BEVERLY HILLS—In August 1969, criminal Charles Manson and two members of his cult, known as the Manson Family, killed actress and model Sharon Tate, along with her unborn son, in a house at 10050 Cielo Drive, along with Tate’s ex-boyfriend Jay Sebring, as well as Abigail Folger, the heiress to the fortune made by the Folgers coffee company, 18-year-old Steven Parent, and polish actor Wojciech Frykowski.  The house was destroyed in 1994 by Alvin Weintraub, its owner.  A new house was built to replace the house and the guest house, and it is now available for rent.

The property is located in Benedict Canyon located in Beverly Crest, a neighborhood in the Santa Monica Mountains that borders Beverly Hills. According to multiple reports, it can be rented for $247,500 a month, and the property spans 3.6 acres. The house spans 21,000 square feet and has 18 bathrooms and 9 bedrooms.

When construction was completed on the property, it was called Via Bella but later changed to Villa Andalusia. The current owner is screenwriter and producer Jeff Franklin.  He is the creator of the 1990s sitcom “Full House” and its spinoff, “Fuller House,” which aired on Netflix from 2016 to 2020.  He also created the sitcom “Hanging with Mister Cooper” and served as its executive producer.  Franklin worked as a writer and producer on the sitcom “Laverne & Shirley,” a spin-off of “Happy Days,” and on the 80s sitcom “Bosom Buddies” that starred Tom Hanks.

According to multiple reports, Franklin purchased the land on which Villa Andalusia is located several decades ago, while it was still under construction, and hired the architect Richard Landy to rebuild the house. Franklin attempted to sell the property for $50 million in April 2025, according to reports, and later listed the property for rent.

By Daniel Diquinzio

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—On Friday, May 8, a couple in Hollywood Hills came home around 9:30 p.m. and found a group of thieves in the process of robbing their home.

According to multiple reports, this couple was returning from Los Angeles International Airport when the thieves made their way through the house, where the couple’s children and the nanny were asleep in their beds. The thieves were stealing jewelry.

According to multiple reports, the thieves knew where the jewelry was located. Three people, including the getaway driver, were involved in the robbery and tried to attack the couple with a crowbar, but fled from the house with the second thief.

No injuries were reported during the robbery.

Authorities have not released any information about the thieves or how much jewelry was stolen from the property, or the value of the items.

Canyon News reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for comment about the robbery but did not hear back before the time of publication.

By Daniel Diquinzio

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Friday, May 8, at 7:49 p.m., the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood Station posted a traffic advisory on Facebook alerting residents that Doheny Drive at Phyllis Avenue was closed for emergency repairs caused by a sinkhole.

Sinkholes are large holes in the ground, as the result of ground and surface erosion by water, which can cause part of the surface to collapse and form a large hole. Northbound Doheny at Phyllis Avenue and southbound Doheny at Sunset Blvd are closed until the repairs are completed, as repairs are ongoing.

There are no reports of injuries caused by the sinkhole.  On Sunday, May 10 at 7 p.m. the city of West Hollywood posted a traffic advisory on its Facebook page noting North Doheny Drive was closed at Phyllis Avenue due to a water main break.  Repairs were expected to continue through Monday, May 11.

It is unknown how the water main break is connected to the sinkhole that forced the closing of Doheny Drive at Phyllis Avenue. Residents who need to travel along Doheny Drive should expect their trip to take longer than usual or to plan to take a different route, it is not known if southbound Doheny Drive at Sunset Boulevard.

By Daniel Diquinzio

BEVERLY HILLS—The city of Beverly Hills is spreading the word about the upcoming Spring Beverly Hills Art Show at Beverly Gardens Park on Saturday & Sunday, May 16 & 17, along four blocks of Santa Monica Boulevard, from Rodeo Drive to Rexford Drive.

The Art Show will showcase artwork from 250 artists featuring live artist demonstrations in still life oil, cityscape & landscape painting, watercolor, 3D, jewelry and more.

Relax in the wine & beer garden with live, indulge in gourmet food trucks, and find Instagram-able moments throughout the show.

The event will take place over 2 days from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free. To learn more details, visit: www.beverlyhills.org/artshow.

By Danny Jones

BEVERLY HILLS—On Friday, May 8, Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook announced that he is retiring from the police department effective June 26, 2026.

Stainbrook joined BHPD in November 2021 from the Port of San Diego where he served as Chief since 2018. Stainbrook is a 30-year law enforcement veteran, graduate of the FBI National Academy and a retired lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. In 2025, he won the Joe Malloy Award by the California Police Chiefs Association, which is their highest annual award given to the top police chief in the state.

“On behalf of the City Council and Beverly Hills community, I’d like to thank Chief Stainbrook for his leadership in moving the department forward,” said City Manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey. “During the Chief’s tenure, the department became a national model for use of advanced police technologies and has successfully reduced crime in several key categories. We recognize Chief Stainbrook for his three decades of dedicated public service.”

Chief Stainbrook helped to transform the BHPD into a global leader in law enforcement technology and tactics. Over 500 local, state, federal, and international agencies have visited the department’s revolutionary Real Time Watch Center (RTWC). The RTWC is comprised of 3500 cameras, 120 automated license plate readers, and multiple drones. Crime in Beverly Hills has dropped 34 percent and arrests have increased 22 percent. Chief Stainbrook’s tenure focused on leveraging technology and proactive policing while maintaining strong community support in a high-profile city.

