Los Angeles County Sheriff&#8217;s Department authorities named 65-year-old Carlos Medina of Torrance, California, as the person of interest arrested in the fatal shooting of Auxiliary Bishop David O&#8217;Connell over the weekend.
O&#8217;Connell, 69, of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was shot dead in his home in the suburb of Hacienda Heights on Saturday just before 1 pm Saturday.
&#8220;This bishop made a huge difference in our community,&#8221; Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna said during a Monday night <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&amp;v=4359275967537551">press conference</a>. &#8220;He was loved, and it&#8217;s very sad that we&#8217;re gathered here today to talk about his murder in this way.&#8221;
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna said detectives investigating the death of O&#8217;Connell received a tip from a concerned individual who described the person of interest as &#8220;acting strange, irrational, and made comments about the bishop owing him money.&#8221;
Medina is the husband of O&#8217;Connell&#8217;s housekeeper and had previously worked at the bishop&#8217;s residence.
Law enforcement found O&#8217;Connell dead in his bed on Saturday from a single gunshot wound after a deacon from the church dialed 911 upon checking on the bishop because he was late for a meeting, Luna said.
Authorities did not recover a firearm at the scene or detect any signs of forced entry at the bishop&#8217;s home. However, after canvassing the neighborhood for surveillance footage, detectives discovered recordings Sunday that showed a dark-colored compact SUV that had pulled into the bishop&#8217;s driveway, stayed for a short time, and left the location.
The sheriff said authorities received a tip Medina had left Los Angeles County and was believed to be in the Central California area until later returning to his home at approximately 2:00 am on Monday.
Authorities surrounded Medina&#8217;s residence and called for the suspect to surrender.
At approximately 8:00 am, Medina exited his residence and surrendered — he was taken into custody without further incident.
&#8220;Although our priority before 8 am this morning was to apprehend the suspect — and we did by some amazing detective work,&#8221; Luna said. &#8220;Our next priority is to get him prosecuted.&#8221;
Luna said a motive for O&#8217;Connell&#8217;s murder had not been determined.
O&#8217;Connell was named Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles by Pope Francis in 2015. He served as chairman of the interdiocesan Southern California Immigration Task Force, which helped respond to an influx of immigration from Central America in recent years. He was chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops&#8217; Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
While serving as an associate pastor, O&#8217;Connell focused part of his ministry on helping communities with gang violence and poverty in southern Los Angeles.
&#8220;My heart grieves,&#8221; Luna said. &#8220;Although I personally did not know the bishop, I cannot tell you how many phone calls I&#8217;ve received over the last 48 hours from people who have worked with him in different capacities,&#8221; adding the bishop was a pillar in the Los Angeles community known for his peacemaking and passion for serving those in need.
Archbishop of Los Angeles José H. Gomez said that O&#8217;Connell was &#8220;a good friend to Los Angeles&#8221; during the press conference.
&#8220;Out of His love for God, he served the city for more than 40 years as an immigrant from Ireland,&#8221; Gomez said. &#8220;Among the many things I admired in his life and ministry, he was fluent in Spanish with an Irish accent.&#8221;
&#8220;Every day, he worked to show compassion to the poor, to the homeless, to the immigrant. And to all those living on society&#8217;s margins,&#8221; Gomez added. &#8220;He was a good priest, a good patient, and a man of peace, and we&#8217;re very sad to lose him.&#8221;

Immigration Issues

LA County Sheriff Names Suspect Arrested In Killing Of Los Angeles Bishop

California

Catholic Church

Crime

Los Angeles County

Murder

U.S.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff&#8217;s department said Sunday that authorities investigating the death of Auxiliary Bishop David O&#8217;Connell are handling the situation as a murder investigation, a spokesperson told The Daily Wire.
O&#8217;Connell, 69, of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was shot dead in his home in the suburb of Hacienda Heights.
ABC News correspondent Alex Stone first reported that authorities ruled out a suicide overnight. A medical emergency was reported in his home on Saturday afternoon.
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Los Angeles County Sheriff&#39;s investigators now believe the death of auxiliary bishop of LA Archdiocese David O&#39;Connell to be murder. Suicide was ruled out overnight after O&#39;Connell was found dead after a medical emergency call on Saturday afternoon in a home.
&mdash; Alex Stone (@astoneabcnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/astoneabcnews/status/1627364590282760193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Authorities did not comment to The Daily Wire on that report. Investigators previously marked the bishop&#8217;s death as suspicious, but few details were available.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff&#8217;s Department told CBS Los Angeles that the shooting happened just before 1 p.m. Saturday. Deputies arrived and found a man with a gunshot wound to the chest. The victim was pronounced dead soon after.
&#8220;I am very sad this afternoon to report that our beloved Auxiliary Bishop David O&#8217;Connell has passed away unexpectedly,&#8221; Archbishop of Los Angeles José H. Gomez said in a statement Saturday. &#8220;It is a shock and I have no words to express my sadness.&#8221;
&#8220;As a priest and later a bishop here in Los Angeles for forty-five years, Bishop Dave was a man of deep prayer who had a great love for Our Blessed Mother,&#8221; Gomez added. &#8220;He was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant, and he had a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life was honored and protected.&#8221;
O&#8217;Connell was named Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles by Pope Francis in 2015. He served as chairman of the interdiocesan Southern California Immigration Task Force, which helped respond to an influx of immigration from Central America in recent years. He was also chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops&#8217; Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
John Rigolizzo contributed to this report.

