Author: City News Service

SANTA ANA – A 38-year-old man made his first appearance in court Thursday on charges of sexual assaults on two incapacitated women in Santa Ana. Nicolas Mercado was charged Aug. 28 with rape by use of drugs and sexual penetration with an intoxicating substance used on the victim, both felonies. He’s accused of raping one woman on Oct. 13, 2022, and the other victim on Feb. 3 of last year, according to the criminal complaint. Messages requesting more details from the District Attorney’s Office or police department on the case were not immediately returned. The Santa Ana resident, who was…

SANTA ANA (CNS) – A 52-year-old Garden Grove man was charged Thursday with a string of eight robberies in Orange County. David Cruz Zamarripa Jr. was charged with eight felony counts of robbery with sentencing enhancements for the personal use of a gun, according to court records. The defendant was arrested Tuesday, according to Garden Grove Police Department Sgt. Nick Jensen. Police were investigating a string of armed robberies since the start of the year and noticed that five had similar characteristics, according to the department. Detectives contacted law enforcement agencies elsewhere in the county and learned there were three…

LOS ANGELES – Businesses that were displaced by the Southland wildfires could find a temporary workspace through a new program, county officials announced Thursday. The county’s Department of Economic Opportunity introduced an initiative called the Business-to-Business Space Share, which serves as a free exchange platform connecting displaced businesses and nonprofits to temporary workspaces donated by other businesses throughout the L.A. region. Businesses interested in donating or finding space can visit the Business-to-Business Space Share portal at https://sharespace.lacounty.gov/. L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said she came up with the idea after speaking with Whittier Councilwoman Cathy Warner, who has a periodontal…

WESTMINSTER – Westminster City Councilwoman Amy Phan West is facing a misdemeanor charge of using her political influence to avoid having her husband’s car towed by the city, prosecutors said Thursday. Phan West, 42, was charged Tuesday with a misdemeanor count of offering a bribe to a public officer. She was scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 24 in the West Justice Center in Westminster. Westminster sues 2 council members for ‘dysfunctional’ atmosphere at City Hall The councilwoman was operating a car rental business through the Turo application around Dorothy Street and Melanie Lane in the city, which drew about 20…

LOS ANGELES – The Metro Board of Directors approved a proposal to expand its reduced-fare initiative and to pursue other measures in support of fire survivors throughout the L.A. region. In a unanimous vote, the board instructed Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins to modify the eligibility of the LIFE reduced fare program for at least six months. County residents displaced by the fires who enroll will receive 20 free rides every month or a discounted pass on another participating transit agency. L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Janice Hahn introduced a motion last week calling for measures to support fire…

LOS ANGELES – A 38-year-old man who died in a two-vehicle collision in the unincorporated Florence-Firestone area was identified Wednesday. The crash was reported at 10:48 p.m. Saturday at 94th and Alameda streets, near the South Gate city limits, according to the California Highway Patrol. It was reported by someone crying that they needed help, the CHP said, and involved a yellow Bronco SUV and a black sedan. A man was pronounced dead at the scene, while another person was arrested, according to the CHP. The victim was later identified by the Los Angeles County Office of Medical Examiner as…

LOS ANGELES – Evacuation warnings were lifted and forward progress of a fire in the Sepulveda Basin was stopped Thursday, but not before the fire burned 40 acres in Brentwood. Firefighters made significant progress battling the Sepulveda Fire near Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles Fire Department officials said Thursday. The Sepulveda Fire was reported at 11 p.m. Wednesday near the northbound San Diego (405) Freeway and the Sepulveda Pass. Around 250 LAFD firefighters quickly responded to the area as the blaze grew from 10 to 20 acres, according to Cal Fire. https://www.instagram.com/p/DFK878PpCnn/ Using both aerial and ground attacks, firefighters sought to gain…

LONG BEACH – Long Beach Police Department officers recovered two firearms during an arrest in Long Beach, police said Thursday. LBPD officers conducted a traffic stop at 10:09 p.m. Tuesday in the 3800 block of East 2nd Street. They determined the driver was under the influence and subsequently arrested the driver at the scene, police said. During their investigation, officers recovered two firearms. The investigation is ongoing, the department said.

