"West Hollywood is not safe anymore," the "Pretty Little Liars" actor said in the video as he walked along in the Laurel Supply lot, asking someone, "Will you call the police?"

He said the men were wearing masks and took his watch. "These two dudes hit me in the head and pointed a gun at me with a knife, and then took off," Allen said in the video, which also played surveillance footage of the violent incident.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said that around 9:05 p.m., deputies responded to the 8400 block of Santa Monica Boulevard in response to a robbery call.

The incident report mirrored what Allen said in the video, that two men dressed in black clothing approached the victim, demanding his watch and bracelet at gun and knifepoint.

"The suspects obtained the victim's watch and fled the scene in an unknown vehicle.  The victim sustained a laceration to his forehead," LASD wrote in a statement.

Allen was medically evaluated by the Los Angeles County Fire Department at the scene but was not transported to the hospital.

The City of West Hollywood said on Friday that there will be additional patrols by Sheriff's deputies and the city's security ambassadors. 

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact West Hollywood Station detectives at (310) 855-8850.

The City of West Hollywood issued the following statement: 

"West Hollywood is a compassionate and engaged community, and news of this violent robbery is deeply upsetting and unsettling. The City wants community members to know that community concerns are heard and taken seriously, and that public safety remains the City's top priority. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is actively investigating this incident, and additional patrols will be conducted by Sheriff's deputies and the City's security ambassadors."

Just before midnight, another highly paid consultant expensed a Lyft ride from the same house back to his Sacramento hotel.

The first was Denver attorney Brent Butzin, who CBS California has independently confirmed is the legal-services consultant referenced in the High-Speed Rail inspector general's recent investigation. The second was Thierry Prate, a managing director at KPMG, the financial adviser examined in the same report.

Both submitted the rides as expenses associated with California's multibillion-dollar high-speed rail project.

And it wasn't the only late-night ride from the High-Speed Rail CEO's home.

Why were taxpayers billed for late-night rides from the CEO's home?

After California's independent High-Speed Rail inspector general found widespread failures in consultant travel oversight, whistleblowers provided CBS California Investigates with some of the underlying expense records.

We reviewed nearly 6,000 pages of invoices and expense claims that KPMG and the law firm Nossaman submitted to the authority for work from September 2024 through January 2026.

Among the receipts from two consultants, Prate and Butzin, we found a dozen rides to or from the small residential street in Folsom where High-Speed Rail CEO Ian Choudri owns a home. 

Another dozen rides went to or from nearby Folsom restaurants and bars. 

Many rides involved late-night or early-morning pickups, including two after 1 a.m. 

The receipts don't establish who attended the gatherings, what business took place, or whether Choudri was present. His wife also works for KPMG. 

But the receipts reveal previously undisclosed connections between consultants' travel expenses and the CEO's private residence.

And they raise questions about who authorized those rides.

What state business justified trips to and from the CEO's private residence and nearby restaurants, sometimes after midnight?

And what influence do these highly paid consultants have over the decisions driving the project's costs and schedule?

The questions come as California's high-speed rail project continues to spend billions, nearly two decades after voters approved a bullet train connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The state has spent billions, but still hasn't laid a mile of high-speed rail track. It lost $4 billion in federal funding after missing key deadlines, and its independent watchdog warns it could run out of money by the end of 2027.

Meanwhile, the authority paid just four consulting contractors more than a quarter of a billion dollars over two fiscal years.

Sources inside the High-Speed Rail Authority say the inspector general's findings point to something much bigger than questionable travel expenses.

Who holds influence over this multibillion-dollar public project? Who makes the decisions? And who's accountable when those decisions cost taxpayers money?

'Related to work with Ian'

One internal email provides a partial explanation for one of the visits.

When the High-Speed Rail Authority questioned KPMG, the firm described one of Prate's rides to the CEO's residence as "related to work with Ian."

On that evening, Prate's Lyft arrived at the Folsom home shortly after 7:30 p.m. His next documented ride departed the same address after 1 a.m.

A late-night business meeting isn't necessarily inappropriate. Neither is visiting an executive's home.

But the records don't explain what specific work required repeated rides to the CEO's residence, who was there or how the authority determined the transportation was an appropriate business expense.

Those details matter because California's travel rules require more than a receipt. They require a legitimate business purpose.

And the inspector general found that the High-Speed Rail Authority repeatedly failed to document whether consultant travel met that standard.

A pizza delivery. Another late-night ride.

