One woman tells the NBC4 I-Team it is time to consider the homeless, a group she was once a part of.

The last count found more than 75,000 people are homeless in Los Angeles County and many of them may not realize that they can register to vote, including at county shelters and online.

“The main thing I feel for any homeless person, is you have to learn to become vocal, you know? That’s why we are invisible, because a lot of us tend to be so embarrassed, we don’t want to reach out for help,” Justice Butler said. 

The 65-year-old former radio disc jockey says she found herself homeless at various times in her life, from her hometown of Houston to Los Angeles. She now lives in a studio apartment near McArthur Park.  

One thing that never waned was her desire to be part of the voting process. 

“It means a lot every year, because the first time I’m voting, and I’m teary-eyed because of the people before me, and I’ve really learned to connect to my history,” Butler said. “They died and fought for this right to vote.”

Butler registered to vote while at a Los Angeles city shelter.  

“When I went into the shelter on Skid Row, they gave me all this paperwork to fill out, and one of it was a voter registration card,” she said.  

Her story is not unique.  

California law allows an unhoused or homeless voter to participate in the election, said Dean Logan, who oversees the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.

“They can register to vote, they can list the cross street where they spend the most of their time, where they lay their head at night,” Logan said. 

“They can list the shelter where they’re staying for residents’ purposes that ensures they get the most localized ballot that’s effective for them,” he added. 

Logan tells the NBC4 I-Team, currently there are about 800 voters registered with an intersection address and then another approximately 5,500 voters who registered with a shelter, a church or similar place that provides services. 

Still there is the fact that every active registered voter in California receives a vote by mail ballot. 

“So you can list a mailing address. So a lot of those voters may list even a Department of Social Services address where they’re receiving information about their benefits or they can use a shelter address or a PO box to receive the voting materials,” Logan said.   

He says the fail-safe method remains the in-person vote centers, including mobile ones that the county sends to different neighborhoods.  

“We utilize that program to also go to homelessness encampments that are in North County or out in Long Beach or areas like that to ensure that we have access for those voters,” he said.  

The need goes beyond the homeless population.  

“This is a particular issue in this election because we know that there are a group of citizens who through the end of rent control after the pandemic have been displaced from their homes and may not receive their voting materials because they’re dealing with trying to find a new home or a new place to stay,” Logan said.  

Butler says she is battling a debilitating lung disease and is focused on issues that matter to her this election.  

“It’s about somebody having a plan for healthcare,” she said. 

Her message to others, no matter where they live is, is to vote.

“We got to go out to vote,” she said. “This time, we got to go out and vote, y’all, real.”

Vote by mail ballots have been mailed out.  Some of the dozens of in-person vote centers in Los Angeles County will open as soon as 11 days before election day and people can vote at any location, even registering on site. 

“This is just utterly disgusting,” the retired schoolteacher said about the nation’s largest cemetery, which is in Whittier.

Across the street in the Muslim section of Rose Hills, Dr. Yasamin Farhad also couldn’t find the graves of her grandparents, Asefa and Sakhi Farhad, until workers showed up at her insistence with shovels and started digging up dirt and grass. 

“These people had lives that deserved to be honored,” Farhad told the I-Team.

Both Farhad and Skibby asked the I-Team to accompany them to Rose Hills and investigate.

Using metal probes and shovels, the I-Team found graves in row after row that were completely covered by up by inches of dirt and overgrown grass.

“We’re finding hundreds, probably thousands of graves that have vanished,” remarked Jo Skibby.

What the I-Team found at Rose Hills appears to violate California’s cemetery maintenance standards, including that “grass shall be trimmed or mowed to a level where… individual graves can be seen.”

The I-Team has been investigating problems at cemeteries since 2019 when it found a similar problem at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Cemetery in North Hollywood. Row after row, graves were invisible because they were covered by layers of dirt and grass.

Both Pierce Brothers and Rose Hills are owned by the country’s largest operator of cemeteries, Service Corporation International or SCI.

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The I-Team asked SCI to answer questions about the vanishing graves at Rose Hills, but the corporation declined.

“We are going to pass on the interview,” SCI said in an email to the I-Team, adding that it’s “diligently working to remedy the overgrowth problem in specific areas of the park.”

But Jo Skibby wanted answers from Rose Hills and its owner SCI. 

After she had workers uncover her uncle Winfield Snelson’s grave, the I-Team found vanishing graves on both sides of his plot.

On two occasions, Skibby said she spoke with Rose Hills maintenance workers, including a supervisor, who told her they had only a minimal staff to maintain and uncover graves when they get buried by dirt and grass.

“The workers told me … that they have insufficient people to do the job that they’re being asked to do,” Skibby said.

After the I-Team exposed buried headstones in 2019 at Pierce Brothers in Burbank, Ken Howard filed a complaint with the California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau after finding graves around his aunt’s plot covered up. The state cited and fined Pierce Brothers $1,500, saying it “failed … to refill or reset sunken graves.”

This month the I-Team went back to Pierce Brothers and found all the graves were now visible and apparently well kept.

Now Yasamin Farhad and Jo Skibby are filing complaints with the state over problems at Rose Hills, hoping the state and the cemetery will take action to uncover all the vanishing graves.

“I’m going to follow this to the end,” Skibby said. “I will ensure whatever I can possibly do to make this right. I’m committed to doing.”

A variety of local law enforcement officials say arrests and investigations traditionally prosecuted by the LA County District Attorney’s Office, including certain drug, gang, and gun cases, are being re-routed more frequently by police to federal prosecutors in efforts to obtain harsher penalties.

Some of the most visible examples, the officials said, have been in fentanyl death investigations, where, until recently, DA George Gascón had said he did not support filing murder charges against drug suppliers responsible for overdose deaths, and said through a spokesman in 2021 that increased penalties for drug offenses do not save lives.

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Now, members of a local task force who specialize in drug supplier death investigations are often going directly to federal authorities.

“They no longer had confidence after meeting with upper management, and they have not brought any more cases to the District Attorney’s office,” said Brian Schirn, a 30-year veteran prosecutor and the Head Deputy of the narcotics unit at the DA’s office, speaking to the I-Team as a private citizen, not as a representative for the office.

Multiple law enforcement sources confirmed Schirn’s account, and said there were more than 2 dozen locally-investigated fentanyl cases moving through the federal court system as of September.

Schirn said the October, 2022 accidental fentanyl overdose death of an 18-year-old in Santa Clarita named Jax Markley was a turning point, after one of Gascón’s executives overruled the recommendations of prosecutors to file a second-degree murder charge against the supplier who sold Markley counterfeit pills containing fentanyl.

According to an internal DA’s office memo, Chief Deputy District Attorney Sharon Woo directed the case be filed as an involuntary manslaughter instead, which generally carries a maximum penalty of up to four years in prison.

“We all thought it was an incredibly strong case,” said Schirn, who said he agreed that the case should have been filed as a second degree murder.

Detectives then presented the same information to the US Attorney’s Office, where the drug supplier, Skylar Mitchell, was indicted on a federal charge of distributing fentanyl resulting in death.

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“They plead guilty right away, because it was such a strong and compelling case,” Shirn said of the evidence against Mitchell, who is scheduled to be sentenced in December and faces no less than 10 years in prison, according to federal prosecutors.

Tiffiny Blacknell, Gascón’s Chief of Staff, said Thursday characterized Schirn’s statements as gossip, and also said Schirn openly supported Gascón’s challenger in November’s election.

She said that the federal charge filed in the Markley case, distributing fentanyl resulting in death, is not available in state court, that the decision not to file a murder charge was discretionary and based on the evidence in the case, and that it was a member of the DA’s office senior management who suggested detectives present the case to federal prosecutors.

She added that she was unaware of any other fentanyl related death investigations that were taken to the federal government originating from Los Angeles County, other than 2, “isolated,” incidents over 4 years, and said, “this is not a pattern.”

Mitchell’s defense attorney did not immediately return a request for comment.

A spokesperson for Gascón said in an email earlier this week, “Knowingly selling illegal fentanyl can amount to an act of callous disregard for human life. That’s why our office treats illegal fentanyl sales with the utmost seriousness. We are committed to prosecuting those who illegally distribute fentanyl and other dangerous substances.”

Gascón’s approach shifted recently.

After dismissing drug supplier murder prosecutions as an ineffective strategy in 2021, Gascón’s office filed 3 such cases in 2024, including against Jestice James, a mother accused of child abuse and murder for the deaths of her twins, who authorities said were exposed to fentanyl.

Blacknell said there was no recent policy change in the office that allowed the more recent fentanyl overdose murder prosecutions against the alleged drug suppliers, and said the decision and circumstances of the Markley case were an isolated incident.

“We’re here to talk about how the LA County District Attorney’s Office failed us,” said Matt Markley, Jax’s father, when he sat down with the I-Team to discuss the DA’s charging decisions.

He said he was angry when he learned of the DA’s decision to file a lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter, and personally appealed to DA Gascón to reconsider.

“I was a little flabbergasted because we hold drunk drivers responsible, why are we not holding this addict accountable for killing other people,” said Markley, who said he voted for Gascón in 2020 and supported some of his justice reform policies.

Markley said he was further frustrated when he learned the DA’s office had filed fentanyl-supplier murder cases in recent months, and questioned why the approach had shifted.

“Why the change? Just before an election cycle, I wonder? And that’s why I’m angry enough to sit here in front of you and share this,” Markley said.

Other local law enforcement officials said the recent federal prosecutions of the alleged gang members responsible for the murder of LAPD Officer Fernando Arroyos, which was also initially discussed with the DA’s office, and a new effort to prosecute local firearms arrests in federal court are also instructive.

“What we’re doing here is expanding the number of cases that we bring federally,” US Attorney Martin Estrada said at a news conference in March announcing a gun crime enforcement partnership with the LAPD and the LA County and Ventura County Sheriff’s Departments, in which officers, deputies, and detectives would receive training on how to recognize cases that could be brought under federal, rather than local, statutes, and how to present them to federal prosecutors.

Estrada said the firearms program was being done in concert with local prosecutors, although Gascón did not appear at the event.

As to the Arroyo murder case Blacknell said the defendants could have received lengthier prison terms of up to 50-years-to-life had they been tried and convicted of murder in state court, and said they received less time when they were sentenced on federal RICO charges as members of a street gang.

A spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office said it was difficult to assess how many local cases have been presented for federal consideration as the office does not keep statistics that capture that information.

Recent news releases have highlighted federal prosecutions of watch and store robberies and carjackings, cases investigated by local police.

Schirn, the narcotics prosecutor, said the cases being shifted to US District Court, where only certain categories of locally-investigated crimes can be prosecuted under federal law, appears to be a response to some of Gascón’s policies that restricted the use of gang, gun, and narcotics sentencing enhancements, which have had the effect of reducing penalties for a variety of serious crimes.

Blacknell said there was not a complete prohibition on enhancements, and that the office has filed some 11,000 gun enhancements under Gascón’s initiatives.

“The reason I agreed to come on camera, despite the fact that I’m very nervous, is because for 30 years I’ve asked victims and witnesses to come to court and have the courage to be honest and truthful,” Schirn said.

“And who am I as a prosecutor when I know awful things are happening that I don’t have the courage to do this?”

Auto theft detectives say the online instructions are relatively easy to follow, and with a device meant for professional locksmiths, they enable thieves to create new electronic keys to unlock and start the cars in minutes.

Dozens of videos of takeovers posted on a variety of social media platforms in recent weeks show people spinning-out Infinitis in intersections around LA.

LAPD Deputy Chief Don Graham, who supervises the city’s effort to stop and prevent street racing and street takeovers, said the Infiniti trend is not unlike the recent thefts of certain Kia and Hyundai models, where instructions on how to bypass the theft prevention system were shared online.

Kia and Hyundai have been retrofitting cars with improved security systems at no charge.

He said the Street Racing Task Force was in another part of the city on Saturday when the Valley takeovers began but said officers were able to gather information about the groups involved and thwarted another series of events planned for the following night by a group that had traveled to LA from San Francisco.

“The response to this can’t just be a police response, we need the community’s assistance,” Graham said, urging people to dissuade teenage family members from participating or taking away their cars.

Five cars were burned and destroyed at Foothill Boulevard. and Paxton Street another was burned on Laurel Canyon, and another was burned on Woodley Avenue in Van Nuys. All had been stolen.

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Infiniti did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the weekend thefts, but previously said, “an increase in auto thefts is an issue affecting many communities, and as thieves become more sophisticated, we are working to improve the security systems in our vehicles.”

Most of the cars involved in the Valley takeovers were G36, G37, and G80 models from many different years, and authorities estimated their loss at more than $250,000.

“I go out into the field. I have expectations that my managers go out into the field,” Nichols said.  

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And when the most unfortunate outcome – a child death — happens, he says, they follow up.  

“We do try to learn lessons from those bad events. And so we look at every single one. I have a team that that is their job to just look at kids that have been hurt,” he said. 

Child deaths with DCFS history reported to the Child Protection Hotline reached a peak in 2021 and have decreased each year through 2023, according to department data reviewed by the I-Team. 

Five service regions in the county did see a slight increase from 2022 to 2023, including communities where the deaths of Anthony Avalos and Gabriel Fernandez brought scrutiny of the department.  

“I will say caseloads are lower in the Antelope Valley than they’ve ever been. There are more social workers in the Antelope Valley than we’ve ever had. But it still is an area that is under-resourced, and it’s an area that receives our attention especially,” Nichols said.  

It is where, Nichols says, much of his community approach is focused, getting families access to services before any suspected abuse happens, including the Hotline to Helpline program the I-Team first told you about this summer.  It diverts calls that do not meet the standard for an abuse investigation and connects people to community groups near them who can help.  

“There’s mental health needs, there’s substance abuse needs,” he said. 

He is also focused on bringing more technology to assist social workers in the field, adding that he has outfitted social workers this year with smart phones and is looking into artificial intelligence, as well. 

“Grandmother has a cousin in Texas, or mom used to have a history of drug use 15 years ago. It’s hard for a social worker who goes out in the middle of the night to have all that knowledge with him or her. AI can data-mine those case files, and AI can flag for the social worker when he or she is going out,” he said 

“I’ll be honest, it’s one of my concerns about our department, our technology, is lagging behind what I see in private industry. And so we are trying to make investments in getting social workers better, real-time, easier access to the information that’s available,” Nichols said. “And so, we are investing in community to try to make sure that families never need to have to deal with DCFS. A hotline call never has to be made.” 

“My vendor said, ‘Hey Phi, you didn’t pay this invoice yet,’” she said.

