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  • Federal judge seeks audit of L.A. homelessness programs

    Federal judge seeks audit of L.A. homelessness programs

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    A federal judge wants an independent accounting of homelessness programs in Los Angeles — including Mayor Karen Bass’ signature Inside Safe initiative.

    U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter made his remarks during oral arguments on a motion filed by lawyers for the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, which has accused the city of failing to live up to the terms of a nearly 2-year-old settlement agreement to build shelter beds and clear homeless encampments. The settlement was reached eight months before Bass was sworn into office.

    The alliance said it wants the city to pay it $6.4 million in monetary sanctions.

    Carter, who has not yet issued a ruling or spelled out the parameters of such an audit, raised concerns about how public money to fight homelessness is being spent. He requested a more detailed accounting of the work performed by nonprofit homeless service providers — including those participating in Inside Safe, which has been moving unhoused Angelenos into hotels, motels and other facilities.

    “Which provider is producing results out there?” he asked. “We have no benchmark, and we have no accountability at this point. It’s just as simple as that.”

    Carter also asked whether City Controller Kenneth Mejia has the authority to audit homeless programs run by the mayor’s office. City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, who advises the mayor and council, testified that the controller could not but said there are other ways the city can conduct audits.

    Mejia disputed that notion Friday, telling the judge on the second day of the hearing that his office can audit mayoral programs.

    “When it comes to a city program, especially those housed under elected officials, we have disagreements with the mayor and the city attorney’s office, but we believe there’s nothing in the charter that prohibits the mayor or the City Council from voluntarily submitting themselves to an audit, so we disagree.”

    Hours later, Mejia announced on X that he is launching a “focused audit” on Inside Safe, which received $250 million in this year’s city budget.

    Bass, who is in France with a delegation of city officials examining preparations for the Olympics, could not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Michele Martinez, special master for Carter, said Bass and City Council President Paul Krekorian had spoken to the judge and offered an independent auditor chosen by the court and paid for by the city.

    Mejia said he intends to follow through with his audit.

    “Our office welcomes an external, independent auditor to aid in that ongoing litigation,” he said in a statement to The Times. “However, the issues at play in the federal litigation are specific and unique to that case. As the City’s Chief Auditor, it is my responsibility to bring transparency and accountability to specific components of Inside Safe.”

    The L.A. Alliance, a group of businesses and residents, alleges that the city repeatedly missed deadlines and negotiated in bad faith over terms of a settlement agreement to shelter at least 60% of people living on the streets in each council district.

    Elizabeth Mitchell, the group’s attorney, said the city promised last March that it would come into compliance and provide the alliance with plans to build beds and address homeless encampments in each district.

    “We were promised … that if we held off bringing this to the court for just six months, that they would have a full evaluation of each district. That, to my knowledge, has never been done,” Mitchell said. “Even the numbers that were finally agreed upon by the council members were not fully vetted.”

    Scott Marcus, chief assistant city attorney, said the city did not breach the agreement when it comes to bed creation but that it did fail to communicate with the alliance when it sought a citywide program to clean up encampments, as opposed to doing so district by district.

    “We could have done a better job keeping the alliance in the loop and communicating with them when our circumstances changed,” Marcus said.

    Carter said he would delay a ruling while city officials and lawyers for L.A. Alliance discuss details of the audit and Bass is abroad.

    However, the judge said he plans to rule that the city acted in bad faith.

    The demands for increased oversight of homeless services are not limited to Mejia and the judge. On Friday, the council voted to seek a separate performance evaluation of services being provided to the city by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

    Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who drafted the proposal and sits on the homelessness committee, said the city provides tens of millions of dollars each year to that city-county agency.

    “We have all known that LAHSA can be opaque at times and, frankly, downright deceptive in terms of how they secure funding from this city,” he said.

    Va Lecia Adams Kellum, LAHSA’s chief executive officer, said she looks forward to the assessment.

    “I welcome the passage of the motion from Councilmembers Blumenfield and [Monica] Rodriguez,” she said, “and look forward to working with the city on developing a framework that provides greater insight into program performance.”

    Times staff writer David Zahniser contributed to this report.

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    Ruben Vives

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  • Gascón faces off against 11 challengers in hotly contested L.A. D.A. race

    Gascón faces off against 11 challengers in hotly contested L.A. D.A. race

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    Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón is expected to advance to a November runoff, but it’s too early to tell who his challenger will be.

    While polls show Gascón has grown deeply unpopular with a significant portion of L.A. County residents, polls and local political observers have suggested his strong progressive base will carry him out of a crowded primary field replete with challengers who spent more time attacking him than they did defining their own candidacies.

    Four years after taking office on a popular criminal justice reform platform in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020, Gascón found himself facing a different political landscape in this primary cycle. Multiple polls showed the incumbent with a disapproval rating over 50%, and a mix of frustrations with his policies and his perceived vulnerability led 11 candidates to challenge him.

    While Gascón has undoubtedly had some successes in his term — including stepped up efforts to exonerate wrongfully convicted persons and an increased focus on prosecutions of police officers accused of misconduct and excessive force — his term has been rocked by public disputes with his own prosecutors and a litany of civil suits that have already cost the county roughly $7 million. Some of his reforms were deemed illegal by a judge in 2021 and critics have also blamed his policies directly for heinous crimes.

    Property and violent crime rose in L.A. County from 2019 to 2022, according to California Department of Justice data. But other counties with more traditional prosecutors saw violent crime surge at much higher rates in the same time frame, a data point Gascón often stresses. LAPD data also show homicides and robberies have declined over the past two years and criminologists argue its disingenuous to solely blame a district attorney’s policies for crime spikes or declines.

    The field chasing Gascón includes four prosecutors from within his own office, three judges and two former federal prosecutors. With resumes and messages that largely mirrored one another — 10 of the 11 challengers promised to roll back nearly all of the policies Gascón announced during his inaugaration speech — it became hard for a challenger to stand out from the pack.

    Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor who unsuccessfully ran for state attorney general in 2022 as a Republican, raised the most money in the primary. Now running as an independent, Hochman promised to “get politics out” of an office he says was made increasingly partisan by Gascón and the broader progressive prosecutor movement nationwide.

    While he favors alternative sentencing outcomes for nonviolent defendants struggling with mental illness or drug addiction, Hochman also promised to seek the death penalty in some cases and make use of sentencing enhancements for gang and gun crimes, measures that can sometimes double the prison time for certain defendants. Critics have argued enhancements are disproportionately used against people of color.

    Running as a moderate who can balance reform with justice, ex-federal prosecutor Jeff Chemerinsky was one of lone candidates to embrace criminal justice reform while challenging Gascón. Chemerinsky disagrees with much of what Gascón has done, but also said he’d largely eschew trying juveniles as adults and had serious reservations about the use of gang enhancements. Such positions have led other challengers to describe him as “mini-Gascón.”

