Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA

Making Lemonaid out of Lemons

2010-03-11T10:48:00.000-08:00

This is an example of a shrewd move by LASD. On the news last night they were showing the LASD "hero" dispatcher, and the "hero" boy with a Sheriff hat on. Everything was happy smiles and what a great thing it was no one was hurt. Yep lucky for them. Now lets say the home invaders had shot the family then left? Do you think we would hear much about this 911 call? Nope. The real back story here, not covered by the mainstream media [especially the local TV stations who love to film whats fed to them by law enforcement in cases like this just to get ratings], is when was the 911 call placed and how many minutes later did the sheriff actually arrive at the scene? [this info is tracked by the way] If they were told a description of the car why could they not catch them? Was the LASD helicopter in the air at the time? How long did it take to respond? Was the cars description called in timely? They could not spot the car? If not why do we have two Sheriff's helicopters in the air all the time buzzing our homes at all hours of the day? How close was the closest sheriff's car to the house when the call came in? How far was this house from the LASD substation in Norwalk? [where the LASD helicopter lands by the way] These are the types of questions that should be asked in a situation like this and are not. Why? Most likely as the answers are embarrassing for the LASD. Its more fun to have a media event and hand out sheriff caps. Yep, making lemonade out of lemons. Hats off to the mainstream media for missing the real story and the LASD press spin masters.

We have heard stories of "911" calls before to Lakewood Sheriff's. Like "burglary in progress. I am watching them take stuff right now... Come quick." 30 minutes later a car shows up and asks where the burglars are. We kid you not. We could not make this stuff up. The deputy was told by the reporting witness that the burglars left about 5 minutes after the 911 call. Then the deputy just drives away. No report. Why make a report as that will just make LASD look bad as another unsolved burglary.

Now I am sure the sheriff response to all of the above would be "we need more units/deputies/dogs/radios/helicopters" or "we need more overtime" or "more lucrative pensions" but that is another story. The real issue is we are not getting much bang for our buck. All we get are "puff pieces" like the one below, and worse on the blathering local TV news. Oh and don't forget the stories that end badly or never get reported as their is no cute little boy in the story. Sure this is a "feel good" story, but lets not forget the "real" back story.

Norwalk boy, 7, makes harrowing 911 call during armed home invasion [Updated]
March 9, 2010
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/authorities-were-hailing-a-7-year-old-norwalk-boy-as-hero-tuesday-after-he-hid-in-a-bathroom-and-called-911-as-three-armed-at.html

Authorities were hailing a 7-year-old Norwalk boy as a hero Tuesday after he hid in a bathroom and called 911 as three armed attackers broke into his home and threatened his parents.

During the harrowing emergency call, the child pleaded with Los Angeles County sheriff's dispatchers to send help.

"Can you come really fast? Please! Please! ... They have guns. They shoot my mom and dad," the boy said, according to a copy of the 911 tape released by authorities.

The incident began about 8:30 a.m. when the three suspects, armed with handguns, stormed in through an unlocked door and said they were going to take what they wanted, the sheriff's department said.

The boy hid in the bathroom and locked the door.

"There's some guy who's going to kill my mom and dad," he said. "Can you come, please?

"Bring cops...a lot of them! ... And soldiers, too," the boy said.

He told dispatchers that he thought his parents had been shot.

The attackers broke into the bathroom and found the boy. At that point, screaming is heard on the 911 tape.

Authorities said one of the suspects grabbed the boy and asked who he called. "911," the boy responded, according to the department.

The suspects fled without injuring anyone or taking any property, authorities said.

"If not for the brave and educated actions of the 7-year-old boy, this might have ended tragically," said Capt. Pat Maxwell.

[Updated 10:18 p.m.: The boy hid in the bathroom with his 6-year-old sister, according to the 911 tape. Authorities said the suspects fled in a gray two-door Acura RSX.]

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (562) 863-8711.

-- Andrew Blankstein and Robert J. Lopez

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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Dollar Tree opening soon at South St and Bellflower Blvd

2010-03-10T14:13:00.000-08:00

LAAG has learned that the Dollar Tree store in the old refurbished Vons store should be opening around the latter part of March 2010. [finally] Again not a huge success for Lakewood which has a dismal commercial vacancy rate (from all appearances) but it is better than the horrible eye sore that was the dilapidated Vons store for the last few years. There are 10 open stores within 10 miles of Lakewood currently. Of course we could have had a Trader Joe's market in that location had the city had the guts to tell Safeway to can their lease buyout provision. Apparently its required no food stores at South and Bellflower for years to come for fear of real competition in this poor discount food shopping selection we have in Lakewood. More on that issue as we wrote in August 2009.

According to a February 2010 Wall Street Journal article Dollar Tree Inc.'s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings rose 28% as the discount retailer continues to fare well during the downturn. Apparently its doing well as customers trade down to cheaper goods during the downturn.

The company in December estimated revenue of $1.49 billion to $1.53 billion with a gross margin of 37 percent.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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Ban on trash in L.A. River

2009-12-11T08:50:00.001-08:00

This story below is good news. There was no mention in the story of similar rules applying to the San Gabriel River (where most of Lakewood's storm drains empty to) however we assume similar rules are in force as the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board also has control over the San Gabriel River. See this San Gabriel River report for more detail. This is why we urged Lakewood some years ago to enforce a logical parking ban; so that city wide street sweeping covering all streets weekly would comply with these rules, which will become more difficult over time to comply with without thorough sweeping programs. Next wee need to see storm drains inlets modified (and the catch basins cleaned before storms) to deal with all the trash and other pollutants not collected by the sweeper. Of course the story linked above does not mention which agency is supposed to clean out these catch basins once a week and all during a rain storm so they don't overflow and cause flooding nor is there any mention of the funding mechanism for this after the initial money is spent on installation of these snazzy catch basins. Also we are not keen on delaying this until 2016 but that is the slow pace of local government. I hope federal stimulus money is spent on this and perhaps the work will start sooner that way.

latimes.com/news/local/la-me-trash11-2009dec11,0,6852403.story
latimes.com
Water board moves to enforce ban on trash in L.A. River
Cities along the watershed are required by 2016 to keep all trash out of their storm drains. Those that don't comply will now be in violation of the federal Clean Water Act.

By Bettina Boxall

December 11, 2009

Regional water quality officials on Thursday put some teeth into their long campaign to cleanse the Los Angeles River system of the tons of trash that turn it into a movable landfill after major storms.

Standards previously adopted by the Los Angeles [Regional] Water Quality Control Board give cities along the watershed until 2016 to keep all trash out of their storm drains.

On Thursday, the board incorporated those limits into storm water permits, putting municipalities that don't meet the requirements in violation of the federal Clean Water Act. Until now there had been no penalty for noncompliance.

"It's taken two decades to get to this point," board vice-chair Madelyn Glickfeld said after the 5-0 vote. "If we hadn't done this today, it would have been a signal" to cities "to relax, guys."

During storms, tons of trash and plastic debris wash up in municipal drains that empty into the Los Angeles River and its tributaries. The trash floating at the river's mouth in Long Beach can be so thick that it is hard to see any water. In the unusually wet winter of 2005, Long Beach hauled more than 12,000 tons of garbage out of the river.

Much of the trash winds up in the Pacific Ocean, contributing to huge floating garbage patches. Pieces of plastic can wrap around wildlife and kill birds and fish.

Trash was formally identified as a pollution problem in the river in 1996. Five years later, the regional water board adopted standards. But 22 cities sued to overturn the trash limits, saying they would be expensive and difficult to meet.

The courts found the board had not performed an adequate environmental impact analysis of the new rules, but otherwise upheld them.

After conducting an environmental review, the board readopted the trash standards in 2007.

In the meantime, some cities in the watershed, including Los Angeles, started installing screens and collection systems to keep street debris from washing into sewers. Sixteen cities in the watershed recently received $10 million in federal stimulus money to outfit their catch basins.

Local officials pointed to progress Thursday. "We have taken trash reduction seriously," said Signal Hill Councilman Larry Forester.

Another official showed the board photographs he took after Monday's storm. Parts of the river that have been coated with trash in the past were largely clean.

Local representatives argued that it wasn't necessary to write a target of zero trash discharges into the storm permits, and that doing so would set a burdensome precedent for other pollutants.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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Trick or Treat from the Lakewood Sheriff's Department

2009-10-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

The Press telegram reports that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's station in Lakewood is hosting a "Haunted Jail," complete with spooky costumed characters (does this mean deputies?), food and games (do tasers count as games?). The Lakewood Station moved all its prisoners to Cerritos for the event. Odd that the LASD did not send this press release to LAAG.

So are we to believe that no work hours (i.e. tax dollars) were "lost" on all this? Right. Trick or Treat? I think the taxpayers are being tricked. This is the highest and best use of a $20 million dollar new station? I mean we know the LASD Lakewood station does nothing useful for $10 million a year (except try to look busy) but lets not advertise the fact by turning the jail into something out of The Andy Griffith Show on one of the busiest nights out of the year. You want to read about something really scary that really happened in the Lakewood jail read this. Now that real scary episode will be a real "treat" for taxpayers. We'll see if the LASD has any tricks up its sleeve on that one. Likely not. Just some tax dollars for that "trick or treater".

