Author: Artificial Intelligence

A powerful Mexican drug cartel leader was arrested in Riverside this week on suspicion of faking his own death in order to assume a false identity and live in California. Cristian Fernando Gutierrez Ochoa, identified by federal prosecutors as a member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was arrested on Tuesday. He was facing criminal charges of international drug trafficking and money laundering that were made public on Wednesday. Since Gutierrez-Ochoa, now 37, began working for CJNG in 2024, he has coordinated the transportation and distribution of approximately 40,000 kilograms of methamphetamine and 2,000 kilograms of cocaine bound for…

The driver was killed and his passenger was injured after a car crashed into a utility pole in Redondo Beach late Wednesday night. The City of Redondo Beach said in a news release that emergency crews responded to reports of a single-vehicle crash at Palos Verdes Boulevard and South Catalina Avenue just after 11:15 p.m. Firefighters found the vehicle engulfed in flames after the driver somehow lost control and hit a utility pole. According to investigators, there were two people on board at the time of the accident: a man who was driving and a woman in the passenger seat.…

A request challenging the validity of the Menendez brothers’ murder convictions is scheduled to be heard in a Van Nuys courtroom Monday morning. Eric and Lyle Menendez, who are serving life sentences without parole for the 1989 shotgun murders of their parents in Beverly Hills, are seeking a reduction in their sentences in a separate legal proceeding. Monday’s hearing ruled that the brothers’ convictions and prison sentences were unconstitutional, given new evidence that the brothers were victims of sexual abuse by their parents as children. It will handle the brothers’ 2023 petition for habeas corpus, which alleges that Father is…

Atmospheric rivers get talked about a lot during winter in California, and for good reason. The invisible rivers in the sky play a significant role in how much rain the state receives and can contribute to some of California’s wettest winters and most damaging storms on record. But what exactly are they? What is an atmospheric river? Atmospheric rivers are long, powerful portions of the atmosphere that carry lots of water from the tropical regions near the Earth’s equator towards the poles. They’re invisible to the naked eye. The water is moved over the ocean in the form of water…

This month, strong Santa Ana winds sparked massive wildfires in Ventura County, and stunning images of orange skies over Oxnard reminded us of the San Francisco Bay Area in 2020. Although the Mountain Fire is now mostly contained (along with the Sandy Fire in Monterey County), it is the most destructive fire to hit Southern California in six years, with fires spreading beyond Ventura toward Santa Barbara and beyond. polluted the air. Santa Ana winds and a prolonged fire season could cause smoke to spread again in Southern and Northern California into November and December, as happened in 2017 and…

Several Southern California teachers face disciplinary action after violent anti-Trump riots after November’s election disrupted school communities and sparked heated debate over teachers’ right to share political views facing. A Moreno Valley teacher was placed on leave this month after a racist and expletive-filled rant attacking Trump and his supporters.Meanwhile, two high school teachers, Chino and Cerritos, are under investigation for allegedly reacting to a student wearing MAGA gear in class and causing an outburst. A substitute teacher at Beverly Hills High School also said she was disciplined for online posts criticizing President-elect Donald Trump and denouncing students’ actions at…

A few years ago, investors bought the Koreatown fourplex where Mary Carmen Martinez had lived for nearly 20 years and tried to evict the tenants. Martinez, who works at the restaurant, and her neighbors decided to fight to stay, posted a sign in their window that read “No Cash for Keys,” and went to court together to sue their neighbor’s eviction. Appeared in court.She knew how important rent-controlled apartments were to working people and how her modestly sized apartment helped her live in Los Angeles. When her children were babies, they could crawl safely and didn’t get cramped like they…

Of the more than 1,500 criminal defendants charged in the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, David Dempsey is one of the most notorious.Dempsey, a Van Nuys resident, was accused by federal prosecutors of being “one of the most violent rioters” and was sentenced in August to one of the harshest sentences ever after pleading guilty to assaulting a law enforcement officer with a firearm. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. They used dangerous weapons and invaded the chambers of Congress.Dempsey is now one of the many defendants in the Jan. 6 shooting, and President-elect Donald…

Mark Ridley-Thomas has never lost an election in more than 30 years, relying on a well-organized network of supporters to win.The former Los Angeles City Councilman and county supervisor is now involved in a different kind of race with far higher stakes. It’s a fight to clear his name and escape from prison.The 70-year-old was convicted last year on seven federal corruption charges stemming from a scheme to secure benefits for his son from the University of Southern California’s social services director, who solicited political support for Los Angeles County projects. received. The jury acquitted him of 12 other charges.U.S.…

SAN FRANCISCO — Three days after winning the election, Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie declared a new day in San Francisco in a victory speech surrounded by hundreds of supporters in Chinatown. “Your calls for responsible leadership, service and change have been heard,” Lurie, 47, said to loud cheers and applause. That same enthusiasm helped Mr. Lurie, a centrist Democrat who has never held elected office, to an upset victory in this month’s mayoral race over incumbent London Breed and three other City Hall veterans. Ta. Mr. Lurie’s opponents have underestimated his appeal, blaming his lack of political experience as a disqualifying…