12 arrested after authorities discover tunnel from Mexico into San Diego

Mexican authorities discovered a large cross-border tunnel today and arrested more than a dozen men inside the passageway that extended about 860 feet into San Diego, U.S. authorities said.

The tunnel, which was not complete, featured lighting, electrical and ventilation systems, and an elevator to move materials and workers to depths reaching 100 feet, authorities said. They estimate it was under construction for about two years in a warehouse district just west of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.

Mexican authorities in Tijuana were acting on information provided by the San Diego Tunnel Task Force, which includes agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

It was the latest in a series of tunnel discoveries in recent weeks under the California-Mexico border. The passageways are used by Mexican organized crime groups to ferry drugs into the U.S.

-- Richard Marosi in San Diego

Mexican teen pleads guilty to killing U.S. Border Patrol agent

A Mexican teenager pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a U.S. Border Patrol agent last summer while attempting to rob him of government property in a remote area east of San Diego, according to a plea agreement announced today.

The suspect, 17-year-old Christian Daniel Castro-Alvarez, and an unspecified number of co-conspirators, lured Agent Robert W. Rosas Jr. out of his vehicle while he was on routine patrol near the border community of Campo, according to the agreement.

Rosas was shot multiple times by Castro-Alvarez and one or more co-conspirators. Federal authorities provided few details of the investigation, and it is unclear how Castro-Alvarez was captured and whether the co-conspirators have also been arrested.

The shooting prompted a large-scale manhunt on both sides of the border involving U.S. and Mexican federal agencies. The incident occurred about 60 miles east of San Diego in a rugged area favored by drug- and human-smuggling operations.

-- Richard Marosi in San Diego

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Man falls to death from downtown L.A. apartment

Police seeking suspects in three murders in Long Beach and Pico Rivera

Alleged scam aimed at African American churches in Southern California to be investigated

Delays expected on Metro Blue Line for track installation

Police seek attempted rapist in Thousand Oaks

Parts of 91 Freeway to be closed early next week

Ventura County man arrested for reportedly paying teens to spit on him

'Geezer bandit' robs 5th bank in San Diego County

An man authorities call the "geezer bandit" robbed his fifth bank this week in San Diego County.

FBI officials officials said the man robbed a Bank of America in La Jolla on Monday evening, brandishing a gun and demanding money from a teller.

Since August, the man is suspected of robbing banks in San Diego, Rancho Santa Fe and Santee.

The robber is described as a thin white man with gray hair in his 70s, between 5 feet, 10 inches and 6 feet, 3 inches tall. Because he has used a gun, he should be considered armed and dangerous, agents said.

--Shelby Grad

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

State reaches $1.4-million settlement with Wells Fargo over risky securities

University of California student fees could increase by more than $2,500

Michael Jackson was 'probably' in denial about drug abuse, Janet Jackson says

Fire weather expected in Inland Empire, San Diego

The Inland Empire and much of San Diego County are expected to be under a red-flag warning Sunday morning through Monday night, signaling critical fire conditions, the National Weather Service said.

High pressure over the Western United States is expected to fuel winds entering from the northeast. Meteorologists are expecting gusts of more than 35 mph to funnel through the Cajon Pass and the Santa Ana mountains. The winds are expected to spread to the inland areas of San Diego County.

The air is expected to become particularly dry Monday, with humidity dipping below 10%.

The situation appears to be less worrisome in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Fire weather watches had been expected for Sunday in those counties, but were canceled this afternoon.

Although winds are expected to kick up tonight in the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, except for the Santa Monica Mountains, relative humidity is expected to remain higher than 35%, said National Weather Service spokesman Bill Hoffer.

A freeze warning will be in effect overnight in the Antelope Valley as temperatures dip into the mid-20s.

—Rong-Gong Lin II

Firefighters present family with tribute badge destroyed in a wildfire

The granddaughters of a firefighter killed in the line of duty more than 70 years ago were presented with a tribute badge today to replace the original that was salvaged from the ruins of the devastating 2008 Sayre Fire in Sylmar.

Firefighter George Damron died while responding to a call in Boyle Heights in 1935. His badge was a cherished keepsake to his granddaughters, Pamela and Cheryl Dibble. But when their home at the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar burned down, the silver badge was lost. The fire destroyed nearly all of the community's 600 homes, leaving behind a wasteland and rubble and ash.

Later, when the granddaughters were sifting through the remains of their home, they found the melted and scorched badge and showed it to firefighters. On the one-year anniversary of the fire, Los Angeles City Fire Department officials decided to present the family with a new badge.