But Dang had paid the bill. And the check – $14,000 – had already cleared her bank account. But when Dang examined the check, she noticed the payee had been changed.

“And I said, ‘Oh, that’s not my handwriting,’” she said.

Dang pieced together what likely happened. A thief stole the check from the mail, used chemicals to alter the payee, and then took the check to the bank and cashed it. 

“I’m so nervous because that’s a lot of money,” said Dang.

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Check fraud has exploded since the pandemic – up 365%, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. Those writing checks are losing millions of dollars, and many times, their banks aren’t doing much to help them. 

Dang said she reported the fraud to her bank, Wells Fargo, as soon as she learned what happened. But she said Wells Fargo told her she wouldn’t get her money back because she had to report the fraud within 30 days. 

“He kept telling me, ‘Do you understand what I’m saying? Your money is gone, your money is gone,’” said Dang.

Carola Sanchez-Adams is a senior attorney with the National Consumer Law Center. She said consumers often don’t learn they’re victims of check fraud until it’s too late. 

Checks are governed by state law through the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), and the UCC says victims of check fraud have up to a year to notify their bank. 

But banks can shorten that time frame per their account agreements. And Sanchez-Adams says most of them do. She said many banks give you just 30 days to report fraud. 

“So it does put a lot of responsibility on us to say, ‘Ok, I’m sending a check in the mail,  to the tax assessor, and then I’m going to check and make sure that check was actually deposited and paid,’ as opposed to just believing that it will be,” she said. 

In a statement, Wells Fargo said it “empathized” with Dang. But it said all customers “must file a timely claim for any suspected fraudulent transactions.”

So bottom line, Dang is out $14,000.

Sanchez-Adams said it’ll take a change in state law to get banks to act differently. 

“I say if you’re going to write a check, then you hand deliver who you’re writing it to. Don’t put it in the mailbox,” she said. 

Tips when writing checks:

• Hand deliver the check to the recipient.
• Check your bank account often.
• Look at the image of the cleared check, to be sure the payee or amount hasn’t been altered.

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McDonnell, an assistant chief at LAPD prior to serving as sheriff, becomes the department’s 59th chief of police after a search that began months ago following the retirement of Chief Michel Moore in February. His selection was announced at a Friday morning news conference with Mayor Karen Bass at Los Angeles City Hall.

“I began the LAPD Academy 43 years ago. I love this city, and I understand the modern-day challenges our officers face in working to protect it,” McDonnell said in a statement Friday. “It is a tremendous honor to lead the men and women of the LAPD. I will work hard to make sure their work to keep Angelenos safe is supported. Mayor Bass’ efforts on public safety reflect thoughtful, compassionate and solution-oriented approaches to policing.

“I greatly appreciated her confidence in me and I look forward to working closely with her to make Los Angeles a safer city.”

Leader. Innovator. Change maker.

This morning, I announced my selection of Jim McDonnell to serve as the next Chief of the LAPD.

We will strengthen and grow the Department.
We will build on relationships with communities.
We will ensure L.A. is vigilant and prepared for… pic.twitter.com/SCfJHHkWvX

— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) October 4, 2024

McDonnell was elected sheriff in November 2014, then defeated in a run for re-election by Alex Villanueva in 2018. He also served for five years as chief of the Long Beach Police Department.

Born in Massachusetts, McDonnell’s law enforcement career began in 1981 as a 22-year-old Los Angeles Police Academy graduate. He served 29 years with the LAPD, holding every rank from officer to second-in-command.

McDonnell holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from St. Anselm College in New Hampshire and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He also is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Executive Institute and completed executive education programs at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

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Sources earlier told the NBC4 I-Team that finalists for the position included McDonnell, Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides, and former Assistant Chief Robert “Bobby” Arcos, who left the LAPD in 2021 and has been working as the head of investigations for LA County District Attorney George Gascón.

McDonnell was described by several sources as the, ‘leading candidate.”

“We’ve been through a very rough period of time, and we’re looking to move past that,” Chief McDonnell said Friday. “The way to move past that is to re-engage with the community in a different way, maybe, than we have traditionally. One that we talk about, partnership, collaboration, transparency, inclusion, one that we can work together with our communities to make them safer.”

Dominic Choi served as interim chief of the Los Angeles Police Department following Moore’s departure.

The mayor had promised to make the selection by the end of September. Her office declined to share the names of the final three candidates and released little information about the evaluation process or the timing of an announcement.

“From the beginning, I have been clear,” Bass said in a statement issued Friday morning. “My top priority as mayor is to ensure that Angelenos and our neighborhoods are safer today than yesterday. Chief McDonnell is a leader, an innovator and a change maker, and I am looking forward to working with him to grow and strengthen LAPD, deepen relationships with communities across the city, and make sure that Los Angeles is vigilant and prepared for anything that comes our way.”

Applicants for the job who were not selected as one of the three finalists were notified more than a week ago.

The City hired an executive recruiting firm to search for candidates months ago — after former Chief Moore accelerated his plans to retire and left the department in February.

Dozens of applicants were evaluated by the firm, then the Board of Police Commissioners selected the three it believed were most qualified for the job and forwarded those names to the Mayor’s office.

NBCLA’s Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.

Gov. Gavin Newson vetoed state Senate bill 278 over the weekend.   

“I cried, you know. At first, I was numb. I thought how could this be,” Alice Lin, 81-year-old victim of wire fraud and supporter of the bill, said. “This bill you know would really, really help a lot of people from losing the money,” she said.  

NBC4’s I-Team met Lin in January when she first shared her story, saying how a man befriended her online and persuaded her to wire money to an account.   

She says bank employees did not do enough to warn her about possible fraud as she wired more than $700,000 only a couple of days apart.     

The proposed bill would have required financial institutions to delay certain transactions if there is “reasonable” suspicion of fraud and also inform a designated contact on an account of any suspected fraudulent transaction.    

“If I were stopped, I would think about it. I have three days you know. I may think about it. I may talk to other people talk to the relatives or talk to my children. Things may turn around maybe totally different. (It) may save me and save my money,” Lin said.   

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In his veto message, the Governor raised concerns about some of those actions, saying in part, “the mandatory three-day hold on transactions suspected of abuse could lead to unintended consequences, such as delaying legitimate transactions and restricting access to funds.

Newsom also said the proposed enforcement provisions “need further review to ensure they are legally sound and minimize the risk of costly litigation – a burden that would ultimately fall on taxpayers.”

“We ended up with no opposition on the floor of the assembly, zero opposition,” State Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa) said.

Senator Dodd, who authored the bill, told the I-Team the proposal went through multiple committees which worked with financial institutions and consumer advocates over a two-year period to get passed in the legislature. He believes the veto comes at a larger expense.   

“People are getting ripped off across this state, across our country, in numbers that are just astronomical,” Dodd said.  

According to the latest information from the Federal Trade Commission, older adults reported losing more than $1.6 billion to fraud in 2022, compared to about $1 billion the previous year. 

The Governor suggests the legislature continue refining the concept behind the bill.   

Senator Dodd said they will not seek a veto override but will continue their efforts.   

“I’ve termed out at the end of this year, so unfortunately, it’s not going to be me that will be running this bill, but I assure you, there will be one of my colleagues from last year or somebody new coming in, that will pick up on this bill,” he said.  

Lin said her garden has kept her from her darkest days, and on the day of the veto announcement, a flower in her garden, which she says rarely blooms, did so.  

She said that gives her hope and strength to continue her fight for a new law.   

“I won’t give up for sure,” Lin said.    

It appears the Governor was approached by at least one large bank regarding the concerns outlined in his veto. 

The NBC4 I-Team asked the governor’s office if he discussed these concerns with the folks behind the bill before making his decision.

The governor’s office said that the veto message speaks for itself.    

As the I-Team previously reported, Lin is suing the bank that conducted the transactions. A judge recently ruled against a motion to dismiss the case by the bank. 

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One woman tells the NBC4 I-Team it is time to consider the homeless, a group she was once a part of.

The last count found more than 75,000 people are homeless in Los Angeles County and many of them may not realize that they can register to vote, including at county shelters and online.

“The main thing I feel for any homeless person, is you have to learn to become vocal, you know? That’s why we are invisible, because a lot of us tend to be so embarrassed, we don’t want to reach out for help,” Justice Butler said. 

The 65-year-old former radio disc jockey says she found herself homeless at various times in her life, from her hometown of Houston to Los Angeles. She now lives in a studio apartment near McArthur Park.  

One thing that never waned was her desire to be part of the voting process. 

“It means a lot every year, because the first time I’m voting, and I’m teary-eyed because of the people before me, and I’ve really learned to connect to my history,” Butler said. “They died and fought for this right to vote.”

Butler registered to vote while at a Los Angeles city shelter.  

“When I went into the shelter on Skid Row, they gave me all this paperwork to fill out, and one of it was a voter registration card,” she said.  

Her story is not unique.  

California law allows an unhoused or homeless voter to participate in the election, said Dean Logan, who oversees the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.

“They can register to vote, they can list the cross street where they spend the most of their time, where they lay their head at night,” Logan said. 

“They can list the shelter where they’re staying for residents’ purposes that ensures they get the most localized ballot that’s effective for them,” he added. 

Logan tells the NBC4 I-Team, currently there are about 800 voters registered with an intersection address and then another approximately 5,500 voters who registered with a shelter, a church or similar place that provides services. 

Still there is the fact that every active registered voter in California receives a vote by mail ballot. 

“So you can list a mailing address. So a lot of those voters may list even a Department of Social Services address where they’re receiving information about their benefits or they can use a shelter address or a PO box to receive the voting materials,” Logan said.   

He says the fail-safe method remains the in-person vote centers, including mobile ones that the county sends to different neighborhoods.  

“We utilize that program to also go to homelessness encampments that are in North County or out in Long Beach or areas like that to ensure that we have access for those voters,” he said.  

The need goes beyond the homeless population.  

“This is a particular issue in this election because we know that there are a group of citizens who through the end of rent control after the pandemic have been displaced from their homes and may not receive their voting materials because they’re dealing with trying to find a new home or a new place to stay,” Logan said.  

Butler says she is battling a debilitating lung disease and is focused on issues that matter to her this election.  

“It’s about somebody having a plan for healthcare,” she said. 

Her message to others, no matter where they live is, is to vote.

“We got to go out to vote,” she said. “This time, we got to go out and vote, y’all, real.”

Vote by mail ballots have been mailed out.  Some of the dozens of in-person vote centers in Los Angeles County will open as soon as 11 days before election day and people can vote at any location, even registering on site. 

The teens were booked on suspicion of robbery at the Northeast, 77th, and Southwest stations, and Assistant Chief Blake Chow said the surrenders were a direct result of the department last week publicizing the images from a number of the thefts.

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“We’re still taking tips in, and hopefully we’ll get more information regarding the individuals who are engaging in the flash mob,” Chow told the Board of Police Commissioners.

The teens were released while the evidence is evaluated by prosecutors, he said.

“It’s interesting to hear that parents themselves were active in getting their children to be held accountable for those and to face consequences,” said Commissioner Rasha Gerges Shields, who is vice-president of the panel.

At least 14 different 7-Eleven stores in LA have targeted since July by organized mobs of thieves, who often arrive on bicycles and overwhelm store employees while stealing food and other items, and destroying shelves, appliances, and fixtures.

The LAPD last week shared photos and video clips from some of the robberies in the hope of identifying the participants.

“I don’t have to worry about the stairs in her room whether she falls or she doesn’t,” she said.

But Reyes’ mother is now sleeping in the family’s living room because NGB ditched the job after she paid them $84,000, just $20,000 short of the contracted amount. 

“It was my family’s savings. My account is zero. I have nothing. They took all of it,” she said.

The I-Team talked to several homeowners throughout Southern California who have similar stories. Lily Rodriguez in East Los Angeles paid NGB $200,000, but the company abandoned the project long before it was done. 

“I think these people are in it for money. They’re doing it just to see how far they can go and how many people they can get money from,” she said.

INVESTIGATIVE Sep 30

Homeowners duped by contractor got little relief from the bond required by state

Long Beach Sep 9

Long Beach offering up to $200k to homeowners to build ADU's — but there's a catch

Many homeowners told the I-Team they filed complaints with the Contractors State License Board, but the board did little to help. Instead, they say the board told them to file a claim against the contractor’s bond.

But they were stunned to learn that NGB’s bond is only $25,000. And any payout is split among everyone who files a claim. And in this case, there are multiple homeowners who are out money. 

“They only have a bond of $25,000? How does the state allow these people to operate like this? It’s pretty much giving them permission to do the fraud. ‘Go ahead and do this to the public,’ it’s really what it is,” said Reyes.

The I-Team asked the board why the state-required bond is so low. After all, in Los Angeles, a kitchen remodel can cost you $70,000, a bathroom remodel can run $40,000, and a new pool can cost well into six figures. Yet, if something goes wrong, and you’re out a lot of money, the most you’ll recover is $25,000. 

“We recognize that $25,000 may not be enough, but that’s what’s currently required for a contractor to have to be a valid licensee,” said Jessie Flores with the Contractors State License Board.

The board says it’s discussing increasing the bond. But until that happens, Reyes and Rodriguez are scraping together money to finish their ADUs, devastated that NGB left them with a mess and that the state does so little to help. 

“I’m going to have to use my credit cards. There’s no other way. Those people took my savings,” said Reyes.

The I-Team reached out to two people linked to NGB, both who said they were CEO. One didn’t return our phone calls and texts. The other told us in texts that his attorney would reach out to us, but we never heard from them. 

Tips when hiring a contractor:

• Limit your deposit to $1,000 or 10% of the cost of the contract, whichever is less.
• After that, only pay for materials used and services performed.
• Confirm the contractor is licensed with the state. 

One woman tells the NBC4 I-Team it is time to consider the homeless, a group she was once a part of.

The last count found more than 75,000 people are homeless in Los Angeles County and many of them may not realize that they can register to vote, including at county shelters and online.

“The main thing I feel for any homeless person, is you have to learn to become vocal, you know? That’s why we are invisible, because a lot of us tend to be so embarrassed, we don’t want to reach out for help,” Justice Butler said. 

The 65-year-old former radio disc jockey says she found herself homeless at various times in her life, from her hometown of Houston to Los Angeles. She now lives in a studio apartment near McArthur Park.  

One thing that never waned was her desire to be part of the voting process. 

“It means a lot every year, because the first time I’m voting, and I’m teary-eyed because of the people before me, and I’ve really learned to connect to my history,” Butler said. “They died and fought for this right to vote.”

Butler registered to vote while at a Los Angeles city shelter.  

