Category: Los Angeles

As California voters on Tuesday continue to cast ballots into the evening, they are expected to reverse course on a decade of progressive criminal justice reform, with polling showing overwhelming support for a statewide ballot measure to crackdown on retail theft and the deadly drug fentanyl. Support for Proposition 36 comes amid rising concerns about crime, homelessness and drug use in the state, an issue seized upon by Republicans and some big-city Democratic mayors during the 2024 election. The initiative reforms a law approved a decade ago through Proposition 47, which reduced some felonies to misdemeanors and was seen as a milestone in California’s attempt to end the draconian tough-on-crimes policies of the past. twitter facebook envelope angle-double-right angle-down angle-up long-arrow-right Key races at a glance ✓ Winner Voters also will decide on Proposition 32, a statewide ballot initiative to increase California’s current $16 minimum wage by two dollars for all employees by 2026, a measure that received support from labor unions and anti-poverty advocates but was opposed by influential business interests. Polling has shown that measure could be a toss-up and dependent on voter

California voters on Tuesday were on the verge of deciding the historic election to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a race that pitted Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of Burbank against Republican and former Dodger All-Star Steve Garvey. After an expensive and acrimonious primary battle among Democrats, the general election race for the seat was sleepy, bordering on dull. Schiff and his allies spent more than $35 million during the primary on ads that called Garvey “too conservative for California.” The gambit helped to consolidate Republican support behind Garvey and vault him past fierce competitor Rep. Katie Porter, an Orange County Democrat, who finished a distant third. Schiff remains a heavy favorite in the race, and has led Garvey by a wide margin in recent public opinion polls. Garvey, 75, held few public events and struggled to gain traction with voters in a state that has not elected a Republican to statewide office in nearly two decades. With a healthy lead in the polls, Schiff turned his attention to boosting Democrats in swing states, raising money for California’s House candidates and traveling out of state

The fight for control of the U.S. House of Representatives may remain unresolved Tuesday night as votes are counted in several competitive races in California that could determine whether Democrats or Republicans win the majority. Golden State voters held unusual power in the national fight this year, with the suburbs of Orange County, the Central Valley’s farm belt and desert communities around Palm Springs and Lancaster playing an outsized role in shaping the next Congress. “The race for control of the U.S. House remains as close as it’s ever been,” said Erin Covey, the U.S. House editor for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. “With several competitive races in West Coast states that take longer to count their ballots, it’s highly possible we won’t know which party has control on election night.” Republicans are clinging to a razor-thin, four-seat majority in the House and are defending 15 seats nationally seen as toss-ups. No state has more swing seats than California, where six seats are considered highly competitive. Five are represented by Republicans, and four are in districts President Biden won in 2020. twitter facebook envelope angle-double-right

Federal law enforcement and swing-state election officials reported bomb threats to polling stations on Tuesday, saying they believed the threats originated in Russia. Russian officials denied any involvement in such threats. The FBI in a statement said it was aware of such threats to polling locations in “several states,” many of which appeared to “originate from Russian email domains.” It said none of the threats were considered “credible.” Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said Tuesday afternoon that his office was monitoring “unsubstantiated” bomb threats at four locations in Navajo Nation. “We have no reason to believe that any of our voters or any of our polling places are in any sort of jeopardy,” Fontes said. Fontes said he did have “some reason to believe,” however, that the threats came from Russia. He did not provide evidence. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said at a news conference that “about five to seven” precincts across the state received bomb threats early Tuesday from a “foreign state actor.” Two precincts shut down voting for 30 minutes while law enforcement investigated, but most polling places carried on

A 30-year-old Glendale man who reportedly had his girlfriend and 7-year-old child exit a vehicle while he fired on a car believed to be carrying rival gang members earlier this year has been arrested and charged with attempted murder, officials announced Tuesday.   The Sept. 10 incident unfolded when officers with the Burbank Police Department responded to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center just before 5 p.m. on reports of a male gunshot victim being dropped off at the hospital.   Medical staff confirmed that the man sustained a single gunshot wound and was transferred to a trauma center for treatment.   After speaking with the victim, who was later released from the hospital, detectives learned the shooting happened near Victory Boulevard and Allen Avenue in Glendale.   “The investigation revealed the suspect was driving in the area when he observed another vehicle occupied by three individuals whom he believed were from a rival gang,” a Burbank PD news release stated.   That’s when authorities say the suspect, later identified as Ramon Alberto Carrillo, had his girlfriend and child get out of the car while he