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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The South and Bellflower shopping center saga continues

2009-08-26T15:04:00.000-07:00

As we have reported previously the ongoing "former Vons" saga at South and Bellflower lingers on for what seems like an eternity. Just getting the parking lot fixed took over a year. They were finished in August 2009. [read our update to this story here]

Vons/Pavillions is owned by the lovely Safeway people headquartered in Oakland CA. When the current owner of the properly bought it many years ago Vons had a very long term and cheap lease on the building it vacated in 1998. They did not want to let go of the lease for fear that another grocery store would move in there and heaven forbid "compete" with the Pavillions over at South and Woodruff (which has the worst prices of any grocery store in the area thanks to union and other issues...but that's another column). Clearly the Fresh and Easy has not been any competition. We are still banking on that operation to fold up as the novelty has worn off.

The real problems began when the current landlord (Lings Property Management..located in LA) tried to buy Vons lease interest out. Of course Von's wanted to make sure that a Trader Joes market or some other savvy competitor cannot get in that spot. This created two problems. First it harms Lakewood shoppers who have a lack of real shopping choice for groceries (as most cities in the this area, especially Long Beach, backed the unions and disallowed Wal Mart grocery stores). Secondly it reduces the chances of leasing that entire former Vons store due to its sheer size. But the city apparently refused or failed to intervene on behalf of the city residents and encourage Von's (Safeway) to drop that requirement and so there you have it. No competitive food stores in that center for years to come thanks to heavy handed action by Safeway. Quite frankly we feel that is appalling and only hurts residents.

So as it stands now the former Von's store will be subdivided into three equally divided store units. More doors and glass will be added to the front. The building is essentially gutted inside now. As of Sept. 15, 2009 it is supposed to be ready for the build out of the first of three new tenants.

The first will be "Dollar Tree" And of course they will sell little if any "food items" at the store thanks the our pals over at Safeway. It is not clear on who the other two tenants will be but given the glut of commercial space in Lakewood we are not optimistic that it will be leased quickly (especially given the site had had for lease signs up for about 3 years..one actually rotted and fell over!) We are also not at all impressed with Lakewood's very shallow and transparent redevelopment efforts which don't seem to be getting much bang for the tax dollar. Also the city seems to focus all their attention on the mall and second or third tier shopping centers like the one at Bellflower and South and Palo Verde and South languish with years of vacancies and decay. We all know where that leads.

Dollar Tree is one of a number of large chains that appears to be doing well in this 12% unemployment economy.

Here are Dollar Tree's current local stores:

6426 E. Spring St. Long Beach, CA 90815

Norwalk Town Center 13913 Pioneer Blvd Norwalk, CA 90650

8111 E Wardlow Road Long Beach, CA 90808

In related news, in the same shopping center the Hanalei restaurant has reopened after being closed for about a year. No idea what the problem was but its good to see businesses operating as opposed to empty buildings. We know thats not good for anyone.

We also hear that the Movietime Video rental store in the same shopping center is supposed to be subdivided and that a 7-11 will go in on the Bellflower Blvd side. We will believe that when we see it.

Finally the South and Bellflower site is supposed to get a minor facade upgrade for all stores. That has not yet been defined. But anything would be an improvement over what we have now.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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Community Workshop to discuss proposed improvements to the San Gabriel River Bikeway

2009-08-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

Today we received a press release (below) from the city of Seal Beach regarding the section of the San Gabriel River bike path that is situated in their city and Orange County. We have complained about the deterioration of the path for years (since June 2006 to be exact). The County of LA claimed they could do nothing as the path was Seal Beach's responsibility by an agreement created in the early 1970's when the path was first built. We argued that that should never have been the case. We argued for OC transportation funds to be used. We argued for federal "Stimulus funds" to be used. All to no avail. Finally it appears that the money that was originally "promised" by the State on Sept. 2008 (then "withdrawn" on Dec. 2008) is now starting to ooze thru the mess that we all know is ongoing in Sacramento (don't get us started on that). Well don't hold your breath for the funds to ever make it into "real" improvements you can ride on. They may all get eaten up by consultants and other types of "pre-groundbreaking activities". But at least this is a good start.

So for those of you that use this section of the San Gabriel River Bikeway (405 south to the ocean) we hope to see you at the meeting on Sept. 10. It is important that bike riders that use the trail show up and provide input (and support) as we are actually the ones that know the problems and how to fix them. Its your trail and your tax dollars. So please pass this along.

Press Release text:

“The City of Seal Beach will be holding a Community Workshop to discuss proposed improvements to the San Gabriel River Bikeway and River's End Staging Area. This project will include repaving the bike trail from the First Street parking lot to I-405, improvements to the First Street parking lot, and remodeling the existing First Street restroom. The workshop will include a presentation of the draft plan for the area followed by an opportunity to ask questions and provide your feedback.

The project is being funded through a grant from the State of California, Rivers and Mountains Conservancy. Funding restrictions through the State had caused the City to place this project on hold recently. However, with portions of funding back in place, the City is pleased to bring this project back online and would like to gather input and feedback from the community and those who utilize the San Gabriel River Bike Trail.

The workshop will be held at the City of Seal Beach Council Chambers on Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 6:30 pm.

For further information regarding this project, please contact David Spitz, Associate Engineer at (562) 431-2527 ext. 1331.”

David Spitz, P.E.
Associate Civil Engineer
City of Seal Beach
211 8th Street
Seal Beach, CA 90740
p - (562) 431-2527 ext 1331
f - (562) 430-8763
dspitz@ci.seal-beach.ca.us

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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Water costs to increase 109% in Lakewood

2009-07-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

Just as LAAG was getting ready to write an article on what a poor job cities like Lakewood are doing on water conservation and recycling (other than lip service), this story below pops up and grabbed our attention. Bottom line: water fees are going up 109% due to spending on pork projects that do not appear to be directly related to water delivery to residents in Lakewood. Whatever happened to all the federal stimulus money? Again this is yet another sad example of how government agencies (especially little known, little watched ones like the Central Basin Municipal Water District) just do not care what the taxpayers think about spending. They know that most of what they do is carried out in utter obscurity and hidden from ratepayers, and unless things really get out of hand, most increases are gradual, slow or hidden in "obscure fees" and unnoticed by most ratepayers (like the frog in the boiling water; turn up the heat (or costs) slow and he wont jump out before he cooks).

Charges for water need to be based more on rational formulas than simply raw usage. Charge based on lot size and number of occupants. Once they go above the allotted threshold fees go way up. Then perhaps we would see all those silly lawns in Lakewood replaced with drought resistant plants. People in LA county fail to realize that we live in a desert and its going to get worse before it gets better. We are now in year round drought mode. Rain in LA country means very little as the vast majority of it just goes out to the ocean (after it picks up a bunch of toxic chemicals after coursing over miles of driveways, streets, gutters and storm water drains. Some non run off waste water is treated then released to the ocean. Only a very small percentage of water in LA County is reclaimed and used to water lawns. Not only is this a waste of money and energy but also something that is even more precious: water.

Of course the irony here (as usual) is that this "fee" increase has nothing to do with the scarcity or usage of water (or even the cost of water) but rather poor judgment by bureaucrats and pet projects of dubious value. Still this cost increase may have the "beneficial" effect of making people cut back on water use and starting to be come more rational in terms of their landscaping choices.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-water-rates18-2009jul18,0,756615.story
From the Los Angeles Times
Doubling of water fees in largely blue-collar L.A. County area stirs uproar
The Central Basin Municipal Water District says the money will go to projects that are cheaper to build during a recession. But client cities and agencies question the expenditures.
By Louis Sahagun

[bold text from LAAG editor]

July 18, 2009

A water district's decision to double water fees has sparked outcry from largely working-class and impoverished areas of Los Angeles County.

The Central Basin Municipal Water District unanimously approved the charges June 25, despite objections from cities including Compton, Lynwood, Santa Fe Springs, Huntington Park, Bellflower, Norwalk and Lakewood.

The fee hikes will be phased in, from $44 per acre-foot of water to $62 per acre-foot on July 1, then to $72 per acre-foot on Jan. 1, 2010, and $92 on July 1, 2010.

An average household in Lakewood, for example, can expect to pay about $88 more a year on water services, officials said.

Officials in Norwalk, which buys 80% of its water from the district, say the city's water fund cannot support the increase without passing the cost on to customers.

"This issue is not dead yet," said Adriana Figueroa, administrative services manager for Norwalk. "We have lots of questions and we want answers -- we deserve them."

Cities and local water agencies have begun questioning the board's spending on projects, including a 12-mile-long pipeline for recycled water, and contributions it made toward building an "interpretive center" in the Whittier Narrows wildlife sanctuary.

Art Aguilar, district manager for the central board, sympathized with customers, but insisted that "the money we get will be spent wisely" on projects that he said are more efficient to build during a recession, when costs have fallen.

"I do not disagree with their anger and being upset," Aguilar said. "If we didn't have to do it right now we wouldn't. . . . It's just one of those things. We have a bad economy, which means that the cost of building the recycled-water pipeline will be less than it would in a strong economy. So we'll save money in the long run." The pipeline project "was initially projected to cost about a total $110 million," he said. "We believe it will come in at less than that."

But Jeanne-Marie Bruno, general manager of Downey-based Park Water Co., a district customer that serves portions of Compton, Norwalk and Artesia, was not convinced that her customers would benefit directly from that project.

