latimes--2020-01-15--LAPD gang-framing scandal could have ripple effect on criminal cases

A scandal rocking the Los Angeles Police Department over allegations that members of the LAPD ’ s elite Metro Division falsely portrayed people as gang members is also prompting questions about whether the claims will affect ongoing criminal cases involving the accused officers .
The scope of the allegations are still unclear , but LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the internal investigation now includes 20 officers .
Officers assigned across the city are suspected of falsifying field interview cards from traffic stops and entering incorrect information about those questioned in an effort to boost stop statistics .
So far , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking at potential criminal charges against one officer .
Law enforcement sources told The Times that the LAPD is working with prosecutors to determine whether any criminal cases are tied to the alleged falsified records and whether the investigation casts doubt on any testimony from the accused officers .
That process , the sources said , is ongoing .
Moore said the investigation initially focused on three officers and expanded to others who worked with the original three and then to others who worked with a second group , the chief said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to home and have had their police powers suspended .
Another 10 have been removed from the street because investigators have found discrepancies in their work and “ don ’ t know if it ’ s inaccuracies or falsehoods , ” Moore said .
George Gascon , a former LAPD assistant chief who is seeking to unseat Dist .
Atty .
Jackie Lacey , called on her to pause the prosecutions of any cases involving the officers under investigation .
“ Police are the guardians of our community , ” Gascon said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s trust , it is incumbent upon the district attorney to safeguard the integrity of the system by ensuring that betrayal does not undermine the fair administration of justice.
” It ’ s unclear how many cases could be called into question .
Lacey ’ s office said it was investigating the matter but did not address detailed questions from The Times .
“ Our office is following an established process to ensure we fulfill our constitutional and statutory discovery obligations and updating our Discovery Compliance System as appropriate , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is still under review and therefore we can not comment further.
” The LAPD said it launched the investigation last year after a Van Nuys mother received a letter in early 2019 informing her that her son had been identified as a gang member .
She believed her son was misidentified and reported it to a supervisor at a nearby police station .
The supervisor immediately reviewed body camera footage and other information and found inaccuracies in the officer ‘ s statements .
The department removed the woman ’ s son from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ internal investigation had found multiple cases in which body-cam videos did match what officers had documented in their paperwork , he pledged that the department was working to understand the “ depth and breadth ” of the scandal .

LAPD Chief Michel Moore says the department is trying to understand the “depth and breadth” of the accusations against his officers.
A scandal rocking the Los Angeles Police Department over allegations that members of the LAPD’s elite Metro Division falsely portrayed people as gang members is also prompting questions about whether the claims will affect ongoing criminal cases involving the accused officers.
The scope of the allegations are still unclear, but LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the internal investigation now includes 20 officers. Officers assigned across the city are suspected of falsifying field interview cards from traffic stops and entering incorrect information about those questioned in an effort to boost stop statistics.
So far, the Los Angeles County district attorney is looking at potential criminal charges against one officer.
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Law enforcement sources told The Times that the LAPD is working with prosecutors to determine whether any criminal cases are tied to the alleged falsified records and whether the investigation casts doubt on any testimony from the accused officers. That process, the sources said, is ongoing.
Moore said the investigation initially focused on three officers and expanded to others who worked with the original three and then to others who worked with a second group, the chief said.
Moore said 10 officers have been assigned to home and have had their police powers suspended. Another 10 have been removed from the street because investigators have found discrepancies in their work and “don’t know if it’s inaccuracies or falsehoods,” Moore said.
George Gascon, a former LAPD assistant chief who is seeking to unseat Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey, called on her to pause the prosecutions of any cases involving the officers under investigation.
“Police are the guardians of our community,” Gascon said. “When our guardians betray the public’s trust, it is incumbent upon the district attorney to safeguard the integrity of the system by ensuring that betrayal does not undermine the fair administration of justice.”
It’s unclear how many cases could be called into question.
Lacey’s office said it was investigating the matter but did not address detailed questions from The Times.
“Our office is following an established process to ensure we fulfill our constitutional and statutory discovery obligations and updating our Discovery Compliance System as appropriate,” the statement said. “The underlying matter is still under review and therefore we cannot comment further.”
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The LAPD said it launched the investigation last year after a Van Nuys mother received a letter in early 2019 informing her that her son had been identified as a gang member. She believed her son was misidentified and reported it to a supervisor at a nearby police station. The supervisor immediately reviewed body camera footage and other information and found inaccuracies in the officer‘s statements. The department removed the woman’s son from the gang database.
While Moore said the internal investigation had found multiple cases in which body-cam videos did match what officers had documented in their paperwork, he pledged that the department was working to understand the “depth and breadth” of the scandal.


latimes--2020-01-15--Justice Ming Chin to retire from California Supreme Court, giving Newsom his first appointment

California Supreme Court Justice Ming W. Chin said Wednesday that he will step down Aug. 31 , giving Gov .
Gavin Newsom an early opportunity to put his stamp on the state ’ s highest court .
Chin , 77 , joined the court nearly 25 years ago , becoming its first Chinese American justice .
At the start , the appointee of then-Gov .
Pete Wilson , a Republican , was considered a moderate voice on what was then a conservative court .
Now the seven-member court has a Democratic majority for the first time in decades , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Chin will turn 78 on the day of his retirement and announced it Wednesday to give Newsom plenty of time to vet candidates for his first appointment to the state high court .
The next appointee will give the court five of seven justices chosen by Democrats .
Newsom said he was surprised to learn about Chin ’ s retirement and joked that some may “ shudder ” when they hear he ’ ll be filling the seat .
He called the responsibility “ sacrosanct.
” “ I don ’ t do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Newsom told reporters at a news conference on homelessness in Fresno on Wednesday afternoon .
“ We have a very , very deliberative process that ’ s also not political , and we vet people.
” Noting that his father was an appellate judge , Newsom said he would look at candidates ’ qualifications , where they live and whether they represent the diversity of the state .
Still , Newsom ’ s appointee is expected to be more liberal than Chin and will likely tilt the court leftward .
The moderately conservative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ penalty and inclined to rule for prosecutors .
For years he was considered the court ’ s most expert justice on forensic evidence .
He dissented with two other justices from the court ’ s historic 2008 decision to overturn California ’ s ban on same-sex marriage , arguing it was up to the electorate or the Legislature to decide the question .
Among the possible candidates for Chin ’ s seat is Court of Appeal Justice Therese Stewart , one of the legal leaders in the fight for same-sex marriage .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she defended then-Mayor Newsom ’ s decision in 2004 to defy the marriage ban .
Former Chief Justice Ronald M. George , the author of the decision against the ban , later cited her legal acumen in the case .
Voters soon overturned the marriage decision by passing Proposition 8 , which eventually was struck down , and former Gov .
Jerry Brown put Stewart on a San Francisco-based court of appeal in 2014 .
If elevated , Stewart would become the court ’ s first openly gay justice .
Chin also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Through much of his career he has been active in groups designed to overcome ethnic prejudice , and has cited as his heroes the Rev .
Martin Luther King Jr. , whom Chin once met , and Indian pacifist leader Mohandas K. Gandhi , the latter because of his influence in Asia .
In applying for a judgeship in 1989 , Chin wrote : “ I am very proud to have opened some doors for others of my ancestry , but I will be most proud when it is no longer unusual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positions in which I have had the privilege to serve.
” The son of uneducated Chinese immigrants and the youngest of eight children , Chin grew up working seven days a week on his family ’ s potato farm near Klamath Falls , Ore. As a boy , he learned to operate a tractor , Jeep , hay baler and combine .
During an interview , Chin recalled that he and his family sometimes were denied rooms at motels because of their race .
“ We would seek accommodations , driving back and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into motels , vacancy signs blazing in the window , ” he remembered .
“ But there would be no room for us in that establishment.
” When he was about 10 , he said , he suggested to his father that it would be good to live in Klamath Falls .
“ Oh , no , ” he said his father replied .
“ They don ’ t let Chinese live there.
” “ Maybe you can do something about it some day , ” he said his dad told him .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and earned a Bronze Star .
He was educated at Jesuit schools , from high school through college , receiving both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of San Francisco .
He began his legal career as a prosecutor in Alameda County but left after only a few years for private practice .
Then-Gov .
George Deukmejian appointed him to the Alameda Country trial bench and later elevated him to the San Francisco-based Court of Appeal .
At a 1996 news conference on his appointment to the state ’ s top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was that his parents did not live to see him attain the honor .
“ Only in America could the son of a Chinese immigrant farmer rise to sit on this state ’ s highest court , ” he said in a quivering voice as he accepted the appointment .
The new justice was immediately thrust into controversy after saying in response to reporters ’ questions that he supported abortion rights .
Shortly after he was confirmed , he joined a four-judge majority to overturn a state law requiring minors to obtain parents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ targeted him , and he had to assemble a campaign for his first retention election .
Despite the opposition , he was easily retained .
Among Chin ’ s many court decisions was a 1996 ruling that allowed battered woman syndrome to be used as part of a murder suspect ’ s self-defense claim , a decision that he singled out Wednesday as one of his favorites .
“ My first assignment as a trial judge was in family law , and I taught family law at USF , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I think , an important part of what judges do .
We have to handle them very carefully.
” Another decision he cited with pride was Sargon Enterprises Inc. vs. USC .
Chin , in a 2012 unanimous decision , wrote that trial judges had a duty to exclude speculative expert testimony .
He also authored a 2001 decision that said gun manufacturers weren ’ t liable for negligence even if their weapons were used in a crime .
He said he has no regrets about any of the 350 majority decisions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100 concurrences and dissents .
“ I haven ’ t been one to second guess , ” he said .
He noted that a Court of Appeal justice once told him his rulings were known for their clarity and courage .
“ If that is what is written about me in 50 years , I would be happy , ” he said .
Chin has been active in helping Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and other judicial leaders run the branch , and his decision to retire will likely leave a void on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system .
Cantil-Sakauye called his loss to the courts “ incalculable ” and praised him for helping the court system embrace technology to expand public access .
“ He has been a valuable mentor who took me under his wing when I first became chief justice , ” said Cantil-Sakauye , who was appointed by Gov .
Arnold Schwarzenegger .
“ Before he joined the bench , he spent years performing at the very highest levels of the legal profession and is an accomplished teacher and lecturer.
” Chin and his wife , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years and have two children — Jennifer Chin , who is senior counsel for the University of California ’ s Office of the President , and Jason Chin , an Alameda County Superior Court judge — and five grandchildren .