The receipts also document a food delivery to the same residence.

One January evening, shortly after 9:30 p.m., an Uber Eats driver delivered a $94.39 order from a Folsom pizza restaurant to Choudri's home.

The High-Speed Rail Authority disputed the food delivery, and records show the consultant accepted the dispute. Taxpayers ultimately didn't pay for the pizza.

The receipts also don't identify who ate the food or who was at the house.

But they reinforce the central question about the travel expenses.

What state business justifies repeatedly charging the project for transportation to and from the CEO's private home?

The paperwork says Sacramento. The receipts show Folsom.

The CEO's home wasn't the only Folsom destination.

Other travel records show consultants taking rides between their Sacramento hotels and restaurants and bars near the CEO's home, roughly 30 minutes away. 

All of the destinations were in the same shopping center as the Land Ocean Steak House that the CEO frequents, according to multiple sources.

Some rides back to Sacramento began after midnight.

Butzin's expense paperwork reveals another apparent discrepancy.

Five travel forms described the purpose of his trips as "Meetings at CHSRA in Sacramento."

But attached receipts document travel to restaurants and other locations in Folsom.

The forms didn't identify those destinations. Their business-entertainment sections were blank.

None of that establishes that the restaurant visits were personal, or that every expense required a separate entertainment disclosure.

But the paperwork doesn't explain why the consultants repeatedly traveled to Folsom while billing expenses associated with meetings in Sacramento.

The discrepancies also raise questions about what the High-Speed Rail Authority reviewed before approving the payment.

If the travel forms didn't identify where the consultants actually went, how did the state determine whether the expenses were legitimate?

"Learning the hard way"

The inspector general's report revealed how requests from the CEO's office influenced travel approvals.

When a contract manager reminded a Denver-based legal consultant that he needed to explain his trips and obtain advance written approval, the consultant pushed back.

We now know the consultant was Butzin,

According to the email excerpt in the inspector general's report, Butzin argued that justifying travel wasn't his responsibility when the CEO requested his presence.

Then came a perceived warning.

Butzin added that questioning the CEO's direction was inappropriate, "as other consultants in other Authority offices are learning the hard way."

The contract manager told investigators she was directed, primarily by the acting chief counsel, to approve travel expenses because the CEO had requested the trips.

The inspector general concluded that the CEO didn't have authority to override the state contract's travel requirements.

The report documents pressure surrounding travel approvals. It doesn't establish that anyone was fired or explicitly threatened with termination.

But sources inside the High-Speed Rail Authority say the concerns extend beyond consultant travel.

They describe a workplace where some consultants are perceived as having unusual influence because of their relationships with leadership, raising questions about whether employees feel empowered to challenge spending and other decisions.

The watchdog's findings provide documented examples of the tension between executive requests and the employees responsible for enforcing contract rules.

Expensive travel. Little advance scrutiny.

The inspector general's findings are especially significant when compared with Butzin's travel records. 

The High-Speed Rail Authority also paid the Denver-based consultant approximately $86,500 in hourly travel pay, totaling over a quarter of a million dollars when combined with reimbursed expenses.  

Separate receipts CBS California obtained document expensive flights and hotel stays, including one airfare of nearly $937 for a flight from Denver to Sacramento and one hotel night costing $587.

The expense records include airline tickets purchased shortly before departure. The inspector general found that Butzin frequently booked flights on the day of travel, creating a risk of higher costs.

Last-minute flights aren't necessarily wasteful. Executives sometimes schedule meetings with little notice, requiring consultants to travel on short notice.

But last-minute bookings can also cost significantly more.

The watchdog's findings raise a straightforward question.

If the authority didn't document why the travel was necessary or approve it in advance, how could it ensure taxpayers weren't paying more than they needed to?

Other emails show how quickly some executive-related requests were approved.

In one exchange, Prate told the authority that Choudri had requested that he accompany him on a trip beginning the following day.

The request went to High-Speed Rail's chief financial officer.

Approval came five minutes later.

That doesn't establish that the travel was unnecessary.

But it shows how directly a request invoking the CEO could influence the approval process.

A quarter of a billion dollars in consultant payments. Who's watching?

The High-Speed Rail Authority's presentation for its October 9 board meeting, which outlines its response to the inspector general's investigation, further highlights the scale of consultant spending.

Over just two fiscal years, the Authority paid four consulting contractors more than a quarter of a billion dollars.

Only about $2 million was for travel.

The inspector general reviewed roughly half of that and found more than half was unallowable under state rules or contract terms.

