Fire Unintentionally Set by OC Public Works Crew Keeps Growing

A brush fire authorities say was unintentionally caused by heavy equipment continued its relentless march Tuesday, prompting more evacuation warnings and some school closures. The Airport Fire began about 1 p.m. Monday near Trabuco Canyon Road in the area of the remote-controlled airplane airport, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Sean Doran. As of Tuesday […]

Utilities Work to Restore Power to SoCal Customers Amid Heat Wave

Utility workers continued working Tuesday to restore power amid a long and blistering heat wave, with thousands of outages being reported around the Southland. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was reporting outages affecting about 6,190 of its 1.5 million electricity customers. That was down from about 6,700 Monday […]

Man Convicted for Stabbing Death of UCLA Grad Student at Furniture Store

After just over an hour of deliberations, a downtown Los Angeles jury Tuesday convicted a transient of first-degree murder for stabbing a female UCLA graduate student 46 times in an audio-recorded attack at a Hancock Park boutique furniture store. Shawn Laval Smith, now 34, was found guilty of the Jan. 13, 2022, attack on Brianna […]

San Gabriel Canyon Fire Prompts Evacuations, Road Closures

Los Angeles County and Angeles National Forest fire crews were continuing to battle a wildfire Tuesday in San Gabriel Canyon that has scarred more than 4,100 acres of terrain and prompted road closures and multiple evacuations. The Bridge Fire was reported around 3 p.m. Sunday near the area of East Fork and Glendora Mountain roads, […]

Chilean Man Pleads Not Guilty to Alleged Exploitation of LACo Girl

A 21-year-old Chilean man who officials say developed an inappropriate relationship with an underage Los Angeles County girl he met virtually and then flew to the United States to meet her pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges. Daniel Aravena Oliva allegedly spent several months “manipulating and grooming” the 14-year-old victim through online platforms, including […]

Small Brush Fire Contained in Lake Balboa Area

A brush fire damaged about two acres of vegetation in the Sepulveda Basin near Lake Balboa Tuesday before being contained. The fire was reported in the 16900 block of West Victory Boulevard at about 12:30 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. It took 73 firefighters 84 minutes to contain the “light-to-medium” brush fire […]

City Council Approves Higher Sewer Service Rates for LA Starting in October

Property owners in Los Angeles can expect a 22% sewer service rate hike starting in October, after the City Council approved new rates Tuesday, with smaller fee hikes planned through 2028. In a 11-3 vote, council members gave final approval for an ordinance that will establish a new rate schedule for sewer services, which officials […]

LA City Council OKs Police Dogs Following Scrutiny of Donation

The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday approved a donation of two police dogs after declining the request three months ago when a council member raised concerns about Adlerhorst International, the company that provided the animals. The vote was 9-5, with council members Eunisses Hernandez, Katy Yaroslavsky, Heather Hutt, Nithya Raman and Hugo Soto-Martinez opposed. “We […]

Debate Viewing Parties Set for Throughout LA County

Free viewing parties for what could be the lone debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will be held Tuesday throughout Los Angeles County. Among them: Women’s March Action will host a “Latinos con Kamala” watch party at its Boyle Heights office, 1862 E. 1st St., beginning at 4 p.m. The […]

LA County Looks to Transform Ex-MacLaren Hall Site to Park, Housing

Hoping to turn a “dark stain” into a point of pride, the county Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved plans to convert the former MacLaren Children’s Center in El Monte into a community park and affordable housing facility. MacLaren, which was a county-operated residential hall for foster children but was closed 20 years ago, has been […]

LA Tourism Workers Rally at City Hall for Higher Wages Prior to Olympics