    Other top challengers include Deputy Dist. Attys. Jonathan Hatami and Eric Siddall, and Superior Court Judge Debra Archuleta.

    Hatami was one of the three biggest fundraisers in the field, and the pugnacious prosecutor’s long history of publicly criticizing Gascón and his involvement with attempts to recall the D.A. made him popular with victims’ rights advocates. He was the only candidate to break from the pack in a USC/Dornsife poll earlier this year, snaring 8% of the vote and finishing a clear second to Gascón. Along with Archuleta, he received the endorsement of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the largest law enforcement union in L.A. County.

    Siddall, a veteran prosecutor of cases involving gang crime and attacks on police officers, bagged the endorsement of the union representing rank-and-file prosecutors and has also frequently antagonized the district attorney through the union. Siddall was also running as a moderate, claiming to represent a “new generation of prosecutors” who want to balance reform and aggressive prosecution of violent criminals, but he and Chemerinsky often found themselves fighting for the same airspace.

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    James Queally, Sonja Sharp

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  • LAPD slams ‘highly inaccurate’ audit that questioned millions spent on helicopters

    LAPD slams ‘highly inaccurate’ audit that questioned millions spent on helicopters

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    Two months after an audit raised questions about the cost and value of the Los Angeles Police Department’s helicopter program, the department has shot back, defending its nearly round-the-clock flights above the city.

    In a presentation to the L.A. Police Commission on Tuesday, LAPD Cmdr. Shannon Paulson said that the audit showed a “fundamental lack of understanding” about how the aircraft help identify and catch crime suspects.

    The audit by the city controller’s office reported that 61% of flight time by LAPD helicopters was spent on “non-high priority incidents.” Paulson said that finding was based on a “highly inaccurate definition” of so-called Part I crimes set by the FBI, which include homicides, robberies and property crimes such as auto theft.

    The audit ignored the fact that with a home burglary or overnight car theft, the department is “unlikely to provoke a response [from a helicopter] due to the fact that the crime is stale,” Paulson said. She noted that helicopters are often dispatched to disrupt street racing or sideshows, which are not considered Part I offenses.

    Paulson, who is second-in-command at the LAPD’s Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau, said the controller’s report also relied on “inflated” statistics related to fuel costs and burn rates, overstating the cost and environmental impact. LAPD officials also questioned the study’s methodology.

    The audit, released in December by L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia’s office, scrutinized the millions of dollars the department spends annually to maintain its aerial fleet, said to be the largest of any municipal department in the country.

    Sergio Perez, chief of accountability and oversight for the controller’s office, said Wednesday that the office stood by its findings. He told The Times that the LAPD failed to “provide meaningful feedback and refused to sit down for exit meetings” with the report’s authors, and also withheld certain data that it only published with its own report.

    Perez questioned the scientific rigor of an internal study by any organization “interested in defending its marquee programs.”

    “This seems to be an example of an agency that found itself very unhappy with the recommendations and conclusions of an independent, objective, outside audit and now it’s trying to turn the clock back and say that the information that we included was not accurate,” Perez said.

    Another contested portion of the audit dealt with the use of LAPD helicopters for non-law enforcement functions, such as air shows and flights to promote the LAPD or raise money for police-related causes. Such uses came under scrutiny by department officials in 2014 after a police chopper dropped scores of golf balls onto a golf course as part of a fundraiser. The department also recently reviewed whether its helicopters were creating confusion by flying too low over crime scenes.

    LAPD officials said the helicopters used in ceremonial roles were already in the air for other purposes and would have been diverted if a serious emergency had occurred.

    Beyond the audit, a group of UCLA researchers have spent months studying helicopters’ health impacts in Black and Latino neighborhoods by using highly sensitive instruments to measure noise pollution from low-altitude flights. Residents and some academics have said that the disruptive noise caused by helicopters circling overhead can cause serious health consequences, including poor sleep and anxiety. The controller’s office also released a heat-map tool that would allow users to look up the costs and pollution associated with helicopters flying over their neighborhoods.

    The LAPD released data showing that the amount of time helicopters spent in certain areas was proportionate with the amount of violent crime and gun violence there.

    Helicopters also allow law enforcement to more safely track suspects during high-speed pursuits, officials said, dramatically reducing the number of collisions from such chases. Some of the units are equipped with a thermal camera system that can pick up the heat signatures of suspects who are attempting to hide.

    In recent weeks, helicopters have been used to monitor protests of a visit by President Biden, to track members of a burglary ring and to locate a missing hiker, officials said Tuesday, while also noting an incident in which an airship used its powerful “Nightsun” spotlight to illuminate hilly terrain near Santa Monica. And yet, officials said, such context was left out the controller’s report.

    “The question is how do you put a price on saving a life,” Assistant Chief Blake Chow told the commission.

    The two reports did agree on the need for better data collection about helicopter flights.

    LAPD Chief Michel Moore said that the department’s helicopters have been used to safeguard his home after his family received threats, saying their “presence is a blanket of security.”

    He and other department officials found a sympathetic audience in the commission, who seemed to second-guess the city controller’s study.

    “How do we work with them to prevent something like this to happen in the future?” asked Commissioner Fabian Garcia.

    Commission President Erroll Southers said he found it “very concerning” that the controller had cited no study that found a conclusive link that the helicopters pose a “health risk to the public.”

    Much like other law enforcement technology, the LAPD’s reliance on helicopters has drawn greater interest since the 2020 police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the social justice reckoning that followed. Mejia, the city controller, ran on the promise of closely scrutinizing police spending, which has often put him at odds with the powerful Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents the city’s rank-and-file officers.

    Dinah Manning, Mejia’s director of public safety, said in an interview Wednesday that it seemed the LAPD was trying to discredit the audit’s findings by suggesting it was politically motivated.

    “The civil service staff, the auditors who worked on this audit are folks who were here before Kenneth Mejia, are folks who will be here after Kenneth Mejia,” she said.

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    Libor Jany

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  • San Jose affordable homes land financing package of $100 million-plus

    San Jose affordable homes land financing package of $100 million-plus

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    SAN JOSE — A big affordable housing project in San Jose is pushing ahead with a property purchase and the landing of a crucial money package for the construction of the residences, public documents show.

    The affordable residences are part of Stevens Creek Promenade in San Jose, a big mixed-use development that will feature housing, retail and a hotel.

    Pacific West Builders, acting through an affiliate, has paid roughly $3.5 million for the site where the affordable homes would be built, according to documents filed on Feb. 21 with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office.

    Miramar Capital Group, which is the primary developer of the Stevens Creek Promenade complex, sold the site for the affordable housing portion of the project to Idaho-based Pacific West Builders.

