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  • City ‘carefully removes select artifacts’ from Pulse nightclub ahead of memorial construction

    The City of Orlando on Monday will “begin to carefully remove select artifacts” from Pulse nightclub as it works toward creating a permanent memorial at the site of the 2016 massacre that left 49 people dead. Items to be removed include the “chandeliers, bar top, posters and other interior items that have been carefully prepackaged inside of the building,” the city said. “These items will then be transported to an environmentally controlled warehouse. While we have not finalized if these artifacts will be a part of the permanent memorial, we want to ensure their preservation during the design and construction phase,” the city said in a news release. Full list:Two chandeliers Signage and posters Ornamental framed mirror Bar top Track lighting, including track Cash register Primary section of breach wall Portion of the sunburst wall inside the club Portion of the “Glitter” wall inside the club Wood floor (as much as possible) Rectangular ceiling pendent lights iPad The numbers on the outside of the building tiles from the outside patio bar Additionally, some items that were part of the temporary memorial will be removed and preserved:An approximately 4’x8’ piece of the existing memorial fenceBenches on existing memorial site Remembrance items left by family, friends and/or visitorsThe city will begin the next phase of construction after the items are removed, which will include the removal of the Pulse sign and clearing the site. Estimated timeline for construction: February 2026: 30% design plans March/April 2026: Site clearing begins May 2026: 60% design plans Early fall 2026: start of construction Late 2027: Construction completed Pulse mass shootingOn June 12, 2016, a gunman entered the nightclub and opened fire, which caused the deaths of 49 people and left 53 others injured.Families of victims and survivors of the attack were allowed into the building earlier this year for the first time. The City of Orlando purchased the Pulse property in 2023 for $2 million and plans to build a $12 million permanent memorial, which will open in 2027. Those efforts follow a multiyear, botched attempt by a private foundation run by the club’s former owner.”The whole process of grief goes on and on,” Nancy Rosado said. “Grief does not end, does not stop.”In the aftermath of the mass shooting at Pulse, Rosado, a retired NYPD sergeant and social worker, provided services for survivors and victims’ families.”A lot of memories were formed there. A lot of relationships were formed there. It’s very deep and meaningful. And how it all ended up, although hurtful, deserves its place in history”Rosado served on the Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee set up by the City of Orlando in June 2024 to develop the conceptual design. “Once this process starts, and every time, like right now, removing artifacts, someone’s going to hurt,” Rosado said, “someone’s going to get misty eyed. Someone’s going to have maybe a complaint or maybe be happy about it.” Rosado said she hopes the artifacts will eventually be preserved in the Orange County History Center, by the City or at the welcome center for the permanent Pulse memorial.”This is another step in a process that has taken so long, nearly 10 years since this horrific tragedy,” Orange County Democratic State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith said.Smith and the Orange County delegation helped secure $400,000 in state funding for the $12 million project.”It will be a place of peace that the survivors and impacted families will be able to have to pay respect to their loved ones,” Smith said.Renderings from the advisory committee show a reflection pond over what will have been the dance floor.Rosado said she’s pleased the recommended design includes flags from the Hispanic victims’ countries of origin. “The acknowledgement and the recognition of the Hispanic communities having been impacted the way it was,” she said. “It wasn’t just an LGBTQ thing.”

    ORLANDO, Fla. —

    The City of Orlando on Monday will “begin to carefully remove select artifacts” from Pulse nightclub as it works toward creating a permanent memorial at the site of the 2016 massacre that left 49 people dead.

    Items to be removed include the “chandeliers, bar top, posters and other interior items that have been carefully prepackaged inside of the building,” the city said.

    “These items will then be transported to an environmentally controlled warehouse. While we have not finalized if these artifacts will be a part of the permanent memorial, we want to ensure their preservation during the design and construction phase,” the city said in a news release.

    Full list:

    • Two chandeliers
    • Signage and posters
    • Ornamental framed mirror
    • Bar top
    • Track lighting, including track
    • Cash register
    • Primary section of breach wall
    • Portion of the sunburst wall inside the club
    • Portion of the “Glitter” wall inside the club
    • Wood floor (as much as possible)
    • Rectangular ceiling pendent lights
    • iPad
    • The numbers on the outside of the building
    • tiles from the outside patio bar

    Additionally, some items that were part of the temporary memorial will be removed and preserved:

    • An approximately 4’x8’ piece of the existing memorial fence
    • Benches on existing memorial site
    • Remembrance items left by family, friends and/or visitors

    The city will begin the next phase of construction after the items are removed, which will include the removal of the Pulse sign and clearing the site.

    Estimated timeline for construction:

    • February 2026: 30% design plans
    • March/April 2026: Site clearing begins
    • May 2026: 60% design plans
    • Early fall 2026: start of construction
    • Late 2027: Construction completed

    Pulse mass shooting

    On June 12, 2016, a gunman entered the nightclub and opened fire, which caused the deaths of 49 people and left 53 others injured.

    Families of victims and survivors of the attack were allowed into the building earlier this year for the first time.

    The City of Orlando purchased the Pulse property in 2023 for $2 million and plans to build a $12 million permanent memorial, which will open in 2027. Those efforts follow a multiyear, botched attempt by a private foundation run by the club’s former owner.

    “The whole process of grief goes on and on,” Nancy Rosado said. “Grief does not end, does not stop.”

    In the aftermath of the mass shooting at Pulse, Rosado, a retired NYPD sergeant and social worker, provided services for survivors and victims’ families.

    “A lot of memories were formed there. A lot of relationships were formed there. It’s very deep and meaningful. And how it all ended up, although hurtful, deserves its place in history”

    Rosado served on the Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee set up by the City of Orlando in June 2024 to develop the conceptual design.

    “Once this process starts, and every time, like right now, removing artifacts, someone’s going to hurt,” Rosado said, “someone’s going to get misty eyed. Someone’s going to have maybe a complaint or maybe be happy about it.”

    Rosado said she hopes the artifacts will eventually be preserved in the Orange County History Center, by the City or at the welcome center for the permanent Pulse memorial.

    “This is another step in a process that has taken so long, nearly 10 years since this horrific tragedy,” Orange County Democratic State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith said.

    Smith and the Orange County delegation helped secure $400,000 in state funding for the $12 million project.

    “It will be a place of peace that the survivors and impacted families will be able to have to pay respect to their loved ones,” Smith said.

