Pandemic Curfews
Black Lives Matter sued the Los Angeles mayor and sheriff, et al., claiming, inter alia, that their curfews unconstitutionally prohibit peaceful assembly after dark.
Read moreLos Angeles
UCLA Students Protest Police Violence and LAPD Field Jail on Campus
Thousands of people marched through the University of California, Los Angeles, campus Thursday to commemorate the lives of people killed by police across the nation and to protest the university’s decision to allow police to use a campus stadium as a field jail for demonstrators.
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Church Leaders Rally LA Crowd in Protest of Police Violence
Black church leaders in Los Angeles marched to LAPD headquarters Tuesday in a sign of unity with the community after several days of unrest across the nation and a day after peaceful protesters and clergy members were tear-gassed outside the White House.
Read moreExcessive Force
An appeals court in California reversed the dismissal of an excessive force suit against Los Angeles, its police department and one of its police officers brought by a limousine driver who was arrested in an airport parking lot. The officer allegedly approached the driver, claimed he had been speeding and tackled him and put a knee to his back after he answered a call from his customer.
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Carney Takes Helm as Chief Judge at LA Federal Court
U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney was named chief judge of the Central District of California on Monday, succeeding U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips who since 2016 oversaw a federal court system stretching across Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange counties.
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Biden Talks Police Reform, Pandemic With Big-City Mayors
Vying for the Oval Office in November, former Vice President Joe Biden held a virtual roundtable with big-city mayors Monday to discuss the protests roiling America and how the federal government can assist local decision-makers to bounce back from the twin difficulties presented by violence in the streets and the economic ravages of the pandemic.
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Coalition Pushes LA Leaders for Deep Cuts to Police Spending
A coalition of advocacy groups has come up with a budget for Los Angeles that has plenty of money for parks, social services and libraries — and would pare the LAPD’s budget to a tenth of what has been proposed by the mayor.
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LA, San Diego Schools Say They Won’t Open If Budgets Are Cut
School superintendents in Los Angeles and San Diego said Friday they won’t explore school reopening plans until California has widespread testing and contact tracing in place and state officials remove proposed cuts to education spending from the annual budget.
Read moreLA Announces $100M for Rental-Assistance Program
The city of Los Angeles announced Wednesday a $100 million uptick to a program that could help tenants pay their rent during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Corruption Probe Takes Down Another at LA City Hall
A former city staffer and current aide to a California assemblywoman pleaded guilty Wednesday to racketeering charges, the latest person to admit to an ongoing money-making scheme at Los Angeles City Hall.
Read moreThe Future of LA’s Iconic Olvera Street Up in the Air Amid Viral Outbreak
Olvera Street sits at the intersection of hospitality and tourism. With nearly 90% of all the businesses now closed save for a few taquerias, there’s uncertainty on what a post-coronavirus Olvera Street could look like.
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LA Ordered to House People Camping Near Freeways
A federal judge has ordered the relocation of anyone camping near a freeway in Los Angeles to a shelter space, hotel room or a safe parking site to protect them from car crashes, toxic fumes and — in the event of an earthquake — a falling section of the freeway.
Read moreConsultant Agrees to Plea Deal in LA City Hall Corruption Probe
An ongoing federal corruption probe at Los Angeles City Hall has resulted in several arrests in the last few months and on Wednesday a real estate consultant pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in a scheme to bribe an unnamed councilmember.
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LA Braces for Furloughs, Up to $400 Million Loss in Revenue
Deep budget cuts will be felt across the city of Los Angeles for the rest of the year and thousands of employees will be furloughed, but the true impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the city may be a loss of revenue ranging from $45 million to $400 million.
Read moreLA Courts Requiring Mandatory Usage of Face Masks by Judges
Starting Monday, all Los Angeles County Superior Court bench officers such as judges and commissioners will be required to wear face masks in public areas inside courthouses and in courtrooms as California slowly begins to reopen this month.
Read moreLA to Start Offering Free Coronavirus Testing
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Wednesday that LA will now offer free coronavirus testing for all residents, becoming the first major city in the United States to do so.
Read moreVirus Snake Oil
The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office announced a lawsuit it filed against Santa Monica-based RootMD over the sale of bogus Covid-19 home test kits has been resolved, with the company agreeing to stop selling the kits without FDA approval and to pay civil penalties.
Read moreWater Cutoff
An apartment renter sued Property Management Associates in L.A. Superior Court to stop it from cutting off water, as it allegedly has done repeatedly, as it prevents him from washing his hands during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Covid Costs Rising for LA Schools, City Employees
A month into California’s stay-at-home order, costs have begun to mount for Los Angeles with an estimated $200 million hit to the public school system and furloughs coming for thousands of city employees.
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