The shooting was reported about 11:20 p.m. in the 700 block of South McDonnell Avenue, near Whittier Boulevard, said Deputy Aura Sierra of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The teen, identified by coroner officials as Jessy Acosta, got into a fight at the party with a man between 17 and 21 years old, authorities said.

The man pulled out a handgun during the fight and shot Acosta in the upper torso, then fled, Sierra said. Paramedics pronounced Acosta dead at the scene, coroner officials said.

Sheriff's investigators were interviewing some partygoers hoping to obtain information about the gunman. About 75 people were at the party. .

Anyone with information about the shooting can call the Sheriff's Department's homicide squad at (323) 890-5500. Callers can remain anonymous.

-- Ruben Vives

The two canceled a similar appearance in New York City this week.

"We canceled the event because of a violation of contract and a promoter who insisted on billing it as something it wasn't," said Matt McKenna, a spokesman for Clinton. David Sherzer, a spokesman for Bush, also confirmed the event was off.

McKenna said the forum was never intended to be a clash between the 42nd and 43rd presidents -- "the hottest ticket in political history," a news released called it -- but rather a moderated panel discussion.

"It's unfortunate that an overeager promoter ruined the opportunity to hear a serious discussion of the issues between two former presidents who have a great deal of respect for each other," McKenna said.

Officials of the promotion company, hired by New York's Madison Square Garden, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Democrat Clinton, who beat Bush's father in 1992 to win the presidency, and Republican Bush, who succeeded Clinton after defeating his vice president, Al Gore, in 2000, appeared together at an hourlong forum in Toronto in May.

The two were set to appear Feb. 22 at University City's Gibson Amphitheatre as part of the American Jewish University's public lecture series. The appearance was announced in August, with tickets set to go on sale this week. Prices ranged from $75 to $125.

A second appearance was scheduled for Feb. 25 at Radio City Music Hall in New York, with tickets ranging from $60 to $160.

McKenna would not discuss the fee passed up by the two former presidents, but they reportedly received $150,000 apiece for their Toronto appearance. McKenna said money was not a consideration in their decision in to cancel the events.

-- Mark Z. Barabak

The shooting was reported about 8:30 p.m. at an apartment complex in the 2400 block of Daly Street. Police officers of LAPD's Hollenbeck Division found a teenage girl dead from a gunshot wound to the back of the head, said LAPD Officer Gregory Baek. She was identified by the LAPD as Maria Valderrama, 16.

A short time later, as police searched for the gunman, the 20-year-old man, identified by police as Juan Carlos Mendez, was found in a nearby alley with a gunshot wound to the chest area, Baek said.

"At some point, either at the scene or in the ambulance, he admitted to shooting the girl," Baek said.

Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police said Mendez and Valderrama had been dating for two years and were involved in a dispute at the apartment when Mendez allegedly shot her. He then fled and shot himself nearby, Baek said.

-- Ruben Vives

Los Angeles police said the Black Hawk helicopters will be part of a flight training mission taking place after 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday in central and west Valley areas.

"We wanted to let people know so nobody gets spooked and freaked out about it," said Officer Steve Scallon.

In April, an unannounced low-altitude flyover of New York City and northern New Jersey by a backup of Air Force One and two fighter jets sent ripples of panic through the area and led to buildings being evacuated. The White House later apologized for the incident -- a staged photo opportunity of the presidential aircraft over Manhattan.

-- Mike Anton

Authorities say Carlos Mares of Los Angeles was arrested Friday. He allegedly groped six women between August and October, police said.

The attacks occurred between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. after the suspect, driving a late-1990s white compact car, pulled up next to lone female drivers, claimed sparks were coming from their vehicles and offered to check their tires and brakes, police said.

Los Angeles police detectives believe there may be more victims and ask that they contact them at (213) 473-0447.

-- Mike Anton

An L.A. County prosecutor said his office decided to charge two teens accused of killing a Long Beach honors student as adults because of the "seriousness of the crime."

Deputy Dist. Atty. Dean Bengston told reporters outside a Long Beach court that the district attorney's office charges juveniles as adults only in "rare instances" but that they warranted in this case because of the nature of the shooting and because authorities believe it was gang-related.

"You have to look at the seriousness of the crime," he said.

Tom Love Vinson and Daivion Davis, identified by authorities as 16-year-old gang members, were each charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder, according to the district attorney's office.

Vinson and Daivion allegedly opened fire a week ago outside the school, striking and killing Melody Ross, a popular 16-year-old who police said was a bystander.

