Latest news with #L.A
Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Smokey Davidson's past sexual assault case in 2015 becomes public amid ongoing investigations
Smokey Robinson, well-known singer-songwriter and music producer has recently been under a lot of fire and criticism. The popular personality was recently accused of alleged rape by unknown victims. In a bombshell revelation recently, it was found that the singer was previously charged with sexual assault in 2015. Smokey Robinson was previously accused of sexual assault? Smokey Robinson was previously charged with the allegations of sexual assault all the way back in 2015, as per reports from TMZ. As the investigation went on into the celebrity, it was revealed by the L.A. County District Attorney's Office that they were given a case of sexual assault in 2015 against Davidson; however, it did not lead to any charges being filed. The case itself was given off to prosecutors by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. In the same report it was also shared that none of the four anonymous people who have filed for charges of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment and gender violence against Smokey were also involved in the 2015 case. Smokey Davidson has denied all claims After the lawsuits were filed, Smokey Davidson and his attorney, Christopher Frost, issued an official statement that the allegations were false and baseless in nature. With regard to the latest update in the case, they also shared that "We are pleased that this statement has been released in which the LA District Attorney has confirmed there was no basis to file charges a decade ago." He continued by saying that "one unfortunate aspect of celebrity is that it is not uncommon to be the target of spurious and unsubstantiated allegations. Mr Robinson looks forward to the conclusion of the current investigation and has no doubt that a similar determination will be reached here." Smokey has also filed for a countersuit against the people who have filed the case against him Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The overhaul of L.A. County government begins now
In November, Los Angeles County voters approved Measure G, which promised to transform county governance. The process that will implement its reforms begins now with the creation of the Governance Reform Task Force, and L.A. County leaders, residents and media need to be engaged because, as the saying goes, 'The devil is in the details.' For too long, the county has underserved the people of Los Angeles. With nearly 10 million residents, our county is more populous than 40 U.S. states, yet it is governed by only five supervisors, each overseeing about 2 million people. The result has been reactionary leadership that maintains the status quo when the challenges we face require speed and innovation. Read more: Editorial: Voters just passed L.A. County's most important government reform in decades At its core, Measure G is about ensuring that the county can meet our greatest challenges. After all, the design of a government shapes the behaviors of those who govern us. The Board of Supervisors will be expanded, over time, to nine members from five. And an elected county executive will provide for the separation of executive and legislative powers, and a more accountable county government. Take for example the devastating January fires. The Palisades and Eaton fires tore through the cities of Los Angeles, Malibu, Pasadena and Sierra Madre. The largest devastation in terms of deaths, homes lost and residents displaced was in the unincorporated neighborhood of Altadena. Instead of having one voice and one plan leading fire response and recovery at the county level, residents must navigate a maze of district by district bureaucracy to put the pieces of their life back together. Imagine if there was just one elected county executive guiding one regional strategy — this is the future we can create. Read more: Your guide to Measure G: Expanding the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, electing a county executive Now let's consider homelessness — the most pressing issue facing the county year after year. Despite spending billions of dollars each year, the county has yet to move the needle far enough in addressing the issue. When an audit was mandated by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, the county learned of eye-popping inefficiencies and nepotism, leading it to pull its funding from the city-county Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, and leading to the resignation of the agency's chief executive. Is this effective governance? Is this the best we can do? In their recent book 'Abundance,' Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson point to the need for proactive government in fostering innovation and breaking stagnation that places such as Los Angeles face. But ending the status quo won't be easy. So many entities will resist change — agencies that have been allowed to underperform, vendors who overcharge, nonprofit organizations whose million-dollar contracts with the county may change — because an opaque county system is working for them. Read more: Two workers fired from LAHSA had accused top executive of improper behavior Right now, the vision and continuity of the county change on an annual basis along with the rotating chair structure of the five-member board. Most actions get decided based on district preferences instead of the regional greater good. But as the founding fathers noted, government works best with checks and balances. The county supervisors, as the legislative branch, should have a healthy level of friction with an executive to keep them accountable to the people. Measure G's addition of an elected county executive establishes those checks and balances. This change is critical to the leadership needed to tackle major crises such as homelessness and emergency response. The new task force will also define the scope of a new independent ethics commission mandated by the measure. Read more: Los Angeles homeless chief to resign after the county guts her agency Measure