Justice Ming Chin, right, announced Wednesday that he will retire from the California Supreme Court in August. The departure of Chin, shown in 2016 with Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuellar and Justice Kathryn Werdegar, creates the first vacancy on the court to be filled by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
California Supreme Court Justice Ming W. Chin said Wednesday that he will step down Aug. 31, giving Gov. Gavin Newsom an early opportunity to put his stamp on the state’s highest court.
Chin, 77, joined the court nearly 25 years ago, becoming its first Chinese American justice. At the start, the appointee of then-Gov. Pete Wilson, a Republican, was considered a moderate voice on what was then a conservative court.
Now the seven-member court has a Democratic majority for the first time in decades, and Chin is considered its most conservative member.
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Chin will turn 78 on the day of his retirement and announced it Wednesday to give Newsom plenty of time to vet candidates for his first appointment to the state high court. The next appointee will give the court five of seven justices chosen by Democrats.
Newsom said he was surprised to learn about Chin’s retirement and joked that some may “shudder” when they hear he’ll be filling the seat. He called the responsibility “sacrosanct.”
“I don’t do this from an ideological lens,” Newsom told reporters at a news conference on homelessness in Fresno on Wednesday afternoon. “We have a very, very deliberative process that’s also not political, and we vet people.”
Noting that his father was an appellate judge, Newsom said he would look at candidates’ qualifications, where they live and whether they represent the diversity of the state.
Still, Newsom’s appointee is expected to be more liberal than Chin and will likely tilt the court leftward.
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California Ming Chin waves after being acknowledged during a joint session of the California Legislature in Sacramento on Jan. 21, 2016. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
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The moderately conservative Chin has been supportive of the death penalty and inclined to rule for prosecutors. For years he was considered the court’s most expert justice on forensic evidence.
He dissented with two other justices from the court’s historic 2008 decision to overturn California’s ban on same-sex marriage, arguing it was up to the electorate or the Legislature to decide the question.
Among the possible candidates for Chin’s seat is Court of Appeal Justice Therese Stewart, one of the legal leaders in the fight for same-sex marriage. A former chief deputy San Francisco city attorney, she defended then-Mayor Newsom’s decision in 2004 to defy the marriage ban. Former Chief Justice Ronald M. George, the author of the decision against the ban, later cited her legal acumen in the case.
Voters soon overturned the marriage decision by passing Proposition 8, which eventually was struck down, and former Gov. Jerry Brown put Stewart on a San Francisco-based court of appeal in 2014. If elevated, Stewart would become the court’s first openly gay justice.
Chin also was a pioneer because of his ethnicity. Through much of his career he has been active in groups designed to overcome ethnic prejudice, and has cited as his heroes the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., whom Chin once met, and Indian pacifist leader Mohandas K. Gandhi, the latter because of his influence in Asia.
In applying for a judgeship in 1989, Chin wrote: “I am very proud to have opened some doors for others of my ancestry, but I will be most proud when it is no longer unusual for minorities to hold the kinds of positions in which I have had the privilege to serve.”
The son of uneducated Chinese immigrants and the youngest of eight children, Chin grew up working seven days a week on his family’s potato farm near Klamath Falls, Ore. As a boy, he learned to operate a tractor, Jeep, hay baler and combine.
During an interview, Chin recalled that he and his family sometimes were denied rooms at motels because of their race.
“We would seek accommodations, driving back and forth around Klamath Falls, and drive into motels, vacancy signs blazing in the window,” he remembered. “But there would be no room for us in that establishment.”
When he was about 10, he said, he suggested to his father that it would be good to live in Klamath Falls.
“Oh, no,” he said his father replied. “They don’t let Chinese live there.”
“Why not?” the boy asked.
“Maybe you can do something about it some day,” he said his dad told him.
Chin later served in the Vietnam War and earned a Bronze Star.
He was educated at Jesuit schools, from high school through college, receiving both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of San Francisco.
He began his legal career as a prosecutor in Alameda County but left after only a few years for private practice. Then-Gov. George Deukmejian appointed him to the Alameda Country trial bench and later elevated him to the San Francisco-based Court of Appeal.
At a 1996 news conference on his appointment to the state’s top court, Chin said his only sorrow was that his parents did not live to see him attain the honor.
“Only in America could the son of a Chinese immigrant farmer rise to sit on this state’s highest court,” he said in a quivering voice as he accepted the appointment.
The new justice was immediately thrust into controversy after saying in response to reporters’ questions that he supported abortion rights.
Shortly after he was confirmed, he joined a four-judge majority to overturn a state law requiring minors to obtain parents’ consent for abortions. Anti-abortion activists targeted him, and he had to assemble a campaign for his first retention election. Despite the opposition, he was easily retained.
Among Chin’s many court decisions was a 1996 ruling that allowed battered woman syndrome to be used as part of a murder suspect’s self-defense claim, a decision that he singled out Wednesday as one of his favorites.
“My first assignment as a trial judge was in family law, and I taught family law at USF,” he said. “So these domestic violence situations are, I think, an important part of what judges do. We have to handle them very carefully.”
Another decision he cited with pride was Sargon Enterprises Inc. vs. USC. Chin, in a 2012 unanimous decision, wrote that trial judges had a duty to exclude speculative expert testimony.
He also authored a 2001 decision that said gun manufacturers weren’t liable for negligence even if their weapons were used in a crime.
He said he has no regrets about any of the 350 majority decisions he wrote for the court or his 100 concurrences and dissents.
“I haven’t been one to second guess,” he said.
He noted that a Court of Appeal justice once told him his rulings were known for their clarity and courage.
“If that is what is written about me in 50 years, I would be happy,” he said.
Chin has been active in helping Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and other judicial leaders run the branch, and his decision to retire will likely leave a void on the administrative side of California’s court system.
Cantil-Sakauye called his loss to the courts “incalculable” and praised him for helping the court system embrace technology to expand public access.
“He has been a valuable mentor who took me under his wing when I first became chief justice,” said Cantil-Sakauye, who was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “Before he joined the bench, he spent years performing at the very highest levels of the legal profession and is an accomplished teacher and lecturer.”
Chin and his wife, Carol, have been married for 48 years and have two children — Jennifer Chin, who is senior counsel for the University of California’s Office of the President, and Jason Chin, an Alameda County Superior Court judge — and five grandchildren.
Times staff writer Phil Willon contributed to this report from Fresno.


latimes--2020-01-15--Winter storm barreling toward L.A. is expected to bring rain and snow

The area ’ s first winter storm of the new year is expected to unleash rain , gusty wind and mountain snow across Southern California , which could lead to road closures , including the Grapevine , forecasters said Wednesday .
The storm , which originated in the Gulf of Alaska , will hit Northern California first before moving south , with experts warning of a wet commute Thursday .
The system is expected to bring about 24 hours of rain and cold temperatures , but by Friday , the region will dry out with a warming trend into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the storm will move into the Sierra Nevada on Wednesday , and officials are urging against travel in the Northern California mountains because of heavy snow .
Coastal and valley areas are likely to get a quarter to three-quarters of an inch of rain .
The lower mountains and foothills are expected to receive more — up to 1½ inches — according to the National Weather Service .
“ It looks like there ’ s some good moisture with this system , so we ’ ll be getting some good rainfall amounts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weather service meteorologist in Oxnard .
“ Definitely more than just a sprinkle.
” The chilly storm will also drop snow levels .
Elevations 5,500 feet and higher could see 4 to 8 inches of powder , while those 4,500 to 5,500 feet are expected to get 2 to 4 inches .
With significant snow expected in Southern California ’ s mountain areas , road closures for Angeles Crest Highway , Highway 33 and the Grapevine section of Interstate 5 are anticipated , Phillips said .
Wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experiencing the strongest blasts , she said .
The fresh snowfall will be good news for the state ’ s plush snowpack , which provides about 30 % of the annual water supply for the state .
The spring and summer snowmelt feeds rivers and reservoirs and eventually is distributed to various water agencies for farm irrigation , landscaping and urban drinking supplies .
Forecasts are suggesting a chance of light rain early next week , but after a wet December , “ January is looking like a dud , ” said Bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Jet Propulsion Laboratory .
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ’ s outlook for Jan. 22-28 shows below-average precipitation for most of California , especially Southern California , while temperatures are expected to be above normal .
“ We ’ re not expecting any other real concerns with this , ” Phillips said of Thursday ’ s storm .
“ Sometimes with winter storms , we deal with problems in burn areas that ’ ll bring down dirt and mud .
We ’ re not expecting heavy rainfall to expect that type @ @ @ @