    Renderings from the advisory committee show a reflection pond over what will have been the dance floor.

    Rosado said she’s pleased the recommended design includes flags from the Hispanic victims’ countries of origin.

    “The acknowledgement and the recognition of the Hispanic communities having been impacted the way it was,” she said. “It wasn’t just an LGBTQ thing.”

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  • ‘A real violation.’ More than 1,000 artifacts stolen from California museum in brazen heist

    A thief or crew of thieves recently carried out one of the largest art heists in California history, breaking into a storage facility for the Oakland Museum of California under the cover of darkness and making off with more than 1,000 precious artifacts.

    Oakland police said the burglary took place just before 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 15, which is four days before robbers stole a trove of priceless Napoleonic jewels from the the Louvre Museum in Paris.

    (Oakland Museum of California / Oakland Police Department)

    Items stolen from the Oakland museum included Native American baskets, jewelry, laptops, daguerreotype photographs and intricately carved ivory tusks.

    The Oakland Police Department is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Art Crime Team to investigate the heist and retrieve the missing items.

    “It was devastating. It feels like a real violation. It feels like somebody entering your home,” said museum Chief Executive Lori Fogarty.

    Fogarty said staff were not working at the off-site storage facility the day of the burglary and discovered it the following morning, Oct. 16.

    “Our job is to preserve and take care of and steward the cultural, artistic and natural heritage of California,” she said. “So it feels like not just a loss to me and to the collection staff, we also feel like it’s a loss to the public.”

    The Oakland Museum of California features more than 110,000 square feet of gallery space and 2 million objects dedicated to telling the story of the Golden State.

    Oakland Police Department & FBI investigating a burglary at the Oakland Museum of California's off-site storage facility.

    (Oakland Museum of California / Oakland Police Department)

    Retired Los Angeles Police Capt. John Romero, who led the department’s commercial crimes unit, said that if the break-in was completed without setting off alarms or alerting security, it’s possible that the person or people behind it had some internal knowledge, he said. The fact that the heist took place at an off-site storage unit also suggests that the suspect or suspects had access to privileged information, he said.

    “If it’s a nondescript, all-brick building that’s very difficult for anybody to figure out [what it is] from the outside, it is almost always an employee, a former employee, a contractor or a vendor who sees it, and talks about it and gets approached to bring something out,” he said.

    This is not the first time that items belonging to the museum have been stolen. In 2014, Andre Taray Franklin, a 46-year-old parolee, was sentenced to four years in prison for stealing and reselling a 19th century gold jewelry box from the museum. He was also a suspect in a 2012 break-in at the museum in which gold nuggets and Gold Rush-era pistols were taken but was not charged in that incident.

    “Lightning has struck twice in my career,” said Fogarty, referencing the break-ins connected to Franklin and the recent heist.

    “He [Franklin] was caught, identified and convicted … and we retrieved the most important and valuable works,” she continued. “So I am going to believe deeply that these items are going to find their way back to the museum.”

    Given that the break-in took place two weeks ago, there is a good chance that many of the items have been sold, Romero said. Cultural-artifact thieves typically try to offload their loot before word gets out that the items are stolen.

    “These people are interested in fast cash, not the full appraisal value,” he said. “They need to get rid of it quickly.”

    Romero anticipates detectives will be looking closely at platforms such as Craigslist and Ebay, as well as groups that collect antiques or historic items, as they attempt to locate the Oakland museum’s stolen goods and identify those responsible.

    Well-known stolen cultural items are difficult to resell due to the odds of running into undercover agents and buyers’ reluctance to purchase an item that may later be seized by authorities, Romero said.

    Targeting a high number of lesser-known artifacts may make it easier to resell the loot, he said.

    Romero said this month’s break-in represents one of the largest museum heists he’s heard of in California in terms of the number of items taken.

    Former famous museum heists include a 2012 raid on the California Mining & Minerals Museum in Mariposa where thieves took an estimated $2 million worth of gold and gems, as well as a 1978 break-in at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco where four paintings, including a Rembrant, were pilfered.

    Anyone with information is asked to contact Oakland police at (510) 238-3951 or submit a tip to the Art Crime Team online or by calling (800) 225-5324.

    Clara Harter

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  • The controversial solution Long Beach has picked to battle shoplifters

    Tired of rampant shoplifting scaring away citizens and shoppers, Long Beach is trying to force stores to add staff and reduce dependence on self-checkout.

    The beachfront city, with a population of around half a million, last month started requiring major food and pharmacy retailers to do more to stop theft. So far, the measures have led to a heated debate and longer lines.

    Employees like the new law. The retail chains warn that the restrictions could backfire. Shoppers are confused.

    The city’s “Safe Stores are Staffed Stores” ordinance is the first of its kind in the country. It requires large stores to increase the number of employees relative to self-checkout stands and also puts a limit on the number of items and types of goods that can be rung up at self-checkout.

    It is the latest flash point in a national debate about how to handle what some see as an epidemic of shoplifting. This issue is affecting the quality of life for consumers who are tired of witnessing theft or dealing with measures to stop it, such as locked-up shelves.

    The Long Beach ordinance will protect employees and shoppers from dangerous situations, said Matt Bell, the secretary-treasurer of UFCW 324, the union that represents grocery workers.

    “The checkers and the cashiers are on the front lines of this,” he said. “It really is necessary to provide them safety and security and better staffing.”

    The city said it passed the ordinance to “advance public safety and prevent retail theft,” citing “hostile and unsafe” conditions. Theft is common and underreported at self-checkout, according to the ordinance.

    Rampant shoplifting has been a growing issue across the country, forcing stores to beef up security and lock up often-stolen items.

    The National Retail Federation estimates that shoplifting incidents in the U.S. increased by 93% from 2019 to 2023. In 2023, retailers surveyed by the federation reported an average of 177 retail thefts per day.

    The Long Beach regulations require that a large store have at least one staff member for every three self-checkout stations it uses. It sets a limit of 15 items per customer for self-checkout. Meanwhile, any items locked inside a case in the store can no longer be bought through self-checkout, according to the ordinance.

    As the ordinance will force outlets to either hire more people or cut the number of self-checkout kiosks, the California Grocers Assn. warned that consumers could end up facing longer lines and higher grocery prices.

    In response to the requirements, some Albertsons and Vons in Long Beach have closed their self-checkout lanes.

