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

Los Angeles County

Sheriff

U.S.

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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&mdash; Robert Luna (@lunaforsheriff) <a href="https://twitter.com/lunaforsheriff/status/1592653415381106692?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
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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

California

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

Crime

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

Vanessa Bryant, widow of NBA legend <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kobe-bryant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kobe Bryant</a>, plans to donate the $16 million in proceeds she won this week in her invasion of privacy lawsuit against the County of Los Angeles to her late husband&#8217;s sports foundation, her attorney said Thursday.
A federal jury reached the verdict Wednesday, siding with Bryant and her attorneys, that Los Angeles County deputies and firefighters invaded her privacy and brought emotional distress after taking and sharing photos of the bodies of her husband and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna following the fatal crash that killed them and seven others in January 2020.
Chris Chester, Bryant&#8217;s co-plaintiff, was awarded $15 million for photos of his deceased wife and daughter, who were among the nine killed in the helicopter crash.
The Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-25/vanessa-bryant-verdict-mamba-mambacita-foundation?consumer=googlenews">reports</a> that Bryant said she would give her portion &#8220;to shine a light on Kobe and Gigi&#8217;s legacy&#8221; to the non-profit Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, which offers sports education to underserved athletes.
“From the beginning, Vanessa Bryant has sought only accountability, but our legal system does not permit her to force better policies, more training or officer discipline,” her attorney Luis Li said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “Those measures are the responsibility of the sheriff&#8217;s and fire departments — responsibilities that Mrs. Bryant&#8217;s efforts have exposed as woefully deficient, even giving amnesty to the wrongdoers.”
Li added that Bryant “never faltered, even when the county attempted to force her to submit to an involuntary psychiatric examination.”
In September 2020, Bryant filed the suit in U.S. District Court, claiming that the photos of the deceased allegedly taken by authorities at the crash scene and then shared at various events have caused her emotional distress.
Eyewitnesses Ralph Mendez and Luella Weireter complained to the Sheriff&#8217;s Department and Fire Department and reported that deputies and firefighters in Norwalk and Universal City were sharing the graphic images.
Bryant&#8217;s attorney said she is “deeply grateful” to the two private citizens who came forward.
Li said the pair “brought to light the decades-old practice of taking and sharing photos of accident and crime victims for no legitimate purpose,” adding that Bryant hopes the civil rights case will stop future “abhorrent and callous behavior.”
The lawyers said it is unknown how far the images spread because the county did not conduct a proper investigation.
During the trial, Bryant reportedly said she lives in “fear every day of being on social media and these popping up.”
“I live in fear of my daughters being on social media and these popping up,” Bryant said.
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed an invasion of privacy bill after the fatal accident, called the “Kobe Bryant Act.” The bill makes it illegal for first responders to share photos of a deceased individual at a crime scene “for any other purpose other than official law enforcement purpose.”

US-BASKET-KOBE-BRYANT-COURT

Vanessa Bryant To Donate $16 Million Verdict Proceeds To Kobe Bryant Sports Foundation

Basketball

Kobe Bryant

Los Angeles Lakers

A federal jury unanimously voted Wednesday to award Vanessa Bryant $16 million in her invasion of privacy lawsuit against the County of Los Angeles regarding photos allegedly taken of her late husband <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kobe-bryant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kobe Bryant</a> following the fatal crash that killed the NBA star, her daughter, and seven others in January 2020.
Nine jurors reached the verdict, siding with Bryant and her attorneys, that Los Angeles County deputies and firefighters invaded her privacy and brought emotional distress after taking and sharing photos of the bodies of her husband and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
“I live in fear every day of being on social media and these popping up,” she testified, according to <a href="https://www.kcra.com/article/vanessa-bryant-lawsuit-verdict/40984146">KCRA</a>. “I live in fear of my daughters being on social media and these popping up.”
Chris Chester, Bryant’s co-plaintiff, was awarded $15 million for photos taken of his wife and daughter, who were among the nine killed in the helicopter crash.
ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/jury-reaches-verdict-trial-kobe-bryant-helicopter-crash/story?id=88794432&amp;cid=social_twitter_abcn">reports</a> that Chester told the jury Thursday on the witness stand that he was in &#8220;disbelief&#8221; after hearing reports about the photos taken of his wife Sarah, and their 13-year-old daughter, Payton.
&#8220;It was grief on top of grief,&#8221; he said, calling for &#8220;justice and accountability.&#8221;
In September 2020, Bryant filed the suit in U.S. District Court, claiming that the photos of the deceased allegedly taken by authorities at the crash scene and then shared at various events have caused her emotional distress.
“Mrs. Bryant feels ill at the thought that sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, and members of the public have gawked at gratuitous images of her deceased husband and child,” according to the lawsuit, Reuters noted. “She lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online.”
Bryant’s suit sought undisclosed damages, claiming civil rights violations, negligence, emotional distress, and violation of privacy, CNN reported.
L.A. County officials have argued that Bryant’s “severe and emotional and mental injuries” came from the crash itself rather than the photos.
In September 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed an invasion of privacy bill after the fatal accident, called the “Kobe Bryant Act.” The bill makes it illegal for first responders to share photos of a deceased body at a crime scene “for any other purpose other than official law enforcement purpose.”