A Community Memorial Service

Catholic Bishop’s Death Being Handled As ‘Murder Investigation,’ Los Angeles Officials Say

Catholic Bishop's Death Being Handled As 'Murder Investigation,' Los Angeles Officials Say

Catholicism

Los Angeles

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/catholic-church" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Catholic bishop</a> was shot and killed in a Los Angeles suburb on Saturday.
David O&#8217;Connell, 69, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was shot dead in his home in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles-county" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles County</a> suburb of Hacienda Heights Saturday afternoon. The Los Angeles County Sheriff&#8217;s Office said it is investigating the bishop&#8217;s death as suspicious, but few details were available.
&#8220;I am very sad this afternoon to report that our beloved Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell has passed away unexpectedly,&#8221; Archbishop of Los Angeles José H. Gomez said in a <a href="https://lacatholics.org/statement-from-archbishop-gomez-on-bishop-oconnell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> Saturday. &#8220;It is a shock and I have no words to express my sadness.&#8221;
Born in Ireland, O&#8217;Connell served in the archdiocese since 1979, and was a stalwart in the local community, serving throughout Los Angeles. Gomez called him a good friend and asked that people pray for him.
&#8220;As a priest and later a bishop here in Los Angeles for forty-five years, Bishop Dave was a man of deep prayer who had a great love for Our Blessed Mother,&#8221; Gomez added. &#8220;He was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant, and he had a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life was honored and protected.&#8221;
The Los Angeles County Sheriff&#8217;s Department told <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/bishop-david-oconnell-fatally-shot-in-hacienda-heights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS Los Angeles</a> that the shooting happened just before 1 p.m. Saturday. Deputies arrived and found a man with a gunshot wound to the chest. The victim was pronounced dead soon after.
&#8220;It&#8217;s very early in the investigation,&#8221; LASD Homicide Bureau Detective Michael Modica told CBS Los Angeles. &#8220;We got a lot more steps we have to take to make more determination to what&#8217;s happening.&#8221;
According to <a href="https://angelusnews.com/local/la-catholics/bishop-oconnell-dies/amp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Angelus News</a>, O&#8217;Connell attended seminary at All Hallows College in Dublin. Then-Father O&#8217;Connell became a prominent figure in Los Angeles during the 1992 riots, when he was serving as pastor of St. Frances X. Cabrini. O&#8217;Connell aided community recovery efforts and served as a mediator between South L.A. residents and the police.
O&#8217;Connell was named Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles by Pope Francis in 2015. He served as chairman of the interdiocesan Southern California Immigration Task Force, which helped respond to an influx of immigration from Central America in recent years. He was also chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

Bishop David O’Connell

Los Angeles Bishop Shot And Killed In His Home

Video shows an inmate wriggling his way out of a Los Angeles County Sheriff&#8217;s Department cruiser on Saturday before being quickly detained again.
The failed escape happened just before 5 p.m. in the Newhall area of the 5 Freeway, authorities said, per local media reports.
Authorities said the man kicked out the vehicle&#8217;s window. That&#8217;s when footage captured by a nearby driver showed the man was handcuffed when he plopped onto the highway.
A deputy quickly hopped out of the vehicle and secured the prisoner, as seen in the video <a href="https://abc7.com/caught-on-video-inmate-tries-to-escape-5-freeway-newhall/12637110/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aired by L.A.&#8217;s</a> ABC News affiliate.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Inmate attempts, fails to escape from LASD cruiser on freeway" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AcbBKUJIpaI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Though not shown in the clip, a report from <a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/inmate-attempts-to-escape-during-transport-in-los-angeles-county/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KTLA</a> said a good Samaritan stopped and helped restrain the inmate.
The attempted getaway happened as the prisoner was being transported from the North County Correctional Facility to a hospital for injury treatment, <a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/inmate-attempts-to-escape-during-transport-in-los-angeles-county/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KTLA</a> reported.
It was not clear what prompted the trip to the hospital in the first place.
Once the prisoner was placed back in the vehicle, he was transported to the hospital, per KTLA.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/los-angeles-county-sheriff-concedes-re-election-race-slams-local-media-political-establishment">Los Angeles County Sheriff Concedes Re-Election Race; Slams Local Media, Political Establishment</a>