In its prepared response presentation, the High Speed Rail Authority emphasized how little it spent on travel compared with the total it is paying to the consultants, which, according to whistleblowers, points to a much bigger question:

If the authority couldn't enforce basic travel-spending rules, who is overseeing the rest of the quarter-billion dollars it pays these consultants?

In an email, the High-Speed Rail Authority said it is tightening travel oversight, updating reimbursement rules and requiring new training for consultants and contract managers before approving additional travel expenses.

"Only travel that is pre-approved, within contract scope and consistent with state regulations will be eligible for reimbursement," the Authority said.

In a response to CBS California Investigates, KPMG said it is reviewing the travel expenses and will reimburse the Authority as appropriate.

"KPMG takes seriously its obligations regarding the accurate submission of expenses and KPMG professionals are expected to be responsible stewards of client and firm resources," said Russ Grote, Managing Director of Corporate Affairs. 

CBS California Investigates also sent detailed questions to High-Speed Rail CEO Ian Choudri, Denver attorney Brent Butzin and KPMG managing director Thierry Prate.

None of the three responded to requests for comment.

What are taxpayers getting for the money?

Since Ian Choudri became CEO in 2024, California's high-speed rail project has fallen further behind, even as the authority pays four major consulting contractors more than a quarter of a billion dollars over two fiscal years.

And that money isn't for laying track.

These are consultants. They're paid to provide legal advice, financial guidance, program management and engineering design. Their work helps shape the decisions about what gets built, how it gets built and what taxpayers will pay.

California created its High-Speed Rail Authority 30 years ago, in 1996. Nearly two decades have passed since voters approved billions in funding for a bullet train connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Yet the state still hasn't laid a mile of high-speed rail track.

Meanwhile, a CBS California investigation found the High-Speed Rail Authority, under Choudri, repeatedly missed its own deadlines to purchase trains. Federal officials cited those failures when they withdrew $4 billion in funding.

As of October, no high-speed rail track had been laid, and the project's independent inspector general warns California could run out of money as soon as December 2027 unless it secures additional financing.

The authority says it is revising designs and changing the project's scope to reduce costs. The inspector general said much of the projected cost reduction reflected plans to build less, like reducing the plans from two tracks to one. 

But in a separate review of the authority's 2026 business plan, the inspector general found that the project's schedule slipped nine months in less than a year.

Whistleblowers inside the authority question whether the promised savings account for the costs of further delays and additional consultant work.

That brings us back to the late-night rides from the CEO's home.

The receipts don't show who was present or what decisions, if any, were made or what discussions were had at the residence and nearby restaurants. 

But whistleblowers warn of increasingly costly delays while California pays consultants a quarter of a billion dollars to help shape decisions, sometimes leading to more delays. They believe taxpayers deserve answers.  

Who proposed the design changes? Who approved them? How much are consultants charging to revise the work? And do the projected savings outweigh the costs of delay?

The receipts reveal where the consultants went. The bigger question, say whistleblowers, is what taxpayers are getting in return.

The High-Speed Rail Authority's board meets Friday to review the inspector general's findings and the agency's response.

The meeting could provide answers to some of those questions, including what the authority is doing to hold consultants accountable and prevent further wasteful spending.

To be continued… 

Why is California paying high-speed rail consultants to fly to Sacramento when they promised they would be based in Sacramento?

In part two of our series, The Receipts, CBS California Investigates the money behind a $131 million engineering contract.

The firm promised its key personnel would relocate to Sacramento. But newly obtained receipts reveal three of the six are traveling in from out of state on the taxpayers' dime, while one senior consultant's billing rate increased nearly 23%. 

The watchdog questioned more than $76,000 in travel expenses. Our investigation reveals the receipts.

The California Highway Patrol reported it had closed both directions at Smokey Bear, as well as the westbound 138 Freeway leading to the 5 Freeway. 

Cal Fire said the flames spread to 150 acres by 5:50 p.m., but firefighters had contained 13% of it.

Firefighters also issued evacuation orders and warnings for several areas. 

By Friday morning, both sides of the 5 Freeway had opened with containment rising to 29%, according to the Angeles National Forest.

The Department of Homeland Security estimates cargo theft costs the U.S. between $15 billion to $35 billion a year. In 2025, the FBI says, reported cargo theft losses in the U.S. and Canada reached nearly $725 million, up 60 percent from 2024.