The Celebration of Life for Kobe & Gianna Bryant

Vanessa Bryant Wins Lawsuit Over Kobe’s Death-Scene Photos; Awarded Millions

Vanessa Bryant Awarded Millions In Kobe's Death-Scene Photos Verdict

Death

The team behind the effort to recall Left-wing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles-county">Los Angeles County</a> District Attorney <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/george-gascon">George Gascón</a> tells The Daily Wire that any allegations of negligence and illegal activity in the campaign were false. 
Last week, a <a href="https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2022/08/18/exclusive-recall-gascon-committee-failed-to-pre-validate-signatures-hired-incompetent-vendors-n614367">report</a> emerged that willful negligence and illegal activity were key reasons why the rejection of the petition to recall Gascón failed. The measure will not be on the November ballot after not enough signatures were validated by the county Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk to qualify. 
Recall Gascón campaign spokesperson Tim Lineberger responded to the allegations, telling The Daily Wire that the report was “riddled with demonstrably false assertions and contradicts itself repeatedly.”
He also said that the campaign needed to get over 566,000 signatures in 160 days, which he called “an unprecedented effort that far exceeds any comparable threshold.”
L.A. County law stipulates that 10% of all registered county voters are needed for a recall petition. For comparison, the attempt to recall Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) needed about 12% of voters from the prior gubernatorial election while the successful effort to recall San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin needed about 51,000 valid signatures to get on the ballot.
The report that the recall campaign is disputing cited an inside source, who alleged ineligible signatures were intentionally used to pad signature count updates. The report also alleged that campaign employees were told to forge the signatures of circulators if necessary and that consultants involved were motivated more by financial gain than by the success of the recall. 
Lineberger said that any allegations of illegality were “bulls***.” He also told The Daily Wire that the recall campaign plans on reviewing the final count and making sure that no one who signed the petition was disenfranchised. 
“While we still intend to review the final count and ensure no voter was disenfranchised, assuming the results do not change, all facts, finance reports, and publicly available information demonstrate the campaign was extremely diligent throughout the process and did everything possible to make this happen, often times to our own personal financial, physical, and emotional detriment,” he said. 
Another analysis of why the effort failed has looked at disputes between the group Let the Voters Decide and the recall campaign. Let the Voters Decide was a group paid to collect signatures for the campaign. It <a href="https://www.dailynews.com/2022/08/18/finger-pointing-erupts-among-backers-of-gascon-recall/">claims</a> that the campaign was handled poorly and is suing over campaign-related charges. 
Despite the feuds over the handling of the campaign, L.A. County voters will be able to decide Gascón’s political future when he is back on the ballot in November 2023.
“People can say whatever they want, it will not stop us from continuing to do everything we can to remove Gascón from office, whether that’s now or in 2024. Thanks in part to the recall effort, Gascón is a wounded animal and his time is running out,” Lineberger said.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon addresses police accountability during a press conference