Police Car

SEE IT: Prisoner Flops Out Of Sheriff’s Cruiser Onto Highway In Botched Getaway

SEE IT: Prisoner Flops Out Of Sheriff's Cruiser Onto Highway In Botched Getaway

Law Enforcement

Sheriff

For most Americans, and much of the world, COVID is a thing of the past.
Even in mandate-obsessed Los Angeles, people are celebrating weddings, gathering for the holidays, attending large-scale sporting events and concerts, and doing their holiday shopping in busy shopping malls, while children are attending school, participating in music and sports — full-time, in-person, with zero or limited restrictions.
Despite this global return to normal, something common to every pandemic throughout human history, one person remains determined to remind citizens that their freedoms exist only as long as she wants them to.
Barbara Ferrer, the director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (a person who has inexplicably been bestowed with limitless powers accompanied by no accountability whatsoever), announced that because the county may soon reach the arbitrarily-set Centers for Disease Control (CDC) “high” level of COVID transmission, she is likely to <a href="https://www.foxla.com/news/la-county-mask-mandate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reimpose an indoor mask mandate</a> on all people. This will apply to public transportation, schools, businesses and any public spaces.
All this even as China begins to depart from its <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-hopes-looser-covid-rules-sets-off-rush-fever-drugs-2022-12-07/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failed, draconian zero COVID policies</a>.
When news of this announcement began to spread on social media, I received messages such as “this is a joke, right?” or “China, here we come!” But this was no joke, and there is a very real possibility that Los Angeles will become one of the only places on earth with an indoor mask mandate.
How can this even be possible today?
This past July, Ferrer and her team decided at the last moment to pull a planned countywide indoor mask mandate after significant outrage by numerous key stakeholders.
First, a group of local physicians and epidemiologists spelled out clearly <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2022/07/22/bringing-back-a-mask-mandate-in-los-angeles-county-is-unjustified/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a widely circulated op-ed</a> why new mask mandates are unjustified due to a lack of differentiation between patients hospitalized with COVID and for COVID, a flawed and arbitrary CDC “<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fscience%2Fcommunity-levels.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Community Levels</a>” metric, and mountains of new published clinical evidence from around the world which demonstrated that real-world use of masks had minimal impact on the spread of COVID, at best.
Second, independent municipalities throughout Los Angeles County like Beverly Hills, whose city governments prioritize healthy and happy residents over strict adherence to Ferrer’s zero COVID agenda, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-26/beverly-hills-wont-enforce-la-county-indoor-mask-mandate-if-implemented" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted not to enforce a new mask mandate</a> should it be imposed.
Finally, a group of <a href="https://redstate.com/jenniferoo/2022/07/19/exclusive-underground-moms-group-exposes-ferrers-plan-to-return-to-mandates-in-opposition-to-medical-data-n597770" target="_blank" rel="noopener">very observant local parents and activists</a> unearthed an <a href="https://twitter.com/kerpen/status/1548367588291330048?s=61&amp;t=25uO176WiSG5CpQRlEeA9Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">internal video</a> made by senior physicians at Los Angeles County USC Medical Center (the largest medical center in the county, which happens to care for the poorest and sickest population) that shockingly revealed no patient had been intubated for COVID in months, <a href="https://twitter.com/lacuscmedcenter/status/1549131897879506944?s=61&amp;t=qE_X9HsdnZ2pamx4rA4wSA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forcing the county hospital to admit</a> that only 10% of COVID-positive patients had been admitted “due to illness caused by COVID.”
What happened when Ferrer finally caved under international media attention and citizen uproar and <a href="https://abc7.com/los-angeles-county-mask-mandate-indoors-masks-masking-rule/12078706/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decided against imposing a mask mandate</a>? Did hospitals fill up with dying residents? Did schools have to close due to outbreaks of COVID? Did we need to bring in refrigerator trucks to store countless corpses? No. 
The COVID cases magically crashed, on their own, without the need for a mask mandate, as cases always do with coronaviruses. Had Ferrer masked us all, she would still be taking credit for this crash, but because she caved, it is obvious that a new mask mandate would not have helped.
We effectively had our first scientifically controlled situation, enabling us to do an apples-to-apples comparison between how COVID surges behave in Los Angeles County both with and without mask mandates. And we discovered that there is no difference. Masks wouldn’t have helped, and masks have likely never helped in a real-world situation.
What was valid last July is equally applicable today. Since then, nothing has meaningfully changed.
The Omicron variants we have in circulation are nowhere near as deadly as the Delta and original variants. COVID-related deaths are relatively low and occur in elderly and/or those with numerous medical comorbidities. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-appeals-court-rules-school-districts-cant-mandate-own-covid-vaccine-requirements-for-students" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Schools remain fully open, mask-free,</a> without major COVID outbreaks or any student deaths. Vaccines are available for those who want them, we have excellent medications on the market, and most importantly, we have widespread and robust natural immunity that can <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2118946" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exceed what can be achieved with a vaccine</a>, with many having been infected numerous times, even the vaccinated.
Moreover, we now have an overwhelming body of evidence regarding the social, academic, and psychological <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/08/23/my-kids-wont-wear-masks-school/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">harms of masking children</a>, with no meaningful clinical benefit.
It is now obvious to anyone with a brain that this is not about COVID, and it was clearly never about COVID. Rather, this is about Los Angeles County weaponizing its Department of Public Health, led by Ferrer, to control the people — including our most vulnerable humans, our children. How else could anyone explain this fanatical reliance on meaningless CDC Community Levels and a belief that the known harms of mask mandates (particularly for children) are somehow outweighed by the nonexistent benefits they offer?
As an Iranian-born American who escaped to the U.S. during the Islamic Revolution of 1979, I watch in awe as women in Iran risk their lives to protest a mandated covering over their hair. But here, today, we once again risk being forced to cover not our hair but our mouths, with the threat of exclusion, shaming, and a denial of work and education. This is not the America my parents and I fled to for freedom and comfort.
Now that newly-elected members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have been sworn into office, it is time for the board to remove Ferrer and replace her with a medical doctor who has a working knowledge of medicine, public health, and ethics.
It is time for the people of Los Angeles to examine the facts, demand transparency, insist that this threat of a renewed mask mandate be ended, and refuse to comply with any new mandates that are clearly against both common sense and public health.
Houman David Hemmati, M.D., Ph.D. is a board-certified ophthalmologist and biomedical research scientist in Santa Monica, California. Dr. Hemmati earned a BS in Biological Sciences from Stanford University, an MD from UCLA School of Medicine, and a PhD from Caltech, and completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Stanford Hospital, an ophthalmology residency at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital, a postdoctoral research fellowship in chemical engineering at MIT, and a clinical fellowship at Harvard Medical School. He has co-founded and helps run two pharmaceutical companies developing treatments for eye diseases like macular degeneration, and has published extensively in the areas of stem cell research and blinding eye diseases. You can follow him on Twitter: @houmanhemmati
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Face mask required signs on Los Angeles businesses

