The Brief

Investigators said Friday that they reviewed statements from more than 60 witnesses and other evidence before charging a Moorpark man in the death of Paul Kessler, a Jewish man who was fatally injured last week during a confrontation between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine demonstrators in Thousand Oaks.

Loay Alnaji, a 50-year-old college professor, was charged with two felony counts: involuntary manslaughter and battery causing serious bodily injury. The charges come with special allegations that Alnaji personally inflicted great bodily injury on Kessler.

Alnaji pleaded not guilty in Superior Court Friday afternoon. If convicted, he could face time in prison. A judge reduced Alnaji's bail to $50,000 from $1 million, and ordered him to turn over any passports.

Defense lawyer Ron Bamieh objected, arguing that Alnaji isn't a flight risk and has no criminal record.

“He’s an American citizen [and] he deserves to be treated like an American citizen. And to act like he’s some kind of flight threat... is ludicrous,” Bamieh said outside the courthouse.

Bamieh indicated he has seen video on social media that may shed more light on both Kessler's and Alnaji's behavior.

“At the most this is a push, somebody fell, and something tragic happened,” Bamieh said. 

On Friday morning, Ventura County's sheriff and district attorney held a joint news conference where they explained the progress of the ongoing investigation.

District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said investigators obtained nine search warrants, all of which were approved within 24 hours of Kessler’s death the morning of Nov. 6. He said prosecutors in his office began reviewing the witness statements and more than 600 pieces of evidence.

He did not identify the evidence or specify what any of the witnesses said.

Collectively, the Sheriff's Department and the DA’s Office spent more than 2,000 hours on the case before it was filed, according the county authorities.

“We took this case seriously, and we investigated it and charged it thoroughly,” Nasarenko said, adding that authorities approached the case “with an open mind” and did not proceed as though criminal charges would be “a forgone conclusion.”

“Our charge and task as prosecutors is to follow the facts, follow the evidence and adhere to the rule of law,” he said.

According to the sheriff’s office, the incident was reported about 3:20 p.m. on Nov. 5 at the intersection of Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard, where demonstrators had gathered in rival protests over the Israel-Hamas war.

Kessler, a 69-year-old Thousand Oaks resident, was injured and fell to the ground, hitting his head. He was bleeding, but conscious and responsive when sheriff’s deputies arrived. He died at a hospital hours later.

Ventura County Dist. Atty Erik Nasarenko addresses the media on Nov. 17, 2023.

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Robert Garrova

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LAist

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Ventura County Chief Medical Examiner Christopher Young has said Kessler’s injuries caused swelling and bleeding around his brain.

During the news conference, the district attorney noted that his office did not file a murder charge against Alnaji because there is no evidence that he arrived at the intersection “with the intent to kill, harm or injure anyone.” So far, Nasarenko added, no hate crime allegations have been filed, but they have not been ruled out.

Nasarenko explained that in addition to the battery charge, Alnaji faces a count of involuntary manslaughter, meaning he is accused of killing a person with criminal negligence, “specifically reckless conduct that carried with it a high risk of death or great bodily injury.“

When considering the charges, he said, prosecutors relied on physical and forensic evidence, as well as “findings regarding the injuries to the left side of Paul Kessler’s face.” Nasarenko said investigators were able to put together video and digital footage to recreate the sequence of events leading to the confrontation.

Detectives and prosecutors are still seeking information from witnesses and asking anyone with video of the incident to come forward.

During the Friday news conference, Nasarenko said Kessler worked for decades in medical sales and was a pilot. He said Kessler was married for 43 years and leaves behind a son. 

Jessica Wang has experienced delay after delay for nearly two years as she tried to open Gu Grocery in Chinatown. Her father, a contractor, had told her it would take nine months.

Instead, she says, there have been issues with city permits, inspectors, inaccurate information, illness and wayward appliance installers which have pushed things back.

The community didn't take nearly as long. In two weeks, 134 donors contributed nearly $12,000 to keep Wang afloat. But money can't solve her problem — she still needs the city's approval to open the doors.

Wang signed the lease at the end of 2023, envisioning a Chinese-Taiwanese grocery store and community hub where seniors could use EBT to buy fresh tofu, where kids from nearby elementary schools could stop by after class, and where her mother, Peggy, could teach neighbors how to make their grandmother's pickles.