Recall Gascón Campaign Denies Negligence Allegations After Recall Failure

Recall Gascón Campaign Responds To Negligence Allegations

A teenager <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-teen-dies-swimming-madera-county-lake-hike-rcna43865" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died</a> after swimming in a lake after a hike in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a> with a group earlier this month.
The Madera County Sheriff’s office released a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MaderaSheriff/posts/pfbid0Dt78Sr216wsn1uUqm6g66rcWjtfFmM4jFkLCm57uix2CoLLwehUWm9nKgT4MVb5hl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> on Thursday, saying it had gotten a call around 8 p.m. on August 10 “regarding a teenage subject who had gone missing from his hiking party near Thousand Island Lake.” Thousand Island Lake is in eastern Madera County at an elevation of 9,833 feet with 10,000-foot peaks around it. It is located near Yosemite National Park and is <a href="https://www.hikespeak.com/trails/thousand-island-lake-ansel-adams-wilderness/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">known</a> for its many tiny islands.
The 18-year-old man was from Los Angeles County and had been hiking with a group. He had been missing for around eight hours when the call was made. Earlier in the day, around noon, he went swimming by himself to an island at the lake and was last visible on the shore by the group with whom he had hiked.
“While Search and Rescue teams were coordinating resources, the reporting party called back to advise they located the subject and needed immediate medical assistance,” the statement noted. “Due to the urgent nature of the incident, a request was placed with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for a military helicopter to respond. Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore accepted the mission and responded to the location for medical assistance.”
When the NAS Lemoore helicopter arrived at the scene, it was evident that the teen had passed away. He and his father were taken to Fresno Yosemite International Airport, where they were connected with police and sheriff’s office personnel.
A cause of death was not described, however, the authorities added that they “would like to caution those who recreate in the outdoors, our high-country alpine lakes are still extremely cold even if the valley floor sees 100-degree days. At Thousand Island Lake, the overnight lows are in the low 40’s at night, and the lake itself is fed by glaciers from Mount Ritter and Mount Banner, the peaks of which are -/+ 12,000 feet in elevation.”
“Even in the warmer months, the water is extremely cold,” it added.
“On behalf of the Madera County Sheriff’s Office, I extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the young man during this tragic time,” Sheriff Tyson Pogue said. “Incidents like this are truly heartbreaking, and some of the hardest calls we conduct as first responders. Thank you to our allied agencies for their swift efforts to assist us with this mission, and helping to provide support to the family.”

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California Teen Dies After Swimming In Lake On A Hike

California Teen Dies After Swimming In Thousand Island Lake On A Hike

Police

Vanessa Bryant&#8217;s invasion of privacy lawsuit against the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles-county">Los Angeles County</a> sheriff&#8217;s and fire departments began Wednesday over explicit photos allegedly taken by first responders of her late husband <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kobe-bryant">Kobe Bryant&#8217;s</a> fatal helicopter crash that killed the NBA legend, their daughter Giana, and seven others in January 2020.
Bryant&#8217;s lawsuit, which she filed in U.S. District Court in September 2020, centers around photos of the deceased that L.A. County authorities allegedly took and then shared at a bar and other public events. Bryant argues the invasion of privacy has caused emotional distress to the widow of one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history.
&#8220;Mrs. Bryant feels ill at the thought that sheriff&#8217;s deputies, firefighters, and members of the public have gawked at gratuitous images of her deceased husband and child,&#8221; according to the lawsuit, per <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/trial-over-kobe-bryant-crash-photos-begins-2022-08-10/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a>. “She lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online.&#8221;
TMZ <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.tmz.com/2022/08/10/kobe-bryant-vanessa-bryant-helicopter-crash-photo-trial-sheriff-deputies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> Bryant broke into tears during her lawyer&#8217;s opening statements. Her lawyer said the eight L.A. County sheriff&#8217;s deputies who took the photos of the bodies of her late husband and child took the pictures &#8220;for a laugh like they were souvenirs,&#8221; adding it &#8220;poured salt in an unhealable wound.&#8221;
Bryant&#8217;s attorney said Bryant lives &#8220;in fear, anxiety, and terror,&#8221; and the sheriff&#8217;s actions will forever haunt her.
CNN <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/10/us/kobe-vanessa-bryant-lawsuit/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> the lawsuit seeks undisclosed damages, claiming civil rights violations, negligence, emotional distress, and violation of privacy.
However, L.A. county officials argued that Bryant&#8217;s &#8220;severe and emotional and mental injuries&#8221; came from the crash itself rather than the photos.
Rob Pelinka, general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, took the stand Wednesday and could barely speak about his relationship with his former employee and late friend, according to TMZ.
Pelinka said he received the news about Bryant&#8217;s helicopter crash while in church before leaving in a rush to meet Mrs. Bryant at John Wayne Airport, where they would fly to the crash site in Calabasas, California.
He said Bryant has fought to keep the photos private from the public eye to protect the impact it could have on her daughters.
Following the fatal accident, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an invasion-of-privacy bill called the &#8220;Kobe Bryant Act&#8221; in September 2020. The bill makes it illegal for first responders to share photos of a deceased body at a crime scene &#8220;for any other purpose other than official law enforcement purpose.&#8221;
Those found guilty of the misdemeanor crime could receive charges up to $1,000 per violation.
CNN reports the jury includes six women and four men — a nun, an NBC Universal employee, and a college student. Also seated on the jury are a real estate investor, a pharmaceutical researcher, a computer science professor, and a restaurant host.
Bryant&#8217;s trial could last about two weeks, which would likely include witness testimony from L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
Villanueva said two months after the crash that the eight sheriff&#8217;s deputies responsible for allegedly taking and sharing the photos faced administrative action and have since deleted the photos.

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