L.A. NOW

2 injured in collision between car, Gold Line train

Jill Jones — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:05:03 -0800

Two people suffered minor injuries this evening when their car collided with a Gold Line Metro train in East Los Angeles, authorities said.

The car turned in front of the eastbound train at a crossing near 3rd Street and Rowan Avenue about 8:20 p.m., said Sheriff’s Lt. Greg Hinkle. The two occupants of the car complained of pain and were taken to a hospital, he said.

A California Highway Patrol officer said the pair were riding in a Chevy Malibu, which was towed after the crash.

The one passenger on the train was uninjured.

-- Jack Leonard

Man shot dead in East Los Angeles

Robert Lopez — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:14:15 -0800

A man was fatally shot this afternoon in East Los Angeles, authorities said.

The shooting occurred about 4 p.m. in the 4200 block of East Olympic Boulevard, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

The name and age of the victim were not released. No additional details were available.

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at (323) 890-5500.

-- Robert J. Lopez

Schwarzenegger appears in East L.A. with his choice for lieutenant governor, state Sen. Abel Maldonado

Amanda Covarrubias — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:26:01 -0800

During a ceremony in East L.A. this morning, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger publicly introduced state Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) as his pick for lieutenant governor.

"He is a model of post-partisanship," Schwarzenegger said in a news conference at Ruben Salazar Park. "He always chooses the people of California over politics."

Standing with his family, some of whom wept, Maldonado thanked Schwarzenegger.

"I will work hard everyday for everyone in California to make this place a better California," Maldonado said.

The news conference came the day after Schwarzenegger announced Maldonado as his pick during a taping of "The Jay Leno Show." The appointment must still be confirmed within 90 days by a majority in both houses of the Legislature.

If confirmed, Maldonado would replace John Garamendi, a Walnut Grove Democrat recently elected to Congress. The 42-year-old Maldonado has long been interested in higher office and has been among the few ideological allies Schwarzenegger has had in the Legislature.

In February, Maldonado was one of six Republicans to support Schwarzenegger's push for a temporary tax increase as part of the state's spending plan. But first, he insisted the package include a proposition for the statewide ballot that would open primary elections in California to voters of all political parties. The measure, which would benefit political moderates such as him, will go before voters in June.

Maldonado comes from an immigrant family that built its small family farm into a thriving agricultural business with several hundred acres of land and a large staff. He spoke at two national Republican Party conventions, including last year's. He ran for state controller in 2006, losing to a more conservative Republican in the primary election.

-- Ruben Vives in East L.A.

Authorities search for robbers who made a Gold Line getaway

Tony Barboza — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:14:07 -0800

Scarcely two days after its debut, the new Eastside leg of Los Angeles' rail system has already been used for more than commuting.

On Monday night, it was broken in as a getaway vehicle.

Authorities this morning are looking for more information about two robbers who swiped a cellphone and used the new train line to escape from Little Tokyo.

After snatching a woman's cellphone from an outside table at the Green Bamboo restaurant at Central Avenue and 2nd Street about 10:15 p.m. Monday, two men took off running toward the Little Tokyo / Arts District Station around the corner, said Los Angeles Police Det. Al Rasch.

The suspects, both Latino, boarded a train bound for Union Station, according to officials of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which patrols Metro stations.

The six-mile extension to the Gold Line, which runs from downtown to East Los Angeles, opened to the public Sunday to much fanfare, opening up new a new option for those dependent on public transit -- even thieves, apparently.

-- Tony Barboza

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Workday commuters ride Gold Line extension for first time

Amanda Covarrubias — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:44:04 -0800

Officials handed out coffee to commuters riding the new Gold Line Eastside extension this morning for its first day of service during the workweek.

The line opened to the public Sunday with about 75,000 riders taking part in a day of free rides and festivities along the Gold Line, which now runs from East Los Angeles to Pasadena. A ticket costs commuters $1.25.

“It’s still a party here,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar, who was at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights this morning giving commuters free rail passes, commemorative pins and coffee.

Metro Chief Executive Officer Art Leahy also greeted commuters.

Huizar, who represents Boyle Heights, said he wants to continue promoting the line and said mariachi musicians were playing outside the station this morning to attract attention to the new route. Huizar said he persuaded some commuters at a nearby bus stop to ride the faster extension to their destinations.

“Right now I’m standing here and more and more people are trickling in,” Huizar said at about 7:45 a.m. “They’re thrilled. One lady told me that she had been waiting for this for a long time.”

Construction began on the Gold Line Eastside extension in 2004. The six-mile route runs from Atlantic Boulevard in East L.A. to Union Station and connects with the original Gold Line, which runs from Union Station to Pasadena. The extension project cost $898 million.