“When I went into the shelter on Skid Row, they gave me all this paperwork to fill out, and one of it was a voter registration card,” she said.  

Her story is not unique.  

California law allows an unhoused or homeless voter to participate in the election, said Dean Logan, who oversees the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.

“They can register to vote, they can list the cross street where they spend the most of their time, where they lay their head at night,” Logan said. 

“They can list the shelter where they’re staying for residents’ purposes that ensures they get the most localized ballot that’s effective for them,” he added. 

Logan tells the NBC4 I-Team, currently there are about 800 voters registered with an intersection address and then another approximately 5,500 voters who registered with a shelter, a church or similar place that provides services. 

Still there is the fact that every active registered voter in California receives a vote by mail ballot. 

“So you can list a mailing address. So a lot of those voters may list even a Department of Social Services address where they’re receiving information about their benefits or they can use a shelter address or a PO box to receive the voting materials,” Logan said.   

He says the fail-safe method remains the in-person vote centers, including mobile ones that the county sends to different neighborhoods.  

“We utilize that program to also go to homelessness encampments that are in North County or out in Long Beach or areas like that to ensure that we have access for those voters,” he said.  

The need goes beyond the homeless population.  

“This is a particular issue in this election because we know that there are a group of citizens who through the end of rent control after the pandemic have been displaced from their homes and may not receive their voting materials because they’re dealing with trying to find a new home or a new place to stay,” Logan said.  

Butler says she is battling a debilitating lung disease and is focused on issues that matter to her this election.  

“It’s about somebody having a plan for healthcare,” she said. 

Her message to others, no matter where they live is, is to vote.

“We got to go out to vote,” she said. “This time, we got to go out and vote, y’all, real.”

Vote by mail ballots have been mailed out.  Some of the dozens of in-person vote centers in Los Angeles County will open as soon as 11 days before election day and people can vote at any location, even registering on site. 

Not nestled in the mountains, but in urban areas where many young children and house pets live.   

Hancock Park Sep 25

Hancock Park residents on high alert following constant coyote sightings

Animals and Wildlife Sep 24

‘Be very vigilant.' Comedian Brittany Furlan, wife of rocker Tommy Lee, saves dog from coyote

“We actually shouldn’t be surprised that coyotes are showing up in what we consider to be non-traditional locations like the middle of a city,” said Tim Daly, California Department Fish and Wildlife public information officer.  

Daly says that’s in part because coyotes are looking for food and resources not being found in their environments. And, what we are doing might be inviting to them.   

“It’s almost always unintentional. We might forget that we left the pet food out at night. We might not have remembered to clean our barbecue at the end of a long meal,” Daly added. “And, there’s those odors and bits of food still on a barbecue. We may be forgetting to trim under our backyard brush because we think, oh, it looks so lush and fully grown but that’s also a place where wildlife can hide. It’s a shelter.”

Reports about coyotes to their office are tracked.  

Total coyote interactions 2017-2024

Coyote sightings, depredation, possible human conflict, and nuisance complaints.

Note: 2024 data through Sept. 17
Source: CA Department of Fish & Wildlife

Our analysis of data obtained by the NBC4 I-Team shows calls to the department about coyotes in Los Angeles County have increased in all categories -from sightings to nuisance- compared to last year.   

Looking back to 2017, most reports about coyote run-ins with pets or livestock or what’s called “depredation” in LA County happened in zip code 91745 — the Hacienda Heights neighborhood.  

Most nuisance reports, which could be anything from tipping trash cans or making messes, were most reported in the 91711 area near Claremont.   

And, most of the calls about potential human conflict came from zip code 90027, the Griffith Park neighborhood, followed closely by 91364, the community of Woodland Hills.    

“We look at those reports every day, and then we will respond accordingly if we feel there’s a potential public safety issue going on, we will work with the people who made that report to make sure A, they’re okay, and B, they’re doing everything they can to eliminate what’s attracting them to their yard,” Daly said.   

Daly believes part of the rise in report could coincide with more people at home. 

“Also, more of us have cameras on our homes and in our backyards than ever. And so, we're getting a lot more sightings reported to us that way as well,” he added   

He says sighting numbers might be a bit skewed because multiple reports might come in about the same animal.  

Again, the department tells the NBC4 I-Team, we could be the ones creating space for coyotes and other wildlife to feel invited, barbeques not being cleaned up, fallen fruit in your yard, bird feeders with overflow of seed are attractive to coyotes.   

The department wants to hear from you if you come across a coyote, especially if you feel at risk, so they can better access what is happening.    

They have a way to do that right on the front page of their website. There is also a link that explains how to deal with not just coyote but any wildlife you might come across in your home.    

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Lamont A. Campbell was arrested Wednesday by LAPD SWAT officers after the overnight standoff and pursuit, in which the bus passenger died after being shot multiple times, allegedly by Campbell, police said.

Jail records showed Campbell was being held without bail and was expected to make an initial appearance in court Monday.

No criminal charges had been filed in the bus hijacking as of Thursday afternoon.

Authorities have not shared the name or age of the person who was murdered during the ordeal.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Campbell, 51, began serving a 5 year term for transportation or sales of a controlled substance in August, 1996, and was paroled in 1998.

Campbell returned to prison in January, 2010 to serve a 6 year term for transportation or sales of a controlled substance with a prior conviction, and was released on parole in 2011.

He was released from parole supervision the next year.

Metro Sep 25

Driver in deadly LA Metro bus hijacking showed ‘courage and quick-thinking'

Downtown LA Sep 25

1 dead, 1 in custody after downtown LA Metro bus hijacking and pursuit

LA County Superior Court records show Campbell pleaded no contest in 2018 to a misdemeanor drug possession charge and was placed on 3 years probation.

The LAPD said officers responding to a shots fired call near Figueroa and West 119th St. early Wednesday spotted a man, later identified as Campbell, boarding the Metro bus.

The bus operator was forced at gunpoint to drive through Downtown and stopped after running over spike strips near 6th and Alameda Streets, where members of the LAPD’s SWAT team stormed the bus, rescued the driver, and arrested Campbell.

His request was granted, and he later pleaded not guilty to the charges. The criminal charges filed in July are the latest legal woes facing Mowlavi, who also goes by “Dr Laguna.”

I-Team Sep 20

OC plastic surgeon faces new accusation by medical board, felony battery charges by DA

Orange County Feb 29

$6 million settlement reached in lawsuit against popular Orange County plastic surgeon ‘Dr. Laguna'

His license to practice is currently restricted by the Medical Board of California following the death of a patient in 2018.

In January 2023, Laguna Beach police raided his practice, removing boxes and computers from his surgical center.

In June 2023, The Orange County DA filed a civil suit alleging unlawful business practices and unlawful transactions made for the purpose of avoiding financial liability, noting before Mowlavi filed for bankruptcy, he “transferred approximately $13,000,000 of real estate and personal property assets to his spouse.”

That case is on hold until the criminal case is resolved.

Earlier this year a civil suit involving more than 30 former patients settled for $6 million, according to court records. 

The medical board has also filed a new accusation against Mowlavi involving the care and treatment of 4 patients. That hearing is set for March of next year.

Dr Mowlavi’s next court appearance on the criminal charges is scheduled for Dec. 11.

The Centers for Disease Control counted roughly 2,300 heat-related deaths last year, with more than three-fourths of them from six states that included California. A study from Texas A&M, however, projects the actual number could be four times greater, with approximately 11,000 Americans dying from extreme heat last year. 

A new pilot program in California is in the works to create a revamped heat warning system. 

“Through that, the state of California has pledged to make their information about EMS visits and all sorts of that kind of information more available to communities more quickly,” V. Kelly Turner, Associate Professor of Urban Planning at UCLA & Associate Director of the Luskin Center for Innovation, said. 

Turner says we can get a better understanding of how extreme heat is affecting us as it’s happening, which could create more immediate heat protocols to protect people at home, at schools and at work. She says communities are already trying out efforts to battle the heat  

“Communities everywhere are tinkering around with some good ideas like trying to plant more trees or trying to get mechanical cooling like air conditioning and heat pumps into people’s homes or get cooling centers in communities in places where people actually go. Those are some good ideas. However, we need to do a better job at getting people specific information,” Turner said.   

New research in the publication, Nature, led by Jennifer Vanos from the School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, looks at a person’s distinct physiology, which could then determine how we individually react to temperature and humidity on any given day 

Turner explains it like this: 

“I see a future where everyone has not only their weather app on their phone but also another app maybe that draws in some of that personal data and it can give them really detailed information. For instance, we could say today it’s 100 degrees, 60% humidity and until 10 a.m., it is perfectly safe for you to go to on a run if you are in the shade or you could walk in the sun. But after that, you should probably stay inside or get somewhere cool because it’s not safe to do either,” she said. 

She points to how this might help outdoor workers like those in construction or agriculture, and in turn, forecast policies needed to help these workers. 

Los Angeles, which has its own Heat Officer, and Los Angeles County are expected to soon release Heat Action Plans.   

The state of California already has one. 

Beginning only a few months back, it allowed local governments, community-based groups and others to apply for grants to help create projects and cooling strategies like adding shade or making buildings more surface reflective through the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program. 

Turner says her group at UCLA recently received funding through NOAA to have a Center for Heat Resilient Communities, which will be convening teams of experts throughout the United States to create a blueprint for what a heat resilient community looks like and then create a roadmap for actions that communities can do to get prepared.  

She says they will be field testing with 30 communities over the next three years. Information on this program can be found online.

Arken had surgery with Mowlavi in 2018. Her experience is detailed in a recently amended medical board accusation against the plastic surgeon also known as Dr Laguna.

His strong social media presence drew her to his practice. She said she thought she would be in the best hands after reading more about his background. 

“He’s training all these doctor. He’s written books,” said Arken. “He’s got to be it. It’s Laguna Beach.”

Arken wanted a Brazilian butt lift or BBL, but she said the consultation led to Mowlavi convincing her she needed so much more.

“He grabs me. He’s like, ‘Look,’” said Arken. “He grabs me about 2 inches above my vagina while I’m naked and grabs me right underneath my breast from behind me, so he’s behind me. And he’s pulling, cinching up and cinching down and (saying) ‘We can give you abs and all of this.’”

The I-Team spoke with Arken and two other former patients of Mowlavi who said they were also upsold on other procedures and felt bullied by him. 

Mcayla Sarno said minutes before her surgery, while she was disrobed and already medicated, Mowlavi questioned what they were doing with her breasts. Sarno said she was shocked. 

“If I give the wrong answer or explain it wrong, I’m about to go into surgery,” Sarno said. “I asked, ‘Can I get my phone and show you some photos?’ And that’s when the ridicule began with this constant, ‘You’re making this very difficult. It’s not that hard.’”

Orange County Feb 29

$6 million settlement reached in lawsuit against popular Orange County plastic surgeon ‘Dr. Laguna'

Laguna Beach Sep 7, 2023

Popular plastic surgeon accused by patients of botching procedures faces new legal troubles

Former patient Chalene Johnson said she also felt bullied.

“We’re strong women. I mean, she’s a doctor,” said Johnson about Sarno. “We are professionals, and to find yourself in that situation, It’s hard. It’s hard to even explain to other people because you’re intelligent, all of your red flags are going off. But it’s a renowned doctor, it’s an author, it’s someone who’s supposedly critically acclaimed.”

Arken, Sarno and Johnson were among more than 30 plaintiffs in a civil suit Mowlavi recently settled for $6 million. So too was a patient who asked to be called Bobbi to protect her identity.

“It was the scariest experience of my life,” she said. 

She is Patient A in the amended medical board accusation. Days after her surgery with Mowlavi, she was rushed to the ER and eventually transferred to the burn unit at UCI where she stayed in a medically induced coma for more than a week.

“It turned septic,” Bobbi explained, “which then caused kidney failure, liver failure and damage to my heart.”

For months after her procedures, Arken said she could barely move.

“I couldn’t even get up and stand up long enough to make my kids dinner,” said Arken.

She said to this day, she cannot do a sit up as a result. And she said she still reflects on her traumatizing consultation with Mowlavi.

“I kept kind of arguing, and he’s like, “Listen, it’s only going to be about a 4 to 6 inch scar,” said Arken, and then questioned what he was planning. “I just don’t know,” she said. “I don’t like how that’s pulled up and he (said), ‘I know what a p***y should look like.’ It was just overwhelming.”

She said Mowlavi’s insistence on giving her a vagina lift had devastating results.

“Every day when I go the restroom I will pee out on the seat and usually pee on my leg a little bit, which is very embarrassing and not something I like talking about.”

When she obtained her medical records from Mowlavi’s office a year and a half after her surgery, she discovered her operative note listed her name, but a wrong birthdate and incorrect details of her surgery.

“His name’s on here, signed and dated that day after,” said Arken, holding up her incorrect operative note. “So it’s not me at all, 100%.”

In June 2023, Laguna Beach police raided Mowlavi’s office and investigators removed boxes of records and computers. In July of this year, the Orange County District Attorney’s office filed two felony counts of battery with serious bodily injury against Mowlavi related to two patients. He has not yet entered a plea. A civil suit filed by the DA’s office in June of last year accused Mowlavi of 19 unlawful business practices. But that suit is on hold until the criminal case is resolved.

The I-Team reached out to Dr. Mowlavi’s attorneys who are handling his civil and criminal cases, but they did not respond to the request for comment.

Former patients who have spoken to the I-Team said a primary reason they came forward is to protect others from experiencing their pain and suffering.

“At the end of the day, I don’t want this guy to hurt another person,” said Arken

There is also frustration among former patients.

The first medical board investigation noted on Mowlavi’s record involved the death of one of his patients in 2018. But that accusation wasn’t made pubic until August of 2021 and wasn’t resolved until October 2022 — more than four years later — with 10 years probation and a 90 day suspension of his license to practice.

Chalene Johnson doesn’t understand the board’s lack of transparency.

“If you’re not able to do your research by the governmental agencies that are supposedly established to protect your best interest, then who can we trust?” asked Johnson.

While Mowlavi’s medical license is currently restricted, he continues to consult with prospective patients. When we called last week to book a consultation, we were offered multiple dates to meet with Mowlavi.

Instead of Dr. Laguna, he now appears to be branding his business as SurgiSculpt, a name trademarked by an LLC registered in his wife’s name, using the address of Mowlavi’s original surgical center in Laguna Beach.

Dr. Mowlavi is expected in court September 25 for arraignment on the two felony criminal charges. A hearing is scheduled for March of next year on the latest accusation by the medical board.

But now, the tents have been gone for five weeks with no signs of returning.