Two men -- an 18-year-old and a 20-year-old -- were wounded in the shooting, which occurred about 10 p.m. as crowds of students gathered near Ximeno Avenue and 10th Street for a dance. Police believe that the men may have been the intended targets and that the shooting was the result of a gang feud.

Ross was wearing a superhero costume to Wilson's homecoming game against Polytechnic High School. A number of students at the game were decked out in costumes on the day before Halloween.

On Friday night, students and the Wilson High School football team honored Ross. There was beefed-up security on campus.

The suspects are being held on $3-million bail and face life in prison if convicted. They will be arraigned today in Long Beach.

-- Shelby Grad

Photo: Tom Love Vinson and Daivion Davis. KTLA

Capt. John Gaffaney arrived at the base a day before the shooting en route to deployment in Iraq. Here's some background on Gaffaney compiled by the Associated Press:

Gaffaney, who was born in Williston, N.D., had served in the Navy and later the California National Guard as a younger man, his family said. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he tried to sign up again for military service. Although the Army Reserves at first declined, he got the call about two years ago asking him to rejoin, said his close friend and co-worker Stephanie Powell.

"He wanted to help the boys in Iraq and Afghanistan deal with the trauma of what they were seeing," Powell said. "He was an honorable man. He just wanted to serve in any way he can."

His family described him as an avid baseball card collector and fan of the San Diego Padres who liked to read military novels and ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Gaffaney supervised a team of six social workers, including Powell, at the county's Adult Protective Services department. Ellen Schmeding, assistant deputy director for the county's Health and Human Services Agency, said Gaffaney was a strong leader.

He is survived by a wife and a son.

“I could see the bigger picture in this,” King said. “I could see me and him going around, educating people on that night, and then just sit around and chop it up. Me and him could turn it into a very educational moment.”

Here's the full AP story:

“She’s receiving sufficiently less....When Michael passed away, the money stopped,” he said.
 

In the filing, the lawyer charged that it was “improper” for the temporary administrators of the estate not to have sought an allowance for Jackson’s father in summer when they secured court approval of Katherine Jackson’s allowance.

A lawyer for estate administrators John Branca and John McClain said they were aware of Joe Jackson’s petition for money.

"It was quite surprising to learn of the request.  Mr. Jackson's petition will be considered as are all requests for money from Michael's estate," lawyer Howard Weitzman said in a statement.

The singer, who died in June, was close to his mother, but had a rocky relationship with his father, whom he accused of hitting him and his brothers when they were children. Michael Jackson named his mother guardian of his three children and a beneficiary of a family trust set up by his will, but left nothing to his father, who resides in a Las Vegas rental property far from the family’s Encino compound.
 
The filing does not specify the amount Joe Jackson seeks, but a monthly budget included in the court papers lists more than $15,000 in expenses, including $1,500 for rent, $2,500 for eating out and $5,000 for hotels and air travel.

A judge denied Joe Jackson’s request for an immediate hearing on the matter.


-- Harriet Ryan

The search warrant said the crew would surf the Internet to find where the celebrities lived, then watched the location and worked out ways to break into the home.

In many of the cases, the doors were simply left open. In the case of Hilton and actress Rachel Bilson, the crew broke in numerous times, according to the search warrant affidavit filed at a Las Vegas court.

An informant initially tipped Los Angeles Police Department detectives that Nicholas Frank Prugo and Rachel Lee were responsible for a burglary at Lindsay Lohan's Hollywood Hills home early this year, the search warrant said.

Prugo was arrested in connection with burglaries at the homes of Lohan and Audrina Patridge. At first, Prugo did not cooperate with authorities, the warrant said. But on Oct. 6, Prugo, along with his attorney Sean Erenstoft, met with LAPD detectives to "return some stolen items and report information."

Prugo provided a full confession and implicated several other suspects: Rachel Lee, Diana Tamayo, Alexis Neiers, Courtney Ames, Jonathan Ajar and a man he knows as Roy," according to an affidavit by Det. Craig Dunn of the Las Vegas Police Department. The Las Vegas police were involved because Lee lived in the city. 

Roy Lopez and those named were subsequently arrested and charged in connection with at least one of the 10 burglaries that stretched from December to September. Lee has been arrested but not charged by prosecutors.

"Prugo admitted to committing all the burglaries and that Rachel Lee was with him during the residential burglaries of Audrina Patridge, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson and the Hilton family,” the affidavit said.

Prugo told detectives that they gained entry into the homes through unlocked doors, with the exception of the Lohan and Hilton residences. Prugo told detectives the group used such websites as TMZ.com and celebrityaddressaerial.com to learn the location of stars’ homes and figure out their travel itinerary, according to the affidavit.

