Hochman Announces Plea in LA County Medical Examiner Stealing from the Dead
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Friday that a former Los Angeles County Medical Examiner investigator pleaded no contest to stealing jewelry and rare coins from deceased individuals during active death investigations.
Adrian Muñoz, 36, of Los Angeles, pleaded no contest to one felony count of grand theft and one misdemeanor count of petty theft. According to prosecutors, on January 6, 2023, Muñoz responded to a death investigation in South Los Angeles and was captured on surveillance footage removing a gold crucifix necklace from a deceased warehouse worker’s neck and placing it in his medical bag without documenting it.
Investigators later found rare antique coins in Muñoz’s desk bearing a receipt connected to another man whose death investigation Muñoz had handled in November 2022.
“There is something especially appalling about stealing from the dead,” said Hochman. “During a time when dignity and respect should be absolute, Mr. Muñoz chose greed. Today’s plea is a step toward justice, but it cannot undo the additional trauma inflicted on families who were already dealing with loss.”
Muñoz is scheduled to be sentenced June 5, where he is expected to receive two years of formal probation, 180 days in LA County jail, permanent resignation from Peace Officer Standards and Training, and restitution to each victim’s family.
Solis Moves to Study Data Center Impacts, Explore Moratorium in Unincorporated LA County
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis (D-East Los Angeles/San Gabriel Valley) has introduced a motion headed to a Board of Supervisors vote tomorrow that would direct county departments to study the public health and environmental impacts of data centers — and explore a potential moratorium on new facilities in unincorporated areas of the county.
The motion comes as data centers expand rapidly across LA County, raising concerns in communities near facilities in incorporated cities such as Monterey Park and the City of Industry. While the county lacks land use authority within incorporated cities, Solis is directing County Counsel to explore all available legal options to address data center development in incorporated cities adjacent to county properties and unincorporated communities.
“It is critical that the County fully understands their impacts on local infrastructure, public health, and the environment. While the County does not have land use authority within incorporated cities such as Monterey Park and the City of Industry, these facilities are raising concerns not only for city residents but also for those in nearby unincorporated communities,” wrote Solis in her weekly newsletter..
The motion directs county departments, including Public Health and Regional Planning, to develop an environmental and public health impact study, host community information sessions, and prepare the necessary steps to potentially implement a moratorium on data centers in unincorporated areas.
The Board meeting is slated for 9:30 a.m., tomorrow Tuesday, April 14 at Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 West Temple Street, in Downtown Los Angeles.
Residents may participate in person, virtually, or by phone. To JOIN THE MEETING, Participate by Phone: (213)306-3065, Access Code: 2532 263 0683 Password: 2672026. To Listen by Telephone Only: Call: (877)873-8017 Access Code: 111111 (English) 222222 (Spanish).
Padilla Secures $91 Million in Federal Transit Funding for 2028 LA Olympics
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced Thursday that the Los Angeles metro area will receive nearly $90 million in federal transit funding for costs associated with hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games, with additional funding for other California host cities bringing the state’s total to more than $91 million.
The funding was included in the Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill and will be distributed by the Federal Transit Administration to support increased operating, planning, and capital activities needed to accommodate the millions of visitors expected during the Games.
Padilla has championed the funding for years despite the Trump administration’s FY26 and FY27 budget proposals not requesting Olympics transportation funding.
“As Los Angeles prepares to host thousands of athletes and millions of fans for the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, I have been working relentlessly to ensure all the resources needed are in place for smooth games,” said Padilla. “This crucial funding will improve our public transit infrastructure to get fans and Angelenos safely, efficiently, and reliably around the city as we excitedly welcome the world to the City of Angels.”
LA Metro Board Chair Fernando Dutra called the announcement “an important down payment on the total federal funding necessary” for the Games, while Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle credited Padilla’s ongoing advocacy for making the funding possible.
Rivas Pushes USPS to Reconsider Toluca Lake Post Office Location
U.S. Rep. Luz Rivas (D-Arleta/Pacoima/Toluca Lake) is pressing the United States Postal Service to scrap a proposed new post office location on Camarillo Street in Toluca Lake, calling it inconvenient and potentially unreliable for residents who relied on the former facility along Riverside Drive.
“My constituents have reached out to me about this location being inconvenient and unfavorable, as well as potentially undermining reliable postal service for the Toluca Lake community,” Rivas wrote in a letter to USPS Postmaster General and CEO David Steiner. “These uncertainties and prolonged delays further underscore the need to identify a more viable and accessible location within Toluca Lake.”
Rivas argued that the proposed Camarillo Street location — approximately two miles from the former centrally located Riverside Drive facility — would be less accessible and sits in the middle of a busy intersection. The situation is further complicated by logistical disputes between USPS and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which could delay the project by up to 2 years.
Rivas said her staff facilitated a meeting between USPS and LADWP that she personally joined, and is now formally requesting a new location specifically along the Riverside Drive corridor.
