Family of TV anchor who was missing says she had medical problem

The family of Santa Barbara TV news anchor Paula Lopez, who returned home after she was reported missing, said Thursday that she suffered a medical emergency that prevented her from communicating with other people.

Lopez, 48, who anchors for KEYT-TV Channel 3, was reported missing Wednesday morning. Lopez is a longtime fixture in the Santa Barbara community and is married to a Superior Court judge.

Her family alerted the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office that she was gone, triggering a quick response by deputies who used search dogs as they scoured the area. 

On Thursday, her family thanked well-wishers and sheriff's personnel and spoke out for the first time on the circumstances involving her reported disappearance.

"We are extremely grateful to the Santa Barbara community and to the multitude of Paula’s well-wishers who shared in our concern for Paula yesterday. As a family, we were very alarmed because Paula was experiencing a medical condition that caused her to be unable to communicate with us. She is now receiving appropriate medical care and we hope and expect that her treatment will enable her to recover quickly," the family said in a statement, which was published on the KEYT-TV website.

"We would especially like to thank the representatives of the Office of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff and its Search and Rescue Unit for the diligent and professional assistance they provided to us during Paula’s medical emergency," the family said.

Lopez, who spent six years at KCAL-TV Channel 9 in Los Angeles, co-anchors the Santa Barbara station's 11 p.m. broadcast. She has spent the better part of two decades at KEYT, where she first worked as an intern in 1985, according to her biography on KEYT's website. She then worked at KCAL in Los Angeles before returning to KEYT in 1996 to spend more time with her family.

Lopez and her husband, Frank Ochoa, have three children.

ALSO:

Las Vegas Strip shooting suspect is a pimp, sources say

Funds set up for familes of slain Santa Cruz police officers

TV anchor's disappearance 'private family matter,' sheriff says

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: Paula Lopez. Credit:  KEYT-TV Channel 3

Residents watch Riverside County fire burn close to their homes

As a brush fire fueled by thick vegetation singed the backyards of homes in Riverside on Thursday night, some residents ignored voluntary evacuation orders and stood their ground as fire crews battled the blaze.

The fire had burned 150 to 175 acres and was about 20% contained. Firefighters hoped to take advantage of calm winds and cooler temperatures. 

Power lines were down, but it was unclear whether they had sparked the blaze. About 1,800 residents were without power, fire officials said Thursday night.

On a cul-de-sac along the river bottom, resident Jack Dalman, 84, and his wife watched flames blaze through the brush and singe the palm trees in their backyard. Their 29-year-old grandson John Dalman pulled a garden hose down to the riverbed and stood side by side with firefighters as they sprayed water onto the oncoming flames.

Jack Dalman was in a neighborhood under an evacuation order, but the retired Riverside County Sheriff’s deputy wasn’t leaving.

“We’ve been through this before,” said Dalman, who patrolled his back yard in short pants and sandals. “I don’t worry.”

Jim Ingraham, 77, saw a bank of palm trees explode into a bright orange ball of flames. But he said he wasn’t alarmed as he watched a bulldozer cut a fire line along the perimeter of the blaze.

“This is an annual thing,” said Ingraham, who also refused to evacuate.

The blaze quickly spread after breaking out Thursday afternoon along the Santa Ana River bottom between Riverside and an unincorporated part of the county, fire officials said. Flames up to 30 feet high consumed palm trees and thick patches of brush along a jagged half-mile front as firefighters sprayed water on rooftops and as residents with garden hoses doused embers in their yards. A thick plume of smoke was visible for miles.

About 200 firefighters, aided by a water-dropping helicopter, battled the blaze into the night as residents in several Riverside neighborhoods were advised to leave. Earlier in the day, the temperature at the nearby Riverside Municipal Airport hit 80 degrees and light Santa Ana winds fanned the flames.

By Thursday night, the winds were calm. Fire officials said that was providing ground crews an opportunity to beat back flames that had come perilously close to homes.

“Once the winds calm down, it allows us to get in there and do an aggressive attack,” Capt. Lucas Spellman of the Riverside County Fire Department said.

As fire crews swarmed hot spots, a mobile home about a quarter of a mile from the brush fire began burning and ignited a propane tank, which exploded into flames. Fire officials were investigating whether that blaze was ignited by embers from the brush fire.

Fire officials said crews would continue to douse hot spots through the night.

ALSO:

Las Vegas Strip shooting suspect is a pimp, sources say

Funds set up for familes of slain Santa Cruz police officers

TV anchor's disappearance is 'private family matter,' sheriff says

-- Phil Willon in Riverside and Robert J. Lopez in Los Angeles

Photo: Firefighters battle the flames Thursday night. Credit: Terry Pierson / Press-Enterprise

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Greuel backers launch anti-Perry radio ad in L.A. mayoral race

An independent committee backing Wendy Greuel’s mayoral bid unveiled a radio ad attacking Jan Perry over her past financial problems, a possible signal that the controller's supporters feel they need to shore up her standing as Tuesday’s primary election approaches.

The ad, paid for by a group largely funded by organized labor, starts with emergency vehicle sirens and mimics a news radio broadcast.