    “We are currently unable to operate our self-checkout lanes … due to a new City of Long Beach ordinance,” said a sign for customers at a Vons in downtown Long Beach.

    At a Target in Long Beach, five self-checkout stations were open and staffed by one employee. The store would need to add another employee to monitor self-checkout if it wanted to open more stations, according to the ordinance.

    Francilla Isaac, a shopper who lives in the area, said she has seen closed self-checkout lanes and longer lines around the city.

    “I use it a lot when I’m just here to get a few items,” Isaac said of self-checkout. “But all the stores are the same now, they have it closed.”

    Groups representing grocers and retailers such as Target and Walmart said the ordinance will increase labor costs for employers, leading to higher price tags on the shelf. It will also reduce sales in stores where self-checkout has closed.

    “These efforts will ultimately damage self-checkout,” said Nate Rose, a vice president at the California Grocers Assn. “We’re seeing that worst-case scenario play out where a number of grocers have decided it’s not worth it to keep the self-checkout lanes open.”

    The California Retailers Assn. said retailers need freedom to decide on their own what is the most efficient way to deal with theft.

    “The problem with the Long Beach ordinance is that it’s so constricting,” said Rachel Michelin, president of the association. “I think we’re going to see unintended consequences.”

    Union leader Bell said grocery companies oppose the ordinance because they don’t want to hire more staff or increase their current staff’s hours. While stores may want to avoid hiring more people amid regular increases in minimum wage, they may find that being forced to hire more people actually boosts sales and efficiency.

    “This should be better for the customers,” he said. “And it should actually improve profitability for the companies.”

    Lisa Adams comes to Long Beach from Utah every month with her husband to sail on their boat. She misses easy access to self-checkout and hopes it will return soon, but they understand the need to tamp down on theft in the city.

    She’s witnessed the theft problem firsthand.

    “It was chaotic and loud,” she said. “This guy was pretending to ring his stuff up, and then he booked it for the door.”

    Caroline Petrow-Cohen

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  • TSA warns some hair tools can suddenly combust in the cargo hold

    Styling your up-do while you’re traveling has become easier with the introduction of cordless curling irons and hair straighteners but it has also gotten more complicated to fly with these hair care tools.

    Lithium-ion batteries used to power cordless hair styling tools allow these devices to have faster charging and longer usage times, and are thus more reliable, according to the Growth Market Reports, a market research and business consulting firm.

    But replacing the cord with a battery for power is what’s keeping the devices out of the cargo section of the plane.

    The Transportation Security Administration recently sought to iron out the details in a post on X.

    Plug-in hair straighteners and curling irons don’t have any flight restrictions so you’re free to pack them in your carry-on or check-in luggage.

    But the TSA said their counterpart has restrictions: cordless hair styling tools that are powered by lithium metal or lithium ion batteries or gas or butane fuel are only allowed in carry-on bags. That’s so that passengers or flight attendants can react if they start to overheat in the cabin. If they overheat or combust in your checked bag in the cargo area of a plane, it may take a while for anyone to notice.

    As an extra protective measure, the hair care tool must have a safety cover securely fitted over the heating element.

    Cordless hair styling tools, with the specific battery, gas or butane fuel, are only allowed in carry-on bags due to their combustible nature, according to a TSA spokesperson.

    Lithium-ion batteries, for example, can overheat resulting in heavy smoke and in some cases fire, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

    Items that are commonly powered by such batteries include battery packs, e-cigarettes, cell phones and laptops. These items are only allowed to travel with you in your carry-on bag.

    If the items, “catch fire in the cargo area where checked bags are transported, there’s no one there to put it out,” Daniel Velez, spokesperson for Florida’s TSA, told the Florida Times-Union.

    On a flight from Lihue, HI, to Los Angeles International Airport in July, a passenger’s e-cigarette overheated inside their backpack, according to an FAA report of the incident.

    The flight attendant secured the e-cigarette in a thermal containment bag without injury, damage to the plane or flight interruptions.

    There have been a total of 644 verified incidents of lithium batteries creating smoke, fire or extreme heat between 2006 and 2025, according to the FAA.

    Of the total number of incidents, 482 occurred in the passenger area of the plane and 136 occurred in the cargo area.

    Karen Garcia

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  • Stagecoach and Coachella fans leave behind tons of camping gear, clothes, food. Here’s what happens to it

    Stagecoach and Coachella fans leave behind tons of camping gear, clothes, food. Here’s what happens to it

    Once music fans file out of the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio at the end of the Stagecoach and Coachella festivals, the work begins for charitable organizations who turn the discarded clutter — more than 24 tons of it strewn throughout the 642-acre property — into a benefit for the local needy.

    Among the things left behind on the festival grounds are clothing, camping gear, dry foods and other goods that local community organizations pick up by the truckload to help benefit the low-income and unhoused people they serve.

    Many out-of-town festival attendees leave behind folding tables or camping chairs because they fly into Southern California and purchase what they need for the weekend but can’t carry the items onto a plane when they leave, said Lupe Torres-Hilario, director of operations at the Galilee Center, a nonprofit that fulfills food, clothing and basic needs for local disadvantaged children, families and farmworkers in the East Coachella Valley.

    The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival ran April 12-14 and April 19-21. The Stagecoach Country Music Festival ran April 26- 28.

    For the last five years, the Galilee Center has sent two trucks to the Stagecoach festival and four trucks to the Coachella festival the day after the festivities end. Volunteers and Galilee Center staff split up among the campsites to find left-behind items or ask attendees who are packing up their campsites whether they have anything to donate.

    “When they do [want to donate] they sometimes hand us a canopy still open and we’ll close it, pack it up and put it in our truck,” Torres-Hilario said.

    The festivals attract different types of fans: Coachella attendees rely primarily on tent camping and car camping while Stagecoach fans often arrive in RVs, she said. There are fewer discarded items after Stagecoach because people pack up their RVs and leave, Torres-Hilario said.

    Galilee Center also often gets calls from event sponsors who want to donate tables, chairs and throw rugs.

    This year, the center gathered 48,480 pounds of donations from Coachella. The total for items collected after Stagecoach hasn’t been calculated yet.

    Last year, Goldenvoice, the music festival promoter that puts on Coachella and Stagecoach, donated a total of 34.6 tons of materials from Coachella and Stagecoach.

