Author: Emilie St. John

Embattled Los Angeles Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas has decided to “thug it out” in his case against the United States with proceedings scheduled to commence on March 7 at 8:30 a.m. Jury selection is scheduled to take place at the United States Courthouse, 350 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The trial will take place in Courtroom 7D (seventh floor) where United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer will preside. Both Ridley-Thomas and his co-conspirator Marilyn Flynn were charged with one count of conspiracy, and each defendant is charged with one count of bribery. The indictment also charges both defendants…

By: Emilie St. John Assemblymember Chris Holden has announced his intent to challenge Kathryn Barger for the County Supervisor District 5 seat. “In the Assembly, I’ve brought people together to pursue progressive solutions that work. I’m running for LA County Supervisor because the challenges we face need to be more urgently addressed. It’s time for Democratic leadership with a proven track record of getting things done,” wrote Holden on his social media account Feb. 16. I’m asking you to get on board and join us on this journey. Together, we’ll pursue solutions that work for Los Angeles County. Join us…

A criminal complaint has been filed against Jaime Tran in the shooting of two men leaving Jewish synagogues in West Los Angeles on Feb. 15 and 16. Tran was taken into custody Feb. 16 in Cathedral City. Tran faces federal hate crime charges for the shootings which have been described as him having “animus” against the Jewish community. The affidavit describes Tran doing computer searches for “Kosher” markets and targeting his victims by their headgear. Tran is described as being in his 30s. When Tran was discovered by authorities he was in possession of an “AK” style weapon and 38…

The Department of Justice has closed the books on a years long investigation into a member of Congress. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. will not face charges over allegations he helped sex traffick a 17-year-old girl across state lines. Gaetz has consistently denied the allegations. Gaetz’s friend, Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in December after he pled guilty in a plea deal.  Greenberg pleaded guilty to identity theft, stalking, wire fraud, conspiracy to bribe a public official and sex trafficking of a minor. In a different case last year, Florida man Stephen Alford was sentenced to 63…

Singer Rihanna, rapper A$AP Rocky and their son cover the March 2023 issue of British Vogue magazine. The issue was published just days after Rihanna’s triumphant Super Bowl 57 halftime performance. The pop singer stunned Super Bowl fans by revealing she is pregnant with her second child. “We’re best friends with a baby,” Rihanna told British Vogue. “We have to be on the same page, but we’ve always kind of had that in our relationship. Everything changes when you have a baby but I wouldn’t say it’s done anything but made us closer.” Photo: Inez & Vinoodh Read Rihanna’s full interview with British Vogue here.

Sen. Diane Feinstein has told reporters she has not made any statements about not running for office next year. ‘I haven’t made that decision. I haven’t released anything,’ she told reporters when asked about her emailed statement. When a staffer mentioned the earlier announcement, she said, ‘You put out the statement? I didn’t know they put it out.’ Her statements lead to further speculation that she is either in a declining mental state or her staffers are taking advantage of her for their own political gain. Alex Padilla, California’s junior senator, confirmed to reporters at Senate Democrats’ weekly press conference…

Last year four US Senators penned a letter to Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland, describing the conditions in L.A. County’s jails as a “humanitarian crisis” and “appalling.” Two of the Senators are from California. One of them has their own staff questioning their mental capacity (fitness) to continue doing the job and the other two don’t live anywhere near Los Angeles. Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York — also raised concerns about jails in New York City and Miami, which are under federal monitoring as well. In lockups in…

Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. will go to trial in an auto accident he caused when he turned on a red light and into oncoming traffic which resulted in him hitting a motorist and LAPD motor officer near USC in 2019. The trial was initially set for last September but lawyers representing both the City and the mayor, as an individual, requested it be moved presumably due to the Nov. 8 election. Simultaneously, the mayor was evading being served court documents to appear before a judge on a permanent restraining order request by his ex-aide. The judge ultimately denied…

The Inglewood Police Department has two peculiar items on the Feb. 14 city council agenda for approval from the mayor and council. First are outstanding invoices for nearly $40,000 to an outside security company for armed guard services at UCLA Westwood Hospital. The invoices are for services provided between Nov. 16, 2022 and Dec. 12, 2022. Records requests have been submitted to Lt. Scott Collins to determine what taxpayers are paying for. Additionally, the city council is expected to set a Public Hearing for Feb. 28 at 2:00 p.m. to receive public comment on adopting a Military Equipment Policy. Mayor Butts attends a…

The city of Inglewood estimates they will spend $36 million to relocate 44 businesses to make way for the Inglewood Transit Connector project according to the Relocation Plan released on Feb. 1. The report is buried deep inside the Envision Inglewood website which makes it difficult for those looking for it to find it. The plan estimates 454 employees will lose their jobs after the holiday season due in part to Inglewood receiving a federal funding award at the close of 2023. The City has outlined the affected businesses are a grocery store, 12 food restaurants, 6 offices (medical), and…