Why It’s Time To Resist Any New Mask Mandates From Los Angeles County Public Health Officials

COVID

Mask Mandate

Readers Pass

Social Issues

The 22-year-old driver who crashed into 25 Los Angeles County Sheriff&#8217;s recruits last week denied authorities&#8217; claims that investigators had enough evidence to prove the incident was a deliberate act.
Nicholas Gutierrez was held on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer on a $2 million bond for driving his Honda CR-V into 25 cadets about 20 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles on Nov. 16. around 6:30 a.m. during a training exercise with about 75 recruits from the Sheriff&#8217;s Department and several local police agencies.
The horrific crash left more than a dozen cadets injured and at least five in critical condition.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said they later provisionally released Gutierrez because the initial complaint was not enough to hold him in custody.
In an interview with <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/driver-crash-law-encforcement-la-county-sheriff-whittier/3038595/">NBC</a>, Guiterrez refuted claims made by Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who said investigators had enough evidence to conclude that the crash was intentional.
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t intentionally do it,&#8221; Gutierrez said, adding that he fell asleep on his way to work.
Gutierrez said he fell asleep at the wheel and woke up to the sound of recruits banging on the windows.
&#8220;I wish it never happened,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I feel bad it happened.&#8221;
In the interview, Gutierrez had injuries to his face that were suffered at the scene, which he claimed were sustained when the sheriff&#8217;s &#8220;dragged&#8221; him out of the car when he woke up from the impact.
The sheriff&#8217;s department declined to comment or elaborate.
The recruits were part of a 22-week program with the Los Angeles County Sheriff&#8217;s S.T.A.R.S. Explorer Training Academy in South Whittier, California. At the time of the crash, the cadets ran in four rows while drill instructors and two black-and-white radio cars accompanied them.
According to Villanueva, seven recruits remain in the hospital, with two in critical condition and multiple leg fractures. He said authorities&#8217; biggest concern is one of the recruits is on life support and suffering from serious brain bleeding and swelling.
&#8220;They have a long road to recovery happen to them, and we&#8217;re just hoping and praying that they can pull through,&#8221; he told News Nation.
Villanueva said five recruits are still under observation, and the remaining 20 have been released to their families.
The suspect&#8217;s lawyer, Alexandra Kazarian, told <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-11-21/driver-asleep-in-crash-that-hurt-sheriffs-recruits-lawyer-says">The Los Angeles Times</a>, Guiterrez fell asleep at the wheel while on his way to work, calling it a &#8220;tragic accident.&#8221;
Kazarian also denied the preliminary investigation from Villanueva, saying there is no evidence suggesting it was intentional.
&#8220;I have no idea why the sheriff said that,&#8221; Kazarian said.
Gutierrez&#8217;s attorney issued a statement Friday to NBC saying Gutierrez comes from a law enforcement family. According to the Los Angeles Times, his father is a retired corrections officer. His uncles work in the Los Angeles Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, and the Sheriff&#8217;s Department.
&#8220;Nicholas comes from a proud law enforcement family, and the injuries to these recruits is beyond heartbreaking,&#8221; attorney Alexandra Kazarian said. &#8220;The Gutierrez family appreciates the Sheriff&#8217;s Department taking the time to conduct a full and complete investigation. As many have asked, we want to emphasize that Nicholas was on his way to work and had no drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of this tragic accident.&#8221;
Kazarian said Gutierrez &#8220;harbors absolutely no animosity toward law enforcement,&#8221; adding claims that her client was a disgruntled academy recruit or had any association with being a recruit were incorrect.

