Latest news with #CaliforniaPenalCode
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Airbnb allowed rampant price gouging following L.A. fires, city attorney lawsuit alleges
The Los Angeles city attorney's office has filed a lawsuit against Airbnb, accusing the home-sharing platform of allow price gouging and unverified hosts and addresses at more than 2,000 rentals following the January firestorm in Altadena and Pacific Palisades. In a statement, L.A. City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto's office accused Airbnb of allowing illegal rental price hikes and permitting false and nonexistent hosts and addresses on the platform. The lawsuit seeks a permanent order to halt Airbnb from hiking up prices during the existing state of emergency, as well as reimbursement for consumers who were charged higher rates. 'Although Airbnb subsequently took steps to curtail price gouging, evidence indicates that illegal gouging on the site continues and may be ongoing,' Feldstein Soto said in a statement announcing the civil enforcement action. 'Airbnb is aware that its verification processes are inadequate … potentially luring prospective tenants into a false sense of security about its hosts and locations.' Airbnb disputed the lawsuit's accusations, saying the platform has played a consistent role in supporting victims with financial aid following the wildfires. 'Since the wildfires broke out, Airbnb … contributed nearly $30 million to fire recovery efforts in Los Angeles, including free emergency housing to nearly 24,000 people impacted by the fires,' an Airbnb spokesperson told The Times. 'We will continue supporting the city of Los Angeles in its recovery and rebuilding efforts.' The lawsuit seeks fines of $2,500 for each instance of alleged price gouging in L.A., which could reach between 2,000 and 3,000 properties, or up to $7.5 million in total penalties. The lawsuit also alleges that Airbnb's 'inadequate' verification processes left users vulnerable to offenses such as identity theft, robbery, sexual assault, invasion of privacy and voyeurism. Airbnb did not respond to an inquiry from The Times regarding those claims. The unverified and 'nonexistent' hosts alleged in the lawsuit refer to cases of hosts using fake names to represent themselves on the platform. According to the lawsuit, cases include a profile under the name of 'Amber Hiller' that actually belonged to a woman named Akila Nourollah, and a host named 'Greg,' verified using the ID of someone named Guven Sacikarali, a relative of the actual account controller, Ali Sacikaral. While not the correct name of the account owners, Airbnb does allow the use of 'preferred names' in its terms and conditions. The lawsuit also mentions several cases in which verified locations on Airbnb were actually located up to four miles away from the advertised address. If price gouging claims are determined to be true, the lawsuit claims that Airbnb can be found to have violated the state's Unfair Competition Law, California Penal Code Section 396, the Anti-Gouging Law, and the Jan. 16 state of emergency declaration by Gov. Gavin Newsom, which states that it would be illegal for Airbnb to increase the pricing of rentals by more than 10% during the state of emergency. The firestorm that erupted on Jan. 7 ultimately destroyed more than 16,000 buildings in Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Altadena. In January, Airbnb released a statement denouncing price gouging and promising to make it impossible for hosts to raise the prices of their properties by more than 10% from their pre-wildfire rates. 'With tens of thousands of people currently displaced in the Los Angeles area and the prospect of that figure continuing to increase, the last thing anyone should encounter is pricing for a hotel room or a home that seeks to take advantage of a desperate situation,' the statement read. The company also pledged to give free $1,000 vouchers to fire victims for Airbnb stays. By Jan. 28, more than 11,000 vouchers had been sent out. However, some fire victims claimed that strict regulations and a lack of response to applications made the vouchers essentially useless. While the state of emergency declaration aimed to prevent rental price hikes during and following the fires, previous Times reporting revealed that prices had continued to balloon in parts of L.A., leaving those without shelter with little options besides expensive stays. An Airbnb spokesperson said the cap on increasing rental prices following the fires stayed firm, allowing for no illegal increases. The company cited California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta's early statements, which praised Airbnb's promises to comply with the state's emergency declarations. 'They're doing the right thing, I thank them for doing that. We hope other platforms will follow suit and do the same,' Bonta said during a Jan. 16 news conference. However, Bonta's statements came before many long-term Airbnb rates were set.
