Terror arrests. Four Southern California men have been charged with plotting to kill Americans overseas by joining al Qaeda and the Taliban. A federal complaint unsealed in Riverside says one-time Pomona resident Sohiel Omar Kabir traveled to Afghanistan in July to arrange for terror training. Kabir is an Afghan native and naturalized U.S. citizen. The 34-year-old served in the Air Force from 2000 to 2001. Prosecutors say Kabir introduced two other men to “radical and violent Islamist doctrine,” and they allegedly recruited the fourth defendant. L.A. Times
Display case. The three wise men, Mary and even baby Jesus will remain banned from Santa Monica’s Pacific Palisades Park this Christmas season. A Los Angeles federal judge has rejected an appeal by a coalition of churches to allow religious scenes to be displayed in the park while their lawsuit against the city plays out. The city nixed displays in the park last year after a dispute involving the churches and atheist groups. AP
Student bodies. L.A. students are lagging behind their counterparts statewide when it comes to physical fitness. A new state report finds that more than half of LAUSD students are overweight. And 80 percent of those students are so heavy that it’s endangering their future health. Among seventh graders, 48 percent of L.A. students were deemed healthy as a result of fitness tests given last year. The statewide average is 55 percent. L.A. Daily News
Mayor moves. How does Antonio Villaraigosa, Secretary of Transportation, strike you? He’s still got several months to go as mayor, but speculation is heating up about where Villaraigosa might land next. Politico reports there’s talk about Villaraigosa taking a position in President Obama’s cabinet, perhaps as secretary of transportation or commerce. Politico
Ethnic turnout. Preliminary results show that Latinos, African Americans and Asian Americans made up 40 percent of state’s voters November 6th. Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo says that’s equivalent to their share of the state’s voting population. That means minority turnout was about the same as the general population, and that’s a first. Minority groups were key to the success of Proposition 30. Governor Jerry Brown’s tax initiative passed by nine percentage points, but minority voters supported it by 20 percentage points. Capitol Weekly
Play ball. The Pasadena City Council brushed aside concerns from neighbors and voted early today to amend city law to allow an NFL team to play at the Rose Bowl for up to five years while a permanent news stadium is being built. A second vote that’s required to make the decision official is scheduled for December 3rd. Of course, despite all the new stadium talk, no NFL team has yet committed to move to L.A. Pasadena Star News
Murky shooting. Jose de la Trinidad was shot and killed by L.A. County Sheriff’s deputies on November 10th. That much is clear. But what happened in the moments before the 36-year-old was shot remains a matter of contentious dispute. The L.A. Times reports that de la Trinidad’s family is now asking for an FBI probe of the shooting. They say a witness saw de la Trinidad with his hands behind his head before he was shot. And they say sheriff’s investigators tried to get her to change her story. The Sheriff’s Department flatly denies that accusation. L.A. Times
Fish food. You sure that’s not crayfish in your lobster roll? L.A. County and federal food inspectors say that 74 percent of L.A. stores and restaurants they looked at were selling mislabeled seafood. Many of the violations involved cheap fish like tilapia being passed off as more expensive varieties, such as snapper or halibut. The probe found violations everywhere from Ralphs and Trader Joe’s to P.F. Chang’s. KTLA