Residency

The exhilaration was palpable as Adam and Candy Kessler arrived Wednesday at their freshly built residence in Sylmar's Oakridge Mobile Home Park -- he driving a U-Haul van filled with the couple's furniture and personal belongings, she following in a car. With them they also brought a resolve to help resettle a tight-knit community that was largely destroyed in last autumn's wildfires. "We're very excited," said Candy Kessler as she prepared to enter the yellow manufactured home they ordered to replace the one lost in November's Sayre fire.

Does Los Angeles-area state Sen. Roderick Wright live in the district he represents? Where the veteran Democrat currently makes his home doesn't actually matter under state law, elections experts say. Where he lived while running for office is the key question. The residency matter, and the issue of whether Wright correctly reported his address while seeking the 25th District seat he won last year, surfaced last week when the Los Angeles County district attorney's office confirmed it is investigating Wright.

Citing health and safety concerns, the city of Ontario next week will dramatically reduce the size of a homeless encampment known as Tent City by expelling those residents who cannot prove clear ties to the city. Starting Monday, anyone who can't provide documents showing they once lived in Ontario will be given a bus or taxi ride back to where they came from. The homeless will be fitted with color-coded bands around their arms or wrists that will designate their status.

Dozens of Ontario police and code enforcement officers descended upon the homeless encampment known as Tent City early Monday, separating those who could stay from those to be evicted. Large, often confused, crowds formed ragged lines behind police barricades where officers handed out color-coded wristbands. Blue meant they were from Ontario and could remain. Orange indicated they had to provide more proof to avoid ejection, and white meant they had a week to leave.

After months of chaotic growth, the homeless encampment known as Tent City dramatically shrank Monday as Ontario police evicted those who lacked ties to the city. Starting early in the morning, officers moved through dusty lots scattered with flapping tents and piles of old clothes and garbage. In many cases they were too late; the people had already left. "About 90% left on their own," said Det. Jeff Higbee, Ontario police spokesman. "There were no arrests, no altercations, no arguments."

The painter, prepping to apply a couple of coats of linen white, didn't know who was about to move in. A neighbor had no clue either. Even the seller didn't realize who had bought his South Baltimore row house.

Los Angeles County prosecutors said Tuesday that they have decided against filing criminal charges against Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke after investigating allegations that she was living in a gated Brentwood home last year rather than in her predominantly South Los Angeles district. Head Deputy Dist. Atty.

Offering his first legal appraisal of California's voter-approved crackdown on sex offenders, Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown said Tuesday that the new law bars all offenders from moving near a park or school regardless of when they committed their crime. The argument was outlined by deputies for the newly elected Brown in papers filed with U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White. The judge is considering a constitutional challenge to the law, Proposition 83, and has set a hearing for Feb. 23.

U.S. immigration authorities Wednesday proposed hefty fee hikes for citizenship and permanent residency applications, pledging to use the revenue to help shorten processing time and improve service. But the proposal, which would hike citizenship application fees from $330 to $595, drew immediate criticism that it would put citizenship out of reach for many poor immigrants. The plan also would increase overall fees for green cards, work permits and other benefits an average of 66%.

For the second time in two weeks, a federal judge has concluded that California's sweeping new law barring sex offenders from living near schools and parks does not apply to ex-felons already settled in society. Despite the pair of rulings narrowing the scope of the law, legal questions continue to cloud the measure, which was approved overwhelmingly by voters in November. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S.