    In 2020, Santa Monica-based Miramar Capital Group and Machine Investment, acting through affiliate MPG Stevens Creek Owner, paid $54.5 million for the overall development site, including the just-sold affordable homes parcel. The overall development property is located on the south side of Stevens Creek Boulevard between Kiely Boulevard and Palace Road.

    The California Housing Financing Agency authorized the issuance of a bond package to enable construction financing for the affordable housing project, according to a staff report prepared for a recent meeting during which the state agency approved bonds and funding for the project.

    The affordable residential development would consist of 173 homes. Of these, 171 will be affordable apartments that will be rented to residents belonging to households making 30% to 70% of the area’s median income, according to the state housing agency’s report. Two of the units will be market-rate homes for on-site managers.

    The Santa Clara County area median income in 2023 was $181,300 for a four-person household. That would mean the income limits for the affordable homes in this project would range from about $54,390 a year to $126,910.

    The total construction package is valued at $125.6 million, according to the agenda materials for the state Housing Finance Agency.

    Of that overall amount, Citibank is providing the project with $98.6 million in construction financing through two separate loans. Bonneville Multifamily Capital is providing a third loan of $10 million, according to the California Housing Finance Agency documents.

    The 173-unit project will include 44 studio units of 422 square feet each, 37 one-bedroom units ranging in size from 563 to 573 square feet, 45 two-bedroom units of 776 square feet and 47 three-bedroom units of 1,064 square feet. Two of the three-bedroom units will be manager’s homes.

    “This is an inclusionary project and will be part of a larger development that will include two market-rate apartment buildings and a 250-room hotel,” the state housing agency documents state.

    One of the market-rate apartments will be 191 units and the other will be 216 units.

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    George Avalos

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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

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    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.

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    Mackenzie Mays

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  • Babygold Barbecue and Zeitlin’s Delicatessen Debut Inside The Old Post Office

    Babygold Barbecue and Zeitlin’s Delicatessen Debut Inside The Old Post Office

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    There’s change afoot at From Here On, the food hall inside the historic Old Post Office, as two local vendors join the mix in Downtown Chicago: Zeitlin’s Delicatessen, formerly a virtual deli and pop-up regular featuring bagels and other Jewish-y treats, and Babygold Barbecue, a smoked meat operation based out of venerable live music venue FitzGerald’s in suburban Berwyn.

    Babygold, founded in 2021 under the direction of decorated chef John Manion (El Che), opened on Monday, February 12 inside the food hall at 433 W. Van Buren Street, notifying fans just days earlier in an Instagram post. Manion, who just opened Brasero, is no longer involved in Babygold, but fans can still count on staples like juicy brisket, pulled pork, and turkey hot links alongside new submissions designed to lure a lunchtime crowd seeking a satisfying meal that won’t induce meat sweats or result in a very sleepy afternoon.

    The team highlighted these fresh additions on social media, writing, “Come check out our new lunch-focused menu with an emphasis on lean proteins, good veggies ‘n salads, and an all-new BBQ BOWL format.”

    Zeitlin’s, which entered the food hall fray in December 2023, has all the makings of a pandemic-era success story. Founder Sam Zeitlin and his brother Hal have nurtured the fledgling business from its origins as a virtual deli and farmers market stand into a permanent stall featuring their popular bagels (available unadulterated or as breakfast sandwiches), challah French toast sticks, bagel dogs with beef sausages from Romanian Kosher Sausage Co., black-and-white cookies, and much more. The team has tweaked the lineup with the aforementioned lunch crowd in mind with lunch boxes like the Reuben Box, which includes a vegetarian oyster mushroom Reuben (pastrami spice blend, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, rye bread), a latke, a brown butter chocolate chip cookie, and a beverage. The deli also operates in Pilsen, sharing a space with Rubi’s Tacos, 1316 W. 18th Street, as part of the DishRoulette Kitchen operation.

    From Here On, which opened in June 2022 following a $800 million renovation on its 1930s-era building, is a relative newcomer to Chicago’s food hall scene but its owners at 16” on Center (The Salt Shed, Thalia Hall) have plenty of experience in the arena — they’re also behind Revival Food Hall, which ushered in a food hall renaissance in the city when it opened in 2016. Revival demonstrated the enormous potential of a restaurant hub that’s convenient for tourists and office workers in the Loop, and other food halls followed suit by planting their flags Downtown.

    From Here On opened in 2022.
    Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

    The pandemic and resulting exodus of office workers, however, hit these halls especially hard and were the source of much concern over the future of the hospitality genre. New York-based food hall chain Urbanspace, which previously operated two halls in Downtown Chicago, sold its Washington Street location (called Urbanspace Washington) in 2023 to another Big Apple operator, Local Culture Management. It’s now called Washington Hall. Meanwhile, Time Out Market in Fulton Market has imported out-of-town vendors to fill its Chicago venue, with restaurants dropping out for a variety of reasons, including escalating rents.

    Zeitlin’s Delicatessen, 433 W. Van Buren Street inside From Here On food hall, Open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Babygold Barbecue, 433 W. Van Buren Street inside From Here On food hall, Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.

    15 W Washington St, Chicago, IL 60602

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    Naomi Waxman

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  • Redondo Beach mayor dies at 65 of lung cancer

    Redondo Beach mayor dies at 65 of lung cancer

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    Bill Brand, the mayor of Redondo Beach, died Friday evening of lung cancer, according to city officials. He was 65.

    Brand had been battling cancer for more than four years, but his health took a “sudden turn” for the worse in recent days, according to a city statement. Brand’s wife and other family and friends were by his side in the end.

    Brand was serving his second term as Redondo Beach’s mayor, after previously serving two terms on the City Council. He had remained in office despite undergoing intense treatments and being hospitalized several times.

    Bill Brand

    (City of Redondo Beach)

    Brand was born in Texas, but had lived in the South Bay since moving there as a child in 1966. “Finding the Seaside Lagoon, he thought that he had found heaven,” the city’s statement said.

    Other officials in the region took to X, formerly Twitter, to mourn Brand’s death.

    “Bill Brand was my dear friend and even though we knew this day would be coming, it hurts to say goodbye,” wrote L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn.

    “Elected office can be a challenge, but being Mayor of Redondo Beach came naturally to Bill. He embodied the South Bay,” Hahn wrote. “He was passionate about his work as Mayor, fighting corporate developers to preserve the beach community he loved, but he also made time for surf breaks.”

    County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath wrote that Brand had made “a lasting impact on the community [and] all who knew him.”

    County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell wrote that Brand “was a fighter who kept showing up to serve” even while battling cancer. “We have lost a leader who loved the South Bay and fought with all his heart to protect our environment.”

