Jurors award $11.5 million to former LAPD K9 handler who claimed discrimination over Samoan heritage

A jury this week awarded $11.5 million to a former Los Angeles police K-9 handler who sued the city alleging that his supervisors retaliated and discriminated against him in part because of his Samoan ancestry. The officer, Mark Sauvao — pronounced “su-VOW” — alleged he was unfairly punished after he reported some of his colleagues had called him names such as “cannibal” and “barefoot coconut tree-climber.” One supervisor also reportedly referred to him as being Tongan; Sauvao took the comment as an affront given the bitter early history of war and enslavement between Samoa and Tonga. Sauvao, who is still with the department, also alleged that officers spread false rumors that he tried extorting fellow K-9 handlers by refusing to train them unless they gave him their overtime hours. The city can still challenge the size of the jury award. From 2005 to 2017, Sauvao was assigned to the department’s elite bomb detection K-9 unit. The 30-year LAPD veteran said his troubles began several years after his promotion to dog trainer, which came with extra pay and benefits. After learning of the rumors about him

Is your child struggling to master the potty? These 5 takeaways from our panel can help

Potty training isn’t easy and it can vary a lot from child to child. The L.A. Times spoke with experts about how parents can best navigate this chapter, how they can prepare their child for a new level of independence and how they can tell that it’s actually time to start. Here are five takeaways from a discussion among Jenny Gold, L.A. Times early childhood reporter; Heather Anderson, administrator of the Mamahood Facebook group; Whitney Casares, Modern Mommy Doc founder and pediatrician; and Quiara Smith, CEO of Aloha Integrative Therapy and occupational therapist. They spoke to the Mamahood Facebook group. Are you a SoCal mom? The L.A. Times early childhood team wants to connect with you! Find us in the Mamahood’s mom group on Facebook. Share your perspective and ask us questions. Let your child’s development dictate when you begin to potty train. Children will generally be ready to potty train between 2 and 3 years old, but there are also individual developmental factors that come into play. You should make sure your child is able to physically sit on the toilet, has the desire

Violent attempted hit-and-run crash leaves 2 dead in Southern California

Two people are dead after a horrific crash involving an attempted hit-and-run driver Thursday in the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, authorities confirmed to KTLA.   Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department responded to reports of the crash near Arlington Avenue and 29th Street at just before 12 p.m.   According to police, the male driver of a black BMW sedan traveling southbound on Arlington Avenue at a high rate of speed rearended a parked UPS truck, possibly sending the sedan airborne where it collided with several cars traveling northbound, as well as other vehicles parked on the street.   A female in the front passenger seat and a male in the backseat were both ejected from the BMW.   Medical personnel with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the location and declared both victims dead at the scene.   Moments after the collision, witnesses told police that the driver of the BMW exited the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot.   “Some Good Samaritans gave chase, stayed with him as they called 911,” Det. Ryan Moreno said. “He was eventually

Zelenskyy tells CBS News that Ukraine will lose without U.S. aid

Zelenskyy tells CBS News that Ukraine will lose without U.S. aid – CBS News Watch CBS News Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CBS News he needs more weapons and funding from the U.S. to keep fighting Russia. Senior foreign correspondent Charlie D’Agata has the exclusive interview. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Corona student wins second Riverside County Spelling Bee in a row

Make it eight spelling bee crowns in a row for Corona’s Randhawa family. Avijeet Randhawa captured a second consecutive Riverside County Spelling Bee trophy Thursday, March 28. RELATED: Two students win San Bernardino County Spelling Bee, head to national finals The Auburndale Intermediate School eighth grader is the latest Randhawa to spell his way to the championship. Benjamin Curcie, a fifth grader at Harvest Valley Elementary School in Menifee, reacts Thursday, March 28, 2024, after missing a word in the 46th Annual Riverside County Spelling Bee in downtown Riverside. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) Sundeep Randhawa, right, high-fives his son, Corona eighth grader Avijeet Randhawa after he wins first place Thursday, March 28, 2024, at the 46th Annual Riverside County Spelling Bee for the second year in a row. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) Fourth grader Kiyara Gunawardena holds her third-place trophy after the 46th Annual Riverside County Spelling Bee on Thursday, March 28, 2024, in downtown Riverside. She attends Abby Reinke Elementary School in Temecula. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) Fourth grader Kiyara Gunawardena holds her third-place trophy for the 46th

