Padilla Tries to Get Council to Curb Cruising
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MISSION HILLS — In a first--albeit unofficial--legislative move orchestrated by Councilman-elect Alex Padilla, the Los Angeles City Council will decide whether to increase police presence at a Mission Hills cruising spot that has been the site of recent violence.
A motion, drafted by Padilla, calls for an expansion of the LAPD’s cruising enforcement program on Laurel Canyon Boulevard. It was introduced Friday by Councilman John Ferraro.
Ferraro presented the motion because Padilla can’t officially do so until he is sworn in as the council’s 7th District representative in early July.
“The issue is so urgent we didn’t want to wait. Something had to be done,” Padilla said. “So I appealed to my . . . colleagues” to sponsor the motion.
Last weekend a man was killed and four people injured during early morning shootings at the popular cruising locale on Laurel Canyon Boulevard. Currently, the LAPD, working in tandem with the city Department of Transportation, sets up movable barricades at the site, usually until about 1 a.m.
The motion calls for the council to extend the barricade hours until 4 a.m. on Sundays and to add Friday evenings to the enforcement program. The Sunday evening barricade hours will remain from 6 to midnight.
The council is scheduled to vote on the issue Tuesday, Padilla said.
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