VICTORVILLE — Video has confirmed that a Black man found hanging from a tree at a Southern California homeless encampment killed himself after breaking up with his girlfriend, it was reported Friday. Malcolm Harsch, 38, was found May 31 in a dirt field in Victorville, a desert city northeast of...
Homelessness Deepens in Los Angeles County, Jumps 13%
LOS ANGELES — The number of homeless people counted across Los Angeles County jumped 12.7% over the past year to more than 66,400 and authorities fear that figure will spike again once the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic is felt, officials said Friday. The majority of those experiencing homelessness...
California Mayors to Push for Police Reforms Amid Unrest
LOS ANGELES — Mayors in several of California’s major cities steered away from calls to defund police budgets Wednesday and instead promised to work for reforms that would examine how police do their jobs in communities roiled by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo...
Alaska Airlines Adds Daily Flights Connecting Fresno and LA
Starting on Sept. 1, it will be easier for Valley residents to fly to Los Angeles and back. Alaska Airlines says it will launch twice-daily nonstop flights between Fresno Yosemite International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport on that date. “We’re looking forward to beginning our new service between Fresno...
Man Found Dead Near Scene of Deputy's Shooting in Paso Robles
PASO ROBLES — A man was found fatally shot near where a sheriff's deputy was wounded Wednesday while responding to a report that a gunman was firing shots at a central California police station, and the two incidents were believed to be connected, authorities said. An hours-long search of the...
Los Angeles Officer Charged With Pummeling Unarmed Man
LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles police officer has been charged with assault for punching an unarmed trespassing suspect more than a dozen times in an encounter caught on video by a bystander, prosecutors said Tuesday. Officer Frank Hernandez was charged with assault under color of authority. Video from a bystander...
Mayor in Crisis: Role Shifts for LA's Garcetti Amid Unrest
LOS ANGELES — The outrage over George Floyd's death arrived at Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s front door in the form of hundreds of shouting protesters gathered outside his home, loudly chanting to gut funding for the police department. There was anger about curfews, and the use of rubber bullets...
Protesters Stop LA Freeway Traffic, Smash Patrol Car Windows
LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of people protesting the death of a black man in Minneapolis police custody blocked a Los Angeles freeway and shattered windows of California Highway Patrol cruisers on Wednesday. One demonstrator who jumped from another police vehicle was possibly injured in the rally by Black Lives Matter...
Exclusive: California Wires Mask Dealer Half a Billion Dollars, Then Claws It Back
On March 26, as the coronavirus pandemic was mounting and governors across America scrambled to secure medical supplies, the state of California wired almost a half-billion dollars to a company that had been in business for just three days. The recipient: Blue Flame Medical LLC, a Delaware-based company headed by...
California Cities Project 2-Year Losses of $6.7 Billion
SACRAMENTO — California's 482 cities say they will collectively lose $6.7 billion over the next two years because of the coronavirus pandemic, prompting layoffs and furloughs for public workers and potential cuts to basic services such as sanitation, public safety and housing. But that estimate, compiled by the League of...