“I think we’re going to see the expected 13,000 daily riders soon, but I think it’s going to take awhile for everyone to get used to it,” Huizar said.

-- Ari B. Bloomekatz

Photos: Gold Line artwork

Photo: Passengers board the eastbound Gold Line train at the Little Tokyo station. (Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times)(Larewnce K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Graphic: Map of Gold Line Eastside extension. Source: L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Crowds applaud the inaugural ride of the Gold Line extension

Stephanie Chavez — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:17:05 -0800

Los Angeles County's latest light-rail line — the $898-million Gold Line extension through the Eastside — was dedicated Saturday morning at Union Station and a sparkling silver train full of dignitaries rolled out for the inaugural ride.

The six-mile extension of the line from downtown L.A. through Boyle Heights and into East Los Angeles opens to the public on Sunday, when passengers will be able to ride the entire length of the line to Pasadena for free. The Saturday event gave elected and transportation officials a chance to give speeches and laud the newest public transportation offering in the county.

At 9:30 a.m. sharp, the glimmering rail cars glided into the East L.A. Civic Center station, which sits in the middle of 3rd Street, where a crowd was assembled. As the train rolled into the station, it broke through a plastic black banner. Firecrackers rang and cannons blew out confetti.

"When I was on this train a few minutes ago, going through downtown and Boyle Heights, and here in East L.A., all the memories came back -- the memories of your boyhood, the memories as you go into manhood," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who grew up in Boyle Heights. "I'll tell you something: I couldn't be prouder of this community today."

Santino Hernandez, 28, who lives in Boyle Heights, was elated at the rail line, which has been under construction since 2004.

"We're happy it's finally here. We've been needing public transportation out here to connect us with Union Station," said Hernandez, a day laborer. "It's more dependable than the bus."

His wife, Celene, added that it would be easier to load their baby stroller carrying their 2-year-old son, Christopher, onto the rail line than the bus.

Mary Louise Sevilla, 67, a retiree who lives in East L.A., was worried about the safety of the Gold Line, as she eyed a child playing flag football across the street from the station at David Wark Griffith Middle School.

"Hopefully, the kids understand that they have to look both ways before they cross," she said. "You know how kids are."

There are eight stations along the route: Atlantic, East L.A. Civic Center, Maravilla, Indiana, Soto, Mariachi Plaza, Pico/Aliso and Little Tokyo Arts District. At Union Station, riders can continue onto the existing Gold Line, which winds its way toward Pasadena; transfer to the Red Line subway to Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley; ride the Purple Line, which ends in Koreatown; or connect to Metrolink trains that carry riders to neighboring counties.

On Sunday, the East L.A. Civic Center station will feature live music, a farmers market and activities for children. And, of course, mariachis will perform at the Mariachi Plaza station.

-- Baxter Holmes reporting from East Los Angeles

Man killed in drive-by shooting in Boyle Heights

Robert Lopez — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:07:42 -0800

A man was killed in a drive-by shooting tonight in Boyle Heights, police said.The shooting occurred about 8:40 p.m. near La Puerta Street and Union Pacific Avenue.

The victim was about 25 years old, police said.

The suspects were in a vehicle that may have been white, according to police. No other details were available.

-- Robert J. Lopez

A Gold Line to good food

Martin Beck — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:38:53 -0800

Our Food section has a great guide to eating opportunities opened up by the MTA's Gold Line extension into the Eastside, which opens Sunday. Here's a taste:

Call it the sushi-torta express. Set to start running on Sunday, the Gold Line Eastside Extension is a direct, six-mile shot from Little Tokyo to East Los Angeles. It's also a light-rail lifeline to the incredible variety of restaurants that surrounds each of the eight new stations: izakaya, bakeries, marketplaces, taquerías, burrito stands, sukiyaki joints, sandwich shops, roast goat specialists and seafood emporiums.
Once the train pulls out of the Little Tokyo depot and leaves behind downtown's sushi bars and ramen-ya, it crosses the 1st Street bridge, dips underground for a couple of stops and comes up again after Soto Street, passing the burritos, cemitas and mariscos of Boyle Heights.
The scenery gives way to softly rolling hills, the Pomona Freeway overpass and, as you pull into the platform at the East L.A. Civic Center station, you see the canopies designed by Clement Hanami that look like huge California poppies. It almost feels like a theme park ride.
Except better. At the next stop, you find yourself directly across the street from a shop that makes some of the best tortas ahogadas in L.A., a sandwich of succulent pork stuffed into a crunchy-around-the-edges bollito, drowned in a sauce of tomato and arbol chiles, topped with slivers of red onion and served with juicy limes.
You have arrived.

Read the full story. View interactive map.

