Staff and Wire Reports
LOS ANGELES — The City Council has confirmed the appointment of Daniel Tabor, former Inglewood mayor, to the Board of Police Commissioners.
On a 12-0 vote Jan. 16, the council approved Tabor as the newest member of the commission, which oversees and sets overall policy for the Los Angeles Police Department. Tabor will fill the vacant seat left by former commissioner Erroll Southers, who stepped down from the position in October.
Mayor Karen Bass nominated Tabor in December. Tabor is expected to serve a four-year term, ending June 30, 2030.
Tabor is an adjunct assistant business professor at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and Los Angeles Southwest College. He previously served as a project manager for Futuro Health’s California Consortium for Public Health Informatics, Technology and Workforce Development from 2020-24.
Tabor served as a councilman and mayor of Inglewood in 1981 to 1993, and from 2006 to 2011. His public service also includes leading Move LA and as a board member of Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy.
Casino closes
after bomb threat
BELL GARDENS — The Parkwest Bicycle Casino reopened for business Jan. 16 after police evacuated the casino the previous night following a bomb threat, a casino representative told City News Service.
The threat drew a heavy police response as the casino was evacuated for several hours, according to reports from the scene. At least two armored SWAT BearCat vehicles blocked the entrance to the hotel and casino, along with other law enforcement vehicles from various agencies, including the Bell Gardens Police Department.
In response to the swatting call, the California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert for the closure of the northbound Long Beach (710) Freeway to Florence Avenue at around 6:15 p.m., a CHP spokesman told City News Service.
CBS LA reported the casino reported no bomb was found.
City News Service attempted to obtain additional information about the police activity from the department, but a spokeswoman said details remain limited as investigators continue their investigation.
Bellflower OKs
plans for dog park
BELLFLOWER — Plans are underway for a dog run at Caruthers Park, 10500 Flora Vista St.
The City Council Jan. 12 contracted with California Landscape and Design of Santa Ana, for dog park fencing for a fee of $372,250.
Funding for the project is included in the city’s capital improvement budget, said Len Gorecki, assistant city manager.
“The dog park area is at the southeast corner of Caruthers Park,” Gorecki said. “The project includes the installation of fencing to create two separate zones, one for smaller dogs and one for larger dogs, an extension of sidewalk to create a walking path to the dog park area and a water fountain for both human and dog park users.”
Man found shot
to death in truck
EAST LOS ANGELES — A 43-year-old man found fatally shot in a pickup truck parked ion a street has been identified by authorities.
Deputies responded at about 7:30 a.m. Jan. 20 to the 1400 block of South Woods Avenue, near Telegraph Road, after receiving a report of a gunshot victim at the location, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
When deputies arrived, they found the man suffering from a gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
A shattered passenger-side window was visible on the pickup truck, according to reports from the scene.
The county Medical Examiner’s office identified the man as Marco Lopez-Arias, whose place of residence was not listed. No cause or manner of death was included in the medical examiner’s online database.
Anyone with information about the death is urged to call the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
Metro Digest is designed to help promote events, activities and initiatives that are serving the interests of residents in L.A. To submit an item, send emails to newsroom@wavepublication.com.