US-INCIDENT-POLICE

Driver Who Crashed Into 25 L.A. Sheriff Recruits Claims He Fell Asleep At Wheel

Car Crash

General

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva conceded Tuesday to former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna, who comes with a long list of Democratic establishment <a href="https://www.lunaforsheriff.com/endorsements" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsements</a>.
Villanueva formally admitted defeat during a press conference at the Hall of Justice near downtown L.A. after the latest election results from the <a href="https://results.lavote.gov/#year=2022&amp;election=4300" target="_blank" rel="noopener">county registrar&#8217;s office</a> showed with more than 1.2 million ballots counted, his opponent won with just over 60% of the vote from county residents.
&#8220;I want to wish the incoming sheriff well,&#8221; Villanueva said during a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuiUkQyywQc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news conference</a>. &#8220;The safety of the community depends on him succeeding. The welfare of every single person in the department depends on him succeeding.&#8221;
Villanueva spent the greater portion of his press conference unraveling false narratives created about his administration by the political establishment and legacy media outlets, which failed to accurately report or clear up propaganda spread about the sheriff&#8217;s department.
The sheriff also blamed his loss over the media&#8217;s coverage of so-called deputy gangs, or &#8220;cliques,&#8221; within the law enforcement department that allegedly encouraged violence against residents, jail inmates, and even fellow deputies who challenged them. Villanueva has repeatedly denied allegations of having any ties with the groups.
&#8220;All of this, the whole thing on the deputy gangs, was literally a campaign strategy,&#8221; Villanueva said. &#8220;My four years in office, I can tell you this all four years, we achieved something very important because if you treat the county government like it is — a corrupt criminal enterprise — we pushed back and opened the window into the corruption of the county.&#8221;
Los Angeles County supervisors and Villanueva clashed on several issues during his term, who backed efforts to defund the department.
During the pandemic, Villanueva refused to comply with vaccine mandates, exposed the homeless industrial complex, and other allegations of corruption and fraud rotting within the board of supervisors.
Villanueva again slammed the media for the lack of accountability on the local government.
&#8220;We need you to be the voice of democracy that will survive,&#8221; Villanueva said. &#8220;You can&#8217;t survive if all you do is parrot the political narrative of the establishment — that is a democracy in decline.&#8221;
Los Angeles residents also approved with 70% voting in favor of ballot Measure A, which gives the county&#8217;s Board of Supervisors the power to fire a sitting sheriff.
The new measure puts the incoming sheriff at the mercy of the board.
Luna, who headed the Long Beach police for seven years before retiring last year and a former Republican turned Democrat in 2020, thanked Los Angeles County voters for his victory and offered &#8220;best wishes&#8221; to his opponent in a statement.
&#8220;I&#8217;m deeply honored and humbled that you have elected me as your next sheriff,&#8221; Luna wrote. &#8220;With your vote, you have entrusted me with a clear mandate to bring new leadership and accountability to the Sheriff&#8217;s Department,&#8221; which is the nation&#8217;s largest sheriff&#8217;s department, with nearly 10,000 sworn deputies.
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<a href="https://t.co/SEKfIKuSW2">pic.twitter.com/SEKfIKuSW2</a>
&mdash; Robert Luna (@lunaforsheriff) <a href="https://twitter.com/lunaforsheriff/status/1592653415381106692?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
However, Villanueva claimed Luna has called his administration &#8220;chaos and dysfunctional,&#8221; filled with &#8220;scandals&#8221; run by &#8220;a rogue sheriff.&#8221;
Luna ran his campaign on promises to reform and modernize the sheriff&#8217;s departments and jails while claiming to reduce crime, address homelessness, and restore so-called public trust in the County Sheriff&#8217;s Office.
According to <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-11-15/luna-wins-la-county-sheriff-election-over-villanueva" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Los Angeles Times</a>, Jeff Katzenberg, a co-founder of DreamWorks and a longtime Democratic donor, contributed at least half a million dollars to a campaign committee supporting Luna.
Villanueva denounced &#8220;the arrogance of the select few — the billionaire crowd, in particular — who may know how to make movies, but they don&#8217;t know how to run law enforcement organizations,&#8221; adding that such crowds are willing to wipe out the leadership to better suit their ideology.
&#8220;The Democratic Party is now married to the progressive movement in L.A.,&#8221; Villanueva said. &#8220;And how that plays out on a national level — I don&#8217;t know. But here locally, I can say it is a very anti-Latino coalition — it is anti-law enforcement.&#8221;

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva concedes to former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Concedes Re-Election Race; Slams Local Media, Political Establishment

Elections

Politics

Charges against the CEO of an election technology company have been <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/charges-dropped-against-election-software-ceo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismissed</a> after Los Angeles County prosecutors found “potential bias” in an investigation. 
Last month, the Los Angeles County District Attorney&#8217;s Office brought charges against Eugene Yu, the head of Konnech, an election technology business out of Michigan. The charges concerned allegations of keeping information about poll workers on servers in China. Yu has maintained that he never provided any data to China. However, if the allegations were true, they would violate the company’s contract with L.A. County. 
The district attorney’s office said that the investigation was initiated because of a concern raised by Gregg Phillips, who is connected to True the Vote, a nonprofit out of Texas that aims to promote election integrity.
&#8220;We are concerned about both the pace of the investigation and the potential bias in the presentation and investigation of the evidence,&#8221; Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón’s office <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/la-dismisses-charges-against-ceo-election-software-firm-2022-11-10/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;As a result, we have decided to ask the court to dismiss the current case, and alert the public in order to ensure transparency.”
&#8220;Mr. Yu&#8217;s good name was tarnished by false narratives from fringe conspiracy theorists who bragged about enlisting Los Angeles prosecutors to further their political agenda,&#8221; Gary Lincenberg, an attorney for Yu in the criminal case, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/la-dismisses-charges-against-ceo-election-software-firm-2022-11-10/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;Mr Yu is an innocent man.”
New charges could still be brought as the Los Angeles Superior Court judge agreed to the dismissal without prejudice.
Over the summer, True the Vote announced that it had discovered and downloaded Konnech’s poll worker information from China-based servers. The group <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/09/technology/konnech-eugene-yu-charges-dropped.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> gave no proof but said it had given a hard drive to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 
Phillips and Catherine Englebrecht, who is also connected to True the Vote, were sued by Yu over hacking and defamation allegations. They were put in jail on October 31 after they refused to provide information on a &#8220;confidential FBI informant&#8221; connected to their alleged hack of Konnech’s information. They were <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/11/07/true-the-vote-jail-release/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">imprisoned</a> for contempt of court and released earlier this week. 
After her release, Engelbrecht <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/11/07/true-the-vote-jail-release/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Texas Tribune that she was “hours from home” and could not do an interview. 
“Those who thought that imprisoning Gregg and I would weaken our resolve have gravely miscalculated. It is stronger than ever,” Engelbrecht said in a statement. “We are profoundly grateful for that. We will continue to protect and defend those who do the vital work of election integrity, and we will make sure that their findings become a matter of public record.”