Now, law enforcement agencies are stepping up efforts to curb the criminal enterprise that can ultimately cost consumers. When manufacturers lose large loads of goods to theft, they often raise prices, forcing consumers to pay more on the back end.

In a first-of-its-kind national blitz shown exclusively to CBS News, federal agents, railroad police and law enforcement in more than two dozen states hit the tracks and highways on the same night, using infrared drone cameras to track down thieves targeting cargo trains.

"It's like a third eye in the sky, you know, so it helps us out. It gives us an advantage," Commander Michael Ware, who leads the Cook County Sheriff's Police Organized Retail Crime and Cargo Theft Task Force, told CBS News national consumer correspondent Ash-har Quraishi during a ride-along for an operation in Chicago. Illinois now ranks third in the nation for cargo theft, behind only California and Texas, according to Verisk Cargonet.

A heads up about suspicious activity from law enforcement partners across the country, like the California Highway Patrol and L.A. County, has helped officers prepare.

Infrared drone technology picks up heat signatures along train tracks and in rail yards. A drone operator can see white silhouettes moving on tracks and in cargo cars, and communicates the information to officers on the ground. In one case, Ware showed CBS News video of two men breaking the seals on a cargo container holding $35,000-worth of electronics.

Once cargo thieves are spotted from above, squads quietly move in, sealing off exits without lights or sirens. Even if they try to hide, their body heat can give them away.

"A lot of times we apprehend the guys and they come out like there's no way we have no proof. I wasn't in a container and they see the drone footage like 'you got me.' So it's a game-changer," Ware said.

Ware says thieves are targeting everything from big-screen TVs and game consoles to designer sneakers — and even cereal. And they can move quickly, climbing onto slow-moving trains, breaking the seals on cargo containers and tossing the stolen goods into waiting vans.

"Money. It's lucrative, you know. It's just as lucrative as narcotics," Ware explained as the reasoning for the rise in cargo theft.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart says it's a crime too big to ignore.

"People were being looted and the numbers were staggering and the point that we had driven home to us almost immediately, it was highly organized," he said.

With the holidays coming, Ware says what's stolen off the trains is a preview of where you'll see a price increase.

There are signs that people have been camping in the overgrown brush where CBS LA also found an open can of fuel meant for outdoor power equipment. 

"My fear is of a fire," resident Marnie Trussell said. "In the past month, we've had three fires in San Dimas."

Trussell said she's lived in San Dimas all her life, and she's never seen this area on Arrow Highway so overgrown. Dry branches and foliage are six feet tall in some places. Trussell is worried that someone will get hurt. 

"No one, it doesn't matter if you're housed or unhoused, deserves to be on fire," Trussell said. "It's not OK, and that is my main concern. I care about people, and I care about my community, and that's why I'm doing this."

She's been reaching out to every government agency she can, including senators, council members and police. She says she's been told this is Caltrans property, including the fenced area around the corner where a tree recently caught fire. 

"The disconnect is Caltrans," Trussell said. 

She said she and other neighbors have reported this to Caltrans multiple times over four months with no response. 

"This is important," Trussell said. "I mean, Caltrans, help!"

Caltrans District 7 said they will be looking into this location as they do with any potential fire danger or encampment incidents in their right-of-way. 

"With 1,100 freeway lane miles in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, we maintain, repair and clear a lot of right-of-way," Caltrans wrote. "We appreciate the public helping to identify areas of concern through our Customer Service Request portal."

Trussell said volunteers from the community cleared out some of the trash.

"We shouldn't have to do this," she said. "Last time I checked, we pay for this. It's our taxes."

The wall of water and rocks from the broken pipe shot across the intersection of Kenya Street and Vanalden Avenue. 

"It was scary to know it was happening right behind my house," said Rebecca Russell, who lives right next to the crater-like hole created by the broken water main. 

Videos from neighbors show the water shooting high into the sky as an elementary school ended its day. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power quickly shut off the water and contained the 8-inch break, but not before it sent mud and rocks into the front yard of at least one nearby home. It also left streets saturated with debris and mud. 

"Just to see everything all messed up and broken is crazy," Russell said. 

No one was hurt, but neighbors worry about what would have happened if someone had been walking or even driving in the area when the pipe burst. 

"I'm a little bit worried about what it's going to do to our traffic in the area for the next couple of days," Russell said. "And just how long it might take us to get back up and running."

LADWP is hoping to restore service to the eight affected customers soon.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said crews found heavy flames shooting through the building's roof when they arrived at 1009 N. Main Street just before 7 p.m. 