Now, more than two years into a five-year lease, and nearly out of money after paying for permits, buildout, and rent on a space she can't operate, Wang launched a GoFundMe campaign a few weeks ago. The response showed the community believes in Gu Grocery and wants to see it succeed. But she's still waiting for at least seven final inspections by the city before she can open.

The story of Gu

The name "Gu" carries layered meaning: the character 菇 means "mushroom" in Chinese, a traditional symbol of prosperity, while the sound "gu" also means "auntie" in Mandarin — honoring intergenerational caretakers. Wang's mission for the space is to provide a place to purchase Chinese-Taiwanese pantry staples and prepared foods, and to host community workshops.

The communal aspect is central to Wang's vision of social entrepreneurship, not solely focused on profit. In addition to workshops, Gu Grocery plans to accept EBT and offer senior discounts for those on fixed incomes.

"I wanted a space where I could share knowledge and share culture and also just learn from the community," Wang said.

Ultimately, she hopes to convert the store into a worker-owned co-op.

Wang grew up in the San Gabriel Valley and worked as a pastry chef at San Francisco's State Bird Provisions before a pre-diabetic diagnosis at age 29 prompted her return to L.A. She began volunteering with API Forward Movement, a local nonprofit focused on health equity and food access in AAPI communities, and saw firsthand the need during COVID food distributions at L.A. State Historic Park.

Chinatown had lost its last two full-service grocery stores in 2019. Last fall, the neighborhood lost another: Yue Wa Market, a small produce shop that had served residents for 18 years before rising rent and pandemic losses forced it to shut its doors. The closures hit especially hard in a neighborhood where, according to American Community Survey data, half of the residents are low-income and one in five are seniors 65 and older — many of whom rely on walking to shop.

Jessica Wang (center, in black) and her mother Peggy (left, in white and red) smile while serving customers at a farmer's market pop-up for Gu Grocery.

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Daniel Nguyen

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Courtesy Gu Grocery

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Permitting woes

Much of bringing Gu Grocery to reality has been made possible by support from Wang's friends and family. Her father, Willie Wang, serves as her general contractor. When plans were submitted to the city in March 2024, he told her the buildout would take nine months if everything went smoothly.

Instead, she’s experienced delays from all directions, from slow bureaucracy, to issues with contractors. A hood installation contractor rescheduled multiple times, she said, then doubled his price the day before a rescheduled appointment. Drywall contractors said their workers had been detained by ICE and never returned.

The process hasn't just taken time — it's been expensive. One inspector approved a makeup air unit for the kitchen hood system, she said, only to have a senior inspector overturn the decision and order a complete replacement at nearly $6,000. Her father paid out of pocket — even as he was recovering from March surgery to remove a cancerous lung growth.

"Who would have thought that something an inspector asked us to do would be completely overturned by another inspector?" Wang said. "That's just so wild."

LAist has reached out to the city's Department of Building Services for comment but has not heard back.

The financial toll

Wang estimates she's spent more than $200,000 so far — more than $100,000 on buildout and permits alone, plus a full year of rent on a space she can't operate, equipment, insurance and taxes.

She draws no income from Gu Grocery. To cover personal expenses, she teaches fermentation workshops through her other business, Picklepickle, though that work has been inconsistent lately. Her health insurance doubled this year. The GoFundMe money, she said, is a "rainy day fund" in case she needs it to pay future bills.

The financial strain has touched her entire family. Her mother, who received a small inheritance when Wang's grandparents died, got scammed late last year trying to grow that money to help with the store. Targeted through online ads, she was convinced by an "investment tutor" based in Taiwan to hand over cash to a stranger in a parking lot.

"I didn't realize this would become part of what it's like to have aging parents in the age of technology," Wang said. "But it's scary how they get targeted."

Black sesame noodles from Gu Grocery's popup menu. Wang uses black sesame for higher nutritional value and plans to offer the dish as one of the prepared foods when the store opens.

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Aunty J

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Courtesy Gu Grocery

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Rice balls with house pickles from a Gu Grocery pop-up. Wang has been teaching fermentation and pickling workshops for 15 years and plans to serve pickles alongside all meals when the store opens.

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Aunty J.

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Courtesy Gu Grocery

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Addressing Chinatown's needs

Once Gu Grocery opens, it won't operate as a full-service market — there won't be a meat counter. Instead, it will function like a corner store with a focus on healthy prepared foods: butter mochi, sesame noodles and daily congee.