A voting sign outside a Polling Station. Photographer: Marco Bello/Bloomberg

Charges Dropped Against CEO Of Election Tech Company

Charges Dropped Against CEO Eugene Yu Of Election Tech Company Konnech

George Gascon

Two months after the effort to recall Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón failed, the campaign committee <a href="https://www.recalldageorgegascon.com/for-immediate-release-initial-review-reveals-substantial-number-of-improperly-invalidated-signatures-recall-committee-to-file-for-injunctive-relief-against-registrar-of-voters/">announced</a> Monday it plans to sue the county’s Registrar of Voters, alleging the voter rolls were artificially inflated, and some signatures were falsely invalidated.
According to the Committee, independent and non-partisan data analysts estimated that Los Angeles County active voter rolls were allegedly overshot between at least 208,000 and up to 515,000 voters when county officials initially set the number of valid signatures for the recall to qualify.
If the estimate proves true, the effort to remove Gascón from office could have advanced onto a ballot.
“The initial review of invalidated signatures demonstrated “the Registrar’s counting process was seriously flawed, resulting in substantial errors, the wrongful invalidation of many valid signatures, and the disenfranchisement of thousands of Los Angeles County Voters,” the Committee wrote in a <a href="https://www.recalldageorgegascon.com/for-immediate-release-initial-review-reveals-substantial-number-of-improperly-invalidated-signatures-recall-committee-to-file-for-injunctive-relief-against-registrar-of-voters/">statement</a>. “These extremely disturbing findings necessitate a complete and timely review of all invalidated signatures.”
The effort to recall Gascón emerged after the controversial district attorney took office in December 2020. Critics of Gascón formed the recall after his so-called progressive policies, like eliminating cash bail for misdemeanor and some felony offenses, reformed the City of Angels.
According to the Committee, volunteers began reviewing the invalid signatures on September 6 to lawfully examine within 21 days after the Registrar’s office announced the petition had failed to meet the requirements.
The Committee claims that 39% of invalid signatures reviewed were improperly falsified as printed, non-matching, and unregistered. Others were marked invalid due to duplicate signatures, while some had filled in a different address instead of the one registered toward the voter.
The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan said last August his office had finished verifying the 715,833 petition signatures sent in to recall the controversial progressive DA.
To qualify for the recall, 566,857 valid petition signatures were needed to advance.
Logan’s office reported only 520,050 valid signatures were recorded, with the remaining 195,783 signatures marked as invalid, claiming ​nearly 90,000 of them were unregistered to vote and approximately 45,000 were duplicates. ​
Officials argue such issues could have substantially affected the outcome of the recall and have accused the Registrar of placing “arbitrary and capricious limitations” on the review process that limits the number of hours, workstations, and number of reviewers to information that will help them determine whether the invalid signatures are legitimate.​”
“This review is currently being obstructed by the Registrar’s office,” the Committee <a href="https://www.recalldageorgegascon.com/for-immediate-release-initial-review-reveals-substantial-number-of-improperly-invalidated-signatures-recall-committee-to-file-for-injunctive-relief-against-registrar-of-voters/">said</a>. “The Recall DA George Gascon Committee will be filing for injunctive relief imminently and is also exploring other significant issues, such as the inaccurate and inflated number of signatures required to qualify the recall due to bloated voter rolls.”
A Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office spokesperson told The Daily Wire that officials have not seen the petition for relief yet.
Recall officials said that current restrictions imposed by the Registrar would take more than a year to review the invalidated signatures.

Los Angeles County DA George Gascón Touts Reforms During First Year

George Gascón Recall Campaign To Sue L.A. County Registrar For Inflated Voter Rolls Allegations