The fire's intensity forced LAFD to pull firefighters out of the building and shift to a defensive operation, raining heavy streams of water through the collapsed roof. 

Based on preliminary information, firefighters believe the flames began outside of the building before pushing into the interior. 

Firefighters knocked down the flames less than two hours after arriving to the scene. 

"I can finally say these five words: 'Cooldown is on the way'," said CBS LA Meteorologist Amber Lee. 

That cooldown won't arrive in a large way on Wednesday, but instead slowly over the next few days. On Wednesday, temperatures will still remain abnormally high, although fewer records are expected to fall than in days past.

"The cooling will not be enough to eliminate the heat risk, with mostly 90s across the coasts and 98 to 105 in the valleys," a National Weather Service bulletin said.

While Wednesday's cooldown won't be significant, it'll likely be enough to end a streak in downtown Los Angeles. Tuesday was the fifth consecutive day of 100-degree temperatures recorded downtown, the longest such streak since 1963. According to the NWS, downtown LA's high on Wednesday was 98.

Cooling is likely to continue on Thursday by about 2 to 4 degrees, before Friday's more noticeable 4 to 8 degree drop, the NWS said.

Strong surf begins to batter Southern California coast

On Wednesday night, days before Hurricane Rachel was predicted to make landfall, some coastal communities already began feeling the impacts of the powerful surf. 

In Long Beach, aerial footage showed waves crashing into the boardwalk, sending water flying dozens of feet into the air. The city had similarly been slammed by surf in early September, damaging several homes and the boardwalk. It was one of many coastal cities that felt the impact of Hurricanes Marie and Polo, which never made landfall in the U.S., but created extremely strong swells that damaged homes all along Southern California's typically serene coastline. 

Hurricane Rachel forecast to hit Southern California

The weekend will see a more dramatic switch, as temperatures will become seasonally below average by Sunday. Remnants of Hurricane Rachel could bring rain to the region by the start of next week, early forecasts indicate.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Rachel is expected to make landfall at tropical storm strength, meaning coastal communities could see strong winds and flooding, with gusty winds spreading to inland regions in the following days.

"Moisture associated with Rachel will spread over portions of the Southwest United States and northern Baja California peninsula through this weekend," a statement from NOAA said. "This will lead to increasing coverage of rainfall and a threat of flash and urban flooding."

Forecasters predict that parts of Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties could see up to an inch of rainfall on Monday. 

Along with rain, NOAA says that swells generated by the storm could "cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions."

Student fights and threats are still significantly up compared to four years ago, according to LAUSD data. 

In the 2025-2026 school year, there were 6,131 fights, a 21% jump from four years ago, and 4,015 student threats, an 11.5% increase from the 2022-2023 school year. 

Monica Harmon, executive director of Speak Out Against Bullying Inc., says the school district needs to implement stricter measures. 

"There's no consequences. There needs to be consequences," she said after an anti-bullying assembly at an elementary school on Thursday. "So many kids get in trouble, the students report it, and then, you know, they're back in school the next day. They're not suspended. There need to be tougher restrictions."

Ronald Stephens, executive director of the National School Safety Center and professor of education emeritus at Pepperdine, reviewed the LAUSD data. He called the numbers "very concerning."

"I will tell you from a litigation standpoint, the questions the school district will be asked if something serious happens is, 'What did you know, and when did you know it, with respect to the fighting and aggression and illegal substance, and then, when you learned of it, what did you do about it?' So, it will be important for the school district to take some steps in terms of enhancing their supervision, or some other type of training or intervention or partnership," Stephens explained. 

"The school district does indeed have a safe school plan, but clearly, their existing plan, with these other red flags that are emerging, suggests that they will need to do something else to enhance their supervision and support for students at risk."

Stephens added that the data should inform the school district's protocols moving forward.

"With those kinds of numbers jumping over the last few years, it really suggests to go back to the drawing board and talk with students, with parents, with teachers, and get some good advice on what they might suggest, because most of this work in keeping schools safe is not about rocket science," he said. "It's about having a physical presence and a care for students."

Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Eric Eppolito says his agency is making a focused effort to increase school outreach this year to help prevent smaller problems among students in schools from growing into bigger ones. 

"When you talk about bullying, that can lead to a lot of things, from minor to something really serious. You know, as the kids get older, it gets even more problematic. You're dealing with fights and things that escalate from there," Eppolito said. "So, if we can teach someone on the front end to communicate better and to solve their issues through communication, and if that doesn't work, then we can get ahead of the problems."

