California

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who took part in what prosecutors called a Mexican Mafia operation to smuggle heroin into a Castaic jail in exchange for cash bribes pleaded guilty today to a federal charge.    Michael Meiser, 40, of Lancaster, pleaded guilty in downtown Los Angeles to a single

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KESQ) – Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers have allocated $14.5 million to California’s Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program, which includes the Jewish Family Service of San Diego, it was announced today.    According to the JFSSD’s Supporting Our Survivors program, the average age of participants is 89, with more than half living

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – Mayor Karen Bass today touted a roughly 20% drop in homicides in Los Angeles in the first half of the year, saying the city is on pace for its lowest homicide total in nearly 60 years. The Los Angeles Police Department reported 116 homicides through June 28, down from 152 during

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KESQ) – A San Diego-based U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer pleaded guilty this week to federal drug importation charges for allowing vehicles containing drugs to pass through inspection lanes at the U.S.-Mexico border. Jesse Clark Garcia pleaded guilty on Tuesday in San Diego federal court to nine counts related to the

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KESQ) – A light aircraft that crashed off the coast of San Diego a month ago, killing all six people aboard, abruptly descended hundreds of feet for unknown reasons and then climbed back up almost as far before plunging into the ocean, according to a preliminary accident report released today.   The pilot

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. (KESQ) – A 13-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly sparking a brush fire in Laguna Beach that threatened numerous homes and forced evacuations. The teen, whose name was not released due to his age, allegedly sparked the Rancho Fire Monday afternoon by lighting fireworks, according to Laguna Beach police. The Rancho Fire

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – A day after federal immigration raids and protests in Los Angeles, the county Board of Supervisors today approved a motion to expand health and social services for immigrant families.    Since June 6, the Trump administration has increased immigration enforcement in the county, including Monday’s operation when an estimated 100 or

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – Two San Fernando Valley residents are awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to federal charges stemming from their roles in defrauding Medicare of nearly $16 million through sham hospice companies and laundering the illicit proceeds, according to court papers obtained today.    Karpis Srapyan, 35, and Susanna Harutyunyan, 39, both of Winnetka,

BUENA PARK, Calif. (KESQ) – Charges are pending today against a Buena Park homeowner who allegedly operated an illegal Fourth of July fireworks display that misfired, killing an 8-year-old girl. The homeowner remains under arrest as the Orange County District Attorney’s Office reviews the mishap that resulted in the death of Jasmine Nguyen of Anaheim.

STUDIO CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – Officials in Mexico have confirmed they have an arrest warrant pending for former middleweight boxing champion Julio César Chávez Jr. on charges of involvement in organized crime and arms trafficking and have been in touch with U.S. authorities to start extradition procedures, according to a New York Times report.  Department

PINE VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – U.S. Border Patrol agents seized nearly 130 pounds of fentanyl that was concealed in a flatbed trailer in Pine Valley, marking one of the agency’s largest fentanyl seizures to date in San Diego County, it was announced today. The seizure occurred Friday afternoon, when a pickup truck hauling an empty

STUDIO CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – Professional boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who just days ago lost to Jake Paul in a pay-per-view bout in Anaheim, has been arrested in Studio City and will be deported to his native Mexico, where the alleged Sinaloa Cartel associate has an outstanding arrest warrant, federal immigration officials said today

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – Amid ongoing immigration enforcement activity, two City Council members today called on the Los Angeles Police Department to enact new policies requiring officers to verify the identities of anyone claiming to be law enforcement and to increase penalties for impersonating public safety personnel. City Council members Eunisses Hernandez and Bob Blumenfield

VAN NUYS, Calif. (KESQ) – Charter Communications has deemed a June 15 attack on its communications network in Van Nuys an act of domestic terrorism, “based on the nature of the fiber cuts, extent of damage and make-up of impacted customers.”   According to the company, the early morning attack severed 13 cables, including more than