    Most of the donated items are put in the Galilee Center’s thrift store to be sold; the proceeds go toward the organization’s programs. The funds are used for programs that offer assistance with rent and utility bill assistance and to purchase items like diapers for infants, protein drinks for seniors and food to replenish the center’s distribution program.

    Clothing and furniture vouchers given to low-income individuals and families can be used at the center’s thrift store to pay for items recovered from the music festivals. Left-behind cots and sleeping bags often are given to unhoused people for free, Torres-Hilario said.

    “Some of it is trash and we throw it away, but for the most part, a lot of the stuff is in good condition that I could easily grab from Coachella and hand it over to a family in need,” she said.

    In addition to Galilee, nonprofit organizations that have partnered include Martha’s Village and Kitchen and the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission.

    Martha’s Village and Kitchen serves unhoused and impoverished people in the Coachella Valley and Riverside County. The nonprofit gets calls for donation dropoff or pickup during and after the event, said Alexandra Vargas, its spokesperson.

    When a client graduates from the organization’s residential program into their own home, items from the thrift store can be used to furnish their house.

    The Coachella festival also benefits the needy when music fans visit the Indio thrift story operated by Martha’s Village and Kitchen during “Thrift-chella,” an annual sale event that offers deals such as five pieces of clothing for $1.

    Often festivalgoers who buy in bulk at the thrift store bring back items to donate that they didn’t use during the festivals or can’t take with them on on the way home.

    “Things like that help us with our revenue because whatever we make from the thrift store, that funds everything we do,” Vargas said.

    Surplus food from the festivals also helps support charitable organizations. Each day of the festivals, the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission rolls a food truck to the festival grounds to pick up leftover food from all the food booths to be served as meals at the mission, said Scott Wolf, its development director.

    “We serve anywhere between 700 and 1,000 meals a day here at the Rescue Mission, so the foods that are donated by Goldenvoice goes a long way to assisting us with serving those meals,” Wolf said.

    Whether it’s donations or “Thrift-chella,” Vargas said she feels like the total amount donated to her group from the festivals has increased in recent years. She said she isn’t sure if it’s because of influencers spreading the word about the donations or it’s just an increase in awareness.

    “Throughout the years it’s been more of a benefit for our community,” she said.

    Martha’s Village and Kitchen’s client population is 55% families and children who receive services such as daycare with a fee that’s income-based, shelter and an emergency food pantry. Packaged food donations particularly help keep the pantry stocked, “especially because the cost of groceries has increased so much with inflation,” Vargas said.

    The donations are greatly needed, she said, because the lines at the food pantry have been growing longer over the past year.

    Karen Garcia

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  • LAPD officer from scandal-plagued gang unit is charged with thefts of brass knuckles, knives

    LAPD officer from scandal-plagued gang unit is charged with thefts of brass knuckles, knives

    A Los Angeles police officer was charged Thursday with stealing brass knuckles and other weapons and tampering with evidence during enforcement stops carried out by an scandal-plagued gang unit, prosecutors said.

    The officer, Alan Carrillo, has been charged with two counts of altering, planting or concealing evidence as a peace office and three counts of petty theft, according to a news release from the office of Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón.

    Carrillo was previously a member of the Mission Division Gang Enforcement Detail, which came under suspicion last year for a range of misconduct, including unlawful traffic stops in which items were taken from motorists.

    Carrillo, 32, is being held on $100,000 bond; an arraignment date has not yet been set. It is unclear whether he had retained an attorney.

    LAPD Chief Dominic Choi said that he was “disappointed” by the allegations against Carrillo, who he said has been relieved of duty.

    “If these allegations are supported and are true, it’s absolutely not tolerated,” Choi said in a phone interview. “This type of behavior is where the public complains about and we lose public trust.”

    In the meantime, he said, the department would continue cooperating with the D.A.’s office.

    Carrillo is the first of several Mission gang unit members expected to be charged in connection with the still-unfolding investigation, according to a source who requested anonymity to discuss cases that remain open.

    Prosecutors allege the misconduct by Carrillo occurred between April and June of 2023 — after the onset of an internal affairs investigation into the gang unit over officers turning off their body-worn cameras. The LAPD has said the FBI is also investigating for potential constitutional violations.

    “The public’s trust and the integrity of law enforcement are undermined when officers tamper with evidence and steal items from the public,” Gascón said in the news release. “Police officers are entrusted with upholding justice and protecting our communities, and any breach of that trust is unacceptable.”

    According to prosecutors, Carrillo stole personal items, including brass knuckles and knives, from people he detained in a series of pedestrian and traffic stops on April 19 and June 15, 2023.

    “Carrillo was allegedly inconsistent while documenting these items in his reports, and the taken items were never accounted for,” the news release said.

    Law enforcement sources who requested anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation previously detailed a similar incident to The Times, in which an officer allegedly drew a gun on a person who had been stopped and took the person’s property. One source described the item as a knife with brass knuckles on the handle.

    Prosecutors have debated, the sources said, about whether to charge the officer with robbery, which is defined as as the taking of property with the use or threat of force, rather than theft.

    Authorities have identified as many as 350 criminal cases that are potentially compromised because they relied on the testimony of or evidence gathered by two Mission gang officers — one of whom is now believed to be Carrillo, the sources said.

    It’s not clear whether the pair are the same two Mission gang officers who have been sent to face a disciplinary panel called a board of rights, indicating the department is seeking to terminate them for misconduct. A department spokeswoman, when previously contacted by The Times, denied that Carrillo was one of the officers.

    The gang unit’s alleged misconduct came to light after a traffic stop in December 2022, when a motorist filed a complaint with a neighboring division, claiming the officers were rude to her and had illegally searched her vehicle. An internal affairs detective assigned to the case later noticed discrepancies in the involved officers’ account of the stop.

    The department’s inquiry widened to include stops carried out by others in the unit, uncovering numerous instances in which officers were late to activate their body cameras or otherwise failed to document the encounter, in violation of department policy, officials have said.

    Then-Chief Michel Moore ordered the unit disbanded temporarily last August, with its remaining officers assigned home or placed on restrictive duties that take them off the streets, according to the department. The unit has since resumed its operations with new officers.

    LAPD officials publicly denied that the problem of officers flouting the body camera policy went beyond the Mission unit, despite an internal report that suggested the practice was far more common. The department has since tightened its policy, increasing random reviews of footage to check for compliance and misconduct.

