Pacific Palisades Week In Review: Top Stories In West LA

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA – It's been a busy week for West LA. A brush fire threatened homes in the Holmby Hills/Bel-Air area, triggering road closures in the area but no evacuations.

Billionaire Rick Caruso will chair USC's Board of Trustees, which is hiring a new president after the sex abuse scandal toppled the last one. Caruso promised that the group will "protect the dignity, safety and well-being of our students on their own campus," the university announced Thursday.

Los Angeles is making a dent in the homelessness issue – both the county and city of Los Angelessaw modest declines in homelessness as officials grapple with the crisis.

A UCLA cardiologist was called a "sexual predator" by state regulators before his license was stripped. The doctor denied sexually assaulting women even as the medical board suspended his license, calling him a danger to the community.

The Getty Museum acquired Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel sculptures. The four bronze sculptures will be available for the public to view this summer.

In Santa Monica, a suspect was arrested in connection to a jewelry store robbery. The man was holding a "suspicious device" when he entered Curated Los Angeles in Santa Monica demanding merchandise before fleeing the store. He hopped into a car and hit several parked cars, injuring one person in the process, in his attempt to get away from law enforcement.

Neil Portnow stepped down from his position as Recording Academy President amid backlash for a comment he made telling women to "step up" in response to criticism over the lack of female Grammy nominees earlier this year. There was also a "Female Advancement" task force created after the award ceremony, as many people were unimpressed with the lack of representation.

Two toddlers, ages 4 and 2, were reported missing after a court-ordered unsupervised visitation with their mother in Marina del Rey. The father of the two boys told deputies that his children weren't returned by their mother after her scheduled unsupervised visit, police said.

In Culver City, a man's conviction was upheld in a double-murder case, where he was found guilty in the stabbing and beating deaths of an 89-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman in Culver City seven years ago.

A new law banning sleeping in cars is leaving people in Venice scratching their heads. Residents and city leaders in Venice say they struggle with a law that lets the homeless sleep on the sidewalk but not in their cars.

Around Los Angeles County, a Southwest flight to LAX was diverted to San Jose after a passenger lit a joint in the plane's restroom. Some people get anxiety when flying, maybe he was just trying to relax a little? Too bad he instantly made 32 new enemies.

In Hollywood, a man already serving 110 years in prison for murdering a teen runaway admitted to killing two others, including a pregnant woman. He's been upgraded from murderer to serial killer in the process. In other news, an Iraq War veteran was reunited with his stolen therapy dog – a happy ending to a sad story. The dog was stolen over the weekend in Downey, but found safe and sound in Anaheim days later. "Marcee is home!!!!!!" the dog owner wrote on Facebook.

The Lightning in a Bottle festival happened over Memorial Day weekend, and it was surely unique. "Sign the unicorn. Have you signed the unicorn? Sign the unicorn!" For four days, my camping neighbor pleaded to passersby with a marker in hand, seated in a large unicorn-shaped pool toy that was jerry rigged to the hood of his SUV. Take a look at photos, videos, and more here.

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