Photo: The Gold Line swings right by Purgatory Pizza. Credit: Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times

Murder-suicide claims the life of a 16-year-old Lincoln Heights girl, police say

Stephanie Chavez — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:15:42 -0800

A 20-year-old man shot and killed his teenage girlfriend Friday night during a domestic dispute in Lincoln Heights before turning the gun on himself, police said

The shooting was reported about 8:30 p.m. at an apartment complex in the 2400 block of Daly Street. Police officers of LAPD's Hollenbeck Division found a teenage girl dead from a gunshot wound to the back of the head, said LAPD Officer Gregory Baek. She was identified by the LAPD as Maria Valderrama, 16.

A short time later, as police searched for the gunman, the 20-year-old man, identified by police as Juan Carlos Mendez, was found in a nearby alley with a gunshot wound to the chest area, Baek said.

"At some point, either at the scene or in the ambulance, he admitted to shooting the girl," Baek said.

Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police said Mendez and Valderrama had been dating for two years and were involved in a dispute at the apartment when Mendez allegedly shot her. He then fled and shot himself nearby, Baek said.

-- Ruben Vives

L.A. City Council votes to buy land in El Sereno for $9 million to settle lawsuit [Updated]

Nita Lelyveld — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:02:17 -0800

The Los Angeles City Council voted today to settle a lawsuit over a contested 24-home subdivision planned for El Sereno, agreeing to buy the property for $9 million so it can be converted into a park.

The developers of the property, Monterey Hills Investors, sued the city last year after the council demanded more environmental review of the project, planned for a site known as Elephant Hill.

Councilman Jose Huizar said the city would borrow money in the short term to pay for the purchase of the 19-acre site. Over the long term the city will seek state funding to help defray the cost, he said.

"This is an environmental justice victory because proper environmental review was not conducted" on the planned subdivision, said Huizar, whose district includes El Sereno.

A Superior Court judge had a different view, ruling in January that the council had no authority to order Monterey Hills Investors to perform a new environmental impact report on the project. In the wake of that ruling, attorney Ben Reznik, a City Hall lobbyist who represents the developer, vowed to seek damages of at least $8 million, saying the city's actions postponed completion of his client's project until after the collapse of the region's real estate market.

Reznik, who has held campaign fundraisers for Huizar and other city elected officials, had no comment on today's vote, saying the settlement had not been finalized. As he prepared for the damages phase of the case, Reznik gave notice that his client intended to depose Huizar, Councilman Ed Reyes and possibly employees in the mayor's office, according to a report obtained by The Times.

The Elephant Hill project has been debated for years. But the fight reached a critical stage two years ago, when the council voted to block the Department of Building and Safety from issuing a permit that would allow the developer to grade the site.

The city attorney's office sided with Reznik, warning council members that they lacked the power to seek more review. But Huizar sided with neighborhood activists and the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group that argued that El Sereno needs more undeveloped hillside space.

On Aug. 12, the council instructed the city's lawyers to negotiate a purchase of the site. Although the developer was attempting to build on roughly 14 acres of land, the council agreed to buy an additional five acres that were not part of the original project.

[Updated at 1:56 p.m.: Today’s vote drew strong praise from El Sereno resident Elva Yanez, who spent the last five years rallying her neighbors against the project. Yanez said the fight over the subdivision dates back to 1984, when the first environmental document on the project was released.

“This has been a long and hard-fought struggle,” she said.]

-- David Zahniser

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Boyle Heights Day of the Dead exhibit celebrates Latino veterans

Robert Lopez — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700

A Boyle Heights gallery and art space is paying homage to Latino soldiers who died in U.S. wars abroad as part of an exhibit celebrating Day of the Dead, a festive Latin American holiday to remember departed loved ones.

Casa 0101 Theater will host a dedication of the exhibit, which explores death in wars from Vietnam to Afghanistan and Iraq, during a ceremony and reception at 8 p.m. tonight. The exhibit will feature a colorful altar with photos and other memorabilia dedicated to Latino members of the armed forces.

Day of the Dead, or Día de Los Muertos, is observed Nov. 2. Typically, family members visit graveyards, taking food and decorating burial sites with candles, flowers and photos of deceased relatives. The roots of the holiday date back hundreds of years to before the arrival of the Spanish in the Americas.

"This is a way of honoring the dead but with a purpose and a message," said Casa 0101 founder Josefina Lopez, a writer whose autobiographical play, "Real Woman Have Curves," was made into an acclaimed HBO movie. "We want to affirm our contribution to this country."

The event is open to the public and will also feature a screening of "As Long as I Remember: American Veteranos," a documentary about the toll of war on three Chicano Vietnam veterans.

--Robert J. Lopez

Photo: Latino soldier taking a break. Credit: Casa 0101.