Over the last five years, police have not had an active presence at LA public schools. 

CBS California Investigates took a closer look at the district's safety data, because parents are furious about school safety in the wake of the death of 17-year-old Xavier Nungaray at Franklin High School last week. 

Harmon says she hopes her bullying prevention assemblies, which end with students taking an anti-bullying pledge, will help prevent more tragedies down the road. 

"Reinforcing the message to the kids not to be witnesses, rather to speak up and say something," Harmon said. "What I'm seeing on social media, like what happened to the student at Franklin High School, there were students standing around watching, recording. It would have taken one or two students to save that little boy if they stepped up, and we need to get that culture of kids not to be afraid to speak up in the schools."

The new LAUSD data, presented at a school board meeting in late September, also shows that weapons-related incidents and reported incidents of students considering suicide — what the district calls "suicide risk" — have continued to decline significantly over the last four years. 

There were 923 weapons-related incidents last school year, down 38% compared to four years ago. Last year, there were 10,055 incidents of suicide risk, down 14% compared to four years ago. Suicide risk, however, has been the most pervasive school safety problem facing students in LAUSD for the last five years in a row. 

To read the district's presentations on the data for the 2025-2026 school year, click here. To see the data from the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years, click here. 

A spokesperson for the LAUSD wrote the following statement to CBS LA:

"Student safety and well-being remain a priority for Los Angeles Unified. The latest data show decreases in reported fighting and physical aggression, threats, weapons incidents and suicide risks compared with the previous school year. However, we recognize that reports of student conflict remain a concern, and we must continue working to prevent incidents and ensure students have access to the support they need.

"This year, we continue to strengthen prevention efforts through Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports and Restorative Practices, which help schools establish clear expectations, build positive relationships, address conflict and hold students accountable while repairing harm. We are also continuing to provide training and resources for school staff, families and students on mental health supports, healthy relationships, and creating safe, welcoming school environments.

"We work with community partners to support violence prevention and intervention and connect students and families with additional resources. Schools reinforce campus supervision plans and identify areas where additional attention may be needed."

Almost eight years later, CBS California Investigates has looked into the Los Angeles Police Department's use-of-force reports involving dog shootings. The team found dozens of cases in which officers opened fire, which raised questions about when officers use deadly force against animals and whether some of these shootings could have been prevented.

The investigation comes months after a family dog in Canoga Park was fatally shot by LAPD officers. For Aguilar and her mother, Norma Lopez, hearing about the incident brought back memories of what happened to Kush.

Lopez sued the police for unlawfully entering their home during an investigation into a shooting that happened outside their apartment complex. Lopez said officers detained her and her former partner before the apartment search, even though her family had nothing to do with the shooting in the area. 

Aguilar alleged that officers tricked her mother, who only speaks Spanish, into letting them in without giving her a chance to secure Kush.

Lopez and Aguilar said they not only want to shed light on their own case, but also on the case of the 2-year-old Golden Saint Bernard Doodle, named Jameson, in Canoga Park. Aguilar said, "I don't want it to happen again."

In June, LAPD officers answered a call about a woman screaming during the NBA Championship game, celebrating a victory. 

Body-worn camera footage shows Jameson's owner answering the door when two officers knocked on her door. The officers asked the woman to secure Jameson, but he walked out of the apartment, barking. As Jameson moved toward the officer, he opened fire. 

Lopez's attorney, Theida Salazar, said police shootings against dogs were common when he worked on her case in 2018.  

CBS California Investigates looked at the LAPD's Use of Force reports over the past 10 years and found the LAPD had 19 cases in which officers shot at dogs in 2016. Of those incidents, 12 dogs died. In 2015, there were 11 shootings, eight of which were fatal.

The numbers have been going down, with only one in 2024. But so far, in 2026, there have been four, resulting in three deaths.  

According to LAPD reports, over the past 10 years, officers have shot 67 dogs; 45 have been pit bulls, including Kush.

CBS California Investigates reached out to the LAPD for comment, but the department declined a request for an interview. Instead, a spokesperson emailed a statement saying in part: "At this time, the Department is conducting a comprehensive review of tactics, training, and best practices."

Salazar said his clients settled their lawsuit, but he is unable to share the specific terms.

"If just a little more patience had been exercised, the dog would not have been shot, and I believe in the same instance in Canoga Park," Salazar said.

