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VOL. 27,
NO. 112
Biden visits Monterey Park to discuss gun-violence reduction efforts
Former LA deputy mayor seeks mistrial in public corruption case
By City News Service
By Fred Shuster, City News Service
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President Joe Biden. | Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
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lmost two months after a deadly mass shooting shocked the community, President Joe Biden visited Monterey Park Tuesday to announce an executive order requiring background checks for all firearm purchases, increasing awareness of “red flag” laws to prevent gun possession by questionable individuals and cracking down on loss or theft of weapons during shipping. Eleven people were killed and nine others injured during the Jan. 21 shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park. After that shooting, the gunman went to the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in nearby Alhambra, but he was disarmed in the lobby by Brandon Tsay,
whose family owns the studio. Tsay was among the guests in first lady Jill Biden’s viewing box on Feb. 7 for the president’s State of the Union Address. Tsay was also on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport to greet Biden when he arrived around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. Also greeting the president were Mayor Karen Bass and county Supervisor Janice Hahn. Biden was originally expected to travel by helicopter to the San Gabriel Valley, but poor weather prompted a switch to a motorcade. When he arrived, Biden announced the executive order, which the White House said had the “goal
of increasing the number of background checks conducted before firearm sales, moving the U.S. as close to universal background checks as possible without additional legislation.” The order instructs the attorney general to ensure that firearm sellers who are ignorant of background check requirements or ignoring them to come in compliance, according to the White House. “I’m here with you today to act,” Biden told the roughly 200 people gathered at the Boys & Girls Club of West San Gabriel Valley. The crowd included families impacted by the January shooting, along with elected officials and community leaders. He said the execu-
tive order “will accelerate and intensify this work to save more lives more quickly,” adding that it will help “keep firearms out of dangerous hands as I continue to call on Congress to require background checks for all firearm sales.” The order also directs members of the Cabinet to work with local communities and law enforcement where “red flag” laws are in effect allowing residents to petition a court to determine if a person presents a public danger, allowing weapons to be temporarily removed from the person’s possession. Biden’s order also directs the departments of See Gun-violence Page 27
ormer Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan is asking a federal judge to declare a mistrial in his public corruption case which was placed on hold in the second week of trial after the defendant's attorney fell ill and was hospitalized, according to court papers obtained Wednesday. A defense motion filed in Los Angeles federal court late Tuesday states that Chan's sole trial counsel, Harland Braun, "is now physically unable to participate in the defense for at least several months." A hearing is scheduled Thursday morning in downtown Los Angeles before U.S. District Judge John Walter to discuss the situation. Braun had been representing Chan for about four years in connection with the case, and met with the defendant at least weekly for the past 2 1/2 years in preparation for the trial which began Feb. 21, the filing states. On March 2, Braun returned to his office after the day's trial proceedings where his adult son, Adam, with whom he shares an office suite, found the attorney gravely ill, the motion says. Emergency services were called, and Braun was taken by ambulance to the nearby UCLA Medical Center where he was admitted for treatment. Soon after, judge and prosecutors were informed of Braun's unexpected illness, and a three- week trial recess was granted. See Public corruption Page 13
Raymond Chan. | Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety