Culver City Ca

Culver City Police Chief John Montanio, accused of giving a city councilman's son special treatment during a traffic stop, signed a letter this year urging leniency for the same man in an earlier concealed weapon case. Montanio went to bat for Albert Vera Jr., 39, who received probation after pleading no contest to illegal possession of a handgun. The gun was discovered when the son of Culver City Councilman Albert Vera Sr. was arrested for petty theft last year.

In a legal battle that pits old industrial uses against urbanization, Culver City is challenging an environmental impact report approved by Los Angeles County that could allow 600 new wells to be drilled in a local oil field over the next 20 years. A week ago, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Chalfant upheld Culver City's 6-month-old moratorium on new drilling in the northern section of the 85-year-old Inglewood Oil Field, which is within city limits. City officials said the moratorium was needed to provide time for development of new drilling regulations aimed at addressing health issues.

Journeys of discovery can happen anywhere, as long as you discover something new to you. Anyway, that was my excuse for escaping one weekend several weeks ago to a place that made everybody hoot when I mentioned it. They could laugh and spend four to six hours getting to Death Valley or Big Sur. Meanwhile, the drive from my office in downtown L.A. to Culver City was only 25 minutes. You may think I went no place.

In the months before Boneetio Kentro Washington allegedly broke into the home of a pregnant Venice woman and stabbed her to death, the convicted burglar was a familiar face to police. Washington was a transient, and Culver City police had several contacts with him in 2008 and 2009, mostly for sleeping in abandoned buildings and parking garages. Then, on Dec. 6, police detained him after a resident alleged that Washington was trying to break into his house. Washington, 22, had been convicted or charged with either trespass or related offenses in three states, and Culver City police immediately apprehended him. They questioned him, photographed him and alerted the Los Angeles County Probation Department.

A teacher was killed and eight students were injured Wednesday when an out-of-control car jumped a curb in Culver City and slammed into them as they returned to their school from a nearby park. Both the driver of the car and her male passenger fled the scene but were later arrested. They were identified as Laura Samayoa, 20, of Los Angeles, and Reynaldo Cruz, 19, also of Los Angeles, said Lt. Chris Maddox of the Culver City Police Department.

They're going toe-to-toe to keep from getting towed. Mobile home residents in Culver City are fighting an effort by the city to replace their park with nicer housing, a neighborhood renewal project they say their community doesn't need. City officials have labeled two Grand View Boulevard mobile home parks "blighted" and picked a private developer to draw up plans to replace the parks' 43 coaches, possibly with townhouses.

In the months before Boneetio Kentro Washington allegedly broke into the home of a pregnant Venice woman and stabbed her to death, the convicted burglar was a familiar face to police. Washington was a transient, and Culver City police had several contacts with him in 2008 and 2009, mostly for sleeping in abandoned buildings and parking garages. Then, on Dec. 6, police detained him after a resident alleged that Washington was trying to break into his house. Washington, 22, had been convicted or charged with either trespass or related offenses in three states, and Culver City police immediately apprehended him. They questioned him, photographed him and alerted the Los Angeles County Probation Department.

A 16-year-old boy was killed and another teenager was seriously injured Thursday in an apparent gang-related shooting--the latest attack in an escalating war that has ended three years of relative calm in a troubled section of Los Angeles. Four people have been killed and nine wounded in a rash of gunfire incidents that erupted in the last month between a black gang from Venice and a Latino gang from an adjoining slice of Culver City, police said.

The son of a Culver City councilman has been charged with misdemeanor drug possession. Albert Peter Vera Jr., the son of Councilman Albert Vera, was charged this week with possession of a controlled substance, punishable by up to a year in jail. "We believe that ... he's eligible for a drug diversion program," said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. "But it's up to the court to make that determination." On Aug.

