Stories we’re following today in the KCRW newsroom:
Noguez Arrested. Los Angeles County Assessor John Noguez is due in court later today or tomorrow for arraignment on bribery and corruption charges. The embattled elected official was arrested this morning at his home in Huntington Park. Noguez has denied wrongdoing throughout a year-long investigation into influence peddling in his office. He’s been on a paid leave from his $192,000-per-year job since June. L.A. Times
Jail reforms monitor. A major loss of face for Sheriff Lee Baca as the L.A. County Board of Supervisors votes to hire a special monitor to oversee jail reforms. The move comes three weeks after an independent panel slammed the sheriff for failing to stop deputies from abusing inmates inside county lockups. Several Supes said Baca could not be relied on to implement the reforms, which he has promised to do. L.A. Times
Mystery donation. An Arizona group is spending $11 million dollars in an effort to tip the scales in two California proposition contests. The money will be used to fight Proposition 30, Governor Jerry Brown’s tax measure, and to support Proposition 32, a measure that aims to curb the influence of special interests in Sacramento that’s been bitterly opposed by organized labor. Phoenix-based Americans for Responsible Leadership gave the money this week to a PAC involved in the races. But where the group came up with the cash remains unclear. Sacramento Bee
San Bernardino bankruptcy. Federal officials are probing the city of San Bernardino’s bankruptcy. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is opening an “informal inquiry” into the circumstances of the city’s default. The agency told city officials not to destroy an array of financial documents and communications with its financial advisers. San Bernardino filed for bankruptcy in August because of a $46 million budget deficit. San Bernardino Sun
Gangnam group. Fourteen lifeguards fired by El Monte for making a parody of the “Gangnam Style” video at a city pool will get their jobs back. The video showed the lifeguards in their city-issued swimsuits dancing underwater and on diving boards. El Monte officials have taken some heat for what some called an overreaction to a harmless prank. San Gabriel Valley Tribune