“It’s so much safer without the tents. People can now use the sidewalks again,” 70-year-old longtime resident Keith Johnson told the I-Team.

Homelessness Aug 28

Homeless encampments disappear just days before LA hosts a big event

Homelessness May 9

Up in flames: Rising number of homeless fires threatens LA neighborhoods

As the I-Team reported in August, the city cleared away encampments on Hollywood Boulevard between Gower Street and Wilton Place, just days before it closed the street for thousands of bicyclists for the event called CicLAvia.

Often when the city clears an encampment, tents return sometimes within hours, but that’s not the case on that stretch of Hollywood Boulevard.

“We are now enforcing two laws in the area that haven’t really been enforced much in recent years,” an LAPD officer who asked not to be named told the I-Team.

Those laws are LA Municipal Code 56.11 and 41.18, which prohibit tents on sidewalks between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., and prohibit storing belongings on sidewalks in a way that prevents people from passing by.

Three officers told NBC4 that police had “educated” the unhoused in that part of Hollywood about the laws and told them if they tried to pitch their tents again in the area, they would be cited.

“The education efforts have worked and we haven’t needed to cite or arrest,” the officer said.

“I am absolutely in favor of the police enforcing these laws,” said resident Keith Johnson.

Residents said they plan to keep the heat on the city to keep their neighborhood free of tents.

“I want the tents gone, for good,” said realtor and resident Levi Freeman, who has told city officials his life had been threatened by people in the former encampments.

“If the tents come back, I’ll post about it on Instagram, and I’ll be calling and calling the LAPD,” said Johnson.

Enforcing ordinances 56.11 and 41.18 has at times been opposed by some homeless advocates and politicians.

The I-Team reached out to the spokesperson for LA City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, whose district includes that section of Hollywood Boulevard. We asked if Soto-Martinez agrees with the LAPD’s enforcement of the ordinances, but did not receive a reply or comment.

Gustavo Reyez Gonazlez, who was diagnosed with silicosis after having worked with engineered slabs used in kitchen and bathroom countertops for nearly two decades at local shops across Southern California, won his case against several companies that manufacture artificial stone slabs. 

“I am grateful to the judge and the jury,” Wendy Torres, Gonzalez’s wife, said. 

Gonzalez, 34, received a live-saving lung transplant in 2023. He sued several manufactures of the engineered stone. 

In what is believed to be a landmark trial and verdict, the jury last month found in his favor, awarding him more than $52 million in damages.

“I’m hoping that other workers won’t have to face the same illness and possible death during this time,” Torres said. “It’s something that is killing other human beings, and hopefully it will stop, so that these workers will actually have a future with their families, and a future to live and be with their loved ones.  

“Hopefully verdicts — consumers hearing about this, and workers hearing about this – can send a message to these companies to stop selling these products,” said James Nevin, Gonzalez’s attorney, said. 

Increasing number of silicosis cases

Health experts say cutting, sawing and crushing stone slabs can lead to the exposure of silica dust that goes into the air and into a person’s lungs, causing silicosis.

And engineering stone, which sometimes can be cheaper and more durable than natural stone, can contain a much higher percentage of silica. 

As the NBC4 I-Team and Telemundo 52 Investiga have been following the increasing number of silicosis cases stemming from the stone cutting industry, there are now calls to ban some popular products a lot of people have in their kitchens and baths.

A complete ban of artificial stone is not something on the table right now, according to local lawmakers the I-Team and Telemundo 52 Investiga have spoken with.

While there are new temporary standards to more safely work with engineered products, a proposal intended to strengthen regulations and license manufactures and sellers of artificial stone in the state was pulled by the author in July.

“My final meeting with state agencies and the administration, there was a lot of pushback because of the cost of this system,” said Luz Rivas, State Assemblymember for 43rd District. 

Cal Osha said new standards on how to work with the engineered stone slabs are expected to be made permanent by the end of the year. 

Majority of U.S. silicosis cases are from LA County

As of Sep. 3, 2024, there were 178 confirmed cases of silicosis related to engineered stone in California with at least 13 deaths and 19 lung transplants, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. 105 of the total cases are in Los Angeles County. 

Health experts say silicosis mostly affects Latino men who work in fabrication shops.

Investigation Aug 26

They were diagnosed with silicosis, then denied worker's comp

I-Team Jul 17

California bill on silicosis safety measures abandoned as cases rise

What happens when a country bans engineered slabs?

So far, only one country in the world has banned the use of artificial stone slabs.

“Australia’s banned it. The U.S. has got to do it, too,” said Jeremy Buckingham, a member of parliament from New South Wales, Australia, explaining that the new ban of engineered stone in Australia went into effect this summer. 

“The expectation is that we could lose tens of thousands of people to silicosis over the next decades,” said Buckingham, who was a stonemason before entering politics. “I’m one of those people. I have to go and have a lung screening every year because of the high-risk exposure I experienced.”

The Australian lawmaker said the legislation followed a rise in popularity of the manufactured stone as an inexpensive alternative. Subsequently, there was a rise in silicosis cases in the country.

“The numbers of people getting sick and dying were horrendous,” he said. 

Buckingham admitted that there remains pushback from manufacturers of the engineered products.

“They remained very concerned about the ongoing liability to register this material and then have it ultimately removed by licensed professionals in a safe way,” Buckingham explained. 

He said in Australia, mostly immigrant workers were the most impacted as well. 

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“After a thorough investigation, LAFD and the ATF officials determined that the fire was deliberately set,” Assistant Chief Blake Chow said Tuesday. “Investigators have developed a strong lead on a suspect and are hopeful that the arrest will be made soon.”

The fire was first reported around 3:45 a.m. last Friday at an unfinished building between Bunker Hill Avenue and New Depot Street adjacent to the lanes of the 110 Freeway.

Intense flames from the burning unfinished building, which was mostly exposed wooden framing on a concrete base, damaged dozens of units in three other apartment buildings that faced the construction site.

Fifty one residents were displaced from their apartments as a result of the fire, and at least one of the adjacent buildings was closed and red tagged because of the damage, city officials said.

Two residents, including a 90-year-old man, were taken to a hospital in critical condition, and four firefighters were injured.

Chow said three displaced residents were later the victims of a burglaries that took place in the damaged and closed apartment buildings.

LAFD Sep 13

Fire at Chinatown apartment building leaves 6 injured

Los Angeles May 26

4 cars torched in Chinatown; Vandal remains on the loose

Some neighbors said the apartment complex has been under construction for a couple of years and has caught on fire in the past, and others complained that there was a homeless encampment on the property of the unfinished building.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The discovery of the Beverly Hills watch followed an investigation into another watch theft that happened in Miami in April, when a man was robbed at gunpoint and his watch, a different Patek Philippe model worth $50,000, was stolen.

Detectives from the Miami Police Department said they identified 25-year-old Yeison Jose Bolivar as the man who committed the April robbery, and on Sept. 5 he and two other men were arrested.

Police said they found the Beverly Hills watch and a stolen rifle and a stolen handgun.

Bolivar made an initial appearance in court last week and was ordered held without bail. He’s expected to return to court later this month to enter pleas to the local charge of robbery with a firearm.

The revelation that the watch stolen in Beverly Hills surfaced in Miami was no surprise to Miami area private investigator David Bolton, who has unique expertise investigating similar thefts.

“I know that a lot of watches are stolen in New York and California and up here because you don’t want to be showing the product in the same location as you’re stealing it,” he said.

Bolton said thieves who work together to spot, steal, and sell valuable watches often work in loosely organized teams, that troll social media posts and photos for clues to the locations and owners of high-dollar items.

“Well, I think these are organized, disorganized groups. They are groups of people that they know that they can work with. They come together as needed to work together,” he said.

The Beverly Hills Patek Philippe, that Bolton said could be worth even more than $1 million, was snatched from the wrist of a British citizen who was dining at a cafe at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Aug. 7.

An affidavit filed in federal court by a U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent said two other men suspected of carrying out the robbery had been given photos that showed the exact watch they were dispatched to steal.

“These are the 2 watches we are looking for, they are valued at 1.3 million dollars,” the men were told, according to the court papers.

The men charged with the Beverly Hills robbery, Jamer Mauricio Sepulveda Salazar and Jesus Eduardo Padron Rojas, were caught by police in Riverside, California after their car was identified by officers in Beverly Hills.

During a search of a short-term rental home allegedly used by the men police said they also found a Glock handgun once owned by ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner, who died after a killing spree in 2013.

LAPD Chief Dominic Choi said last month the gun was never one that was issued to Dorner by the Department, but it was still not clear how a gun once registered to Dorner ended up with the accused watch thieves.

“Honestly the hardest part is we are blind. I’ve been calling around all afternoon, trying to find out if my house is still there,” Danny Jacob, who recently evacuated from his home, said.  

The state’s Department of Insurance said one thing that should not be a worry for homeowners is the possible loss of their insurance.  

State law requires a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies canceling or non-renewing residential insurance policies in certain neighborhoods after the governor has issued a state of emergency.    

As soon as Cal Fire establishes a perimeter at a fire site, the Department of Insurance will “put a lock in place,” according to insurance broker Karl Susman    

“The insurance carriers will not be able to non-renew properties that are in that area for at least a year,” Susman said.  

Once a state of emergency is declared, the one-year protection applies to residential policyholders who suffer less than a total loss or even no loss at all in the affected area.   

Homeowners with total loss also have additional protections under the law, according to the Department of Insurance. 

Home insurance policies could cover other costs, like overnight stays when displaced from homes – but it all depends on one’s insurance policy.

“It depends on if the evacuation order is mandatory or not. There are a lot of factors that are in there,” Susman explained. “It’s always a good idea, if you’re in the position of having to evacuate, to contact your insurance carrier and find out what coverage you might be eligible to get for that.”

Another important thing for homeowners need to remember, according to the insurance broker, is that carriers are not able to make changes to the policy when there’s an active fire.

“You can’t call them and say, ‘You know what? I think I should have more coverage today.’ That’s not going to happen,” Susman said. “The best thing that you can do is (to) get a copy of your policy. You can usually call your agent or broker or you can call the insurance carrier directly.”

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The insurance broker also urged people to ask their broker straight-forward questions such as what the policy may cover under a mandatory evacuation as every policy has different language when it comes to evacuation rules.    

New regulations, as the I-Team reported earlier in the summer, would mandate insurance companies to offer policies in certain high risk and underserved communities.     

The rules are expected to go into effect later this year and would apply to areas of distress, perhaps where wildfires are now, according to Susman, who added the premium, which will reflect that risk potential, could increase in the future but with the possibility of having more options. 

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Gerardo Contreras, 49, was initially charged with murder for the attack on Aug. 28, 2021, which police and prosecutors said was captured by a security camera on a building nearby, leaving little doubt about what happened.

The LA County District Attorney’s Office agreed last month to drop the murder charge in exchange for Contreras’ no contest pleas to voluntary manslaughter and the use of a flammable or caustic substance in an assault. A no contest plea has the same legal effect as a guilty plea in criminal court.

Elizabeth was 54 years old, and her family requested she not be more specifically identified because several young relatives did not know the circumstances of her death.

LA Superior Court Judge Gregory A. Dohi addressed the family members who attended Monday’s hearing in Van Nuys.

“I did the preliminary hearing. I saw the video,” Dohi said of the recording of the crime. “I hope that you have some degree of closure, if it’s at all possible.”

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Dohi imposed a sentence of 11 years for the manslaughter charge and one additional year for the use of a flammable substance. Contreras was not given credit for the two years he spent in jail prior to the no contest plea.

Contreras’ defense lawyer, Jason Rubel from the Alternate Public Defender, did not immediately return a call for comment on the resolution of the case and the sentence.

According to police, Contreras and Elizabeth, who were both considered homeless, were arguing while driving north of Vineland Avenue near the Burbank Airport on the afternoon of the attack, and at some point he poured the liquid on her.

Their car stopped in the center left turn lane, and the fire started while the two were standing near the trunk of the car.

Elizabeth fell into traffic lanes before running across the road and collapsing on a lawn in front of a shopping center.

Drivers stopped and tried to help her.

She died several days later on Sep. 1 as the result of thermal burns, according to the LA County Medical Examiner.

Her death was among the 91 deaths in 2021 in which people experiencing homelessness were murdered, according to LAPD data.

Those deaths represented nearly 23% of the city’s murders that year, which officials said was a staggering number, considering those described as homeless represented less than 1% of the overall population.

The percentage of murders of people considered homeless rose to around 24% in 2022 before dropping to around 17% in 2023, the data shows.

The LAPD has not shared complete data on murders or other crimes in 2024 as it changes its record keeping systems to produce more detailed statistical reports compatible with the FBI’s new crime data standards.

Tires

Drivers are recommended to check the pressure of their tires as hot temperatures can cause the air in the tires to expand. Experts urge people to find the vehicle’s manufactured recommendation in the owner’s manual.

Also as extreme weather can lead to wear and tear, AAA recommends inspecting all four tires by putting a quarter into the grooves to check the tire tread. If you see the top of George Washington’s head, it’s time for new tires.

Air conditioner

If there’s a noticeable decrease in the cool air coming out, experts recommend getting the AC checked.

The cabin filter that cleans the air and helps it flow through the system may deserve a second look during a heat wave.

Car fluids and battery

Fluids like the coolant are essential for helping prevent the car engine from overheating.

Drivers should also check engine oil as well as brake, transmission and power steering fluids to make sure they are all at the correct levels, according to AAA. The evaluations should be done by professionals.

Some auto parts stores offer battery checks for free.

Brakes

If brakes are making a grinding sound or creating a vibration when applying the brakes, a brake inspection should be done at an auto repair show, said AAA.

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Other tips to protect your car

• Park in a shaded area
• Use a sunshade
• Keep a well-stocked emergency kit, which should include drinking water, flashlight with fresh batteries, paper towels and snacks, in the car.

Reyes is caring for her 88-year-old mother, and her family needed more space. 

“I don’t have to worry about the stairs in her room, whether she falls or she doesn’t,” said Reyes.

But her mother is now sleeping in the family’s living room because Next Generation Builders ditched the job. 

Reyes paid the company $84,000 — just $20,000 short of the total contracted amount — and she got a skeleton of a home.

She said workers framed the unit, poured the concrete floor, installed rough plumbing and then never came back. She said the workers told her Next Generation Builders stopped paying them. 

“It was my family’s savings. My account is zero. I have nothing. They took all of it,” said Reyes.

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Twenty miles away in East Los Angeles, there’s a similar story.

Lily Rodriguez paid Next Generation Builders $200,000 — nearly the entire price of her project — for a two-story ADU. But workers abandoned the project long before it was complete. 

