The Brief

A prominent Orange County judge finds himself in an unusual position this week — on the witness stand and facing pointed questions from a defense attorney.

The questions revolve around this one key point: Why were there multiple failures to disclose all the details about the use of informants back when the judge was still a high-profile prosecutor overseeing a particular murder case?

Those failures led to that 2010 murder conviction being overturned after the evidence emerged years later, and two sheriff investigators refused to testify about it, asserting their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

It’s the latest twist in the sweeping O.C. jailhouse informants scandal, which has led to overturned convictions and dropped or lessened charges in dozens of criminal cases.

Let’s recap a bit:

On the witness stand Monday, Judge Ebrahim Baytieh acknowledged it was his responsibility as prosecutor to ensure all favorable evidence was turned over to the defendant, Paul Smith, before Smith’s 2010 murder trial. Smith was accused of killing his friend and marijuana dealer, Robert Haugen, and setting his body on fire back in 1988 in Sunset Beach.

Prosecutors want to retry Smith. Sanders wants the case dropped over the misconduct. The judge will decide whether to allow a new trial.

What's a 'jailhouse snitch'?

Federal investigators found that evidence was withheld from Smith that a crucial witness used in his case was a jailhouse informant. It’s a problematic law enforcement practice where so-called snitches are used to press accused jail inmates to confess without their attorney present, often in exchange for favorable treatment in the snitch's own pending cases. Courts have repeatedly found this to be unconstitutional, and that its usage needs to be revealed by prosecutors to defendants before trial.

On Monday, Baytieh insisted that he did indeed fulfill all of his ethical duties in the Smith case. He said he turned over everything he had at the time, and that he then disclosed any previously undisclosed info including jailhouse snitch intel — including reports, log entries and interview audio CDs — as soon as he learned of them from outside investigations in 2016 and then again in 2019.

But he faced sharp questioning from a defense attorney — and the judge presiding over the hearing — about why he didn’t do more to ensure he was collecting all of the evidence and disclosing it before the trial.

The current hearing is before Judge Daniel B. Goldstein of San Diego County Superior Court. It’s being heard in a neighboring county because Baytieh is now a judge in O.C.

Even the judge had questions

While most of the questioning Monday was by Sanders, the judge himself has jumped in several times to question Baytieh as well.

Goldstein asked Baytieh whether he’d felt a need to go look at the evidence in the murder case.

“I never felt that I needed to see it myself,” Baytieh responded. He said the case was based largely on DNA, and that there were photographs of the physical evidence.

Judge Goldstein, himself a former prosecutor in San Diego, responded that there’s a saying among new prosecutors to “always go to the scene” and “always go to the evidence.”

“You’re prosecuting some pretty high-profile homicide cases, and you don’t go look at the evidence?” Goldstein asked.

Baytieh reiterated his earlier answer.

Who is Ebrahim Baytieh?

Baytieh was a star homicide prosecutor at the DA’s office, rising up the ranks to oversee the special prosecutions unit that manages decisions on whether to disclose police misconduct to defendants.

After undisclosed evidence emerged in the Smith case, Baytieh was fired in 2022 by District Attorney Todd Spitzer, citing the findings of an investigation he commissioned into the evidence issues in the Smith case.

Baytieh, who had major support among O.C. judges, prosecutors and other attorneys, went on to be elected judge a few months later.

Backstory on the snitch scandal

The OC “jailhouse snitch" scandal stretches back over a decade, when Sanders uncovered what he believed were widespread and abusive use of jailhouse informants by Orange County prosecutors and law enforcement, violating defendants' rights.

A federal civil rights investigation followed, and ultimately concluded the Orange County District Attorney's Office and Orange County Sheriff's Department had indeed "engaged in a pattern or practice of conduct … that systematically violated criminal defendants’ right to counsel."

The Smith case featured prominently in that investigation report, which determined that law enforcement failed to disclose that Smith’s alleged confession was obtained through an illegal informant operation coordinated by the Sheriff’s Department.

That investigation found that numerous pieces of evidence favorable to Smith were not disclosed until outside probes unearthed them years later in 2016 and 2019. That evidence, investigators wrote, “all tended to show a Sixth Amendment violation that could have led to Smith’s alleged confession being excluded” from the 2010 trial.

The misconduct took place under O.C. District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, who in 2018 lost his re-election bid to Spitzer, the current district attorney. Spitzer has sought to assure the public that these violations were in the past. He has implemented reforms and pledged not to tolerate cheating among prosecutors and law enforcement.

But, years later, Sanders says he's still uncovering misconduct that prosecutors haven't owned up to. Just one example, says Sanders, is the Smith murder case at the center of this week’s hearing.

"It sometimes feels like we haven't made an inch of headway," Sanders has told LAist.

What’s next?

Baytieh is on the witness stand again today. Ultimately, Judge Goldstein will likely issue findings about the evidence failures, and decide whether Smith goes on trial again for murder.