The scorched one was donated to the Los Angeles Fire Department's Hollywood Museum.

"We honor our badge because we know how hard we work to get it and how hard we work to keep it," said Capt. Steve Ruda. "And the fact that these were the grandchildren of a firefighter meant they are part of our family. We have an obligation to take care of them."

-- Esmeralda Bermudez

Photo: L.A. City firefighters attempt to save a fully-engulfed mobile home at the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar in November 2008. Credit: Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times

Metrolink board delays decision on fare hike after thousands protest

Faced with strong opposition from riders and questions about agency finances, the board of Southern California’s commuter rail agency today postponed a decision on a proposed 6% fare increase just three months after the last rate hike.

After receiving protests from thousands of riders, Metrolink board members opted to review a range of possible alternatives to the ticket price increase, including cuts to lightly used service, at a meeting next month.

“You want to charge us more to ride your trains,” law firm employee Charlie McDaniel, who commutes from Riverside to Los Angeles, told the board. “Many of the riders barely have the money to pay their rent.” McDaniel presented petitions she said contained signatures of 2,500 riders opposed to the fare hike. Officials previously said they received more than 1,300 comments opposing the rate hikes.

MWD board OKs subsidies to boost Carlsbad seawater-to-drinking-water project

A proposal to create the first major seawater desalination plant in Southern California received a major boost today when regional water managers approved a subsidy for the operation that could eventually grow to $350 million.

The privately owned plant would be built in Carlsbad, next to the Encina power station. When completed, it would produce enough water annually to serve roughly 100,000 households in San Diego County.

Read more about the project at Greenspace, The Times' environment blog.

State recovers $27 million for victims of 2007 San Diego County wildfire [Updated]

California regulators have recovered more than $27 million from insurance companies stemming from several hundred complaints filed by victims after a devastating 2007 wildfire in San Diego County, officials said today.

The California Department of Insurance said that consumers had filed 391 complaints alleging unfair treatment by insurance carriers in the aftermath of the Witch fire, which broke out in northern San Diego County in October 2007.

The Witch fire killed two people, destroyed 1,650 structures and charred more than 197,000 acres. That blaze and several others in 2007 caused $2.3 billion in losses, the department said.

Of the 391 complaints, 70 involved underinsurance allegations, according to the department.

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner said he had spoken with officials at major insurance carriers to ensure that claims are paid out as quickly as possible.

[Updated, 6:50 p.m.: In all, nearly 40,000 claims were filed in connection with California wildfires in 2007, the department said.]

"If they still refuse to honor their agreements with fire survivors," Poizner said in a statement,  "I will take appropriate action to enforce the law."

The department urged victims of recent Southern California wildfires to contact authorities at (800) 927-HELP if they need assistance. Consumers can also visit the wildfire information section on the department's web page.

-- Robert J. Lopez

San Diego authorities seek bank robber

The FBI and the San Diego Police Department are asking for the public's help in finding a man responsible for robbing the North Island Credit Union in Imperial Beach, authorities said today.

On Friday morning, the suspect approached a teller at the credit union office on Palm Avenue and presented a note while brandishing a handgun, FBI officials said in a statement.

The teller handed over an undisclosed sum of money to the suspect, who fled the bank on foot, the statement said.

The suspect is described as a possibly Latino or Middle Eastern man in his mid-20s to early 30s, about 5-foot-6, of medium build with dark hair. At the time of the robbery, he was wearing a gray hooded sweat shirt with “AEROPOSTALE” on the front, blue jeans, dark shoes, over-sized glasses and a gray cap.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI at (858) 565-1255.

-- Baxter Holmes

Photo: A video snapshot of the suspected bank robber. Credit: FBI

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Pomona man arrested in fatal shooting may be linked to two other deaths [Updated

Website offering looks at celebrity homes raises police concern, cited in 'bling ring' burglaries

Freight train derails near Union Station, disrupting several commuter lines

Charlie Beck to go before public safety committee in LAPD chief bid

New lanes open on 405 Freeway through Westside

Magnet school deadline moved up for L.A. Unified

Mojave Desert helicopter crash victims were headed to Riverside show

Southern California Ft. Hood victim wanted to help soldiers in Iraq

One of the victims in the Ft. Hood shooting massacre was a 56-year-old psychiatric nurse who worked for the San Diego County government.

Capt. John Gaffaney arrived at the base a day before the shooting en route to deployment in Iraq. Here's some background on Gaffaney compiled by the Associated Press:

Gaffaney, who was born in Williston, N.D., had served in the Navy and later the California National Guard as a younger man, his family said. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he tried to sign up again for military service. Although the Army Reserves at first declined, he got the call about two years ago asking him to rejoin, said his close friend and co-worker Stephanie Powell.