“I think these people are in it for money. They’re doing it just to see how far they can go and how many people they can get money from,” said Rodriguez. 

The I-Team talked to other homeowners throughout Southern California who are also out thousands of dollars. 

We tracked down two people tied to the company: Angelina Gorbaseva, CEO and a 2018 graduate of the University of Southern California, according to her Linkedin page; and Esteban Araya, who also once claimed to be the CEO on social media, but his recent posts show him traveling the world. 

Gorbaseva didn’t return our phone calls and texts.

In a phone call with Araya, he told us to “be careful of putting out wrong information.” Later, in a text message, he accused us of defamation. 

The company’s website is now down although a new one has popped up that links back to the company’s Instagram page. 

“What was supposed to be a great experience is definitely not a great experience. It’s been a nightmare. Very stressful,” said Rodriguez. 

The I-Team also had questions for the Contractors State License Board.

Many homeowners we talked to had filed complaints with the board although none of them showed up on the board’s website.

After the I-Team asked the board about this, it posted the complaints. It also suspended the company’s license because its bond has expired. 

But those actions by the board are too late to help many homeowners. They’re now trying to scrape together money to finish their projects. 

“I’m going to have to use my credit cards. There’s no other way. Those people took my savings,” said Reyes. 

Here are tips for hiring a contractor

• Check the contractors license online.

• The contractor is only allowed to collect upfront either $1,000 or 10% of the cost of the project, whichever is less.
• Your payments should not exceed the cost of the materials used and the work performed. 

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The men were stopped after a short pursuit along Coldwater Canyon Avenue south of Mulholland Drive, and investigators told NBCLA items believed to have been stolen from the home were found inside an Audi sedan the pair was driving.

The LAPD has been increasing patrols and focusing investigative efforts on residential burglary cases, which Department data shows have been on the rise.

Crime reports filed over the last four years show the number of burglaries in homes and apartments rose by nearly 40% from 5,173 in 2020 to 7,219 in 2023, according to the data.

Residential burglaries continued to rise in 2024, according to Chief Dominic Choi, but at a much lower rate, around 4%, as of August.

The overall burglary rate, which includes business and commercial burglaries, began to drop at the end of August, the LAPD said.

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The nature of the investigation that led to Wednesday’s detainments were not immediately available.

The operation involved officers and detectives from other law enforcement agencies, officials said.

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Defense attorneys for Dr. Salvador Plasencia and Jasveen Sangha signed a joint stipulation with federal prosecutors filed Tuesday that proposes to postpone jury trials until March 4, 2025.

Both had initially been set to face trial in October.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles announced charges against Plasencia, Sangha and three others August 15, accusing all 5 of playing a role in providing ketamine in the months and weeks leading up to Perry’s death last October from an accidental ketamine overdose.

Plascenia was indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to the federal investigation.

Sangha faces one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and five counts of distribution of ketamine.

Both have pleaded not guilty.

The request to delay the trial cited the voluminous amount of evidence that could be introduced at trial, including, “materials relating to the execution of federal search warrants, additional laboratory analysis of drugs, victim information, interview reports and recordings, expert reports, cellphone extractions and related reports, among other materials.”

Sangha was originally indicted in April then faced additional charges when a superseding indictment was unsealed in August that also named Plasencia.

Three others have agreed to plead guilty to related charges, including Perry’s long time live-in personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s friend Erik Fleming, and Dr. Mark Chavez, a physician in San Diego accused of supplying ketamine to Dr. Plasencia.

Chavez made an initial appearance in court last week and is expected to enter a guilty plea in the coming weeks.

Perry was 54 when he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool at his home in the Pacific Palisades area and was pronounced dead by paramedics.

The LA County Medical Examiner concluded Perry’s death on Oct. 28, 2023 was the result of the acute effects of the drug ketamine and listed contributing factors of drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid use disorder.

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Judge Sam Ohta said he carefully evaluated a variety of issues raised by the defense, held more than a year of pretrial hearings and considered higher court opinions on matters related to police uses of force before reaching the conclusion that the grand jury indictment brought against Matthew Concannon and Anthony Chavez was lawful and valid.

“For the foregoing reasons, the motions are denied,” Ohta said, after reading his 36-page decision into the court record.

Ohta invited the defense attorneys to appeal the decision, and attorneys for both indicated they planned to appeal immediately.

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Mitchell’s mother Sherlyn was in court to hear the decision, along with a number of supporters and members of Black Lives Matter, who’ve spotlighted the case as an example of injustice for years.

“The fact that in this case, it was clear that they did so many things wrong leading up to it, which was ultimately what led to them killing Christopher Deandre Mitchell, it’s incredibly important that we have cases like this that move forward,” Sheila Bates, an organizer with Black Lives Matter, said outside court following Friday’s hearing.

Concannon and former officer Chavez were indicted by a grand jury in March 2023.

The case was presented by LA County District Attorney’s Office special prosecutor Lawrence Middleton, who was hired by DA George Gascón to re-examine several police shooting cases that former DA Jackie Lacey had ruled lawful, including Mitchell’s death.

The officers shot Mitchell, who was seated in the driver’s seat of a suspected stolen car, had what appeared to be a gun on the floor of the car between his legs. The gun was an air rifle.

“Christopher was the best part of me. He was my everything,” his mother, Sherlyn Haynes, told the I-Team in 2019 when she said she hoped the officers would face criminal charges.

The DA’s office under Lacey concluded in 2019 that the shooting was lawful and wrote in a case-closing memo “although the weapon was later determined to be an air rifle, the officers’ belief that the weapon was a firearm was reasonable under the circumstances.”

Mitchell’s shooting was one of four cases specifically listed by Gascón for potential re-examination while he was campaigning for office, and Gascón wrote in a campaign statement that he was troubled by the fact neither officer reported seeing a weapon before the shooting began, and one officer switched off his flashlight before firing into the car.

“These facts raise multiple questions as to the objective reasonableness of their perceptions of an imminent threat and their corresponding decision to use deadly force,” he wrote.

Middleton, a defense attorney and former federal prosecutor known for convicting the LAPD officers responsible for the Rodney King beating, said he was unable to comment on the judge’s decision or the significance of the ruling.

The Mitchell case is the only prosecution Middleton has initiated since he was appointed as a special prosecutor by Gascón in 2021.

In their motions to dismiss the defense lawyers focused, in part, on Middleton’s introduction of the concept of “officer created jeopardy” in his presentation of evidence to the grand jury, or the idea that the officers’ pre-shooting conduct could weigh on the lawfulness of the use of deadly force.

The grand jury was presented with information that the officers rushed to confront Mitchell, rather than requesting assistance, failed to activate red and blue lights or spotlights, switched off a flashlight just before shooting, and that neither officer called out that they’d seen a gun before firing, according to the judge’s decision.

Concannon and Chavez argued that was improper, because the change in California law governing the use of lethal force that allowed the consideration of events prior to the shooting itself, didn’t go into effect until 2020, more than a year after Mitchell was killed.

Middleton referenced officer created jeopardy 4 times in his presentation to the grand jury, and called an expert witness to testify about it, according to Ohta’s ruling, which found the discussion of ‘OCJ’ did not invalidate the grand jury’s decision to indict.

The next pretrial hearing was set for October 3.

In a call placed to 911, you can hear her supervisor say, “I can’t get a blood pressure on her.”

Nursing Supervisor Karen Serna used her cell phone to record what was happening, telling the 911 operator she thought it was a seizure.

But it wasn’t just Nurse Serna who was present.

“There were two nurses, one medical assistant and two doctors, all City of Hope employees,” said Keith More, Andrea Morris’ attorney

One of those doctors later said under oath he was “not qualified to perform CPR.”

“They just didn’t react, and to me it’s the biggest mystery of the whole thing,” said Pam Bertino, Morris’ sister and now her conservator, as well. “Why would a medical professional that’s trained in CPR not react? It’s just really scary,.”

In a statement it the I-Team, City of Hope said “staff believed that Ms. Morris was having a seizure and began to record (her) while continuing to attend to her, believing that the video would help first responders evaluate and treat her once they arrived.”

According to court testimony, that video was never shared with first responders, and listening to the 911 call confirms no one performed CPR until more than 7 minutes later when her friend and fellow nurse Alma Harris saw what was happening and began chest compressions.

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City of Hope maintains, “Our staff reacted immediately, appropriately, and admirably to Ms. Morris’s unexpected medical event. They quickly alerted emergency personnel, and closely monitored and reported Ms. Morris’s condition. CPR was administered as soon as it was clinically appropriate.”

Morris was left quadriplegic as a result of the lack of oxygen to her brain. She now lives at home with her parents, both in their late 80s. Her family says they had to sell her home and liquidate her 401k to cover her medical expenses.

Even so, they say they are now facing a lien of more than $1 million from the recovery center where Morris had been receiving her care. 

All of this is, Morris’ family says, because her workers’ comp case was denied by City of Hope. 

“City of Hope’s position appears to be, of course we’re sympathetic, this is tragic, but if we paid every claim based on sympathy, rates would go to the roof. And the fact is, they have to prove that the injury relates to or rises out of the job, or it’s just not paying,” explained legal analyst Royal Oakes.

The family appealed the denial, and after 6 days of trial spread out over 18 weeks, the case is now in the hands of the judge.

Morris’ attorneys point to case law and precedence stating they must prove only a 1% link between her sudden cardiac arrest and her job. And they point out, she was working during the first wave of the Covid pandemic. 

“It’s very difficult to overcome that low one percent threshold,” said Oakes. “Front line workers were dying and being injured in droves during Covid. It was recognized as a very stressful job. And as a result, stress alone can justify paying a comp claim.”

“There was limited PPE equipment, limited masks, and she had a lot of anxiety a lot of stress about it,” explained Bertino. 

Morris’ attorney points to City of Hope’s posted job description before Covid which states: “Employee will work under stressful conditions.”

“There was a blockbuster element to this case,” said Oakes.

That surprising development came on day 5 of the 6-day trial concerning Nursing Supervisor Karen Serna and her own workers’ compensation claim, which was filed the same day as Morris’ sudden cardiac arrest.  

Morris’ family was stunned to learn that the claims adjuster, as noted in the judge’s trial summary, “didn’t have the names of the witnesses at the time she issued the denial,” and “there was no reconsideration of the denial after the names of the witnesses was received,” meaning she did not interview anyone present on May 14, 2020 before denying Morris’ claim.

The same adjuster did award a workers’ comp claim to Nursing Supervisor Serna, who recorded Morris’ near-death medical emergency. 

According to a now deleted LinkedIn profile, Serna changed jobs at City of Hope, moving from nursing supervisor at the Cancer Infusion Center in Upland, to nursing manager at City of Hope in Orange County.

Attorneys for City of Hope have filed a motion to have the claims adjuster’s testimony thrown out.

“When you look back and see how the adjuster behaved, how the decision was made, serious questions are being raised,” explained Oakes. “And that’s why the judge is going to have to sort through all of these questions and come to a conclusion as to whether or not this person who is now quadriplegic is in fact entitled to workers’ compensation money.”

It’s now been more than four years since Andrea Morris’ life changed forever. She requires round-the-clock care, and her sons in their 20s must also assist with caregiving.

For now, her physical and speech therapy are on hold. Her family says they simply cannot afford it.

“City of Hope has not done anything from a medical perspective,” said Bertino. “They have not helped us out in any way shape or form.”

In its statement to the I-Team, City of Hope reiterated, “Our hearts go out to her and her family. Ms. Morris is a valued colleague and friend to the staff at the City of Hope facility where she worked and who responded to her medical event. Our staff feels a deep sense of empathy and compassion for her and her situation.”

The judge is expected to reach her decision in this appeal soon. But that won’t mark the conclusion. Both sides will have the opportunity to appeal.

In the meantime, a medical malpractice lawsuit is on hold until there’s a resolution in the workers’ comp case.

In a statement, City of Hope wrote:

“We are very saddened by the medical event that Ms. Morris suffered in 2020, and our hearts go out to her and her family. Ms. Morris is a valued colleague and friend to the staff at the City of Hope facility where she worked and who responded to her medical event. Our team feels a deep sense of empathy and compassion for her and her situation. Our staff reacted immediately, appropriately, and admirably to Ms. Morris’s unexpected medical event. They quickly alerted emergency personnel, and closely monitored and reported Ms. Morris’s condition. CPR was administered as soon as it was clinically appropriate. Our staff also provided oxygen and employed a defibrillator. We are grateful for how they responded under these difficult circumstances.

Regarding the timing of providing CPR: CPR was administered as soon as it was clinically appropriate. Based on the staff’s assessment, Ms. Morris’s symptoms appeared to point to other possible medical conditions where immediately providing CPR would not have been the right clinical response, and in fact could have caused harm. Once our staff could not find a pulse, they began CPR and followed instructions from the 911 dispatcher. Regarding a member of the medical team recording part of Ms. Morris’s medical event: The staff believed that Ms. Morris was having a seizure and began to record Ms. Morris while continuing to attend to her, believing that the video would help first responders evaluate and treat her once they arrived.

Regarding the care available at City of Hope facilities: As one of the leading cancer research and treatment organizations in the country, the health and wellbeing of our patients and employees is our top priority. Every one of our care sites is prepared to provide patients with high quality medical care, and we remain committed to maintaining a safe work environment for our staff and clinical teams. We have the processes and expertise in place to respond to unexpected situations, including at our clinics that do not have emergency rooms.

Regarding City of Hope’s position on Ms. Morris’s workers’ compensation claim: While we empathize deeply with Ms. Morris and her family in light of Ms. Morris’s ongoing medical support needs, we do not believe that Ms. Morris’s medical event was caused by her employment with City of Hope.”

Now that stretch of Hollywood Boulevard and Gower Avenue, and another large homeless encampment down the street at Hollywood Boulevard and Wilton Avenue, is completely free of tents.

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“I don’t think it’s a coincidence. I think that they [the city of LA] probably did it because they knew all the eyes would be on this area,” says Levi Freeman, a realtor and Hollywood resident.

Freeman and his neighbors had been pleading with Mayor Karen Bass’ office and with their City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez to remove the encampments because they brought drug dealing, trash, and fires to the residential area, which is full of apartments and new condos.

“It really was horrible to be ignored again and again when we’re crying out about safety. Most of my calls and emails to our councilman were not answered,”  Freeman told the I-Team.

And then, three days before the city of LA closed off Hollywood Boulevard to thousands of families and cyclists for the bicycling event called “CicLAvia,” the tents were removed, including the encampment at Hollywood Boulevard and Wilton Avenue.