SANTA ANA – Two men have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to time served for stealing about $300,000 worth of Nike goods from a train in the Mojave Desert and then taking them to Anaheim, according to court records obtained Wednesday. Bernardo Romeroquintero, 34, and Olegario Palma Flores, 26, both of Phoenix, pleaded guilty Tuesday to grand theft and receiving stolen property, both felonies, and a misdemeanor count of possession of burglary tools. Co-defendant Bryan Humberto Quinteroecharravia, 18, of Mesa, Arizona, who is charged with grand theft and receiving stolen property, both felonies, is a fugitive. Romeroquintero and Flores accepted…

SANTA ANA – Three men in their twenties rounded up in an Orange County crackdown on burglaries and smash-and-grab robberies have pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 13 to 21 years in prison, according to court records obtained Wednesday. Frank Avila, 24, Christopher Williams, 23, and Rico Mason, 25, all pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of burglary, two counts of robbery, two counts of kidnapping, one count of kidnapping to commit robbery, a count of criminal threats and a count of assault with a firearm, all felonies, with sentencing enhancements for the personal use of a gun and being…

GARDEN GROVE – A 52-year-old Garden Grove man has been arrested on suspicion of multiple robberies in the city and elsewhere in Orange County, police said Wednesday. David Zamarripa was arrested Tuesday, according to Garden Grove Police Department Sgt. Nick Jensen. Police were investigating a string of armed robberies since the start of the year and noticed that five of them had similar characteristics, police said. Detectives contacted law enforcement agencies elsewhere in the county and learned there were three more outside of Garden Grove that matched the same method of operation, police said. Police arrested the suspect, who was…

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles City Council established a special committee Wednesday to guide the wildfire recovery effort in a “swift, equitable and sustainable manner.” In a unanimous vote, the council approved a motion to form the Ad Hoc Windstorm and Wildfire Recovery Committee, which will lead all aspects of the city’s recovery and rebuilding. The motion was introduced by Council President Marqueece Harris- Dawson, Councilwoman Traci Park and Councilman Bob Blumenfield. “Our hillsides were charred. Businesses that housed the entrepreneurial spirit of our city had been reduced to rubble. Homes, which just the night before had provided respite…

SANTA ANA – A 56-year-old man pleaded guilty Wednesday and was immediately sentenced to 10 years in prison for molesting two girls in Lake Forest. Gumercindo Mondragon Zaragoza pleaded guilty to three felony counts of forcible lewd acts on a child and a misdemeanor count of sexual battery. As part of the plea deal 19 felony sexual assaults counts and a misdemeanor count of sexual battery were dismissed. Zaragoza molested one of the victims, who was the daughter of his girlfriend, starting when she was 5 and until she was 14, according to court records. Zaragoza, who was ordered to…

LOS ANGELES – A La Cañada Flintridge real estate agent is facing a criminal charge for allegedly attempting to price gouge a couple who lost their home in the Eaton Fire, officials announced Wednesday. The investigation into Mike Kobeissi began when a complaint was filed with the California Department of Justice after the couple tried to rent a home after the governor’s emergency order, which protects fire victims from price gouging, went into effect on Jan. 7, state Attorney General Rob Bonta said. “As I have said repeatedly, the price gouging must stop,” the AG said in a statement. “Today,…

PASADENA – Owing to fire-related destruction in Pasadena, city officials have canceled the parade portion of the annual Black History Festival. This year’s festival will focus on recovery within the community, following large-scale destruction from the Eaton Fire, that burned across Altadena, Pasadena and Glendale. “Bringing together various resources to support our community in this unprecedented time of need, as well as providing a bit of joy is what the committee hopes to provide,” said Pixie Boyden, Co-chair of the Black History Parade & Festival Planning Committee. “The Altadena/Pasadena community is stronger than the current circumstances it finds itself and…