L.A. Now Live: Californians favor stricter gun laws

Californians are overwhelmingly in favor of strict gun control measures that impose background checks for all gun purchases and toughen penalties for illegally purchasing or using a gun, as well as enhancing efforts to keep guns away from the severely mentally ill, a new poll has found.

The findings crossed demographic and political lines, with nine of 10 gun owners and even more non-gun owners favoring background checks for all gun purchases. However, two-thirds of state residents opposed arming teachers in schools.

A more in-depth look showed some issues divided among racial lines and geographical boundaries. Whites were twice as likely to own guns as Latinos and less likely to favor a five-cent bullet tax. Latinos felt more favorable toward putting armed guards in schools.

The poll, conducted this month by USC and the Los Angeles Times, surveyed 1,501 people. It comes just as Congress debates tighter gun restrictions nationally, including increased background checks for gun purchases.

Join us at 9 a.m. as we discuss the poll and what it means for gun laws with Times reporter Seema Mehta.

 

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Sisters open home to burned Afghan girl [Live video]

Join Times reporter Kurt Streeter for a live video chat with Staci Freeman, one of two sisters he profiled in a piece about the women's devotion to a 6-year-old Afghan child who was sent to Los Angeles for treatment of burn wounds.

Freeman and her sister Jami Valentine opened their homes to Arefa, who was brought to the United States by the humanitarian group Solace for the Children for medical treatment.

Much of her face and hands had been singed, and a cloth hid a head wound that had not healed since a fire raged through her family's tent.

The girl spent months with Valentine and Freeman. It was a labor of love.

They found communicating with her difficult because of the language barrier. Homemade flashcards helped — photos of a doctor or a little girl brushing her teeth, for instance.

Arefa soon settled into a routine. During the day, she spent hours at playgrounds, climbing ladders and barreling down slides, smiling. But back at the apartment, whenever the television flashed images of helicopters or men with guns, she grew tense.

At bedtime, when the sisters washed her scalp, Arefa wailed so loudly they worried someone in their apartment building might call the police. Almost every night, the little girl wet her bed and woke up screaming from nightmares.

It went on like this for weeks, with the sisters barely getting any sleep, praying they could ease Arefa's fear and earn her trust.

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L.A. Now Live: Discuss the Bell corruption trial, verdicts

After weeks of deliberations, a Los Angeles County jury convicted five of six Bell officials Wednesday on multiple counts of misappropriating public funds.

It was a mixed bag of guilty and not guilty verdicts for the group, some of whom cried as the verdicts were read. One councilman, Luis Artiga, was acquitted of each charge he faced.

Times staffers Richard Winton and Kimi Yoshino will join L.A. Now Live at 9 a.m. Thursday for a live discussion about the verdicts. Questions can be submitted during the chat.

FULL COVERAGE: Bell corruption trial    

The jury failed to reach a verdict for several charges, with four jurors telling the judge that if they were given more time and additional information, they might be able to reach a verdict.

The judge ordered the jury to return at 9 a.m. Thursday, but it is unclear whether she will ask them to continue deliberating.

At the end of the day, the jurors sent several questions to the judge that ended the day on a chaotic note and raised questions about whether they were unanimous in their verdicts.

CHEAT SHEET: Bell corruption verdicts

In a note, Juror No. 7 told Judge Kathleen Kennedy that he had misgivings about the deliberations.

The cryptic note said that the juror "questioned myself on information that had me on a [doubt] of thing [sic] that were not presented properly."

Defense attorney Ron Kaye, who represents former Councilman George Cole, told the judge that the juror's note suggested he might have been persuaded to vote a certain way.

"Our ultimate goal is to reach the truth," Kaye said. "Can we separate Juror No. 7, ask him to discuss what he meant and if it was in fact his verdict? These [defendants] deserve to have an honest deliberation. I would ask that we be permitted to inquire." 

But Kennedy said she did not interpret the note from Juror No. 7 that way.

“That's done, we're not going to reopen verdicts that have been reached,” Kennedy said.

The focus will soon turn to former City Administrator Robert Rizzo, the face of the Bell corruption scandal that rocked the working-class town in 2010.

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L.A. Now Live: Sheriff Baca appoints jail manager, FBI probe expands

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has appointed a new head to the county's jail system.

Join us at 9 a.m. as we discuss the latest on Baca's selection and the federal investigation with reporter Robert Faturechi.

Terri McDonald, a reform-minded veteran of the state prison system, will help guide the nation's largest jail system through a series of reforms adopted after a federal probe into deputy misconduct and inmate beatings.

Her appointment comes on the heels of news the FBI is investigating two new allegations of unprovoked inmate beatings.

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L.A. Now Live: Fake Rockefeller a con artist or murderer?

In the 1980s, Christian Gerhartsreiter passed himself off as the 13th baronet of Chichester while living in a San Marino guesthouse. Later, he moved to the East Coast and assumed the name Clark Rockefeller, leading people to believe he was a member of the wealthy Rockefeller clan.

Gerhartsreiter is a fabulist and a con man, but is he a murderer?

At 9 a.m., reporters Jack Leonard and Hailey Branson-Potts will talk with us about Gerhartsreiter’s bizarre lifestyle and the crime he is accused of.