“Jan Perry wants you to put her in charge of L.A.’s budget. Who’s Jan Perry?” the announcer says. “Alert: Jan Perry filed for personal bankruptcy. Twice. The L.A Times says Perry failed to pay $375,000 in taxes. And when Jan Perry’s colleagues declined another pay raise, the fourth in two years for the highest-paid city council in America, Jan Perry took the money.”

In 2006, The Times reported Perry’s failure to pay taxes, which she and her then-husband, Douglas Galanter, blamed on problems stemming from his law practice. The liens have since been resolved. Perry has filed for bankruptcy, but once, not twice. She and Galanter filed for bankruptcy protection jointly in 1994, and Galanter filed in his name only in 1999, records show.

Perry has been making a hard play in Greuel’s home base of the Valley, citing her own fiscally conservative bona fides and filling mailboxes with glossy fliers. Some have dismissed Perry's candidacy because she trails Greuel and Councilman Eric Garcetti in fundraising, but Greuel and her supporters are increasingly attacking Perry.

A Perry strategist said the effort, primarily funded by the union representing city utility workers, showed that the veteran councilwoman was gaining in the contest.

Eric Hacopian, Perry's campaign consultant, said Greuel's city-employee-union backers have "resorted to personal attacks in order to prevent Wendy from coming in third on Tuesday."

ALSO:

Pro-Greuel group hits Garcetti with TV attack ad

Nonprofit group sues key strategist for Greuel and Feuer

Greuel, Garcetti trade attacks over lease with oil drilling firm

-- Seema Mehta

Evacuations ordered as Riverside County brush fire grows

Some residents near a brush fire in Riverside County were being evacuated Thursday night as flames burned close to homes and had consumed up to 75 acres, officials said.

The fire was burning in Jurupa Valley in heavy brush straddling unincorporated county area and the city of Riverside. Evacuations were ordered for residents living on Greenbrier Drive and Rio Rancho Way in Riverside, fire officials said. 

It was unclear how many residents were affected by the order. 

About 200 firefighters were battling the blaze, which broke out about 4:30 p.m. and quickly grew from an initial 10 acres amid unseasonable warm weather and dry winds, the Riverside County Fire Department said.

Crews on the ground were being assisted by at least one water-dropping helicopter, the Riverside County Fire Department said. The blaze was about 20% contained.

Power lines were down in the area, but it was not clear whether downed lines sparked the fire.

Television footage showed flames burning in the darkness as they consumed palm trees. A thick plume of smoke was visible for miles. 

The fire broke out as a Santa Ana wind condition warmed up Southern California. Temperatures in Riverside County were in the low 80s Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. 

ALSO:

Las Vegas Strip shooting suspect is a pimp, sources say

Funds set up for families of slain Santa Cruz police officers

TV anchor's disappearance is 'private family matter,' sheriff says

-- Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: Brush fire burns in Riverside County. Credit: KTLA-TV Channel 5

Officials hope Las Vegas shooting suspect's arrest sends message

Authorities said they hope the arrest of the suspect in the Las Vegas Strip car crash sends a message.

The man was previously arrested on sexual assault and pandering, or pimping, charges, law enforcement sources said.

"I hope anyone out there watching understands clearly if you live in this city, if you work in this city, or you visit this city and act like this person, we will find you, we will prosecute you, and we will send you to prison," Clark County Sheriff Douglas Gillespie told reporters in Las Vegas.

Ammar Harris, 26, was taken into custody by FBI agents and Los Angeles police about midday Thursday in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles police Cmdr. Andrew Smith confirmed to The Times. Las Vegas police confirmed the arrest.

Police and FBI agents said he was being held on suspicion of murder and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

PHOTOS: Shots fired on the Las Vegas strip

The Feb. 21 shooting and crash left three people dead, including Kenneth Cherry Jr., an Oakland native and rapper known as Kenny Clutch. Las Vegas police allege that Harris opened fire on Cherry's Maserati on Las Vegas Boulevard after an altercation at a valet stand at the Aria hotel resort.

The Maserati then sped into the intersection at Flamingo Road, where it rammed a Yellow Cab, officials said. The taxi exploded, killing the driver and passenger inside. Four other vehicles were involved in the fiery crash.

Brush fire grows to 50 acres in Riverside County

A brush fire in Riverside County quickly spread to about 50 acres Thursday evening and was burning near a residential development.

About 150 firefighters were trying to stop the progress of the flames burning across heavy brush near the south end of the Jurupa Valley regional park, northwest of the Riverside Airport, fire officials said.

Crews on the ground were being assisted a by a water-dropping helicopter, the Riverside County Fire Department said.

Power lines were down in the area, but it was not clear whether downed lines sparked the blaze, which broke out about 4:30 p.m. The blaze, initially reported to be about 10 acres, spread quickly across the brush. 

Television footage showed flames burning in the darkness and consuming palm trees. A thick plume of smoke rose from the scene. 

