BRIEFLY.

City pulls the plug on sex offender TV

Liability concerns appear to have sunk a plan to broadcast information about registered sex offenders on the city's cable television channel, officials said Tuesday.

The Los Angeles Police Department and the City Attorney's Office determined that the city would be vulnerable to lawsuits if it broadcast information on any but the highest-risk sex offenders. There are only 38 high risk offenders out of about 4,000 total living in the city.

Police instead recommend that Channel 35 Government Access Television provide information on how citizens can access Internet databases with sex offender information. The Board of Police Commissioners endorsed the recommendation Tuesday.

- Daily News

LAX, Ontario set records for traffic

LAX set a record for international traffic with 8.47 million passengers for the first half of 2005, more than the previous record of 8.44 million set in the first half of 2001 before the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

However, domestic travel remained flat at Los Angeles International Airport, the airport department said. Overall traffic was up 1.8 percent to 29.9 million.

Ontario International Airport also broke a record set pre-9-11, with 3.47 million passengers in the first half of 2005, up 2.4 percent.

- Daily News

Husband receives prison for killing

BURBANK - A Burbank man convicted of second-degree murder for his wife's killing was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years to life in state prison.

Burbank Superior Court Judge Zaven V. Sinanian imposed the sentence on Joong Kim, who was convicted June 30 of Young Cho's slaying.

Kim was arrested on July 23, 2003, after crashing his car on Interstate 15 near the border town of Primm, Nev. His 45-year-old wife had been found strangled the same morning.

- City News Service

LAPD plans to join terror info system

The Los Angeles Police Department plans to join other law enforcement agencies across the country to establish an information-sharing network in the event of terrorist attacks, LAPD Chief William Bratton said Tuesday.

Saying local law enforcement can ``no longer rely on the federal government'' to provide instant information when attacks occur around the globe, Bratton said local chiefs are working to develop ``parallel lines'' of communication.

The effort stems from recent attacks on London's transit system. An LAPD team was in England when a second round of bombs struck last week and officers immediately notified Bratton, who was at a police officials' convention in Chicago.

- Daily News

L.A. earns award for building safety

The city of Los Angeles is being awarded a ``Good Government Oscar'' today and a $100,000 prize for its code enforcement program to maintain building safety.

The Fannie Mae Foundation, in conjunction with the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University, selected Los Angeles and its Systematic Code Enforcement program from more than 1,000 entries from cities around the country.

Under the city program, all multifamily rental units are inspected at least once every five years to make sure they meet all health and safety codes. The Fannie Mae program has been in existence for 18 years to honor government programs that recognize public responsiveness.

- Daily News

CHP cruiser hits building in chase

A California Highway Patrol cruiser crashed through a furniture shop wall in Watts early Tuesday during a high-speed chase that began in Downey but no one was injured, officials said. The fleeing driver was arrested later.

The cruiser plowed into the building moments after the pursued vehicle made a sharp right turn. The CHP car behind it missed the turn and smashed through the side of J&V Furniture at Firestone Boulevard and Bandera Street.

Two CHP officers in the cruiser were unhurt, said CHP Officer Charlie McMichael said.

It was unclear what caused the crash.

- Associated Press

Cal Repair license revoked by state

GLENDALE - The state has revoked for five years the license of a Glendale-based company that handled thousands of electrical, plumbing and general repair calls annually in California, it was announced Tuesday.

The revocation order against Cal Repair Services Inc. goes into effect Aug. 10, unless the company appeals, according to the Contractors State License Board. The company, which was also fined $46,446, at times did business under the name ``Pick Red,'' officials said.

The violations alleged include: forging signatures on two different license application forms, billing homeowners for unneeded repairs, failing to complete projects, failing to repair damage caused by its employees' work, and failing to obtain necessary permits and inspections.

- City News Service