When the I-Team asked Councilman Soto-Martinez if the encampment was removed because of CicLAvia, he said, “We don’t know what happened to that encampment.”

But LAPD officers told the I-Team what happened: They say the councilman’s office requested a clean-up of the Hollywood Boulevard and Wilton Avenue encampment, which took place two days before CicLAvia. 

And, the officers said they were allowed to tell the homeless there they could no longer pitch tents during the day in accordance with an LA ordinance.

But Councilman Soto-Martinez insisted to NBC4, “We don’t know what happened to those folks.” 

Those LAPD officers say some of the homeless moved into an abandoned house around the corner on Wilton Avenue, until police ordered them to leave.

Soto-Martinez said about 5,000 of the unhoused moved into a new transitional housing project in East Hollywood.

And down the street, that large encampment at Hollywood Boulevard and Gower Avenue was also dismantled the week before CicLAvia, as part of Mayor Karen Bass’ “Inside Safe” program.

Residents of the area tell the I-Team they hope the changes are permanent.

“Our sidewalks have become toilets and drug dens for the homeless,” says Hollywood resident Keith Johnson. “Businesses and community members like me are just pleased the encampments are gone.”

Other residents like Levi Freeman say they’ll continue to be speak out, even protest, if the tents return to their neighborhood.

“Everyone wants the same things. We want safety,” Freeman told NBC4.

“The effects of crime tourism are being felt very acutely here in Southern California,” said U.S. Attorney E. Martin Estrada. “This group not just facilitated crime tourism, but in many cases, actively directed it.”

An indictment made public Wednesday morning accused the group of taking part in a variety of illegal enterprises as far back as 2018 and continuing through 2024, and included allegations of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, wire fraud, and money laundering.

Estrada said the leaders and other participants operated a rental car business in the San Fernando Valley called, “Driver Power Rentals,” which, in reality, was a front for running teams of tourist thieves from South America, primarily Chile, who were dispatched to specific areas and businesses to carry out the thefts.

The two leaders, identified by Estrada as Juan Carlos Thola and Ana Maria Arriagada, could each face more than 200 years in prison if they’re convicted.

“Thola has been running, in essence, the Hertz rental car business for thieves,” said Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, who said his office had filed charges against more than 130 suspected tourist burglars since 2018.

“Today, however, thanks to our federal partners, a behind-the-scenes mastermind who promoted and provided foreign nationals to commit those crimes, has been arrested and charged,” he said.

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According to the indictment Thola and Arriagada would rent luxury cars to thieves for around $500 per week, and required would-be burglars to obtain false identity documents.

Stolen merchandise was shipped to the ringleaders at a FedEx store in Sherman Oaks, where the organizers allegedly retrieved the packages and ‘fenced’ the goods, with a percentage of the proceeds paid back to the thieves, the indictment said.

The leaders also told the thieves to use stolen credit and debit cards as quickly as possible, “to max out the stolen credit and debit cards by purchasing electronics, gift cards, designer purses, other high-end luxury goods, or other items before the stolen cards could be frozen or cancelled.”

These types of tourist burglary rings are suspected in a series of recent home burglaries in the San Fernando Valley and West Los Angeles, other law enforcement officials have said, based on specific tactics used by the thieves and other evidence.

Earlier this year the LAPD announced it was forming a South American Theft Group task force to focus on these groups and the methods they use to resell stolen goods.

Local law enforcement agencies have complained for years that the easy availability of tourist visas in certain countries in Central and South America was being abused by organized criminal groups, and urged federal lawmakers to restrict visits or require criminal background checks before issuing the visas.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, who’s agency participated in the federal task force that conducted the investigation that led to these charges, said the application for an “ESTA” tourist visa cost only $22 and could be completed online.

Crime data published by the LAPD shows there’s been a steady increase in residential burglaries in LA in recent years, although the number of break-ins is still lower than the residential burglary rates in the mid-2010s.

Jennie Feria, the chief deputy director of the county’s Department of Children and Family Services, tells the I-Team calls that once would end when it was determined there wasn’t a need for a child abuse or neglect investigation, now stay open.  

“We will go ahead and ask questions, screen it and if there is no concern for abuse or neglect, we will definitely connect them to the services through the Hotline to Helpline program,” Feria said.   

Hotline to Helpline started in 2018 and continues to expand its reach.  

Data obtained by the I-Team from the department shows an increase in these transfers, meaning calls that do not meet the standards for child abuse and neglect but do qualify for services in the community.   

More than 3,141 calls qualified for Helpline from January to May 2024, with 1,228 of families accepting services, according to the data obtained from the department.  

“An example could be that a child shows up to school hungry, and it may be impacting their education, and the teacher calls in because they’re a little bit concerned, and maybe mom’s working three jobs trying to put food on the table,” Feria said.  

Para Los Niños is an organization that has taken calls transferred from the department under the Hotline to Helpline program.

“It could be very, very simple as like, ‘We need concrete supports,’” said Jimmy Urizar, director of family services for PLN. “‘Can you help me find a place to help me pay for my utility bill? Can you help me with getting diapers?’ Sometimes it may be, ‘Can you help me find housing? Can you help me pay for rent,’” Urizar said.   

According to DCFS, families seeking support or resources should call 211 to be connected with help in their communities. 

Suspicions of abuse or neglect may be reported 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to the county’s child protection hotline at 800-540-4000.

The NBC4 I-Team and Telemundo 52 Investiga have been looking into the increasing number of silicosis cases in California. Silicosis is a lung disease affecting stone-cutting workers working with engineered or artificial stone.

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Cesar Gonzalez says he felt like the floor was being pulled from under him last December when he was diagnosed with silicosis.

“To be honest, I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry,” he said.

According to doctors, silicosis is caused by inhaling silica dust from working with artificial stone used in kitchen and bathroom countertops.

“You feel like you’re trapped in your own body,” Gonzalez said of his condition.

Cesar says he started working at a shop cutting engineered stone when he was 18. At 36, he is now connected to an oxygen tank and waiting for a lung transplant, while also trying to get worker’s compensation from his employer.

But when he tried to contact his employer, he said neither he nor his attorney could get an answer about coverage.

“We believe that there is no worker’s compensation insurance coverage, and as such, we will probably have to join a state agency to cover worker’s compensation benefits,” Gary Rodich, of Rodich Law, said.

Worker’s compensation insurance covers employee expenses resulting from accidents and illnesses caused in their places of employment. But Rodich has discovered some employers in the stone-cutting industry aren’t keeping up with their coverage, which he says is illegal. And, in other cases, the silicosis diagnosis is denied from coverage.

“We’ve got several of these cases, almost all of them have been denied by the worker’s compensation insurance carrier,” Rodich added.

These types of cases have now gotten the attention of California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara.

“So we first noticed that there was some delays in granting worker’s comp rights to some of the silicosis patients through your reporting, actually,” Lara said.

Lara tells us our reporting prompted him to write a letter to the Worker’s Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau requesting a detailed study on silicosis claims across the state.

He wants answers to questions like the number of silicosis cases filed in the past 10 years and the average medical costs related to these claims. He says all employers in the state must offer some form of worker’s compensation coverage.

“Worker’s comp in California is critical to protect our workers. Everybody can access worker’s comp. Even our undocumented community is something we’re very proud of because we know that we keep all our workers healthy, it contributes to their own economic wellbeing, but it contributes to the overall wellbeing of our economy here in California,” Lara said.

The NBC4 I-Team reached out to Cesar’s most recent employer in North Hollywood, listed on a legal claim provided to us by his attorney, requesting information about worker’s compensation coverage. Despite several attempts, neither our partners at Telemundo 52 Investiga or the I-Team received a response.

We also searched on the state’s workers compensation insurance rating bureau webpage, where anyone can see if an employer has workers comp insurance. No information about the business came up.

Rodich says he wants more to be done on the state level – beyond the proposed study.

We have been tracking cases of silicosis related to engineered stone in California and more continue to be identified. As of Aug. 15, the state’s department of public health tells the I-Team there are 176 of these types of cases in the state. Sixty percent are Los Angeles County residents, according to our analysis of the data.

Year to date in 2024 LAPD Chief Dominic Choi said this week the number of residential burglaries rose by at least 4 percent compared with this time last year.

“Every family deserves to feel safe in their homes and in their communities,” Mayor Karen Bass said Friday in a news release addressing the recent series of home burglaries in the San Fernando Valley.

“I’ve directed urgent action in relation to recent incidents in the Valley,” she said.

Arrest data from the LAPD shows that in the same four-year period, from Jan. 1, 2020 through Dec, 31, 2023, relatively few people were booked on suspicion of residential burglary.

There were 104 arrests for residential burglary in 2020, 187 in 2021, 146 in 2022, and 172 in 2023 — or if compared with the number of crime reports, the arrests were made in less than 3% of the reported crimes.

Encino Aug 22

Encino homeowners hold virtual meeting after string of recent burglaries

san fernando valley Aug 14

More LAPD patrols added to San Fernando Valley areas amid spike in burglaries

In July a series of home burglaries took place in Encino, Tazana, and Sherman Oaks, and authorities told the I-Team they suspected several different groups of thieves had been working the neighborhoods.

The LAPD said it increased the number of patrols in the area, met with residents, and assigned detectives from specialized units to track-down the burglars.

Statistical crime report data was not available for 2024 because the LAPD is upgrading its reporting systems. Department officials said this week they expected public access to the data would be restored in the next few months.

Teran has been a member of DA George Gascón’s leadership team and was in charge of the DA’s Office Ethics and Integrity Unit when the case was filed earlier this year.

The California Department of Justice initially filed 11 charges against Teran, accusing her of copying or using computer data without authorization.

The case centers on allegations that Teran, while previously employed at the LA County Sheriff’s Department, accessed personnel files that contained records of misconduct by deputies — information that has special legal protection in California to shield it from public discovery — then improperly delivered some of those files years later to the District Attorney’s Office, which maintains an index of law enforcement officers with problematic histories.

“I respect the Court’s decision, but I am disappointed with the ruling,” Teran’s defense attorney Jim Spertus said Tuesday.

Spertus argued during the preliminary hearing that even if some of the documents in question could be found inside the protected personnel files of deputies, the same information had already been made public in nearly identical court filings. Spertus told Judge Sam Ohta those deputies waived some of their special confidentiality as police officers when they took action in court to challenge disciplinary findings.

“Crossing the chasm from civil service discipline into court does waive the right to confidentiality, it absolutely does because you’ve made it available to the public,” Spertus said during the hearing.

The Department of Justice dismissed three of the 11 counts just before the preliminary hearing began, and Judge Ohta dismissed two more Tuesday, leaving six counts Teran will face at trial.

The DOJ’s press office has not responded to requests for information, documents, or comment on the Teran case in recent weeks, but issued a statement from Attorney General Rob Bonta when the charges were first announced that said, “No one is above the law.”

A spokeswoman for Gascón said earlier this year that the office would not address specific personnel matters, and it would “comply with any investigation from the Attorney General’s Office” and remained “committed to upholding transparency and ensuring police accountability within Los Angeles County.”

One woman tells the NBC4 I-Team it is time to consider the homeless, a group she was once a part of.

The last count found more than 75,000 people are homeless in Los Angeles County and many of them may not realize that they can register to vote, including at county shelters and online.

“The main thing I feel for any homeless person, is you have to learn to become vocal, you know? That’s why we are invisible, because a lot of us tend to be so embarrassed, we don’t want to reach out for help,” Justice Butler said. 

The 65-year-old former radio disc jockey says she found herself homeless at various times in her life, from her hometown of Houston to Los Angeles. She now lives in a studio apartment near McArthur Park.  

One thing that never waned was her desire to be part of the voting process. 

“It means a lot every year, because the first time I’m voting, and I’m teary-eyed because of the people before me, and I’ve really learned to connect to my history,” Butler said. “They died and fought for this right to vote.”

Butler registered to vote while at a Los Angeles city shelter.  

“When I went into the shelter on Skid Row, they gave me all this paperwork to fill out, and one of it was a voter registration card,” she said.  

Her story is not unique.  

California law allows an unhoused or homeless voter to participate in the election, said Dean Logan, who oversees the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.

“They can register to vote, they can list the cross street where they spend the most of their time, where they lay their head at night,” Logan said. 

“They can list the shelter where they’re staying for residents’ purposes that ensures they get the most localized ballot that’s effective for them,” he added. 

Logan tells the NBC4 I-Team, currently there are about 800 voters registered with an intersection address and then another approximately 5,500 voters who registered with a shelter, a church or similar place that provides services. 

Still there is the fact that every active registered voter in California receives a vote by mail ballot. 

“So you can list a mailing address. So a lot of those voters may list even a Department of Social Services address where they’re receiving information about their benefits or they can use a shelter address or a PO box to receive the voting materials,” Logan said.   

He says the fail-safe method remains the in-person vote centers, including mobile ones that the county sends to different neighborhoods.  

“We utilize that program to also go to homelessness encampments that are in North County or out in Long Beach or areas like that to ensure that we have access for those voters,” he said.  

The need goes beyond the homeless population.  

“This is a particular issue in this election because we know that there are a group of citizens who through the end of rent control after the pandemic have been displaced from their homes and may not receive their voting materials because they’re dealing with trying to find a new home or a new place to stay,” Logan said.  

Butler says she is battling a debilitating lung disease and is focused on issues that matter to her this election.  

“It’s about somebody having a plan for healthcare,” she said. 

Her message to others, no matter where they live is, is to vote.

“We got to go out to vote,” she said. “This time, we got to go out and vote, y’all, real.”

Vote by mail ballots have been mailed out.  Some of the dozens of in-person vote centers in Los Angeles County will open as soon as 11 days before election day and people can vote at any location, even registering on site. 

“Our personnel have been able to link the evidence seized to multiple recent commercial burglaries that occurred in the city,” LAPD Chief Dominic Choi said Tuesday.

“These same suspects have also been identified as engaging crimes in the City of Lennox, Beverly Hills, Rialto and Ontario,” Choi said, but declined to provide additional detail citing the ongoing investigation of Wactor’s murder.

The LA County District Attorney’s Office charged two men Monday with Wactor’s murder, Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, both 18, and two other men with crimes related to the killing.

Actor murdered in Downtown LA

Downtown LA Aug 19

2 charged with murder in downtown LA shooting death of actor Johnny Wactor

Shootings Aug 4

LAPD releases surveillance photos of suspects wanted in Johnny Wactor's shooting death

All four appeared in court Monday and entered not guilty pleas.

