Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
80-Year-Old Int'l Jewel Thief And Subject Of Halle Berry Film, Sentenced To 16 Months In Prison
Doris Payne, the 80-year-old jewel thief charged with stealing a $16,000 ring from a Santa Monica store in October, pleaded no contest and has been sentenced to 16 months in prison, according to ABC Local.
The career heister and fascinating subject of Halle Berry's upcoming feature Who Is Doris Payne?, will serve this sentence concurrently with the five-year prison term she is already serving for a theft in San Diego County.
Domestically, Payne's sticky fingers have touched California, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Kentucky and Colorado. Internationally, the five-decade criminal has had her way with Greece, France, England and Switzerland, according to an in-depth Associated Press story during her prison stint in 2005.
More recently, San Diego County Superior Court Judge Frank Brown sentenced Payne in February to the maximum five years saying, "[She] won't stop...That's the problem here... She's a thief. She's charming. Santa Claus' wife, that's who she is," notes to ABC News.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?