Hochman charges driver with murder in 405 deaths
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman yesterday announced murder charges against the driver accused of killing LAPD Sgt. Shiou Lih Deng and stranded motorist Jesús Arturo Garcia in a high-speed crash on the 405 Freeway last June.
Mario Joseph Bickham, 36, of Hawthorne, was charged with two felony counts of second-degree murder.
Prosecutors allege Bickham was driving 112.5 mph in a posted 65 mph zone when he slammed into Sgt. Deng’s marked patrol vehicle, a disabled pickup truck, and both men early on the morning of June 23, 2025, near the Getty Center exit. Sgt. Deng, a 26-year LAPD veteran, had stopped with his emergency lights activated to assist Garcia, 34, whose truck had become disabled in the HOV lane after an earlier collision.
“This case is a tragic reminder that police officers risk their lives every day to keep us safe,” said Hochman. “I extend my deepest condolences to Sgt. Deng and Mr. Garcia’s family and loved ones. Sgt. Deng spent half his life serving the public with bravery and selflessness as an LAPD officer. His death is a profound loss to the LAPD community and Los Angeles. Mr. Garcia, only 34 years old, was devoted to his family and, like all Angelenos, deserved to make it home safely after a long shift at work. I want to emphasize that speeding kills. If you drive over 100 mph and kill someone, you are on a fast track to a murder charge. I thank the California Highway Patrol for their thorough and diligent work in bringing justice to the families.”
California Highway Patrol Southern Division Chief Chris Margaris said the case required nearly a year of investigative work.
“This was a complex investigation, completed by the California Highway Patrol Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team, which took just under a year to complete,” said Margaris. “Our hearts remain with the families, friends, and colleagues of LAPD Sergeant Shiou Deng and Mr. Jesus Garcia who lost their lives. We hope this report provides answers and reflects the California Highway Patrol’s unwavering commitment to a thorough, objective investigation.”
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said Sergeant Deng dedicated his life to serving others, and on that tragic morning, he made the ultimate sacrifice.
“Our thoughts remain with his family and all those who loved him. I want to thank the California Highway Patrol investigators whose dedication and persistence led to today’s arrest. We also appreciate the partnership of the District Attorney’s Office as this case moves through the judicial process. We remain steadfast in our commitment to pursuing justice while honoring Sergeant Deng’s extraordinary legacy of service,” said McDonnell.
Prosecutors are requesting bail be denied or set at $4 million. Bickham, who also sustained serious injuries in the crash, faces up to 15 years to life in state prison on each count if convicted.
Friedman’s bill gets House support to rename Glendale post office
U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena) saw her legislation pass the House of Representatives yesterday, designating the U.S. Postal Service facility on San Fernando Road in Glendale as the “Paul Ignatius Post Office.”
Ignatius was born in Glendale in 1920 to Armenian immigrant parents who fled persecution and settled on San Fernando Road, where he later clerked at the very post office that will now carry his name. He served as a naval officer in World War II and went on to hold four federal posts across two presidential administrations — Assistant Secretary of the Army, Under Secretary of the Army, Assistant Secretary of Defense, and ultimately Secretary of the Navy.
He died last fall at age 104, having continued community service work well past his hundredth birthday.
“Paul Ignatius is the kind of American we should all aspire to be,” said Friedman. “The son of immigrants who fled persecution, he built a new life in this country, answered the call to serve under presidents of both parties, and went home and kept giving back to his community right up to the very end. As we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary, his story is exactly the one we should be telling.”
The bill drew bipartisan support across the California congressional delegation. Friedman urged the Senate to take up and pass the measure without delay so the designation can be signed into law.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D -CA) is carrying the companion measure.
Rivas presses USCIS over DACA renewal delays hitting San Fernando Valley
U.S. Rep. Luz Rivas (D – San Fernando, Pacoima, Arleta, Panorama City, Sylmar, Van Nuys, Sun Valley, North Hollywood) sent a letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow, urging the agency to address a growing backlog in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewal applications, after constituents in her district reported delays of up to eight months.
DACA recipients are required to file renewals between four and five months before their status and work authorization expire. USCIS lists its current average processing time at roughly 3.5 months, but Rivas said constituents in her district have experienced significantly longer waits, jeopardizing their jobs and housing.
“My constituents with DACA status continue to report extraordinary delays in USCIS processing times,” wrote Rivas. “These prolonged delays prevent DACA recipients from maintaining valid work authorization, placing their livelihoods and employment at risk. As a result, many are experiencing severe financial hardship and face the prospect of unemployment, housing instability, immigration detention, and removal due to the lack of proper documentation caused by the Trump Administration’s delayed adjudications.”
Rivas said the consequences are already playing out in her district.
“In my district, constituents have already lost their jobs and are facing eviction because of USCIS’s failure to adjudicate applications in a timely fashion,” she wrote. “In light of these significant consequences, prompt adjudication of DACA renewal applications is critical to safeguarding the economic security and well-being of hardworking individuals, their families, and the communities that depend on their contributions. I am urging you to take immediate steps to address the USCIS renewal backlogs and ensure these renewals are completed in a reasonable time frame.”
There are an estimated 500,000 DACA recipients nationwide, including roughly 140,000 in California. Rivas has previously hosted DACA renewal workshops for constituents through her Arleta district office.
Constituents needing assistance with DACA renewals can call Rivas’ Arleta office at (818) 253-3535.
Barragán introduces Medicare access bill for Alzheimer’s patients
U.S. Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Bellflower, Carson, San Pedro, Wilmington) last week reintroduced the bipartisan Access to Innovative Treatments Act, alongside Rep. John Joyce, M.D. (R-PA), to expedite Medicare coverage decisions for new treatments that benefit seniors and people with disabilities.
The bill would require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to reconsider coverage decisions in a timely manner as new evidence of a drug’s effectiveness emerges, and would require that drugs be evaluated individually rather than as part of a broad class.
“Patients should not be denied access to promising treatments simply because of outdated or overly broad coverage decisions,” said Barragán. “The Access to Innovative Treatments Act is necessary to ensure that Medicare keeps pace with the latest science — it creates accountability by establishing a timeline to review new evidence and giving every treatment a fair, individualized review. Thank you to Dr. Joyce for joining me to put patients first and make sure seniors and people with disabilities have a real opportunity to benefit from medical innovation, no matter where they live or what type of insurance they have.”
The legislation does not mandate coverage of any specific drug, but supporters say it could lower patients’ out-of-pocket costs by ensuring coverage decisions keep pace with current data.
The measure follows a 2022 CMS decision to deny Medicare coverage of certain FDA-approved Alzheimer’s treatments unless patients were enrolled in clinical trials, a policy critics say restricted access, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
The bill has drawn endorsements from the Alzheimer’s Association, the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement, the Alliance for Aging Research, the National Hispanic Council on Aging, and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s.