Recall

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles</a> residents are offering new <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/police" target="_blank" rel="noopener">police</a> hires a generous incentive.
Angelenos are pooling their money to offer new cops thousands of dollars in rent money as the city battles both a crime wave and a police shortage.
The program, called Housing for Hires, awards new LAPD hires huge rent subsidies of up to $24,000 over two years for housing in the Los Angeles area.
So far, the program has <a href="https://labusinessjournal.com/real-estate/housing/lapd-moves-ahead-with-housing-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised</a> $2.2 million, enough money to fund rent subsidies for 200 new recruits, but the LAPD is hoping to more than double that number.
The money is not coming out of the LAPD budget, but from private donations to the Los Angeles Police Foundation, meaning residents are now willing to reach for their wallets to get more cops to live and work in the city.
Some landlords are also participating in the program, offering rent discounts to new cops.
“The overall goal is to have the real estate community come in and offer a discount to the recruits,” <a href="https://labusinessjournal.com/real-estate/housing/lapd-moves-ahead-with-housing-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Captain Aaron McCraney, who leads the LAPD&#8217;s Recruitment and Employment Division.
Los Angeles Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff came up with the idea for the rent subsidy program.
&#8220;The issue of recruitment of cops is now a national crisis for multiple reasons, and this arrow in our recruitment quiver has been invaluable for the safety of every Angeleno,&#8221; Soboroff said.
New LAPD officers receive a starting salary of about $80,000, so a $24,000 rent subsidy means they would be making upwards of six figures. 
However, the cost of living in Los Angeles has increased drastically over the last few years. According to one <a href="https://smmirror.com/2022/05/los-angeles-metro-sees-15-9-percent-increase-in-median-rent/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a>, the Los Angeles metropolitan area now has a median rent of over $2,200, up from less than $1,950 in 2019, a jump of nearly 16%.
Meanwhile, the police department has been dealing with a staffing shortage.
In August, Police Chief Michel Moore <a href="https://abc7.com/lapd-underemployed-officers-staffing-goals/12161466/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the force was down about 176 officers and response times for urgent calls had gotten longer due to the shortage. The pool of applicants has also gotten smaller, Moore said.
&#8220;Policing is pulling from an increasingly smaller pool of interested applicants for a variety of reasons, and so we have to be better at being upfront and being a world class agency,&#8221; Moore said.
Currently, the LAPD has just under 9,300 police officers total in the department, according to McCraney.
Meanwhile, violent crime in Los Angeles has spiraled.
As of the end of July, homicides in Los Angeles County had <a href="https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/inside-the-issues/2022/07/27/lapd-chief-addresses-the-rise-in-crime-and-violence-in-l-a--county-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">risen</a> 30% since 2020 to more than 200 homicides so far this year. Shooting victims were up 43% since 2020 to nearly 800 victims.
Some incidents have gone viral online, including looting sprees and groups of people taking over intersections to do donuts with their cars.
Police say a big driver of rising crime is Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon’s progressive policies, which tend to favor being lenient on criminals, even violent repeat offenders. Los Angeles law enforcement was particularly <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/06/16/woke-la-da-george-gascon-blamed-for-shooting-deaths-of-two-cops/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outraged</a> after the murder of two California police officers by an alleged gang member who was out on probation.
Meanwhile the district attorney’s office often <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/los-angeles-da-gascon-crime-policies-over-criminalize-communities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blames</a> police for rising crime, saying cops are part of the problem. A recall effort against Gascon failed earlier this year.

March Against Trump’s Immigration Policies Takes Place In Los Angeles

Los Angeles Residents Offer New Cops Huge Rent Subsidy

Los Angeles Police Department

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva is calling for California&#8217;s attorney general to investigate how a pair of county officials were tipped off about warrants to search their homes on Wednesday.
The sheriff <a href="https://twitter.com/BillFOXLA/status/1570168119598915584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1570168119598915584%7Ctwgr%5Edca12a2426ba89c88f632a63c3c8db18d38070d2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fus%2Fla-sheriff-calls-state-ag-investigate-2-county-officials-being-tipped-off-about-search-warrants">said</a> that Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and Los Angeles County Civilian Oversight Commissioner Patti Giggans were both illegally tipped off that there were search warrants for their homes.
The warrants are related to a public corruption investigation.
Kuehl held a press conference outside her Santa Monica home after sheriff&#8217;s deputies went inside to execute the search warrant, calling the probe a &#8220;bogus non-investigation.&#8221;
She revealed to the media that she had been told about the warrant the previous night by L.A. County Inspector General Max Huntsman as well as an unnamed county attorney.
Villanueva called for an investigation in a <a href="https://twitter.com/BillFOXLA/status/1570168119598915584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1570168119598915584%7Ctwgr%5Edca12a2426ba89c88f632a63c3c8db18d38070d2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fus%2Fla-sheriff-calls-state-ag-investigate-2-county-officials-being-tipped-off-about-search-warrants">letter</a> to Attorney General Rob Bonta (D), accusing the county officials who tipped off Kuehl of &#8220;illegally alerting them.&#8221;
&#8220;The illegal acts committed by Mr. Huntsman and County Counsel have potentially comprised the integrity of this criminal investigation including, but not limited to, the concealment or destruction of evidence,&#8221; Villanueva wrote in his letter.
The sheriff asked the attorney general to open an investigation into potential felony violations &#8220;regarding interference into a criminal investigation&#8221; and alert the sheriff&#8217;s office when it had done so.
Villanueva <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/la-sheriff-calls-state-ag-investigate-2-county-officials-being-tipped-off-about-search-warrants">remarked</a> to Fox News that the situation is &#8220;alarming and sad.&#8221;
Kuehl, 81, has been a strong proponent of stringent COVID restrictions over the last year.
In July, she <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11052087/LA-County-Supervisor-dismisses-critics-renewed-school-mask-mandates-snowflake-weepies.html">referred</a> to those who oppose mask mandates as &#8220;snowflake weepies&#8221; during a Board of Supervisors meeting.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t hear them writing me about shoes, which are actually more oppressive to your feet than wearing a mask on your face, but we do that really for health or the requirement to wear a shirt when you enter a restaurant,&#8221; Kuehl said.
In 2020, Kuehl <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/health/la-county-supervisor-visited-restaurant-after-voting-for-outdoor-dining-ban-report">sparked outrage</a> when she was spotted dining outdoors just hours after voting to ban outdoor dining in Los Angeles County.
She had described outdoor dining as &#8220;a most dangerous situation&#8221; during a public meeting that day. Later in the day, she was seen dining at an Italian restaurant in Santa Monica.
Villanueva also noted that when detectives arrived at Giggins&#8217; home, Giggins answered the door with her attorney.
&#8220;It was obvious both were already aware of the search warrant and were waiting for detectives to arrive,&#8221; the sheriff wrote.
&#8220;I do not have to explain the alleged criminal, administrative and ethical laws which were broken by Mr. Huntsman and the currently unidentified person(s) employed by County Counsel,&#8221; Villanueva wrote.
&#8220;We are confident phone records will soon reveal any text messages received by Ms. Kuehl and Ms. Giggins, which illegally alerted them to the search warrant, as well as the intent behind their actions,&#8221; he added.
The public corruption investigation <a href="https://abc7.com/los-angeles-county-supervisor-sheila-kuehl-search-warrant-la-investigations-lasd/12229235/">reportedly</a> involves allegations of a conflict of interest in awarding a contract for a Metro sexual harassment hotline. Giggans runs the nonprofit Peace Over Violence, which ran the hotline. She and Kuehl are close friends.
&#8220;Everybody&#8217;s going to say, &#8216;Well she must&#8217;ve done something or they wouldn&#8217;t have come to her house. No,&#8221; Kuehl <a href="https://abc7.com/los-angeles-county-supervisor-sheila-kuehl-search-warrant-la-investigations-lasd/12229235/">said</a> during her impromptu press conference outside her home as deputies searched inside.
&#8220;This is all about a contract, which I had nothing to do with, and there&#8217;s no ongoing investigation. The sheriff should have better control of his department,&#8221; she said.