    Mitchell cited in particular Brand’s role in the recent closure of the AES Redondo Beach power plant, which she said was “just one example of Bill’s lasting impact.”

    Brand got involved in politics first “as a concerned resident, then as a champion for open space,” creating the nonprofit South Bay Parkland Conservancy, the city’s statement said. Only then did he run for office.

    Living to see the closure of the AES plant, which he had fought so hard for, “was an accomplishment of which he was extremely proud,” the city statement said.

    In lieu of flowers, Brand’s family asked for donations in his memory to the conservancy, or to Cancer Support Community South Bay.

    Flags at Redondo Beach City Hall were to fly at half-staff in Brand’s honor. Information on services were not provided.

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    Kevin Rector

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  • Florida man steals a plane in California, crash lands it on a nearby beach and walks off, sheriff says

    Florida man steals a plane in California, crash lands it on a nearby beach and walks off, sheriff says

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    A Florida man purloined a plane in Palo Alto on Thursday and put it down on a beach in Half Moon Bay, according to flummoxed San Mateo County authorities.

    The 50-year-old Miami native and suspect, Luiz Gustavo Aires, is accused of committing the grand theft aero around 5 p.m., taking to the skies briefly before touching down just 25 miles away, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said.

    “I’ve been doing this a long time, this is for sure a first,” said Javier Acosta, a spokesman for the office.

    Deputies got a call about a beached plane, kicking off the hunt for the lost aircraft. Witnesses told the deputies that someone landed the plane, got out and walked away.

    After a “thorough search,” the deputies located the small red-and-white fixed-wing single-engine aircraft on Poplar Beach in Half Moon Bay. The Federal Aviation Administration lists the plane as owned by a San Mateo-based limited liability company.

    Acosta said that deputies learned the plane was stolen from Palo Alto Airport and later located a man who matched the description of the person who abandoned the aircraft.

    Aires was booked on suspicion of theft of an airplane and misappropriation of lost property, Acosta said.

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    Noah Goldberg

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  • 9 people killed in California’s massive storm: Here’s how they died

    9 people killed in California’s massive storm: Here’s how they died

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    State officials have reported that nine people across California died in the biggest storm of the season, a major atmospheric river that left a trail of destruction due to dangerous winds and historic rains.

    Among the deaths, four were killed by fallen trees in Northern California and two died in car wrecks in Southern California, officials said.

    The storm initially whipped into Northern California on Saturday as a bomb cyclone — meaning it rapidly intensified — fueling dangerous winds on top of an already moisture-heavy system. Wind gusts along the Northern and Central California coast exceeded 90 and 100 mph in some areas, as the storm unleashed the beginning of a deluge of rain.

    By Sunday and Monday, the system was walloping Southern California, dumping record-breaking rainfall, causing hundreds of mudslides and debris flows and forcing evacuations and water rescues.

    The storm — fueled by El Niño, human-caused climate change and typical winter weather patterns — resulted in widespread power outages, road closures and flooding.

    Here’s what The Times has been able to confirm about the nine people who died in the storm, in the order they occurred:

    Feb. 1 in San Mateo County

    A man in San Mateo County died Thursday after his vehicle hydroplaned and struck a tree, becoming the first storm-related death, according to Brian Ferguson, a spokesperson for the governor’s Office of Emergency Services. It wasn’t immediately clear if the heavy rain in the area at the time of the accident was brought on by the storm that hit the Northern California coast two days later.

    Feb. 3 in Sacramento County

    A woman in Sacramento County was killed by a fallen tree in her backyard, Ferguson said. Additional details were not immediately available from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

    Feb. 4 in Sutter, Sacramento, and Santa Cruz counties

    Three men were killed by downed trees in Northern California the next day.

    Chad Ensey, 41, of Carmichael suffered blunt-force trauma and died at a hospital after a tree fell on him in his backyard amid strong wind, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

    In the rural Santa Cruz County community of Boulder Creek, Robert Brainard III, 45, was killed when a tree fell on his home, officials there said.

    And in Sutter County, 82-year-old David Gomes was found dead beneath a fallen redwood tree in his backyard, authorities said.

    Feb. 5 in San Bernardino County

    In San Bernardino County, a 69-year-old man died after losing control of his truck in Yucaipa, sending it into an embankment that submerged part of the vehicle, according to the California Highway Patrol. The San Bernardino man was taken to a hospital, where he died of his injuries. His identity wasn’t immediately available.

    Ferguson also confirmed another traffic death in Southern California on this day, but the details weren’t immediately clear.

    Feb. 5 in San Luis Obispo County

    A 90-year-old woman in Los Osos died after the power went out at her home, where she was in hospice care and dependent on oxygen, according to San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s spokesperson Tony Cipolla.

    She called 911 after losing power and medics responded, but she died soon after, Cipolla said. He did not immediately provide her name.

    Feb. 6 in San Diego County

    A person was found dead in the Tijuana River along the Mexico border, according to Mónica Muñoz, a spokesperson for the San Diego Fire Department.

    Firefighters were called to Dairy Mart Road just after 1 a.m. Tuesday after a body was reported floating in the water, Muñoz said. Teams working with U.S. Customs & Border Protection were able to recover the body, but the person was already dead, she said.

    The person has yet to be identified.

    This is a developing story and will be updated.

    Times staff writers Noah Goldberg, Priscella Vega, Hannah Fry and Hannah Wiley contributed to this report.

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    Grace Toohey

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  • Sheriff’s deputies fatally shoot man they say charged them with machetes in Lancaster store

    Sheriff’s deputies fatally shoot man they say charged them with machetes in Lancaster store

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    Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a man in Lancaster who they say charged at them with two machetes, officials said.

    Deputies encountered the man Tuesday morning at an Albertsons on 20th Street West, where he was accused of harassing shoppers, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

    Deputies say they saw the man standing outside the entrance to the grocery store with two machetes in his backpack.

    “As the deputies attempted to speak with him and calm him down, the suspect became agitated and grabbed both machetes,” the department said in a statement.

    The man then entered the Albertsons, refusing deputies’ “numerous commands” that he drop the machetes, authorities said.

    Deputies tried “less-lethal” methods, including stun guns, to stop the man. But authorities say he suddenly charged at deputies, three of whom then shot him.

    The man — described as being between 35 and 40 years old — was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Sheriff’s Department. His name had not been publicly released as of Tuesday evening.

    No one else was injured. The two machetes were recovered at the scene, authorities said.

    Investigators said they later tied the suspect to the stabbing of an employee at a local gas station earlier in the day. That person was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to authorities.

    The sheriff’s homicide and internal affairs bureaus will investigate the shooting, as is standard. The Office of the Inspector General will provide oversight throughout the investigative process.

