Gang sweep in South Los Angeles

August 25, 2010 By 5 Comments


More than 1,000 police and federal agents descended on South Los Angeles Wednesday, arresting 29 alleged members and associates of the Pueblo Bishop Bloods gang.  Nineteen of the suspects arrested were named in a federal racketeering indictment for crimes dating back to 1999, including murder, drug trafficking and armed robberies.  Some of those named in the indictment were already in custody on other charges.

Officials say the arrests are the result of a two-year investigation into the gang, which started in the 1970s and operates out of the Pueblo del Rio public housing development, on East 53rd Street in the Vernon-Central area. 

An 88-page racketeering indictment returned last week by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles, and unsealed on Wednesday morning, describes the Pueblo Bishop Bloods as a tight-knit criminal organization.  The indictment says gang members profited from drug dealing and armed robberies, and that the gang controlled the Pueblo del Rio housing project through intimidation and violence against residents and rival gangs.

“The only way to effectively fight the gang problem that plagues too many neighborhoods is for local, state and federal authorities to join together to combat the threat,’’ said U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr.  “This action against this dangerous gang will improve life for the residents of the Pueblo del Rio housing development.’‘

Click here to read about the history of the Pueblo del Rio housing development.

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‘Grim Sleeper’ pleads not guilty to alleged murders

August 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment


The “Grim Sleeper,” a former mechanic suspected of killing at least 10 women in South Los Angeles, pleaded not guilty Monday, the Los Angeles Wave reported.

Private attorney Louisa Pensanti, who is representing the defendant for free, entered the plea for 57-year-old Lonnie Franklin Jr. As the Daily News reported, Franklin spoke very little during his arraignment in downtown Los Angeles.

Police captured Franklin July 7 after they linked his DNA to evidence found at different scenes; investigators determined that Franklin’s son had DNA similar to the killer. They obtained Franklin’s DNA and discovered that his matched alleged evidence from murders committed between 1985 and 1988, and between 2002 and 2007.

Since his capture last month, Franklin has been held in jail without bail. He allegedly murdered all of the women just a few miles from his South Los Angeles home.
The name “Grim Sleeper” comes from the defendant’s 14-year break between supposed murders.

Family and friends of victims attended the hearing.

Franklin will appear in court Sept. 14 when a pre-trial date will be set. The court will determine whether there is enough evidence to require Franklin to stand trial.

If convicted, the defendant can possibly face the death penalty.

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Last chance to enroll in South LA YouthBuild

August 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment


From Arthur Argomaniz:

This week is the last chance for youth to enroll in our YouthBuild program.

YouthBuild is a 10 month paid construction training and education program for 18 to 24 year-olds. We do have rolling enrollment for our charter high school at LA Trade Tech for 16 to 24 year-olds.

Stop by any day this week at 3pm on 28th and Central Ave. at the historic 28th Street YMCA (1006 E. 28th St. 90011) for more information and to sign up.

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We are also looking for interested organizations or individuals to facilitate workshops August 31st, September 1st and throughout our program. If you or anyone you know is interested and would like more information please feel free to contact me.

Thank you for your time,

Arthur F. Argomaniz
Youth Advocate/Case Manager
South Los Angeles YouthBuild
Coalition for Responsible Community Development
www.CoalitionRCD.org

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Remains found in Malibu identified as Mitrice Richardson, says source

August 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment


Remains found in Malibu Monday afternoon have been identified as those of 25-year-old Mitrice Richardson, a source tells the Los Angeles Times.

No official confirmation has been announced as yet, but a 9:30 a.m. news conference “regarding Mitrice Richardson’’ was planned by Sheriff Lee Baca and coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter at the Sheriff’s
Headquarters Bureau in Monterey Park, according to Steve Whitmore of the sheriff’s department. When pressed, Whitmore declined to elaborate.

The remains were examined Wednesday by a forensic anthropologist. Close attention was paid to the teeth for identification purposes, and the gender has not been established, according to coroner’s Lt. Fred Corral.

Richardson went missing in September after being released from the Malibu-Lost Hills police station at night. Richardson had been detained for being unable to pay an $89 check at a Malibu restaurant. According to the LA Times, “her subsequent release in the dark hours of the early morning last Sept. 17 without a car, cellphone or purse sparked widespread criticism of Sheriff’s Department personnel and triggered two lawsuits accusing the department of negligence.”