“The opportunity to lead the Beverly Hills Police Department has been the highlight of my professional career,” said Chief Stainbrook. “I am grateful to the men and women of the department and members of the community as we all worked together to ensure Beverly Hills remains one of the safest cities in the nation.”

Hunt-Coffey is expected to name an Interim Police Chief in the coming weeks for the city of Beverly Hills.

By Danny Jones

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—On Sunday, May 10, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported a brush fire. The fire was reported at 4:59 p.m. at 3200 N. Canyon Drive. Units reported a 1/4 acres of light to medium vegetation moving up a slope at a slow rate of spread.

The LAFD reported that the Incident Commander (Canyon IC), states all forward progress has stopped. The fire was held at 1/4 acre, with no downrange spotting. The firefighters’ mission is now 100 percent mop-up. The cause of fire is unknown and there were no injuries reported.

By Danny Jones

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Friday, May 8, at 1:37 p.m., the West Hollywood Sheriff Station posted a public safety update on Facebook, noting that deputies were investigating a burglary that occurred.

The incident occurred at an address in the 8500 block of Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood.

According to multiple reports, the robbery occurred at approximately 1:20 a.m. on Friday at The RealReal, a consignment store in West Hollywood that sells used luxury items, including clothing.  Per these same reports, when the Deputies arrived at the store, they found a GMC Truck that had been left behind by the thieves who had used the vehicle to break through the front of the store, as well as glass and displaced merchandise covering the floor.  Afterward, they stole items from the store’s inventory and then fled the scene.

Detectives began “reviewing surveillance footage and following up on leads,” according to the West Hollywood Sheriff Station.

Per the reporting of the WestHollywood Times, a witness to the robbery saw a truck being loaded with items from the store and per this same report the Deputies are looking for a minimum of three men.

Deputies are increasing patrols in the region, and additional details about the incident have not been disclosed. 

The investigation is ongoing. It it has not been revealed by the authorities what was stolen from The RealReal or the total value of that merchandise or the extent of the damage to the store. 

Anyone with information about this burglary should contact the station at (310) 855-8850.  Citizens can also submit tips to Crime Stoppers by calling 800-222-TIPS(8477).

The LASD West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station wants citizens to remain alert and to report any suspicious activity to the station.

By Daniel Diquinzio

SANTA MONICA—On Friday, May 8, at 4:30 p.m., the Santa Monica Police Department and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District issued a joint statement on the police department’s Facebook page, informing the public that on May 7, police responded to Santa Monica High School for a report of a threat.

A person called Santa Monica High School and issued a threat. At 11:53 a.m., the school called the SMPD to report the threat. Officers were dispatched to investigate and learned that the school officials made “a decision to implement a temporary shelter-in-place.”

Officers searched the school and the campus, but no evidence of a threat to the school was found. Around 1:30 p.m., the school lifted the shelter-in-place order. Officers remained on the premises to assist the students and staff. No injuries were reported. The SMPD is still investigating who made the call.

Threats made to schools are a serious matter, “and individuals responsible for making false or threatening reports” will answer to the proper authorities, both the SMPD and the SMMUSD notes.

Canyon News reached out to the Santa Monica Police Department for comment about the actions of the investigating officers and of the school officials but did not hear back before the time of publication.

By Daniel Diquinzio

 

SANTA MONICA—On May 9, the Santa Monica Police Department announced on Facebook that it ended a livability and traffic safety operation. Officers conducted this operation on the front walk of 1550 Beach Lot and Ocean Front.

The goals of the officers who performed this operation were to address concerns of the citizens of Santa Monica, regarding “safety, quality-of-life concerns, and activity impacting residents, visitors,” according to the Santa Monica Police Department.

They were also trying to address businesses’ fears about crime.

By the time the operation concluded, officers conducted 30 traffic stops.  This resulted giving out written citations to six people for violations of the city’s vehicle code.  Two people were investigated for Driving Under the Influence and one individual was arrested. They also encountered two gang members.

Officers arrested 5 people who committed “violations that included outstanding warrants, parole violations, resisting or obstructing officers, possession of narcotics,” the SMPD stated. Some were driving while impaired by alcohol or had violated the city’s municipal code.

The operation was performed because of the Police Department’s ongoing work to keep the city’s public spaces safe, accessible for citizens and visitors.

Canyon News reached out to the Santa Monica Police Department for comment on the Livability And Traffic Safety Operation that was conducted along with the arrests that were made but did not hear back by time of publication.

By Daniel Diquinzio

SANTA MONICA—On May 5t, the Santa Monica Police Department announced on Facebook that King Darius Lozada, a 7-year-old child, disappeared in Santa Monica around 6:50 p.m. along with his father, Darius Clay Jackson, who is 55.  On May 7, the SMPD issued an update announcing that they had been found.

King Darius Lozada was unharmed, and Darius Clay Jackson is in police custody, as he is a suspect in the disappearance.

Before Lozada disappeared, he was seen traveling north through an alley located near the 1300 block of Berkeley Street and Arizona Avenue.  His father was with him at the time.

After King’s disappearance was reported, it was feared that his life might be in danger. Darius Clay Jackson was suffering from mental health issues, per the Santa Monica Police Department.

“[The] Santa Monica Police Department thanks the community, our law enforcement partners, and everyone who shared the information and remained alert,” the Police Department stated.

No additional information has been released by authorities.

By Daniel Diquinzio