    The L.A. County district attorney’s office will also conduct a legal analysis to determine whether the shooting was justified and whether any charges will be filed.

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    Karen Garcia

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  • Charlotte’s Development Pipeline is Slowing

    Charlotte’s Development Pipeline is Slowing

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    Charlotte’s development pipeline is shrinking, mirroring nationwide trends, and a nonprofit economic development group has the receipts.

    In two of Charlotte’s hottest areas — uptown and South End —  roughly $4.2 billion of projects are underway or slated to start construction this year, marking a 39 percent decline from last year’s $6.9 billion forecast, the Charlotte Business Journal reported, citing Charlotte Center City Partners.

    Even with the dropoff in development activity, Charlotte is in a relatively good position compared to other cities, as broader market challenges stifle commercial growth throughout much of the nation.

    “Downtowns across the world have been stress-tested with lockdowns and protests and altered workplace rhythms and higher capital costs,” Center City Partners CEO Michael Smith told the outlet. “And it’s had its impact on Charlotte. The change in the development pipeline, we’ve got vacancy rates across the United States at the highest level [since 1979].”

    Charlotte’s development pipeline in South End and uptown comprises 2.2 million square feet of office space, 377,000 square feet of retail, 1,300 hotel rooms and 9,300 apartments. 

    Of the 2.2 million square feet of planned office space between the two submarkets, 82 percent is headed for South End. South End is also the leader in multifamily development, with roughly 6,900 units in the pipeline, accounting for 74 percent of the city’s total. 

    “Urban areas with a mix of uses are doing better than office-centric ones,” Chuck McShane of CoStar Group told the outlet.  

    Uptown and South End office vacancies stand at 17.9 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively. The national office vacancy reached 19.6 percent in the fourth quarter, the outlet said.

    Challenges in the office market can’t be solved entirely with residential conversions or recruiting companies to Charlotte, James LaBar of Center City Partners said. A combination of those, along with demolitions, are needed, he said.

    “If we rely solely on market forces and the current public sector tools that we have, this will be a protracted issue for our community,” Smith said. “I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say it’s something we’ll deal with for decades.”

    Despite the hurdles ahead, optimism persists due to continued job growth, institutional real estate investment and attractive development opportunities.

    Properties like the Pearl, the Iron District and North Tryon Street exemplify Charlotte’s potential for significant growth. The Pearl, for instance, is a 40-acre site that’s set to include a medical facility and a 700,000-square-foot “innovation district.” 

    Meanwhile, investments in pro sports venues and cultural attractions have boosted tourism, with venues like the Spectrum Center and Bank of America Stadium driving a 10 percent increase in hotel revenue per available room.

    “We’ve got a winning formula,” Smith said “And we’ve got to continue to invest in this formula.”

    —Quinn Donoghue

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    TRD Staff

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  • Lies, homicides, a getaway plan: Gripping details emerge in case of cop who catfished Riverside teen

    Lies, homicides, a getaway plan: Gripping details emerge in case of cop who catfished Riverside teen

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    She was 15. He told her he was 17, just a few months shy of 18. They met on Instagram during the summer of 2022.

    The girl, who lived with her mother, younger sister and grandparents in Riverside, kept their “relationship” a secret from her family. They would send messages through Instagram and talk over Discord, an instant messaging platform that allows voice calls.

    He showered her with gifts, sending her jewelry, groceries, money and gift cards. He paid for her UberEats and DoorDash deliveries and helped her buy birthday gifts for her friends, telling her he had a good job that could pay for it.

    But then he got clingy — pushy, even. He was pressuring her to send nude photos, which made her uncomfortable. Right after Halloween, she broke up with him.

    She blocked him on Instagram, but he still found a way to send her a suicide letter.

    In reality, the “boy” she had been talking to was a 28-year-old sheriff’s deputy from Virginia named Austin Lee Edwards. And on Black Friday, a few weeks after the teen broke up with him, he drove to her home in Riverside and killed her mother, Brooke Winek, 38, and her grandparents, Mark Winek, 69, and Sharie Winek, 65. He set fire to their house before kidnapping the teen at gunpoint. After getting into a shootout with police, Edwards shot himself with his service weapon and died, according to police. The teen was physically unharmed.

    New, grisly details about the incident are now coming to light through a federal lawsuit that the now-16-year-old and her foster mother filed Friday against Edwards’ estate; the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, which employed him at the time of the killings; Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis; and Det. William Smarr, the investigator who reviewed Edwards’ employment application at the agency.

    The lawsuit alleges violation of her 4th Amendment rights, false imprisonment, negligent hiring, assault and battery, among other charges. Scott Perry, the teen’s attorney, said the damages amount to at least $50 million.

    The filing is the second suit by a member of the Winek family against the Sheriff’s office — Mychelle Blandin, Mark and Sharie Winek’s surviving daughter, filed a lawsuit last year, alleging negligent hiring practices and seeking more than $100 million in damages. The lawsuits hinge in part on reporting by The Times that detailed how police hired Edwards despite his troubling mental health history.

    In February 2016, Edwards was detained by Abingdon police in Virginia after he cut himself and threatened to kill himself and his father, who told police the incident was spurred by Edwards’ problems with his girlfriend, The Times reported. The incident prompted two custody orders, Edwards’ stay at a psychiatric facility and a court’s revocation of his gun rights, which were never restored.

    Mychelle Blandin looks at photos of her mom, dad and sister, who were victims of a triple homicide in Riverside that authorities say began with a “catfishing” case involving Blandin’s niece.

    (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

    Perry is arguing that Edwards should never have been hired and that the sheriff’s office failed to interview most of Edwards’ references or conduct a proper background check. If they had, they would have discovered the mental health orders, the lawsuit claims.

    “The Washington County’s Sheriff’s office gave Austin Lee Edwards a gun, a badge and cloaked him with the authority of the law,” Perry said in a statement. “He used these things to gain access to the Winek home and commit these atrocities. We will prove that an adequate investigation of Edwards’ background would have prevented this tragedy.”

    The teenager and her foster parent declined interviews for this story. The Washington County Sheriff’s office didn’t respond to requests for comment.

    According to The Times’ review of Edwards’ personnel file, which includes his employment application, Smarr chose not to interview Edwards’ father, who was listed as a reference, because of their “close familial relationship,” the detective wrote. Smarr spoke with Edwards’ previous employer at Lowe’s, but he couldn’t get hold of two of Edwards’ personal references or his two neighbors.

    Smarr also sought background information from the Virginia State Police, where Edwards had been employed for nine months before resigning and applying to Washington County. But Smarr was rebuffed by a sergeant there, who said he wasn’t comfortable answering whether Edwards had gotten in any trouble, been reprimanded or been subjected to an internal investigation.

