The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 99

B4 CALIFORNIA LOSANGELESTIMES For Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008 Mega Millions Mega number is bold Mega 24 Jackpot: $73 million California winners per category: No. of winners Amount of prize(s) Mega Winning jackpot ticket(s) sold in other states: None For Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008 Super Lotto Plus Mega number is bold Mega 22 Jackpot: $53 million Fantasy Five: 8-9-28-32-33 Daily Three (midday): 1-9-6 Daily Three (evening): 3-5-6 Daily Derby: (1) Gold Rush (5) California Classic (7) Eureka Race time: 1:45.46 Results on the Internet: www.latimes.com/lottery General information: (800) 568-8379 (Results not available at this number) Lottery results VENTURA COUNTY Grant to fund fire damage repair federal grant to help in the cleanup of the thousands of acres scorched in wildfires will put scores of Ventura County residents to work for up to six months, officials announced. Using fundsfrom a Department of Labor National Emergency grant, the Ventura County Workforce Investment Board is working with eight job and career centers andtwo other nonprofit groups to select qualified candidates for 62 full-time jobs by late February.

Those hired will earn $11 an hour for thepositions, which will involve physical labor outdoors helping restore trails and public infrastructure damaged in the Ranch fire, which burned 58,400 acres in the Los Padres and Angeles national forests, including areaseast of Lake Piru and Piru Creek. Eligible candidates must be 18 or older, have proof of a legal right to work in the United States and have been unemployed for at least the lastfive weeks. To apply, contact the Tri- Counties Labor Foundation, www.laborfoundation.org at (805) 385-4487 or Oxnard City Corps, www.citycorps.org at (805) 385-8081. Gregory W. Griggs HUNTINGTON BEACH Man is accused of sending threat AHuntington Beach man was arraigned Wednesday on charges ofsending an e-mail to Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach threatening to kill him, his family and the four other supervisors.

Steve Van Arroyo, 50, was arrested Monday after Moor- lach discovered the e-mail, which had been sent over the weekend, authorities said. Arroyo is charged with making criminal threats and threatening a public official, both felonies. If convicted, he could face up to three years in prison. Susan Kang Schroeder, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district office, declined to provide details of the message, which was sent Saturday after Arroyo allegedly called the office and asked for his e-mail address. want to give it any more credence than it Schroeder said, adding that investigators tracked the IP address to a computer in house.

chief of staff, Bill Mainero, characterized the message as the motivation for which was unclear. supervisor was seriously he said. this day and age, you take a David Haldane SANTA ANA Car thief crashes, steals 2nd vehicle Acar thief fled from a chain- reaction collision she caused on the Costa Mesa Freeway on Wednesday by stealing another car from the accident scene, authorities said. she said Officer Jennifer Hink, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol, noting the woman arrived in a 1993 Honda and left in a 2008 Toyota Camry. The accident occurred about 8 a.m.

in the southbound lanes just north of Dyer Road. About two hours earlier, the woman had allegedly snatched the Honda from a Corona garage when its owner left its engine running to go back inside. On the freeway, the Honda rear-ended a 2006 Mini Cooper driven by Joanna Chan, 27, which then bumped into the Toyota ahead of it driven by Emily Nguyen, 24. As Chan and Nguyen exchanged information, Hink said, the thief got into the Toyota and sped away. She was described as Latina, 35 to 40, with brown curly hair, about 5 feet 4 and 130 pounds.

Authorities said she was last seen driving the light blue Camry license plate 6BZD326 toward southern Orange County. David Haldane LONG BEACH Sewage spill closes beaches The city has shut down more than three miles of beachfront after a raw sewage spill into the Los Angeles River. Long Beach Recreational Water Manager Nelson Kerr says gallons of raw sewage entered the river Tuesday night. The city closed the beaches as a precaution because itis the end point of the Los Angeles River before it flows into the ocean. Kerr said city officials would test the water todaybefore reopening the beaches.

From the Associated Press ORANGE COUNTY wife has a charge dropped Federal prosecutors on Wednesday dropped one of the mail fraud charges in the corruption case against former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona, his wife and former mistress. The U.S. office obtained a superseding indictment no longer alleging that wife, Deborah, failed to disclose the gift of a $15,000 Cartier watch on a conflict-of- interest form she filed as a member of the board overseeing the Orange County Fairgrounds. Carona, his wife and alleged mistress, Debra V.