Even as Culver City's downtown has evolved into a vibrant hangout with bustling theaters and restaurants, the commercial district in the town's southern Fox Hills area has remained a gritty mix of offices, mini-malls, tire outlets, pizza joints and an occasional erotica shop, all in the shadow of a tangle of freeways. A $180-million overhaul of Fox Hills Mall -- now rebranded as Westfield Culver City -- promises a more up-market ambience. Residents report feeling a burst of retail pride in the now-gleaming center, and city officials are enthused about the prospect of additional retail revenue amid challenging times.

Even as Culver City's downtown has evolved into a vibrant hangout with bustling theaters and restaurants, the commercial district in the town's southern Fox Hills area has remained a gritty mix of offices, mini-malls, tire outlets, pizza joints and an occasional erotica shop, all in the shadow of a tangle of freeways. A $180-million overhaul of Fox Hills Mall -- now rebranded as Westfield Culver City -- promises a more up-market ambience. Residents report feeling a burst of retail pride in the now-gleaming center, and city officials are enthused about the prospect of additional retail revenue amid challenging times.

A man suspected of seriously injuring a Culver City councilman after a dispute over a drink at a bar turned himself in to police Wednesday. Robert Anthony Singerman, 28, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and released on bail about 4:45 p.m., police said. Police said Singerman punched Councilman Micheal "Mehaul" O'Leary about 2 a.m. Sunday at Joxer Daly's Pub, which the councilman owns. O'Leary was seriously injured and remained hospitalized Wednesday, though he was taken out of intensive care.

Culver City has been an epicenter of filmmaking from the silent era through the present, with Sony Studios a major resident of the area, but in recent years a vibrant redevelopment has turned this area into a star attraction of galleries, theaters, shops and many of L.A.'s hottest restaurants. Foodie haven Ford's Filling Station (9531 Culver Blvd., [310] 202-1470, www.fordsfillingstation.net) began the Culver restaurant renaissance with its inspired gastropub fare.

It seems like just yesterday that the blue-chip gallery Blum & Poe moved onto La Cienega Boulevard and the Culver City Art District was born. But the district south of Venice Boulevard, once a string of warehouses and decaying auto shops, has grown up quickly since 2003, and its annual art walk has matured. This Saturday marks the fourth annual Artwalk Culver City, and from noon until 8 p.m.

In one of three U.S. bank failures Friday, regulators closed Alliance Bank of Culver City and sold its five branches to California Bank & Trust. The San Diego-based buyer agreed to assume all of Alliance Bank's deposits, including uninsured funds, so no depositors will lose money as a result of the bank's failure, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said.

The Mayme Clayton Library -- one of the nation's largest collections of rare books, films, recordings and other documents on black Americans -- will be refurbished with help from federal funds. Rep. Diane E. Watson (D-Los Angeles) announced Thursday that the Western States Black Research and Education Center would receive a $250,000 grant to upgrade the facility. -- Monte Morin

A man was killed and a woman injured Saturday night when a suspected drunk driver struck them as they were crossing Washington Boulevard, police said Sunday. The driver, Timothy Murchison, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter after the collision in the 11900 block of Washington, said Police Sgt. Milton McKinnon. He was released after posting $100,000 bail. The dead man, a La Habra resident in his 30s, was not identified pending notification of relatives.

Matthew Almodovar likes holding his girlfriend's hand during lunch or when they're walking to class. But at Culver City Middle School, that display of affection could land the couple in trouble. At the only public middle school in Culver City, it is against school policy for students to hold hands, hug or kiss on campus. Perhaps more important, the "no contact" rule also prohibits students from hitting, shoving or pushing classmates.

If you think of the gallery world in Los Angeles as a sort of inverted galaxy, arrayed not across the sky but over the layout of the city, its newest and brightest constellation would be floating around the intersection of La Cienega and Washington boulevards. Five years ago, this might have seemed unlikely.

The first homicide in Culver City in two years is turning into a bizarre mystery that involves the body of a woman found inside a California Army National Guard armory. Police describe the victim as a 29-year-old homeless woman, JoAnn Crystal Harris, who was in the process of being recruited into the Guard when she was bludgeoned to death last Friday inside an armory building. Detectives allege that the assailant is Staff Sgt. Scott Ansman, 34, who has been charged with first-degree murder.