Political Shakeup in LA, California Death Row Decision & Foster Child Murder

Mimi Brown (0:05)

A major political shakeup in Los Angeles. Voters have made their choice, but the city's next mayor is already facing some serious challenges. Plus, California's governor is making a historic move that could change the fate of hundreds of people on death row.

And a heartbreaking case out of Philadelphia. A 10-year-old girl is found murdered, and what we're learning about the home where she lived is raising even more questions.

It's Monday, November 9th. From the Black Effect Podcast Network, I'm Mimi Brown. This is FrontPage, and here are the day's biggest stories. Stay with me.

We're starting in Los Angeles, where voters have decided it's time for a change at City Hall. City Councilwoman Nithya Raman has defeated Mayor Karen Bass, ending Bass' time in office after just one term. And this wasn't the race that came down to a handful of votes. Raman received nearly 53% of the vote, compared to 47% for Bass. That makes Raman the first challenger in more than 20 years to defeat a sitting Los Angeles mayor. Now, this election was largely about the issues people deal with every single day. Homelessness, the high cost of housing, and public safety. Voters wanted answers about what the city was doing to make life more affordable and neighborhoods safer. Bass has conceded the race and says she'll work to make sure there's a smooth transition. And Raman says she's ready to get to work. Now winning the election is one thing, but running the city is another. And Raman is already facing some major challenges. Not one of her fellow city council members endorsed her campaign. She's about to lead a city government where some of the people she'll need to work with didn't support her becoming mayor. And there's another issue. Raman has called for Los Angeles Police Chief, Jim McDonald, to be fired, but the mayor can't simply fire the police chief on her own. That decision involves the city's police commission. And the police union is already warning that officers could leave the department under Raman's leadership. So while Raman convinced voters she was the right person for the job, she'll now have to convince people inside City Hall and the police department that they can work together. And for the people of Los Angeles, the bigger question is whether that cooperation will lead to progress on homelessness, housing and public safety.

And we're saying in California, where Governor Gavin Newsom is making another major move. This time, it involves every person currently sitting on the state's death row.

Newsom is moving to eliminate death row sentences of all 548 people facing execution in California. Now, let me explain what that means because there is an important difference here. These inmates would not be released from prison. Their convictions would still stand and they would still continue serving their sentences. What would change is that they would no longer be executed. Newsom says there are several reasons behind this decision. First, he says the death penalty has a history of racial discrimination. That means concerns about whether race has played a role in who gets sentenced to death. He also points to the cost. California has spent billions of taxpayer dollars maintaining its death penalty system. And then there's the possibility of executing someone who turned out to be innocent. Now California hasn't actually executed anyone in more than 20 years, but the state still has the largest death row population in the country. And if Newsom succeeds in commuting all 548 sentences, it would be the largest mass death penalty clemency action in American history. Again, this is not about letting hundreds of people out of prison, it's about whether the state continued to have the power to execute them. And it's a decision that's likely to reignite the debate over the death penalty, justice and public safety.

And now to a heartbreaking story out of Philadelphia. A 10-year-old girl who was reported missing has been found murdered, and the woman who was supposed to be caring for her is now charged with her killing. Her name was Malaysia Ford. She was just 10 years old and living in foster care. Investigators say Malaysia was last seen alive on October 22nd. Four days later, a surveillance video reportedly captured her body being removed from her foster home in the middle of the night. Police eventually found her body in the trunk of a car in New Jersey, and now her foster mother, 36-year-old Caprice Williams, is facing murder and several other charges. Philadelphia prosecutors held a press conference explaining how investigators were able to piece together what happened. And as investigators continue looking into Malacia's death, there are growing questions about the conditions inside the home where she was living. A community activist says he saw pictures and video from inside that house, and he's speaking out about what he says he saw.