Some government funding streams for L.A. County’s public health system are drying up, and officials are turning to private philanthropy to fill the gap.

A new privately funded foundation launched Thursday to strengthen public health services after $50 million in federal, state and local funding cuts to the county’s Department of Public Health since early last year.

“It is really a hard day for our community when we have to ask for private donations to fund a public good, but unfortunately, we've lost too much money to not take this important step,” said Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

In February, the county’s Public Health Department closed seven clinics, with six remaining open. About half of the patients seen in those clinics are uninsured, according to county officials. The department also cut hundreds of staff positions.

Ferrer is on the board of the new foundation, The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA, which held its first meeting Thursday.

She said the fund will help the county maintain its basic public health infrastructure, including disease prevention, health promotion, environmental health, and emergency response efforts.

Other board members include several health insurance executives, as well as actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo. Board member Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation pledged $150,000 to the fund Thursday. Kayne said she hopes the donation encourages others to give.

The foundation aims to raise $2 million this year.

More cuts expected

L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell said it’s crucial to have an alternative funding stream to protect services for the county's most vulnerable residents.

“We are saving public health,” Mitchell said. “This fund represents a new approach, one that brings together government philanthropy in the private sector to invest in community-based solutions, protect vulnerable populations, and strengthen our public health infrastructure.”

Officials say more public health cuts are coming, through the federal budget law known as the "Big Beautiful Bill," which slashes funding for Medi-Cal.

The county Department of Public Health anticipates losing up to $300 million in revenue over the next three years because of the federal budget bill and other potential funding freezes. Federal funding accounts for almost 50% of the public health budget, according to county officials.

Mitchell also led an effort to put a half-percent county sales tax increase to fund public health on the June ballot.

If approved by voters, that proposal, known as Measure ER, is expected to raise about $1 billion a year for county safety net health services, including about $100 million for the public health department.

Board members

The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA announced its founding board of directors, which includes:

• Dr. Barbara Ferrer, LA County Department of Public Health director
• Debbie I. Chang, Blue Shield of California Foundation CEO
• Sean Penn, actor and co-founder of Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE)
• Martha Santana-Chin, LA Care Health Plan CEO
• Saree Kayne, R&S Kayne Foundation CEO
• Danny Trejo, actor and restaurateur
• Jarrett Barrios, an executive at the American Red Cross
• Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Charles R. Drew University College of Medicine Dean
• Kristin McCowan, an executive at the Los Angeles Dodgers

The Rose Bowl in Pasadena may be a centenarian, but it’s holding up pretty well as it continues to host events on its way to a starring role in the LA28 Olympics.

But before it can host the soccer final, it needs fixes, especially to the infrastructure serving the bathrooms and drinking fountains. Fears of a toilet backup while in the world’s spotlight led Rep. Laura Friedman to seek federal funds for upgrades. On Thursday she announced she secured just over $1 million.

“Two years from now, athletes around the world are going to compete for gold right where we are standing. This is not the time to find out whether or not these pipes are up to the task,” Friedman said.

The planned work, she added, will lead to improved water flow capacity and water drainage, eliminating the risk of backups and emergency maintenance.

The funds came from the House of Representatives Interior and Environment subcommittee. The fixes, an official said, will be completed by the LA28 Olympics.

The funds, however, are a drop in the bucket when it comes to what’s needed to make needed improvements to the Pasadena venue.

Officials, including (left to right) Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation President Dedan Brozino, Deputy Fire Chief of the City of Pasadena Tim Sell, Congresswoman Laura Friedman, and Rose Bowl Stadium CEO Jens Weiden announced infrastructure funding for the 103-year old Rose Bowl.

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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist

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“Over the  next 20 years there's about $200 million that we need to put in and that's everything from updating light fixtures to updating gas, water, wastewater lines, etc.,” said Dedan Brozino,  president of the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, the nonprofit that supports the Rose Bowl stadium's preservation and enhancement.

Getting venues ready will be expensive

The money is a much-needed win at a time when elected officials in city, county, state and federal offices have been struggling to find the funds to get L.A.-area venues ready for the global Olympic stage in two years.

The entrance to a men's bathroom at the Rose Bowl.

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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist

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A $360 million proposal to spruce up asphalt in parking lots around Exposition Park won’t be done in time for the Olympics, as originally planned. Meanwhile, just up the street, there’s concern that a $2.6 billion expansion of the L.A. Convention Center, which is hosting Olympic wrestling, fencing and judo in 2028 won’t be ready for the Olympics.

Additionally, to save money, LA28 organizers moved Olympic diving to the Rose Bowl complex last year because it has two Olympic-sized pools, while the Exposition Park complex doesn't and would need expensive upgrades.

Topline:

About the chick: The chick hatched March 14. The zoo opened its Cape vulture enclosure in February 2025 after years of planning to encourage the birds to roost and nest, welcoming a new breeding pair that year. When it grows to be an adult, it’ll have a wingspan of 8 1/2 feet.