Once a target was chosen, they then visited the location and searched for a mode of entry, Prugo told detectives, according to the search warrant. Prugo stated that they entered the Hilton home approximately three times prior to the December 2008 burglary.

According to the court document, they removed cash, narcotics and thousands of dollars worth of jewelry.

At Bloom's home, the crew allegedly stole several expensive watches and artwork, the records said. They also allegedly broke into Bilson's home three times and, on one occasion, took the television, the search warrant said. Prugo told investigators that he removed as much as $300,000 worth of Chanel clothing from Bilson's residence.

--Richard Winton and Andrew Blankstein

Views on same-sex marriage were sharply polarized based on political party, with 66% of Democrats thinking it should be legal and 71% of Republicans in opposition. Nonpartisan voters were less enthusiastic than Democrats but still backed it, 59%-34%.

Overall, 51% of California voters favored marriage rights for same-sex couples and 43% were opposed. Strikingly, however, almost 60% of Californians did not want to revisit the issue in 2010, just one election cycle after it last hit the ballot. 

In November of 2008, Californians voted 52% to 48% to limit marriage rights to one man and one woman. Same-sex marriage advocates have been split over whether to push for a new vote next year or wait until 2012, when the presidential contest will draw more voters to the polls than would be expected to cast ballots in next year's midterm elections.

Supporters of gay marriage are also strategizing in other states but on Tuesday received a stinging rebuke when voters in Maine repealed a state measure that had granted marriage rights to same-sex couples.

The California findings come from a new Los Angeles Times/University of Southern California College of Letters, Arts & Sciences poll. The survey, which interviewed 1,500 registered voters from Oct. 27 through Nov. 3, was conducted for the Times and USC by two nationally prominent polling firms, the Democratic firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, and the Republican firm Public Opinion Strategies. The results have a margin of error of +/-2.6 percentage points. Full results of the poll, including the status of the campaigns for governor and the U.S. Senate, will be published Sunday in the Times and on latimes.com.

The survey showed that same-sex marriage continues to reverberate differently along race and generational lines. Just over half of whites backed it, while just under half of African Americans and Latinos did.

All three groups, however, opposed having to vote on it in 2010. (Asians were questioned by the poll and included in the overall sample, but their numbers were statistically too small to isolate.) Young voters continued to be far more supportive of gay marriage rights than their elders.

Among those ages 18-29, 71% said they supported same-sex marriage; among those 65 and older, only 37% favored it. Younger voters were also one of the few groups who backed putting it on the 2010 ballot, which will be dominated by the races for governor and U.S. Senate.

The difference in views by age likely explains, in part, the changing results in California on same-sex marriage. In 2000, voters outlawed it by a margin of 61%-39%; by last November’s ballot, opposition had slipped significantly. Election results differ from poll results, of course, because not everyone polled will cast ballots.

-- Cathleen Decker

The vote was also a repudiation of the state Legislature, which earlier this year voted to bar local governments from banning the procedure beginning Jan. 1.

"I don't think we should allow people at the state level to dictate to us our local actions," said Councilman Paul Koretz, who sponsored the ordinance.

The council is scheduled to take a final vote on the ordinance Nov. 17.

-- Maeve Reston at L.A. City Hall

The findings come from a new Los Angeles Times/University of Southern California College of Letters, Arts & Sciences Poll. The survey, which interviewed 1,500 registered voters from Oct. 27 through Nov. 3, was conducted for the Times and USC by two nationally prominent polling firms, the Democratic firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner and the Republican firm Public Opinion Strategies. The results have a margin of error of +/-2.6 percentage points.

Only 5% of those polled said they already had been inoculated. Of the rest, 52% said they did not plan to get vaccinated. Of the 40% who said they wanted the vaccine, 12% said they already had attempted to find it but failed.

Of those polled, 70% said they think the H1N1 vaccine is safe for most people, while only 17% said there was a strong chance the vaccine is unsafe.

Yet blacks and Latinos in California were more likely to doubt the safety of the vaccine, according to the Times poll: 34% of blacks and 25% of Latinos consider the vaccine unsafe, compared with 14% of whites and 16% of Asians.

Blacks were the least likely to get vaccinated: 65% said they had no plans to get inoculated, compared with 52% of whites, half of Latinos and 41% of Asians. “People are very skeptical,” said Desiree Harris, 45, of Pasadena, an African American polled by The Times.

A Pentecostal minister, Harris said she has not been vaccinated, but considers the vaccine safe, knows some people who have received it and has encouraged others at her church to get inoculated.