"He wanted to help the boys in Iraq and Afghanistan deal with the trauma of what they were seeing," Powell said. "He was an honorable man. He just wanted to serve in any way he can."

His family described him as an avid baseball card collector and fan of the San Diego Padres who liked to read military novels and ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Gaffaney supervised a team of six social workers, including Powell, at the county's Adult Protective Services department. Ellen Schmeding, assistant deputy director for the county's Health and Human Services Agency, said Gaffaney was a strong leader.

He is survived by a wife and a son.

Seafaring smugglers' attempts to land illegal immigrants in U.S. foiled

Mexican immigrant trafficking groups continue trying to smuggle illegal immigrants by boat, with federal authorities disrupting three attempts to land immigrants on San Diego County beaches and harbors since Saturday, according to the U.S. Border Patrol.

The most recent incident occurred early Tuesday morning, when agents spotted a 15-foot boat heading toward Beacon's Beach in Encinitas. Agents arrested 21 illegal immigrants -- 19 men and two women -- on the beach.

On Saturday, agents intercepted an 18-foot Bayliner carrying eight illegal immigrants off Imperial Beach near the border. The next day, 10 Mexican citizens and three Bolivians were arrested at the Oceanside Harbor marina after being dropped off by a 22-foot Cobalt boat.

The latest incidents are part of a surge in maritime smuggling attempts as traffickers avoid increased enforcement on land.

-- Richard Marosi in San Diego

Seizures of cash, weapons increase along border [Updated]

Federal authorities today announced a sharp increase in seizures of bulk cash and weapons along the Southwest border, the apparent result of bolstered efforts to intercept contraband destined for Mexico.

More than $40 million in illicit cash was seized from March through September, nearly double the amount intercepted during the same period a year ago, according to Department of Homeland Security officials. Weapons seizures also jumped by more than 50% -- to about 600 weapons -- from April through September, compared with the same period a year ago.

[Update: an earlier post incorrectly said the increase in weapons seizures occurred from July through September.]

82 sea turtles hatch at Sea World

SeaWorld in San Diego is home to 82 baby sea turtles. Marine experts at the park discovered the newly hatched sea turtles Oct. 5, and the hatching continued for nearly two weeks, officials said.

The newest turtles are the offspring of sea turtles that have been in the park's care for more than three decades, they said.

“These recent hatchings are exciting for us,” said Thad Dirksen, curator of fishes at SeaWorld, in a statement. “It’s unusual to have sea turtles hatch in a zoological environment. And this time marked the first time we’ve done so without assisting the eggs through incubation. “

The turtles measured about 3 inches in length and weighed just more than half an ounce at hatching. They eat a diet of squid, krill, shrimp and special turtle pellets.

The growth rate for sea turtles varies depending on diet, but generally a sea turtle will not reach adulthood until about 20 years old.

Some of the young reptiles may go on public display before the end of the year.

Photo: Sea turtles that hatched recently at SeaWorld in San Diego. Credit: SeaWorld

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Dr. Drew comes to aid of seriously injured Pasadena football player; school grateful for 'heroic efforts'

Gravel truck overturns on 210 Freeway in Pasadena

San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge reopens, to relief of commuters

Federal officials reject restrictions on night flights at Bob Hope Airport

West Covina girl dies when TV falls on her

Polanski offers larger cash deposit to Swiss in bail deal

Lanes cleared after car overturns on 405 Freeway in Sherman Oaks

Rescuers find debris but no survivors in area of midair military collision [Updated]

Rescuers searching the coast off San Clemente Island where a midair collision occurred have found debris but no survivors, officials said today.

The collision between a Coast Guard C-130 Hercules transport plane and a Marine Corps AH-1 Super Cobra helicopter occurred about 7:10 p.m. Thursday, 20 miles east of San Clemente Island. A nearby pilot reported a fireball in the sky.

[Updated at 3:50 p.m.: The search for nine military crewmembers off San Clemente Island will continue throughout Saturday night and into Sunday morning, Coast Guard officials told reporters at a 3 p.m. news conference in San Diego.]

The Coast Guard plane from Sacramento, with seven crew members, was searching for a 12-foot skiff reported adrift near the island, which is owned by the Navy and used for training.

San Diego Gas & Electric Co. to pay $14.3 million over 2007 fires

San Diego Gas & Electric Co. has agreed to pay $14.3 million to the state of California to settle accusations that downed power lines caused the October 2007 brush fires in northern San Diego County that destroyed more than 1500 homes and burned more than 200,000 acres.

