Today’s News: Activists go to court to stop UCLA hotel; Arcadia targeting ‘maternity hotels’; Obama faux pas?

UCLA Hotel. Opponents of a planned UCLA hotel and conference center are making a last-ditched effort to stop the project. Earlier complaints focused on environmental concerns, but now activists have filed a lawsuit saying that promised tax breaks would give the campus hotel an unfair advantage over competitors. Shovels are scheduled to hit dirt this summer on the $162 million project. L.A. Times

Two teenage hikers rescued after spending days lost in the Cleveland National Forest are recovering from their ordeal in the hospital this morning. Both are expected to be fine. An Orange County Sheriff’s deputy suffered a serious head injury when he tumbled 60 feet down a hillside during the rescue of 18-year-old Kyndall Jack yesterday. She was a pulled from a steep ravine, one day after her companion was found. KTLA

Arcadia is the latest city to crack down on so-called “maternity hotels.” After shutting down at least five of the residences since last fall, The San Gabriel Valley town has decided to assign a police detective to investigate the issue on a full-time basis. Maternity hotels are boarding homes where women from other countries – often China – live while they are pregnant. They pay steep prices to ensure that their babies are born in this country and eligible for U.S citizenship. Pasadena Star News

Shot by mistake. A federal jury says Long Beach must pay $6.5 million to the family of a man gunned down by police officers. Jurors found the officers were negligent and violated the constitutional rights of 35-year-old Doug Zerby when they shot him in December 2010 outside a Belmont Shore apartment. The officers mistook a water hose nozzle he was holding for a gun. He was shot 12 times. Long Beach Press-Telegram

Presidential praise. California Attorney General Kamala Harris isn’t commenting about President Obama’s comments about her physical appearance. The president caused a stir yesterday when, at an event in Silicon Valley, he praised Harris for her smarts and toughness, and then called her the nation’s “best-looking Attorney General.” A spokeswoman says Harris has not indicated if she was offended. AP