"We have lots of questions," she said. "Does this project make sense for our region? Are the right customers being billed for this project?"

Robb Whitaker, general manager of the Water Replenishment District of Southern California, argued that this was not the time to raise fees. The agency manages groundwater for nearly 4 million residents of southern Los Angeles County, according to its website.

"In the worst of times," he said in a letter to Aguilar, "when our respective public and private customers are laying off employees and implementing mandatory furloughs and generally slashing their budgets, such an increase is unimaginable."

Some environmentalists took issue with the district's donation of $80,000 last year in support of a controversial proposal to build a $30-million interpretive center and parking lot in the Whittier Narrows wildlife sanctuary.

Aguilar said the district wants to use the proposed center for new student programs designed to enhance understanding of the San Gabriel River watershed and its water districts. He pointed out that as part of an effort to cut costs, the district did not donate money this year to the San Gabriel River Discovery Center.

Jim Odling, chairman of the Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area, which opposes the center, said the environmental impact report on the project "indicates the real purpose of the center will be to serve as a fancy meeting place for water and government agencies."

"In other words," he said, "while the district claims to be so desperate for money it is raising surcharge fees, it managed to come up with $80,000 to help build an interpretive center nine times bigger than the one that exists there now."

The Commerce-based district supplies water to 2 million residents in 24 cities and unincorporated county areas. Each year, it provides about 60,000 acre-feet of imported water to its 227-square-mile service area.

The district "is doing everything it can to provide information," Aguilar said. "If we need to sit down and have more meetings and outreach, we will do that too." (LAAG editor: yes we can have the meeting at the new interpretive center!)

"I understand that a 109% increase sounds horrible to people," he added. "But in the long run it will allow us to put together projects that will allow us to serve them better in the future."

louis.sahagun@latimes.com

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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LASD contract cities have nowhere to turn

2009-07-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

This was an issue we brought up with the city of Lakewood over two years ago. Namely that without competitive bidding contract cities like Lakewood may be getting ripped off. In the sectors where there is real private competition (like street sweeping, tree trimming, trash collection etc.) the city is arguably well served by at least appearing to have used some competitive bidding. But given the length of time some private contractors have been "serving" Lakewood one really starts to wonder just how much these budget increases are due to lack of competitive bidding.

In the law enforcement arena this is doubly so. The problem of course is that the LASD services are offered on a take it or leave it basis. Surely Baca laughs off any complaints by Lakewood as we just built his deputies a $20 million new locker room. So its not like we can drop the LASD at the drop of a hat and get other law enforcement. Thats a real problem and its starts to breed the problems set forth in the story below. The first was total lack of accountability and oversight as to how the "liability trust fund" money was being spent. This issue has been brewing for years and there is still no resolution. Clearly the current situation with the trust fund was brought about due to pressure (in secret) by the deputies labor union.

The other problem is an unclear chain of command and lack of real accountability. The city council only has moderate control over the LASD as a contract city. This is unlike the control cities have over their own city police departments.

The other problem (as exemplified by the trust fund issue) is that cities that have few deputy "problems" (i.e. lawsuits) end up paying a larger share of the "rogue deputy cases" involving "shootings gone bad" etc. that occur in cities that have more crime problems or police clashes with citizens. Again this does not work in Lakewood's favor.

Finally this lack of real bargaining position by the small contract cities is resulting in costs just being passed on to the cities with no real way to control or curtail them, again because the city really does not "run" the LASD and has little ability to control costs other than when at the yearly "bargaining" table.

This lack of real bargaining power due to a lack of alternatives is fostering runaway costs. In FY 2007-2008 the Lakewood LASD contract was $8,862,113.00 (or approx. $216 per year for each registered voter in the city...such a deal!) The FY 2009-2010 the Lakewood LASD contract was $10,423,367.00 (or approx. $254 per year for each registered voter in the city). That is a 17.6% increase! How is this possible with no inflation and almost flat cost of living increases (how many of you in the private sector got a 17% raise in 2009-10?)

So what to do. Well surely we cant continue to deal with LASD the same way as in years past. We need to look at their services and cost of delivery like we would with any other contractor...more critically, especially in light of the budget probles we are sure to have over the next 5 years. One of the problems is that certain people on this city council are probably not very objective when looking at the LASD negotiations or service efficiency.

The other problem is where to turn for a competitive bid. Long Beach PD is an obvious choice but they have their own problems, mostly budgetary. But the real issue is would adding Lakewood to their patrol area and a large chuck of cash to their budget improve not only Lakewood bargaining position with LASD but also raise up the LBPD situation? The other option is looking at starting a city police force but pooling common resources with other small contract cities. Drawbacks include bringing in the same "bad apple" officers that are problems now at LASD. LASD also touts that we get "bonus" services like SWAT and the LASD crime lab etc. included in the deal. However that is not a free "add on". Also when was the last time we needed SWAT in Lakewood? And given the new crime lab's reputation its clearly no bargain.

We think given the way the state and country are headed budget wise that Lakewood is going to have a very tough budgetary road for the next 5 years (Lakewood admits that). The sales tax declines are also going to hurt badly and we dont see that improving any time soon. And we dont see LASD helping Lakewood financially in the future.

We think its time for some real competitive bidding.

http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_12765178
La Habra Heights to consider ousting sheriff's; look elsewhere for police contract
By Mike Sprague Staff Writer
Posted: 07/06/2009 11:00:00 PM PDT

LA HABRA HEIGHTS - The tiny rural community of La Habra Heights is at the vanguard of group of cities considering dumping the Sheriff's Department.

La Habra Heights City Manager Shauna Clark will ask the City Council at its 7:30 p.m. meeting Thursday to give her permission to consider contracting for police services with another agency and consider leaving the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

La Habra Heights is among 40 cities that contract with the Sheriff's Department refusing to renew. They are upset that Los Angeles County is forcing them to pay for legal liability in criminal misconduct cases against deputies.

Calls Monday to La Ca ada Flintridge, Duarte and the California Contract Cities Association were not returned. Officials in La Ca ada Flintridge and Duarte have criticized the new contract language.

The cities have threatened to sue the county after it took $5 million from the liability trust fund to settle a case against a Compton deputy who raped three women while on duty.

The cities pay for the fund, which currently has $52 million.

"We don't get to choose our deputies," Clark said. "We don't get to train them. For a small city like us, a large lawsuit in a case like that could break us."

It could mean that La Habra Heights, population 5,712, must purchase additional general liability insurance and establish a liability reserve, she said.

David Sommers, spokesman for Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, said the liability issue may be on its way to being solved.

"We're pretty close to a final resolution," he said. "The talks are still ongoing and the supervisor is hopeful that it will be resolved shortly."

Sommers said he believes the issue between the cities and the county could be smoothed out.

"For more than 50 years, the contract city relationship has worked well," he said.

"Contract cities are the number one customer of the county," he said. "There are more residents in contract cities than in unincorporated areas. They are our No. 1 customer and we have a responsibility to provide excellent customer service."

Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina has said that if the issue isn't resolved by Aug. 31, the contracts with cities won't be renewed.

The contracts were due to expire July 1, but the county extended them until Aug. 31.

In La Habra Heights, liability isn't the only issue.

Clark also is concerned about the rising costs of sheriff's services.

The cost for patrols rose a combined 47 percent over the last five years. In contrast, property tax - the city's main revenue source - increased by only 21 percent during that time.

One possible provider of police services could be Whittier.

Whittier City Manager Steve Helvey said patrolling La Habra Heights might not make financial sense for his city due to its small size and distance from Whittier.

The Sheriff's Department typically only keeps one car in the community.

"We'd still have to be prepared to send in other units," he said. "It's probably not the most convenient situation."

He needs to talk it over with the Whittier City Council, he said.

Should the issue remain unresolved, La Mirada could be another city that would look elsewhere for services, said Councilman Hal Malkin.

One of the last area cities to leave the Sheriff's Department was Santa Fe Springs, which contracted with Whittier for police services in 1995.

mike.sprague@sgvn.com

(562) 698-0955, Ext. 3022

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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Our hopes went up in smoke

2009-07-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

Well we had high hopes for July 4, 2009. Things were looking up July 1-3 when sales at the fireworks stands were way down for the first three days they were allowed to open (July 1-3). We were hoping the economy was finally knocking some sense into people's heads. Why pay $200.00 for some fire and smoke when you can go to a public fireworks display for free? But alas Lakewood residents did not disappoint come July 4. By 8:30 things were rockin'. It seems that those that like to make the most noise and irritate the most people and pets are apparently doing well in the recession and spent like mad on "Chinese safe and sane" fire and sparks being pedalled by our "good friends" over at TNT (who appear to have gobbled up most of their competition) But we had hope. We saw a few LASD Sheriff cars cruising around with smirking deputies (knowing they were halfway to buying that new boat with fireworks duty OT).

But alas as 11 pm came and went the big guns came out (big illegal "fireworks"). And where were the sheriff's? I guess they had mostly gone home for the night having used up all the amount Lakewood budgeted for the holiday weekend (160 deputy hours for $10.931...fyi thats $68.31 per hour for that fine sheriff "protection" for a grand total of 16 deputies for one 10 hr shift...such a deal!). Also note that none of the clubs benefiting from these sales or TNT which benefits the most offered to pick up the any of these extra costs. At least the Lakers and AEG picked up some of the Lakers parade OT costs. Hear that TNT?