Debra Reed, the company's president and chief executive officer, said the settlement, announced jointly today by the company and the California Public Utilities Commission, was made to avoid future litigation. The company continues to believe that its lines were in compliance with all regulations, Reed said.

Driven by Santa Ana winds, flames roared through rural areas and then into the San Diego neighborhoods of Scripps Ranch and Rancho Bernardo.

The company has already agreed to pay insurance companies $685 million to reimburse them for payments to policy-holders.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Green Beret from San Diego was among seven soldiers killed in helicopter crash in Afghanistan

Army Sgt. 1st Class David E. Metzger, 32, of San Diego was one of seven soldiers killed Monday when the MH-47 helicopter they were aboard crashed in Darreh-ye Bum, Afghanistan. Military officials announced his death Thursday night.

Metzger, a married father of two boys, was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group [Airborne] based at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

He joined the Army not long after graduating from Mar Vista High in 1995, according to the San Diego Union Tribune.

At least 57 U.S. service members have been killed in Afghanistan this month, according to the independent website icasualties.org, making it the deadliest month for Americans in the eight-year war.

Since late 2001, The Times has chronicled the lives of military personnel who have died while serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their stories, photos, personal websites and additional material have been collected in the California's War Dead database. Readers are invited to leave memories of their loved ones and colleagues.

-- Maloy Moore

Here are some recent posts:

"Geovani is one of my friends I would never forget. He was always there when I needed him. He had his mind set on joining the Navy right after high school. I know he wanted to do something with his life and I am so proud of everything he has done. He will always be in my mind and prayers. I will never forget you Geo!"
    — Brenda Garcia posted today on Navy Hospitalman Geovani Padilla Aleman, 20, of South Gate, who was killed April 2, 2006 near Ramadi, Iraq, when a roadside bomb exploded near the Humvee he was riding in.
 

Survivors unlikely in aircraft collision off San Clemente Island, Pentagon says

As Coast Guard personnel continued to search for survivors from the midair collision of two military aircraft Thursday off San Clemente Island, a Pentagon spokesman said it's unlikely anyone survived the crash.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said it's likely all nine people on board the aircraft died in what he called a “tragic event.”

Still, searchers continued to comb the waters off the San Diego County coast.

 "We will continue to search as long as there is a chance of survivors," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Joseph Castillo told reporters at an 11 a.m. news conference in San Diego.

Seven Coast Guard members were aboard the C-130 plane and two Marine Corps pilots were flying a  Super Cobra helicopter when the aircraft collided shortly after 7 p.m., 20 miles east of the island. All nine are missing.

Rescue efforts continue in military midair collision off San Diego coast

Multiple aircraft and ships from the Coast Guard and Navy are searching this morning for nine people off the San Diego County coast after two military aircraft collided midair.

A Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft from Air Station Sacramento had seven people aboard when it collided with an AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing stationed at Camp Pendleton, which had two pilots.

The collision occurred about 7:10 p.m. Thursday about 20 miles east of San Clemente Island. The C-130 was on a search mission.The Super Cobra was on a routine night exercise, the Marine Corps said.

Debris has been spotted in the water, and Coast Guard and Navy crews searched through the night, using four cutters and several aircraft. Reported visibility in the area is unlimited, “allowing for ideal search conditions,” the latest release stated.

Navy helicopter crashes off Southern California coast

The Associated Press is reporting that a Navy helicopter has crashed into the sea 17 miles from San Clemente Island. Here is the story:

SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard says a Navy helicopter has crashed into the sea off the Southern California coast.

Petty Officer Henry Dunphy says the Navy reported the crash around 7 p.m. Thursday. The helicopter went down about 17 miles east of San Clemente Island, the farthest south of the Channel Islands.

Coast Guard and Navy vessels are searching for the helicopter.

Dunphy did not immediately have any other details about the crash.

Marine killed in Afghanistan remembered as strong, dedicated to saving lives

A Marine killed in Afghanistan while hunting for the roadside bombs that are the top killer of U.S. troops was memorialized at Camp Pendleton on Wednesday as the "epitome of a Marine leader."

Staff Sgt. Aaron J. Taylor, 27, of Two Harbors, Minn., was killed when he stepped on a buried bomb as he was checking a bridge in the Helmand province for explosive devices.

"His mission was not to find and defeat IEDs [improvised explosive devices], his job was to save lives," Lt. Col. Matt Puglisi told 300 people gathered in the base chapel. "He was a hero."

