LA County to Lift COVID Emergency Declarations on March 31

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to end the county’s local emergency declarations due to COVID-19 at the end of March, while warning that the move doesn’t mean the virus no longer poses a threat. “Yes, COVID-19 is still with us,” Supervisor Hilda Solis said. “No, we don’t want to abandon those […]

Mud Flow Closes Mulholland Drive in Beverly Crest

A mud and debris flow prompted the evacuation of a hilltop home in the Beverly Crest area Tuesday and an order by the city to close Mulholland Drive to through traffic for at least 24 hours as a precaution. The problem was reported at about 8:35 a.m. in the 13100 block of West Mulholland Drive, […]

OC Sheriff’s Deputies Foil Attempted Escape

An Orange County jail inmate tried to escape from the Central Men’s Jail in Santa Ana Tuesday, but quick-thinking deputies foiled the plan, authorities said. Michael Johannes Palko, 31, was dressed in civilian clothes in what’s called a “control area” of the jail, where visitors enter and exit, at about 6 or 7 a.m. Tuesday, […]

DA to Ask Judge to Declare Man Factually Innocent of 1983 Murder

Prosecutors will ask a judge to find that a man who spent 38 years behind bars for the 1983 abduction and murder of a woman in Inglewood is factually innocent of the crime, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon announced Tuesday. The county’s top prosecutor said his office will join Maurice Hastings in asking […]

Disturbance at Pitchess Detention Center Causes Unspecified Injuries

Seventeen people were examined for injuries or medical problems after a disturbance erupted Tuesday among detainees at Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, authorities said. Paramedics were sent to the detention center in the 29300 block of The Old Road at about 10:30 a.m., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which added that 17 […]

SoCalGas Says Relief’s On Way from Sky-High Bills

Southern California Gas Co. Tuesday announced that average residential bills will decrease by some 67% in March compared to January — the result of wholesale market prices for natural gas dropping for a second straight month. “SoCalGas estimates that average residential bills will drop from $300 for January usage to an estimated $100 for March […]

DUI Checkpoint Planned Friday in Commerce

A DUI checkpoint will be held at an undisclosed location Friday in Commerce, sheriff’s officials said Tuesday. The checkpoint will last from 6 p.m. until 2 a.m., targeting impaired drivers. “Impaired drivers put others on the road at significant risk,” Sgt. Michael Lenning said. “Any prevention measures that reduce the number of impaired drivers on […]

Century City Mall Restaurant Seeks Dismissal From Shooting Suit

Attorneys for the owners of a restaurant in the Westfield Century City mall are seeking dismissal of their client in a lawsuit brought on behalf of three young children of a man fatally shot at the mall in 2020, arguing in new court papers that the upscale eatery had nothing to do with the fatal […]

Hung Sa Dahn Named Historic-Cultural Monument by LA City Council

Hung Sa Dahn, the headquarters of a civic organization that was the local site of the protest movement for Korea’s independence from Japan, was named as a Historic-Cultural Monument Tuesday by the Los Angeles City Council. Constructed in 1910, the South Los Angeles property on South Catalina Street served as a key social and cultural […]

LACo Board to Explore Governance Structure, Including Possible Expansion

The county Board of Supervisors called Tuesday for a sweeping study of its governance procedures, directing its staff to work with a consultant to develop recommendations for improving public participation and bolstering representation of all residents — including by possibly expanding the board beyond its current five members. Under a motion authored by Supervisors Holly […]

LA County Reports 15 More COVID-Related Deaths; 921 New Cases

Los Angeles County health officials reported 15 new COVID-19-related deaths Tuesday, along with 921 new infections. The new fatalities lifted the county’s virus-related death toll from throughout the pandemic to 35,690. A majority of people who die with COVID-19 are elderly or have an underlying health condition such as diabetes, heart disease or hypertension, health […]