Calls to LASD station after midnight were met with 20 min hold times. When you did get through residents reported a litany of stupid questions (after you reported "illegal fireworks" at a specific address were still being shot off well after the 11 pm cut off). Questions like:

"how long has this been going on?"
Who cares? Its illegal! Its midnight already!

"What is the cross street?"
What you dont know the city street grid by now...how long have you been patrolling...or have you ever?

"What color is the house?"
Its midnight you idiot how am I supposed to know the color of the house?

"How many people are at the house?"
Are you serious? Who cares? How should we know? Do you need to know haw many tasers to bring?

All the time this was going on you could hear the rocket scientist on the phone typing this in. Oh and their tone of voice over at LASD is usually one of "why are you bothering us...go away you bothersome resident..." (I assume in the new sheriff locker room the words are not so kind)

Most of the time this is done after the long hold time so that callers will eventually just hang up and give up (and never call back). That is the way LASD works; make it a pain for people to report problems, then show up two hours later and do nothing. After two hours you know everyone will be gone from the scene so thats even better. You can bill 2 hrs for the call, honestly say you drove by but nothing was seen. How true! This is typical even on low call volume days.

So Capt. Christy Guyovich's "pleas" or "warnings" (depending on your vantage point) were nothing more than words or idol threats at best. The third 4th of July since the March 2006 "Dunrobin" (Brian Miler) "incident" and we really dont have much to show in terms of progress. Can't wait to hear the post July 4th spin from City Hall. They need to hire some retired Bush spokespersons to boost their credibility.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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2009 fireworks displays..see any on June 27th?

2009-07-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder why Lakewood does their display so early? (June 27 2009). Do you think there would be fewer problems with illegal displays in the city if they did the display on July 4 like they used to years ago and most cities do currently? Given the budget crisis that were are in and the fact that the professional displays can cost upwards of $80,000 we think Lakewood should eliminate the professional display or hold it on July 4. Unless we change Independence day to June 27. Plus we can save on law enforcement costs as all the 'activity" is on one day (not spread over two weekends)

LOS ANGELES COUNTY
(all events below are on July 4, 2009 unless otherwise noted) The cities of Pico Rivera and Placentia are not be holding fireworks presentations in 2009.

Artesia: Fireworks at 9 p.m. Artesia Park, Elaine Avenue and South Street. (562) 860-3361.

Baldwin Park: Program starts at 5 p.m.; fireworks at 9 p.m. Sierra Vista High School, 3600 N. Frazier Ave. (626) 813-5245.

Calabasas: Gates open at 5 p.m., fireworks at 9 p.m. Calabasas High School, 22855 Mulholland Highway. $10. (818) 222-2782.

Castaic Lake: Program begins at 5 p.m.; fireworks at 9 p.m. All-day entrance to the park is $25 per car or $5 per person. Castaic Lake Recreation Area, 32132 Ridge Route Road, Castaic. (661) 257-4050.

Cerritos: Fireworks at 9 p.m. Cerritos High School, 12500 183rd St. (562) 916-1254.

Claremont: Program begins at 6:30 p.m., fireworks at 9 p.m. Pomona College, 340 N. College Ave. $6-$8. (909) 399-5460.

Commerce: Fireworks at 9 p.m. Rosewood Park, 5600 Harbor St. (323) 887-4427.

Diamond Bar: Festivities begin at 5 p.m. and fireworks start at 9 p.m. Diamond Bar High School, 21400 Pathfinder Road. (909) 594-1405.

Hollywood: John Fogerty concert begins at 7:30 p.m. and fireworks at 10 p.m. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave. $12-$116. (323) 850.2000.

Huntington Park: Program begins at 2 p.m., fireworks at 9 p.m. Salt Lake Park, 3401 E. Florence Ave. (323) 584-6218.

Inglewood: Program begins at 11 a.m., fireworks at dusk. Edward Vincent Jr. Park, 700 Warren Lane. (310) 412-5370.

Lake View Terrace: Program begins at noon, fireworks at 9 p.m. Hansen Dam Amphitheatre, 11770 Foothill Blvd. (818) 899-8087.

Lancaster: Gates open at 6:30 p.m.; fireworks at 9 p.m. Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, Avenue H at California 14. (661) 723-6077.

Los Angeles: Festival and jazz concert 1 p.m to 5 p.m. in Leimert Village at the Vision Theater, 3341 W. 43rd Place. Fireworks from the Coliseum at dusk. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 3911 S. Figueroa St., L.A. (213) 485-7616.

Marina del Rey: Fireworks at 9 p.m. Fisherman's Village, 13755 Fiji Way. (310) 305-9545.

Palmdale: Gates open at 6:30 p.m.; music starts at 7:30 p.m. followed by fireworks. Palmdale High School, 2137 E. Ave. R. (661) 267-5611.

Pasadena: Family festival begins at noon. Fireworks at 9:05 p.m.; Rose Bowl, 1001 Rose Bowl Drive. $13; 7 and younger, free. (626) 577-3101.

Redondo Beach: Program begins at 2 p.m., fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Seaside Lagoon, 200 Portofino Way. $12-$300. (310) 746-7650.

Rosemead: Program begins at 12:30 p.m., fireworks at dusk. Rosemead Park, 4343 Encinita Ave. (626) 569-2256.

Santa Catalina Island: Fireworks at 9 p.m. can be seen from anywhere in Avalon. (310) 510-1520.

Santa Fe Springs: Fireworks start at 9 p.m. Los Nietos Park, 11143 Charlesworth Road, Santa Fe Springs. (562) 948-1986.

South El Monte: All-day festivities with fireworks at 9 p.m. South El Monte High School, 1001 Durfee Ave. (626) 579-2043.

Studio City: Program begins at 6 p.m., fireworks at 9 p.m. CBS Studio Center, 4024 Radford Ave. Adults $15, Children (6-12) $8, Children 5 and younger are free. (818) 655-5916.

Torrance: Fireworks at 9 p.m. Wilson Park, 2200 Crenshaw Blvd. (310) 372-2166.

Valencia: Fireworks at 9 p.m., off the roof of a parking structure, can be seen from the Valencia Town Center parking lot, 24201 W. Valencia Blvd. (661) 287-9050.

Walnut: Program begins at 7 p.m.; fireworks at 9 p.m. Suzanne Park, 625 Suzanne Road. (909) 598-5605.

Woodland Hills: Program begins at 6 p.m., fireworks at 9:05 p.m. Warner Park, 5800 Topanga Canyon Blvd. (818) 704-1358

ORANGE COUNTY

Aliso Viejo: Program starts at 6 p.m., fireworks at 9 p.m. Grand Park, Aliso Viejo Town Center, near Aliso Creek Road and Pacific Park Drive. (949) 448-5922.

Anaheim: Canyon Hills community celebration begins with annual Mary Castle Memorial run at 7:30 a.m. Fireworks at 9 p.m., Peralta Park, 115 N. Pinney St. (714) 283-6653.

Dana Point Harbor: Fireworks at 9 p.m., launched from a barge in the harbor. Dana Point Harbor Drive. (949) 248-3530.

Fullerton: Gates open at 5 p.m.; fireworks at 9 p.m. Fullerton High School, 201 E. Chapman Ave. (714) 738-6545.

Huntington Beach: All-day community celebration culminates with fireworks at 9 p.m. Huntington Beach Pier Plaza, Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street. (714) 536-5486.

Laguna Hills: Gates open at 4 p.m., fireworks at 9 p.m. Laguna Hills Community Center, 25555 Alicia Parkway, Laguna Hills. (949) 707-2680.

Los Alamitos: Gates open at 2 p.m., fireworks at 9 p.m. Valid ID will be required for adults. Joint Forces Training Base, Katella Avenue and Lexington Drive. (714) 229-6780.

Mission Viejo: Street fair starts at noon with fireworks at 9 p.m. Olympiad Road between Marguerite Parkway and Melinda Road. (949) 830-7066.

Newport Beach. Fireworks at 9 p.m. Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort, 1131 Back Bay Drive. $50 per car for five all-day wristbands. (949) 729-DUNE; www.newportdunes.com.

City of Orange. Program starts 4 p.m., July 3, fireworks at dusk. Fred Kelly Stadium, 3920 E. Spring St. $5 for anyone older than 2. (714) 744-7278.

San Juan Capistrano: Program starts 4 p.m., fireworks at dusk. San Juan Capistrano Sports Park, 25925 Camino del Avion. (949) 493-5911.

Yorba Linda: Gates open at 5 p.m., fireworks at 9 p.m. Yorba Linda Middle School, 4777 Casa Loma Ave. (714) 961-7100.

VENTURA COUNTY

Camarillo: Program starts 4 p.m., fireworks at 9 p.m. Adolfo Camarillo High School, 4660 Mission Oaks Blvd. $2 for adults and older children, free for children 5 and younger. (805) 388-5307.

Simi Valley: Gates open at 4 p.m., fireworks at 9 p.m. Rancho Santa Susana Community Park, 5005 Los Angeles Ave. (805) 584-4400.

