts of the Southland Monday, though the heat blast is expected to be short-lived, with cooler mercury readings expected to return Tuesday. Maximum temperatures Monday were expected to be 8 to 16 degrees above normal for the date in the Los Angeles area, according to […]

Judge Tells Former Sofia Vergara Fiance to Clarify Damages Sought

A judge Monday said he will order Sofia Vergara’s former fiance — who sued the Beverly Hills reproductive center where the ex-couple had embryos created in anticipation of having a family — to answer further deposition questions from the facility’s attorneys unless the plaintiff agrees to clarify the nature of the damages he seeks. Los […]

Board to Consider Sheriff’s Request to Hike Deputies’ Extra Duty Comp

The Board of Supervisors Tuesday will consider Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s request to increase overtime extra duty rates charged for services at events that require the use of deputies and other personnel. Bianco is seeking to implement a revised overtime pay schedule, with increases phased in over the next three fiscal years, reflecting the […]