The Brief

A panel of the California Board of Parole Hearings has again recommended parole for former Charles Manson follower and convicted killer Patricia Krenwinkel. Krenwinkel was found suitable for parole for the second time in three years on Friday.

But it's not a done deal: The board's legal division has up to 120 days to finalize the decision, at which point the governor has 30 days to review and potentially reverse it. California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office declined to comment.
Newsom overturned the board's 2022 parole recommendation, writing that Krenwinkel still posed "an unreasonable risk of danger to public safety."
"While Ms. Krenwinkel has matured in prison and engaged in commendable rehabilitative efforts, her efforts have not sufficiently reduced her risk for future dangerousness," Newsom wrote in his report, saying she had "not developed sufficient insight into the causative factors of her crime."

Krenwinkel was 21 when she participated in the August 1969 murders of seven people — including actress Sharon Tate, who was eight-and-a-half months pregnant — at Manson's direction. The cult leader tasked members of his so-called family with the killings in the hopes of inciting an apocalyptic race war, after which he would take control of society.

On trial, Krenwinkel admitted her role in the Tate-LaBianca murders, which targeted two Los Angeles households over the course of two nights. She confessed to chasing 25-year-old coffee heiress Abigail Folger with a knife and stabbing her 28 times at Tate's house on Cielo Drive, then helping kill grocery store executive Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, the following night.

Krenwinkel said she stabbed Leno LaBianca with a fork and used the couple's blood to scrawl "death to pigs" on the wall.

Krenwinkel was convicted on seven counts of first-degree murder and — alongside Manson and several other cult members — sentenced to death in 1971. The following year, after California briefly outlawed the death penalty, their sentences were commuted to life with the possibility of parole.

Krenwinkel has been denied parole 14 times since then. Now 77, she is the longest-serving woman in California prison.

Keith Wattley, Krenwinkel's parole attorney, said in a statement shared with NPR that "no matter how serious and disturbing the facts of the crime, if a person gets a parole-eligible sentence, our laws require that they be released once they are no longer dangerous."

"After 56 ½ years of incarceration with no rule violations, with substantial change in who she is, and with the last nine psychological evaluators over the past 40 years agreeing that Pat is no longer a risk, it's time to make the possibility of parole a reality," he added, calling on Newsom to support the recommendation.

Manson died in 2017 while serving nine life sentences. One of his followers, Susan Atkins, died of brain cancer in prison in 2009. Another, Leslie Van Houten, walked free in July 2023 after spending over five decades in custody.

The state parole board had recommended Van Houten for parole five times starting in 2016, but Newsom and his predecessor both reversed those decisions, most recently in 2022. Later that year, a state appeals court separately granted Van Houten's petition for writ of habeas corpus, and Newsom declined to challenge the case — paving the way for her eventual freedom.

From left: Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten, laugh as they walk to court in Los Angeles for sentencing on March 29, 1971.

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Krenwinkel says she has taken responsibility

Krenwinkel has said that her complicated family dynamics and low sense of self-esteem made her vulnerable to Manson's manipulation.

"It is countless how many lives were shattered by the path of destruction that I was a part of, and it all comes from just a simple thing as just wanting to be loved," she told the New York Times in 2014.

In her late teens, Krenwinkel lost contact with friends, dropped out of school and moved in with her sister in Manhattan Beach, where she met and became enamored with Manson. She joined his "family," touring the American West for 18 months together before settling at the infamous Spahn Ranch in 1969.

She said at her 2022 parole hearing that Manson was initially affectionate towards her but became increasingly controlling and abusive. Over time, the group became more isolated, and violence was normalized — she and other members were trained in using weapons, for example.

"I had just totally allowed myself to just start absolutely becoming devoid of any form of morality or real ethics," she told parole officials.

Krenwinkel said by the time she was sitting in isolation on death row, in her early 20s, she made the decision to take responsibility for her past actions and decisions going forward.

During her decades in prison, she earned a bachelor's degree and participated in numerous self-help and community service programs, including supporting incarcerated people with severe mental illness and training dogs to become service animals for people with disabilities. Newsom said she had never been disciplined while in prison and was only cited twice for minor infractions, most recently in 2005.

Krenwinkel told the 2022 hearing that she'd spent the last 50 years working with mental health professionals, "trying to locate that bottom that absolutely allowed me to feel nothing and be nothing and see myself as nothing."

As a result, she said, she now enjoys her own company and feels comfortable acting on her wants and needs.

"It's important to me that … not become internal again, that I let people know who I am," she said. "Whether or not you accept me, I don't care. This is your life. And I am content with what I have done to try and put the pieces back together."

Patricia Krenwinkel, pictured at a 2011 parole hearing, has been denied parole 14 times since the 1970s.

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Many oppose her potential release

In parole hearings over the years, Krenwinkel has accepted responsibility for her crimes and blamed Manson — and the toxic dynamics of their relationship — for coercing her into them.

