What Is Happening Now?

ONE FIRE OUT, ANOTHER FIRE CONCERN

Arson investigators with the Los Angeles Fire Department believe yesterday's brush fire in the Sepulveda Pass was sparked by brush clearance crews.

California fire officials, along with Los Angeles City and County fire departments, are warning of one of the most dangerous fire seasons on record. If yesterday's fire, along with the destructive Jesusita Fire in Santa Barbara, is any indication on what to expect during the regular fire season (usually late August to November when the Santa Ana Winds occur) it may be best to prepare an emergency plan.

That emergency plan may be needed as with the state budget crisis fire crews from Cal-Fire to the Orange County Fire Authority are bracing for firefighter layoffs.

GOING UP IN SMOKE

At 6:40 a.m. this morning Los Angeles City Firefighters may have felt like they were going one toke over the line when battling an commercial structure on the 600 block of Santa Fe Avenue in downtown L.A. It took 75 firefighters to prevent the flames from spreading to adjacent structures by quickly knocking down the blaze in 40 minutes, however they soon made an discovery once the smoke cleared, an marijuana growing operation.

According to LAFD spokesman Erik Scott firefighters discovered 1,000 pot plants and an full scale pot growing operation.

The Los Angeles Police Department were promptly called in and estimated the street value of the pot at about $1 million.

Before the LAPD could figure out the value of the infamous green leaf they needed to retrieve it, but since the building was badly damaged and risked collapsing the LAFD donned their safety gear and did the work of gathering the incriminating evidence.

No arrests have been made and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

NOT MUCH OVERTIME PAY

With at least an million fans expected to swarm around the Staples Center Los Angeles was expecting an overtime bill for city services during Michael Jackson's funeral to be around $2.5 million. Yet with only a few hundred people showing up the cost to the city is only a mere $1.4 million, with at least $17,000 of the costs being covered by private donors. In the foreseeable future this will remain an debate among city leaders at City Hall pointing fingers at who should pick up the tab. For now Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich is exploring ways the Jackson family and/or the Staples Center could be responsible for the bill.

CORRECTION: This edit corrects an earlier version published today that incorrectly stated the cost to the city was $1.4 billion and the expected cost was $5 billion.

BREATHALYZER CHALLENGE

Now when you are stopped by the cops you really can make an argument that you didn't have much to drink. The California Supreme Court ruled unanimously today defendants accused of drunk driving can now challenge their breathalyzer results. The Court ruled the conversion factors used by breathalyzers can vary widely, "both in the general population and within an individual," according to Justice Carol A. Corrigan who wrote the opinion for the court.

FALSELY ACCUSED

This is why your friends say be careful who you meet online. Susanna Maria Coetzee, 28, of Newport Beach will be spending 127 days in jail after pleading guilty to extortion and falsely accusing an man she met online of raping her in an Anaheim hotel room.

How it all began? According to the Orange County District Attorney's Office, Coetzee met the man, who has not been identified, on Seekingarrangement.com and they arranged to meet. During the course of the evening the two ended up in an Anaheim hotel room where consensual sex occurred. After the act Coetzee demanded money from the man, when the man refused Coetzee left the hotel screaming she had been raped and telephoned 911 to falsely report the rape. Coetzee even went to the Anaheim Police Department headquarters on Harbor Boulevard and falsely reported the man covered her face with a pillow and raped her, then beat her with a telephone receiver.

Then for the next two weeks Coetzee incessantly sent the man text messages demanding money and said she would proceed with the rape report if he refused to pay her $15,000.

How was she caught? Coetzee thought she scored some cash, $5,000, when he agreed to pay her the said amount in exchange for an letter clearing his name of rape during an meeting at The Block at Orange. Once the transaction took place police arrested Coetzee for extortion and reporting an false crime.

SECURITY ON THE SET

Some members of the Los Angeles City Council are upset at Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton's recent decision requiring former and off-duty police officers wear an different uniform while providing security to movie sets. Mr. Bratton has cited liability concerns claiming he doesn't want the public confusing off-duty officers with active duty officers.

Those in "the industry" have begun aggressively lobbying the city council claiming by requiring former and off-duty officers to wear something different than their famous uniforms will undermine security efforts. The sentiment is being echoed by city council members Tom LaBonge and Greg Smith, both demanding the LAPD, along with the city attorney and the city administrative bring their changes to off-duty uniform policy before the city council.

In an motion Mr. LaBonge and Mr. Smith believe having security provided by former and off-duty LAPD officers in their regular uniforms will, "continue effectiveness of the City's efforts to assist and nurture the motion picture, television production and entertainment industry."

No vote by the city council has been given yet.