Bass Issues Executive Order to Expedite Rebuilding Fire-Resistant Homes

Mayor Karen Bass Friday issued an executive order to expedite the rebuilding of homes and businesses in ways that better prepare for wildfires and other climate-fueled emergencies. The order directs city departments to streamline permitting for homeowners who rebuild all-electric and more fire-resistant homes, promote the use of fire-resistant construction materials. It also directs city […]

Mother Charged for Slitting Throat of 11-Year-Old Son

A 48-year-old woman was charged Friday with slitting the throat of her 11-year-old son in Santa Ana, killing the boy. Saritha Ramaraju was charged with one count of murder with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon and was scheduled to be arraigned Friday in the jail courtroom in Santa Ana. […]

UCLA Women’s Team Faces Off Against Southern Friday

UCLA will begin play in the 2025 NCAA women’s basketball tournament Friday evening at Pauley Pavilion against Southern in a matchup of the 68-team tournament’s top and 66th-seeded teams. “I think there is two real big focuses for us,” Bruins coach Cori Close said at a Thursday news conference. “Being very present. You need all […]

Alleged White Supremecist’s Sentencing in Drug Distribution Case Postponed

A sentencing hearing Friday for a San Fernando Valley man suspected of having links to a violent white supremacist group and convicted of conspiring to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine was postponed and no new date was immediately available. Kris Dean Drakakis, 43, pleaded guilty in May 2024 in downtown Los Angeles to two federal counts: […]

UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk Honored at City Hall

The Los Angeles City Council Friday honored Julio Frenk, who became the seventh chancellor of UCLA, and the first Latino to lead the university when he assumed the role earlier this year. Surrounded by UCLA leaders, faculty, and other members, Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky presented Frenk with a certificate and welcomed him to civic life. The […]

Fatal Shooting in Historic South-Central LA

A man was shot to death Friday on a street in the Historic South-Central area of Los Angeles, authorities said. The shooting occurred at 7:10 a.m. Friday in the 400 block of East 20th Street between Maple Avenue and Trinity Street, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Charles Miller told City News Service. The 25-year-old victim […]

Lancaster Woman Convicted for Part in Hospice Fraud Scheme

A Lancaster woman was found guilty Friday of receiving more than $330,000 in illegal kickbacks for patient referrals to two hospice companies in a fraud scheme that bilked Medicare out of more than $3.2 million through claims for medically unnecessary services. Callie Jean Black, 66, was convicted at the conclusion of a four-day bench trial […]

Pacoima Home Partially Collapses, Man Injured in Fireworks Explosion

A man was recovering from burn injuries Friday sustained in an explosion possibly ignited by fireworks at a home in Pacoima, where four dogs were found safe. Firefighters were dispatched at about 9 a.m. Thursday to 13556 W. Remington St., near Interstate 5 and Terra Bella Street, where they reported a partial collapse of the […]

Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Sober Living Kickback Scheme

A Hollywood Hills man was sentenced Friday to three years and five months in federal prison for paying illegal kickbacks for patient referrals to his addiction treatment facilities. Casey Mahoney, 48, was convicted in Los Angeles federal court in September 2024 of one count of conspiracy, seven counts of illegal remunerations for patient referrals, and […]

LA Feds Charge Previously Deported Defendants for Illegal Re-Entry

Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles, working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other law enforcement partners, have filed charges against 17 defendants who illegally re-entered the United States after being removed, officials said Friday. Many of the defendants charged were previously convicted of felony offenses before they were removed from the United States, offenses […]

Woman Awarded $32.5M in 2018 Lancaster Traffic Collision

A Los Angeles jury awarded $32.5 million Friday to a woman who suffered a severe back injury and other harms in a multi-vehicle collision caused by two other drivers in Lancaster in 2018. According to the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit, Briana Booth was traveling on Avenue L at about 4:35 p.m. on Feb. 12, […]