Frank Stoltze
I came to L.A. as a very young reporter on New Year’s Day, 1991. Two months later, four LAPD officers were caught on videotape beating Rodney King. A year later, the night before the riots/rebellion broke out, I was in the Nickerson Gardens housing project in Watts at an extraordinary rally of rival gangs that had brokered a truce.
Today, I cover Civics and Democracy in L.A. As we face perhaps the greatest threat to democracy since the Civil War, I seek to engage with communities and examine the hurdles to becoming involved in the political process. I cover the various social and political movements seeking to improve the lives of Angelenos. I also cover anti-democratic forces.
And after all these years, I still need to figure out the best donut shop in L.A. The best torta. The best (not fanciest) coffee. Best of all I get to meet the smartest, most interesting people and bring their voices to you.
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Chad Bianco joined in 2014 and was a member for one year. He says he didn't actively participate with the group, while insisting it does not "promote violence and government overthrow." Extremism experts disagree. -
The legislation was a top priority for police watchdogs after the murder of George Floyd. It was the bane of police unions.
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The family of Leonel Chavez, 24, plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit; the CHP has provided very few details about the incident.
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The deadline was supposed to be this Friday. But union reps are still hammering out a bunch of issues, including broader religious and medical exemptions.
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The panel also sought to turn up the heat on Sheriff Alex Villanueva by asking county lawyers to seek all legal remedies to force him to also testify about the investigations.
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The sheriff said a recent RAND report overstates any problem with deputy cliques, saying, “It is a problem of perception, but not reality."
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Sheriff's Capt. Britta Steinbrenner, a 34-year agency veteran, says it's time to end "the good old boys club" at the department.
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If Sheriff Alex Villanueva is a no-show Thursday as he has stated, it will mark the fourth time he has defied subpoenas from the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission and the Office of Inspector General.
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L.A. voters gave the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission subpoena power; Villanueva has not once complied.
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Opponents of L.A. DA George Gascón conceded defeat Thursday in their effort to gather enough signatures for a recall vote, but promised they will try again at the end of the year.