(NEXSTAR) – It may be days until we have the final tally, but votes are pouring in from around the country in the 2024 presidential election. So far, polls have closed in more than half of U.S. states and millions of votes have been counted. The race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is expected to be a close one. On the morning of Election Day, national polls showed less than a 1% difference between the two candidates, according to a polling average by Decision Desk HQ in partnership with The Hill. The polls were also incredibly close in seven key battleground states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The results in those states are likely to determine the election’s outcome. At 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Decision Desk HQ on NewsNation projected Trump would win North Carolina. The other six swing states were too close to call. 2024 Election Results The interactive map below shows results in the 2024 presidential election as they are reported to the Associated Press. To see results for any U.S. county, first

What early exit polls reveal about North Carolina voters – CBS News Watch CBS News Early North Carolina exit poll data revealed that among the small number of voters who decided their presidential pick in the last week, 58% chose Vice President Kamala Harris and 37% voted for former President Donald Trump. CBS News chief political analyst John Dickerson and “60 Minutes” correspondent Cecilia Vega discuss what the data shows for the state’s gender gap and Latino voters. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Republican Jim Justice wins West Virginia Senate race, CBS News projects – CBS News Watch CBS News Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice will win his state’s Senate race, flipping the seat red, CBS News projects. Scott MacFarlane looks at other key races that could determine control of Congress. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Trump wins West Virginia and Indiana, CBS News projects – CBS News Watch CBS News Former President Donald Trump will win West Virginia and Indiana, CBS News projects. CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett and CBS News executive director of elections and surveys Anthony Salvanto break down the first race projections of the 2024 election. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Washington — Pennsylvania is a critical battleground state for both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, and both candidates and their running mates have been blitzing the Keystone State for months.  Pennsylvania , the fifth-most populous state with 13 million people, has 19 electoral votes. That’s the most electoral votes of any battleground state.    Updated 18m ago A winner won’t be known quickly in Pennsylvania Results in Pennsylvania likely won’t be known on Election Night. Pennsylvania law doesn’t allow the early processing of mail-in ballots, which dragged out the state’s 2020 ballot counting process. Pennsylvania election officials are bracing themselves for conspiracy theories and protests.  “Elections in Pennsylvania have never been more safe and secure with a voter verified paper ballot record of every vote that’s cast, whether you vote in person on Election Day or you vote by mail,” Al Schmidt, a Republican and the state’s  top election official , told “60 Minutes” in October. Read  more on the vote-counting process in the state here .   Updated 21m ago What to know about Pennsylvania Trump

Negotiations over how much to pay incoming Los Angeles police Chief Jim McDonnell brought a rare moment of drama to the Police Commission on Tuesday, when one member broke ranks from her colleagues by arguing that McDonnell’s proposed salary of nearly half a million dollars was too high given the city’s financial constraints. After initially proposing that McDonnell be paid $507,509 yearly, the commission voted to lower its salary request to $450,000 after some testy discussion. The body eventually approved the proposed salary by a 3-1 vote, with commissioner Maria “Lou” Calanche against. An audibly frustrated Calanche, the longest-tenured commissioner, said she wished she had had a chance to weigh in on the new chief’s salary before reading the amount in a memo circulated on Friday. Given some of the concerns around the city’s financial picture, she also asked her colleagues “why wouldn’t we start him at a lower” end of the advertised pay range, which starts at $408,475. While McDonnell would not be the highest-paid city employee (that remains Water and Power general manager Janisse Quiñones, who earns $750,000 a year), he’ll still make

It was Tuesday afternoon, just a few hours before polls were to begin closing on the East Coast, and Kamala Harris’ L.A. neighborhood was a picture of midday quietude. A woman walked her dog, a doodle that knew how to heel. Workers at a construction site perched on a wooden beam and ate lunches they’d retrieved from a food truck. No one seemed to notice Harris’ house. The scene gave little sense that this Brentwood neighborhood could soon be the site of Harris’ Western White House. The vice president, who shares the residence with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, comes here with some regularity, prompting the Secret Service to divert traffic, restrict parking and take other precautions designed to keep her safe. Some neighbors previously told The Times that they were frustrated by the attention and security that come with having Harris in their midst. On this day, however, residents in the neighborhood, a reliably Democratic enclave, described their cautious optimism about the vice president’s chances of a victory Tuesday — even as a few wrung their hands over possible traffic headaches that would be visited

The death of a 72-year-old Long Beach man is being investigated as a homicide after authorities originally suspected he died by suicide. The city’s fire and police departments responded to a call reporting a fire and possible suicide around 8:22 p.m. Friday in the 4700 block of Greenmeadow Road. Upon entering the residence, officials found the homeowner lying on the floor with a gunshot wound to his upper body. The man, whose identity has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene, the Long Beach Police Department said in a release Tuesday. Police initially believed the man had shot himself. But as the investigation continued, detectives along with the Los Angeles County Department of the Medical Examiner determined the gunshot was not self-inflicted. Police say homicide detectives are now investigating. Police are asking anyone with information to contact detectives at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling (800) 222-8477. More to Read Sign up for Essential California The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Jasmine “Jaz”