Metro Gold Line Eastside extension to open Nov. 15

Amanda Covarrubias — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:19:50 -0700

The Metro Gold Line Eastside extension will open Nov. 15, transportation officials announced today.

The $890-million extension is six miles long and runs from Union Station to Atlantic Boulevard in East L.A. Part of the track, 1.7 miles, is made up of twin tunnels.

The line “is going to greatly benefit the community by linking it with schools, hospitals, shopping and business opportunities throughout the county," Ara Najarian, chairman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, said in a statement.

Construction crews broke ground on the extension in 2004. The Gold Line currently runs northeast from Union Station to Sierra Madre Villa.

Another Metro board member, L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina, said during a board meeting last week that the line is needed on the Eastside but she worries that it is “substandard.” She said she still has concerns about safety.

Metro will offer free rides on the entire Gold Line on opening day, which is a Sunday

-- Ari B. Bloomekatz

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Overcrowding at County-USC hospital heightens swine flu fears

Shelby Grad — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:23:09 -0700

Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center has become too overcrowded to handle the expected surge of H1N1 flu patients in coming months, county leaders said this week as they forced hospital officials to reduce wait times by transferring patients more quickly.

The crowd waiting for emergency room beds at County-USC often swells to 100, with some people waiting up to 24 hours, Supervisor Gloria Molina said.

Recent county reports show that 30% to 40% of the time the hospital is operating at “severely” and “dangerously” overcrowded levels.

Molina visited the hospital Monday night and met with about 40 families, most of whom had children. She said she talked to at least three patients who had been waiting for 23 hours. “If H1N1 becomes the kind of pandemic that they think it may be, what you will have at L.A. County-USC is people in gurneys in the hallways; that’s the only capability they have,” Molina said. “They are at a point where they are going to be overtaxed.”

County-USC officials insisted the number of patients waiting for emergency beds was lower in recent weeks, between 37 and 87 on average. They said the average wait time for the emergency room was three to 16 hours. But they conceded that emergency rooms at all three county hospitals have become crowded in recent months as the economy soured and people who lost their jobs and health insurance fell back on the county health system.

At Molina’s urging, supervisors on Tuesday directed County-USC officials to transfer patients as soon as more than 13 people are waiting for an emergency room bed, or the average wait time in the emergency room reaches 11 hours. County health officials estimate the new policy will cost $2.5 million annually, mostly for the care of indigent patients without private health insurance or MediCal.

County-USC already contracts with St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles and several other private hospitals that honor Medi-Cal, and is negotiating contracts so it can transfer patients to more hospitals, according to Carol Meyer, chief network officer of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

Patient volume increased by 17% at County-USC, 25% at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and 7% at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center between last year and the year before, the most recent figures available, Meyer said. “As the economy has gotten worse over the past year, we know those percentages have gone up,” Meyer said. “We are dealing with a very busy situation in our emergency rooms and we have taken many extra measures to be prepared.”

County-USC officials said they have tents on hand and extra staff on call in case they see an influx of H1N1 patients.

“Hospitals in this area have been working together to plan for this type of pandemic for years,” said County-USC CEO Peter Delgado. “We feel we’re pretty ready.”

The bed crunch is not confined to public hospitals. Demand for hospital beds increased 5% to 15% countywide during the summer compared to the same period last year, said Jim Lott, executive vice president of the Hospital Assn. of Southern California.

Lott said patients with H1N1 flu -- often known as swine flu -- are going to need longer-term hospital beds, not just temporary or emergency room beds, and recent association surveys show Los Angeles County is 215,000 beds short. “Tents don’t work for critical care,” Lott said. When the new County-USC hospital was built nearly a year ago, Molina lobbied hard to maintain at least 750 beds.

She lost, the hospital was reduced to 600 beds, including about 100 emergency beds, and has been overcrowded since it opened, transferring about 130 patients a month to Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey.

Crowding intensified as other local emergency rooms closed, most recently at Downey Hospital. “Right now they think they can accommodate it,” Molina said, “But let’s face it -- it was built too small.”

-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske

Photo: Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. Credit: Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times

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Notorious Los Angeles gang member added to FBI Most Wanted list

Shelby Grad — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:28:32 -0700

A Los Angeles gang member and Mexican drug cartel enforcer who authorities say has killed four people, including the mother of his child, is now on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted fugitive list.

Law enforcement officials say Jose Luis Saenz, a Cuatro Flats gang member, a decade ago shot to death two rival East LA Trece gang members in a Boyle Heights housing project. Then he allegedly kidnapped, raped and killed his girlfriend, the mother of his infant daughter, because he feared she would talk to authorities.