Taylor had reenlisted in 2006 for a chance to become an explosive ordnance demolition technician. He had deployed to Iraq in that capacity before his Afghanistan mission.

Elderly bank robber strikes for fourth time in San Diego County

A bank robber thought to be in his 70s has struck for a fourth time in San Diego County, law enforcement officials said.

Dressed in black hat and sunglasses, the robber presented a threatening note to a teller at the Bank of America branch in Rancho Santa Fe on Monday. He escaped with an undisclosed amount of money.

The same robber is suspected of hitting banks Aug. 28 in Santee, Sept. 12 in La Jolla, and Oct. 9 in the Carmel Valley neighborhood of San Diego.

As in previous cases, the robber claimed to have a gun but none was seen, officials said.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Bank security camera photo of robber. Teller is blanked out of picture. Credit: FBI 

H1N1 flu cases surge across California as doctors report vaccine shortage

H1N1 flu cases are surging all across California with hospitals seeing an increase in admissions for the first time in weeks even as doctors are reporting vaccine shortages, the state's health officer said today.

“We, like everyone across the country, are seeing lower than expected” deliveries of vaccine for both the seasonal and H1N1 strains, said Dr. Mark Horton, state health officer. “As a result, we have some disappointed and frustrated providers out there who have not received vaccine in a timely manner.”


Horton urged doctors and the public to be patient, saying the federal government expects there will be more than enough vaccine for those considered at highest risk for infection, which include toddlers, children, teenagers, young adults, pregnant women, and those with chronic health problems. Because infants under 6 months cannot be vaccinated, parents and caregivers are urged to be inoculated.

Just 1.7 million doses of H1N1 vaccine have been delivered to California out of 20 million expected this season. On Wednesday, federal officials said vaccine supplies have been delayed because the H1N1 flu strain, popularly known as swine flu, does not grow as rapidly in the laboratory as the seasonal flu virus does, thereby limiting the amount of vaccine that is produced.

San Diego lawyer accused of killing his girlfriend's daughter 20 years ago

A San Diego lawyer who wrote a book on Internet dating was arrested today for allegedly killing his girlfriend's daughter 20 years ago so the mother could gain custody of her granddaughter.

Eric Fagan, 74, was arrested about 7 a.m. at his Chula Vista home just as he was set to leave for his morning jog, said Jodi Miller, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which made the arrest.

He was being held without bail at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, Miller said. He is scheduled to appear in court Friday in Victorville.

18 arrested after two human-smuggling boats are intercepted; others escape

Federal authorities intercepted two smuggling boats off San Diego County in separate incidents Tuesday in which some suspected illegal immigrants appear to have escaped after wading to shore.

Customs and Border Protection agents patrolling the coast about 3:30 a.m. arrested two suspected smugglers on a boat eight miles offshore. The men – both Mexican citizens – had just dropped off six people at a beach in Carlsbad, and two of them were later arrested, authorities said. The other four were not found.

About 11 p.m., a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and vessel intercepted a small boat in San Diego’s Mission Bay. Fourteen suspected illegal immigrants were taken off the boat and arrested. One immigrant escaped by swimming for the beach.

The two cases are the latest in a rash of maritime smuggling incidents as traffickers avoid beefed-up enforcement on land.

-- Richard Marosi

San Diego's tough-love Second Chance program gets ex-convicts ready for jobs

As the unemployment rate soars, Scott Silverman is trying to get ex-convicts ready to find jobs in San Diego County.

The Second Chance program uses a tough-love approach to prepare its students for what Silverman, the founder and executive director, calls the crucial eight seconds when a job applicant first meets a potential boss.

Silverman is relentless in his questioning of students. "You're not sure, you can't even look me in the eye," he says when one flubs an easy question about why he wants a job.

Second Chance began 16 years ago on small donations in a rundown building. Now, its permanent home is a spacious former government building in the racially diverse neighborhood of Encanto. Temporarily, the program has relocated to Chula Vista while the building is being remodeled to accomodate more students and more classrooms.

Silverman and his supporters believe his program could be an answer to the state's sky-high recidivism rate among ex-offenders, particularly with the state on the verge of releasing thousands of  prisoners without supervision in an effort to relieve overcrowding.

Prisons, Silverman says, have been a dismal failure in getting inmates ready to re-enter society and avoid returning to crime.

"You can't rehabilitate a guy living with a guy named Bubba," Silverman says. "You have to wait until he gets out, gets away from Bubba."

Click here for the full story on San Diego's Second Chance program.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Scott Silverman and the Second Chance philosophy. Credit: Los Angeles Times / Don Bartletti