About the enclosure: The L.A. Zoo said it spent years developing the vulture habitat, which was designed to mimic the vultures’ natural environment in South Africa and nearby countries. Dominick Dorsa II, the zoo’s director of animal care, said in a statement the successful hatching is “a testament to the design and construction” of the habitat.

How to see the chick: You can’t for the time being. Zoo officials are keeping it away from visitors until the chick matures, though you can still see adult Cape vultures at the zoo’s enclosure.

Though visitors will have to wait until the chick matures to see it in the enclosure, you can still take in the impressive eight and a half foot wingspan of the adult Cape vultures.

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Courtesy Jamie Pham/L.A. Zoo

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What zoo officials are saying: “Welcoming a Cape vulture chick is a thrilling moment for our team and a beacon of hope for African vultures,” the L.A. Zoo’s curator of birds Rose Legato said in a statement. “Vultures are one of nature's most misunderstood marvels, and I cannot wait for our guests to eventually watch this chick grow and learn just how vital they are to our ecosystems.”

About the species: Cape vultures are listed as a vulnerable species due to human activities and encroachment. According to the L.A. Zoo, African vultures are more closely related to eagles and hawks than vultures native to the Americas, like the zoo's California condors that hatched last year.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

What should have been a celebration for formerly incarcerated youth completing a reentry program at the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) last week instead ended with seven students and two staff members detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses. 

Now, nearly a week later, BHAC staff and city officials are demanding answers from the LAPD, with some accusing officers of racial profiling. 

According to the LAPD, officers observed a large group gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street around 4:16 p.m. on March 26. Authorities then requested backup for what they described as “a large group surrounding officers,” LAPD Public Information Officer Tony Im said. 

The group, classified by police as an “aggressive gang group,” consisted of seven 18-year-old students from the BHAC’s Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program and two BHAC staff members.

The BAM program pays formerly incarcerated youth to complete 200-250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers. That day, students were set to showcase their work at the BAM program graduation for families and community members. 

Rene Weber, a teaching artist at the BHAC, had been with the students setting up for the ceremony minutes before the incident occurred. 

According to Weber, the students had gone to coffee across the street at Milpa Kitchen as they often did, when staff were alerted that they were being detained. 

Weber said he arrived to find students and a staff member pressed against the wall in handcuffs. 

Video from the scene, taken by a staff member at the BHAC, shows multiple officers surrounding the group. At one point, an officer orders a person to “get on the wall” and displays a stun gun.  

“No, none of that, these are kids right here,” the staff member replies.

Another staff member, Teotl Veliz, recorded a large police response.  

“I counted 12 cop cars, that’s at least 25 cops, and they had a helicopter,” Veliz said. “It was just so comedic, tragically comedic, that it was on their graduation day too.”

Officers established a perimeter with yellow tape along the side of Ashley’s Beauty Salon as local business owners and witnesses gathered around the students. 

“I was just incredibly disappointed in LAPD… because it became so apparent to everybody, all at the same time, that it was racial profiling and nothing else,” Veliz said.

Weber said officers gave shifting explanations for the stop at the scene, including blocking the sidewalk and possible underage vaping. After Weber told the officers that all of the students were 18, they said they would investigate whether the group had any gang affiliation. 

Police have not responded to questions about what led officers to believe that the group was gang-affiliated. 

Weber recalled pleading with the officers to let the group go and explaining to them that they worked across the street. Community members and local business owners also stepped in to vouch for the students. 

“Our job is to help them gain a new perspective on life,” Weber said. “They’re coming out of juvenile detention and they’re turning their lives around. We can do our part in keeping them off the streets and keeping them doing better but what does it mean if they’re going to be profiled and treated exactly the same way?” 

In total, seven 18-year-old students and two staff members were detained. BHAC staff said one student and one staff member were taken to Hollenbeck Community Police Station and released less than two hours later after advocacy from community members and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado.

The incident ultimately resulted in an infraction for smoking a cannabis e-vape on a public sidewalk, according to a photo of the infraction shared with the Beat. LAPD did not provide details about the people taken to Hollenbeck Station or the infraction. 

The graduation ceremony was cancelled that night and is expected to be rescheduled in April. 

“Graduation should be a moment of pride and possibility — not fear,” Jurado said in a statement. “I’m seeking answers about what occurred, and this underscores the need for stronger relationships between law enforcement and community organizations so moments like these are protected, not disrupted.”

Carmelita Ramirez‑Sanchez, the conservatory’s executive director, said she was grateful to the community and Jurado for advocating for the students’ release. Jurado met her at Hollenbeck Station within 20 minutes of being alerted to the incident, she said. 

“They had store owners, señoras, barbers, that ran out and were trying to explain to the police who our kids were,” Ramirez‑Sanchez said. 

Still, she said the incident tarnished what should have been a joyous celebration.

“I imagine that what this does is derail this entire idea that you can be an active participant in your own restorative growth,” she said.