Gerhartsreiter is now on trial for the murder of John Sohus, who vanished along with his wife, Linda, in 1985.

The Sohuses lived with John’s elderly mother in the main house of the San Marino property.

Prosecutors say Gerhartsreiter bludgeoned John Sohus to death and buried his body in the backyard, where it was not discovered until nearly a decade later. Gerhartsreiter’s attorneys argue that Linda Sohus may have killed her husband before vanishing. She has never been found.

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L.A. Now Live: Should bars be allowed to sell alcohol until 4 a.m.?

A state lawmaker has proposed that some California cities be allowed to serve alcohol until 4 a.m., putting them in line with other tourist spots like Las Vegas and New York City.

The bill, proposed by state Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) would give tourist destinations like Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego an exception to state laws prohibiting alcohol sales after 2 a.m.

Times reporter Patrick McGreevy reported on the proposed bill and will join L.A. Now Live at 9:10 a.m. Monday.

Currently, the state allows the sale of alcohol from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. for bars, nightclubs and restaurants. Leno's bill would let cities get permission from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to allow their nightspots to extend their hours for serving alcohol.

Leno said the change could mean a boost to the California economy. He cited a study by the market research firm Technomic Inc. that found the top 100 grossing social and night life venues in the country generated $1.5 billion last year and 15 of them were in the Los Angeles area.

But all of the top 10 venues are in cities that have extended hours, including Las Vegas, New York and Miami, the firm found.

Not everyone is sold on the idea.

Leno's proposal is "terrible,'' said Alan Dymond, president of the Studio City Residents Assn. Dymond said many clubs and restaurants along Ventura Boulevard back up to homes affected by noise and traffic at closing time.

"For our members, that extension of hours would just increase the aggravation,'' Dymond said.

Senate Republican leader Robert Huff of Diamond Bar said Leno's proposal raises a lot of questions, including its effect on drunk driving rates, and needs more study.

Do you think it’s a good idea to permit alcohol sales for an additional two hours? Do you think it would bring more tourists to L.A.? Let us know in the comments below, by tweeting @LANow or on our Local Facebook page.

 

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-- Joseph Serna

L.A. Now Live: AEG exec exits, L.A. NFL stadium future unclear

AEG announced the abrupt departure of chief executive Tim Leiweke on Thursday.

Leiweke, considered the driving force behind the company's success with the LA Live complex and vital to bringing an NFL franchise back to Los Angeles, has not discussed his plans.

At 9 a.m. reporter David Zahniser will talk with us about Leiweke's departure and what it means for AEG and Los Angeles.

Leiweke was known for crossing political boundaries in his lobbying efforts and bringing a flair of entertainment into City Hall to bolster his position.

Observers said it's unclear how his exit will affect building a stadium downtown.

 

L.A. Now Live: Monday's earthquake tested early warning system

Monday's earthquake in Riverside County offered scientists one of their first opportunities to match data from an earthquake early warning pilot program to what they could actually feel.

According to Caltech and U.S. Geological Survey seismologists, the test was a success. The Monday morning 4.7-magnitude temblor gave Caltech scientists a 30-second warning ahead of the shaking.

Though the quake didn't cause any damage, researchers say even a few seconds of notice can prove vital for shutting down utilities, slowing trains and giving people time to prepare.

Reporter Joseph Serna will join us at 9 a.m. to discuss how the pilot program works and how far away it is from being introduced to the public.

L.A. Now Live: LAUSD's $30-million Miramonte settlement

Attorneys representing parents in 58 legal claims have agreed to a $30-million settlement with the Los Angeles Unified School District over alleged abuse perpetrated at Miramonte Elementary School.

The settlement, part of an effort by LAUSD and the children's parents to move past the case as swiftly as possible without forcing kids to rehash what they experienced, leaves more than 70 claims still unresolved.

FULL COVERAGE: Teacher sex-abuse investigations

The amount equates to about $470,000 per victim, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The claims stem from abuse dozens of children allegedly endured at the hands of Mark Berndt, 61, who had been a teacher at Miramonte since 1979. He faces 23 felony charges of lewd conduct and is being held in lieu of $23-million bail.

Times staff writer Stephen Ceasar will join us at 9 a.m. to discuss the settlements.

 

L.A. Now Live: Women injured during Dorner hunt still without truck

Despite promises from the LAPD, two women injured by police hunting for ex-officer Christopher Dorner have yet to receive a new truck to replace the one officers riddled with bullets.

In a case of mistaken identity, officers fired dozens of rounds at Margie Carranza, 47, and her mother, Emma Hernandez, 71, as the two delivered newspapers in a blue Toyota Tacoma in Torrance. Hernandez was shot twice in the back and Carranza was injured by broken glass.

The shooting came amid incredible tension for the LAPD, which was being targeted by Dorner, a former officer seeking revenge for what he perceived to be his unjust firing from the department. In the days following the shooting, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck promised the women a new truck. But according to their attorney, Beck and the department have yet to deliver on that promise.

Staff writer Richard Winton will join us at 9 a.m. to discuss the latest developments on the LAPD's effort to help the two women.