Good morning, readers. Welcome to the Maven’s Morning Coffee — a listing of the important headlines, news conferences, public meetings and announcements you need to know to fuel up and tackle your day.

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Today is Wednesday, March 14, 2012, and here is what’s happening in Los Angeles:

Headlines

• A new Los Angeles Police Department policy will require detectives to go the scene of any crash that involves on-duty officers and which is so serious that someone is killed or hospitalized, according to the Los Angeles Times. “It’s not just about money, although money is important. It is about officer safety and the safety of the public,” Chief Charlie Beck told the paper.
• A Los Angeles Times editorial calls on the mayor and Los Angeles City Council to determine whether cuts to the Los Angeles Fire Department‘s budget have put residents in danger. “…  [W]ith a $220-million budget shortfall looming this year, the mayor and council must — as they have failed to do in the past — identify nonessential services and try to confine the cuts to them,” according to the piece.
• Trouble at Animal Services was the topic of discussion on last night’s Which Way, L.A.?
• The Sacramento Bee‘s Dan Morain was with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in Sacramento when someone told the mayor to, “Go back to Mexico.” Morain tracked down the man to ask why he would say that.

Pressers

None

Meetings

None

Announcements

This is the last day of the Los Angeles City Council‘s recess due to the National League of Cities’ conference in Washington, D.C.

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