    Carrillo is a six-year veteran of the LAPD. Like several other members of the Mission gang unit, he transferred to Mission from the neighboring Foothill Division.

    Last December, prosecutors dismissed a gun possession charge against Raphael DeLeon, who was stopped by Carrillo and other Mission gang officers on May 28 in the area of Woodman Avenue and Roscoe Boulevard.

    DeLeon’s attorney, Ninaz Saffari, said Carrillo wrote in his report that he and his partners pulled DeLeon over for swerving. The officers discovered DeLeon’s license was invalid and that he had a prior misdemeanor conviction for firearm possession, Saffari said. But without obtaining a warrant, Saffari said, the officers ordered DeLeon and a female passenger out of the car while they performed a “protective sweep” of the vehicle.

    The search uncovered a ghost gun, which was later destroyed, police said.

    In an interview Thursday, Saffari told The Times that the officers’ actions seemed coordinated, as they turned on their body cameras simultaneously, but only after asking for DeLeon’s license several minutes after the stop began — despite a department policy that says officers should record the entirety of all public encounters. None of those details were mentioned in Carrillo’s report, she said.

    “He lied all over the report, and not in a smart way, either. Basically he contradicted himself in his own report and claimed they had the body-worn video on the entire time,” Saffari said.

    The Mission scandal has brought renewed attention to the department’s oversight of its specialized units, which have been plagued with issues over the years. In 2020, the reputation of the vaunted Metropolitan Division was tarnished after some officers were accused of deliberately misidentifying people as gang members in department records of field interviews. The fallout led to several being criminally charged, although most of those cases were later dismissed.

    Libor Jany, Richard Winton

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  • They falsely said USPS packages were lost or damaged, collecting $2.3 million. Now brothers face prison

    They falsely said USPS packages were lost or damaged, collecting $2.3 million. Now brothers face prison

    Two Riverside County brothers pleaded guilty last week to mail fraud after scamming the United States Postal Service out of more than $2.3 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office of the Central District of California.

    Anwer Fareed Alam, 35, and Yousofzay Fahim Alam, 31, of Temecula filed thousands of falsified insurance claims on packages in order to make a profit, according to the details of their plea agreements, which were released by the U.S. Attorney’s office Friday.

    They each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, according to the release.

    From 2016 to 2019, the brothers used fake names and addresses to purchase USPS Priority Mail packages and postage that included insurance for lost or damaged contents. Then they submitted fraudulent insurance claims, alleging that the packages contained items of higher value that had been lost or damaged.

    They would sometimes include fake invoices and even photos of items that were not actually inside the packages.

    The pair cashed in thousands of insurance claim checks, the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General found, which investigated the case.

    “Relying on the false information in the fraudulent insurance claim forms, USPS issued checks to the Alam brothers to cover their purported losses up to $100 in value plus the cost of shipping,” Ciaran McEvoy, a public information officer for the U.S. Attorney’s office, said in a statement Friday.

    Together, the brothers maintained about 15 different post office boxes in Temecula, according to the release.

    A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 1.

    Mackenzie Mays

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  • An ‘invisible’ need: Diapers top the holiday wish list for many LA parents

    An ‘invisible’ need: Diapers top the holiday wish list for many LA parents

    Maria’s holiday list was more about essentials than wishes. Coats for her children as the weather turns cold. Blankets to keep them warm. A few presents to put under the Christmas tree. And a box of diapers.

    “I just want my kids to be happy,” said Maria, a single mother of three boys, who asked that only her first name be published.

    But providing for her baby has been challenging. She hasn’t been able to afford enough diapers. So she improvised, and learned to stretch her limited supply. She kept them on even when they filled up or left his bottom bare at home. Sometimes she wrapped him in cotton cleaning cloths to keep him dry, washing them by hand.

    But earlier this year, Maria found out about a program through his older brother’s Los Angeles Unified School District campus that helped her. She found a way to receive free diapers, formula and other essential items directly from the school, goods provided by an L.A. nonprofit called Baby2Baby. She received coats, shoes, blankets and for Christmas, bags of presents, wrapped and ready.

    “I don’t have to worry about diapers anymore or the formula or them being hungry or being cold or not having clothes or blankets,” Maria said. “Baby2Baby has made my life so much lighter than it was before.”

    Diapers are a basic need for families with young children like Maria’s, on par with shelter, food and heat. Yet even as diaper prices have soared 22% since 2018, most existing government aid programs — including WIC — do not cover them. And while low-income parents can use their monthly government assistance to pay for diapers, the $75 average monthly cost to diaper an infant can take an outsize portion of their benefit, sometimes up to 40%. Because low-income families tend to purchase diapers in smaller, more expensive quantities rather than in bulk, they often end up paying far more.

    Half of families in the United States report they cannot afford enough diapers to keep their children clean and dry — up from 1 in 3 in 2017, according to recent data from the National Diaper Bank Network. One in 4 families reported missing work or school in the past year because they did not have enough diapers to drop their child off at a childcare program, most of which require a daily supply provided by parents.

    California has been a national leader in helping to make diapers more affordable for families, said Jennifer Randles, a professor of sociology at Fresno State University who studies diaper need. In 2018, many welfare recipients in the state became eligible for an additional $30 monthly voucher for diapers. And in 2020, California joined a wave of states in rescinding the sales taxes on diapers.

    Still, the need persists for many California families, and diaper banks like Baby2Baby provide a lifeline, as well as a symbolic importance.

    “The very existence of food banks sends the message that food is a basic need we should all have access to,” said Randles. “Diaper banks send the message that diapers are an essential need that we should all have access to. For a lot of people its very invisible.”

    Baby2Baby, headquartered in Culver City, is one of the country’s largest nonprofit distributors of diapers and other essential items for families. This year alone, the organization has distributed 40 million diapers across the country, all of which passed through one of its three L.A. warehouses.

    Every day, trucks bearing diapers, wipes, clothing, car seats and toys fan out across L.A., stocking the shelves of more than 500 partner organizations, including shelters, clinics, food pantries, and every school district in the county. For some trucks, it’s the beginning of a much longer journey, to partners who serve needy families in all 50 states.

    Baby2Baby launched 12 years ago in its current form, the brainchild of two women — one a model and one a corporate lawyer — who wanted to fill an essential need in the community. They started asking local social-service nonprofits what they needed most.

    “They all came back to us with the same thing. They said that they needed diapers,” said co-CEO Norah Weinstein, the former lawyer. “It was not what we were expecting.”