    In addition to Smarr, the lieutenant and captain of the Washington County Sheriff’s criminal investigation division signed off on Edwards’ employment application, as did its personnel director and chief deputy, according to the file.

    “Edwards has no criminal history or civil issues, past and current employers speak positively of him, as well as his references,” Smarr wrote. “It is my belief that Edwards is hirable.”

    The most recent lawsuit also answers some lingering questions about the crime, including how Edwards met the teenager, why he decided to kill her family, and where he planned to take the teen after kidnapping her. Here is an account of what transpired during that fateful Thanksgiving holiday weekend, taken from the lawsuit and previous reporting by The Times.

    The teenager celebrated Thanksgiving 2022 with her mother, her younger sister and her mother’s boyfriend at Golden Corral. Afterward, they went to the Moreno Valley apartment where her mother’s boyfriend lived and stayed there overnight.

    The next day, Brooke Winek and her daughters went to Starbucks, planning to go Black Friday shopping with Brooke’s boyfriend. When they got back to the apartment, Brooke got a call from her mother, Sharie, who told her to take the call off speakerphone because they needed to speak about something serious.

    Undated handout photo of 28-year-old Austin Lee Edwards of North Chesterfield, Va.

    Undated handout photo of 28-year-old Austin Lee Edwards of North Chesterfield, Va.

    (Riverside Police Dept.)

    The Times reported last year that Edwards gained access to Sharie and Mark Winek’s home on Price Court by pretending he was a detective conducting an investigation involving the teenager. After getting into the Wineks’ home, Edwards told Sharie to call Brooke and tell her that she and the teenager needed to come to the house so he could ask them some questions.

    In order to keep the “investigation” from her daughters, Brooke told them there was something wrong with their phones and that they needed to go back to their home on Price Court to get them fixed. Brooke then dropped off her younger daughter with Brooke’s sister, Blandin, before heading over to Price Court.

    The teen recalled that, once they got to the house, Brooke put her keys in her purse and told her to wait in the car while she went inside. The teen noticed that she didn’t see her mother’s dog in the window, which was unusual because the dog always perched there whenever people visited the home.

    After waiting for a while, the teen decided to go into the house. As she opened the screen door, Edwards grabbed her by the hair and pulled her inside.

    In the moment, she thought the man grabbing her was the telephone repairman. She didn’t realize it was the man who had catfished her.

    Then she saw the bodies of her grandmother near the entryway, her grandfather next to the stairs and her mother lying on the hardwood floor. She saw the bags over their heads, taped to their necks. Their arms and legs were bound with duct tape.

    The teen started to scream.

    Edwards was wearing a gold police badge on his belt in the shape of a star. As she yelled, he pointed a handgun, which also had a star engraved on it, at her.

    “Stop screaming,” he said.

    She recognized his voice. It was the “boy” she had met online, whom she had been talking to for months.

    “Are you going to hurt me?” she asked.

    “I will if you keep screaming,” he replied.

    Edwards grabbed the teen and pulled her through the house, dousing everything with gasoline from a canister he brought with him and lighting the rooms on fire. He also opened the windows and doors so the flames would spread. Then he took the girl outside and forced her into the backseat of his red Kia Soul.

    Family photo of slain victims Brooke Winek, 38, and her parents Sharie Winek, 65, and Mark Winek, 69.

    Family photo of slain victims Brooke Winek, 38, and her parents Sharie Winek, 65, and Mark Winek, 69.

    (Winek Family Photos / Los Angeles Times)

    Meanwhile, the Wineks’ next-door neighbor saw the house on fire and called 911. Another neighbor, whose driveway Edwards had parked in, also called the police. She phoned the authorities again when she saw Edwards force the teen into his car.

    After speeding away, Edwards told the teen to pretend that she was his daughter if anyone asked. He said he was going to take her back to Virginia. When the girl asked why he killed her family, he said that if he didn’t, they would “report it” and he wouldn’t have enough time to escape.

    Edwards also said he was a police officer and that agencies “need to do better backgrounds” because he “lied” during the hiring process. As he continued to drive toward his eventual destination of Saltville, Va., where he had recently purchased a home and blacked out the windows, he kept his hand on his gun. In the car with them was also the large, bloody knife he used to stab Brooke.

    They made two pitstops during the drive to use the restroom, but Edwards never let go of the teen’s hand. They also made a stop so Edwards could clean the blood off himself. He told the girl that they wouldn’t stop for food until they left California and that they would drive to Virginia through Las Vegas, New Mexico and Texas. She would have to stay in the backseat, he said, until they got her a change of clothes.

    The Riverside Police Department identified Edwards through interviews with neighbors, who provided descriptions of his car and video footage from security cameras. Police determined that he was in the Mojave Desert and alerted San Bernardino County authorities, who chased after his Kia Soul.

    During the pursuit, Edwards fired his gun through the back window of the car, causing the Kia to fill with smoke. The fuel canister, which Edwards had placed in the backseat with the teen, splashed her with gasoline.

    Edwards’ Kia drifted off the road and got stuck on some rocks under a bridge, enabling the police cars to catch up.

    As law enforcement closed in, Edwards told the teen to get out of the car.

    With nowhere else left to go, he turned his service weapon on himself and pulled the trigger.

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    Erin B. Logan, Summer Lin

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  • The Best Ergonomic Office Chairs in 2024 – Gadget Advisor

    The Best Ergonomic Office Chairs in 2024 – Gadget Advisor

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    If you’re an avid PC user, especially one who is working from home, chances are you spend way too much time planted in your chair. If you’re contemplating making the purchase of an ergonomic office chair, then you’re onto something good. Although it’s crucial for everyone to stretch their legs every now and then, these chairs are built for the long haul. They’ve got your lumbar region covered and throw in some neck support for good measure. But what makes the best of the best stick out from the rest is when they take it to the next level and offer adjustable armrests for your arms and shoulders, and are made of top-notch materials to give you that maximum comfort vibe. 

    The Best Ergonomic Office Chairs in 2024

    So, in this list you’ll find the best ergonomic office chairs, and see that they have been sorted into various categories that fit different people and bodies. 

    The Best Office Chair For Most People

    Hforesty Ergonomic Mesh Office Chair

    Hforesty Ergonomic Mesh Office Chair Hforesty Ergonomic Mesh Office Chair

    Pros

    • Great adjustability
    • Breathable back
    • Great for reclining

    Cons

    • Can be expensive without any discount
    • A little bit basic

    Price: $340

    When it comes to a cool (temperature-wise) office chair, the Hforesty Ergonomic Mesh Office Chair should be at the top of your list. This chair has got that sleek mesh backing and headrest, creating the perfect airflow to keep you cool, even in the hottest of months. Now, the basic design of this chair can hold its own against any standard office chair, but what sets it apart as one of the best ergonomic office chairs is its robust yet straightforward adjustments without breaking the bank.