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) Nov. 5, 2024 3:46 PM PT SAN ANTONIO —  Turns out, Shohei Ohtani was playing through more than just a partially dislocated shoulder in the World Series. The Dodgers announced Tuesday that Ohtani also suffered a torn labrum when he injured his left shoulder sliding into second base in Game 2 . The slugger underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the tear, the team said, and “is expected to be ready” for spring training in February. While the Dodgers managed to defeat the New York Yankees in five games to win their second championship in five seasons last week, they had to do it with Ohtani playing through pain over the final three games. In Game 2, Ohtani jammed his left arm in the ground while sliding into second on an unsuccessful stolen-base attempt. And while he started each of the subsequent three games — at the time, the team publicly described Ohtani’s injury as only a shoulder subluxation — he went just one for 11 the rest of the way. During those final three games, Ohtani was seen wincing multiple

It was not an ordinary Monday morning for commuters traveling on Highway 85 in Cupertino, nor for the students at a nearby college or the passersby who noticed a small, gray single-engine plane descending from the air and safely landing on the freeway. The pilot, who was the only person on board the CubCrafters CC11, miraculously avoided hitting any cars before coming to a rest on the right shoulder of the highway after 7 a.m., just south of Steven Creek Boulevard, according to a written statement from the California Highway Patrol. “It was kind of surreal because I’ve never seen anything like that before,” James Filice told NBC Bay Area. “I noticed this plane was lower than any plane I’ve ever seen before, and I’m like, ‘Wow, what’s that guy doing?’ Next thing I knew, I lost sight of it and then when I got up just about to Stevens Creek Boulevard I noticed the plane had landed.” Highway patrol officers speculated that fuel problems may have forced the pilot to make an emergency landing. The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating the incident.

Turnout high in Pennsylvania, officials say – CBS News Watch CBS News Election officials in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania are seeing high voter turnout throughout the day. Weijia Jiang explains the significance. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Georgia dealing with bomb threats at polling locations – CBS News Watch CBS News Several polling locations in Georgia have received bomb threats throughout Election Day. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said some appear to have originated from Russia. Nikole Killion has more Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Trump raises unfounded concerns about voting integrity – CBS News Watch CBS News Former President Donald Trump thanked staffers at his campaign headquarters in Florida on Election Day. He also brought up unfounded concerns about election integrity. Caitlin Huey-Burns has more. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Harris phone banks on Election Day – CBS News Watch CBS News Vice President Kamala Harris spent Election Day phone banking and thanking her staff at Democratic headquarters in Washington D.C. Nancy Cordes reports. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Over the last year, the graffiti-pocked husk of the unfinished Oceanwide Plaza skyscrapers have haunted Los Angeles’ skyline, a beacon of disrepair and, for some, artistic expression. On Halloween, the plaza appeared to get up and simply walk away thanks to Xavier Mozejewski, a Hollywood set designer, who designed a wearable costume that looked just like one of the plaza’s three buildings. Xavier Mozejewski in his multistory Halloween costume. (Courtesy of Xavier Mozejewski) “Three days before Halloween I was working a job in Chinatown, driving on the 110 and saw the building and thought, ‘That’s it,’” said Mozejewski about coming up with his costume. “It was all over the internet for months. I think it’s just recognizable to everybody in L.A. In a weird way it’s super niche, but also recognizable. Everyone has had some sort of connection to it in a way.” Mozejewski’s costume represented the latest chapter in the colorful history of the abandoned plaza that many see as symbol of the city’s neglect and stubborn crime problem. In October, a Bankruptcy Court judge granted an extension for the sale of the towers

After all the votes are counted, no matter who wins, the empowering of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. by Donald Trump will be one of the sorriest legacies of the 2024 election cycle. I had hoped that Trump was merely humoring Kennedy to get the votes of his supporters. As a third-party candidate, Kennedy may not have had a very big slice of the pie, but in a squeaky tight race, every crumb counts. Yet after Kennedy dropped out and endorsed Trump, the former president has said that Kennedy would have an important role in his potential new administration. “I’m gonna let him go wild on health,” Trump told the crowd at his recent Madison Square Garden hatefest. “I’m gonna let him go wild on the food. I’m gonna let him go wild on medicines.” The Washington Post reported that Kennedy could be given “significant control over health and food safety … with discussions about some Cabinet and agency officials reporting to him.” What a joke. Kennedy is an antivax conspiracy theorist who promotes far-fetched health claims. He once wrote that “COVID shots are a crime