Hoffman, are still accused of conspiring to sell the power of office for tens of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts. Prosecutors excluded the watch allegation after defense attorneys informed them it was not required because the gift came from someone who do business with the fair board. Stuart Pfeifer SACRAMENTO State job psych tests stolen State officials are warning 441 applicants for law enforcement officer jobs that a laptop computer containing their psychological evaluations was stolen in Mexico this month. The applicants included candidates seeking jobs as California Highway Patrol and correctional officers. State Personnel Board spokeswoman Sherry Evans saideveryone seeking those jobs must undergo psychological testing.

Raw data from the screenings were in a laptop that a contract psychologist took on vacation. The computer was in a backpack stolen from the car trunk while he was in Tulum, Mexico, on Jan. 11. The laptop contained names but noother identifying information such as addresses or Social Security numbers. Evans says the laptop was protected by a password and that the data could not be easily read.

From the Associated Press BAKERSFIELD U.S. ends inquiry into city police Anearly five-year federal probe into possible civil rights violations at the Bakersfield Police Department is over. The U.S. Department of Justice says it has finalized its investigation and found no breaches of the Constitution. The investigation was launched in 2003 after the department was the subject of numerous lawsuits and complaints alleging excessive force and racial profiling.

Police Chief Bill Rector said Wednesday the Justice Department sent them a letter commending them for the positive improvements made since then. From the Associated Press MOSS BEACH Oil on beaches is not from ship Laboratory tests show that oil washing up on Northern California beaches did not come from the cargo ship that slammed into the Bay Bridge last fall. Investigators say tar balls foundthis week from Pacifica to Monterey probably came from naturally occurring pools of oil beneath the sea floor. California Department of Fish and Game Lt. Brian Arnold said heavy storms were typically responsible for washing oil ashore during the winter.

The Cosco Busan leaked 58,000 gallons of toxic bunker fuel into San Francisco Bay after hitting a bridge support in November. From the Associated Press California in Brief In years past, building a central park was about creating an escape from urban life with little nod to what it was replacing. But the designers of the Orange County Great Park, which is being built on 1,347 acres of the former El Toro Marine Corpsbase, are taking a new approach, embracing the military past rather than bulldozing it. In one such move, the board todayplans to accept the donation of a World War II-era patrol plane and bomber as the first artifact foran aviation museum expected to featuredoz- ens of historic aircraft and memorabilia. Great Park board member Bill Kogerman, a retired Marine colonel who flew fighter jets at the base in the 1960s and said the 1943 Lockheed PV-1 Ventura was fairly old and rare The model was used for night flights during World War II, stopping at El Toro on its way to the fighting in the Pacific.

It is unclear if this particu- lar plane landed at El Toro. It is at an airfield in New Orleans after being so severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina that its owner gave it to an insurance company. Park officials jumped at the opportunity to get the plane, calling it a modest first step toward the museum. But it also is a sign of an emerging focus of the Great Park project: preserving the history while undertaking one of the largest public works projects. want to speak to the fact that the military use of the site was actually what kept it from development and made it said Ken Smith, the landscape architect.

the end, the park will be richer because people will see interesting ways of adapting historic structures and reusing Central to the design is a 1 3 4 -mile-long historical timeline built atop one of the original taxiways. Designers also are storing base memorabilia and colorful squadron murals for use in park buildings and museums. Hangars are slated for restoration as a visitorscenter and museum site, and a control tower may be converted into a nature center, Smith said. Thick slabs of runway concrete, dubbed Toro by designers, will become stepping stones on trails. Tom curator of the Flying Leatherneck Aviation MuseumatMarine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, was hired as the Great aviation consultant, and now scouts potential acquisitions throughout the country via email and phone.

Early this flew to an airfield outside New Orleans to see the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura. The 65-year-old plane had sustainedmajor hurricane damage. It was missing a door and tires, and it had a hole in one of its wings. But the craft was a find because it is one of only 3,000 made, said. The plane is likely to be the first of many since the park board has set aside $500,000 to start and maintain an aircraft collection.

In procuring the Great first airplane, the aviation consultant, spared no attention to detail. The wings and fuselage will be disassembled and loaded onto two wide-load trucks, then driven to Orange County as early as next month, where the plane will be reassembled and restored at the base at a cost of $70,000. One key adjustment will be trading its light-blue paint job for olive drab. color scheme in those days was not very said. want it to be historically tony.barboza@latimes.com GATEWAY TO TIMES GONE BY: Sam Allevato of the Great Park Design Studio stands in the doorway of a hangar at the old El Toro Marine base that will house an aviation museum expected to be home to dozens of historic aircraft and memorabilia.