Thousand Oaks: A daylong celebration concludes with fireworks at 9 p.m., with best viewing from the Oaks Mall and Janss Marketplace parking lots. The Oaks Mall, 222 W. Hillcrest Drive. (805) 381-2747.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Fontana: Program begins at 2 p.m., fireworks at 9:15 p.m. Auto Club Speedway, 9300 Cherry Ave. Adults $20, Children (7-12) $10, Children 6 and younger are free. (800) 944-7223.

Indio: Program begins at 5 p.m., fireworks at 9 p.m. Riverside County Fairgrounds, 82-503 Highway 111. (800) 811-3247.

Palm Desert: Concert starts at 7:15 p.m., fireworks at 9 p.m. Palm Desert Civic Center Park, Fred Waring Drive and San Pablo Avenue. (760) 346-0611.

Temecula: Program begins at 2 p.m.; fireworks at 9 p.m. Ronald Reagan Sports Park, 30875 Rancho Vista Road. (951) 694-6480.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle? Thats what we think of Lakewood's half baked attempt at curbside recycling

2009-04-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

It is good to see Lakewood join the majority of cities in LA County and step up to curbside recycling to try and reach the AB 939 mandated diversion goals. Lakewood is quite a few years late to the curbside recycling game however. Bellflower for example made the switch at least 10 years ago. Even Paramount beat Lakewood! But better late than never. We called into question over a year ago Lakewood's recycling percentage "claims". Your slide presentation implies that Lakewood is still not meeting its diversion and recycling goals. It also appears that Lakewood is in the bottom 5% of cities in LA county as far as diversion rates.

I saw the staff presentation slide show (there was no written report). I hope that Lakewood has surveyed all the other similar cities to learn what works and what does not.

Here are some areas we are currently concerned about your proposed plan:

1. Cost. Yes we know you indicated that costs will be the same (only thru 2010) as the current collection service but there were no surveys done to compare Lakewood's new service to other cities service. We hope that the city surveys all other cities with similar programs to determine if the proposed month costs are above or below the average (and posts the results of that survey promptly on its website) Also it would seem that since residents were now doing the sorting themselves instead of being sorted by a facility, that costs would go down. Perhaps you should give small carts away free but charge for all larger ones.

2. Green waste. Keeping our old cans for green waste seems like a responsible idea but we do not know of any other cities doing that. We also see an opportunity for fraud here by residents slipping garbage into the old cans. It also needs to be limited by the numbers of old cans residents can set out. The other problem is that this preserves the quaint "back alley" look to Lakewood streets by keeping all the old beat up, mismatched, overflowing trash cans instead of replacing them with all new carts that match, have lids that stay closed and dont tip over so easily.

3. Remember the the three R's that you like to put on all your fliers. REDUCE, reuse, recycle. As far as "reduce" (the first 'R') residents need to be charged as they are for every other utility: by the amount they use. The more waste you put into the system the more you should be charged. Some of this cost can be recovered by charging more per month for the collection of larger carts and for the collection of more than one standard sized green waste can (self supplied). Failure to do this might cause residents to think your three 'R' campaign is a bit hypocritical or that its all hot air or 'greenhouse gas' anyway...

4. No penalties for co-mingling trash with recyclables? Well this is typical of Lakewood's lack of enforcement of other city ordinances. The fear of irritating a few residents and loosing a few votes paralyzes the councils thinking and action. If some lazy person does not want to do their part why should other residents doing their job by separating recyclables pay more (through increased duping costs passed along to all residents) for those that are simply too lazy to do what many residents are already doing? This lack of penalty (and likely enforcement) will doom the entire purpose of the system.

5. Parking (yes the sacred 'P' word) With trucks making three passes in front of your house the city better reconsider allowing parking on the street on trash days. No parking will make it safer and faster to collect the trash. Also as the new trucks are automated, not parking on the street would allow them to line up better with the new cans and pick them up with less human manual input for alignment and collection.

6. Scavengers. Most cities enact ordinances that prevent scavengers from profiting off the separated curbside recyclables. As there is no separation going on now (except for those of us that really care about the environment) there is no need to prevent scavengers. But once separation is widespread (we hope) then scavengers will be a problem as we will be the only city in the area with no anti scavenging ordinance. This is likely to be a problem.

Overall I think Lakewood has finally woke up and realized that they have to put some teeth into their recycling effort or there will be some serious cost increases hitting Lakewood residents in the near future. But from the looks of this plan all we see is non sorted trash and just enough non compliance to ruin any chances of lowering our "tipping" or dumping fees. Lakewood's three R's are just what we thought: just words printed on slick paper ("Lakewood Living" newsletters) that fill the landfill. (oh and we would like to know what percentage of that paper is "post consumer recycled")

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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Sheriff's fail to timely warn parents of school molester

2009-04-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

The print media failed to pick up on the anger most Lakewood parents have expressed at LASD (Lakewood Sheriff's) in TV news reports. Most were rightfully upset when they realized that this crime occurred on April 14 2009 (Tuesday) yet nothing was released to the media until the story appeared on the news on April 22, 2009 (Wed). No excuse for the delay was given by LASD. It seems to us that if you want to catch a perpetrator you get the sketch out the same day the crime it occurs, not EIGHT days later. This is especially true if you want to warn parents and teachers to protect against the perpetrator who could strike again. Way to go Lakewood Sheriff's department. I guess the school kids were not the only ones on vacation last week.

Sheriff's (LASD) Search For Lakewood Child Molester
LAKEWOOD, Calif. (CBS) ―

Sheriff's deputies want the public to be on the lookout for a man who exposed himself to a 12-year-old girl attending a spring break program at a Lakewood elementary school.

The girl was walking down a hallway at Samuel Gompers Elementary on April 14 when she was approached by the man, Sheriff's spokeswoman Sgt. Diane Hecht said.

The man put his hands on the girl's hips, then exposed himself and began laughing. He walked out of the school a few seconds later, Hecht said.

The suspect was described as a man between 18 and 25 years of age. He is approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 160 pounds. He has crooked teeth, spiked blond hair and blue eyes, as well as a tattoo of a snake or dragon on the left side of his neck. He was also wearing a hoop earring.

He drove away in a champagne-colored, four-door Chevrolet Tahoe.

Anyone with information about his identity or whereabouts can call Sgt. Dan Scott of the Special Victims Bureau at (562) 946-8282, or a 24-hour tip line at (866) 247-5877.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
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Yoshinoya to open at south and woodfruff

2009-03-11T22:02:00.001-07:00

There is a new Yoshinoya Beef Bowl fast food restaurant opening next to the existing Fresh and Easy market at South and Woodruff. No date on the expected opening but construction is moving briskly at least for now. We believe that the Yoshinoya at South and Palo Verde is still open (and one of the few remaining tenants at that strip mall disaster; more on that later). It is possible that that store may close as it is very close to this new one.

When the Fresh and Easy opened in Nov 2007 it did not use all of the space that had been used by the old Petco. It has taken 15 months to sublease that extra space and it is still not clear if the Yoshinoya will use all the space or not.

It seems that South and Woodruff is attracting all the attention as it is larger than the South and Bellflower shopping area and has larger anchor tenants. Yet progress is slowly being made on the new parking lot at the old Vons. Apparently they are going to subdivide the old Vons as its just too hard to lease a single tenant space that large. And in case you haven't heard the supermarket biz is not going gangbusters these days.

We hear that much of the delay at that Vons site was the city itself not the landlord. What a surprise. A complaint we hear frequently now. Apparently the city could care less about helping businesses to open quickly. They are more interested in red tape and pumping fees out of starving tenants. Nothing new for typical low level bureaucrats who have never worked in the private sector. I have talked to a number of remodeling commercial tenants and as amazing as it sounds in this recession the city does not appear to be in any hurry to get businesses up and running. Apparently the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce is not reaching out either.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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Local Unemployment figures for January 2009

2009-03-07T15:02:00.000-08:00

These are very interesting numbers and shows the wide disparity of impact of the recession. We need to know what the relative figures were before Dec 2007 when the recession officially started to make any sense out of these numbers. We suspect that the relative disparity in numbers was about the same before the recession.

JOBLESS FIGURES

Unemployment rates as of January 2009

California: 10.1 percent

Los Angeles County: 10.8 percent

Bellflower: 11 percent

Cerritos: 5.9 percent

Compton: 18.4 percent

Cypress: 8 percent

Downey: 8.7 percent

Hawthorne: 14 percent

Lakewood: 7 percent

Long Beach: 11.9 percent

Los Alamitos: 3.8 percent

Los Angeles: 12 percent

Manhattan Beach: 3.8 percent

Norwalk: 11.4 percent

Palos Verdes Estates: 2.2 percent

Paramount: 15.8 percent

Redondo Beach: 5.7 percent

Seal Beach: 5.5 percent

Signal Hill: 8.1 percent

Torrance: 5.4 percent

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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Fresh & Easy not looking so good

2009-03-04T22:12:00.000-08:00

As we reported about a year ago, Fresh and Easy opened with great fanfare in November 2007 but its parent company Tesco PLC is getting hammered in the market. Its stock price is down. Tesco is the U.K.’s biggest supermarket chain. Its share of grocery spending dropped to the lowest in three years last month as shoppers turned to Wal-Mart Stores. Tesco’s share of the UK market fell to 30.3 percent in the 12 weeks ended Feb. 22.