"Something that Chinatown has never had was prepared food that is EBT eligible," Wang said.

In 2020, Wang surveyed seniors through API Forward Movement's Tai Chi fitness program to understand their shopping habits following the closure of local grocery stores. Many told her they now ride the bus to Super King on San Fernando Road in Glendale, nearly 5 miles away, for produce deals, or rely on family members to drive them to 99 Ranch in Alhambra. Some grow their own food in gardening plots, Wang said, "but they can't produce everything they need."

Willie Wang (left), Jessica Wang (center), and Peggy Wang (right) pose inside Gu Grocery. The signs display the store's values in both English and Chinese — Willie's reads "body health" and Peggy's reads "mushroom auntie," playing on the dual meaning of "gu."

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Daniel Nguyen

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Courtesy Gu Grocery

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The community response

When she launched her Go FundMe in mid-April, she was overwhelmed by the response. "I have a hard time asking for help," said Wang. "So actually receiving help, it's very moving."

The donors range from former pop-up customers and friends to a range of assorted well-wishers — a musician who had her food once at an event, fellow food business owners, farmer's market regulars and even her insurance agent.

"The generosity is beyond my expectations," Wang said. "Some of these people only had my food once. People are showing their support truly in a personal way and really believing in the vision."

The GoFundMe money helps Wang stay "afloat for now," but she's had to rethink her opening strategy. She won't be able to afford full inventory when she opens. Instead, she plans a phased opening: prepared foods only, served through a takeout window, then using revenue to slowly stock shelves with the retail items she originally envisioned.

The community raised more than $14,000 in three weeks. After nearly two years of delays, Wang is still waiting for permits. She hopes to open by Father's Day — her general contractor dad's birthday. But she's learned to expect the unexpected.

Many donors sent her direct messages saying simply: "We got this, Jess, we got you."

Olympics organizers have released a first look at plans for a celebration of arts and culture across Los Angeles during the summer of 2028.

Known as the "Cultural Olympiad," the programming will include a poster series by local artists, film screenings across the city and a calendar of events, including live performances and art installations at different institutions. The city of L.A. will also put on its own events, including culture festivals in each council district, in the lead up to the Games.

Arts programming is a long Olympic tradition — starting in 1912 as artistic competitions and eventually evolving into festivals.

When Los Angeles last hosted the Olympics in 1984, the city hosted a weeks-long spectacle that included more than 400 performances and launched with the unveiling of a sculpture by artist Robert Graham topped with two statues depicting the naked female and male form, each without a head. The statues still stand at the entrance to the Coliseum today.

A closeup of the statues by artist Robert Graham atop the Olympic Gateway Arch at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

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David Madison

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Getty Images

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The 1984 festival is credited with transforming the city's arts scene. After the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion put on opera productions in the summer of 1984, local patrons launched L.A. Opera, which had its first season in 1986.

“That moment — when this city chose to present itself to the world not only through sport but through the full force of its artistic imagination — gave rise to an institution that has, for four decades, reflected the scale, diversity and ambition of Los Angeles itself," Christopher Koelsch, president of L.A. Opera said in a statement provided by LA28.

L.A.'s artistic contributions in 1984 in turn transformed the Olympics. John Williams composed the "Olympic Fanfare" for the Opening Ceremony, which is still associated with the Games today.

The legacy of 1984 means expectations for the 2028 Olympiad are high — but most details on what's in store are still to come. Some in Los Angeles have criticized LA28, saying that planning is lagging.

Another big question is funding. The city of L.A.'s initial plan for cultural programming estimates a budget of $15 million, which would cover local festivals in each council district. But the city also painted a vision for what it could do with $45 million in funding, including a seven-week arts festival across the city.

Documents from the city's Department of Cultural Affairs says full funding will depend on external partnerships, including LA28. LA28 told LAist that the Cultural Olympiad will be funded through private fundraising but didn't provide further details.

The first event associated with the Olympiad will launch in July 2027, when winners of the local artist poster contest are announced.

Some Los Angeles County residents are worried about how surveillance data is being used and stored as the Sheriff’s Department tries to address fears about cooperation with civil immigration enforcement.

The department has 480 high-speed cameras that can be used to track vehicles and their activity around the region, according to officials.

The L.A. County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission held a virtual forum Wednesday focused on surveillance technologies in the county, specifically around the department's use of Automated License Plate Readers, otherwise known as ALPRs.

