LOS ANGELES _ As protests over police brutality and the death of George Floyd stretched into a sixth day, Los Angeles officials said Wednesday that they will look to cut $100 million to $150 million from the city's police budget as part of a broader effort to reinvest more dollars into the black community.
In all, Mayor Eric Garcetti pledged that the city would "identify $250 million in cuts so we can invest in jobs, in health, in education and in healing," especially in the city's black community "as well as communities of color and women and people who have been left behind."
Those cuts, he said, would be "to every department, including the Police Department, because we all have to be part of this solution together. We all have to step up and say, 'What can we sacrifice?' "
Eileen Decker, president of the Los Angeles Police Commission, said that effort includes identifying $100 million to $150 million in cuts from the Police Department _ something City Council President Nury Martinez and other council members had called for earlier in the day. The LAPD's total annual budget is $1.86 billion.
Garcetti also said the city will impose a moratorium on placing people in a statewide database for identifying and tracking gang members _ which reform advocates had lobbied for _ and will require officers to intervene when they see inappropriate use of force and report misconduct.
The mayor also said he would support the creation of a special prosecutor to review officer misconduct cases, another demand of activists.
The announcements came as demonstrators filled the streets outside City Hall and nearby Grand Park. Many chanted "Black lives matter" and "What's the problem? The whole damn system!" as LAPD helicopters orbited overhead.
News of Garcetti's announcement was met with mixed reaction among the demonstrators outside.
Carter Gregory, 26, said it was a good first step. "I think he's listening and needs to keep going," he said.
Al Calderon, 26, said more should be done at the top. "The D.A. should be held accountable for her lack of leadership and care for the people that we lost," he said of Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey,
Though Wednesday's demonstrations were peaceful affairs, more than 60 people now face criminal charges in Los Angeles County stemming from their alleged roles in the looting and violent clashes that marred protests this week, authorities announced.
Many of the charges filed against the 61 defendants are for alleged looting, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, but some people also face counts of burglary, robbery, identity theft, receiving stolen property, possession of a destructive device and assault and/or battery upon a peace officer.
"I support the peaceful organized protests that already have brought needed attention to racial inequality throughout our society, including in the criminal justice system," Lacey said in a statement. "I also have a constitutional and ethical duty to protect the public and prosecute people who loot and vandalize our community."
Los Angeles County also extended its sweeping curfew for a fourth day.
County officials opted to begin the curfew at 9 p.m., three hours later than previous nights, although Sheriff Alex Villanueva said his deputies would not begin enforcement until 10 p.m. _ meaning that residents in areas patrolled by sheriff's deputies could be outside until then.
In all areas, however, the curfew ends at 5 a.m. Thursday, and does not apply to law enforcement, first responders, people traveling to and from work and unsheltered individuals.
Villanueva said early Wednesday that officials were assessing whether to continue the curfew for another day, noting "big improvements from previous days" related to the protests.
County Supervisor Janice Hahn disagreed with extending the curfew. She said curfews may have been warranted on Sunday and Monday nights, but "now it seems like they are being used to arrest peaceful protesters."
"I don't think they are needed anymore," she wrote on Twitter.
Garcetti said that, "barring a bad night" Wednesday, the overnight curfew will be lifted in the city Thursday.
On Wednesday, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Torrance and Culver City extended curfews in their cities for another day.
The countywide curfew has sparked widespread criticism from protesters who see the action as an attempt to quell criticism of law enforcement. On Tuesday, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger requesting that she rescind or restrict the curfew order.
ACLU senior counsel Ahilan Arulanantham wrote in the letter that the U.S. Constitution does not permit the county to order such a sweeping restriction on free speech and travel to address "a few localized attacks on property."
"We recognize that in the last few days some individuals have damaged and stolen property in areas where many others have engaged in peaceful protests, but that unlawful conduct cannot justify a state of emergency in the entire county that effectively places over 10 million people under house arrest for 12 hours every evening and morning," Arulanantham wrote.
L.A. County wasn't alone. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said a curfew would probably remain in effect in the capital through Sunday.
"We're keeping it for a few days longer just to keep the community, including the protesters, safe," he said. "If we continue to see peaceful demonstrations then we can start fresh next week."
More than 100 protesters gathered in front of Anaheim City Hall on Wednesday morning for what was billed as a peaceful sit-in to honor Floyd.
Shortly before 11 a.m., the group laid down silently on the steps of the civic center for eight minutes to memorialize the amount of time the officer had his knee on Floyd's neck.
In Los Angeles County, more than a thousand peaceful protesters filled the streets outside Los Angeles City Hall early Wednesday evening, while earlier in the day, more than a thousand protesters, many holding signs reading "Black Lives Matter," converged on the intersection of La Cienega and Santa Monica boulevards in West Hollywood.
Cars driving by honked in support as protesters chanted Floyd's name. Eventually, the crowd made its way into the street and knelt down, blocking traffic and chanting "I can't breathe."
Nick Atkinson repeatedly yelled at sheriff's deputies about how they should be wearing masks and taking a knee and should be held accountable for their actions.
He said he has lived in Los Angeles for 20 years and wants to make it clear that killing black men and women is wrong.
"Where are your masks? Why aren't you wearing your masks? You're all paid to serve and protect us," he yelled.
As marchers made their way through Hollywood, the protest took on a festive atmosphere with many people exchanging hugs or handing out water, masks and hand sanitizer.
In Orange County, several hundred people had gathered along MacArthur Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach by 1 p.m. for the first of several planned demonstrations in the city.
Simran Gaglani, 23, of Irvine was among the crowd that gathered near Fashion Island to decry the death of Floyd and denounce police brutality against people of color. Despite Orange County's history as a haven for conservative politics in California and its embrace of law-and-order politicians, Gaglani said the demonstration highlighted what she believes is a progressive shift in the region's political trajectory.
"It's a new generation," Gaglani said.
Fashion Island's entrances on Wednesday were blocked with plastic barricades. Security guards stood sentry behind them. A line of Newport Beach police officers watched as protesters marched up and down the sidewalks of Pacific Coast Highway.
Two counterprotesters, waving American flags and a "Thin Blue Line" banner, were surrounded by demonstrators chanting, "Black lives matter."
For Gale Oliver Jr., a pastor at the Greater Light Family Church in Santa Ana, a protest against racism and police brutality in one of Orange County's wealthiest enclaves was a sign of the times.
"It's a blessing that this is going on in Newport Beach," Oliver, who is black, said. "I mean, this is going on in Newport Beach? I guess America is finally listening."
Oliver said pastors in Santa Ana began meeting regularly with Orange County law enforcement officials about five years ago in hopes of ending "policing from the point of view that they're under attack." He said he's seen progress, but more needs to be done.
"Two men have said, 'I can't breathe.' One said it eight times, one said it 11 times," Oliver said, referring to the deaths of Floyd and Eric Garner. " 'I can't breathe' _ what that really means is there's things that will suffocate you. Racism will suffocate you. Hate will suffocate you."
While the protests in Newport were calm, a television camera captured a scary scene on Balboa Boulevard when a vehicle zipped through a crowd of demonstrators _ colliding with a bicyclist.
No one was injured and the driver stopped and is cooperating with the investigation, Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman Heather Rangel said. This doesn't appear to have been a deliberate action, she added.
