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Los Angeles Times
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Justice Department rejects Orange County proposal to avoid lawsuit over sensitive voter information
The Justice Department Wednesday sued the Orange County Registrar of Voters to access records on the office's efforts to remove ineligible voters and accusing the county of failing to maintain an accurate voter list. Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page told City News Service, 'I can't comment on pending or ongoing litigation.' Orange County Board of Supervisors Vice Chairwoman Katrina Foley said the registrar was complying with state law in not turning over some of the information and added the county has been doing its job to eliminate bogus voters. 'We're complying with state law that says we are required to protect the privacy of what would be considered private information,' Foley told City News Service. That would include Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers, Foley said. 'And in five years we have identified 17 ineligible voters —16 of whom have self-reported,' Foley said. Robert Soufar, a 76-year-old Canadian citizen who lives in Fullerton, pleaded guilty in November to voting in the 2016 election. 'All of these 17 individuals have been removed from the voter rolls,' Foley said.'There are 1.9 million registered voters and 17 people have been identified as ineligible. Our voting lists are scrubbed constantly for people who have moved or died... This is a good example that the system worked.' Michael Gates, a deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division, is listed on the complaint. Gates was formerly city attorney for Huntington Beach, which legally squabbled often with the state, including on voter ID. 'It feels political,' Foley said. 'I don't know why the Department of Justice is getting involved when we took care of the situation. We're actually canceling their registrations and doing our job.' Supervisor Don Wagner, however, said the county should just hand over whatever the federal officials want. 'I think we ought to give everything over to the Department of Justice like they request and we shouldn't be trying to hide anything if we have nothing to hide,' Wagner told City News Service. Any voter who objects can bring their own lawsuit, Wagner said. 'I want the cleanest rolls possible,' Wagner said. Wagner said it doesn't matter if state law prevents turning over some personal information. 'If the federal government has a right to it, state law doesn't trump that,' Wagner said. 'I know it is a small number, but that's part of my problem. I don't know if it's the tip of the iceberg or we have the entire iceberg here. And I think the Justice Department wants to figure that out and we should help them figure it out and not stand in the way.' Assistant Atty. Gen. Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in a statement that 'Voting by non- citizens is a federal crime, and states and counties that refuse to disclose all requested voter information are in violation of well-established federal elections laws. Removal of non-citizens from the state's voter rolls is critical to ensuring that the state's voter rolls are accurate and that elections in California are conducted without fraudulent voting. The Department of Justice will hold jurisdictions that refuse to comply with federal voting laws accountable.' At issue is the Registrar of Voters redacting information such as drivers license, Social Security and voter ID numbers. James Steinmann, a supervising deputy counsel for the county, asked Justice Department officials if it was possible to work around the state law regarding disclosure of the private information on Tuesday. 'To avoid a lawsuit, would the USDOJ consider another mechanism to enable the county to provide the USDOJ with this sensitive information,' Steinmann said in an email. 'For example, would the USDOJ be amenable to entering into a confidentiality agreement that would enable us to provide records with assurances that such sensitive personal identifiers will remain confidential and be used for governmental purposes only' But the Justice Department responded with Wednesday's lawsuit.
Los Angeles Times
23-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Two men acquitted by jury in Dodger stadium attack following Elton John concert
Two men accused of a brutal attack at the Dodgers stadium parking lot following a 2022 Elton John concert have been acquitted of battery and vandalism charges after a four-week jury trial. A jury on Thursday found Chad Reeves, 44, and Reese Hopkin, 40, not guilty of battery causing serious injury to Jaime and Lillian Grenfell, a married couple in their 60s. Hopkin was also found not guilty of vandalism related to a bystander's cell phone that was broken during the incident. The pair were charged in 2023 after a video of the Nov. 17, 2022 incident went viral. Prosecutors alleged that Hopkin and Reeves attacked the couple after a side mirror on the couple's Chevy Tahoe struck Reeves as they were driving away from the first of three sold-out performances. Jaime Grenfell suffered serious injuries and was knocked unconscious by Hopkin. Prosecutors also alleged Hopkin grabbed the phone of a man recording the incident and threw it to the ground. At trial, defense lawyers said the video showed only a portion of the incident. Reeves' attorney, Glen Jonas, argued the viral video was 'edited,' and claimed that Jaime Grenfell 'attacked'' Reeves and a woman, but it was not shown in the video. They argued that Reeves came to the defense of Jessica Santi, after Grenfell initiated an altercation with her. In their narrative, the Grenfells' SUV mirror struck Reeves and it led to yelling, and then Jaime Grenfell got out of the SUV and came toward Santi and struck Reeves first, according to court records. As to Hopkin, the attorneys argued that he only became involved in the conflict when his wife, Lindsay Hopkin, was allegedly assaulted. Jonas said the evidence he and attorneys Raffi Manuelian and Dilan Patel presented showed Hopkin knocked out Jaime Grenfell with a punch to the face when the alleged victim tried to reengage in the conflict, Jonas said. 'These two innocent men — Mr. Reeves and Mr. Hopkin — were falsely prosecuted by a District Attorney's Office that refused to look at the case objectively,' Jonas said, blaming former Dist. Atty. George Gascón for the charges. 'The bigger picture is that regular people can manipulate the entire public and the media into a pitchfork mob mentality against innocent people and the district attorney's office goes along with it,' Jonas said. Manuelian, who represented Hopkin, told City News Service after the verdict it was a vindication for a family man. 'It's all about context,' he said. 'Let's not judge people based on what we see in the social media.' The Grenfells have sued Reeves, Hopkin and the Dodgers over the incident, alleging there was inadequate security that night — something the Dodgers deny. In the lawsuit, Jaime Grenfell alleges that he and his wife 'suffered a head injury in the attack and other contusions and wounds and she witnessed her husband's beating and his resulting injuries.'