The area’s first winter storm of the new year is expected to unleash rain, gusty wind and mountain snow across Southern California, which could lead to road closures, including the Grapevine, forecasters said Wednesday.
The storm, which originated in the Gulf of Alaska, will hit Northern California first before moving south, with experts warning of a wet commute Thursday. The system is expected to bring about 24 hours of rain and cold temperatures, but by Friday, the region will dry out with a warming trend into the weekend.
After what has been a mostly dry January , the storm will move into the Sierra Nevada on Wednesday, and officials are urging against travel in the Northern California mountains because of heavy snow.
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Coastal and valley areas are likely to get a quarter to three-quarters of an inch of rain. The lower mountains and foothills are expected to receive more — up to 1½ inches — according to the National Weather Service.
“It looks like there’s some good moisture with this system, so we’ll be getting some good rainfall amounts,” said Lisa Phillips, a weather service meteorologist in Oxnard. “Definitely more than just a sprinkle.”
The chilly storm will also drop snow levels. Elevations 5,500 feet and higher could see 4 to 8 inches of powder, while those 4,500 to 5,500 feet are expected to get 2 to 4 inches.
With significant snow expected in Southern California’s mountain areas, road closures for Angeles Crest Highway, Highway 33 and the Grapevine section of Interstate 5 are anticipated, Phillips said. Wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph are also anticipated, with mountain areas experiencing the strongest blasts, she said.
The fresh snowfall will be good news for the state’s plush snowpack, which provides about 30% of the annual water supply for the state. The spring and summer snowmelt feeds rivers and reservoirs and eventually is distributed to various water agencies for farm irrigation, landscaping and urban drinking supplies.
Forecasts are suggesting a chance of light rain early next week, but after a wet December, “January is looking like a dud,” said Bill Patzert, former climatologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s outlook for Jan. 22-28 shows below-average precipitation for most of California, especially Southern California, while temperatures are expected to be above normal.
“We’re not expecting any other real concerns with this,” Phillips said of Thursday’s storm. “Sometimes with winter storms, we deal with problems in burn areas that’ll bring down dirt and mud. We’re not expecting heavy rainfall to expect that type of problem.”
Times staff writer Paul Duginski contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-01-15--Michael Avenatti ordered to stay in jail as his criminal trials begin

A federal judge revoked the bail of Los Angeles attorney Michael Avenatti on Wednesday and ordered him jailed while awaiting trial on three indictments , saying new allegations of fraud and money laundering show he poses a danger to the public .
Judge James V. Selna of U.S. District Court in Santa Ana agreed with prosecutors that it appeared Avenatti had broken federal and state laws by hiding $ 1 million from one of his ex-wives and other creditors after his arrest in March .
Avenatti was escorted out of the courtroom by a uniformed U.S .
Marshals agent .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he tried to extort more than $ 20 million from sports giant Nike , is set to begin next week in New York federal court .
Avenatti was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon at a California State Bar Court hearing .
The State Bar is seeking to block him from practicing law while he faces bank fraud , tax evasion and other charges in the three federal indictments .
Prosecutors have accused him of stealing millions from his own clients .
In court documents unsealed Wednesday , federal prosecutors allege that Avenatti @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fees in April as part of a client ’ s settlement but concealed the money from his second ex-wife , Lisa Storie-Avenatti , tax collectors and other creditors .
Avenatti , who gained fame as the lawyer for adult-film star Stormy Daniels , has denied wrongdoing .
His lawyer , H. Dean Steward , acknowledged at the court hearing Wednesday that Avenatti tried to keep his creditors from getting the $ 1 million but thought everything he did was legal .
Steward said Avenatti was working to pay off his debts and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in any specific order .
“ He ’ s done as well as he can on that , but he ’ s way behind , no doubt about that , ” Steward told the judge .
Avenatti was one of President Trump ’ s fiercest critics on cable news for months after Daniels went public in 2018 with her allegation that Trump had paid her $ 130,000 to keep quiet about their alleged one-night stand .
Avenatti briefly considered running for president , but since then has been mired in legal and financial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he will face a second federal trial in New York on charges of stealing from Daniels by skimming money from her deal to write a memoir detailing her alleged affair with Trump .
After that , Avenatti is to be tried in Santa Ana federal court on the most sweeping of the three cases .
He is accused of fraud , perjury , failure to pay taxes , embezzlement and other financial crimes .
Prosecutors allege he stole millions of dollars from five clients and used a tangle of shell companies and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the new court papers , prosecutors describe elaborate steps Avenatti allegedly took to hide the $ 1 million he received five weeks after his arrest last year by shifting it through multiple bank accounts and splitting it into a carefully timed sequence of cashier ’ s checks .
Avenatti used the money to cover rent on his luxury apartment in Century City , pay his legal bills and buy a $ 50,000 Mercedes-Benz , according to the court documents .
He initially tried to buy the car in his own name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Christine Avenatti Carlin , to put it in her name instead , prosecutors allege .
He drew from the $ 1 million to pay his personal driver , they said .
“ Everything he does is to keep the money in his own pockets and not pay the people who have court-ordered judgments against him , ” Assistant U.S. Atty .
Brett A. Sagel told the judge at the hearing .
Avenatti also used the money to pay membership fees to Exclusive Resorts , an elite vacation club with luxury properties in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where he stayed at least four times after his initial arrest , prosecutors allege .
He allowed a girlfriend to stay at an Exclusive Resorts property in Italy , they said .
Prosecutors noted that Avenatti had an Italian passport when he was arrested last year and said his girlfriend ’ s trip to Tuscany raised questions about whether he ’ d hidden assets in Europe .
At the time Avenatti was spending the $ 1 million , according to the court document , he personally owed Lisa Storie-Avenatti about $ 2.5 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He was also under court order to pay a $ 5-million judgment to his former law partner Jason Frank and a $ 2.2-million judgment to a former Santa Barbara County client , William Parrish .
Since at least May , Avenatti “ has brazenly attempted to defraud and conceal his assets from these creditors , ” prosecutors argued in the papers they filed to secure an arrest warrant on Tuesday .
Avenatti ’ s lawyers accused prosecutors of abusing their power to help Frank collect the money that Avenatti owes him , saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the case was a friend and former colleague of Frank ’ s law partner Andrew Stolper , a former prosecutor .
Prosecutors denied the allegation .
One of the conditions of Avenatti ’ s bail was that he not violate federal , state or local laws while awaiting trial .
Prosecutors said it appeared Avenatti ’ s hiding of the $ 1 million had broken federal wire and mail fraud laws , as well as a federal law that bars the structuring of bank withdrawals to evade reporting to the government of currency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seemed to violate California fraud and money-laundering laws and a Washington state fraud law , they argued .
Avenatti personally owed Washington tax authorities more than $ 1.5 million due to the failure of his defunct coffee business to pay its payroll taxes , prosecutors said .
At the end of the court hearing , Judge Selna said he agreed with prosecutors that Avenatti ’ s handling of the $ 1 million was probably illegal .
He said he also agreed that Avenatti posed an economic danger to the public if he remained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep committing crimes .
“ I believe that the danger to the community is real and palpable , ” Selna said .