The skull and bones were discovered Monday afternoon at an abandoned marijuana farm in Malibu, around 30 miles from the sheriff’s station where Richardson had last been seen. Rangers were checking for marijuana plants in “treacherous terrain” when the remains were discovered, deep in a ravine.

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How much does your city manager make?

August 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment


The revelations of sky-high salaries paid to city officials in the small, working-class city of Bell have led to increased scrutiny of the wages of other city and county officials.

A new analysis by the Los Angeles Times finds that the average pay for a city manager in LA County is $210,000, far below the nearly $800,000 that Bell was paying. Most managers made between $160,000 and $270,000 a year, regardless of the size of the city, with Bradbury paying the least at $106,600 and Santa Monica at the high end with $315,000. Los Angeles, where the mayor plays a stronger role in overseeing the city, also paid less than average.

Some other cities of interest:

     

  • Bell Gardens: $246,681 (city manager Steve Simonian took a 2.5 percent pay cut last month)

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  • Bellflower: $200,495

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  • Carson: $259,378

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  • Downey: $222,266

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  • Hawthorne: $177,643

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  • Huntington Park: $205,123

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  • Lakewood: $240,595

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  • LA City: $262,000 (subjected to furloughs)

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  • Lynwood: $225,482

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  • Paramount: $178,457

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  • South Gate: $181,792

The cities of Compton, Gardena and Inglewood are among those that have not yet returned the Times’s request for information.
See the full list here. You can also see a list of the salaries of all LA city employees here.

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Mayor to launch door-knocking campaign at Markham and award $5 million to L.A. schools

August 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment


The mayor seems focused on education in Los Angeles this week, with a door-knocking campaign for the families of Markham Middle School and a total of $5 million in grants to be handed out to L.A. schools.

Mayor Villaraigosa plans to spend his Saturday knocking on doors in a campaign spanning 2,000 homes to reach out to parents, students and teachers of Markham Middle School. As a new member of the mayor’s Partnership for Los Angeles City Schools, Markham’s doors are soon to open for the 2010-2011 school year and Villaraigosa hopes to encourage the community to get involved with local schools and “support student achievement.” Three new schools are due to open this fall under the Partnership for Los Angeles City Schools program.

The event will launch in Markham Middle School’s Multipurpose Room (1650 E. 104th Street) on Aug. 7 at 9am.

The mayor also announced a total of $5 million in grants being awarded to schools in Los Angeles through the L.A. Compact program. LA Compact is one of 49 programs to win a federal investing in innovation grant. The non-profit organization is an alliance of 18 institutions pledging to change education in Los Angeles through the commitment to goals such as a 100 percent graduation rate. Money will be spent on enhancing the Public School Choise Program and funding new pilot programs, according to the mayor’s office.

“The LA Compact is an innovative partnership that unites all stakeholders under a common goal: to put our children first and make their education our top priority,” Mayor Villaraigosa said, as quoted in a press release from his office. “Today, the LA Compact is being recognized for its success in education reform with a $5 million grant through the federal Investing in Innovation (i3) program. The i3 grant program rewards creative, outside-the-box thinking. That is what earned the LA Compact this grant, and that is exactly what the grant will help us continue to do: fund new pilot programs and continue to offer more and better choices to LA students and their families through the Public School Choice Program.”

According to a statement from the mayor’s office, the $5 million grant will help support 60,000 students in LAUSD’s lowest-achieving schools through new programs and “teacher collaboratives.”

The Public School Choice Program began in 2009 and pits teacher groups, charter operators and non-profits against one another for the chance to run schools within the LAUSD. Candidates must apply and go through an evaluation process before a decision over school leadership is determined.

The deadline for letters on intent for the second round of PSC were due June 30. According to United Teachers Los Angeles, more than 80 groups submitted letters of intent for the campuses, which together serve about 35,000 students. Green Dot, Aspire, ICEF, and Alliance for College-Ready Schools are among the charter operators participating in this round of the PSC process.

“Unlike the last cycle, when the major charter operators bid only on the new sites, in this round charters have put in letters of intent for nearly all the nine new and eight existing schools on the PSC Round 2 list,” explained the UTLA in their United Teacher newspaper. “Los Angeles High is the only site that does not have a charter operation bidding for it.”

Groups intending to compete will now how to develop a comprehensive education plan for their schools. Full applications for the second round of PSC are due in December.

According to a statement released by the mayor’s office, the LA Compact program “was signed this past February and has already proved itself successful by yielding these grant monies.”

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