In the case of Kush, Lopez said the police told her the dog was dead after the shooting. That wasn't true. 

She said after the shooting Kush snuck into the bathroom and hopped into the tub. Four hours after the shooting, animal control walked Kush out to their truck. She alleges that "they just let her bleed out."

Kush lived for another couple of years. But Lopez and Aguilar said their once energetic and playful dog was never the same. Lopez said her daughter has had to undergo years of therapy for what she witnessed. 

Photos of Kush still hang on Aguilar's bedroom wall. There's also a paw print by her bed. Her mother said she raises her children to respect police, but the now high school freshman said, "It's not that I don't trust them, but I'm still afraid of them, and I feel like they still scare me."

Following the deadly shooting of Jameson, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ordered a review of dog encounters when it comes to deadly force.

The department said it has not made formal changes to its 'Dog Encounters' Directive that went into place in 2023.

The union said its members have authorized a one-day unfair labor practice strike on Oct. 21, which would be the first strike in the organization's history if it does happen.

SEIU Local 1000 said it received a blanket rejection from the Newsom administration in early September, without a counterproposal to its contract demands. The union is seeking changes related to pay, health benefits and protections for remote work.

Union leaders say they believe the administration has engaged in bad-faith bargaining, prompting members to authorize a potential strike.

According to SEIU Local 1000, 92.6% of members who voted supported authorizing a strike.

Union President Anica Walls said the decision to consider a strike was not made lightly, but she believes the union's requests are reasonable.

"We definitely don't take the decision lightly. We know that this is a sacrifice. So we want to make sure that we are protecting our members and supporting them in all the ways that we need to," Walls said. "We are less than 3% of the budget, so we are just asking the administration to prioritize their employees who make them look good by keeping these great services running."

Where the potential strikes would take place

SEIU Local 1000 plans to hold strike actions in Sacramento, Oakland and Los Angeles, among other locations.

The union represents nearly 100,000 state workers across 140 departments and state agencies.

The California Department of Human Resources (CalHR), which handles labor negotiations for the state, said in a statement to CBS News Sacramento that it "remains ready to sit down anytime with the union to negotiate a fair and responsible agreement."

The crash happened at about 2:05 p.m. in the 240 block of 108 St., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. One civilian was hurt in addition to the firefighters' injuries. Paramedics evaluated the other driver at the scene and did not transport the person to the hospital. 

The firefighters' truck overturned in the middle of the roadway. They were in a Fast Response Vehicle, which is much smaller than a typical fire engine. It's more akin to a beefed-up pickup truck that carries fire suppression and paramedic gear. As it's name suggests it was designed to decrease response times.

Hundreds of family members and friends waited for hours in the sun to greet their loved ones. As the ship pulled into the harbor, a roar of cheers erupted from a pier. Sailors stood at attention on the deck for the aircraft carrier's long approach, and after they were released, smiles and waves broke out as sailors took out their phones to call people on the pier.

In one such reunion, McKenzie Adkins held her 10-week-old son Declan as she waved to her husband, Alexander, on the ship's deck, before the new father met his son for the first time.

The Lincoln carrier strike group had been deployed for more than 10 months, including more than 250 uninterrupted days at sea this year. Much of that time was spent in the Middle East, where the aircraft carrier and its escort ships supported the U.S. war with Iran. It left the region in late August and began sailing back toward its home port of San Diego, stopping in Thailand and Guam. The Japan-based USS George Washington, another U.S. aircraft carrier, arrived in August in the Middle East to replace the Lincoln.

During the Lincoln's record-long time at sea, the Navy drew scrutiny for conditions aboard the ship. Reports circulated of supply shortages and faulty plumbing, and families of crew members raised concerns about deteriorating mental health conditions. 

Congressional Democrats expressed outrage and pressed the Navy for more information about reports of shortages and mental health issues on the Lincoln. The Pentagon has defended conditions on the ship.

It has been over a year since authorities raided the 10,000-square-foot mansion of Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang in July 2025, and the children were moved into state custody. 

Prosecutors on Tuesday presented a picture of the alleged abuse the children suffered at the property, with the district attorney calling the mansion a "house of horrors." 

Xuan and Zhang are accused of conspiring to subject 15 of the 16 children living in their Arcadia home — at least 14 of whom were born to surrogates, the district attorney said — to repeated physical abuse. 

The complaint detailed allegations of Zhang and Xuan watching and encouraging the abuse of children, most under 4 years of age, at the hands of various nannies. The parents monitored the alleged abuse through a system of 32 cameras in the home, prosecutors allege.