Of course the other problem is that Fresh and Easy is not going smoothly in the USA as it appears that the marketing gurus that conceived of the concept did not do their homework that well and made some big assumptions that are turning out to be wrong. This marketing article details the problems.

Of course Costco just opened at the mall (first ever in a mall setting) at the worst time in history. More on Costco here

We have noticed many more "red tag" specials at Pavillions and Vons lately, likely in response to Costco pressure and pressure by Safeway (which owns Vons and Pavillions) on name brand food suppliers to lower their prices. The Wall St. Journal did a recent article on this issue. This is also placing pressure on Fresh and Easy.

So we have a race to the bottom in retail, which includes food retailers. We have a long way to go before this over and its likely to get worse. The retail landscape may completely change by the time this "depression" is over. How Lakewood and its shoppers will fare is anyone's guess.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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Costco is not immune from the recession

2009-03-04T10:02:00.000-08:00

Costco Wholesale Corp.'s second-quarter earnings fell 27%, while the quarterly profit generated by rival BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. rose 4.8%, financial results showed this week.
Costco's profit for the second quarter ended Feb. 15 fell more than expected. Shares of Costco, down 23% so far this year. The results reflected lagging demand for non-food items and increased discounts and price reductions to attract budget-conscious shoppers. Quarterly profit at Costco fell to $239.7 million, or 55 cents a share, from $327.9 million, or 74 cents, earned in the year-earlier second quarter. Total revenue, reflecting membership fees, eased to $16.84 billion from $16.96 billion, off 0.7%. Costco also cut prices or held back increases in an intense industry fight for market share with rivals including the Sam's Club. The recession and rising job losses also have led shoppers to cut back on bulk purchases

BJ's Wholesale (a Costco competitor only on the east coast) came in with financial results that exceeded expectations and reported fourth-quarter profit rose 4.8% to $52.7 million, or 91 cents a share, from $50.2 million, or 80 cents, earned in the same period a year earlier.

Big Lots (another Lakewood retailer) said fourth-quarter profit fell 14% to $78.8 million, or 96 cents a share, from $92 million, or $1.04, a year earlier.

So the verdict is still out on Costco at the mall. Customer traffic has been brisk the first week but we will want to see how that holds up once the novelty wears off. Plus this store is just cannibalizing traffic from the Norwalk and Long Beach Costcos. The state of retail will likely undergo a metamorphosis in the next 12 months. Who knows what Lakewood retail will look like by then.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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Now we're "policing" the sheriffs...

2009-03-03T22:16:00.000-08:00

I guess this is good news but a few lawsuits too late. As we said last year, bad cops discharged from one agency for "problems" should NEVER be able to work in law enforcement again, given that its virtually impossible to get fired as a cop unless you are a complete idiot or psychopath. Oh and now LASD wants to take federal stimulus money and hire some more of these gems? I say lets save the money to clean up the mess from the last "recruiting drive".

http://www.publicradio.org/columns/kpcc/kpccnewsinbrief/2009/03/los-angeles-county-supervisors.html

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today ordered a watchdog agency to monitor sheriff’s deputies hired in the last three years. The action follows a report by the country’s Office of Independent Review; it found the department had lowered standards during a hiring push. Mike Gennaco heads the office.

Mike Gennaco: “One of the illustrations that’s noted in our report was an individual who had been hired by another agency up in Northern California, had run into problems with that agency – particularly allegations of unnecessary or excessive force – and eventually was released from that agency for that very reason.”

The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department hired that individual, who later left because of problems with use of excessive force. The department hired about 2700 of its 9,000 deputies under relaxed standards. The Office of Independent Review will monitor those deputies for their first five years with the department.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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We need more fireworks money?

2009-03-03T22:03:00.000-08:00

I guess this is the reason these "sports" groups need so much fireworks money...fraud. If this guy allegedly took $59,000, how much was their available to take? Was there so much cash floating around that the embezzler did not think they would miss the money? I think the city seriously needs to start taking a closer look at how all that fireworks money is being spent. Looks to us like its going up in smoke. Also of note the LASD was not the agency that uncovered this. Likely too busy trying to push their own problems to the back page of the news.

Embezzlement charges filed
COURTS: Ex-president of sporting league is accused of taking $59,000.
By Tracy Manzer and Sandy Mazza, Staff Writers
Posted: 03/02/2009
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_11823185?nclick_check=1

Embezzlement charges were filed against a 40-year-old Lakewood man, who is among three people accused of stealing from local youth sports groups in two separate crimes, authorities said Monday.

Michael Sweet was arrested at his Lakewood home on Thursday and appeared in Torrance Superior Court that same day to answer to a charge of embezzling nearly $60,000 from the Pacific Coast Football Association, an umbrella group that oversees a number of community youth sports groups, including Lakewood Pacific Junior Football, according to the Redondo Beach Police Department.

Sweet, who served as president of the Pacific Coast organization until his resignation last year, is accused of writing $59,000 worth of checks from the umbrella group's bank account to pay personal bills over several months in 2008, Redondo Beach Police Lt. Paul Wrightsman said.

Redondo Beach investigators began looking into Sweet while investigating two other women who served on the board of the Redondo Beach Youth Football and Cheer Association and who were accused of pocketing the smaller group's snack bar money, police said.

Patricia Cotton, 63, of Buena Park, and Alesia Fleming, 42, of Palmdale, were arrested the same day as Sweet and arraigned on charges of stealing the concession stand money from the Redondo group while they served on its board of directors, Wrightsman said.

Cotton was the president, and Fleming was the treasurer.

The charge against Sweet does not include the time he served as president of the Lakewood Pacific Junior Football group, authorities said Monday.

Neither Sweet, nor anyone else with the Pacific Coast Football Association, could be reached for comment Monday.

tracy.manzer@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1261.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
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Can't pick out the good guys from the bad guys

2009-02-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

Well this makes complete sense now. The reason the LASD screws up so much is they hire bottom of the barrel people for $70,000+ of your tax dollars each year, which does not include gold plated pensions (to retire at 50) and lifetime healthcare for your family. Oh by all means hire more. Lakewood is falling all over itself to hire even more of these gems with its $800,000 in "Stimulus" money it is counting on (don't count your chickens before they hatch as they say) Just think each brand spanking new deputy sheriff we hire represents a whole career of mistakes (like taser deaths and shootings) that we we get to pay for on top of it. Oh and there wont be any stimulus money to pay for those lawsuits. Just since January of 2008 there were 36 lawsuits filed against the LASD in one district in federal court. That does not include state court filed suits or other personal injury claims that were settled before filing. The total is likely three times that number and that is just for 2008! Cops tell me that the reason for the high starting salary is to get high quality recruits. Well that theory is out the window. Sounds like union speak to me.

And this hiring has been going on since 2006? I guess that explains why things are going down hill so fast. It probably now takes two new deputies at twice they pay each to do the job of the one they replaced. And Baca wants to continue to highlight these guys in a reality TV show?

The news is certainly looking up for the Sheriff's department. What can the taxpayers do about it? Nothing as long as the city council does not care. Just hope you dont get tased

In new hiring push, Sheriff's Department gives jobs to deputies with criminal records
February 19, 2009
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/02/amid-an-aggress.html

Amid an aggressive push to bolster its ranks with thousands of new deputies, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department loosened its hiring practices and gave jobs to recruits who in the past would have been rejected, according to an LASD watchdog report released Thursday.

Among those hired were applicants with criminal records, drug and alcohol problems and financial woes. One recruit, for example, had been fired for excessive force from another police agency. Another was hired despite being a suspected car thief and resigned months later after being arrested on assault charges. A third candidate was a heavy marijuana and steroid abuser who had been arrested and convicted of underage drinking shortly before he applied to become an LASD deputy.

The report, written by the county’s Office of Independent Review, criticized the LASD for its 2006 decision to abandon a strict hiring policy, in which aspiring sheriff’s deputies were automatically disqualified if they failed to pass an exacting background check or any other part of the application process. In its place, the report found, the department adopted a more “holistic” approach that allowed applicants to be hired if officials determined they had reformed themselves or that past mistakes were insignificant.

The change came as the department was ramping up its hiring. Coming off several years of stiff budget constraints in which the size of the department shrank significantly, sheriff’s officials set out to make up for lost ground in 2006, more than doubling the number of hires from the year before.

“They had a mission and that mission was to hire deputies,” said Michael Gennaco, head of the Office of Independent Review, which oversees the LASD. “Unfortunately, it may have come at a price.”

-- Joel Rubin

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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Nordstrom "Rack" to open in Lakewood Center in Fall 2010

2009-02-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

According to a press release dated Feb 18, 2009 Nordstrom, Inc. announced it will open a 33,400-square-foot Nordstrom Rack, a unit of the company's off-price retail division, at Lakewood Center in fall 2010. This will be the fourteenth Nordstrom Rack in the greater Orange County/Los Angeles area, including three new Rack stores scheduled to open in 2009 and 2010. The company also operates 16 Nordstrom stores in the Orange County/Los Angeles area, including a store at Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, Calif. that will relocate to a brand new store within the mall in spring 2010. Nordstrom Rack is the company's off-price retail division offering savings of 30 to 70 percent on apparel and accessories. Apparently Lakewood is not upscale enough for a "regular" Nordstrom. Really, we assume it is only because Cerritos got theirs first and Lakewood's gamble on the Macy's store did not pay off. Oh well in this recession a "discount" Nordstroms will likely do better than a full price Nordstrom. But who knows what the economy will be like 2 years from now when it finally opens. No word on if a new store will be built or if it will occupy some existing space. Likely the former. Plus that will create JOBS! Also this appears to be a deal between the mall owner Macerich and Nordstroms and has nothing to do with any actions taken by the city council.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

click here to receive LAAG posts by email

Taser Reunion.