Hindustan Times
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Los Angeles protest: What does unlawful assembly alert in Alameda, LA Street, Aliso Street, 101 Freeway mean?
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) declared an unlawful assembly alert in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, covering areas around Alameda Street, Los Angeles Street, Aliso Street, and the 101 Freeway. This comes as protests against the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids ramped up in the city after President Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops. The unlawful assembly alert authorizes police to disperse crowds and arrest those who remain in the areas. Under California Penal Code Section 407, an unlawful assembly occurs when two or more people gather with the intent to disturb the peace, commit a crime, or engage in violent or threatening behavior. In Los Angeles, LAPD declares an unlawful assembly when a crowd's actions, such as throwing objects, blocking traffic, or refusing to disperse, pose a public safety threat. The alert, often paired with a dispersal order, gives police legal authority to: Order demonstrators to leave within a specified time Use non-lethal force if crowds persist Arrest individuals for failing to comply, charged as a misdemeanor with up to 6 months in jail or a $1,000 fine '⚠️An UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY⚠️ has been declared! Any person who remains on the Alameda, Los Angeles St, Aliso St, the 101 freeway between Alameda and the 110 freeway are subject to arrest. Please avoid the 101 freeway in the Downtown Area,' the LAPD noted on X, platform formerly known as Twitter. Alameda Street: LAPD declared unlawful assemblies, citing crowds refusing to disperse near the detention center. Los Angeles Street and Aliso Street: Protests centered around federal buildings, with an unlawful assembly declared at Aliso and Alameda. 101 Freeway: Demonstrators blocked all lanes at Spring Street, erecting barriers, leading to a tactical alert and unlawful assembly declaration.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bill to protect pets from stalkers moves forward in California Legislature
A bill that would allow prosecutors to charge stalkers who threaten a victim's pet, service animal, or horse is moving forward in the California Legislature. Senate Bill 221, introduced by Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa), passed the Senate floor with unanimous support and now heads to the Assembly. Under current law, stalking includes threats that cause a person to fear for their own safety or the safety of immediate family members. SB 221 would amend California Penal Code Section 646.9 to also include credible threats made against a person's animals. Trump threatens California with heavy 'fines' over trans athlete's victories at CIF finals 'Stalkers often use pets as a way to terrorize their victims, and California law has largely ignored this issue,' Ochoa Bogh said in a statement. 'With the introduction of SB 221, we aim to put an end to this. Threatening to harm an animal in order to control or intimidate someone is a form of psychological abuse and should have consequences.' Stalking affects millions of Americans each year. Data from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey shows that one in three women and one in six men in the U.S. have experienced stalking. Advocates say pets are frequently used as tools of coercion and fear. According to a National Crime Victimization Survey, 40% of stalkers threaten not just victims but also their families, friends, co-workers, or animals. More than 87,000 stalking cases involving threats against pets have been reported. If enacted, SB 221 would allow those convicted of stalking under the expanded definition to face up to one year in jail, a $1,000 fine, or longer prison terms for more serious or repeated offenses. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Military man arrested in San Diego for false bomb threat on Hawaiian Airlines flight
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Authorities have released the identity of a man who was arrested after a flight departing the San Diego Airport was evacuated Tuesday morning for reports of a bomb threat that was later cleared. The Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department announced the arrest of John Stea, a 35-year-old member of the military, who is facing charges for reportedly making a false bomb threat. According to police, Stea was on board Hawaiian Airlines flight 15 Tuesday morning that was pulling away from the jetway and getting ready to depart the San Diego International Airport to Honolulu, Hawaii when he reportedly told a flight attendant that the passenger next to him had a bomb. The flight attendant told the captain, who taxied the plane to a safe location on the airfield. All 293 people onboard were deplaned and transported by bus to a safe area, police report. Passenger arrested after alleged bomb threat reported on plane leaving San Diego Around 8:45 a.m. Tuesday, the Port of San Diego Harbor Police Maritime Tactical Team (MARTAC, also known as SWAT), K-9 Team, and Joint Terrorism Task Force, along with the San Diego Fire Department and multiple federal agencies, responded to the scene to search the aircraft and its