G is not just governance reform — it's also democratic renewal. Los Angeles County's form of government hasn't changed since 1912, when our population was just 500,000 and women didn't have the right to vote. To have world class transportation countywide, to transition to a green economy, to lessen disparities between rich and poor requires innovation. As the task force begins the process to implement the voter-approved Measure G, we need the voices of all 88 cities and our hundreds of neighborhoods to help define the future of county government. Tune in for our livestreamed meetings, email your ideas to the task force and be sure to get involved as the task force develops and rolls out a community engagement strategy in the coming months. We can't afford to waste this opportunity. As a member of the task force, I welcome your participation in shaping the county we all deserve. This thrilling process starts Friday — join us. Sara Sadhwani is a politics professor at Pomona College and was appointed by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, co-author of Measure G, to serve on the Governance Reform Task Force. If it's in the news right now, the L.A. Times' Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
L.A. Pride Events Guide 2025
L.A. Pride Events Guide 2025 originally appeared on L.A. Mag. Pride Month is here and the calendar is packed with festivities to celebrate and elevate the queer community. From parties and parades to concerts and community-driven experiences, Los Angeles always goes all out in the spirit of equality and love. Despite some reported sponsorship cuts, this year is no exception. Check back here each week for updates as the month progresses for more events, club nights and activities. WEHO PRIDEMAY 22 - JUNE 30One of the largest Pride celebrations in the world, WeHo Pride returns with a full weekend of community events, parties and parades May 30 - June 1. From the Dyke March and Women's Freedom Festival to the massive WeHo Pride Parade and Street Fair, Santa Monica Boulevard will be bursting with color. WeHo's 40-day celebration kicks off May 22 — Harvey Milk Day — and continues throughout the month. For Sunday's parade, model and actress Cara Delevingne, actress and filmmaker Nava Mau, Love on the Spectrum star Pari Kim, and former NFL player Chris Kluwe serve as 2025 WeHo Pride Parade Icons. FESTIVALMAY 30 - JUNE 1As WeHo Pride's signature music event, Outloud takes over West HollywoodPark with an all-star lineup. This year's headliners include Maren Morris (at Friday's free event), Lizzo, Remi Wolf, Kim Petras, Honey Dijon and Paris Hilton— plus DJ sets, surprise guests, the Summertramp splashy bash and enough glitter to power the Sunset Strip. THE PIRATE PARTYMAY 30Ahoy, queer sailors! Dusti Cunningham and Jeff Rasul invite you to The Pirate Party at The Virgil—a raunchy, seafaring soirée with naughty pirate gogos, DJ Sindri spinning deep sea shanties, and an open call for stripping down to your skivvies. Shake yer booty and cruise for treasure (or trouble). PRIDEJUNE 5-22Santa Monica's monthlong celebration includes art installations, pop-ups and community events across the Promenade and beyond. It all leads up to Pride on the Pier (June 22), a free oceanfront bash with DJs, fireworks and fun for all ages. CCA'S CELEBRATION OF LGBTQ+ CINEMA & TELEVISIONJUNE 6The Critics Choice Association's second annual Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television will take place at the Fairmont Century Plaza. Sherry Cola will host the festivities, which will honor over 20 creatives from the entertainment world and stream on HereTV in June. VENICE PRIDEJUNE 7Since 2016, the coastal community's celebration of its LGBTQ community has been one of the most joyful events of the year, leading to the iconic Venice Pride Flag Lifeguard Tower and higher visibility for queer culture in L.A. This year, the big block party and 'Gaywatch' gathering returns with music and revelry. PRIDE PARADEJUNE 8LA Pride celebrates its 55th annual LA Pride Parade on Hollywood Boulevard, between and including Highland Avenue and Cahuenga Boulevard. More than 100,000 spectators and participants are expected for an epic celebration, followed by the official after-party at the LA Pride Village. LA PRIDE VILLAGEJUNE 8Adjacent to the parade route is the LA Pride Village, where the day's celebrations will continue with a music stage, community stage, two full-service bars, sponsor activations and giveaways, as well as more than 80 vendors and exhibitors and dozens of food trucks and stalls. The street festival is free and open to all. OPENINGSJUNE 10, 17The Getty goes all in on Pride with two major exhibitions: $3 Bill: Evidence of Queer Lives (June 10 - Sept. 28) and Queer Lens: A History of Photography (June 17- Sept. 28). Check the calendar for free discussions and film screenings, and shop the Pride Pop-up starting June 3. PRIDE NIGHT AT DODGER STADIUMJUNE 13A grand slam celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride, the Dodgers' annual Pride Night features a rainbow-packed pregame, special guests and a custom Dodgers Pride jersey with select ticket packages. AFTER DARK: PRIDE NITEJUNE 18, 20Celebrate Pride with Mickey and the gang during two exclusive nights at Disneyland. Expect after-dark parades, themed food, rainbow photo ops and late-night rides. General admission tickets are $169 per guest. Tickets to the event include admission as early as 6 p.m. until the park closes at 1 a.m. GAY MENS CHORUS OF LA'S JUNE 21-22The popular 200-member chorus performs dance anthems and musical numbers from iconic musicals including Singin' in the Rain, Hairspray, and The Producers, plus hits from Lady Gaga, Luther Vandross, ABBA, Earth Wind and Fire and Donna Summer. PRIDEJUNE 28The San Fernando Valley turns up for Pride with a local celebration spotlighting queer talent, small businesses and community pride in the 818. This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Suspect wanted in deadly Pico Rivera shooting