In one instance, Xuan walked into a room in the mansion called a "learning center" and saw a nanny striking a child, the complaint said. He then allegedly asked the nanny to hit the child harder, delivered open-handed blows to the child's head and lifted the child in the air with one arm, the complaint said.

Xuan and Zhang, who pleaded not guilty, are each being held on a $20 million bond. Xuan's attorney, Mitchell Krems, on Tuesday said his client is innocent and that "he is being targeted for exercising his constitutional right to have a large family."

While the allegations laid out by the district attorney were harrowing, nothing was said about the fate of the children. 

"If it's bad news, then I don't want to know"

When reached by CBS News following the parents' arrest, some of the surrogates involved in the case wondered what would happen to the children, while others said they did not want news about the babies if it was upsetting. 

Vanity McGoveran, a surrogate who gave birth to a baby girl in March 2024, felt relieved when she learned of the arrest. "Finally," she said. McGoveran said she was hesitant to learn more information about what happened to the child she handed over to the couple. 

"Not if it's bad news, then I don't want to know," she said. 

McGoveran said she didn't have any knowledge of what happened to the baby. But, according to Nicol Stolar-Peterson, a clinical social worker and child abuse investigator, court proceedings are required within 72 hours after children in California are first removed from a home.

The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, which oversees local child welfare, likely worked immediately to identify appropriate placement settings for the children. When possible, DCFS places a child with a relative, member of the extended family or with a friend who is able to care for them. If that isn't possible, the child can be sent to live with a foster parent or to a communal living setting. 

"We have foster parents, we have relative caregivers, we have others that are available to have this child," said Christina Paddock, an associate professor of social work at the University of Southern California. 

Paddock said that the child welfare system then looks for avenues to provide the children with permanent residency. 

"We always want to move towards that permanency, them having a permanent place to be and to grow, and to grow in a healthy, safe environment is really, you know, the priority," Paddock said.

According to The New Yorker podcast series "In the Dark," Zhang and Xuan's parental rights have not been terminated as the investigation plays out.

A lawyer representing the children declined to comment, citing privacy concerns.

Who is best able to care for the children?

For surrogates across the country who carried children for Zhang and Xuan, this case has raised questions about whether they should be able to care for a child that has been taken from its intended parents. 

Maria Castellanos had two babies as a surrogate for the couple, a boy in 2022 and a girl in 2024. Zhang promised Castellanos she could see them once a year, but went back on her word, Castellanos said. After the children were removed from the home, Castellanos desperately called lawyers to see if she could foster the children but said no one would help. She is now becoming a foster parent, in the hopes she can help care for the children she carried.

"I'm going through the process of becoming a foster parent, which is a process harder to do than become a surrogate or an intended parent," said Castellanos. 

There is a need for more foster parents in California, according to Paddock, who said there is currently a shortage. Surrogates outside California have also sought custody of children they carried for the couple.

At least five additional babies were born to surrogates in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Georgia following the removal of the 21 kids last year. Those children were also taken into state custody in their respective states. (None of these children are included in the criminal charges filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney.)

Zhang and Xuan filed lawsuits against the surrogates in an effort to regain custody of the babies. An attorney for one of the surrogates, Melissa Epps, said her client was "thankful" for the efforts by the district attorney in California. 

"The 1-year-old child Xuan and Zhang sued to obtain from our client remains safe and happy in Virginia, and we are confident she will continue to do so," said attorney Pamela DeCamp.

Scott Altman, a law professor at the University of Southern California specializing in family law and jurisprudence, told CBS News about two scenarios in which the surrogates could get to care for the children they gave birth to. One is that surrogates could try to nullify the agreements and set aside the judgment, he said. The other, he said, would be for the surrogates to seek to become foster parents and eventually adopt, like Castellanos is trying to do. 

Altman said the first scenario was really "an uphill battle," and while he doesn't think it is impossible, it would be difficult. Surrogates generally don't have parental rights, and there is a long process the surrogates must go through to become foster parents. 

But still, Altman added, the surrogates could try to become foster parents. 

"I don't see any reason surrogates shouldn't apply to foster these children," Altman said. "If the parental rights of the charged couple are ultimately terminated, the surrogates could seek to adopt the children they gave birth to."

Altman added that surrogates interested in caring for the children as foster parents must formally request to be matched with them, noting, "It seems reasonable that the state might give them some priority in that process."