The 44th Annual Peace Over Violence Humanitarian Awards

LA County Officials Under Investigation Tipped Off To Home Searches, Sheriff Demands Investigation

LA Sheriff Calls For Investigation Into County Officials Being Tipped Off To Searches Of Their Homes

Alex Villanueva

Corruption

Investigation

A top leader in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/black-lives-matter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Black Lives Matter</a> Global Network Foundation was accused in a lawsuit filed this week of stealing millions of dollars from the organization through a &#8220;scheme of fraud and misrepresentation.&#8221;
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday by Black Lives Matter Grassroots, accused Shalomyah Bowers, one of three <a href="https://blacklivesmatter.com/meet-the-black-lives-matter-global-network-foundations-growing-board-of-directors/">members</a> of the group&#8217;s board of directors, of stealing more than $10 million from the far-left activist group for his own personal use.
The Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-02/black-lives-matter-leader-accused-of-stealing-10-million-from-organization">noted</a> that Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation raises funds through donations that are then distributed to Black Lives Matter Grassroots, which is &#8220;the umbrella organization for local chapters of the group.&#8221;
The lawsuit pinned federal and state-level investigations into the group on Bowers&#8217; alleged actions, accusing him of using the group&#8217;s funds as a “personal piggy bank” and causing the group &#8220;irreparable harm” in a mere matter of months.
“While BLM leaders and movement workers were on the street risking their lives, Mr. Bowers remained in his cushy offices devising a scheme of fraud and misrepresentation to break the implied-in-fact contract between donors and BLM,” the lawsuit said.
Bowers and the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s board of directors claimed that those who filed the lawsuit were effectively racists.
“They would rather take the same steps of our white oppressors and utilize the criminal legal system which is propped up by white supremacy (the same system they say they want to dismantle) to solve movement disputes,” the organization said.
Bowers was hired by Marxist Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors in 2020, the year of the George Floyd riots, to help raise money for the group.
Cullors announced last May that she was resigning from the group amid controversy and widespread criticism over the <a href="https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/commentary/five-months-blm-protestors-trashed-americas-cities-after-the-election">violent riots</a> that broke out across the U.S. in 2020, the group’s <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/black-lives-matter-disrupt-nuclear-family-website">extreme ideas</a>, and controversy over Cullors’ lavish lifestyle, which <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/04/10/inside-blm-co-founder-patrisse-khan-cullors-real-estate-buying-binge/">included</a> buying &#8220;four high-end homes for $3.2 million in the U.S. alone.&#8221;
Cullors <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ca-state-wire-george-floyd-philanthropy-race-and-ethnicity-0a89ec240a702537a3d89d281789adcf">claimed</a> that criticism from detractors did not factor into her decision to resign, adding, “Those were right-wing attacks that tried to discredit my character, and I don’t operate off of what the right thinks about me.”
After Cullors stepped down, the mothers of Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, and others <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/benefitting-off-the-blood-of-our-loved-ones-mothers-of-tamir-rice-breonna-taylor-slam-patrisse-cullors-black-lives-matter">lashed out</a>, accusing both BLM and Cullors of using their children’s deaths to raise money, but failing to pass the money on to black families in need.

Atlanta Protest Over Police Custody Death Of George Floyd

Black Lives Matter Leader Stole $10 Million From Organization, Lawsuit Says

Black Lives Matter

Court

George Floyd

Lawsuit

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