Riverside County offered inmates ‘hush money’ to cover up sex abuse allegations, lawsuits allege

Seven women who allege they were sexually abused or exploited by a former Riverside County correctional deputy are suing the county and Sheriff’s Department, claiming they coordinated a scheme to prevent the women from coming forward and offered them “hush money.” On Tuesday, March 26, Long Beach attorney Denisse O. Gastélum and Los Angeles attorney Christian Contreras filed seven separate lawsuits on behalf of the alleged victims in U.S. District Court in Riverside. Named in the suits is former correctional Deputy Christian Heidecker, who was sentenced earlier this month to five years in prison. The women allege that, for years, the 32-year-old Menifee resident used his position of authority to sexually abuse and torment several females on house arrest. But when Heidecker was caught, the suits allege, the Sheriff’s Department “concocted a plan to cover up the sexual abuse and to prevent the public from hearing the victims’ accounts” of what happened to them. Heidecker, according to the suits, confessed to sexual abuse on Sept. 1, 2023, then agreed to turn himself in on Sept. 15. This, the lawsuits allege, gave the county and Sheriff’s

National Park Service, Forest Service and Fish & Wildlife staff training in Oakhurst this week

OAKHURST, Calif. (KFSN) — Folks from the National Parks Service, National Forest Service and Fish & Wildlife are gathered in the foothills of the Sierra this week. Nearly two dozen people from across the country have gathered in a classroom at Yosemite Adult School in Oakhurst. Nancy Phillipe with Yosemite National Park is one of the instructors teaching the group. “We have students from Olympic National Park here, a student from Theodore Roosevelt which is in North Dakota,” Phillipe said. They’re each here to learn the best ways to get information out to the public in emergency situations such as wild land fires. They will be the individuals who will post on social media and talk to the local news outlets about the fire fight, evacuations and any other necessary information they need to get out to the impacted communities. “These are the folks that you see in the field that are in the know of what’s happening with the incident,” Phillipe said. Hannah Bradburn is taking part in the class. She’s the visual information specialist at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan. “I’ve never

Baltimore bridge collapse: Biden administration approves $60M for bridge costs

BALTIMORE — The Biden administration approved $60 million in emergency relief funds for rebuilding Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge hours after the receiving the request from the state of Maryland, the White House said Thursday evening. “The federal emergency funds we’re releasing today will help Maryland begin urgent work, to be followed by further resources as recovery and rebuilding efforts progress,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “President Biden has been clear: the federal government will do everything it takes to help rebuild the bridge and get the Port of Baltimore back open.” Crews in Baltimore are starting to remove the wreckage at the site of Tuesday’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Investigators also plan to continue interviewing Dali crew members aboard the ship. This, while we learn more about the six construction workers caught in the collapse. Two of the victims’ bodies recovered Wednesday, and four are still missing and are others presumed dead. Those construction workers were members of the community and had families who relied on them, according to Maryland officials. As he was moving off

Fresno City Councilmembers request state AG investigate Valley Children’s Hospital

Thursday, March 28, 2024 11:21PM Valley Children’s Healthcare is responding to claims from Fresno City Council regarding the pay of their executives. FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Fresno City Councilmembers Miguel Arias and Gary Bredefeld have signed a letter asking California’s attorney general Rob Bonta to investigate Valley Children’s Hospital’s operations. The video above is from an earlier story and will be updated. The request comes a day after Valley Children’s Healthcare responded to the councilmember’s claims that it uses hospital proceeds to fund executive salaries. RELATED: Valley Children’s Healthcare responds to Fresno City Council regarding pay of CEO In a statement released on Thursday, Board Chair Michael Hanson responded to the council member’s calls for a state investigation into the hospital, writing in part: “It is clear that these two local elected officials – including one in the midst of a political campaign – are simply calling for this investigation today to garner further publicity for themselves. It is disturbing to see elected officials attempt to use children’s healthcare to garner media coverage. Valley Children’s Healthcare has already made public the facts that refute the