Harris, a conservative Democrat who voted for President Obama, said many Americans distrust federal authorities and must be reassured that they need the vaccine for their own safety.

“This current administration, they are having to rebuild our faith in the government,” Harris said. The Times/USC poll also found that 59% of people ages 18 to 29, among the most at-risk of any age group, said they had no plans to get the vaccine. People in their late teens through mid-20s are considered one of the five priority risk groups.

Cody Bannerman, 24, of San Francisco, was among those who said he does not intend to get the vaccine. Bannerman, an unemployed financial analyst, said he considers the vaccine safe but getting vaccinated would be inconvenient.

Overall, many polled may not feel compelled to get vaccinated because they do not know anyone recently stricken with the flu. Nearly 90% said neither they nor a member of their immediate family had contracted H1N1 flu during the past four weeks, while 10% said they did. Others may be wary of long lines at public vaccination clinics and waiting lists for private healthcare providers due to national vaccine shortages.

-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske

The judgment caps a three-year investigation into allegations that the company violated state rules in the underground storage of fuel at its gas stations.

"Shell Oil Co. disregarded the state's underground fuel storage and hazardous waste laws, committing hundreds of environmental violations at its gasoline stations across California," Atty Gen. Jerry Brown said in a statement today. "This judgment requires the company to pay $19.5 million in penalties, comply with state law and improve its spill monitoring, employee training and hazardous waste management."

According to Brown's statement, his office and the California State Water Resources Control Board found numerous violations during an investigation that included inspections of 1,000 gas stations around the state.

-- Shelby Grad

Pasadena has a literal fork in the road.

Where South St. John and Pasadena Avenues divide, there’s an 18-foot wooden fork in the median.

The art was originally intended as a birthday joke for Bob Stane, who celebrated his 75th birthday Oct. 29, but the city and Caltrans, which owns the median, are in talks to keep it temporarily.

“He was hysterical. He loved it,” said Staten's wife, Beverly, of Altadena.

Stane first playfully suggested that the location might be appropriate for a fork monument about 10 years ago in conversation with a friend, Ken Marshall, Beverly said. Marshall had the idea brewing ever since.

“Bob had no idea it was coming,” she said.

The art, which has been on display since Oct. 31, may become a temporary guerrilla art installation, said Ann Erdman, the spokeswoman for the city. 

Though there are many “ifs” associated with the project, there’s been a lot of enthusiasm in the community for the art, she said.

Before the fork can stay in the road, there must be a safety inspection to ensure that the fork is properly engineered. Marshall, who carved and built the fork, would have to pay the costs of the inspection, so taxpayers don’t have to underwrite the cost.

Once the temporary extension has run out, Marshall could go through a process with Caltrans art staff and the Pasadena Arts Commission to keep the fork in place.

[Clarification: An early version of this post reported that the fork was 12-feet-tall]

-- Nicole Santa Cruz

Photos: Wakitu via Flickr

Tom Love Vinson and Daivion Davis, identified by authorities as gang members, were each charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. 

Vinson and Daivion allegedly opened fire a week ago outside the school, striking and killing Melody Ross, a popular 16-year-old whom police said was an innocent bystander.

Two men -- an 18-year-old and a 20-year-old -- were wounded in the shooting, which occurred about 10 p.m. as crowds of students gathered near Ximeno Avenue and 10th Street for a dance. Police believe the men may have been the intended targets and that the shooting was the result of a gang feud.

At first, detectives struggled to find witnesses even though hundreds of students were in the immediate area when the shooting occurred. Police said more students came forward Monday, some at the urging of school officials.

Ross was wearing a superhero costume to Wilson's homecoming game against Polytechnic High School. A number of students at the game were decked out in costumes on the day before Halloween.

The suspects are being held on $3 million bail and face life in prison if convicted. They will be arraigned later today in Long Beach.

-- Shelby Grad

Investigators also seized two computers, marijuana, a Korean passport and more than $20,000 in cash. Authorities arrested Rachel Lee, 19, during the Oct. 22 search, but Lee has not been charged with any of the burglaries.

Law enforcement sources say the items retrieved from the four-bedroom home belong to Hilton, Patridge and Lohan.

Six other people, predominately young women who formerly attended an Agoura Hills High School, have been charged in connection with the burglary spree that netted more than $3 million in designer clothing, accessories and jewelry between last December and October.

The items police were searching for reveals the array of loot the bling ring stole during its burglaries. The items include "hats, purses, designer bags and/or luggage, watches silver and/or gold jewelry, sunglasses, coats, clothing, scarves, personal computers, laptop computers, gloves, photos, cameras, rugs, paintings and Hilton family heirlooms."