For more than a decade, LAPD detectives searched for the elusive Saenz, who also goes by the name Joe.

Then last year a video emerged of a smiling man calmly walking up to the front door of a Whittier-area home, rubbing his hands together like he was there for a friendly visit.

Moments later the gunman executed a 38-year-old victim who apparently owed money to a drug cartel. When sheriff’s homicide detectives showed the video to LAPD investigators, they recognized the gunman as Saenz.

Saenz "is one of the worst offenders I have ever seen," according to Special Agent Scott Garriola, a 22-year veteran of the FBI. "He’s got a long career of killing, and that’s just what we know about."

Federal agents and detectives say Saenz, who also has called himself "Zapp," "Smiley" and "Toro" during a decade on the run, has transcended from gang member to enforcer for a drug cartel and travels with apparent ease over the border.

Police say he has previously vowed to kill any police officer coming after him.

Authorities allege Saenz executed Josue Hernandez and Leonardo Ponce in 1998 . Saenz then fled from the scene and hid at the apartment of his girlfriend, Sigreta Hernandez.

Police say he then kidnapped Hernandez and drove her to a house in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County. Authorities claim he raped her and shot her in the head. His grandmother discovered the woman’s body. Prosecutors charged Saenz with three counts of murder, one count of kidnapping and one count of rape, and secured a warrant for his arrest.

Despite a hefty reward from the L.A. City Council, Saenz was not seen again until last year.

In August 2008, two members of the Lott Stoner gang were stopped by a Missouri state trooper while driving a rental vehicle. A search turned up $620,000 in cash in a hidden compartment, wrapped and marked with the name "Toro" -- Saenz’s street name, according to the FBI.

Two months later, one of those gang members was killed at his Whittier-area home. Saenz is seen on a home security tape arriving at Torres’ house, chasing the victim out of his front door and then shooting Torres in the head.

-- Richard Winton

Photo: FBI

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Victim identified in fatal Valinda stabbing

Amanda Covarrubias — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:55:33 -0700

A 19-year-old musician slain in a Valinda brawl has been identified as Steven Valadez, officials with the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said today.

Valadez was stabbed at about 12:13 a.m. Sunday in the 16200 block of Maplegrove Street during “a fight with several other males” in the unincorporated part of east L.A. County, according to a statement from the sheriff's department. He was taken to a hospital where he died at about 5:15 a.m, authorities said.

Valadez was a member of the La Puente-based band Rumor Has It, which memorialized him on its MySpace page and linked to an article about the incident in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

“To those of you who don't already know, or weren't with us last night. Tragedy struck us hard. Our bass player and brother Steven, was killed last night in an ugly brawl in our hometown,” the message read. “To call Steven a 'friend' would be a total understatement of what he meant to us.”

The message indicated that another band member, Adam Garcia, also was injured.

“As for our future, we're gonna take some time to slowly regroup and try to get over this," the MySpace message stated. "Adam was also wounded last night too. Adam is doing fine, but is still in medical care.”

No arrests have been made, authorities said.

-- Ari B. Bloomekatz

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2 men arrested in fatal hit-and-run in Montebello

Robert Lopez — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:21:45 -0700

Two men were arrested today in connection with a hit-and-run accident in which an 84-year-old Montebello woman was killed while using her walker to cross a street.

Nora Lambo, whose late husband was a former mayor of Montebello, was struck about 6:15 p.m. Monday as she crossed Jefferson Boulevard at Alfred Place. Her dog also was struck and killed, police said. Lambo was pronounced dead at the scene.

David Louis Lorea, 36, of Montebello was arrested on suspicion of driving the vehicle that hit Lambo, police said. McArthur Gutierrez Mutuz, 40, of San Gabriel was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory.

Investigators arrested the pair after receiving numerous tips from the public, said Sgt. Luis Lopez of the Montebello Police Department. The vehicle suspected of striking Lambo was recovered in a body shop and was being repaired, police said.

Lambo was hit by a pickup truck that dragged her walker after it got caught on the front bumper, Lopez said. Before fleeing the scene, the driver stopped the vehicle to allow his passenger to remove the walker.

—Robert J. Lopez

Photos: McArthur Gutierrez Mutuz, top, and David Louis Lorea

Credit: Montebello Police Department

Montebello police looking for witnesses in fatal hit-and-run incident

Robert Lopez — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:41:55 -0700

Montebello police were looking for witnesses tonight in a neighborhood where a hit-and-run driver killed an 84-year-old woman and her dog.

Nora Lambo, whose late husband was a Montebello mayor, was struck about 6:15 p.m. Monday evening as she used her walker to cross Jefferson Boulevard at Alfred Place, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lambo was hit by what police described as a white 1998 to 2002 Chevy Silverado pickup with an extended cab. The vehicle had chrome wheels, a chrome front bumper and a tinted rear window. The right portion of the front bumper was damaged and hanging down.