    Diapers were crucial to every other service the groups wanted to provide, the nonprofits told her. “They couldn’t get mothers to come to wellness visits, they couldn’t get mothers to have their children attend school, they couldn’t get them to come parenting classes. They couldn’t do any of it when their child was screaming in a dirty diaper.”

    Twelve years later, the organization has distributed 375 million items to children in homeless shelters, domestic violence programs, foster care, hospitals and underserved schools across the country, including 170 million diapers. Last year, the organization raised $70 million in cash and in-kind donations.

    When requests increased by 500% during the pandemic, Baby2Baby started manufacturing its own diapers, which Weinstein said saved 80% over the retail cost and increased distribution fivefold. Still, Weinstein said, they are careful not to congratulate themselves.

    “We feel like we’re just scratching the surface,” she said. This year alone, Baby2Baby received requests for 1.3 billion diapers.

    For the more than 500 L.A. organizations that distribute Baby2Baby items, the service is often a crucial part of their service.

    L.A. Unified, for example, has given out 15 million items donated by Baby2Baby over the past 11 years, including diapers for the young siblings of students.

    “This reflects on one hand a beautiful demonstration of kindness and strategic contribution,” said Supt. Alberto M. Carvalho. “On the other hand, it is a reflection of the challenge and poverty levels that many of our kids and families face.”

    Jimmy Douglas, director of community engagement at LA Family Housing, a nonprofit serving 13,000 people that helps find housing and other services, said that about half of the items it distributes were provided by Baby2Baby.

    Each month, Douglas said , he sends a list of requests to Baby2Baby, including diapers, formula, toys and car seats. The lists can grow long — like the 25 car seats the organization asked for this month. It also stocks Baby2Baby diapers and wipes at each of its housing sites for the families with children who rely on them.

    During the holidays, the donations can take on a special significance for families panicked about how to make the season special for their children, despite a lack of resources.

    “Families are experiencing more challenges and more expectations” at this time of the year, said Douglas. “Kids are in school, and they talk about what their friends are getting.” The added cost of special holiday meals and gifts adds up quickly.

    Earlier this month, Baby2Baby donated 800 toys for LA Family Housing during a “Winter Wonderland’’ event — a fraction of the 330,000 toys Baby2Baby distributed this year. Children from more than 300 families were invited to walk through Santa’s wish site, where they were able to pick out a gift, which was wrapped and given to their parents.

    “It’s challenging for families to provide the things they feel they need, and that’s why we go into high gear at this time of year,” said Douglas. “They can continue to focus on their everyday needs, and we can focus on the special things.”

    This article is part of The Times’ early childhood education initiative, focusing on the learning and development of California children from birth to age 5. For more information about the initiative and its philanthropic funders, go to latimes.com/earlyed.

    Jenny Gold

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  • Neighbor ransacks apartment 'multiple times,' takes items worth $30,000, police say

    Neighbor ransacks apartment 'multiple times,' takes items worth $30,000, police say

    First, the door was unlocked and some unusual lights were on.

    Then, Brittney Heinzman realized her bags weren’t hanging in the doorway of her Irvine apartment, where they normally would.

    She tried to brush it off. Maybe she was just jetlagged from her flight home, or perhaps she had been in more of a rush to leave for Thanksgiving than she remembered.

    But then Heinzman noticed the TV was gone from her bedroom dresser. And there was a stray espresso cup in her shower.

    She ran to her closet to see what else might be missing — only to find a woman cowering in the corner, clutching kitchen utensils, including a pizza cutter.

    Heinzman remembered screaming.

    The woman left, and in less than 48 hours she was behind bars for what police have described as a burglary carried out in multiple trips, and possibly over several days.

    Wendy Wilkinson, a resident of the same apartment complex, is accused of stealing at least $30,000 worth of items from Heinzman’s apartment while her neighbor was out of town — including designer handbags, sunglasses, two TVs, credit cards and her passport, according to Kyle Oldoerp, a spokesperson for the Irvine Police Department.

    Wilkinson, who officers found hiding in her own closet, was booked Dec. 3 on suspicion of burglary and possession of stolen items, Oldoerp said.

    “We are unable to confirm exactly how many times she went into the apartment,” Oldoerp said. “It’s more than likely she went in multiple times. … It’s possible she was going back and forth between her apartment.”

    It’s that possibility that has Heinzman most on edge.

    “Knowing that someone was in my place, multiple times — you don’t know if they were in your bed,” Heinzman said, tearing up.

    The 35-year-old continues to find more items gone from her apartment. But what’s missing most is her sense of security.

    Purses that were taken from the apartment of Brittney Heinzman.

    (Irvine Police Department)

    “This woman didn’t just want handbags, she didn’t just want a TV — she wanted my identity,” Heinzman said. “That’s the part that makes your stomach feel so sick.”

    Heinzman, who works in software sales, said she knows all those stolen items — while valuable — are replaceable. But she’s struggling with unanswered questions, as well as how to move forward after finding a stranger in her home.

    Oldoerp said there were no signs of forced entry, but Heinzman said she knows she locked her apartment door when she left. Police say they found items stolen from Heinzman’s apartment in Wilkinson’s apartment, car and an off-site storage unit.

    Heinzman said she moved to the Skyloft Apartments on Main Street, touted as a luxury complex, for increased security. But she said that promise has fallen short. It was a neighbor’s front-door camera that caught footage of the suspect, not building security cameras, police said.

    “There’s just no security at this building,” Heinzman said. “I moved out of L.A. into a safer place … [but] it’s like smoke and mirrors.”

    Representatives from Skyloft and Legacy Partners, the real estate firm that manages the property, did not respond to a request for comment.

    Heinzman hasn’t felt safe enough to stay in her apartment since she came home from her weeklong trip to visit family over Thanksgiving. She said she worries for her neighbors as well.

    Wilkinson was arrested and charged in two other burglaries in 2021, court records show. However she was not convicted in either case, as they were were diverted through a mental health pretrial program, according to Orange County court records. Wilkinson remains in jail on $150,000 bail, court records show.

    Heinzman said she needs to find a new place to live for her peace of mind. She had only moved into Skyloft seven months ago.

    “To this day, I’m realizing more and more stuff that’s gone,” Heinzman said. “I just invested all this money into this place, I loved my place, and then the mental part of it — you don’t sleep, you have this image in your mind of this person standing in your closet.”