Los Angeles Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
‘Everything is more expensive': Orange County looking at $1.2-billion hike in annual budget
Orange County officials are proposing a $10.8-billion budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, an increase of about $1.2 billion over the current year's spending plan. The general fund budget, which offers the most flexibility, is projected at $5.4 billion, up from last fiscal year's $4.8 billion. The remainder of the budget is generally restricted by law, limiting the county's ability to adjust how those funds are used. 'It is higher than last year,' Orange County Supervisor Donald P. Wagner told City News Service. 'We have enormous new mandates from [the state] Legislature to deal with, issues from the court, so it's a frustration. Yes, it's bigger than last year. I won't defend that. But that is in the inevitable way of government budgets everywhere, and I wish we could get a handle on it. Everything is more expensive.' The county expects $1.2 billion in general purpose funds, an increase of $78.5 million, largely due to a $72.1 million rise in property tax revenue. The one-half cent tax to fund law enforcement from Prop. 172 is down 2.5% this year compared to last fiscal year, officials said. The estimated revenue is $427.6 million, with $342.1 million allocated to the Orange County Sheriff's Department and $85.5 million to the district attorney's office. The county is expected to receive $27.5 million from 'realignment revenue' over last year for a total of $945 million. Of that, $266.4 million is budgeted for health, mental health and social services, $666.7 million forpublic safety and social services and $11.4 million for juvenile criminal justice. The county is planning to eliminate 163 jobs by not filling vacant positions, although department heads may attempt to restore some of those cuts. For instance, officials from the district attorney's office recently met with county leaders about the upcoming budget, Wagner said. 'They were asking we take a hard look at the positions that were frozen and see if there's relief there,' Wagner said. The county can hire back some retired employees on a part-time basis but only for about six months or so, Wagner said. 'If the Legislature wants to give us relief from that then that would help,'' Wagner said of the pension restrictions that prohibit longer tenures for returning employees. The Prop. 172 revenue decrease is bad timing, Wagner noted. 'The 172 revenue is down but the demands on law enforcement, the public defender and D.A. are increasing, so it is a challenge to continue to provide the level of support... without making cuts in other places,' Wagnersaid. `'So we've been very clear with department heads that belt tightening has to happen, which has been happening.' One looming financial concern is the Airport fire of last September and the series of resulting legal claims that blame the county Public Works Department for its ignition. 'We are reserving some money,' to prepare, Wagner said. 'We are perhaps being a bit more frugal with restoring augmentations than we'd like to because that money we're going to need to make [legal claim] payments. It's not a great big bill due immediately, but over several years now, and we are planning accordingly. This budget and next will be tight. We've made no secret about that.''
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
LA DA Hochman touts Prop 36 success for deterring retail theft
The Brief LA County DA Hochman hailed Prop 36 for deterring retail theft. The announcement was made outside a 7-Eleven that has been victimized 12 times in recent weeks. He said since December, over a thousand arrests have been made for theft. LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman hailed the success of Proposition 36 for deterring retail theft. What we know Hochman held a press conference Wednesday outside a 7-Eleven store on Olympic Blvd. that has been repeatedly targeted by flash-mobs and other robberies. He also announced a campaign to distribute thousands of bright yellow stickers to be posted at businesses, warning potential thieves of the stepped-up criminal penalties for robberies. Prop 36, which California voters passed in November, increased some shoplifting offenses from misdemeanors to felonies in an effort to crack down on robberies and burglaries. Hochman said the increased penalties serve as a warning to potential offenders. What they're saying "Is it working? Has Proposition 36 actually resulted in more felony arrests? The answer is yes. Since Dec. 18, we have had over a thousand Proposition 36 arrests for thieves alone," Hochman said during the press conference. "Our goal is not to fill our prisons with these thieves. That would be the failure of efforts. Our goal is to deter these criminals from committing these crimes in the first place," he added. "And when I say victims, I don't mean just the stores and the store owners -- the quality of our life is degrading." SUGGESTED: California Prop 36 explained: Increasing penalties for theft and drug trafficking Target pulls the plug on self-checkout amid shoplifting surge $300,000 in stolen merchandise recovered during LA retail theft bust The owner of the 7-Eleven store in the 8500 block of West Olympic Boulevard where Hochman made his remarks, echoed his sentiments saying retailers have been targeted by repeat offenders with no fear of reprisal. "Communities have been targeted repeatedly by shoplifters -- not one- time offenders, but the same individuals coming back over and over knowing that there were no real consequences," Jawad Ursani told reporters. "My store was targeted not once but twice by a smash-and-grab by about over 50 teenagers and a repeat shoplifter who is now detained and will be held accountable by this D.A.'s Office as we speak." One of the flash-mob robberies at Ursani's store occurred in September of last year, when dozens of teens on bicycles swarmed the location and ransacked the store. The Source Information for this story is from the office of LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. City News Service contributed to this report.
Los Angeles Times
05-04-2025
- Automotive
- Los Angeles Times
At least 3 cars damaged in parking structure fire at Disneyland Resort Friday
An SUV caught fire Friday morning in a parking structure that serves the Disneyland resort in Anaheim and it spread to at least two more vehicles before the flames were put out. The fire was reported at 9:47 a.m. Friday in the Pixar Pals parking structure, Anaheim police Sgt. Jacob Gallacher told City News Service. That location is off Disneyland Drive and north of Magic Way. The vehicle of origin was a Toyota RAV4, Gallacher said. Anaheim Fire Department firefighters put out the flames, he said. At least three vehicles were damaged, including the RAV4.