Investigators were also searching maps, photos and other information related to the celebrities' home addresses and any electronic communications "boasting about the burglaries," according to the warrant.

The warrant was one of six served by the police. More than $2 million in merchandise has been recovered by LAPD Hollywood Division detectives who have tied the bling ring to 10 burglaries.

Much of it was turned over after the arrests last month and searches of the homes of Jonathan Ajar, Diana Tamayo, Courtney Ames, Alexis Neiers and Roy Lopez Jr. They were charged last week with residential burglary and other felonies in connection with the burglaries.

Detectives also last week seized a home computer, several rings, a necklace and a black leather Marc Jacobs purse at the Thousand Oaks home of Neiers, an 18-year-old aspiring model whose family was the subject of a reality television show for the E! network.

Other alleged members of the ring include Nicholas Frank Prugo, 18, who has already has been charged in connection with eight burglaries. His attorney has said he played "a limited role" in the alleged crimes.

--Richard Winton and Andrew Blankstein

The shooting occurred near the 1700 block of Orkney Street in the unincorporated section of Azusa – a city of about 45,000 east of L.A. in the San Gabriel Valley – after San Dimas station deputies pursued a stolen vehicle about 8:30 p.m., according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The suspect crashed the car and fled to the backyard of a house on Orkney, according to the statement. A police dog then went after the suspect.

When deputies got the suspect to the ground, he grabbed one of the deputies' guns and fired several rounds, according to the statement.

No deputies were injured.

The suspect was shot several times by another deputy and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Good morning from the City Desk, where we're waiting patiently for the arrival of the doughnuts. Some nutritional California stories from today's paper to help you round out your day:

Children's deaths: A new California law was meant to expose children's deaths to public scrutiny – but even with it, much remains unanswered, a Times review finds.

Mysterious stink: What's behind that awful smell in Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita? Some say it's like rotten eggs, others like rancid meat or maybe decaying swamp sludge.

Protecting perks: State lawmakers quietly work to block a steep cut in their salaries and perks.

Sayonara septics: Hundreds attended the meeting, which lasted nearly 10 hours. Then came the vote to ban septic systems in Malibu.

Vanished VW: A bus reported stolen 35 years ago showed up again this week at the Port of Los Angeles.

Silent plea: They arrived as clerical temps at a Koreatown rehab center for the deaf. But when money dried up, they stayed on as volunteers fighting for the center's future.

The L.A. City Council is expected to vote today on a ban on declawing cats. The governor is going to sign the water agreement. We'll bring you those stories and others as soon as we get them.

Got news for us? Drop me a line at nita.lelyveld@latimes.com.

-- Nita Lelyveld

Leave us your comments here or follow @latimescitydesk on Twitter.

The incident occurred at about 11:30 p.m. in the 8500 block of Cedros Avenue near Parthenia Street, LAPD spokesman Richard French said.

Officers were in the area investigating a vehicle theft when they heard gunfire and saw that their vehicle had been struck, he said. No officers were injured.

A suspect was taken into custody at about 4:15 this morning, and police remain at the scene.

The collision between a Coast Guard C-130 Hercules transport plane and a Marine Corps AH-1 Super Cobra helicopter occurred about 7:10 p.m. last Thursday, 20 miles east of San Clemente Island. A nearby pilot reported a fireball in the sky.

The Coast Guard plane from Sacramento, with seven crew members, was searching for a 12-foot skiff reported adrift near the island, which is owned by the Navy and used for training. The Super Cobra, with two pilots, was among four Marine helicopters from the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station-based 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing on a night training mission.

An extensive search off the coast of the island found debris but no survivors.

-- Shelby Grad

The suspect is wanted for at least four sexual assaults dating to February 2008 involving girls ages 8 to 10, authorities said.

In each of those cases, the suspect approached the girls at about 7 a.m. and engaged them in conversation before “enticing them into apartment buildings and sexually assaulting them,” according to an LAPD release.

Police say the most recent assault occurred Wednesday at 7:20 a.m. when a 10-year-old girl walking to school near Beverly Boulevard and Commonwealth Avenue was approached by a man who lured her into an apartment complex in the 100 block of South Commonwealth Avenue. There, he took her to a roof where he allegedly attempted to sexually assault her.

“The girl begged the suspect to stop his advances and repeatedly pushed him away,” police said in the release. “It is believed that the victim’s persistent actions caused the suspect to stop and leave the location.”

He was seen on the apartment complex's video surveillance system, which shows the suspect walking with the victim and then later running northbound on Commonwealth Avenue.