Authorities are searching for a suspect in connection with a deadly shooting in Pico Rivera. On May 13, Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies responded to a homicide on the 9100 block of Rosehedge Drive around 5 p.m. Arriving deputies found the victim, Cato Mendoza, 40, fatally shot. The suspect fled the scene in a 2023 silver Nissan Altima sedan. It's unclear how many people may have been inside the vehicle. Authorities have released surveillance video of the shooter's getaway car. The circumstances surrounding the deadly incident remain under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Giles or Detective Brown at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
L.A.'s mayor declared a homelessness emergency. Now, some at City Hall want to move past it
It was the first and possibly the most dramatic act by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after she took office: declaring a city emergency on homelessness. That move, backed by the City Council, gave Bass the power to award no-bid contracts to nonprofit groups and to rent hotels and motels for interim homeless housing. It also allowed Bass to waive regulations limiting the size and scale of certain types of affordable housing. Now, two and a half years into Bass' tenure, some on the council are looking to reassert their authority, by rescinding the homelessness emergency declaration. Councilmember Tim McOsker said he wants to return city government to its normal processes and procedures, as spelled out in the City Charter. Leases, contracts and other decisions related to homelessness would again be taken up at public meetings, with council members receiving testimony, taking written input and ultimately voting. 'Let's come back to why these processes exist,' McOsker said in an interview. 'They exist so the public can be made aware of what we're doing with public dollars.' McOsker said that, even if the declaration is rescinded, the city will need to address 'the remainder of this crisis.' For example, he said, the homeless services that the city currently provides could become permanent. The city could also push county agencies — which provide public health, mental health counseling and substance abuse treatment — to do more, McOsker said. Bass, for her part, pushed back on McOsker's efforts this week, saying through an aide that the emergency declaration 'has resulted in homelessness decreasing for the first time in years, bucking statewide and nationwide trends.' 'The Mayor encourages Council to resist the urge of returning to failed policies that saw homelessness explode in Los Angeles,' said Bass spokesperson Clara Karger. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, also known as LAHSA, reported last summer that homelessness declined by 2.2% in the city of L.A., the first decrease in several years. The number of unsheltered homeless people — those who live in interim housing, such as hotels and motels, but do not have a permanent residence — dropped by more than 10% to 29,275, down from 32,680. The push from McOsker and at least some of his colleagues comes at a pivotal time. Last month, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to pull more than $300 million from LAHSA, the city-county agency that provides an array of services to the unhoused population. Meanwhile, the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, which has been battling the city in court over its response to the crisis, is pushing for a federal judge to place the city's homelessness initiatives into a receivership. Matthew Umhofer, an attorney for the alliance, said the city has 'very little to show' for its emergency declaration in terms of progress on the streets. 'It's our view that a state of emergency around homelessness is appropriate, but that the city is not engaged in conduct that reflects the seriousness of the crisis — and is not doing what it needs to do in order to solve the crisis,' he said. Inside Safe, Bass' signature program to bring homeless people indoors, has moved 4,316 people into interim housing since it began in 2022, according to a LAHSA dashboard covering the period ending April 30. Of that total, nearly 1,040 went into permanent housing, while nearly 1,600 returned to homelessness. Council members voted this week to extend the mayor's homelessness emergency declaration for another 90 days, with McOsker casting the lone dissenting vote. However, they have also begun taking preliminary steps toward ending the declaration. Last week, while approving the city budget, the council created a new bureau within the Los Angeles Housing Department to monitor spending on homeless services. On Tuesday, the council asked city policy analysts to provide strategies to ensure that nonprofit homeless service providers are paid on a timely basis, 'even if there is no longer a declared emergency.' The following day, McOsker and Councilmember Nithya Raman — who heads the council's housing and homeless committee — co-authored a proposal asking city policy analysts to report back in 60 days with a plan addressing the 'operational, legal and fiscal impacts' of terminating the emergency declaration. That proposal, also signed by Councilmembers John Lee and Ysabel Jurado, now heads to Raman's committee for deliberations. While some on the council have already voiced support for repealing the emergency declaration, others say they are open to the idea — but only if there is a seamless transition. 'I want to make sure that if we do wind it down, that we do it responsibly,' said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who represents the southwest San Fernando Valley. Blumenfield wants to protect Executive Directive 1, which was issued by Bass shortly after she declared the local emergency, by enshrining its provisions into city law. The directive lifts height limits and other planning restrictions for 100% affordable housing developments, which charge rents below market rates. Raman said the city must confront a number of issues stemming from the homelessness crisis, such as improving data collection. But she, too, voiced interest in exploring the end of the emergency declaration. 'This is also an extremely important conversation, and it is one I am eager to have,' she said.
