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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A prosecutor's refusal to carry out an order from Gascón is an indication of the opposition he faces from some on his staff. -
In an indication of the tension with some of his staff, the newly-sworn in district attorney directed a deputy DA to drop train-wrecking charges against Emanuel Padilla -- but the prosecutor refused.
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'We are not going to release anyone who is deemed to be dangerous,' the new DA said.
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On his first day, Gascón enacts a slew of reforms, including the end of sentencing enhancements and a review of past enhanced sentences that could lead to the release of 20,000 prison inmates.
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The DA will file fewer misdemeanor charges, stop seeking cash bail for low-level and non-violent crimes, end the use of sentencing enhancements, no longer seek the death penalty, refuse to charge kids as adults, and review hundreds of police shootings to see if they should be reopened.
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George Gascón, a Cuban immigrant and one-time hard-charging LAPD cop who became a champion of criminal justice reform, will be sworn in as the 43rd district attorney of Los Angeles County today at noon.
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The retired judge presiding over the inquest says she's not sure all the invocations of the 5th Amendment's protection against self-incrimination are acceptable, and will consult with county counsel.
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There have only been 13 inquests since 1931, and none since 1981. The Board of Supervisors urged the coroner to call an inquest after a Sheriff’s deputy fatally shot the 18-year-old five times in the back in June.
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A sheriff's deputy shot the 18-year-old five times in the back in June. The inquest, the first in nearly 40 years, won't affect any potential criminal or civil cases.
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According to a survey conducted by the union representing LAPD officers, many officers were unhappy with Chief Michel Moore's leadership during the local protests for racial justice earlier this year.