Paws on 30: Adopt Moose from Animal Compassion Team

WEATHER ALERT Winter Storm Warning WATCH LIVE Welcome, Manage MyDisney Account Log Out Thursday, March 28, 2024 11:06PM Moose, a 6-month-old mix that might include some Pitbull or American Bulldog, is available for adoption from the Animal Compassion Team. FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Thursdays on Live at Three, Action News will be recognizing the amazing rescues in Central California and helping animals find their forever homes with a segment called Paws on 30. Moose, a 6-month-old mix that might include some Pitbull or American Bulldog, is available for adoption from the Animal Compassion Team. He is ready to shower his future family with all of the affection they could ever wish for. Moose is up to date on all of his age-appropriate vaccines, neutered, and is microchipped. For more information about Moose, click here. Copyright © 2024 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved. Adoption Top Stories

Breaking the Chains holding 10th annual Promise Banquet

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A local non-profit working to break the chains for victims of human trafficking needs your help. ‘Breaking the Chains’ advocates for victims of sex trafficking here in Central California. The Promise Banquet benefiting breaking the chains is Thursday April 18th at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District. You can find ticket information by clicking here. There’s also an option to make a monetary donation. Copyright © 2024 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.

At least 14 hurt as MTA bus is part of multi-vehicle ‘rollover collision’ in South L.A.

At least 14 people were injured in a multi-vehicle collision Thursday afternoon in South Los Angeles that involved a Metro bus, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The Fire Department issued an alert at 3:40 p.m. of a “multi-vehicle collision, with rollover, that included an MTA bus with passengers,” off Crenshaw Boulevard at 39th Street in Baldwin Hills. Firefighters and paramedics were on the scene and had assessed and treated 14 people, including bus riders and other vehicle passengers, according to a 5 p.m. update. Three people were taken to hospitals in “moderate condition” and six in “fair condition.” “The rest declined ambulance transport to an area hospital after being assessed on scene,” officials said. It is unclear how many vehicles were involved in the crash, although NBC Los Angeles reported that at least four were involved. An aerial view of the crash scene. (KTLA) Aerial video by NBC showed one badly damaged car rolled over on its side in the middle of the street, and a van whose side was crumpled. The MTA bus did not appear to be seriously damaged. Another car

‘Adiós, adiós The Conga Room’

LOS ÁNGELES, CA —  Sin duda, es un sentimiento agridulce el que se sintió en el Conga Room de Los Ángeles, el local de música y entretenimiento, que hasta anoche identificamos como el más icónico de la música latina en nuestra ciudad. Tristeza, porque después de 25 años, el Conga Room estaba abriendo sus puertas por última vez a un selecto grupo de invitados especiales entre celebridades, personalidades de la política, artistas, representantes de los medios y otras figuras de nuestra ciudad, quienes se reunieron por última vez en el emblemático local del LA Live del centro de Los Ángeles que la noche del miércoles bajaba el telón para siempre. Pero no todo fue nostalgia y tristeza, al contrario, fue un evento cargado de emociones y sentimientos de mucha algarabía porque el fundador Brad Gluckstein, junto a los co inversionistas Jimmy Smits y Paul Rodríguez se encargaron de encabezar y ser los anfitriones de cierre a la altura de las circunstancias en el que sus invitados vibraron, bailaron y compartieron en la pista de baile, en los espacios reservados, en las zonas VIP y en cada

Jerry Seinfeld made a movie about Pop-Tarts. Yes, the trailer is as goofy as you’d expect

