Thanks again to the California Globe for running these pieces. You can visit the site at: https://californiaglobe.com/ There are two pieces in this post.
First, let’s here about the phones.
Who ya’ gonna call?
Phones Busted!
The landline telephones at the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters have been down for more than a week, inconveniencing hundreds of employees and city residents.
The 911 system and all of the individual stations are working properly, said chief of media relations Commander Kelly Muniz, so public safety has not been compromised.
She added that LAPD cell phones and email addresses work and a couple of departments have been given temporary single phone lines.
In other words, call transferring (for the most part) is out.
For people who do business with the department, the glitch has been problematic, as it has for officers, detectives, and administrative personnel.
One employee wrote to her contacts list:
“Greetings everyone. Be advised that phone lines at police headquarters are not working. It is anticipated that it will take approximately two weeks for repair. Until further notice, I am only able to communicate via email. If you have an urgent matter that requires voice communication, please email me and I will make arrangements to call you via a cell phone.”
In other words, email me so I can call you – almost sounds like a “Dilbert” cartoon. One wonders if the fax machines work.
While not disputing the timeline, Muniz said she hopes the department and its telecommunications vendor can have everything back to normal in the next couple of days.
“We’re working on this as quickly as we can,” said Muniz. “It’s frustrating, but since we all have other ways of communicating with each other and the public we’re making sure to keep working as normally as possible.”
So why is this happening? It seems that the department decided to upgrade its phone system, a project that should have been completed eight days ago. But when April 1 rolled around, the old system was done and gone but the new system was, well, not there either.
Muniz said workers are on-site nearly around the clock to fix the system.
“We have to upgrade for the future,” Muniz said. “Although inconvenient now, this will be a benefit for the long term.”
And now for the disitrict attorney piece:
A pair of Los Angeles deputy district attorneys who ran for the top job in the March primary are now backing their boss’s challenger in the November vote.
Deputy District Attorneys John McKinney and Maria Ramirez announced this morning that they are supporting challenger Nathan Hochman over incumbent DA George Gascon.
To drive home how many residents feel unsafe, the announcement was made at Compton’s iconic Ruben’s Bakery & Mexican Food, a family-owned business for over 48 years that was nearly destroyed by a mob of looters in January 2024. The criminals intentionally crashed a stolen car into the entrance of the store and then stole food, merchandise and the store’s cash registers.
The incident has become a prime exemplar of Gascon’s failure as a district attorney, opponents have said.
“In Nathan Hochman, we have a candidate who understands the balance required in ensuring public safety – being unyielding in the face of violent crime, while adopting a compassionate and proportional approach to non-violent offenses,” McKinney said. “His approach aligns with my belief that the role of the District Attorney is not just about enforcement but also about community empowerment and meaningful crime prevention programs. Nathan’s leadership will mark a significant shift towards a more balanced, fair and rehabilitative justice system.”
Ramirez agreed, saying Hochman will improve the seriously demoralized DA’s office and get it back to its core mission: keeping the community safe.
“I wholeheartedly support Nathan Hochman for District Attorney and urge the voters of L.A. County to join me,” Ramirez said. “Nathan is a person of character who will put the safety of all of our communities at the forefront of his administration. I am especially heartened by the interest he has shown in the well-being of the District Attorney's workforce and his commitment to working with prosecutors instead of against us. I am ready to stand by Nathan as we work to improve the criminal justice system while keeping Angelenos safe from crime.”
In the March primary, Ramirez finished sixth out of the twelve candidates with 7% of the vote. McKinney was right behind Ramirez at seventh with 6% of the vote.
During the campaign, Ramirez, a long time veteran of the DA’s office, focused on her years of managerial experience while McKinney ran in large part on his hardscrabble personal history and his high-profile convictions, like that of the murderer of noted rapper and community icon Nipsey Hussle.
“It was clear to me during the campaign that John McKinney and Maria Ramirez, two of the D.A. Office’s most talented prosecutors, are devoted to pursuing justice for crime victims, something that Gascon is actively preventing his prosecutors from doing. I am very honored to have their support of my campaign,” Hochman said. “We are building a broad coalition of supporters who will help me prevail in November, rebuild the office’s relationship with law enforcement, and restore public safety in Los Angeles County. This election will not be about politics, but about who will keep L.A. County residents safe over the next four years. Gascon has failed in this mission. Working with John and Maria and the dedicated prosecutors and investigators of the D.A.’s Office, I will succeed.”
If the current polling holds true, Martiez and McKinney will almost certainly get their wish. In a recent survey done by the Hochman campaign, he is leading Gascon by 21 points – 44% to 23% with the rest, about one-third, still undecided.
In general, a majority of undecided voters tend to end up voting for challengers and that almost certainly hold true for this race as only 18% of LA county voters have a favorable view of Gascon against 47% disliking him and the job he has done since taking office in 2020.
Election day is November 5 – it can’t come soon enough.