Neighborhood fences and police cars proved no match for a bear in Sun Valley, where it hopped into backyards and roamed into horse corrals Wednesday morning.

“We still don’t have eyes on it,” said Los Angeles police Sgt. Thomas Wunsch of the Foothill station. “Officers are going to hopefully tranquilize it.”

Police started getting calls from residents about 6:10 a.m. about the bear, which TV news showed having free rein through the Sun Valley community. It didn’t appear to be fully grown and was seen climbing over fences into backyards, spooking horses in...

Former Bell City Councilman Luis Artiga will not be retried for corruption, Los Angeles County prosecutors have decided.

Artiga, a pastor in Bell, was the only council member fully acquitted by a jury in March on charges of misappropriating public funds and overpaying himself for sitting on boards that rarely met.

"Yes, I do regret being on the council," Artiga said in March after the verdict. "I went there to serve the community of Bell."

Artiga's attorney, George Mgdesyan, said Artiga's defense was different from that of his former colleagues because he joined the council after all the...

Three-term City Councilman Eric Garcetti's relentless campaigning paid off early Wednesday as he decisively won a hard-fought race to become Los Angeles' next mayor, scoring well with voters across the sprawling city and even challenging rival Wendy Greuel on her home turf in the San Fernando Valley.

Garcetti took 54% of the vote compared with 46% for Greuel in preliminary results, ending speculation that the race was so tight that a winner might not be known for weeks. Some mail-in ballots must still be counted, but they are not expected to significantly change the results.

“We have...

The Los Angeles city clerk early Wednesday morning released final vote tallies for the citywide election, leaving only mail-in ballot results standing between candidates' victory and defeat.

With 100% of precincts reporting just after 3 a.m., clear leaders emerged in citywide races for mayor, city controller, and city attorney, as well as four City Council seats and positions on the Board of Education and the L.A. Community College Board of Trustees.

L.A. Elections: See more election returns

City Councilman Eric Garcetti won the mayoral race just before 2 a.m., when City Controller Wendy...

Wendy Greuel called Eric Garcetti early Wednesday morning to concede the mayoral election, a Greuel campaign source told The Times, ending a two-year campaign to determine Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's successor and the new political leader of Los Angeles.

Garcetti will be the first elected Jewish mayor of the city. At 42, he will also be the youngest in more than a century. He is scheduled to take office July 1.

"Thank you, Los Angeles," Garcetti wrote in a tweet posted at 2:52 a.m. PDT. "The hard work begins but I am honored to lead this city for the next four years. Let's make this a great...

With more than half of precincts reporting, City Councilman Eric Garcetti's lead over mayoral opponent Wendy Greuel widened to 8 points in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

As of 1 a.m. PDT Wednesday, Garcetti led Greuel 54% to 46% in the race to replace termed-out mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. As the first election returns came in earlier in the night, mainly from mail-in ballots, Greuel led the race. Within hours, it was a dead heat.

Tuesday's election marked the end of two years of campaigning for Greuel and Garcetti. Both criss-crossed the city on their last day on the campaign trail in...

A ballot measure that would reduce the number of pot shops in Los Angeles, but keep some open, took off during early voting returns Tuesday night.

With 14% of precincts reporting at 11 p.m., about 64% of voters supported Proposition D, which would keep about 130 dispensaries open.

FULL COVERAGE: L.A.'s race for mayor

It is one of three measures on Tuesday's ballot that would change regulations on medical marijuana in Los Angeles. The measure with the most votes will win, but only if it receives more than 50% of the vote. If none of the three receives majority approval, they all fail.

Propositi...

Los Angeles City Atty. Carmen Trutanich was defeated in his bid for reelection by former Assemblyman Mike Feuer.

Trutanich announced his concession about 11:30 p.m.

[Updated at 11:45 p.m. At Rocco's Tavern in Studio City, he thanked supporters and attorneys. The crowd chanted, "Nuch! Nuch! Nuch!"

"I ran for city attorney for all the right reasons, to be the people's lawyer," Trutanich said. He spoke of his rise from working-class roots in San Pedro and the accomplishments of the city attorney's office in his tenure.

Trutanich declined to comment Tuesday on the reasons for his defeat.]

The mood...