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Hearing nears on proposed release of Pillowcase Rapist Christopher Hubbart – NBC Los Angeles

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Hearing nears on proposed release of Pillowcase Rapist Christopher Hubbart – NBC Los Angeles


The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office is seeking comments from the public for a hearing on the proposed release of a sexually violent predator into Southern California’s Antelope Valley.

The development is the latest chapter in the saga of Christopher Hubbart, also known as the Pillowcase Rapist. Hubbart has a history of violent sex crimes against women with convictions in Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties in 1973, 1982 and 1990.

Last year, a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge deemed Hubbart suitable for conditional release and ordered the Department of State Hospitals to begin the search for housing in Los Angeles County. The department has recommended that Hubbart, whose release was opposed by the District Attorney’s office, be placed in Juniper Hills, located south of Pearblossom, in the Antelope Valley north of Los Angeles. The responsibility of housing Hubbart falls to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, which will make the final decision as to where Hubbart is placed, according to the DA’s office.

Residents of Antelope Valley have been urged to voice their opinions before the proposed release of a serial rapist. John Cádiz Klemack reports for the NBC4 News at 6 a.m. on Sep. 4, 2024.

County prosecutors will seek public comment on Hubbart’s release and relocation to a community in the high desert north of Los Angeles through Sept. 17. Comments may be submitted to the District Attorney’s Office using this email.

“Our Juniper Hills, Pearblossom, and the Antelope Valley residents at large have every right to voice their concerns about this predator’s placement in their community,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes the Antelope Valley. “While I understand that the state performs a comprehensive study and assessment before proposing a site, nothing takes the place of the real-world perspectives that only community members can offer. I want to ensure my constituents are kept informed about this process and have every opportunity to weigh in on this decision.”

A representative from the LA County District Attorney’s Office will speak at Wednesday’s Juniper Hills Town Council meeting to explain the Sexually Violent Predator Conditional Release program and provide more background information. The meeting will be held at the Juniper Hills Community Center.

A hearing on Hubbart’s housing is scheduled for Oct. 1 at the Hollywood Courthouse. Details about a release date were not immediately available.

Hubbart has admitted to raping 40 women decades ago. He was sent to Atascadero State Hospital in 1972 after a court deemed him a “mentally disordered sex offender.” The name “Pillowcase Rapist” was used to describe the attacker because he used a pillow to smother his victims’ screams.

Seven years later, doctors said he posed no threat and released him. Over the next two years, he raped another 15 women in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to court documents. Hubbart was again imprisoned, then paroled in 1990.

After accosting a woman in Santa Clara County, he was sent back to prison and then to Coalinga State Hospital. Hubbart was designated a sexually violent predator in Santa Clara County in 1996.

His lawyers argued in 2014 that Hubbart’s continuing detention violated his rights to due process, sparking a battle over where he should live. As a condition of his release into the northern LA County community of Palmdale, Hubbart was required to wear an ankle monitor and attend regular therapy sessions and make quarterly reports to a judge. Protesters gathered regularly outside the home in opposition to Hubbart’s release in the community.

He was back in custody a few years later after a judge revoked his conditional release.

“Continuing to release sexually violent predators into underserved communities like the Antelope Valley is both irresponsible and unjust,” said District Attorney George Gascón. “Repeatedly placing these individuals in the same community shows a blatant disregard for the safety and well-being of our residents. Our deputy district attorneys will persist in opposing Mr. Hubbart’s placement in the Antelope Valley. We must demand more from our judicial system, ensuring decisions serve the best interests of our communities while exploring alternative locations for these placements.”



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How to add California driver’s license to iPhone, Apple Watch – NBC Los Angeles

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How to add California driver’s license to iPhone, Apple Watch – NBC Los Angeles


California driver’s license holders can now add their state ID to Apple Wallet on their IPhone and Apple Watch, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday.

The digital IDs will be accepted at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) check points, including Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco Airport, as well as select businesses. 

“With this new integration, we’re working to better serve the people of California in the 21st Century,” Newsom said in a statement.