2009-02-17T15:35:00.000-08:00

Talk about timing. Well obviously the filing of this Dupree taser lawsuit could not have been a coincidence. On the heels of the February 14, 2009 taser death in Lakewood here comes the Federal lawsuit for last years screw up which paralyzed the victim. Sheriff's Baca's former bodyguard made the call to use the taser. Seriously you could write novels and TV shows using the real life antics of the Sheriff's Department. As long as there is no crime or serious incidents they are fine. But once something happens that requires command decisions or judgement or follow thru, look out. Disaster is just around the corner. But hey no worries. The taxpayers just bail out the Sheriff's and the screw up officers move on to their next screw up. Great system. Cost effective too.

We keep saying it over and over. The screwups have to go. These are the same types of screwups that started this website in March 2006. That was when the Sheriff's could not connect the dots on "fireworks man" Brian Miller who finally blew his house up with illegal fireworks and damaged others. Many people filed complaints for years. Nothing happened. The same incompetence is at work with Dupree. Even if these incidents dont affect you directly they are getting costly for us to pay as this all gets added to Lakewood's "LASD bill" at the end of the year. This and all the screw ups from the rest of the other LASD stations. So what can we do? Nothing I guess as our city council is powerless over them or fearful of them (apparently) and one of their own sits on the city council so its a little hard for the City Council to criticise LASD. Internal investigations are a complete waste of time unless outside investigators are involved. I don't know what it is. I would like to blame management but I don't think that is all of it. I think its just poor training, too large of an agency, poor over sight and management practices due to poor management vision, an aging infrastructure built upon unnecessary secrecy, and people that are just not qualified to do the job, which is sad given that they are some of the highest paid in the country.

The information below is from www.officer.com/online/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=45457 (a pro police website) LAAG comments are in italics

On Tuesday [2/17/09], sheriff's officials said five deputies, including a lieutenant, were disciplined for their roles in the case. The lieutenant was demoted to the rank of sergeant, officials said. [LAAG: this incident occurred in Feb 2007 and the deputies were just now disciplined TWO years later? Or was that just an announcement date? If the latter when exactly did the internal investigation conclude?]

Michael Gennaco, head of the Office of Independent Review, which monitors the Sheriff's Department, said the top supervisor was demoted for his actions in approving the Taser usage because the decision "fell below the performance expectations for the department."

Gennaco said the department has since enacted a policy for cell extraction in the station jails to prevent such events from occurring again. "When a Taser is used on someone on top of a bunk, it doesn't take much to realize the outcome will be a person falling," he said. [LAAG: so lets get this straight; the incident is in Feb 2007 and LASD still did not have a policy regarding using a taser in custody situations and they are the largest jailer in the USA? Great management and forethought for one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the country. Just wing it I guess and rely on "quick thinking" deputies and the taxpayers to "remedy" bad situations]

Man paralyzed in Taser incident sues L.A. County Sheriff's Department
12:36 PM, February 17, 2009
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/02/jail-bunk-bed.html

A man left paralyzed below the chest after he fell from the top bunk of a jail bed at the Lakewood sheriff's station when a deputy used a stun gun on him sued the department today for violating his civil rights.

Blake Dupree filed the federal lawsuit for battery, assault and negligence against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, several deputies and two sheriff’s supervisors for the incident, much of which was captured on videotape. The two supervisors are the subject of an internal misconduct investigation for authorizing the use of a stun gun because Dupree refused to come out of his cell and submit to electronic fingerprinting.

According to the lawsuit, Dupree was standing from four to seven feet above the concrete jail floor on a bunk with his hands raised in a defensive posture Feb. 27, 2007, when he was stunned with a Taser gun, which delivers a 50,000-volt shock. The suit alleges Dupree fell and, instead of giving him medical treatment, sheriff’s supervisors ordered him to stand up and deputies carried him to the fingerprint area and dumped him on the floor.

“Defendants’ actions rendered Plaintiff paraplegic. Plaintiff has no use of his mid to lower torso or legs, and limited use of his arms,” wrote Dupree's attorney, Justin Sanders. "Deputies knew Dupree’s muscles would be incapacitated by the electro-muscular disruption of the Taser rendering him unable to break his fall."

Sheriff Lee Baca told The Times last year that "common sense" should have dictated that using the Taser on Dupree was inappropriate while he was on the bunk and likely to fall as a result of being shocked. The suit was filed after settlement negotiations broke down with the 22-year-old Dupree in Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey.

After the incident, the Sheriff’s Department launched an investigation to determine whether use of the Taser violated department policy, Sanders said. Department rules prohibit using the device on "persons in danger of falling or becoming entangled in machinery or heavy equipment which could result in death or serious bodily injury."

Despite the prohibition, the policy allows for supervisors to decide whether use of a Taser is warranted on a case-by-case basis. Lt. James Tatreau Jr., who authorized the use of the device on Dupree, was reassigned to administrative duties along with an unnamed sergeant. Tatreau, a former driver and bodyguard for Baca, had previously organized a game called "Operation Any Booking," in which deputies competed to see how many people they could arrest.

Dupree had been arrested after he allegedly took his mother’s car without her permission. At the jail, he acted erratically and refused to cooperate, deputies said. According to Sheriff’s Department reports obtained by The Times, Dupree was given a verbal warning by Tatreau, who had conferred with the sergeant on the scene, and a deputy was ordered to fire the equivalent of a warning shot by activating the Taser, allowing Dupree to hear its buzz.

After the warnings, Dupree stood on the bunk and began to move toward the edge, in the direction of the deputies, according to sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore. It was then that a deputy shot Dupree with the Taser, causing him to fall to the floor.

-- Richard Winton

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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Update on Lakewood Taser Death

2009-02-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

Click here for our prior posting

Lots of Speculation out there. All the speculation about the deceased being on drugs has no basis. We will know that after today's autopsy. We should also know the cause of death. We had an anonymous poster send us information claiming that she was the fiance of this man, was present at the event and that that she had been with him all day and he had not taken anything but cold medicine. We have no information on this mans size. We do know he was black from the LASD press release and that multiple taser"s" were used per the press release. We have also checked his name (from the story below) and we know that the only residence address that shows up for him is near the 10 freeway and LA Brea Ave. in Los Angeles. So its not clear what he was doing near Del Amo and Bellflower Blvd. at the time of the incident. We do not know how many Sheriff's were present or if video or pictures were taken or who the witnesses were. LASD has not posted its taser policy if they even have one. Figures. It is also not known what taser training the Lakewood deputies involved had. All we could find of interest was a 2002 press release from taser regarding LASD purchases of "292 additional ADVANCED TASER® M26 less-lethal weapons" and this report from Merrick Bob of the "Police Assessment Resource Center" (he also investigates LASD "events gone wrong") on the November 2006 UCLA Library taser event which looks pretty detailed as far as Taser policy and use guidelines. All we know from the Oakland BART shooting and many others is that you better have video of the entire event as close calls on excessive use of force usually are made in favor of the cops as far as most juries that have decided the issue as most juries think cops never make mistakes as this story documents quite well. As we said before if you see LASD grab your video camera. It is not clear who it may help in the end but we do know that it changes jurors perceptions of the event. Its not perfect as we know the jurors are not in the "heat of the moment" and are second guessing what was done but we do think having an objective "eye" on the police operation never hurts the truth.

Man who died after being Tasered is ID'd
From wire service reports
Posted: 02/17/2009 06:37:24 AM PST
http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_11721856

LAKEWOOD - Authorities today identified a man who died after being pepper-sprayed and shocked with a Taser by sheriff's deputies in Lakewood.

An autopsy was pending today to determine the cause of death of Chenard Kierre Winfield, 32, of Los Angeles, said coroner's Lt. Larry Dietz.

Deputy Art Spencer said the sheriff's department got a report of a disturbance or fight near Silva Street and Dunrobin Avenue about 10:15 p.m. Saturday.

Deputies found a "very large" man running naked in the street, who then "advanced on the deputies in a threatening manner," prompting them to use pepper spray and at least one Taser stun gun on the man, Spencer said.

Once the man was handcuffed, deputies noticed that he was not breathing and started cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, according to Spencer.

Winfield was declared dead at a hospital, Dietz said.

A video crew at the scene reported that law enforcement officers, talking via radio, described the man as possibly under the influence of PCP.

According to an Amnesty International report in December, 334 people shocked with Tasers by law enforcement died in the United States between June 2001 and August 2008.

California and Florida were the states with the highest numbers of law- enforcement-related Taser deaths during the seven-year period under study --55 and 52, respectively.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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LASD "TV"

2009-02-15T20:06:00.000-08:00

Again another classic Sheriff Baca management blunder. I guess all he was looking for was some quick private cash for some new sheriff toys or the hole in the CALPERS fund. Either way bad move. All the LASD TV show has done is lower morale even more among recruits and showcase how poorly they are trained. Great management decision right? All the show will be is Exhibit 1 in the upcoming taser trials.