Michael Avenatti was arrested and accused of violating his bail conditions by committing fraud to conceal assets from creditors.
A federal judge revoked the bail of Los Angeles attorney Michael Avenatti on Wednesday and ordered him jailed while awaiting trial on three indictments, saying new allegations of fraud and money laundering show he poses a danger to the public.
Judge James V. Selna of U.S. District Court in Santa Ana agreed with prosecutors that it appeared Avenatti had broken federal and state laws by hiding $1 million from one of his ex-wives and other creditors after his arrest in March.
Avenatti was escorted out of the courtroom by a uniformed U.S. marshal. His first criminal trial, on charges that he tried to extort more than $20 million from sports giant Nike, is set to begin this month in New York federal court.
Avenatti was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon at a California State Bar Court hearing. The state bar is seeking to block him from practicing law while he faces bank fraud, tax evasion and other charges in the three federal indictments. Prosecutors have accused him of stealing millions from his own clients.
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In court documents unsealed Wednesday, federal prosecutors allege that Avenatti received the $1 million in legal fees in April as part of a client’s settlement but concealed the money from his second ex-wife, Lisa Storie-Avenatti, tax collectors and other creditors.
Avenatti, who gained fame as the lawyer for adult film star Stormy Daniels, has denied wrongdoing.
His lawyer, H. Dean Steward, acknowledged at the court hearing Wednesday that Avenatti tried to keep his creditors from getting the $1 million but thought everything he did was legal. Steward said that Avenatti was working to pay off his debts and that no law required him to do so in any specific order.
“He’s done as well as he can on that, but he’s way behind, no doubt about that,” Steward told the judge.
Avenatti was one of President Trump’s fiercest critics on cable news for months after Daniels went public in 2018 with her allegation that Trump had paid her $130,000 to keep quiet about their alleged one-night stand. Avenatti briefly considered running for president but since then has been mired in legal and financial troubles.
After the Nike case concludes, he will face a second federal trial in New York on charges that he stole from Daniels by skimming money from her deal to write a memoir detailing her alleged affair with Trump.
After that, Avenatti is to be tried in Santa Ana federal court on the most sweeping of the three cases. He is accused of fraud, perjury, failure to pay taxes, embezzlement and other financial crimes. Prosecutors allege he stole millions of dollars from five clients and used a tangle of shell companies and bank accounts to cover up the theft.
In the new court papers, prosecutors describe elaborate steps Avenatti allegedly took to hide the $1 million he received five weeks after his arrest last year by shifting it through multiple bank accounts and splitting it into a carefully timed sequence of cashier’s checks.
Avenatti used the money to cover rent on his luxury apartment in Century City, pay his legal bills and buy a $50,000 Mercedes-Benz, according to the court documents.
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He initially tried to buy the car in his own name but then worked with his first ex-wife, Christine Avenatti Carlin, to put it in her name instead, prosecutors allege. He drew from the $1 million to pay his personal driver, they said.
“Everything he does is to keep the money in his own pockets and not pay the people who have court-ordered judgments against him,” Assistant U.S. Atty. Brett A. Sagel told the judge at the hearing.
Politics Must Reads: Michael Avenatti’s life of luxury hangs by a thread as IRS comes calling Long before he was Stormy Daniels’ lawyer, well before he was accused of trying to shake down Nike for millions of dollars, Michael Avenatti was an Orange County plaintiff’s attorney living a luxe life adorned with fast cars, high-end properties and expensive jewelry.
Avenatti also used the money to pay membership fees to Exclusive Resorts, an elite vacation club with luxury properties in Florida, New York and California, where he stayed at least four times after his initial arrest, prosecutors allege. He allowed a girlfriend to stay at an Exclusive Resorts property in Italy, they said.
Prosecutors noted that Avenatti had an Italian passport when he was arrested last year and said his girlfriend’s trip to Tuscany raised questions about whether he’d hidden assets in Europe.
At the time Avenatti was spending the $1 million, according to the court document, he personally owed Lisa Storie-Avenatti about $2.5 million under spousal and child-support court orders. He was also under court order to pay a $5-million judgment to his former law partner Jason Frank and a $2.2-million judgment to a former Santa Barbara County client, William Parrish.
Prosecutors say Irvine lawyer Jason Frank, above, is one of the creditors Michael Avenatti has tried to dodge. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Since at least May, Avenatti “has brazenly attempted to defraud and conceal his assets from these creditors,” prosecutors argued in the papers they filed to secure an arrest warrant Tuesday.
Avenatti’s lawyers accused prosecutors of abusing their power to help Frank collect the money that Avenatti owes him, saying one of the assistant U.S. attorneys on the case was a friend and former colleague of Frank’s law partner Andrew Stolper, a former prosecutor. Prosecutors denied the allegation.
Politics Must Reads: Avenatti accused of embezzling nearly $2 million that NBA player paid ex-girlfriend When Hassan Whiteside of the Miami Heat wired $2.75 million to Michael Avenatti in January 2017, the pro basketball player intended most of the money to go to his former girlfriend, Alexis Gardner.
One of the conditions of Avenatti’s bail was that he not violate federal, state or local laws while awaiting trial.
Prosecutors said it appeared Avenatti’s hiding of the $1 million had broken federal wire and mail fraud laws, as well as a federal law that bars the structuring of bank withdrawals to evade reporting to the government of currency transactions above $10,000.
It also seemed to violate California fraud and money-laundering laws and a Washington state fraud law, they argued. Avenatti personally owed Washington tax authorities more than $1.5 million because of the failure of his defunct coffee business to pay its payroll taxes, prosecutors said.
At the end of the court hearing, Judge Selna said he agreed with prosecutors that Avenatti’s handling of the $1 million was probably illegal. He said he also agreed that Avenatti posed an economic danger to the public if he remained free on bail, because he was likely to keep committing crimes.
“I believe that the danger to the community is real and palpable,” Selna said.


latimes--2020-01-15--ACLU says Orange County, cities violated sanctuary law when 2 men were detained by ICE

Kelvin Hernandez Román was driving a friend ’ s car in Tustin in July when police stopped him because the tinted windows on the vehicle were too dark .
Though he was arrested on suspicion of auto theft and possession of forged documents , he was never charged with those crimes .
Still , he found himself in immigrant detention days later .
That same month , Jose Maldonado was arrested in Huntington Park on suspicion of public intoxication .
He was picked up by immigration officials while leaving the police station after spending a night in jail .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filed complaints this week against Orange County and the cities of Tustin and Huntington Park .
The ACLU alleges that the county and cities violated the California Values Act when local law enforcement turned the men over to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency .
The California Values Act , the so-called sanctuary state law , was signed by Gov .
Jerry Brown in 2017 and restricts local law enforcement ’ s cooperation with ICE .
“ When police and sheriffs detain local residents for ICE , it has devastating effects for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is also illegal , ” Jessica Karp Bansal , senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Southern California , said in a statement .
“ We are closely monitoring compliance with the California Values Act to make sure that local law enforcement agencies are held accountable for harmful violations.
” When Hernandez Román , 32 , was stopped in Tustin on July 13 , two police officers ordered him to step out of the car and began questioning him about his immigration status , including asking what country he was from , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Román told them he did not have legal status and asked why the officer wanted to know .
The officer responded that they were routine questions , the claim states .
Lt. Andrew Birozy , a spokesman for the Tustin Police Department , said it is not a policy or practice to ask the immigration status of any members of the community .
Birozy declined to comment about the specifics of the case , saying it involves an active investigation .
A day after he was taken into custody , Hernandez Román was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where Orange County sheriff ’ s deputies told him that “ ICE was coming for him , ” the claim states .
About an hour later , private security guards placed him in handcuffs and transported him to an ICE processing center in Los Angeles .
From there , he was taken to the Adelanto Detention Center , where he remains in custody .
Orange County sheriff ’ s spokeswoman Carrie Braun said the department complies with state law and is looking into the circumstances of the case .
“ OCSD strongly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law enforcement should not be enforcing immigration law .
We have never , do not , and will not arrest individuals on the street for violation of immigration law , ” she said .
“ It is not our charge and doing so could hinder the relationships we have worked hard to develop with the immigrant communities we serve .
“ Cooperating with ICE in a custody setting makes possible the removal of criminals who pose a threat to all members of the community .
We have an obligation to protect all members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that includes preventing those who have committed crimes from returning to the neighborhoods they prey upon , ” Braun said .
Last year , the Orange County Sheriff ’ s Department announced it would end its more than decadelong agreement with federal immigration officials to house some detainees in the county jail system to free up space for better treatment of mentally ill inmates .
Until last year , Orange County was among a few large counties that continued to work with ICE in a state that has become increasingly accommodating of immigrants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal status .
The ACLU alleges that Maldonado was detained longer than normal — roughly seven hours — after he was arrested by the Huntington Park Police Department on July 15 on suspicion of being intoxicated in public .
According to the claim , this was done at the behest of ICE to give agents enough time to pick him up as he was being released from custody .
Maldonado is facing allegations of immigration violation and is out on bail .
The ACLU has accused the Huntington Park Police Department of regularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal custody , even after the California Values Act went into effect .
The organization contends that 29 people were transferred by the police department to ICE custody between January 2018 and August 2019 .
Huntington Park officials declined to comment on the details of the case and said in a statement that the city is fully cooperating with the ACLU .
“ The department is assessing ACLU ’ s claim that there were additional instances and into its internal controls to ensure complete adherence to the California Values Act , ” Police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The ACLU said the agencies caused both men emotional distress and is seeking $ 100,000 in damages for each , as well as U visa certification — given to crime victims who are immigrants — based on allegations that the men were falsely imprisoned .

Kelvin Hernandez Román was driving a friend’s car in Tustin in July when police stopped him because the tinted windows on the vehicle were too dark.
Though he was arrested on suspicion of auto theft and possession of forged documents, he was never charged with those crimes. Still, he found himself in immigrant detention days later.
That same month, Jose Maldonado was arrested in Huntington Park on suspicion of public intoxication. He was picked up by immigration officials while leaving the police station after spending a night in jail.
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The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California filed complaints this week against Orange County and the cities of Tustin and Huntington Park. The ACLU alleges that the county and cities violated the California Values Act when local law enforcement turned the men over to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
The California Values Act, the so-called sanctuary state law, was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2017 and restricts local law enforcement’s cooperation with ICE.
“When police and sheriffs detain local residents for ICE, it has devastating effects for their families and their communities. It is also illegal,” Jessica Karp Bansal, senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Southern California, said in a statement. “We are closely monitoring compliance with the California Values Act to make sure that local law enforcement agencies are held accountable for harmful violations.”
When Hernandez Román, 32, was stopped in Tustin on July 13, two police officers ordered him to step out of the car and began questioning him about his immigration status, including asking what country he was from, the ACLU alleges in its claim.
Hernandez Román told them he did not have legal status and asked why the officer wanted to know. The officer responded that they were routine questions, the claim states.
Lt. Andrew Birozy, a spokesman for the Tustin Police Department, said it is not a policy or practice to ask the immigration status of any members of the community. Birozy declined to comment about the specifics of the case, saying it involves an active investigation.
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A day after he was taken into custody, Hernandez Román was transferred to the Theo Lacy jail facility, where Orange County sheriff’s deputies told him that “ICE was coming for him,” the claim states. About an hour later, private security guards placed him in handcuffs and transported him to an ICE processing center in Los Angeles. From there, he was taken to the Adelanto Detention Center, where he remains in custody.
Orange County sheriff’s spokeswoman Carrie Braun said the department complies with state law and is looking into the circumstances of the case.
“OCSD strongly agrees with those who argue that local law enforcement should not be enforcing immigration law. We have never, do not, and will not arrest individuals on the street for violation of immigration law,” she said. “It is not our charge and doing so could hinder the relationships we have worked hard to develop with the immigrant communities we serve.
“Cooperating with ICE in a custody setting makes possible the removal of criminals who pose a threat to all members of the community. We have an obligation to protect all members of the communities we serve, and that includes preventing those who have committed crimes from returning to the neighborhoods they prey upon,” Braun said.
Last year, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department announced it would end its more than decadelong agreement with federal immigration officials to house some detainees in the county jail system to free up space for better treatment of mentally ill inmates. Until last year, Orange County was among a few large counties that continued to work with ICE in a state that has become increasingly accommodating of immigrants, including those in the country without legal status.
The ACLU alleges that Maldonado was detained longer than normal — roughly seven hours — after he was arrested by the Huntington Park Police Department on July 15 on suspicion of being intoxicated in public. According to the claim, this was done at the behest of ICE to give agents enough time to pick him up as he was being released from custody. Maldonado is facing allegations of immigration violation and is out on bail.
The ACLU has accused the Huntington Park Police Department of regularly working with ICE to transfer individuals to federal custody, even after the California Values Act went into effect. The organization contends that 29 people were transferred by the police department to ICE custody between January 2018 and August 2019.
Huntington Park officials declined to comment on the details of the case and said in a statement that the city is fully cooperating with the ACLU.
“The department is assessing ACLU’s claim that there were additional instances and into its internal controls to ensure complete adherence to the California Values Act,” Police Chief Cosme Lozano said in the statement.
The ACLU said the agencies caused both men emotional distress and is seeking $100,000 in damages for each, as well as U visa certification — given to crime victims who are immigrants — based on allegations that the men were falsely imprisoned.


latimes--2020-01-15--Tough questions for Delta after pilots dump jet fuel on schoolchildren

Angry city officials in Cudahy are demanding to know why a Delta jet making an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport dropped fuel over a playground , dousing schoolchildren , when federal rules call on pilots to dump fuel in unpopulated areas .
“ Sadly , our entire community has been adversely impacted by this incident , including dozens of children , ” Cudahy City Councilman Jack Guerrero said .
“ I am calling for a full federal investigation into the matter and expect full accountability from responsible parties.
” Dozens of people — many of them children — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one was seriously injured .
Still , the fuel dump over the area has sparked alarm and calls for answers .
Delta spokesperson Adrian Gee said the pilots were forced to dump fuel over an urban area to reduce the plane ’ s weight before the return landing .
Delta Flight 89 had taken off from LAX with 149 passengers and was en route to Shanghai when it turned around and headed back to the airport because of engine trouble .
The nonstop flight is typically 13 hours long .
This one lasted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the — a Boeing 777 — north over Malibu within four minutes after takeoff at 11:32 a.m. , according to , a firm that maintains airline path data across the globe .
Experts have said that fuel drops are highly unusual and that there are some questions about what happened Tuesday .
To make an emergency landing , a pilot will try to get the airplane down to its landing weight so there are more options in case of an aborted landing attempt .
How and where a fuel dump occurs depends on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Haueter , former director of the National Transportation Safety Board ’ s Office of Aviation Safety .
The Federal Aviation Administration and most airlines want pilots to dump fuel over unpopulated areas , such as an ocean , said Douglas Moss , an aviation consultant and a retired United Airlines pilot .
That point was also made in a statement issued Tuesday by the FAA .
“ The FAA is thoroughly investigating the circumstances behind today ’ s incident involving a Delta Air Lines flight that was returning to Los Angeles International Airport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aircraft operating into and out of any major U.S. airport .
These procedures call for fuel to be dumped over designated unpopulated areas , typically at higher altitudes so the fuel atomizes and disperses before it reaches the ground , ” the agency said in a statement .
Pilots will typically alert air traffic controllers of the emergency fuel release , and the air traffic controllers will try to direct the plane , said Haueter , who now serves as a consultant on aviation safety and accident investigations .
The drop will typically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so the fuel vaporizes before hitting the ground .
But if there is a severe emergency , plans may change .
“ The real key is to know what ’ s the nature of the emergency , ” Haueter said .
According to Flightradar24 , Tuesday ’ s flight never got above 8,000 feet and was at about 2,300 feet when it passed over Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy at 11:53 a.m .
The plane showered jet fuel on schoolchildren below .
In an emergency , the captain is “ authorized to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Moss said .
“ He still tries to adhere to as many of the rules as he can , but the bottom line is , his actions must be in the best interest of safety.
” Ross Aimer , chief executive of Aero Consulting Experts , said fuel dumping is very rare .
“ I don ’ t remember anyone dumping fuel over population , ” he said .

Ruben Vives, Matt Stiles, Samantha Masunaga, Colleen Shalby, Andrew J. Campa

Student Marianna Torres, 11, center, cries as she evacuates Park Avenue Elementary School after jet fuel fell on the school in Cudahy.
Angry city officials in Cudahy are demanding to know why a Delta jet making an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport dropped fuel over a playground, dousing schoolchildren, when federal rules call on pilots to dump fuel in unpopulated areas.
“Sadly, our entire community has been adversely impacted by this incident, including dozens of children,” Cudahy City Councilman Jack Guerrero said. “I am calling for a full federal investigation into the matter and expect full accountability from responsible parties.”
Dozens of people — many of them children — were treated by paramedics, but no one was seriously injured.
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Still, the fuel dump over the area has sparked alarm and calls for answers.
Emergency workers at Park Avenue Elementary in Cudahy after the jet fuel dump. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Delta spokesperson Adrian Gee said the pilots were forced to dump fuel over an urban area to reduce the plane’s weight before the return landing.
Delta Flight 89 had taken off from LAX with 149 passengers and was en route to Shanghai when it turned around and headed back to the airport because of engine trouble.
The nonstop flight is typically 13 hours long. This one lasted about 25 minutes.
The pilots took the plane — a Boeing 777 — north over Malibu within four minutes after takeoff at 11:32 a.m., according to Flightradar24 , a firm that maintains airline path data across the globe.
Experts have said that fuel drops are highly unusual and that there are some questions about what happened Tuesday.
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To make an emergency landing, a pilot will try to get the airplane down to its landing weight so there are more options in case of an aborted landing attempt. How and where a fuel dump occurs depends on the type of emergency, said Tom Haueter, former director of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Office of Aviation Safety.
The Federal Aviation Administration and most airlines want pilots to dump fuel over unpopulated areas, such as an ocean, said Douglas Moss, an aviation consultant and a retired United Airlines pilot.
× Communications between air traffic controllers and the Delta pilot raise questions about why fuel was dumped over Cudahy roughly 20 minutes into the flight.
That point was also made in a statement issued Tuesday by the FAA.
“The FAA is thoroughly investigating the circumstances behind today’s incident involving a Delta Air Lines flight that was returning to Los Angeles International Airport. There are special fuel-dumping procedures for aircraft operating into and out of any major U.S. airport. These procedures call for fuel to be dumped over designated unpopulated areas, typically at higher altitudes so the fuel atomizes and disperses before it reaches the ground,” the agency said in a statement.
Pilots will typically alert air traffic controllers of the emergency fuel release, and the air traffic controllers will try to direct the plane, said Haueter, who now serves as a consultant on aviation safety and accident investigations.
The drop will typically happen at an altitude of 5,000 feet so the fuel vaporizes before hitting the ground. But if there is a severe emergency, plans may change. “The real key is to know what’s the nature of the emergency,” Haueter said.
According to Flightradar24, Tuesday’s flight never got above 8,000 feet and was at about 2,300 feet when it passed over Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy at 11:53 a.m. The plane showered jet fuel on schoolchildren below.
In an emergency, the captain is “authorized to break any rule in the book,” Moss said. “He still tries to adhere to as many of the rules as he can, but the bottom line is, his actions must be in the best interest of safety.”
Ross Aimer, chief executive of Aero Consulting Experts, said fuel dumping is very rare.
“I don’t remember anyone dumping fuel over population,” he said.


latimes--2020-01-15--Lopez: An empty hospital. An exploding homeless crisis. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

It was Sunday past and Patricia McVerry , a West L.A. resident and self-described newspaper addict , was reading the L.A. Times when she came upon the story of St. Vincent Medical Center ’ s impending closure after roughly 150 years in business .
“ I said to my husband , ‘ How come they can ’ t think about using this for some of our homeless population ?
’ ” said McVerry , who emailed me her pitch .
She asked me to “ run this up the flagpole ” with local officials and she thanked me in advance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first thing her proposal made me noodle was how great it is that so many people are engaged in looking for solutions to the humanitarian crisis of our time .
We need all the good ideas we can get .
Sure , Gov .
Gavin Newsom is on a “ homeless tour ” after asking for another $ 1 billion to finance solutions , and his state-appointed commission just turned in a couple of dozen recommendations , including one that would require cities and counties to figure it out sooner rather than later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , light a candle and pray that 2020 is the year things begin to turn around .
But private citizens are getting tired of waiting for public officials to take the lead , and they often send me their own ideas .
Some of them are pretty good .
I routinely hear , for example , from readers who spot vacant buildings here or there and wonder why they can ’ t be taken advantage of at a time when roughly 60,000 people are homeless in L.A. County .
Here ’ s one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I just wanted to ask if you ’ re aware of an abandoned and very large 5 floor LA city-owned property that is at 401 North Ave 19 , ” wrote Marty Bracciotti .
“ I see this building every morning on my way to the civic center and wonder what ’ s up ...
It makes me wonder how many other buildings LA has that can be converted to shelter the homeless and help this exploding problem.
” That particular building was once the Lincoln Heights Jail .
I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but I did find a 2016 document stating that the city “ seeks potential development partners ” in turning the 229,000 square feet into offices , a school or lofts .
Do we need any of those things as much as we need affordable housing ?
The answer is no .
And by the way , we don ’ t need lawsuits like the one aimed at derailing the 100-bed homeless shelter already approved for an unused plot of land near the Mulholland Fountain on Riverside Drive at the eastern edge of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents and property owners argue that the city skirted local and state regulations in approving the temporary housing facility .
I lived in that neighborhood for many years , so I know it well .
There are no homes particularly close , and I can ’ t think of a better location for such a shelter , especially given all the homeless people now living on nearby streets and along the L.A. River .
We have an emergency , folks .
Quit complaining about the problem without being part of solving it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vincent .
From the intersection of 3rd and Alvarado in Los Angeles , home of the 366-bed hospital , you could go in any direction and find a homeless encampment before traveling far .
So the pending closure of the hospital , founded in 1858 by the Daughters of Charity to serve the poor and currently owned by a nonprofit that ’ s in bankruptcy proceedings , seems like both a tragic story and a great opportunity .
“ There are a lot of private rooms , each with a bathroom , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my colleague Alejandra Reyes-Velarde ’ s story on the hospital running out of prayers after more than 150 years in business .
“ There are offices in which social workers could provide assistance to those who need help , ” McVerry went on .
“ It wouldn ’ t even have to be limited to the homeless but could provide housing to seniors or others who can pay rent but not at LA rent levels.
” When I spoke to McVerry , a tax attorney , she said she had read about how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ housing units ( up to three years ) and how much they have cost ( $ 500,000 or so per unit ) .
She just wondered if the hospital rooms could provide readily available housing at a much lower cost .
Not an easy question to answer .
St. Vincent is owned by Verity Health System , which took the hospital into bankruptcy in 2018 .
A judge approved the closure last week after a sale fell through .
Among the bankruptcy creditors is the hospital system ’ s former management company , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entrepreneur-physician Patrick Soon-Shiong ’ s company NantWorks .
Soon-Shiong also owns the L.A. Times .
John Romley , a health economics professor at USC , said the current valuation of the building and equipment at St. Vincent is $ 41 million .
Let ’ s say for argument ’ s sake that ’ s what you ’ d have to pay to buy it : Divide it by 366 beds and you get $ 112,000 per unit , which is about $ 400,000 less than L.A. has been paying for permanent supportive housing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are small , without kitchens , and it ’ s hard to quickly assess the cost of turning hospital rooms into housing units .
But hey , we ’ re in crisis here .
And maybe you wouldn ’ t have to do much .
Thousands of L.A. 's homeless people suffer serious mental illness , and there ’ s long been a shortage of short- and long-term facilities to treat them .
The number of homeless people dealing with physical illness and addiction is also in the thousands , and more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in L.A. County .
How can you have that many people dying , some of them practically on St. Vincent ’ s doorstep , and not find a way to keep the hospital open as an acute care or addiction rehab facility of some type ?
And if that were to happen , that could save the jobs of hundreds of current employees whose fate is unknown .
When I texted L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti Monday night to ask about the chance of snapping up St. Vincent , he said he ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supermarket parking lot .
The problem , he said , is that the city and county don ’ t have enough cash sitting around to buy the place .
But Garcetti said it wasn ’ t out of the question for the city , the county and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to jointly lease or rent St. Vincent , and his staff is researching the possibility .
It ’ s not clear whether bankruptcy proceedings , still not completed , would complicate such an agreement , nor is anything about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point .
So it may be a long shot .
But like I ’ ve been saying , we have to be more creative , double up on what works and try new things as well .
That means taking stock again of every available asset and running wild ideas up the flagpole now and again , The closure of a local institution like St. Vincent , with its history of compassionate care , is hard enough to take .
Seeing it boarded up for years to come , while people live and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even more tragic .
And Verity Health may be thinking along the same lines .
When I asked the hospital company for a comment , I got this from CEO Rich Adcock : “ Following its closure , Verity will pursue an alternative sale path for St. Vincent Medical Center — it is our hope that a future buyer will be able to identify a use that honors the facility ’ s decades-long legacy of service to the community .
”

It was Sunday past and Patricia McVerry, a West L.A. resident and self-described newspaper addict, was reading the L.A. Times when she came upon the story of St. Vincent Medical Center’s impending closure after roughly 150 years in business.
“I said to my husband, ‘How come they can’t think about using this for some of our homeless population?’” said McVerry, who emailed me her pitch. She asked me to “run this up the flagpole” with local officials and she thanked me in advance for “noodling this idea.”
The first thing her proposal made me noodle was how great it is that so many people are engaged in looking for solutions to the humanitarian crisis of our time. We need all the good ideas we can get.
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Sure, Gov. Gavin Newsom is on a “homeless tour” after asking for another $1 billion to finance solutions, and his state-appointed commission just turned in a couple of dozen recommendations, including one that would require cities and counties to figure it out sooner rather than later. So you can cross your fingers, light a candle and pray that 2020 is the year things begin to turn around.
But private citizens are getting tired of waiting for public officials to take the lead, and they often send me their own ideas. Some of them are pretty good. I routinely hear, for example, from readers who spot vacant buildings here or there and wonder why they can’t be taken advantage of at a time when roughly 60,000 people are homeless in L.A. County.
Here’s one that came in just before Christmas:
“I just wanted to ask if you’re aware of an abandoned and very large 5 floor LA city-owned property that is at 401 North Ave 19,” wrote Marty Bracciotti. “I see this building every morning on my way to the civic center and wonder what’s up ... It makes me wonder how many other buildings LA has that can be converted to shelter the homeless and help this exploding problem.”
That particular building was once the Lincoln Heights Jail. I don’t know what its current status is, but I did find a 2016 document stating that the city “seeks potential development partners” in turning the 229,000 square feet into offices, a school or lofts.
Do we need any of those things as much as we need affordable housing?
The answer is no.
And by the way, we don’t need lawsuits like the one aimed at derailing the 100-bed homeless shelter already approved for an unused plot of land near the Mulholland Fountain on Riverside Drive at the eastern edge of Griffith Park. A group of nearby residents and property owners argue that the city skirted local and state regulations in approving the temporary housing facility.
A homeless man who goes by KD holds his puppy Eve while he sits inside of his tent near downtown Los Angeles. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
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I lived in that neighborhood for many years, so I know it well. There are no homes particularly close, and I can’t think of a better location for such a shelter, especially given all the homeless people now living on nearby streets and along the L.A. River.
We have an emergency, folks. Quit complaining about the problem without being part of solving it.
But let me get back to St. Vincent.
From the intersection of 3rd and Alvarado in Los Angeles, home of the 366-bed hospital, you could go in any direction and find a homeless encampment before traveling far.
So the pending closure of the hospital, founded in 1858 by the Daughters of Charity to serve the poor and currently owned by a nonprofit that’s in bankruptcy proceedings, seems like both a tragic story and a great opportunity.
“There are a lot of private rooms, each with a bathroom,” McVerry said her email after she saw my colleague Alejandra Reyes-Velarde’s story on the hospital running out of prayers after more than 150 years in business.
“There are offices in which social workers could provide assistance to those who need help,” McVerry went on. “It wouldn’t even have to be limited to the homeless but could provide housing to seniors or others who can pay rent but not at LA rent levels.”
When I spoke to McVerry, a tax attorney, she said she had read about how long it has taken to build supportive housing units (up to three years) and how much they have cost ($500,000 or so per unit). She just wondered if the hospital rooms could provide readily available housing at a much lower cost.
Not an easy question to answer.
St. Vincent is owned by Verity Health System, which took the hospital into bankruptcy in 2018. A judge approved the closure last week after a sale fell through. Among the bankruptcy creditors is the hospital system’s former management company, Integrity Healthcare, which is controlled by entrepreneur-physician Patrick Soon-Shiong’s company NantWorks. Soon-Shiong also owns the L.A. Times.
John Romley, a health economics professor at USC, said the current valuation of the building and equipment at St. Vincent is $41 million. Let’s say for argument’s sake that’s what you’d have to pay to buy it: Divide it by 366 beds and you get $112,000 per unit, which is about $400,000 less than L.A. has been paying for permanent supportive housing units. Of course, the rooms are small, without kitchens, and it’s hard to quickly assess the cost of turning hospital rooms into housing units. But hey, we’re in crisis here.
And maybe you wouldn’t have to do much. Thousands of L.A.’s homeless people suffer serious mental illness, and there’s long been a shortage of short- and long-term facilities to treat them. The number of homeless people dealing with physical illness and addiction is also in the thousands, and more than 1,000 homeless deaths were recorded last year in L.A. County.
How can you have that many people dying, some of them practically on St. Vincent’s doorstep, and not find a way to keep the hospital open as an acute care or addiction rehab facility of some type? And if that were to happen, that could save the jobs of hundreds of current employees whose fate is unknown.
St. Vincent Medical Center is planning to close after 150 years. (Reed Saxon/AP)
When I texted L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti Monday night to ask about the chance of snapping up St. Vincent, he said he’d just gotten that same question in a supermarket parking lot. The problem, he said, is that the city and county don’t have enough cash sitting around to buy the place.
But Garcetti said it wasn’t out of the question for the city, the county and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to jointly lease or rent St. Vincent, and his staff is researching the possibility. It’s not clear whether bankruptcy proceedings, still not completed, would complicate such an agreement, nor is anything about the fate of the building clear at this point.
So it may be a long shot.
But like I’ve been saying, we have to be more creative, double up on what works and try new things as well. That means taking stock again of every available asset and running wild ideas up the flagpole now and again,
The closure of a local institution like St. Vincent, with its history of compassionate care, is hard enough to take. Seeing it boarded up for years to come, while people live and die on nearby streets, would be even more tragic.
And Verity Health may be thinking along the same lines. When I asked the hospital company for a comment, I got this from CEO Rich Adcock:
“Following its closure, Verity will pursue an alternative sale path for St. Vincent Medical Center — it is our hope that a future buyer will be able to identify a use that honors the facility’s decades-long legacy of service to the community.”


latimes--2020-01-15--This firm spent big to see if 'earthquake lights' could warn of temblors. It didn't work

Aerospace engineer Tom Bleier tramped up a Bay Area hill on a recent weekday to inspect a sensor designed to detect whether the nearby San Andreas fault was about to shake the earth .
It was part of a network of 115 sensors deployed along the California coast to act as ears capable of picking up these hints , called electromagnetic precursors .
If they exist , they could serve as an early warning system for earthquakes .
They could also provide a key to understanding spooky electric discharges known as “ earthquake lights , ” which some seismologists say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and during certain seismic events .
Bleier had reason to look forlorn .
After spending 20 years and $ 30 million , he and other engineers at Stellar Solution Inc. ’ s QuakeFinder.com project never snared a clear indicator of a deadly seismic hazard .
But that didn ’ t keep them from trying .
In December , Stellar Solutions slashed the project ’ s operating funds — a victim of the company ’ s decision to focus on its more productive defense and satellite work .
Its data analyses team was dismantled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who recently retired , volunteers in a two-man skeleton crew tasked with simply keeping the sensors running through 2020 .
“ If our funding goes completely dry , ” Bleier said , “ we ’ ll pull the sensors out of the ground , ending the only project of its kind in the United States.
” Bleier ’ s research is separate from the U.S. Geological Survey ’ s early warning system that feeds apps such as MyShake and ShakeAlertLA , designed to warn people about expected shaking coming from distant earthquakes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that originally held much promise .
Like the search for evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence , scientists have been hunting unsuccessfully for decades to establish the existence of precursors .
Similarly , some researchers have faced derision for latching onto phenomena thought to precede quakes — strange animal behavior , shifts in underground water pressure , electromagnetic emissions , weird lights .
The USGS acknowledges that tectonic stress may , under certain conditions , generate electromagnetic pulses which , upon reaching the surface , could create luminosities ranging from incandescent orbs to aurora-like curtains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a study to confirm their existence is out of the question .
“ That would be a death-knell of a career move because earthquake prediction is not thought to be a promising path in general , ” said Susan Hough , a seismologist with the USGS in Pasadena .
Her book , “ Predicting the Unpredictable : The Tumultuous Science of Earthquake Prediction , ” points out that nobody sounded the alarm before the 2010 quake in Haiti that killed an estimated 100,000 people ; the 2010 quake in Chile that killed 525 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Japan in 2011 that killed 15,000 people and triggered a tsunami that severely damaged a nuclear power plant .
“ Who wants to say , ‘ I ’ m going to be the world ’ s greatest expert on earthquake lights ?
’ ” she asked .
The answer to that question is Bleier , for one .
“ I ’ ll never give up the search , ” said the self-described “ geek in a positive sense ” who persuaded Celeste Ford , chief executive officer and founder of Stellar Solutions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ humanitarian R & D initiative .
“ We ’ ve given our hearts and souls to QuakeFinder , ” Ford said in an interview .
“ But pinning down precursors is not a one-company job.
” The bottom line : It takes about $ 4 million a year to operate its sensors in earthquake-prone regions including California , Peru , Taiwan , Greece , Chile and Indonesia and pay staffers to process the data they gather .
“ That ’ s an awful lot of money for one company to shoulder forever , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re hitting the pause button.
” A month ago , the results of QuakeFinder ’ s search for earthquake pulses from 2005 to 2018 were published in the scientific journal Computers and Geosciences .
To hear QuakeFinder tell it , they suggest that small precursor signals exist , but they are masked by natural and man-made background electromagnetic noise .
“ We need to figure out a way to extract that signal from all that noise , ” Bleier said .
“ That would require more funding.
” The project ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a former USGS geophysicist whose report on earthquake lights in the 1973 issue of the Geological Survey ’ s Earthquake Information Bulletin drew widespread attention , including from the New York Times .
“ Precursors could be used to develop an earthquake warning system , ” Derr , 78 , said .
“ If that isn ’ t important , I ’ ll eat my hat !
” “ Unfortunately , ” he added , “ this subject is on the dark side of seismology and could destroy your career if you study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a retired NASA scientist and adjunct professor at San Jose State University who has investigated dozens of accounts of earthquake lights .
Stellar Solutions provided the lion ’ s share of QuakeFinder ’ s funding since it was launched in 1994 , but other donors including NASA and billionaire Elon Musk pulled out their checkbooks .
Its sensors and a footlong satellite launched into orbit on a Russian rocket in 2003 were intended to be the first step toward development of precise earthquake forecasts .
But the satellite quit working after 18 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sensitive that engineers haven ’ t been able to separate potential whispers of quake pulses from natural and man-made background noise .
The magnitude 6 South Napa earthquake of 2014 near San Francisco didn ’ t pick up enough blips to indicate an imminent quake .
“ That was a giant disappointment , ” Bleier said .
Bleier is scrambling to keep the project alive .
Proposals under consideration include a “ contest ” that would invite participants to sift through 70 terabytes of data collected over the last two decades .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there that could potentially save lives and property .

Tom Bleier, recently retired chief technology officer for QuakeFinder, with a magnetometer and ion system used to measure magnetic field changes and air ion detection underground that helps in forecasting earthquakes.
Aerospace engineer Tom Bleier tramped up a Bay Area hill on a recent weekday to inspect a sensor designed to detect whether the nearby San Andreas fault was about to shake the earth.
It was part of a network of 115 sensors deployed along the California coast to act as ears capable of picking up these hints, called electromagnetic precursors. If they exist, they could serve as an early warning system for earthquakes.
They could also provide a key to understanding spooky electric discharges known as “earthquake lights,” which some seismologists say can burst out of the ground before and during certain seismic events.
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Bleier had reason to look forlorn. After spending 20 years and $30 million, he and other engineers at Stellar Solution Inc.’s QuakeFinder.com project never snared a clear indicator of a deadly seismic hazard. But that didn’t keep them from trying.
A budget cutback did.
In December, Stellar Solutions slashed the project’s operating funds — a victim of the company’s decision to focus on its more productive defense and satellite work. Its data analyses team was dismantled, perhaps indefinitely.
Bleier, 74, who recently retired, volunteers in a two-man skeleton crew tasked with simply keeping the sensors running through 2020.
Tom Bleier, recently retired chief technology officer for QuakeFinder, holds a positive and negative ion sensor used to detect air ionization coming from the ground, to help forecast earthquakes. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
“If our funding goes completely dry,” Bleier said, “we’ll pull the sensors out of the ground, ending the only project of its kind in the United States.”
Bleier’s research is separate from the U.S. Geological Survey’s early warning system that feeds apps such as MyShake and ShakeAlertLA, designed to warn people about expected shaking coming from distant earthquakes. But its demise shutters a project that originally held much promise.
Advertisement
Like the search for evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence, scientists have been hunting unsuccessfully for decades to establish the existence of precursors. Similarly, some researchers have faced derision for latching onto phenomena thought to precede quakes — strange animal behavior, shifts in underground water pressure, electromagnetic emissions, weird lights.
The USGS acknowledges that tectonic stress may, under certain conditions, generate electromagnetic pulses which, upon reaching the surface, could create luminosities ranging from incandescent orbs to aurora-like curtains of blue and white light.
But a study to confirm their existence is out of the question.
“That would be a death-knell of a career move because earthquake prediction is not thought to be a promising path in general,” said Susan Hough, a seismologist with the USGS in Pasadena.
Her book, “Predicting the Unpredictable: The Tumultuous Science of Earthquake Prediction,” points out that nobody sounded the alarm before the 2010 quake in Haiti that killed an estimated 100,000 people; the 2010 quake in Chile that killed 525 people, or the quake that rocked Japan in 2011 that killed 15,000 people and triggered a tsunami that severely damaged a nuclear power plant.
“Who wants to say, ‘I’m going to be the world’s greatest expert on earthquake lights?’” she asked.
The answer to that question is Bleier, for one. “I’ll never give up the search,” said the self-described “geek in a positive sense” who persuaded Celeste Ford, chief executive officer and founder of Stellar Solutions, to take on the project as a humanitarian R&D initiative.
“We’ve given our hearts and souls to QuakeFinder,” Ford said in an interview. “But pinning down precursors is not a one-company job.”
The bottom line: It takes about $4 million a year to operate its sensors in earthquake-prone regions including California, Peru, Taiwan, Greece, Chile and Indonesia and pay staffers to process the data they gather.
“That’s an awful lot of money for one company to shoulder forever,” Ford said. “So, we’re hitting the pause button.”
A month ago, the results of QuakeFinder’s search for earthquake pulses from 2005 to 2018 were published in the scientific journal Computers and Geosciences.
To hear QuakeFinder tell it, they suggest that small precursor signals exist, but they are masked by natural and man-made background electromagnetic noise. “We need to figure out a way to extract that signal from all that noise,” Bleier said. “That would require more funding.”
The project’s loyal supporters include John Derr, a former USGS geophysicist whose report on earthquake lights in the 1973 issue of the Geological Survey’s Earthquake Information Bulletin drew widespread attention, including from the New York Times.
“Precursors could be used to develop an earthquake warning system,” Derr, 78, said. “If that isn’t important, I’ll eat my hat!”
“Unfortunately,” he added, “this subject is on the dark side of seismology and could destroy your career if you study it.”
Another proponent is Friedemann Freund, a retired NASA scientist and adjunct professor at San Jose State University who has investigated dozens of accounts of earthquake lights.
Stellar Solutions provided the lion’s share of QuakeFinder’s funding since it was launched in 1994, but other donors including NASA and billionaire Elon Musk pulled out their checkbooks.
Its sensors and a footlong satellite launched into orbit on a Russian rocket in 2003 were intended to be the first step toward development of precise earthquake forecasts.
But the satellite quit working after 18 months, and the sensors are so sensitive that engineers haven’t been able to separate potential whispers of quake pulses from natural and man-made background noise.
The magnitude 6 South Napa earthquake of 2014 near San Francisco didn’t pick up enough blips to indicate an imminent quake. “That was a giant disappointment,” Bleier said.
Bleier is scrambling to keep the project alive. Proposals under consideration include a “contest” that would invite participants to sift through 70 terabytes of data collected over the last two decades. He remains convinced there is a breakthrough out there that could potentially save lives and property.


latimes--2020-01-15--L.A. Unified pays $25 million to settle sexual misconduct cases

The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday agreed to pay more than $ 25 million to settle lawsuits over alleged sexual misconduct .
Some cases were related to well-known incidents of abuse at Telfair and De La Torre elementary schools , for which teachers went to jail .
Others never led to convictions .
The larger settlements are about $ 2 million per student .
Officials with L.A. Unified like to believe they ’ ve turned the page on the worst employee misconduct following a spate of high-profile cases , and they can cite a long list of new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questioned the district ’ s commitment to reform .
“ No one has a full account of how many children have been abused , how many cases they ’ ve settled , ” said attorney John Manly , who represented some of the victims .
“ This board has made every effort to keep it secret .
That is troubling .
There is a culture at LAUSD that accepts this as a cost of doing business.
” “ There is nothing more important than the safety of our students , ” Holmquist said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ excuse the behavior of those who preyed upon these children , we are relieved that we could resolve these matters without putting the children through further litigation.
” Payments totaling $ 10 million will go to five former students at De La Torre Elementary in Wilmington and settlements totaling $ 8.4 million will go to four former Telfair students .
The district has already paid $ 88 million in settlements to 30 students and their families at the two schools .
But even these amounts were dwarfed by more than $ 200 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Miramonte Elementary teacher Mark Berndt , who also went to prison .
L.A. Unified is in litigation with insurance companies over who must pay these costs .
The other settlements approved Tuesday involved alleged sexual misconduct at Vista Middle School in Panorama City , Leonis High School in Woodland Hills and El Sereno Elementary School in El Sereno .
The Telfair case involved former third-grade teacher Paul Chapel , who was hired by L.A. Unified in 1988 and kept on staff despite a 1997 arrest and criminal trial over the alleged sexual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That case resulted in a hung jury , and prosecutors chose not to retry him .
Several teachers at his first district school , Andasol Elementary in Northridge , and at Telfair had complained about his behavior , according to court documents .
Teachers said Chapel placed children on his lap , closed his classroom door when he had students inside during lunch and recess , and tried to take them on unauthorized field trips .
In March 2011 , a parent complained to the principal that Chapel would kiss boys and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several children and confirmed the allegations but allowed Chapel to remain in the classroom for six more weeks until he was removed April 15 , 2011 .
Chapel received a 25-year prison term following his 2012 conviction for lewd acts with 13 children .
In 2015 , a Los Angeles jury awarded two Telfair victims a total of $ 6 million .
The De La Torre case involved teacher Robert Pimentel , who pleaded no contest in 2014 to charges that he sexually abused four girls between 2002 and 2012 .
He was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Newport Beach Police Department investigated Pimentel for alleged sexual abuse against four victims between 2005 and 2007 , but did not file charges because of a lack of evidence .
Some of the eventual charges resulted from incidents at De La Torre Elementary that occurred after senior administrators at the district became aware of concerns raised by parents in 2009 .
The district is not liable for a teacher ’ s actions “ unless the district knew or had reason to know there was a pedophile , ” Manly said .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ document and retain allegations against employees , while also focusing on better training for recognizing and reporting abuse .
Officials also set up a special investigations unit .
Some teachers and union leaders even accused the district of going too far with a zero-tolerance policy that netted employees who turned out to be innocent .
“ We remain vigilant in our efforts to protect students from harm , ” Holmquist said .
Attorney Michael Carrillo , whose firm has battled the district over the last decade , said he gives L.A. Unified some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the concern that new cases continue to emerge periodically .
“ I commend the district for recognizing that they were negligent and working to resolve these cases for the well-being of the children involved , ” Carrillo said .
“ Changes can still be made to protect future children but for these kids , they can hopefully heal and work towards a brighter future ahead .
”

The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday agreed to pay more than $25 million to settle lawsuits over alleged sexual misconduct. Some cases were related to well-known incidents of abuse at Telfair and De La Torre elementary schools, for which teachers went to jail. Others never led to convictions. The larger settlements are about $2 million per student.
Officials with L.A. Unified like to believe they’ve turned the page on the worst employee misconduct following a spate of high-profile cases, and they can cite a long list of new safeguards. But attorneys for the victims questioned the district’s commitment to reform.
“No one has a full account of how many children have been abused, how many cases they’ve settled,” said attorney John Manly, who represented some of the victims. “This board has made every effort to keep it secret. That is troubling. There is a culture at LAUSD that accepts this as a cost of doing business.”
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L.A. Unified General Counsel David Holmquist defended the district’s intentions and response.
“There is nothing more important than the safety of our students,” Holmquist said. “While these settlements will not excuse the behavior of those who preyed upon these children, we are relieved that we could resolve these matters without putting the children through further litigation.”
Payments totaling $10 million will go to five former students at De La Torre Elementary in Wilmington and settlements totaling $8.4 million will go to four former Telfair students.
The district has already paid $88 million in settlements to 30 students and their families at the two schools. But even these amounts were dwarfed by more than $200 million in payouts related to the sexual misconduct of Miramonte Elementary teacher Mark Berndt, who also went to prison. L.A. Unified is in litigation with insurance companies over who must pay these costs.
The other settlements approved Tuesday involved alleged sexual misconduct at Vista Middle School in Panorama City, Leonis High School in Woodland Hills and El Sereno Elementary School in El Sereno.
The Telfair case involved former third-grade teacher Paul Chapel, who was hired by L.A. Unified in 1988 and kept on staff despite a 1997 arrest and criminal trial over the alleged sexual abuse of a neighbor’s son. That case resulted in a hung jury, and prosecutors chose not to retry him.
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Several teachers at his first district school, Andasol Elementary in Northridge, and at Telfair had complained about his behavior, according to court documents. Teachers said Chapel placed children on his lap, closed his classroom door when he had students inside during lunch and recess, and tried to take them on unauthorized field trips.
In March 2011, a parent complained to the principal that Chapel would kiss boys and girls in class. The principal interviewed several children and confirmed the allegations but allowed Chapel to remain in the classroom for six more weeks until he was removed April 15, 2011.
Chapel received a 25-year prison term following his 2012 conviction for lewd acts with 13 children.
In 2015, a Los Angeles jury awarded two Telfair victims a total of $6 million.
The De La Torre case involved teacher Robert Pimentel, who pleaded no contest in 2014 to charges that he sexually abused four girls between 2002 and 2012. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
The Newport Beach Police Department investigated Pimentel for alleged sexual abuse against four victims between 2005 and 2007, but did not file charges because of a lack of evidence. Some of the eventual charges resulted from incidents at De La Torre Elementary that occurred after senior administrators at the district became aware of concerns raised by parents in 2009.
The district is not liable for a teacher’s actions “unless the district knew or had reason to know there was a pedophile,” Manly said.
The abuse scandals prompted the district to better document and retain allegations against employees, while also focusing on better training for recognizing and reporting abuse. Officials also set up a special investigations unit. Some teachers and union leaders even accused the district of going too far with a zero-tolerance policy that netted employees who turned out to be innocent.
“We remain vigilant in our efforts to protect students from harm,” Holmquist said.
Attorney Michael Carrillo, whose firm has battled the district over the last decade, said he gives L.A. Unified some credit for coming to terms, tempered by the concern that new cases continue to emerge periodically.
“I commend the district for recognizing that they were negligent and working to resolve these cases for the well-being of the children involved,” Carrillo said. “Changes can still be made to protect future children but for these kids, they can hopefully heal and work towards a brighter future ahead.”