contents. K-9s cleared the aircraft, including all carry-on and checked luggage. Passengers were let back on the Hawaiian Airlines flight after the search ended, and the plane departed SAN around 2:20 p.m., about six hours after its original scheduled departure. The Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department reports there is no threat to the public or travelers and operations at San Diego International Airport have continued Tuesday as normal. Stea is facing charges of Making a False Bomb Threat, California Penal Code (PC) 148.1, and False Report of a Security Threat, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Code 7.07. Harbor Police is reminding the public that reporting a false bomb threat is against the law and can result in fines and up to one year incarceration in county jail or state prison if convicted. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Where did gun in Clovis shooting come from? Parents of teen suspect may be liable
Two 16-year-olds have been arrested by Clovis police on suspicion of the shooting death of an 18-year-old outside a local McDonald's restaurant. It happened in late April in the popular shopping center anchored by a Save Mart grocery store and a Trader Joe's, at Willow and Nees avenues. The incident shocked Clovis residents, both for the young ages of those involved as well as where the slaying happened. A key question before investigators is this: Where did the gun come from? If it was taken from one of the suspects' homes, the parents (or guardian) will likely fall under legal jeopardy for unsafe storage of a firearm in a home with children present. Opinion California has strict rules regarding safeguarding guns from youths. If the gun used in the shooting of Caleb Quick came from the home of the 16-year-old boy, believed to be the shooter, or the 16-year-old girl, considered the driver of the getaway car, District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp will have to choose whether to bring charges against the parents. In this case, she would be right to do so. On the evening of April 23, Quick and two friends entered McDonald's and then talked among themselves for about 13 minutes. Watching them was a suspect dressed in a black hoodie sweatshirt, who police believe was the shooter. When Quick and his friends left the restaurant, so did the suspect, police have said. 'Moments later, the suspect shot Quick in the side of the head at least one time shortly before 9 p.m., then fled westbound on Nees in a getaway vehicle, described as a newer white Tesla,' reported Bee staff writer Anthony Galaviz. On May 6 Clovis police served a search warrant at a home in north Fresno and found a white Tesla believed to be the getaway vehicle. Police Chief Curt Fleming said the car was impounded, and a 'gun was also recovered from the alleged shooter's home,' Galaviz reported. To be clear, no details about the weapon have been given yet by police. It may not belong to parents of either suspect. But if it does, prosecutors would seem to have good grounds to bring first-degree criminal charges for unsafe storage of a weapon. California Penal Code Section 25100(a) defines criminal storage of a firearm in the first degree as occurring when a person keeps any firearm on a premises they control and a child (or prohibited person, like an ex-felon) gains access, resulting in injury or death. If someone is found guilty of first-degree criminal storage, that person can be sent to state prison for up to three years. A Fresno man was arrested on suspicion of such a crime last December after a toddler got hold of his loaded firearm and fired it, killing the child's mother by accident. Jessinya Mina, 22, was killed in an apartment at Fresno Street and San Jose Avenue. She lived there with 18-year-old Andrew Isaac Sanchez. He kept the 9mm loaded handgun in the bedroom the couple shared, where children could find it. 'While handling the firearm, the toddler was able to pull the trigger, resulting in Mina being struck,' police said. The leading examples of parental negligence in a teen shooting were James and Jennifer Crumbley of Michigan. Their son Ethan, then 15, used a gun to kill four students and injure others at Oxford High School in November 2021. Their son took the weapon from an unlocked container at home. The parents were later convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sent to prison. The Crumbleys' convictions marked the first time such charges had been brought against parents of a school shooter, CNN noted. Quick was a student in Clovis Online School, and the suspects were also students in the Clovis Unified School District. Clovis Unified superintendent Corrine Folmer sent an email to district parents on Saturday saying 'that those arrested are also students in our district is a tragedy now doubled.' Galaviz reported Fleming said Quick, who previously attended Buchanan High, and the two suspects knew one another. Fleming is confident the two suspects were at the location when the crime occurred. The Clovis-Fresno community waits to learn more from police about the weapon used in Quick's killing. If it ends up coming from one of the suspects' homes, the parents or guardians of that person must be charged, if for no other reason than to send the message that such negligence is wrong and will not be tolerated.