    Grace Toohey

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  • ‘Precious Cargo’ item and weapon locations in Modern Warfare 3

    ‘Precious Cargo’ item and weapon locations in Modern Warfare 3

    “Precious Cargo” is the second mission in Modern Warfare 3. Several of the main campaign missions have collectible items and weapons to find. This gear doesn’t carry over between missions, but, once you’ve collected it, you can change your loadout both during the mission and any time you replay it.

    Our Modern Warfare 3 guide will show you all of the weapon locations and item locations in “Precious Cargo.”

    All ‘Precious Cargo’ weapon and item locations in MW3

    Graphic: Jeffrey Parkin | Sources: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    There are 21 weapons and items to find in the “Precious Cargo” mission.

    1. MTZ-556

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the MTZ-556 location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    You’ll find the MTZ-556 assault rifle in the Shadow Company shipping container just east of the starting location.

    2. Silenced WSP Swarm

    You’ll find the Silenced WSP Swarm SMG in the same shipping container as the MTZ-556 above.

    3. Recon Drone

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the Recon Drone location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    Back outside, turn to the right. A little east of the container, you’ll find an open container with the Recon Drone field upgrade inside.

    4. Silenced Rival-9

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the Silenced Rival-9 location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    Hop onto the boxes just to the right of the Recon Drone’s container. Climb up to find another orange crate with the Silenced Rival-9 SMG inside.

    5. Heartbeat Sensor

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the Heartbeat Sensor location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    Head back to the first container and turn south to find another Shadow Company container. Inside, you’ll find the Heartbeat Sensor field upgrade.

    6. Silenced Expedite 12

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the Silenced Expedite 12 location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    From the Heartbeat Sensor, head south and take the first left. Turn right immediately and you’ll find the Silenced Expedite 12 shotgun in a crate on the second row of shipping containers.

    7. 556 Icarus

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the 556 Icarus location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    Head east along the bottom of the map and watch for a small building on your left. Get past the guards and you’ll find the 556 Icarus light machine gun in a crate in the northwest corner.

    8. Snapshot Pulse

    In the northwest corner of the same room, you’ll find the Snapshot Pulse field upgrade.

    9. PILA

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the PILA location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    Back outside, look for a ladder on the south-facing wall. Climb to the roof to find the PILA launcher.

    10. Munitions Box

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the Munitions Box location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    Keep heading east across the bottom of the map to reach the tower — where you’ll find the manifest for this mission’s objective. On the ground floor, head into the garage to the southeast to find the Munitions Box field upgrade.

    11. RPK

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the RPK location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    Continue up the tower to the third floor. In the room across from the Harbormaster’s Office, you’ll find a crate against the window with the RPK light machine gun inside.

    12. Pulemyot 762

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the Pulemyot 762 location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    Inside the Harbormaster’s Office, there’s a hallway leading to the southwest. Head through it to find a crate with the Pulemyot 762 light machine gun.

    13. Explosive Victus XMR

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the Explosive Victus XMR location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    Continue up the stairs to the roof and take a left to find the Explosive Victus XMR sniper rifle (and a good perch to clear out some baddies).

    14. Silenced ISO Hemlock

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the Silenced ISO Hemlock location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    From the roof, look to the northeast and you’ll find another building standing on its own. The Silenced ISO Hemlock assault rifle is in the crate inside.

    15. Signal 50

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the Signal 50 location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    From that building start working back to the west. A little to the north, you’ll pass by one of the automated gantries. Climb up it to the catwalk on the northern side (not quite the very top of the gantry) to find the Signal 50 sniper rifle.

    16. Hybrid STB 556

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the Hybrid STB 556 location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    Drop off the gantry heading southwest and you’ll find another small building. Head to the room on the north side to find the Hybrid STB 556 assault rifle.

    17. BAS-B

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the BAS-B location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    Exit the building and climb onto the shipping containers heading west. You’ll find the BAS-B in an orange crate on the top of the northern edge of the stacks of shipping containers.

    18. GS Magna

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the GS Magna location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    Continue along the tops of the shipping container heading west. Just before you reach the edge of the map, look for a small open area on the ground. You’ll find the GS Magna handgun in a small orange crate.

    19. Incendiary Bryson 800

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the Incendiary Bryson 800 location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    When you first board the ship, cut to the north (port) side as you work forward. Stay on the deck level and take the first door on the left that you come to. You’ll find the Incendiary Bryson 800 shotgun in a small room there.

    20. RGL-80

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the RGL-80 location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    Keep heading east toward the bridge. When you enter, take the first door on the left to find a crate with the RGL-80 launcher inside.

    21. KVD Enforcer

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screenshot with the KVD Enforcer location marked.

    Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision

    A little further into the ship, you’ll find the Control Room with the GPS trackers on a long table. Go through the first door on the left to find the KVD Enforcer sniper rifle.

    For more Modern Warfare 3 guides, see how to earn the Back in the Field trophy and the A Shot Blocked achievement, or check out our walkthrough for “Deep Cover.” If you’re jumping into multiplayer when it goes live, check our guides on the best Striker loadout, best MCW loadout, and best AMR9 loadout.

    Jeffrey Parkin

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  • A squatter, a shotgun and stolen items: How one man overstayed his welcome in Yosemite

    A squatter, a shotgun and stolen items: How one man overstayed his welcome in Yosemite

    A man squatting in Yosemite National Park was sentenced to more than five years and three months in prison on Monday for breaking into a private residence and possessing a sawed-off shotgun and ammunition, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Sacramento.

    Devin Michael Cuellar, 29, broke into the home on Koon Hollar Road in Wawona in 2021 and resided there for several months without permission from the owner, damaging and stealing property, according to federal prosecutors. Cuellar was previously convicted of carjacking and possessing controlled substances for sale and was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

    He is also a longtime gang member who is known to use narcotics such as heroin, prosecutors said.

    Cuellar, who had already been jailed for 11 months, asked to be sentenced to time served with 60 months’ probation and in-patient treatment for his drug abuse, according to a sentencing memo. But prosecutors requested a term of 63 months, noting he had received lenient sentences in the past but still “led his life from one bad decision to another.”

    The National Park Service was assisted in its investigation by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Forensic Services and the Madera County Sheriff’s Office.