Here’s how to add your ID to Apple Wallet

  1. Go to Apple Wallet
  2. Click the + button on the top right-hand corner
  3. Under the “Add to Wallet” section, tap “Driver’s License or State ID” to select “California mDL Pilot.
  4. Scan the front and back sides of your California ID
  5. Scan your face
  6. Take a picture
  7. Wait for verification from the California DMV.

But there’s a catch

The mobile driver’s license (mDL) pilot program is currently only limited to 1.5 million participants. 

If your license is expired or suspended, your mDL will be rejected.

Other factors that could impact your mDL applications are:

  • Wearing headwear
  • Not using plain background
  • Lack of consistent lighting
  • Other faces in the frame
  • Wearing sunglasses

More tips can be found here.

Last month, the state announced the DMV addition of Google Wallet as an option to hold driver’s licenses and identification cards. 



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New LA City Council president begins leadership role – NBC Los Angeles

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New LA City Council president begins leadership role – NBC Los Angeles


Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian will hand over the position Friday to Council President Pro Tem Marqueece Harris-Dawson in a leadership shakeup for the 15-member panel.

First elected to in 2015, the 54-year-old Harris-Dawson represents Council District 8, where he won his first election with 62-percent of the vote in an area that includes Baldwin Hills, Chesterfield Square, Crenshaw, Jefferson Park and other communities.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Harris-Dawson won his bid for the top council post in May and vowed to focus on the city’s homeless crisis. The chair of the city’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee co-authored Prop HHH, which was a $1.2 million bond measure to provide permanent supportive housing.

The council voted 14-0 to name Harris-Dawson as Krekorian’s successor as president.

As president, Harris-Dawson will preside as chair over council meetings, have the power to assign council committees and handle parliamentary duties such as ruling motions in or out of order. He was elected president pro tempore to replace Curren Price, who stepped down after he was charged in June 2023 with embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest.

Harris-Dawson is expected to serve as president through mid-December. Following November’s election and once new council members assume their offices, another election will be held to elect a council president for a new term.

Krekorian received an ovation Thursday at his final meeting as council president. The Council District 2 representative will leave the body in December due to term limits. Councilman Bob Blumenfield unveiled plans to rename two sites in honor of Krekorian — the Victory Valley Child Care Center at 6451 Saint Clair Ave., and the Valley Plaza Sports Fields at 6980 Whitsett Ave. in North Hollywood.

Krekorian, whose district includes east San Fernando Valley neighborhoods, was first elected to the council in late 2009. He was elected council president in the wake of a leaked audio recording of colleagues, including then-President Nury Martinez, that shook City Hall.

Martinez resigned in 2022 after being heard in a recorded racially charged conversation with two other council members and a county labor official discussing the council’s redistricting process. The recorded conversation included racist comments about a colleague’s young Black adopted son.

Krekorian stepped into the council presidency during the tumultuous time at City Hall.

“I couldn’t do the work for the next 79 days and I couldn’t do the work as council president, and I couldn’t have done the work as an Assembly member or anything else without the support, guidance and love that I’ve received from my wife, Tamar, for the last quarter of the century almost,” Krekorian said.

He also thanked his staff.

“To all my staff, I hope you noticed that a number of members of this council specifically recognized you and that’s because you do extraordinary work — not only for me, our constituents, but for the entire city of Los Angeles,” Krekorian said.





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Find Riverside County Airport Fire recovery assistance – NBC Los Angeles

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Find Riverside County Airport Fire recovery assistance – NBC Los Angeles


Residents impacted by the Airport Fire in Riverside County can visit a local assistance center in Lake Elsinore.

Residents seeking assistance with food, health care support and more are welcomed to visit the one-stop resource center located at the Lake Community Center. The center will be open from noon to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

The Riverside County Department of Public Social Services, Public Health, Housing & Workforce Solutions and other local agencies will be joined by representatives from the California Office of Emergency Services and several nonprofit organizations to provide information on how to get financial, medical and related aid.

Residents seeking help also can click here.

On Tuesday, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved an emergency declaration, enabling the county to seek state and federal allocations for infrastructure repairs or improvements and general recovery of expenses stemming from the blaze.

As of Thursday, the Airport Fire was 41% contained at more than 23,500 acres in Orange and Riverside counties.

For information about Orange County recovery resources, click here.



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