The public was invited to share their concerns about unchecked use of the technology and ask experts questions about how the data is collected and shared.

A vast majority of the attendees — 91% — reported that they or someone they know has changed behavior or plans due to concerns about ICE or immigration enforcement. Most attendees said their top concern was who the surveillance data is shared with, and about a third said they were most concerned with how the information is being used.

Hans Johnson, chair of the commission, said there is a sense of a new, chilling reality taking hold in immigrant communities.

“ The fear that everyday activities like traveling to work, taking children to school, seeking medical care or gathering in public spaces could expose people to tracking, data sharing and hunting that threatens their safety and constitutional freedoms,” Johnson said during the forum.

Sheriff officials said it’s difficult to engage with county communities if they believe the department is involved in civil immigration enforcement.

Ernest Bille, a department commander, said officials need to ease those fears so people feel comfortable connecting with local law enforcement, including for Amber Alerts or reporting a crime, so that the Sheriff’s Department can more effectively serve L.A. County.

Sheriff cameras in the county

The Sheriff’s Department only contracts with Motorola Vigilant for its Automated License Plate Readers, Bille said. The cameras can capture license plate numbers, dates, times and geographic locations, as well as images of the vehicle and license plate.

“ It is important to note that our current ALPR system does not capture any personal identifying information whatsoever, and it is stored in the database for authorized law enforcement use,” he said.

Of the 480 Motorola Vigilant cameras operated by the Sheriff’s Department around the county, 42 are mobile, meaning they’re attached to the top of a patrol car while roaming the region. The more than 430 others are fixed, powered and solar cameras.

Bille added that there may still be Flock cameras in L.A. County, specifically from cities that’ve contracted directly with the controversial surveillance company.

In South Pasadena, for example, the city council recently moved to not renew a contract with Flock Safety following public outcry after reports that some local law enforcement agencies in Southern California illegally shared license plate reader data with federal immigration agents.

Flock did install cameras in burn areas after last year’s Eaton Fire to deter crime and looting, especially in Altadena, Bille said. He added that L.A. County contracted with Flock and made the cameras available to the department, but they’re currently deactivated.

When asked, Bille said he didn’t know how long the cameras have been out of commission in those areas.

How are they used?

The data collected from the department’s cameras can be used in a number of ways, including criminal investigations and recovering stolen vehicles. According to officials, they’ve been used successfully to locate missing people and for life-saving efforts.

Bille said the data is mostly used as an investigatory lead, and it’s not standalone evidence. If an investigator wants to get a license plate from the system, for example, they would have to have a legitimate law enforcement purpose for doing so.

“ It cannot be used for personal or non-work-related purposes, and it absolutely cannot be used for civil immigration enforcement,” he said.

The data is stored for two years in most cases, which was revised down from the department’s five-year policy.

After two years, the records are archived. After five years, the data is permanently deleted.

But there are some exceptions, including ongoing investigations, prosecutions or legal proceedings like appeals.

How is the data shared?

The Sheriff’s Department doesn’t share data from Automated License Plate Readers with any federal agencies, officials said.

The data can only be shared with other public agencies under an inter-agency agreement that includes compliance with privacy protections and applicable laws.

“ We have no inter-agency agreement with any federal agencies,” Bille said. Officials later noted that federal agencies do not qualify as a public entity for this purpose under California law.

The data cannot be sold or used for commercial, personal and non-work related purposes. It cannot be shared for civil immigration enforcement unless required by law or under a judicial warrant, according to officials.

How to get involved

There are internal audits of the sheriff’s Automated License Plate Reader system at least once a year, according to the department.

Semi-annual reports of the system will also be provided to the Office of Inspector General, the Civilian Oversight Commission and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. Another report will be published on the department’s public transparency page.

Dara Williams, chief deputy of the county’s Office of the Inspector General, said the department wants to engage with the people they serve and have residents feel comfortable coming forward to report crimes.

“ It’s important to them to be sure that their policies don't overly share with the federal government because the Sheriff's Department does not like the consequences of what oversharing with the federal government would bring to them,” Williams said.

The commission is encouraging the public to join its upcoming monthly meetings to share thoughts on department policies and procedures:

• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 21
  
  • St. Anne's Conference Center, 155 N. Occidental Blvd., Los Angeles
    
    • Register for webinar here
    • Sign up for emailed agendas here