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VOL. 10, NO. 46
Reward now $30K in shooting death of 13-year-old Pasadena boy
Arcadia Assemblyman Ed Chau appointed as LA Superior Court judge
By City News Service
By City News Service
A
T
he Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a $20,000 reward Tuesday for information leading to the gunman who fired a stray bullet into a Pasadena home -- killing a 13-year-old boy playing a video game. Supervisor Kathryn Barger recommended the reward in the case of Iran Moreno, which will be added to an earlier $10,000 reward from the city of Pasadena, for a total of $30,000. "The senseless murder of Iran has left a painful void in the hearts of his family, friends, teachers and the community at large," Barger said in a statement. "I'm hopeful that this monetary reward will help move us closer to finding whoever is responsible and holding them accountable. Justice for Iran must be served." The eighth grader was wounded at 6:12 p.m. Nov. 20 in the 900 block of North Raymond Avenue and died later at a hospital, according to the Pasadena Police Department. The target of the shooting was unknown, but it did not appear to be the boy, police said. Multiple shots were fired, but police did not know whether the shooter fired from a vehicle or was on foot. Iran was a well-liked straight-A student at Blair Middle School and had no gang affiliations, Barger said.
See Shooting rewad Page 8
Sheriff Alex Villanueva. | Photo courtesy of LASD
Sheriff's department booked a $22.2 million budget surplus in 2021 ELIZABETH MARCELLINO
FROM CITY NEWS SERVICE
T
he Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department closed the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, with a $22.2 million surplus, despite exceeding its budget for overtime by more than $50 million, according to a report to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday. It was the first time the department closed the year without a deficit since the 2016-17 fiscal year, and it did so even after repaying a $63.4 million loan provided by the county to cover an earlier deficit. The report by county Chief Executive Officer Fesia Davenport on the
sheriff's department's $3.6 billion budget was received and filed along with a host of other agenda items without any comment by members of the board. The result was a surprise given that the board was told in June to expect a deficit from the department. Sheriff Alex Villanueva and his management team's success in cutting overtime by nearly $100 million from prior year levels was the primary driver of the surplus, according to Davenport. Yet overtime still totaled $180.4 million, an overrun of more than $50 million or nearly 40%. Davenport said other measures taken by the
department to reduce spending were one-time in nature and could not be duplicated in future years to keep the budget in balance. Some of the overtime savings, for example, were the result of the pandemic shutdown and temporary reassignments that would not have been possible to implement during normal operations. Courts were shuttered for some time, the jail population was dramatically reduced, and large public events requiring security were nonexistent during parts of the 2020-21 fiscal year. Even though the county has lifted a hard hiring freeze for other depart-
ments, it plans to maintain that freeze and other spending controls for the sheriff's department. That includes holding back $143.7 million in provisional funding outside of the department's immediate control. "It is recommended that these controls remain in place until such a time that LASD stabilizes its budget and implements a sound sustainable budget deficit mitigation plan," Davenport wrote in her letter to the board. The board and Villanueva have been at odds almost from when he took office. Shortly after he See $22.2 million budget Page 17
ssemblyman Ed Chau of Arcadia was one of three people appointed by the governor Monday to serve as Los Angeles County Superior Court judges. Chau, 64, was elected to represent the 49th Assembly District in November 2012. The district includes Alhambra, Arcadia, El Monte, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, Temple City and parts of Montebello and South El Monte. He had a private law practice for nearly 20 years prior to his election, and also served on the Montebello Unified School District board. He earned his law degree at Southwestern University. Chau will fill the position created by the retirement of Judge Robert J. Perry. It was not immediately clear if Gov. Gavin Newsom would call a special election to replace Chau in the Assembly. Chau’s term ends next year. Newsom on Monday also appointed two other people to serve as Los Angeles Superior Court judges — Deputy Public Defender Donald A. Buddle Jr., 42, of Santa Clarita; and Supervising Deputy Federal Public Defender Patricia A. Young, 42, of Los Angeles. Buddle will replace retired Judge Michael A. Tynan, while Young will replace retired Judge Ramona G. See. Buddle and Young are both Democrats.
