Today’s News – Updated: Connecticut school shooting; San Onofre transparency; California can cut payments to Medi-Cal providers

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School shooting in Connecticut. A mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut has left 27 people dead. That number includes 20 children. The suspect is reportedly Adam Lanza, 20, who was also found dead at the school. LAUSD has released a statement assuring parents that students in Los Angeles are safe.

An emotional President Obama addressed the press, saying “I know there’s not a parent in America who doesn’t feel the same overwhelming grief that I do.”  NYT Lede Blog. The Hartford Courant.


Power play. The L.A. City Council is jumping into the debate over restarting the San Onofre nuclear power plant. The council will consider a resolution today calling for a formal license amendment and a public hearing before the plant can start up again. Southern California Edison opposes the move. Some council members say Edison has been not been forthcoming about problems that forced a shutdown in January. San Onofre is 50 miles from L.A., but council members says that’s close enough to be concerned. City News Service

Cut rates. A major court ruling on Medi-Cal could make it easier for the state to balance its books – while making it harder for some of the state’s poorest residents to find a doctor. A federal appeals court says California can move ahead with a law that cuts Medi-Cal reimbursements by 10 percent. The decision could save the state up to $50 million a month in healthcare payments. But critics say there’s already of shortage of doctors treating Medi-Cal patients. They warn the ruling will make it even harder for people who rely on state assistance to get adequate care. L.A. Times

Swept up. A Sheriff’s official says the arrest of a deputy on suspicion of assaulting two inmates at the Twin Towers jail is part of a “house cleaning” by Sheriff Lee Baca. Deputy Jermaine Jackson is charged with four felony assault counts. He’s accused of using his feet, which can be considered a deadly weapon. Jackson is also charged with falsifying reports about the incidents. The arrest comes as the Sheriff’s Department faces an FBI investigation into allegations of widespread inmate abuse inside the jail system. A spokesman says the arrest shows Baca is serious about reforming the jails. L.A. Times

No hiding. The state’s election watchdog has adopted new rules making it harder for supporters of ballot initiatives to hide their identity. The Fair Political Practices Commission voted yesterday to require groups spending more than $100,000 on a signature drive to disclose that on public forms. The new rules follow complaints from voters that they lacked sufficient information about who was backing the petitions they were being asked to sign. UT San Diego

Back at home. Singer Jenni Rivera has had her final homecoming. The remains of the Mexican-American star arrived at Long Beach Airport by private jet last night. Her casket was driven to a mortuary, where dozens of fans waited. Other fans gathered outside her family’s home in Lakewood. Rivera and six others died Sunday when their plane crashed near Monterrey, Mexico. KNBC

And, finally. The Griffith Park Observatory will stay open late Saturday December 21st – just to make a point. Some people think the Mayan calendar predicts the world will end on June 21st. The science-minded Observatory staff is not among them. The Observatory normally closes at 10 p.m. But officials will keep it open until one minute past midnight on the 22nd – just to prove that there will be a 22nd. L.A. Daily News