Cain was convicted last month of slashing his elderly cousins to death in their Cerritos home.
The jury that convicted the now 34-year-old Carson man in the special circumstance case -- which included two counts of robbery and two counts of first degree murder -- must now decide whether Cain should be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole or death for the crimes.
Cain has remained in custody without bail since his arrest on March 25, 2004, for the slayings of Lamar and Ernestine Matthews.
The bloodied bodies of the couple, both 75, were found in February of 2004 in separate rooms of the two-story house where they had planned on spending their retirement years.
Cain, who was 28 at the time, became the primary suspect when investigators discovered he had cashed a $6,000 check from the Matthews' bank account the day before they were stabbed to death.
While his defense team is scheduled to begin its portion of the penalty phase Thursday morning, court officials said Wednesday, the case could go to the jury as early as Friday.
James A. Santangelo of Long Beach was sued by a former union secretary. Although he denied the allegations he and the union's Joint Council 42 agreed to settle the case in September -- reportedly for about $500,000.
A Teamsters spokesman in Washington, D.C., confirmed the resignation but said he had no more information on why Santangelo stepped down.
Santangelo could not be reached for comment.
He resigned from his local on Friday, which triggered his removal as vice
president of the union and head of Joint Council 42, the regional body, said Bret
Caldwell of the union's national office.
Santangelo made about $288,000 per year, according to Teamsters officials.
In the lawsuit Gloria Corral, a union secretary, alleged in March 2008 that
Santangelo offered her a $700-per-week raise if she would "go to a room with me."
Fire authorities recommend the changing of batteries twice a year and say the bi-annual time change is a good reminder to make sure all the fire alarms in your home are functioning properly.
Long Beach Fire authorities linked to a video that shows in graphic detail why it's so important to keep the devices working in your home.
For a peek at the video, go to the Long Beach Fire Department's news Web site at www.firechannel.org and check out the video titled "Lose an hour gain a life."
In addition to the 101 citations, three people were arrested and booked on a charge of driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, four vehicles were impounded and one person was arrested for an outstanding misdemeanor warrant, said Sgt. Dina Zapalski, an LBPD spokeswoman.
The patrol operation began at 6 p.m. Friday and ran until 2 a.m. Saturday. An additional eight police officers, paid for by grants, were staffed to run the program, the sergeant said.
DUI Saturation Patrols are a vital component in the fight against impaired drivers. It is estimated that the average American has a 30% chance of being killed or injured by an impaired driver and nationally, impaired driving caused by alcohol or drugs causes one death every 30 minutes, Zapalski said.
Funding for the program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Santiago Martinez Jr., a 28-Long Beach was most recently convicted last year of slashing one girlfriend to death when she refused to help him dispose of the remains of another murder victim back in 2003.The jury, however, deadlocked on the penalty phase of the trial, voting 11-to-1 in favor of death and requiring the court to hold a new penalty phase hearing which began Monday morning.
Martinez was first convicted in 2005 of killing Christina Wilkerson, 28, of Long Beach on March 18, 2003.
Wilkerson was stabbed 20 times in the face, neck and body, then shot at point-blank range with a .22 rifle. Martinez was sentenced to more than 50 years to life in prison for her murder.
Martinez was convicted again last November for the slaying of Myra Orozco, 24.
Orozco was killed after she refused to help the defendant dispose of Wilkerson's remains. She died after being stabbed and slashed close to 30 times in the face, neck and body
The new penalty phase is expected to last until late October.
The Sept. 24th launch of the LBPD's Safe Trucking Enforcement Program, or S.T.E.P., was spurred by an increase in port traffic and public concerns, said Sgt. Dina Zapalski, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
Overseeing the program is a unit of 14 sworn personnel, including traffic officers and supervisors. Since its launch last week the unit has issued 49 citations for commercial violations and 52 citations for traffic violations, the sergeant said.
Police have also towed two vehicles and issued one misdemeanor citation, Zapalski added.
The program is an on-going effort and drivers can expect to see the increased police presence in the port area for the foreseeable future.
For more information, call the Traffic Safety Division at 562-570-7209.
The California Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to review the case against a former Long Beach School District official convicted last year in the brutal murder of his stepmother at her Bellflower home.
Joseph Ronald Schessler was convicted in June of 2008 of first-degree murder in the Nov. 17, 1989, slaying of Rosemary Schessler.
Rosemary was was shot in the back of her head and also stabbed in the neck and in the back inside the Bellflower duplex she shared with her husband, George Schessler.
Jurors also found true the special circumstance allegation that Rosemary's murder was carried out by her stepson and his father, now dead, for financial gain.
Schessler was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The convicted killer was prosecuted for the murder after telling his wife and a longtime female friend that he and his father -- who died in 2003 -- were involved in a murder- for-hire plot to have his stepmother killed.
Police cracked the cold case by having Schessler's friend wear a wire and record Schessler as he spoke about the murder plot.
The former vice president of the California School Employees Association told his wife that he promised never to tell anyone about the plot while his
father was alive, but that he no longer needed to keep the secret.
Both his wife, who filed for divorce in 2007, and his friend testified against him in a trial that lasted only a few hours.
A security drill held early Tuesday at the Carnival Cruise dock near the Queen Mary included crews from a number of local agencies and jurisdictions, including Long Beach Firefighters and Lifeguards, Long Beach Police officers, the Los Angeles Port Police and the United States Coast Guard.
The group exercise and the agencies included are part of the Port Dive Operations Group, or PDOG as it's commonly called. PDOG was developed to support the Coast Guard in increasing port security at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
During Tuesday's exercise, the teams simulated "sweeping" the piers to locate, identify, and mark any simulated hazardous underwater devices. The emphasis of the program is for the various agencies to work together to provide adequate resources and a unified command structure to efficiently address incidents within the port complex.
In addition to Tuesday's drill, PDOG teams also perform underwater searches, locate, and conduct recovery and salvage operations of planes, boats, and many other objects.
For more information and check out http://firechannel.org.
National Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health program of its kind in the country and is in it's 87th year. For this year's campaign, "Stay Fire Smart! Don't Get Burned," the LBFD will offer free open house tours at every Long Beach Fire Station from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 4, allowing residents an up close view of the equipment and facilities.
From Oct. 5-9th the LBFD will release a daily public service announcement with tips on fire safety.
And on Oct. 10th the LBFD Museum, 1445 Peterson Ave., will be open free to the public from 10 to 5 p.m.
Fire prevention pamphlets and information for adults and kids will be available. Firefighters will also be on hand to answer questions and to discuss fire safety, especially as it relates to home fire safety check lists and fire escape routes and the proper use of smoke detectors and space heaters.
It is estimated that roughly 3,000 people die every year in home fires and that roughly 20,000 people are hospitalized for burns, according to the non-profit NFPA.
For more information on National Fire Prevention Week and for tips on how to stay safe, go to www.nfpa.org or http://firechannel.org.
Those who attend will learn how criminals choose their victims and commit their crimes as well as what crimes are the most prevalent in their neighborhood. Crime prevention techniques and technology will also be discussed with an emphasis on home and vehicle security, personal safety and identity theft.
The meeting is open to the public and is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at The Cellar, 201 E. Broadway.
To RSVP or for more information contact Mary Coburn, the DLBA's operations manager, at maryc@dlba.org or call 562-485-3133.