Jerry Seinfeld and his all-star cast are “drunk on sugar-power” in the new trailer for “Unfrosted,” a film that chronicles Pop-Tarts’ origin story. That’s how the comedian described the film in a 2018 tweet when it was just a nebulous concept. “Imagine the drunk on sugar-power Kellogg’s cereal culture of the mid-60’s in Battle Creek, MI,” Seinfeld tweeted. “That’s a vibe I could work with.” Six years later, the trailer for the film was released Thursday, featuring a star-studded ensemble and Seinfeld’s signature lighthearted humor. The film marks the comedian and actor’s directorial debut. Seinfeld stars alongside Melissa McCarthy and Jim Gaffigan as Kellogg’s executives trying to compete with rival company Post Cereal’s new shelf-stable breakfast pastry, “Country Squares.” Amy Schumer and Max Greenfield work for Post and the camps compete to hit shelves first. Hugh Grant, Christian Slater, Bill Burr, Daniel Levy, James Marsden, Jack McBrayer, Peter Dinklage and Fred Armisen round out the cast. “It’s a huge cast. I don’t know how it got so big,” Seinfeld told Netflix ‘s Tudum . “I remember that we had nobody for a long time. And

Betts, Freeman Homer as Dodgers Defeat Cardinals in Home Opener

Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman homered and Shohei Ohtani was 2-for-3 with a walk in his first game as a Dodger at Dodger Stadium in a 7-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in their home opener Thursday. Tyler Glasnow (1-0) and Ryan Yarbrough limited the Cardinals to three hits, all by Paul Goldschmidt, including a fourth-inning homer, in front of a capacity crowd announced at 52,667. The Dodgers quickly benefited from their lineup with three MVPs at the top. Betts, the 2018 American League MVP when he played for the Boston Red Sox, walked on a full count. Ohtani, the unanimous selection as AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 when he played for the Angels, doubled, but wandered too far off second base as Betts held at third and was tagged out. Freeman, the 2020 National League MVP when he played for the Atlanta Braves, singled in Betts. On his 29th birthday, Will Smith singled, advancing Freeman to third. Freeman scored on Max Muncy’s sacrifice fly. The Dodgers announced on Wednesday they had agreed on a 10-year contract extension for $140 million through the

Husband, Wife Accused of Sexually Abusing Minors Arraigned

A Riverside husband and wife accused of sexually abusing a boy and girl a decade ago pleaded not guilty Thursday to multiple felony charges. Jose Cruz Martinez, 47, and Dawn Renee Johnson, 48, were arrested in January following a Riverside Police Department investigation. Martinez is charged with eight counts of lewd acts on a child and four counts of unlawful intercourse with a minor, with a sentence-enhancing allegation of targeting multiple victims in a sex crime. Johnson is charged with four counts each of forcible lewd acts on a child and unlawful intercourse with a minor. They were jointly arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gail O’Rane, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for June 21 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Each defendant is being held in lieu of $2 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail. According to Riverside police Officer Ryan Railsback, the couple allegedly targeted the victims, whose names were not disclosed, in the early 2010s while they were involved in youth programs at a church, which wasn’t named. Specific details regarding the alleged offenses and the circumstances were not

At least 14 injured in multi-vehicle crash involving Metro bus in South L.A.

At least 14 people were injured after a multi-vehicle collision involving a Metro bus in South Los Angeles Thursday. The crash happened on the 3500 block of West 39th Street in Leimert Park at around 3:40 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Sky5 video of the scene showed at least four passenger vehicles involved in the crash — a minivan with a heavily damaged driver’s side, one overturned SUV, a sedan with major front-end damage, and a cargo van.  The Metro bus contained passengers at the time of the crash and was seen stopped on the side of the road. It’s unknown how much damage it sustained. Three people suffered moderate injuries and six others had minor injuries. Those people were transported to the hospital for treatment. The other five people involved declined transport to the hospital. It’s unknown which vehicles they were riding in, but those who were injured included some bus riders and some in passenger cars, authorities said. The crash has blocked several lanes of Crenshaw Boulevard as fire crews and emergency personnel work to clear the wreckage. It’s unclear