Mark Boster Los Angeles Times WW II-ERA BOMBER: A1943 Lockheed PV-1 Ventura similar to this is the first acquisition for the aviation museum. museum will be a nod to El history A WWII plane will be part of a public link to the past, designers say. By Tony Barboza Times Staff Writer Two brothers who worked as police officers were convicted Wednesday of participating in home invasion-style robberies staged to look like legitimate law enforcement raids, prompting the judge to say that the case underscored the need for aggressive outside oversight of the Los Angeles Police Department. never heard testimony like heard in this said U.S. District Judge Gary A.

has practiced law since 1974 and was appointed to the federal bench 12 years ago. Feess then disclosed to jurors that he is also the judge who oversees the federal consent decree imposed on the LAPDin the wake of the 1999 Rampart corruption scandal. may now have an understanding of why we have that he said. Feess also reiterated his commitment to the police reforms see that this sort of thing never happens The convictions of William and Joseph Ferguson capped a six-year probe by the FBI and LAPD and represented a major victory for prosecutors. William Ferguson, 35, a former LAPD officer, showed little emotion as Feess read aloud the verdict.

Prosecutors say he faces a minimum of 87 years in federal prison. His younger brother, seemed stunned at the verdict. He sat with his hands folded in front of him and looked toward his wife, who had begun sobbing in the front row of the courtroom gallery. Joseph Ferguson, is suspended from the Long Beach Police Department, played a lesser role in the robbery ring and faces a minimum of five years in prison but could be sentenced to more than 50 years, prosecutors said. The brotherswere disappointed with the verdicts, according to their attorneys, who are considering filing appeals.

The Ferguson brothers were found guilty of conspiring to deprive people of their constitutional rights under color of law and possessing narcotics with the intent to distribute. William Ferguson was found guilty of 17 counts of the 34-count indictment. Joseph Ferguson was found guilty of three of the nine counts with which he was charged. Jurors could not reach a decision on some counts and found the pair not guilty of others. The verdict followed a three-week trial during which prosecutors produced a parade of witnesses who described being robbed at gunpoint by people claiming to be police officers conducting narcotics raids.

Authorities allege the ring committed as many as 40 robberies, attempted robberies or burglaries between 1999 and 2001, netting about $1 million in drugs and cash. Many of the victims made only tentative identifications of the suspects or could not identify them at all. But prosecutors buttressed their claims with the testimony of several cohorts who had already pleaded guilty and were cooperating with the government in hopes of receiving a reduced sentence. case exposed a dark world of corrupt law enforcement officers who defiled their badges and compromised the good work of their U.S. Atty.

Thomas P. said in a statement. The key witness was disgraced LAPD Officer Ruben admitted ringleader. During two days of testimony, Palomares described how, while working as a police officer, he began plotting with an old friend who was a drug dealer to rip off rival drug dealers in exchange for a cut of the seized drugs or money. He said he recruited friends, family and fellow officers, including the Ferguson assist in the bogus drug raids.

Palomarestestified that he and William Ferguson stole patrol cars from the LAPD academy to use as props during the robberies to help convince their victims that they were really police officers. He described William Ferguson, whom he met while the two worked together in the Rampart Division, as his primary partner in the robberies. Palomares said the two would use their police training to control their victims and search for drugs and money. He told the jury that he used to refer to William Ferguson as because he was so adept at sniffing out the cash and narcotics. Joseph Ferguson drove his older brother and him to the police academy to steal cars for the robberies and also conducted surveillance on several of the Palomares said.

He also implicated the younger Ferguson in placing a fake 911 call that resulted in the arrest and eventual imprisonment of a ringmember who had fallen out of favor with Palomares. Joseph Ferguson testified that he drove his brother and Palomares to the LAPDacade- my to get police cruiserson several occasions, but that he be- lieved the officer used the cars to make as part of legitimate off-duty jobs. He denied involvement in any of the crimes Palomares described. He admitted placing the bogus 911 callbut said he had done so because he had been told the man was beating his wife and needed to be behind bars. The brothers are scheduled to be sentenced April 21.

scott.glover@latimes.com Ex-officers guilty in robbery spree Conviction of the pair, one an LAPD veteran, underscores the need for oversight of the department, judge says. By Scott Glover Times Staff Writer.