Board of Police Commissioners

213-236-1400

Email: V8834@lapd.lacity.org

*Charlie Beck is signaling a change in his thinking about what officers should do with unlicensed drivers -  LISTEN HERE!!

Richard E. Drooyan
President

Partner in the law firm of Munger, Tolles and Olsen 

John W. Mack
Vice President

Former President of the Los Angeles Urban League

Alan J. Skobin
Commissioner

Vice President and General Counsel of Galpin Motors

Robert M. Saltzman
Commissioner 

Associate Dean at USC Law School

Debra Wong Yang
Commissioner

Partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher's Los Angeles office

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CONTACT DON ROSENBERG!

Don Rosenberg lost his 25-year-old son to an unlicensed driver. Read Don's letters to the Mayor and to the Police Commissioners.  CLICK HERE

If you are in the legal profession or can help Don, please email him: unlicensedtokill@gmail.com

TODAY'S NEWS

Poll shows strong support for Jerry Brown's tax hike proposal

By George Skelton

Gov. Jerry Brown has California voters right where he wants them — hating the notion of whacking schools even more than the prospect of paying a higher sales tax.

Meanwhile, ingrained American populism is flaring as the inequity gap widens between haves and have-nots. So voters absolutely love the idea of socking the rich with higher income taxes.

Total it all up, and the result is 68% support among likely voters for Brown's proposed November ballot initiative to raise taxes on sales and high-end income, and spend the money on K-12 schools and community colleges...

Read more at LATimes.com

Calif. ranks 3rd for worst tax climate for business

California's business tax climate is the third worst in the United States, according to a new report from the Tax Foundation.

Even though California's temporary income surtax and sales tax hike expired in 2011, the state didn't improve in the standings for 2012 because its taxes were so high already, said Tax Foundation economist Mark Robyn.

The only states with worse business tax climates, according to the State Business Tax Climate Index, are New Jersey and New York. Rounding out the 10 worst climates are: Vermont, Rhode Island, Minnesota, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Maryland and Iowa...

Read more at OCRegister.com

Arizona governor: Obama was 'thin-skinned' in airport exchange

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer says President Obama was "somewhat thin-skinned" and "tense" in a testy greeting caught on camera on a Phoenix-area tarmac.

Brewer and Obama were seen exchanging brief words by reporters as the president arrived for an event Wednesday to promote his economic plan. Brewer handed the president a letter, the two appeared to talk over each other and the governor pointed her finger at the president.

Brewer, known for her tough stance on illegal immigration, told a Phoenix radio talk show that she was surprised that the welcome went so sour. She says she welcomed the president to the city warmly and said she hoped to sit down with him some time...

Read more at LATimes.com

Suspected O.C. serial killer kept knife sharpener in bedroom

Authorities recovered dark clothing, a book titled "The Most Notorious Crimes in American History," a medical marijuana letter and a knife sharpener from suspected serial killer Itzcoatl Ocampo’s Yorba Linda home the day after he was arrested in the stabbing deaths of four Orange County homeless men, according to court documents obtained by The Times.

Meanwhile, dramatic details emerged Wednesday about the scene outside a Carl's Jr. when the fourth victim was attacked and the chase that ended with Ocampo's arrest.

Ocampo, 23, is charged with four counts of special-circumstances murder in the homicides, and is subject to the death penalty. Orange County District Atty. Tony Rackauckas said at a news conference last week that Ocampo stalked his victims and had more killings planned...

Read more at LATimes.com

GREENHUT: Naming rights a big game in Capitol

SACRAMENTO ---- California legislators never have enough time, and always lack the vision, to deal appropriately with the state's pressing budget and infrastructure problems. But they are great at self-aggrandizement and at catering to the special-interest groups that assure their re-election.

One would think, for instance, the Assembly Transportation Committee would be deeply concerned with the massive predicted cost overruns for the proposed high-speed rail system, or with planning cost-effective ways to meet the transportation needs of a growing population. Yet the committee spends nearly a third of its time on a task that few readers would consider of vital importance: naming highways.

California highways already have real names. We know that the 55 Freeway, also known as the Costa Mesa Freeway, goes from the Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach to the intersection of the 91, or Riverside Freeway, in Anaheim. It's clear that 99 ---- Central and Northern Californians don't use "the" before referring to their freeways ---- cuts through the urbanized regions of the Central Valley...

Read more at NCTimes.com

Jerry Brown's tax plan gets strong voter support

Gov. Jerry Brown's plan for a ballot initiative that would raise tens of billions of dollars by temporarily increasing the sales tax and the income tax on wealthy Californians has the support of more than two-thirds of likely voters in the state, according to a poll by the Public Policy Institute of California.

The poll found 68 percent of likely voters - including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents - support the proposed initiative, which the administration estimates would generate about $35 billion over five years. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office has projected the measure would raise about $7 billion less.

Support indicated by the poll does not mean Brown will have an easy time getting the initiative passed, however, said Mark Baldassare, president and CEO of the institute...

Read more at sfgate.com

Warren Buffett's Secretary Likely Makes Between $200,000 And $500,000/Year

Warren Buffet’s secretary, Debbie Bosanek, served as a stage prop for President Obama’s State of the Union speech. She was the President’s chief display of the alleged unfairness of our tax system – a little person paying a higher tax rate than her billionaire boss.

Bosanek’s prominent role in Obama’s "fairness" campaign piqued my curiosity, and I imagine the curiosity of others. How much does her boss pay this downtrodden woman? So far, no one has volunteered this information...

Read more at forbes.com

Details of Somalia hostage rescue emerge

U.S. officials on Wednesday were providing some new details on the dramatic helicopter rescue of an American aid worker and her Danish colleague in Somalia.

The Pentagon released a statement Wednesday morning on the U.S. military's rescue, saying that Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Poul Hagen Thisted, 60, were not hurt in the operation.

The Pentagon also said there were no injuries to any of the U.S. troops involved. It also noted that the FBI was involved in the rescue...

Read more at LATimes.com