    For those who prefer the fancier things, this chair might seem a bit on the simple side. However, for the everyday user, it’s likely the office chair layout you’ve been hunting for. The Hforesty shines with its commitment to offering easy tweaks throughout the chair. The mesh headrest adjusts in both height and angle, the curved lumbar support seamlessly moves with you in the chair’s 90 to 135-degree tilt range, and the fully 4D armrest is just amazing as it can change up, down, left, right, forwards, backwards, clockwise and anticlockwise. And as you lean back in your chair and get comfortable you can also indulge in the luxury of having an extendable footrest. 

    Now, the full market price of this chair is $340, which although is a deal for the excellent ergonomic office chair that you get, it may feel a little bit much if you don’t really need all of its amazing features. However, if you catch the Hforesty on an office chair deal day, and you’ve struck gold. It’s a stellar choice for anyone who values cool comfort and ergonomic bliss.

    The Best Premium Ergonomic Office Chair 

    Herman Miller Embody

    Herman Miller EmbodyHerman Miller Embody

    Pros

    • Designed to encourage great posture
    • Ideal back tilt

    Price: $1,800

    The Herman Miller Embody is the brainchild of the brilliant minds Bill Stumpf and Jeff Weber. This premium ergonomic office chair is the go-to for those on the quest for impeccable posture and finely-tuned comfort. Crafted from top-tier materials, the Embody is a masterpiece of clever design.

    Take, for instance, the back of the chair, a narrow taper that grants you full movement without that sinking feeling. But here’s the kicker, it commands an authoritative, upright posture even when you decide to relax a bit. This chair also has an amazing spine-supporting curve that your back will thank you for forever. 

    But what truly embodies the Herman Miller Embody is what you see from behind the chair, the designers’ stroke of genius, the “Pixelated Support.” This is a sort of micro-regional support that caters to every squirm and movement you make throughout your day. Even if you’re not the squirmy type, these regional supports kick in to reduce pressure and keep tension at bay. It’s not just a chair; it’s a symphony of ergonomic brilliance. 

    The Best Ergonomic Chair For Gamers

    AutoFull C3 Gaming Chair

    AutoFull C3 Gaming ChairAutoFull C3 Gaming Chair

    Pros

    • Gaming chair style with office aesthetic
    • Lumbar waist pillow styled for spine
    • 155 degree recline

    Price: $250

    If your work-from-home routine involves replacing that boring office chittering sound with that of Twitch streams and you’ve found yourself eyeing those envy-inducing gaming chairs, then this may be an interesting choice for you. However, bringing a flashy gaming chair into your Zoom meeting might not sit well with a conservative boss. Fear not, for the AutoFull C3 comes in as the perfect compromise. It retains the sleek racing style of gaming chairs but opts for more muted colours like brown, black, and grey PU leather.

    Now, let’s talk about the AutoFull C3’s ergonomic game. The adjustable headrest is there, adhering to the standard gaming chair build, which is definitely a nice touch. However, where the real ergonomic magic happens is AutoFull’s claim to fame, the “3D Bionic Lumbar Support” gracing the lower half of the backrest. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill lumbar support; it’s designed to be a spinal superhero. Shaped to support the lumbar, scapular, and caudal spines, it’s like a customised hug for your lower and upper back. In simpler terms, it’s got your back, literally. The only gripe is that the armrests seemed to have missed the memo as they are a bit firmer than the rest of the chair. 

    The Best Budget Ergonomic Office Chair

    Neo Chair High Back

    Neo Chair High BackNeo Chair High Back

    Pros

    • Premium mesh
    • Easy to assemble
    • Has a clean aesthetic

    Cons

    • Not for larger bodies
    • No headrest

    Price: $130

    In the quest for a top-notch ergonomic office chair without breaking the bank, the Neo Chair High Back emerges as a budget-friendly hero. Featuring a premium mesh backing, it throws in a lumbar support that’s not just any support, it’s adjustable by two inches, accommodating the curvature of your spine with precision. The upper backrest follows in its footsteps, curving in a way that feels like a custom-made throne for your back.

    The chair’s versatility shines through with its flip-up arms, ready to support you in any task, whether that be to lounge whilst watching a youtube video or sit cross-legged and write in your notebook on your lap. Weighing in at just 21 pounds, it’s a breeze to manoeuvre, enhancing its user-friendly construction. The aesthetic appeal doesn’t disappoint either, with three colour options and a particularly clean and modern vibe in the white variation.

    For those on the hunt for an ergonomic office chair under $150, the Neo Chair High Back stands as a solid contender. And if you catch it on sale, it might just snag the title of the best ergonomic office chair under $100. There’s a catch, though, it’s more suitable for smaller individuals and won’t accommodate anyone over 250 pounds. If the chair fits your bill, it’s a smart buy.

    Final Words

    Ergonomic Office ChairsErgonomic Office Chairs

    In the realm of ergonomic office chairs, finding the right balance between comfort and functionality is most important, and this list caters to various preferences and needs that you may have. From the versatile and airflow-enhanced Hforesty Ergonomic Mesh Chair to the premium comfort and posture perfection of the Herman Miller Embody, each chair offers a unique blend of features. Gamers can find solace in the AutoFull C3, seamlessly blending gaming aesthetics with office professionalism. For budget-conscious buyers, the Neo Chair High Back proves that ergonomic excellence doesn’t have to break the bank. Regardless of your choice, invest wisely in your comfort and productivity, making every workday a seated pleasure.

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    Leo Beamers

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  • Thousands of California homeowners can cut their property tax bill. Here’s how

    Thousands of California homeowners can cut their property tax bill. Here’s how

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    With property tax bills as high as they are in Southern California, you’d think that homeowners would sign up for every break they could get.

    You would be wrong.

    Since 1974, the state of California has offered to reduce the assessed value of any owner-occupied home by $7,000. That, in turn, reduces the home’s annual tax bill. You just have to apply once, and the “homeowners exemption” will be applied automatically to your assessment until you move out or sell.

    According to Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang, however, nearly one-third of county homeowners do not sign up for the exemption. That translates to $30 million in extra tax payments by roughly 435,000 households.

    Granted, that’s not a huge amount of money per household; with property tax rates generally set at 1% of assessed value, the $7,000 exemption saves $70 per year. But after a few years, that would be enough for a bigger TV set in your living room.

    And signing up for the exemption is especially important for homeowners hoping to take advantage of 2020’s Proposition 19, Prang’s office said in a press release Wednesday. The ballot measure allows people to transfer their homes to one or more of their children without it being reassessed for property tax purposes, potentially shielding their offspring from an enormous increase in taxes. But to qualify for this benefit, the recipient of the house must apply for a homeowner’s exemption or disabled veteran’s exemption within one year of the transfer.