    Roberto Reyes

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  • Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom’s Latest Infinite Item Glitch Is The Fastest And Easiest Yet

    Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom’s Latest Infinite Item Glitch Is The Fastest And Easiest Yet

    Another day, another way to duplicate some of the rarest items in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. But wait, there’s even more good news. This latest infinite item exploit is even faster and easier than the others. Give me one minute of your time and I will give you all the diamonds you can carry.

    An Anime That Might Make You Put Your Minecraft Bed Next To Someone

    The latest method was shared on the Tears of the Kingdom subreddit over the weekend (thanks Eurogamer) and revolves around paragliding. You simply get some air and then keep messing around with the inventory screen as duplicates of all your precious materials fall to the ground below you. Unlike the previous bow glitch, which required very precise timing, this one will let you be as sloppy as you want. I tested it out this morning and had a 100 percent success rate. Here are the steps:

    Make sure the item you want to copy is in the last slot on your inventory screen

    1. Climb up something
    2. Jump off and pull out your glider
    3. Press start to open back up the item menu
    4. Select an item you only have one of
    5. Then select the one in the last slot you want to copy
    6. Press start twice
    7. Rinse and repeat until you hit the ground

    The nice thing about this version of the infinite item glitch is you don’t have to worry how fast you press the start button. As long as you do it while Link is still in the air it will count. And as a result you can actually perform the trick back to back several times during each trip. You can also select multiple of the item you’re duplicating, letting you make a bunch at a time.

    The only thing to be cognizant of is that the items will drop to the ground. Do it while you’re too high up and it might be hard to go find where they fell on the ground. And if you’re doing it with bombs or other fragile items they will break/blow up. “Before someone tries that a warning: that doesn’t work great with bomb flowers, I just blew myself up with like 20 bombs!” wrote one player on the subreddit.

    So far none of the item glitches players have discovered so far have been patched out of the game by Nintendo, but that might not last for long. The Breath of the Wild sequel received its first small post-launch update last week, and will likely get another one soon. So get gliding.

                    

    Ethan Gach

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  • Austin Pets Alive! | You’re Invited: A Kitten Shower in Support of…

    Austin Pets Alive! | You’re Invited: A Kitten Shower in Support of…

    May 12, 2023

    The Neonatal Kitten Nursery, affectionately known as APA!’s Bottle Baby Program, saves some of our tiniest, most vulnerable babies — unweaned kittens. Our facility is typically closed to the public to keep the environment sterile. However once a year we open the doors for our annual Kitten Shower, which offers kittie enthusiasts an opportunity to take an inside look at the program as well as a way to support the important, life-saving work that is done there. And of course, we’ll offer the opportunity to cuddle some kittens!

    Our nursery has already seen 1000+ kittens come into our care since January. The peak of kitten season, however, has just begun and will continue through about October. Support is greatly needed for these tiny furballs and the Kitten Shower is a wonderful way to provide it.

    This year, the Kitten Shower takes place from 12 pm to 5 pm, Saturday, May 13th at our Tarrytown facility located at 3102 Windsor Rd., Suite D. There are three ways to support this fundraiser: gift a monetary donation, bring an item from the kitten wish list and participate in the silent auction.

    Attendees are asked for a $20 entrance fee at the door, which provides items such as a can of kitten formula. The $20 fee covers a full family interested in attending. Another way to gain access to the event is to bring an item from the kitten wish list below:

    • KMR milk replacement, available at Petco

    • At least 3.5 lb bag of Royal Canin “Mother and Babycat” dry cat food

    • 12-roll or larger case of paper towels

    • 2 or more 100 oz. unscented laundry detergent

    • 1 box of 800 count or larger fragrance-free baby wipes

    • 6-pack or more of receiving blankets, which can be found at places like Target or Walmart in the baby section

    In addition, there will be a silent auction that will include exciting items such as a gift certificate from Austin-favorite, Lick , a Pet Caricature Portrait by Art by HJoy, a ticket to AIA Home Tour 2023 and more. For those supporters who are unable to attend but still want to help the kittens in our nursery, please visit our Neonatal Kitten Nursery wishlist! You can have the items shipped directly to the nursery at 3102 Windsor Rd, Ste. D Austin, TX 78704.

    Join us to meet some of the heroes — staff, volunteers and fosters, who give their hearts to ensure that the kittens that come into our care have a chance at life!

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  • Austin Pets Alive! | Support Needed Today for APA!

    Austin Pets Alive! | Support Needed Today for APA!

    This is the week! Austin City Council will vote Thursday on the future of Austin Pets Alive! at Town Lake Animal Center.

    The animals depend on the support of the greater Austin animal-loving community and we are asking if you will take one more quick action to confirm your support for our resolution, agenda item #38.

    We want this resolution to pass, as it clearly removes the restriction that would prevent us from saving the lives of those on death row all over our state. This is important because we have long demonstrated that we can save lives in need while also maintaining that Austin’s No Kill status is first and foremost.

    We are grateful the resolution also directs City animal services staff to negotiate with APA! regarding the percentage of animals we are responsible for pulling from the city shelter and clearly indicates those animals should be based on those at risk of euthanasia. This has always been the intent of our partnership with the City and we are eager to ensure our contract reflects that.

    We really need you in this final stretch. Please register your support of Agenda Item #38 before the deadline on Wednesday at noon. The best part: you don’t have to speak or show up at the Council Meeting! You only need to click on this form and indicate your support for Agenda Item #38.

    The instructions are simple:

    • Check the first box for the regular Austin City Council meeting,
    • Select item #38 from the drop-down menu,
    • Click “no” that you do not wish to speak,
    • Click “For” for your position,
    • Fill out your identification information and in the box for the topic, please type, “Vote Yes on Item #38.”

    That’s it! Your voice will then be counted in support of Thursday’s meeting!

    Just as you help us every day by fostering, adopting, volunteering, and donating to find homes for animals, we really need you to act now so APA! can land safely and continue our important work with as few interruptions as possible.

    We are incredibly grateful to Council Member Leslie Pool for her leadership on this resolution and to Mayor Adler, Council Member Kitchen, Council Member Fuentes, and Council Member Casar for co-sponsoring. Please join us in thanking them for their support for APA! and No Kill. We know the Council offices are keeping track of people who email/call in favor of agenda item #38, so it is very important that you fill out that form before noon on Wednesday!

    Thank you for being here for the animals, all the animals, and ensuring that APA! continues to keep Austin No Kill.

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