"We are currently canvassing the surrounding area of the accident in an effort to identify witnesses," said Sgt. Luis Lopez of the Montebello Police Department.

He said the pickup dragged the woman's walker a short distance before stopping. A passenger got out and removed the device. "It looks like it got stuck on the bumper," Lopez said.

The driver is described as Latino, 35 to 40 years old, with black hair combed back, brown eyes and a mustache and goatee. He was wearing a white T-shirt or tank top, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at (323) 887-1313.

--Robert J. Lopez

Photo: This is the type of truck that is believed to have hit the 84-year-old woman. Credit: Montebello Police Department.

Boyle Heights to dedicate new $31-million police station

Stephanie Chavez — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:26:05 -0700

First, a brand-new high school. Now, a new police station.

Change is coming to Boyle Heights, and the neighborhood and police are throwing party to celebrate. Saturday evening, more than 1,000 people are expected to gather for the dedication of the luminous new police station, a $31-million state-of-the-art building at 2111 E. 1st St.

The event will begin at 6 with a series of speakers, including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, several council members and public safety officials. Food samples from local restaurants will be offered, and booths and local entertainment will be featured.

“We want to tell everyone, this is their station and we would love to have everyone come out,” said area Capt. Anita Ortega.

The 54,000-square-foot building replaces two other sites along 1st Street, both which had grown overcrowded and outdated after years of use. During three years of construction, patrol officers, detectives and staff crammed into a 15,000-square-foot site that once was a bank.

The new station will house about 300 personnel serving nearly 200,000 people over a 15.8-mile radius that takes in Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, El Sereno and other neighborhoods. It includes an airy space with a community room, holding cell, a weight room and plenty of space to grow.

The project comes just a few months before the November opening of the Gold line extension, which also cuts through 1st Street.

After years of construction, Raj Bhakta hopes the upgrades help sales at his nearby drugstore.

“I’m optimistic,” he said. “The area will be safe and the community will feel more comfortable going out.”
Councilman Jose Huizar, who represents the area, sees the change as the start of something bigger, a “rebirth.”

“Boyle Heights is finally getting its just due and not only recognizing its potential, but also realizing it,” he said.

Last month the neighborhood celebrated the opening of the $106-million Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez Learning Center, one of the first new high schools built on the Eastside in many years. The new campus is named after a Latino couple who fought segregation in schools during the 1940s.

The campus brings relief to families that until recently had little choice but to enroll students at Roosevelt High School, an overcrowded campus.

-- Esmeralda Bermudez

Man sought in death of 15-year-old girl from East L.A.

Amanda Covarrubias — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:43:01 -0700

Authorities are searching for a man who may be connected to the death of a 15-year-old East Los Angeles girl who was killed seven years ago.

Jorge Barraza, 29, who also goes by “Trooper,” is a person of interest in the murder investigation of Brenda Sierra, who was killed in 2002, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Det. Larry Brandenburg.

Brenda, a sophomore at Schurr High School in Montebello, was last seen walking from her home on Leonard Avenue to a friend’s house on Harding Avenue just after 7 a.m. on Oct. 18, 2002. Her body was found the next day in the woods of the San Bernardino Mountains.

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors is offering a $150,000 reward to anyone with information about Brenda’s murder. Tipsters should contact Brandenburg at (323) 890-5500.

Read about the family of Brenda Sierra in today’s Column One.

-- Corina Knoll

Photo: Jorge Barraza. Credit: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

School's in for L.A. Unified students

Mitchell Landsberg — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:57:40 -0700

School opened today for the majority of students in the Los Angeles Unified School District, including thousands attending new schools built with voter-approved bond money.

The openings included two of the highest-profile sites in L.A. Unified's sprawling universe -- a new performing arts school at 450 N. Grand Ave., and two new elementary schools on the spot once occupied by the storied Ambassador Hotel.

"We're very excited," said a beaming Rex Patton, the executive director of the $232-million arts high school, still known only as Central High School #9 for the Visual and Performing Arts."We're all feeling very anticipatory and excited about everything that's happening."

The arts school had a difficult birth, with years of debate over who would attend and how they would be selected, and nearly a year of false starts before an administration team could be put in place in May. All that was set aside this morning as students streamed onto the campus, an architectural centerpiece that occupies the site of the former district headquarters on a promontory overlooking the 101 Freeway.

"So far, we love it," said Zara Akopyan, who brought her son from Glendale to begin ninth grade. He is a pianist. "Look at this," she said, squeezing her arm. "Goosebumps."