The blaze broke out as a Santa Ana wind condition warmed up Southern California. Temperatures in Riverside County were in the low 80s Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

Here are some images of the fire aggregated from social media:

 

ALSO:

Las Vegas Strip shooting suspect is a pimp, sources say

Funds set up for families of slain Santa Cruz police officers

TV anchor's disappearance 'private family matter,' sheriff says

-- Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: Flames burning in Riverside County. Credit: KTLA-TV Channel 5

California students leave hundreds of millions in aid untapped

Only about half of California’s high school seniors applied for federal and state financial aid last year -- leaving hundreds of millions of dollars on the table, according to a report by Education Trust-West, an Oakland-based nonprofit advocacy group.

The report, released Thursday, found that low-income students who qualified for college aid essentially left millions in financial aid untapped simply by not completing the federal and state applications.

About 54% of seniors in the state completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, in the 2012-13 financial aid year. About half of those students applied for a Cal Grant, the state-funded, need-based financial aid program that provides guaranteed awards to graduates with at least a grade point average of at least 2.0.

“Too many California students never get the opportunity to attend college because their families believe they can’t afford the tuition,” said Orville Jackson, the author of the report. “Our analysis suggests that thousands of academically qualified, low-income students are losing out on their college dreams because they weren’t given the information and encouragement they needed to fill out a financial aid application.”

In the Los Angeles Unified School District, application rates varied widely.

At Los Angeles High School of the Arts, 92% of seniors completed the federal aid application.

About 75% of seniors at Fairfax High School completed the federal and state applications. 

At Jordan High School in Watts, however, only 36% of seniors completed the federal application and 44% sought state aid.

The report suggested that lawmakers and educators increase communication to districts, schools and students about the availability of aid and the importance for applying for it. The report also encouraged greater transparency on aid application rates to further publicize the gap in participation.

“In the coming years, California will need millions more college graduates and certificate holders just to meet the needs of our economy,” said Arun Ramanathan, the nonprofit's executive director. “As Californians, we must ensure that all of academically and financially qualified students access the financial aid they need to attend college and transform their lives.”

ALSO:

Las Vegas Strip shooting suspect is a pimp, sources say

Funds set up for familes of slain Santa Cruz police officers

TV anchor's disappearance is 'private family matter,' sheriff says

-- Stephen Ceasar

Firefighters battle brush fire in Riverside County

Firefighters in Riverside County were battling a brush fire Thursday afternoon that had scorched about 10 acres of heavy brush, officials said.

About 80 firefighters, aided by a water-dropping helicopter, were fighting the blaze that was burning near Rio Road and Calle Hermosa on the south end of Rancho Jurupa Park, fire officials said.

Power lines were down in the area, the Riverside County Fire Department said. The blaze was reported about 4:30 p.m.

The flames did not appear to be threatening structures, the agency said. No other details were immediately available.

ALSO:

Las Vegas Strip shooting suspect is a pimp, sources say

Funds set up for families of slain Santa Cruz police officers

TV anchor's disappearance is 'private family matter,' sheriff says

-- Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Pro-Greuel group hits Garcetti with TV attack ad

This post has been corrected. See note below for details.

A group funded mostly by unions and entertainment executives has produced a television attack ad backing city Controller Wendy Greuel's campaign to become Los Angeles' next mayor by accusing City Councilman Eric Garcetti of “living large” on the taxpayers’ dime.

The 30-second ad from Working Californians to Elect Wendy Greuel begins with an image of Garcetti, dressed all in white and crooning “White Christmas” at a holiday party, while a narrator declares: “It’s Christmas every day for Eric Garcetti, president of the highest-paid city council in America.”

The ad alleges Garcetti stayed at “five-star hotels,” had “seven city cars” and “took money from neighborhood streets for more personal staff.”

The union that represents most Department of Water and Power Employees is among the main sources of funding for the independent ad, which echoes some of the accusations made in a mailer financed directly by the Greuel campaign. Campaign laws prohibit “independent expenditure” campaigns from coordinating directly with the candidates they support.

The ad comes with five days before the March 5 primary election in which Greuel and Garcetti are seen as two top contenders. The two former City Council colleagues closely mirror each other in ideology and policy proposals. But they have engaged in increasingly testy series of attacks, with Garcetti alleging that Greuel’s audits and proposed budget make no sense and Greuel calling Garcetti untrustworthy.

“As L.A. faced bankruptcy, Garcetti was living large,” the new TV ad says. It outlines Garcetti’s allegedly lavish taxpayer-funded tenure at City Hall, juxtaposed with a picture of a car rolling through a pothole.

The ad is likely to inspire a counterattack, as Greuel also has traveled at taxpayers expense and used city cars and a driver. It also may lead to more accusations from Greuel's opponents that she is beholden to the DWP union, which is not popular among some voters who have seen utility rates rise.

“The DWP union is a bunch of hypocrites, because Wendy Greuel has done the same things they’re attacking Eric Garcetti for,” Jeff Millman, a spokesman for Garcetti’s campaign, said in a statement. “The DWP union would like the voters to forget that Wendy Greuel served on the City Council for seven years herself and while on the council she voted every time for Eric Garcetti to be the president of the City Council.”

When the specific accusations in the ad are explored in detail, they lose some wallop.