So do you think there is any connection between the poor training and poor quality recruits they are getting and the taser incidents and shootings and all the other problems? Hmmm. I guess all they are interested in doing is hiring incompetents as fast as possible and giving them a gun and Taser. (FYI thats over $70,000.00 a year to start and that does not include the best healthcare and pension in CA)

Who is running the Sheriff's department? We can only hope when Baca finally calls its quits that who ever replaces him is not more incompetent.

Baca urged to cancel ‘Academy’
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/dec/06/local/me-academy6

Fox reality show humiliates recruits and violates their privacy, report finds. Sheriff’s spokesman defends show, which has provided $250,000 from licensee fees and profits from the first two seasons.

By Richard Winton
December 06, 2008

When Sheriff Lee Baca agreed to let Fox showcase the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Academy in a reality TV show, he won praise for generating more revenue for the county and raising the department’s profile.

But after two seasons, the department’s Office of Independent Review is calling on Baca to cancel “The Academy” because it subjects young recruits to on-air humiliation, invasion of their personal privacy, harassment and threats to their safety.

“The show worked to the detriment of the trainees,” Michael Gennaco, who serves as the department’s independent monitor, told The Times. “They didn’t have a real chance to say no to being televised. The show featured some of their personal lives and then people called them out as they worked in the jails because they recognize them from TV. It ended up being a real problem.”

Gennaco said in his report that most of recruits who took part in the show said they would have preferred not to have been involved. Some recruits interviewed by Gennaco said they felt the show was a source of humiliation, with its tendency to focus on those struggling to meet the demands of the 18-week training.

“The show was dominated by scenes of drill instructors screaming at recruits” for such infractions as not polishing shoes, not tucking in their shirts or being careless with equipment, Gennaco said in the report.

The show also showed embarrassing moments when recruits were kicked out of the academy.

Gennaco also expressed concern that criminals were identifying deputies after watching the show. “Some of the recruits who were recognized by inmates reported having a sick feeling at the moment of this recognition because they believed the inmate saw them as vulnerable,” he said in the report.

A spokesman for Baca defended the show, saying that the sheriff disagrees with Gennaco and would like to see a third season filmed.

“The sheriff thinks it is worthwhile because of the transparency that the show provides. It is vital for the public to see the rigors a trainee goes through to become a deputy sheriff,” said Steve Whitmore, Baca’s spokesman. [LAAG; oh it shows transparency alright...like walking outside without your pants on; not what we had in mind when we speak of transparency]

“In this day and age, law enforcement needs to get used to it, when they do their job it is going to be television. As the sheriff likes to tell deputies, ‘When you are out on the street you’re doing your job on CNN.’ ” [ LAAG: too bad the "taser" deputies did not remember that]

The sheriff, he said, believes the issues raised by Gennaco can be addressed.

The report found the show also brought benefits, including boosting the department’s profile nationally, giving the public insight into policing and generating $250,000 from licensee fees and profits from the first two seasons. [LAAG: that barely covers the junket to the Obama inauguration]

County supervisors asked Gennaco to examine the TV show as well as a series of dire state inspections that led Baca to close the academy to new trainees in May for 30 days while problems were addressed.

Roxane Marquez, spokeswoman for county Supervisor Gloria Molina, said Gennaco’s audit “mirrors the supervisor’s concerns from the moment she heard about the show… . It’s sad that the supervisor’s concerns are now a reality.”

State inspectors had dubbed the show an inappropriate and unnecessary distraction that disrupted the learning environment and forced the Sheriff’s Department to change the one scenario of one test after it was broadcast.

Far from the gold standard training program featured on the Fox reality television show, the academy was nearly decertified as a state accredited facility to train police officers earlier this year because it was so poorly run, according to Gennaco’s report.

He found serious deficiencies in training and testing methods that were the result of attempts to fulfill the sheriff’s goal to train 1,000 new recruits, and an arrogant academy management that failed to listen to concerns raised by state inspectors since the fall 2007.

At the heart of the issues was management’s sloppiness with record keeping, and instructors who gave recruits answers to tests, allowed trainees to graduate without taking the required physical conditioning classes and allowing recruits to retake tests until they passed.

“The department’s hiring pushed in the past two years undoubtedly placed pressure on the academy – explicit or implied – to graduate recruits. The testing violations noted in the [state] report are partially explained by this atmosphere of accelerated hiring,” Gennaco wrote.

Although improvements have been made across the board in recent months, problems remained.

In an October 2008 class, Gennaco noted, 41 recruits had to undergo remedial training for failing the initial weapons test. All but five passed the retesting and became deputies, he stated.

Winton is a times staff writer

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

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Another serious taser incident (death) in Lakewood

2009-02-15T13:26:00.000-08:00

click here for our story update posted 10:30 am 2/17/09

Here is what we want to know after reading the very sketchy details from below. It seems pretty obvious that a naked guy does not have any concealed weapons of any kind. Also safe to assume he has some mental issues or drug or intoxication issues going on. So how does he end up dead? Had to use both pepper spray and taser and handcuffs? Why would two or more Taser guns be needed? Why ask for another taser? Too bad it was dark and no video was taken. We highly recommend videoing any LASD "unusual events" or arrests. Rest assured we will get no useful details from LASD on this. We will start the countdown for when the deceased's heirs file a wrongful death lawsuit against the county (taxpayers). They will have to get in line however as there are quite a few ahead of them. This seems to us to be standard operating procedure over at LASD. When in doubt do as much harm as you like to innocent people if there is a chance that the officer could end up in a non lethal scuffle. At LASD when you kill a guy for no reason the officers usually get put on "administrative leave" which means a paid vacation for three-6 months for those of you that cont speak "LASD speak". Oh by the way what ever happened to that February 27, 2008 taser incident (involving victim Blake Dupree)in LASD custody? Hmm never heard another thing about it. I guess the LASD needs to read where the Orange County Grand Jury recommended in June 2008 that deputies no longer use the weapon if other means to control inmates are available. Its all in its annual report, "The State of the Orange County Jails". So do we assume there was a quiet settlement of million with no wrongdoing admitted by LASD? Comments LASD?

Nude man in Lakewood dies after LA Sheriff's Deputies use Taser
Posted: 02/15/2009 01:13:44 PM PST
http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_11711712
By Kelly Puente

Staff Writer

LAKEWOOD - A man running naked on a quiet Lakewood street died after sheriff's deputies shocked him with a Taser gun, authorities said Sunday.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Art Spencer said Lakewood deputies responded to a disturbance call in the 5700 block of Silva Street at 10:15 p.m. Saturday.

Spencer said deputies found a "very large" man running naked in the street and acting irrationally.

Deputies tied to calm the man but he remained belligerent, Spencer said. When he advanced at them in a threatening manner, Spencer said deputies used pepper spray and at least one Taser stun gun to subdue him.

Shortly after the man was handcuffed, deputies realized he was not breathing and began to administer CPR, Spencer said. The man, whose identify has not been released, was pronounced dead at a hospital.

No deputies were injured, Spencer said, adding that the incident is under investigation. Deputies have not said how many Taser guns were used. No further information was available Sunday.

Residents in the suburban neighborhood said the silence was suddenly broken Saturday night when a nude man began wandering down the street, banging on doors and cars.

Neighbors Norma Ramirez and Nancy Wright were both in their homes when they heard police sirens and a helicopter.

Wright said she opened her door to a flood of more than two dozen sheriff's deputies on her
street. Neighbors gathered outside while authorities set up yellow crime scene tape in front of three houses, Wright said.

"(Deputies) told us to go back inside our homes, but we just kind of stepped back a little," Wright said.

The women said they heard from other neighbors that a man had been wandering down the street and darted through a gate into someone's backyard after police arrived.

Ramirez said she heard a deputy shout, "Get me another Taser!" followed by another deputy shouting, "We need CPR!"

Paramedics arrived shortly after, she said.

Wright and Ramirez said they did not know if the man was a neighbor, or someone who had wandered into the area.

"It's scary," Wright said. "You don't see things like this in our neighborhood."

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

click here to receive LAAG posts by email

(the few) Retail Bright Spots

2009-02-05T23:28:00.000-08:00

Well the day is finally approaching. Costco will be opening in Lakewood Center on February 26, 2009 (thurs) at 8am according to fliers mailed out this week. I guess in this bad retail climate they don't want to wait for a weekend opening. They have been handing out 10.00 discounts for membership signups in the Mall. We will report further on the opening. We were noticing how vacant the mall was the other night in the area of the all but closed Circuit City, the long ago closed Lakewood Center South Theaters and the construction zone of the Costco. It is rather ironic that 8 months ago people were complaining about all the increased traffic Costco would bring. What a difference a little recession makes!

Bellflower and South St. is still trying to improve. The old Vons parking lot repaving is underway but quite frankly it is moving at a snails pace. Still no word on new tenants.

The Denny's opening in the old Bakers Square looks finished. Once we got city hall to speed up the permits the workers were working weekends and until 9pm at night to finish up. Opening is supposed to be February 15, 2009. They also resurfaced the parking lot. This intersection can use a bright spot and we hope this helps draw in more businesses. Ironically Denny's had its start in Lakewood in 1953 under the name Danny's Donuts.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

click here to receive LAAG posts by email