The two schools opening at the Ambassador site were the first of several planned for the property on Wilshire Boulevard just west of downtown. The UCLA Community School will be run as part of a partnership with UCLA, and the the New Open World Academy will focus on global awareness and social action. Both are opening as kindergarten-to-fifth-grade schools this year but will eventually go through 12th grade.

The entire 24-acre site is being developed by the school district at a cost of over $500 million and will eventually hold about 4,000 students.

Rajib Mazumder liked what he saw as he brought his daughter, Joyeta, to her first day of kindergarten at the UCLA Community School.

"She's been waiting for school a long time," he said.

He said he liked the school because of the link with UCLA and because "I actually heard they are trying to teach two or three languages." (The school will have a Spanish-English dual-language immersion.) Plus, he said, "This is a lovely environment."

Today was the first day for all L.A. Unified schools that are on a traditional calendar -- all but about 80 of the district's nearly 900 schools. The rest are on year-round schedules.

Other new schools opening today were:

Young Oak Kim Academy, a middle school in Koreatown
William R. Anton Elementary School in City Terrace
Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez Learning Center, a high school in Boyle Heights that is part of a portfolio of schools run by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Sun Valley High School
Valley Region Early Education Center #1 in Panorama City
Sara Coughlin Elementary School in Pacoima

-- Mitchell Landsberg at Central High #9 and Howard Blume at the former Ambassador site

Photo: Students arrive for their first day of school at the new Central High #9 for the visual and performing arts downtown Los Angeles. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

State fines six Southern California hospitals for serious violations [Updated]

Megan Garvey — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:58:48 -0700

Six Southern California hospitals have been fined $25,000 each in administrative penalties for serious violations that, in some cases, led to death or serious injury, according to state Department of Public Health officials.

Children’s Hospital in Orange County was fined because its nursing staff failed to ensure appropriate drainage after a child’s neurological procedure in November. As a result, fluid built up in the brain and resulted in severe brain injury, according to the state’s investigation.

[Updated at 5:40 p.m.: Dr. Maria Minon, the hospital’s chief medical officer, said the hospital “very much” regrets the incident and has adjusted protocols for patient care, increased staff training and added layers of checks and balance to minimize the chance of it occurring again.]

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach was fined for failing to continuously monitor a patient. In December, a patient in the coronary care unit was disconnected from a cardiac monitor for 34 minutes, the state’s investigation found. During that time, the technician assigned to monitor the cardiac machines did not notice that the cardiac activity strip had abruptly flat-lined. The technician also did not hear the machine’s alarm because the volume was not set on the highest level. A nurse later found the patient breathing, but sweating profusely and unresponsive, according to the state report. The patient was pronounced dead 20 minutes later.

Dr. Richard Afable, Hoag's president and chief executive, said the hospital’s internal investigation determined that the technician, who had been assigned multiple duties, had been distracted from checking the monitors. Additional staff has been added and duties eliminated from the technician’s job to ensure that the cardiac unit’s 30 monitors are more carefully watched.

The state also issued Southwest Healthcare Systems in Murietta its third administrative penalty since 2007. The state’s investigation determined that, despite reported requests by state health officials, the overcrowded hospital continued to convert general surgery beds into intensive care beds without adequate staffing in June 2008.

The hospital issued a statement saying it disputes the findings and would file an appeal. In the statement, the hospital said it used one surgical bed as an intensive care bed because all other beds were occupied -- a problem that will be remedied by hospital expansion projects. “This episode should be hailed as a testament to the dedication and resourcefulness of the hard-working nurses and personnel at Southwest,” the statement said.

Three hospitals — Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in Los Angeles and South Coast Medical Center in Laguna Beach — were each fined for not following proper surgical procedures. In each cases, doctors and nurses left behind either surgical sponges or towels and were forced to perform a second surgery to remove the items after they were detected in follow-up exams or when the patients complained of complications.

Six hospitals elsewhere in the state also were fined. Read more about the investigations in the news release: California Department of Public Health issues administrative penalties to 12 hospitals

—Kimi Yoshino

3 firms charged with selling potentially dangerous cheese

Shelby Grad — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:26:29 -0700

The Los Angeles city attorney's office today filed criminal charges against three businesses, accusing them of selling dangerous, unpasteurized cheese from Mexico.

According to a statement from prosecutors, agents from the Department of Public Health and from the State Department of Food and Agriculture purchased cheeses from the business and then tested them.

The tests found the cheeses were unpasteurized, meaning they were not heated during production to kill potentially harmful bacteria, officials said.