That wasn't evidence enough for Newsom, who wrote in 2022 that she had not adequately reflected on "her own internal processes" that led her to join and support Manson's "terror campaign."

"Ms. Krenwinkel was not only a victim of Mr. Manson's abuse. She was also a significant contributor to the violence and tragedy that became the Manson Family's legacy," he wrote. "Beyond the brutal murders she committed, she played a leadership role in the cult, and an enforcer of Mr. Manson's tyranny."

Newsom said the crimes Krenwinkel committed were "among the most fear-inducing in California's history," saying that would present significant stressors and public safety challenges if she were granted parole. Krenwinkel has said she would change her name if released, but would still want to be involved in the community.

"I would like to become engaged with what's going on in the world but I do know that I would be very — I would listen very carefully and try to make myself aware of who I am around," she said at the 2022 hearing. "And … if there's something that could turn into something that would be negative, I would have to be aware of that at all times, that I do know."

The New York Times reports that Krenwinkel did not speak at her four-hour parole hearing on Friday, though family members of her victims read statements of opposition. Debra Tate, Sharon's sister, created an online petition asking Newsom to reverse her parole. It has over 116,000 signatures as of Monday.

"For years this woman laughed about the murders in court and showed absolutely no remorse at all," Tate wrote, adding, "Society cannot allow this serial killer who committed such horrible, gruesome, random killings back out."

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The traditional way of voting in Huntington Beach could be upended after a judge’s ruling this week in a case accusing the city of diluting the electoral power of its Latino residents.

What happened?

The judge ordered Surf City to adopt ranked-choice voting for the November general election. Ranked-choice voting is where voters rank all candidates in order of preference, so if your first choice is eliminated, your vote transfers to your second-choice candidate.

It’s also the type of voting that helped Zohran Mamdani seize victory in the New York City mayoral race.

Why it matters

The ruling comes in a legal challenge to the city’s at-large elections, arguing Latino voters are unfairly disadvantaged and unable to elect a candidate of their choice. Orange County Superior Court Judge Craig Griffin agreed with the plaintiffs’ argument that “racially polarized voting has regularly occurred in Huntington Beach elections.”

The backstory

The case was brought to court more than two years ago by the nonprofit group Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and Victor Valladares, a Huntington Beach resident and local Democratic activist.

They argued that the city’s predominantly Latino neighborhood of Oak View had suffered decades of neglect, in part because residents there lacked the voting power to get representation in city government.

The bigger picture

Dozens of cities across Orange County and elsewhere in California have faced similar challenges to at-large elections over the past decade. Most have settled out of court by adopting district elections, whereby voters elect a candidate to represent their area, rather than citywide.

The change has coincided with an increase in Latino city council members in some Orange County cities.

Why ranked-choice voting?

Judge Griffin wrote that ordering the city to adopt ranked-choice voting was a “less drastic remedy” to bolster Latinos’ voting power than district elections. Currently in Huntington Beach, all residents vote citywide for city council seats, and the top vote-getters win.

With district elections, only people within a particular district can vote for a particular seat, which advocates say helps ensure districts see themselves represented in their local government bodies.

Among the advantages of a ranked-choice system, advocates say, is that it gives voters more freedom to vote for their favorite candidate, even if they think that person won’t ultimately win.

What does the ruling say, exactly?

The ruling orders Huntington Beach to implement ranked-choice voting for the November 2026 general election, if the Orange County Registrar of Voters can support the quick switch. The ruling also calls for the city to elect all seven councilmembers at once, rather than staggering the elections, as it currently does per the city’s charter.

Judge Griffin had delayed his ruling earlier this year to consider the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which ruled that race cannot play a role in the drawing of voting districts. Griffin ultimately determined that “nothing in Callais alters this Court’s decision” in the Huntington Beach case.

What’s next?

Both sides have two weeks to raise objections to the tentative ruling. Kevin Shenkman, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, said he would not be surprised if the city appeals. City Attorney Mike Vigliotta told LAist in an email that his office is “reviewing the decision with outside counsel that litigated the case and determining next steps.”

We reached out to the Orange County Registrar of Voters for comment, and did not hear back before publication. If and when that changes, we will update this story.

How to attend Huntington Beach City Council meetings

• Huntington Beach holds City Council meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 2000 Main St.
• You can also watch City Council meetings remotely on HBTV via Channel 3 or online, or via the city’s website. (You can also find videos of previous council meetings there.)
• The public comment period happens toward the beginning of meetings.
• The city generally posts agendas for City Council meetings on the previous Friday. You can find the agenda on the city’s calendar or sign up there to have agendas sent to your inbox.

LAist staff writer Sammy Marvin also contributed to this report.

A judge has ruled that a Metro bus project in a congested area of Los Angeles can go forward, for now, without incorporating bike lanes that street safety advocates argue are required by city law.

The $400 million project will add dedicated bus lanes along a more than 12-mile-long stretch of Vermont Avenue between 120th Street and Sunset Boulevard. The stretch of road has among the highest rates of pedestrian deaths and injuries in the city.

