Staff and Wire Reports
LOS ANGELES — Less than 19 months into her four-year term, Mayor Karen Bass is moving forward with her bid for reelection campaign for 2026.
Bass filed paperwork July 1 to form a fundraising committee for the June 2026 election, the first to do so, according to the city’s Ethics Commission.
The mayor said she hopes to continue to “deliver the change that Angelenos deserve,” the Los Angeles Times reported. In a fundraising email to supporters, Bass said her administration touted what she described as accomplishments on addressing homelessness, public safety and maintaining city services.
“We’re bringing change to L.A.,” Bass’ campaign posted on social media. “We brought homelessness down for the first time in years, deployed a new approach to make L.A. safer, and are partnering in job and business creation. I’m running for re-election to keep moving L.A. in a new direction.”
Compton College
earns accreditation
COMPTON — The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges has reaffirmed Compton College’s accreditation for seven years. The college received two commendations for its work in planning, goal setting, access and creating programs that support students.
No recommendations for improvement were made.
The accreditation self-evaluation process follows a seven-year cycle that gives the district an opportunity to reflect on the college’s current institutional conditions, achievements and goals, and to thoroughly examine the quality and effectiveness of programs, services, and operations.
An accreditation team followed up with a visit to the college and submitted a report of its findings.
That report stated that “Compton College demonstrates multiple levels of collaboration regarding student outcomes, student equity, academic quality, institutional effectiveness, and continuous improvement of student learning and achievement.”
Man stabbed
outside nightclub
WEST HOLLYWOOD — A man was stabbed near a Santa Monica Boulevaurd nightclub July 8 but was unable to provide suspect information to Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies.
Deputies were called around 1 a.m. to the 8900 block of Santa Monica Boulevard where they found a man in his mid-30s stabbed in his rib cage, Lt. J. Aguirre of the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station told City News Service.
The victim “heavily intoxicated,” Aguirre said, making him unable to provide deputies with information about the suspect or what led to the stabbing.
The victim was then sedated at the hospital which made it more difficult for him to talk to deputies, the lieutenant said.
Man sentenced for
money laundering
LOS ANGELES — A Pico Rivera man has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for his role in a money laundering conspiracy that prosecutors say moved millions of dollars in drug proceeds from the United States to international drug trafficking organizations.
Gustavo Adolfo Aldana-Martinez, 57, was sentenced in downtown Los Angeles by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner, who also ordered him to pay a $25,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Aldana-Martinez was convicted in December 2021 of one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
Prosecutors said Aldana-Martinez accepted wire transfers of drug proceeds sent from an undercover account run by agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. After nearly $300,000 was sent to a bank account in the name of his bogus business, Aldana-Martinez made a series of wire transfers to unrelated companies to pay for electronic items that were then shipped to Colombia and Mexico, where they were sold to produce laundered funds for the drug traffickers, federal prosecutors said.
Three killed at
homeless camp
DOWNEY — Three men in their 30s were shot and killed in a homeless encampment July 6, police said.
The discovery was made about 8:50 p.m. around the Rio San Gabriel Riverbed and Glenn Anderson (105) Freeway, according to a statement from the Downey Police Department.
A news videographer said the area appeared to be a homeless encampment. The coroner’s office identified one of the men as 34-year-old Brandon Lindsley. Coroner’s officials said the second man was Arthur Sanchez.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact Detective Ethan Roberts at 562-904-2386 or eroberts@downeyca.org.
Gunman injures
two police officers
SOUTH LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles police are continuing their search for a gunman who opened fire on a patrol car, injuring two police officers.
The shooting occurred around 9 p.m. July 3 near the intersection of Broadway and Rosecrans Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department reported.
The officers were attempting to make a traffic stop on a white, four- door sedan when the car suddenly began to accelerate but stopped near Broadway and Rosecrans.
The suspect got out of the car and opened fire with an automatic weapon.
The officers returned fire but it’s unknown whether the suspect was hit. Both officers suffered cuts and scratches from glass fragments caused by the suspect’s rounds. One officer suffered two graze wounds and both were transported to a hospital for treatment.
Anyone with information about the gunman is asked to call the LAPD’s Southeast Division at 213-972-7828.
WeHo to host
e-waste collection
WEST HOLLYWOOD — The city will host a free document shredding, electronic and hazardous household waste collection event for residents and businesses from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 20 at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center employee parking lot, located at 355 N. San Vicente Blvd.
Community members are invited to bring confidential files and unwanted electronics, including hard drives, and household hazardous waste for shredding and recycling. The hazardous household waste collection is for residents only.
. All e-waste, hazardous household waste and documents must be in the trunk prior to arrival. Paperclips, paper clamps, spiral bound notebooks, ringed notebooks must not be included in documents to be shredded.
E-waste will be handled by certified electronics recycler, Homeboy Recycling, in a way that protects the planet and keeps data safe while creating jobs for people in the region facing serious barriers to employment.
For more information, call (323) 222-3322.
Robbery suspects
booked in Culver City
CULVER CITY — Two men allegedly involved in an armed robbery at an ATM in Culver City have been taken into custody.
According to the Culver City Police Department, the robbery occurred around 1:20 a.m. on June 20 in the 5600 block of Sepulveda Boulevard, where two men approached a victim at an ATM and demanded his money and cell phone.
Upon further investigation, detectives determined that one of the suspects pointed a black semi-automatic rifle at the victim during the robbery, where $120 was stolen from the victim, police said.
Investigators identified the suspects as 21-year-old Alexander Mejia and 22-year-old Joe Saldivar-Salazar, both residents of Los Angeles.
Saldivar-Salazar was arrested and booked on suspicion of armed robbery July 3, while Mejia was arrested and booked July 5 for the same offense, police said.
Both suspects were transported to the Culver City jail, where Mejia was being held on $100,000, while Saldivar-Salazar was released on bail, police said.