"These bacteria and pathogens -- such as Listeria, Salmonella, E. coli, Bovine Tuberculosis, and Brucella -- can cause miscarriages, as well as diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, swollen neck glands, and/or blood stream infection," according to the statement.
Those charged with the misdemeanor counts were: Faviola Martinez Garcia, owner of El Agave Restaurant Oaxaqueno; Sabrina Aguilar, owner of Mario Brothers Market; and Zeferino Garcia, president of Expresion Oaxaquena Market Inc.The violations are to the Food and Agriculture Code.

Last week, L.A. health officials warned the public about tainted cheese and issues these tips:

--Avoid dairy products with missing or incomplete labels. Labels should provide safe handling and storage information, a list of all the ingredients, including "pasteurized milk," and identify the manufacturer responsible for the product.

--Cheese products should be factory sealed.

--Buy cheese from the refrigerated section of the market.

--Do not purchase cheese from unlicensed manufacturers, unlicensed vendors at swap meets, door-to-door vendors or on the street.

-- Shelby Grad

City Council comes to aid of struggling Homeboy Industries

Shelby Grad — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 08:11:26 -0700

Homeboy Industries is getting some help with its financial problems from the Los Angeles City Council.

The group, which has earned a national reputation for its programs helping gang members get jobs and get away from gang life, has been struggling financially in part because of reductions in donations during the recession.

On Friday, the City Council voted to have the city's gang prevention program negotiate a $340,000 contract with Homeboy Industries, which should ease the group's crash crunch for now. Father Gregory Boyle, the founder of Homeboy Industries, had said the group was struggling to meet payroll and was considering worker furloughs.

Homeboy Industries provides tattoo removal, mental health counseling, job training and other services.

--Shelby Grad

Photo: Workers print T-shirts at the Homeboy Industries shop in Boyle Heights
Photo credit: Associated Press

Teens learn about prejudice in LAPD program at Museum of Tolerance

Amanda Covarrubias — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:07:19 -0700

Some L.A.-area high school students have been taking a crash course in racial profiling, discrimination and prejudice during a weeklong program that ends today at the Museum of Tolerance in West L.A.

Nearly 20 teenagers, mostly from the Harbor and East L.A. areas, attended the Youth Leadership Retreat held in partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department at the museum dedicated to educating people about the Holocaust.

Alan Ramirez, a 14-year-old freshman at Port of Los Angeles High School, was among the attendees.

“We learned the old-fashioned convictions that we should all have the ability to help people if they are bullied or being disrespected,” said the San Pedro teen. “It’s important for us to have a generation of good leaders.”

The students also learned about violence prevention and heard a first-hand account from a Holocaust survivor.

"Ignorance breeds intolerance,” said LAPD Officer Joe Buscaino, who drove the the students to the museum every day. “The lessons these teens have learned here are things they can take with them in their futures, careers and family.”

Buscaino helped create the Harbor Area’s Teen Community-Police Advisory Board, which helped cover the $250 cost for each teen, along with an LAPD boosters association.

Capt. Ann Young, who runs the LAPD’s detective support division, said she organized the program because she thought the museum could offer area teens some valuable lessons. This is the first time the program has been offered, but Young said she hopes to team with the museum to do more.

“Some of the same classes we get as police officers they get on a more scaled-down, child level,” Young said.

Jessica McLemore, a junior at King Drew Magnet High School in Willowbrook, said she wanted to build her leadership skills.

“It seemed like a great opportunity. I hope to be a leader some day,” said the 16-year-old. “I’m more confident now because of the tools I have learned.”

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy

Photo: Students take part today in the LAPD Youth Leadership Retreat at the Museum of Tolerance. Credit: Ann Johansson / For the Los Angeles Times

Fifth suspect in taco truck robberies surrenders

Jean Merl — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:09:22 -0700

Sheriff's detectives said Perez and four other members of the Fearless Kings tagger crew, which authorities have designated a gang because of the thefts, were identified by witnesses.

The robberies occurred along major thoroughfares between April 5 and June 27, investigators said.

Authorities said most of the thefts occurred late in the evening along Olympic Boulevard, Cesar Chavez Avenue and Whittier Boulevard.

At least four other members of the crew have been arrested in connection with the robberies: Samuel Razo, 20; Miguel Torres, 21, Julio Osuna, 21; and Jesse Moreno, 18.

Detectives commended Alfredo Magallanes of the Assn. of Lunch Truck of Los Angeles, who helped bring the truck vendors together and swayed them to come forward to help authorities.

Magallanes said the truck vendors did not report the crimes right away because they were under the false impression that a county ordinance prohibiting catering trucks from parking in one spot for more than an hour was still in effect. The ordinance, however, was overturned only months after it was passed in April by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

But Magallanes said some police officers are still implementing the former ordinance. Fearing further problems with police and possibly retaliations from members of the tagging crew, the truck vendors instead did not initially report the crimes.

--Ruben Vives