Other law enforcement sources told the I-Team detectives identified the four men charged more than a month ago, and had been working in recent weeks to find additional evidence establishing their alleged roles in the crime.

Choi said that now includes fingerprint and DNA evidence.

“They reviewed hundreds of hours of video and authored over 50 search warrants, which significantly contributed to identifying the four suspects involved in this senseless murder,” he said.

Wactor was shot to death May 25 as he returned to his car parked in Downtown LA and confronted thieves who were trying to steal his catalytic converter, police said.

One woman tells the NBC4 I-Team it is time to consider the homeless, a group she was once a part of.

The last count found more than 75,000 people are homeless in Los Angeles County and many of them may not realize that they can register to vote, including at county shelters and online.

“The main thing I feel for any homeless person, is you have to learn to become vocal, you know? That’s why we are invisible, because a lot of us tend to be so embarrassed, we don’t want to reach out for help,” Justice Butler said. 

The 65-year-old former radio disc jockey says she found herself homeless at various times in her life, from her hometown of Houston to Los Angeles. She now lives in a studio apartment near McArthur Park.  

One thing that never waned was her desire to be part of the voting process. 

“It means a lot every year, because the first time I’m voting, and I’m teary-eyed because of the people before me, and I’ve really learned to connect to my history,” Butler said. “They died and fought for this right to vote.”

Butler registered to vote while at a Los Angeles city shelter.  

“When I went into the shelter on Skid Row, they gave me all this paperwork to fill out, and one of it was a voter registration card,” she said.  

Her story is not unique.  

California law allows an unhoused or homeless voter to participate in the election, said Dean Logan, who oversees the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.

“They can register to vote, they can list the cross street where they spend the most of their time, where they lay their head at night,” Logan said. 

“They can list the shelter where they’re staying for residents’ purposes that ensures they get the most localized ballot that’s effective for them,” he added. 

Logan tells the NBC4 I-Team, currently there are about 800 voters registered with an intersection address and then another approximately 5,500 voters who registered with a shelter, a church or similar place that provides services. 

Still there is the fact that every active registered voter in California receives a vote by mail ballot. 

“So you can list a mailing address. So a lot of those voters may list even a Department of Social Services address where they’re receiving information about their benefits or they can use a shelter address or a PO box to receive the voting materials,” Logan said.   

He says the fail-safe method remains the in-person vote centers, including mobile ones that the county sends to different neighborhoods.  

“We utilize that program to also go to homelessness encampments that are in North County or out in Long Beach or areas like that to ensure that we have access for those voters,” he said.  

The need goes beyond the homeless population.  

“This is a particular issue in this election because we know that there are a group of citizens who through the end of rent control after the pandemic have been displaced from their homes and may not receive their voting materials because they’re dealing with trying to find a new home or a new place to stay,” Logan said.  

Butler says she is battling a debilitating lung disease and is focused on issues that matter to her this election.  

“It’s about somebody having a plan for healthcare,” she said. 

Her message to others, no matter where they live is, is to vote.

“We got to go out to vote,” she said. “This time, we got to go out and vote, y’all, real.”

Vote by mail ballots have been mailed out.  Some of the dozens of in-person vote centers in Los Angeles County will open as soon as 11 days before election day and people can vote at any location, even registering on site. 

One woman tells the NBC4 I-Team it is time to consider the homeless, a group she was once a part of.

The last count found more than 75,000 people are homeless in Los Angeles County and many of them may not realize that they can register to vote, including at county shelters and online.

“The main thing I feel for any homeless person, is you have to learn to become vocal, you know? That’s why we are invisible, because a lot of us tend to be so embarrassed, we don’t want to reach out for help,” Justice Butler said. 

The 65-year-old former radio disc jockey says she found herself homeless at various times in her life, from her hometown of Houston to Los Angeles. She now lives in a studio apartment near McArthur Park.  

One thing that never waned was her desire to be part of the voting process. 

“It means a lot every year, because the first time I’m voting, and I’m teary-eyed because of the people before me, and I’ve really learned to connect to my history,” Butler said. “They died and fought for this right to vote.”

Butler registered to vote while at a Los Angeles city shelter.  

“When I went into the shelter on Skid Row, they gave me all this paperwork to fill out, and one of it was a voter registration card,” she said.  

Her story is not unique.  

California law allows an unhoused or homeless voter to participate in the election, said Dean Logan, who oversees the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.

“They can register to vote, they can list the cross street where they spend the most of their time, where they lay their head at night,” Logan said. 

“They can list the shelter where they’re staying for residents’ purposes that ensures they get the most localized ballot that’s effective for them,” he added. 

Logan tells the NBC4 I-Team, currently there are about 800 voters registered with an intersection address and then another approximately 5,500 voters who registered with a shelter, a church or similar place that provides services. 

Still there is the fact that every active registered voter in California receives a vote by mail ballot. 

“So you can list a mailing address. So a lot of those voters may list even a Department of Social Services address where they’re receiving information about their benefits or they can use a shelter address or a PO box to receive the voting materials,” Logan said.   

He says the fail-safe method remains the in-person vote centers, including mobile ones that the county sends to different neighborhoods.  

“We utilize that program to also go to homelessness encampments that are in North County or out in Long Beach or areas like that to ensure that we have access for those voters,” he said.  

The need goes beyond the homeless population.  

“This is a particular issue in this election because we know that there are a group of citizens who through the end of rent control after the pandemic have been displaced from their homes and may not receive their voting materials because they’re dealing with trying to find a new home or a new place to stay,” Logan said.  

Butler says she is battling a debilitating lung disease and is focused on issues that matter to her this election.  

“It’s about somebody having a plan for healthcare,” she said. 

Her message to others, no matter where they live is, is to vote.

“We got to go out to vote,” she said. “This time, we got to go out and vote, y’all, real.”

Vote by mail ballots have been mailed out.  Some of the dozens of in-person vote centers in Los Angeles County will open as soon as 11 days before election day and people can vote at any location, even registering on site. 

The unnamed victim, an Irvine resident who is an immigrant from China and a legal U.S. resident, had been embroiled in a dispute with a former business associate still in China, who allegedly paid more than $400,000 to orchestrate the raid in 2019, according to officials.

“At some point, this wealthy Chinese national decided to hire these mercenaries to go carry out what they did,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada told reporters in downtown LA.

“The goal was to get this person to sign a contract to give away his business rights. That’s what he ended up doing, but he did it by force, intimidation and extortion,” Estrada said.

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LAPD May 3

LAPD use of force, shootings increased in 2023

According to the indictment, one of the conspirators was now-retired deputy Steven A. Lankford, who was actively employed as a law enforcement officer at the time, Estrada said Lankford used his badge and access to law enforcement databases and resources to plan and execute the raid.

“He used his badge to gain entry into the home. He used his authority as a Sheriff’s deputy to intimidate the family and to threaten the businessman with deportation,” Estrada said.

Lankford had retired in 2017 but returned to the Sheriff’s Department to work a limited number of hours each year as a part-time employee and was working in that capacity at the time of the 2019 incident, according to prosecutors.

Lankford’s defense attorney declined to comment on the allegations.

The indictment, which accuses the four of taking part in a conspiracy to commit extortion and the deprivation of rights under the color of law, said Lankford also tried to shut down an investigation into the raid after the victim reported it to the Irvine Police Department.

The four defendants made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court Monday afternoon.

The name of the businesswoman in China who allegedly directed the raid did not appear in the criminal complaint.

“The pandemic — everybody, of course, took a big hit, including the film industry, followed by the big strikes,” she explained.

Menkes said the industry didn’t bounce back after the strikes like many had hoped, so to help cover her mortgage, she rents her home on Airbnb when she’s out of town. 

“If I wasn’t able to do that, I would lose the house. It really makes it possible to stay here,” she said.

Menkes said big events that draw even more tourists to town help homeowners like her. She already has her eyes set on the 2028 games. 

“We do expect that there will be a huge amount of people coming in,” she said.

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 1

Los Angeles transit projects delayed ahead of 2028 Olympics

Homelessness Aug 8

When Los Angeles hosts 2028 Olympics, visitors may be greeted by tens of thousands of homeless people

That’s certainly what’s happening in Paris. Airbnb told the I-Team Paris is tracking to be the biggest hosting event in its history.

The company said tens of thousands of new hosts have listed their homes, and more than half received a booking within seven days. Airbnb said their typical host is expected to make an average of 2,000 euros. 

Menkes said, as friends in LA have gotten a lot more than that during big events, she’s banking on the Olympic Games in four years to give her a much-needed financial boost. 

“It would mean a lot and it could make a big difference in my life,” she said.

Tips to get the most money from your rental

• Take good pictures. Be sure they highlight the unique selling points of your home.
• Offer things like books and board games for entertainment. 
• Offer device chargers and self check-in for convenience. 

“The way things are right now, we wouldn’t survive during the Olympics at all,” says Kim Kevorkian, a longtime resident of the nearby Lake Hollywood neighborhood. 

“My worst fear is that there’s going to be a fire up here, and we’re not going to all be able to get out,” Kevorkian told the I-Team. 

The Hollywood sign wasn’t built as a tourist attraction. It was built in 1923 to advertise “Hollywoodland,” a new housing development.  

But in recent years, the sign is heavily promoted as a tourist attraction on social media and by the city of LA.

Every summer weekend, out-of-towners and locals cause gridlock in the area, even blocking intersections to get selfies with the Hollywood sign behind them. 

During a two-week period in June, city cameras documented over 52,000 cars jamming into the area, compare that to a two-week period in March when around 16,000 cars were counted by those cameras.  

“When you’re building tourist attractions, you’re building infrastructure to accommodate so many different numbers of people,,” said Jeff Zarrinam, the head of the Hollywood Sign Trust, which maintains the sign. “That was never taken into consideration here.”

Kim Kevorkian and her neighbor Lisa Hope contacted the NBC4 I-Team last year in the wake of the tragic fire that killed more than 100 people and ravaged Lahaina, Maui, a traffic clogged area with few ways in and out, similar to the neighborhoods surrounding the Hollywood sign.  

“A wind driven fire up here with only two ways in and out — (it’s) just a recipe for disaster,” Hope told the I-Team.

Investigation Jun 25

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The women provided NBC4 with videos and photos of outrageous and sometimes dangerous behavior by tourists, trying to get an up-close look at the sign. 

One set of photos documents a tourist who hauled in a piano and blocked the street to to film a TikTok video of himself playing the piano with the Hollywood sign in the background. 

Other photos show tourists who got out of their cars to urinate. 

The biggest concern is the large number tourists who smoke in this area where the hills are covered by dry brush; the area is ranked by the LA Fire Department as one of the highest fire risk zones in LA.  

During an interview with Kevorkian and Hope in the Lake Hollywood area, the I-Team documented numerous tourists smoking and tossing their smoldering cigarette butts even though signs say smoking in the area is forbidden.  

“We have ‘no smoking’ signs everywhere, but people continue to smoke. They continue to ignore the signs, Hope said.

Residents like Kevorkian and Hope have taken part in a city committee looking at ways to control the crowds and avoid a potential fire disaster.  

One idea being considered is providing shuttle service from Hollywood Boulevard to the Hollywood sign area, similar to the shuttle service which LA County provides to the Hollywood Bowl on busy summer nights.  

“I would be in favor of a shuttle service. It makes sense. You’re bringing up less cars,” said Zarrinnam of the Hollywood Sign Trust.  

Residents have also proposed making parking on the streets near the sign for ‘residents only,’ and they’ve gathered enough signatures for that. They said they have yet to gain the full support of their City Councilmember Nithya Raman.  

The I-Team reached out five times to Raman’s office to discuss this safety issue but so far has not received a response.  

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

One woman tells the NBC4 I-Team it is time to consider the homeless, a group she was once a part of.

The last count found more than 75,000 people are homeless in Los Angeles County and many of them may not realize that they can register to vote, including at county shelters and online.

“The main thing I feel for any homeless person, is you have to learn to become vocal, you know? That’s why we are invisible, because a lot of us tend to be so embarrassed, we don’t want to reach out for help,” Justice Butler said. 

The 65-year-old former radio disc jockey says she found herself homeless at various times in her life, from her hometown of Houston to Los Angeles. She now lives in a studio apartment near McArthur Park.  

One thing that never waned was her desire to be part of the voting process. 

“It means a lot every year, because the first time I’m voting, and I’m teary-eyed because of the people before me, and I’ve really learned to connect to my history,” Butler said. “They died and fought for this right to vote.”

Butler registered to vote while at a Los Angeles city shelter.  

“When I went into the shelter on Skid Row, they gave me all this paperwork to fill out, and one of it was a voter registration card,” she said.  

Her story is not unique.  

California law allows an unhoused or homeless voter to participate in the election, said Dean Logan, who oversees the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.

“They can register to vote, they can list the cross street where they spend the most of their time, where they lay their head at night,” Logan said. 

“They can list the shelter where they’re staying for residents’ purposes that ensures they get the most localized ballot that’s effective for them,” he added. 

Logan tells the NBC4 I-Team, currently there are about 800 voters registered with an intersection address and then another approximately 5,500 voters who registered with a shelter, a church or similar place that provides services. 

Still there is the fact that every active registered voter in California receives a vote by mail ballot. 

“So you can list a mailing address. So a lot of those voters may list even a Department of Social Services address where they’re receiving information about their benefits or they can use a shelter address or a PO box to receive the voting materials,” Logan said.   

He says the fail-safe method remains the in-person vote centers, including mobile ones that the county sends to different neighborhoods.  

“We utilize that program to also go to homelessness encampments that are in North County or out in Long Beach or areas like that to ensure that we have access for those voters,” he said.  

The need goes beyond the homeless population.  

“This is a particular issue in this election because we know that there are a group of citizens who through the end of rent control after the pandemic have been displaced from their homes and may not receive their voting materials because they’re dealing with trying to find a new home or a new place to stay,” Logan said.  

Butler says she is battling a debilitating lung disease and is focused on issues that matter to her this election.  

“It’s about somebody having a plan for healthcare,” she said. 

Her message to others, no matter where they live is, is to vote.

“We got to go out to vote,” she said. “This time, we got to go out and vote, y’all, real.”

Vote by mail ballots have been mailed out.  Some of the dozens of in-person vote centers in Los Angeles County will open as soon as 11 days before election day and people can vote at any location, even registering on site. 

The latest incident happened in the same neighborhood as the first three near Manzanita Street east of Sunset Boulevard, LAPD officials told the I-Team.

“It is believed the suspect struck a fourth time last night,” a department spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.

The prowler has entered through first and second floor windows and doors, and in one incident, slipped through metal security bars attached to the outside of a home.