    If you lived in your current abode as of Jan. 1 but haven’t claimed a homeowners exemption, you have until Feb. 15 to apply to receive the full $7,000 reduction. After that, the reduction will be prorated, Prang’s office said.

    To claim the exemption, download a form from https://assessor.lacounty.gov/homeowners/homeowner-exemption. Then fill it out with information about yourself, any co-owner and your property, and return it to the assessor’s office.

    Forms are available in English and Spanish. For more information, visit the assessor’s website or call (213) 974-3211.

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    Jon Healey

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  • Woman, 31, found dead on the sand in Manhattan Beach

    Woman, 31, found dead on the sand in Manhattan Beach

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    A lifeguard found the body of a woman on the sand in Manhattan Beach on Friday morning, three hours after her boyfriend reported her missing.

    The woman was identified by the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office as Jennifer Hanie, 31, according to City News Service. The cause of death has not been determined.

    Manhattan Beach police said the woman’s boyfriend and friends searched for Hanie before reporting her missing early Friday morning. “The reporting party stated he last saw his girlfriend near the water line,” the police said.

    County lifeguards and the U.S. Coast Guard helped search for the woman on the beach and in the water.

    Police are continuing to investigate. Anyone with information should call Manhattan Beach Police Detective Sgt. Taylor Klosowski at (310) 802-5123.

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    Melody Petersen

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  • Microsoft Teams not working? It’s not just you

    Microsoft Teams not working? It’s not just you

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    by: Cassie Buchman

    Posted:

    Updated:

    (NewsNation) — Office workers may have a new excuse to start the weekend early: Microsoft Teams was down Friday.

    Downdetector showed over 11,800 reports as of noon CT. That number went up to 13,869 at 12:22.

    “We’re investigating an issue impacting multiple Microsoft Teams features,” Microsoft 365 wrote on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter. “We’ve identified a networking issue impacting a portion of the Teams service and we’re performing a failover to remediate impact.”

    Microsoft Teams was trending on Twitter on Friday. Users said images and other content weren’t loading and duplicate messages were being sent, among other issues.

    According to Downdetector, some people were also experiencing issues with Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Store, though to a much lesser extent.

    Teams is a platform workplaces use to meet, share files and apps.

    This story is developing. Refresh for updates.

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    Cassie Buchman

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  • Austin Pets Alive! | A Day in the Life of “Dr. Harley,” APA!’s…

    Austin Pets Alive! | A Day in the Life of “Dr. Harley,” APA!’s…

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    Hi, I’m Dr. Harley (aka “Dog-tor” Harley). I’m the resident therapy dog here at Austin Pets Alive!, providing a much-needed listening ear, emotional support and calming presence to the humans working hard to get dogs like me adopted. My days are pretty jam-packed and I never know what they’ll bring. Sometimes my clients present with a classic case of separation anxiety, while other times I’m just a sounding board for their doggy drama. I get asked all the time what it’s like to be a four-legged therapist, so I’m pulling back the curtain to give you a glimpse into a day in the life of Dr. Harley. (All names have been changed to maintain client confidentiality.)

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  • Ex-Santa Clara County deputy pleads guilty to faking a drive-by shooting

    Ex-Santa Clara County deputy pleads guilty to faking a drive-by shooting

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    A former Santa Clara County Sheriff’s deputy pleaded guilty Tuesday to staging a 2020 drive-by shooting incident in which he claimed to have been targeted and shot near Morgan Hill.

    The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office stated that Sukhdeep Gill had not, in fact, been shot four years ago, contradicting the tale he spun for authorities about a single bullet fired from a passing car precisely striking his body-worn camera. He was charged in 2021 with felony vandalism, as well as a misdemeanor count of making a false police report.

    On Tuesday, Gill accepted a plea deal, admitting to misdemeanor charges of vandalism and falsely reporting a crime and agreeing to perform 150 hours of community service.

    The agreement also requires Gill to pay restitution and surrender his certification to the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, barring him from serving as a peace officer in California.

    Gill began his career with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department in 2016.

    At 10:32 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2020, Gill pressed an emergency broadcast button on his radio and exclaimed, “Shots fired! Shots fired!” This prompted officers to respond from the sheriff’s office as well as the San Jose, Morgan Hill and Gilroy police departments.

    Gill informed officers at the scene that, while heading back to his patrol car after urinating on the side of the road, a silver sedan with its headlights off had fired multiple shots at him, piercing his body camera and armor.

    The former deputy said he fired two shots toward the suspect vehicle, which fled the scene. Police labeled the incident as a “premeditated attempted murder.”

    Detectives from Gill’s own agency investigated the purported drive-by and determined it hadn’t happened the way he had told it, the Sheriff’s Office said in 2021. The investigation revealed evidence, including ballistics, that exposed serious discrepancies in Gill’s account of the drive-by.

    “I have gone to officers’ funerals after they are shot,” Dist. Atty. Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “I hope to never hear again about an officer faking being shot. It’s outrageous, diverts public resources, and dishonors officers who put their lives on the line to protect us.”

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    Anthony De Leon

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  • Woman's body discovered after small plane crash in Half Moon Bay

    Woman's body discovered after small plane crash in Half Moon Bay

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    Authorities on Monday suspended their search for possible survivors after a Cozy Mark IV plane crashed into the water near Half Moon Bay Sunday night, shortly after taking off from Half Moon Bay Airport.

    Wreckage from the aircraft was found upside down in the water, and a woman’s body was discovered nearby. Authorities are still trying to determine what happened.

    The body was spotted by a commercial fishing boat close to the site of the crash Monday morning and taken to the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office. The woman had not been identified as of Monday evening, but she is believed to be associated with the crash, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

    The National Transportation Safety Board said its preliminary investigation indicates there were two people on board the plane.

    Shortly after noon on Monday, Sgt. Philip Hallworth, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said urgent rescue efforts had been called off because the prospect of survivors was unlikely. The plane went down near Moss Beach, about two miles north of the Half Moon Bay Airport. A large piece of the plane washed up on the beach at Ross Cove.

    Along with the sheriff’s office, the Coastside Fire Protection District, California Highway Patrol and U.S. Coast Guard are involved in the investigation.

    Witness reports described a plane flying erratically before falling from sight, according to the sheriff’s office.

    “We were having dinner out on the patio and we heard this motor engine puttering — like you hear in the movies, when a plane is about to crash,” Melissa Richter, who was visiting the area from Maine, told ABC 7 News. “It was definitely pivoting back and forth, and then it looked like it put on the gas, went a little bit faster, then it went down and the engine cut out.”

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    Jenny Gold

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