The ruling from June 15 is a preliminary decision on an injunction request that’s part of a lawsuit brought by Joe Linton, who argues that L.A.’s role in the design and permitting process of the project triggers Measure HLA street safety improvements. The L.A. City Attorney and Metro have rejected that interpretation of the law.

Linton filed the lawsuit in April 2025. He is the editor of the transportation publication Streetsblog LA. Linton is filing the suit as a resident of L.A., not in his capacity as an editor for Streetsblog.

What is Measure HLA?

In 2015, the L.A. City Council adopted Mobility Plan 2035, which identified networks of streets to improve with protected bike lanes, pedestrian signal improvements, bus lanes and other enhancements.

Seven years later, frustrated with a lack of progress on the plan, the local nonprofit Streets for All began campaigning for Measure HLA. The ballot measure, which was passed by voters in 2024, legally requires the city to implement Mobility Plan upgrades when it repaves at least one-eighth of a mile of a street located in one of the networks.

What are the key issues at stake in the lawsuit? 

There’s been a longstanding disagreement over whether Measure HLA applies to Metro’s work in city projects. Metro and the city of L.A. say the ordinance only applies to projects the city leads. Streets for All and Linton say the question of who leads a project is a technicality and that the city is obligated to follow Measure HLA because it’s responsible for approving certain elements of the project’s designs and permits.

The Mobility Plan calls for bike lanes along the same stretch of Vermont Avenue that Metro is working on.

Linton’s lawsuit says the city didn’t implement the bike lanes in accordance with Measure HLA when it resurfaced Vermont Avenue service roads in the past and that it should implement the improvements as part of the Vermont Transit Corridor project.

What are the details of the injunction? 

As the lawsuit plays out in court, Linton requested an injunction that sought to prevent the city from approving final design plans for the project without the bike lanes that Measure HLA calls for.

L.A. County Superior Court Judge Kristin Escalante denied the request on June 15. Escalante wrote in her decision that the city neither initiated the project nor selected Vermont Avenue for resurfacing and won’t be constructing the project itself.

“Metro’s coordination with the city does not transform the project into one made by or undertaken by the city,” Escalante wrote in her decision.

In April and June, Escalante denied Linton’s requests for pre-trial judgement on two other issues in his lawsuit, including deciding if resurfacing work on Vermont Avenue service roads triggered HLA-mandated upgrades and determining whether the city’s HLA ordinance represents an “impermissible amendment” of the ordinance.

What happens next?

The ruling is a preliminary decision. Linton said his legal team is preparing for the case to go to trial.

 “We didn’t lose at the end of the day,” Linton told LAist. “It’s a setback, but it’s a skirmish and not the outcome of the battle.”

Metro said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.

LAist reached out to the L.A. City Attorney and did not hear back.

Are other legal battles taking place? 

Yes, there are two additional ongoing lawsuits that are related.

Linton filed a second lawsuit saying L.A. is using loopholes, like “large asphalt repairs,” to skirt Measure HLA requirements.

Separate from Measure HLA, Metro is working on another bus rapid transit project to connect North Hollywood and Pasadena with construction set to begin this summer. Metro filed a lawsuit in May saying Burbank is, without authority, refusing to grant the transit agency construction permits. On June 18, Metro filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to get the necessary permits so it can begin construction in July and ensure the bus project is ready for the 2028 Olympics.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

A series of Fourth of July events scheduled across Council District 14 have been postponed due to the ongoing impact of a massive warehouse fire in Boyle Heights that blanketed surrounding neighborhoods in smoke for days. 

The fire at the 500,000-square-foot Lineage cold storage facility was knocked down Wednesday evening, but many residents say they are still feeling the effects of the smoke and have questions about the short- and long-term impacts of exposure, as well as what exactly they have been breathing. 

Jurado announced Thursday that out of an abundance of caution, the four Fourth of July events that were scheduled to take place from Friday to Sunday at various parks across her district have been postponed to allow the community and her office to focus on “recovery, connecting residents with resources and getting people the answers they deserve.” The free events were set to include live entertainment, community resources booths and a drone show. 

The postponed events include:

• Friday at Eagle Rock Recreation Center
• Saturday at El Sereno Recreation Center
• Sunday at Hollenbeck Recreation Center
• Sunday at Lincoln Park Recreation Center

“While air quality regulators have not ordered the cancelation of outdoor events, the fire response remains active, residents are still seeking clear information and support, and many families in the impacted area continue to have concerns about smoke, ash, odors, and possible exposure,” Jurado said. 

In the wake of the fire, Jurado has been asking agencies and the companies responsible for transparency. On Monday, the councilmember introduced a motion calling for the public release of air quality and environmental testing information in a way residents can actually understand.

While no independent testing has been commissioned by her office, Jurado told Boyle Heights Beat that the motion, “is intended to bring that information into the open so residents can get clear answers instead of rumors, speculation, or incomplete information.”

According to CD14, the rescheduled event dates will be shared as soon as they are available.