Several law enforcement sources told the I-Team a woman was the victim of a sexual assault during the fourth break-in. The LAPD said in a statement earlier this week another woman was the victim of a sexual battery during one of the Saturday burglaries.

“Investigators are leaving no stone unturned and officers in the area are on heightened alert,” the LAPD said in a statement Wednesday.

LAPD Jul 28

Women sexually assaulted in home invasion burglaries

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“Community members are encouraged to ensure their home is secured and report any unusual activity,” the statement said.

Investigators have not publicly shared a description of the prowler.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact LAPD Detective Bridges at the Northeast Area police station at 323-561-3465. Anonymous tips can be made by contacting Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Assistant Chief Blake Chow said during the last four weeks, there were eight more break-ins reported in an area south of the 101 freeway and west of the 405 than during the same period last year.

He told the Board of Police Commissioners LAPD helicopters will provide extra patrols of the area during the times most of the recent burglaries have occurred, and he asked residents to check security video recordings regularly as there are indications these thieves are watching potential target houses before breaking in.

“There is a little bit of intel gathering and casing, so they know which houses to hit. If people see something unusual, maybe on their ring cam, that’s something we need to know about,” Chow said.

Other LAPD officials told the I-Team they suspect a small group of thieves has been working the area as was seen in security video that captured three masked men shattering a glass window to enter a home during a burglary over the weekend.

Residential burglaries in Encino

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Intruders break into Encino home with 2 people inside in midday burglary

Chow said city-wide the number of residential burglaries has crept up by nearly 4% this year, adding detectives had made progress in the unrelated investigation of break-ins at three homes on one street in the Silver Lake area over the weekend.

“Detectives are actively working to identify the subject using evidence recovered from the scenes, in all three incidents we believe we have forensic evidence,” he said.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

“We have no other choice. It’s terrible,” longtime Villa Espana Townhomes resident Julie Ditchik told the I-Team of the price hike, adding her and her neighbors’ monthly fees for trash collection will go from $92 to more than $600 per unit.

“What are these people going to say when you raise the rate 574%?” asked homeowners association president Roz Ross, who said she unsuccessfully appealed to the company and the city for relief.

The city of Los Angeles requires most multi-unit residential buildings, like apartments, condos and townhomes, to contract for waste and recycling collection through a specific private waste firm, depending on the neighborhood, through the RecycLA program.

The city caps the fees for bin and dumpster collection but allows the private firms to tack-on additional fees for opening electric gates or the distance between the street and the locations of the trash bin.

The RecycLA program only allows the use of the city-designated trash company, so residents at Villa Espana say they’re unable to find an alternative waste hauler that might charge less.

The HOA received notice of the increases earlier this year after Waste Management determined that the complex should incur more distance fees, according to collection quotes sent by the company, meaning the distance between the street and the location where each bin has to be picked-up.

The complex doesn’t have room for centralized dumpsters, and large trash trucks cannot access the driveways inside, so each resident puts individual bins outside of their garages Thursday mornings for pickup.

“Our fees would be going up from approximately $5,300 a month to $37,000 a month,” said Ross, explaining about $24,000 of the new charges are made up of those distance fees.

Service quotes sent to the HOA and shared with the I-Team showed the new charges for one side of the complex on Newcastle Avenue would be $22,726 each month, and the other side on Lindley Avenue would be $15,081.08 each month, totaling $37,807.08.

Waste Management agreed to postpone the increase for three months, meaning the new fees would take effect September 1 unless the company reduced the amount or the city intervened, she said.

In email statements to the I-Team, Waste Management initially denied it quoted an amount topping $30,000 and said it had proposed an alternative service agreement for much less money.

“We have held several constructive meetings with the property owners of the complex about their service options and charges consistent with the recycLA program,” Waste Management’s media office said.

“In May 2024, [we] found a solution for the customer that involves no access or distance fees, while remaining in full compliance with the RecycLA program,” the company said.

Villa Espana residents explained that proposal, which would cost $6,457.84 each month, would no longer include trash and recycling collection inside the complex, meaning residents would have to pull their bins, more than 100 of them, outside the complex gates and on to the surrounding streets, which are jammed daily with parked cars.

Ross said that wasn’t realistic, and in order to continue with the door-to-door collection the residents have received since 2019, they would have to pay the new distance fees, which she said few of the residents could afford.

“I mean, we complain about gas or something going up a few pennies, what about something like this? This is terrible, and we have no choice,” she said.

A spokesperson for City Councilwoman Nithya Raman said her office offered to assist with negotiating a reduced bill in May and said her office remained willing to intervene if the Villa Espana residents couldn’t resolve the situation with Waste Management directly.

LA Sanitation, which manages the RecycLA program, did not respond to repeated requests for information on the distance fee assessment or its management of the trash collection contractors, including Waste Management.

RecycLA was started around 2018 in order to require multi-unit residential buildings to begin sorting trash into separate solid waste and recycling bins, rather than allowing residents to toss all waste into one large dumpster. State laws will also require separate green waste bins.

The United States Attorney’s Office of the Central District of California tells the NBC4 I-Team the Vulnerable Communities Task Force began last October.  

“The victims are very often vulnerable communities. What I mean by that is groups that historically have had less access to legal resources. So, for instance, older adults, immigrants and indigent individuals who are using public benefits,” E. Martin Estrada, United States Attorney for the Central District of California, said.  

He told the I-Team one of the main reasons for creating the group is to assist with the difficult process of reporting what people have experienced. 

It’s now a click away.  

A new link has been added to the Department of Justice website that gets people to a form where they can submit their complaint. 

“We will then work with federal law enforcement authorities to look into investigating the case. I will say we cannot investigate every case, but those cases that truly affect victims in a profound way, we will open and investigate,” Estrada said.   

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As for those who perpetrating the crime, Estrada said many of them are overseas.

“We have these criminal networks operate overseas that reach into this country to commit fraud,” he said. 

“That’s because they use things like the internet, mail, phones and text messages, and that means it can be a federal case. Now we look for the cases that have the biggest impact on the community. So where we see repeat conduct, we investigate those cases,” Estrada added.  

Several cases have been filed or sentenced since the announcement of the task force in October 2023. 

A Department spokesperson told the I-Team most recently the team has opened at least five new investigations. 

“To me, the difference between a civil case and a criminal case is the presence of lying, cheating and stealing,” Monica Tait, Assistant U.S. Attorney in charge of the Vulnerable Communities Task Force, said. 

She urged people to be as specific as possible when reporting potential fraud. 

“The first thing I want to hear is that you’re a potential victim of something. And I want to hear who did it to you, when did it happen, how much money did you lose and how did it affect you? And if you can crystallize the part about how you’re a victim of fraud and put that as your top sentence, that will get people’s attention,” Tait said. 

Estrada said no one should feel fear or embarrassment to report their experiences. 

“My very clear message is to not have shame, not be embarrassed. We know that anyone can be a victim of fraud. In fact, just a month ago, we learned that one of the most famous and the most successful baseball players ever, Shohei Ohtani, was a victim himself of fraud. If Mr. Ohtani can be a victim of fraud, anyone can be a victim of fraud,” Estrada said. 

The Vulnerable Communities Task Force reporting claims form can be found here. 

Connecting with this task force does not mean that what may have happened to you will rise to the level of a federal crime but the group believes it is a step in seeing if there is possible legal action 

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Those in favor of the state bill said it was a way to hold shops accountable and keep workers safe.

But the assemblyperson who authored the bill tells the I-Team some state regulators were not “receptive” to the idea.

Health experts say cutting, sawing and crushing stone countertops can expose workers to silica dust, which can cause silicosis. In engineered stone, experts say the concentration of silica can be as high as 99%, compared to natural stones which contain as little as 3% silica.

Last December, Cal OSHA created emergency “temporary” rules for shops cutting engineered stone slabs. The rules require the use of water during the cutting process to prevent silica dust from becoming airborne and mandate specific air-purifying respirators for employees.

Assemblywoman Luz Rivas, who represents California’s 43rd District, explained to the I-Team why she withdrew the bill focused on engineered stone workers and the shops they work in across California.

“The solution that this bill proposed was to create a licensing system where product manufacturers could only sell engineered stone to licensed fabrication shops,” said Rivas. “Licensing would ensure that workers are properly trained and work in a safe environment without a risk of contracting silicosis.”

Rivas said state agencies previously involved in contributing to the bill were not supportive, leading her to withdraw it with only weeks left in the current legislative session.

“In my final meeting with state agencies and the administration, there was a lot of pushback due to the cost of this system,” Rivas told the I-Team. “They seemed to think it was too complex, but when I asked for feedback, they did not offer any specific solutions.”

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The NBC4 I-Team and Telemundo 52 Investiga introduced viewers to workers diagnosed with silicosis, including former shop worker Gustavo Reyes-Gonzalez, who was diagnosed with the disease at age 30 and received a lung transplant last year.

As of July 10, 2024, the California Department of Public Health confirmed 167 cases of silicosis related to engineered stone, including at least 13 deaths. Of these cases, 100 are among Los Angeles County residents.

We contacted state regulators who Rivas said opposed moving forward with the bill.

Cal/OSHA and the State Public Health Department told the I-Team and Telemundo 52 Investiga that they do not comment on pending legislation.

The Department of Industrial Relations said it is taking strong action to protect workers from these hazards and will get back to us on their efforts.

As we reported last week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has allocated funds this year to help educate workers and the public about silicosis, but Rivas says that’s not enough because this is a statewide problem.

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“I was in tears. I said, ‘Please, this is Mother’s Day weekend with my kids,’” she said.

Paine booked a Carnival cruise to Ensenada, Mexico, one year ago. A few days before the trip, she called Carnival about a cabin upgrade. That’s when a representative told her about an unpaid fee. 

“‘We noticed here that you have an outstanding balance on your upcoming cruise for $294, and you will not be able to board if that’s not taken care of,’” Paine said they told her.

Paine paid the $294 “deck fee,” as it was described, and hung up. But, suspicious, she called Carnival right back, this time using a different phone number. And she got a different story.

“She said, ‘No, ma’am, that was a scam. We wouldn’t have charged you a deck fee. Go ahead, and dispute that with your bank,’” she said.

It turns out that that first number Paine called wasn’t really Carnival. She disputed the charge with her bank, and it refunded the money. She thought it was all behind her, but she was wrong. 

“I get an email alert that pops up on my phone. It says ‘ Your cruise has been canceled.’ And my heart sank,” she said.

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Paine said she called Carnival and learned that someone had logged into her account and canceled her cruise. She had no idea how it happened – maybe it was the scammer. Maybe that’s because she had shared her booking number with them in that initial phone call.

But it didn’t matter. Carnival had already rebooked Paine’s cabin, and the ship was full, so Paine’s family was out. She was also out the $900 cost of the cabin, per Carnival’s late cancelation policy. 

“To come up with $900 for a trip for my kids, it was only feasible by making payments and taking out a loan. So it was a lot of money for me,” she said.

The I-Team reached out to Carnival, and it refunded Paine’s $900.

It didn’t answer our questions about what happened; instead, it said in a statement: “Unfortunately scammers target travelers.” 

Colleen McDaniel is editor-in-chief of the website Cruise Critic. 

“Any time there’s an opportunity to try and separate people from their money, scammers are going to step in,” she said.

Paine said she didn’t post any details about her trip on social media, but McDaniel said that’s where many travelers get in trouble. 

“Somebody who has booked a cruise might say, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so excited. I booked a cruise for my family for June,’ and then they name the ship,” she said.

McDaniel said it sets the stage for scammers to dupe you out of money or pranksters to ruin your vacation. 

It recently happened to one woman, who shared her story on Facebook. She posted about her upcoming cruise, and she inadvertently included her booking number. Days later, she said someone else had canceled her cruise. 

“So there are clearly people like me, who didn’t know about this crazy booking number,” she said.

McDaniel said scammers can do almost anything with your booking number.

“Do not share too much information about that booking. That booking number is unique to you. The second anybody has access to it, they have access to your booking,” she said.

And if a cruise line calls or emails you for payment, call them back using the phone number on their website, to make sure everything is legitimate. 

As for Paine, she hopes to sail with her kids later this summer, and that her story will protect others. 

“Nobody is safe from these scams. And they get better and better,” she said.  

“It is ordered that this case be reheard en banc,” Chief Judge Mary H. Murguia said in a brief order published Monday, meaning a panel of 11 judges of the 9th Circuit will hear the case.

“I cannot really assume what happened behind the scenes,” said civil rights attorney Narine Mkrtchyan, who filed the lawsuit now at the center of the appeals case.

“But we had very strong arguments in our favor, and I think the judges wanted to reconsider,” Mkrtchyan told the I-Team this week.

She brought one of two federal lawsuits against the city of Los Angeles on behalf of members of the family of Daniel Hernandez, who was killed in confrontation with police in April, 2020.

The initial decision from a three-judge 9th Circuit panel found that LAPD officer Toni McBride should be protected from civil rights claims in federal court under the legal principle of qualified immunity, which prevents lawsuits against government workers doing official business, unless there is a clear violation of constitutional rights.

McBride shot Hernandez after he crashed a pickup truck into several cars near 32nd Street and San Pedro Street, then advanced toward McBride, her partner and members of the public while holding a box cutter.

Hernandez was on the ground after McBride fired four shots, and Mkrtchyan argued McBride’s next shots, one of which was fatal, were excessive.

“Although a reasonable jury could find that the force employed by McBride was excessive, she is nonetheless entitled to qualified immunity,” the 9th Circuit opinion said.

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“By this ruling, the 9th Circuit kind of, really, sent a very bad, bad precedent for the entire federal court system,” Mkrtchyan said, as she believed previous case law required each of the officer’s shots to be considered individually, rather than awarding blanket immunity because the first volleys were deemed reasonable.

“This officer kept shooting, kept shooting, and when he was already laying on the ground, she continued shooting,” she said.

“The fifth and sixth shots clearly were excessive.”

The Board of Police Commissioners found McBride’s fifth and sixth violated LAPD policy; the California Attorney General’s Office concluded they were nonetheless justified under California law as self defense.

The LA City Attorney’s Office, which defended Officer McBride and was initially successful in getting the lawsuits’ civil rights claims dismissed, did not respond to requests for comment on the 9th Circuit’s decision to re-hear the case.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents most LAPD officers, did not respond to a request for comment on the McBride case or the wider implications of the 9th Circuit decision on police liability.

The 9th Circuit’s initial opinion allowed the Hernandez family to pursue related claims against McBride and the city of LA in state court even though the federal causes of action were barred.

The en banc panel is scheduled to hear the case in September.