ABC 10News wants you to start your day on the right foot with our updated microclimate weather forecasts, the latest news from overnight and this morning, and more to help get you out the door informed and ready to go.
Here's what you need to know in the Wednesday, May 14, 2025, edition of the 10News Wake Up Call newsletter.
TOP STORY:
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The 1989 shotgun murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez in Los Angeles gripped the nation.
The killings of the entertainment executive and his wife in their wealthy Beverly Hills neighborhood were brutal. Their son Lyle Menendez was the one who called 911, with the brothers initially claiming the killing was Mafia-related or connected to their father’s business dealings.
Lyle Menendez was attending Princeton University, and his younger brother Erik Menendez was a tennis star.
The brothers were later arrested, charged and convicted for their parents’ deaths.
The brothers have argued that they committed the crimes in self-defense after years of abuse by their father.
On Tuesday, the brothers were granted their first chance at freedom in decades. A Los Angeles judge reduced the brothers’ sentences from life in prison without parole to 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole.
Here’s what to know:
Why is the case famous?
Coming on the heels of the O.J. Simpson trial, the nation was hungry for true crime TV. The brothers’ first trial was one of the first to be almost entirely televised on Court TV. It spawned documentaries, television specials and dramatizations.
The Netflix drama “ Monsters: Lyle and Erik Menendez Story ” and the documentary “The Menendez Brothers,” released in the fall of 2024, have been credited for bringing new attention to the case.
What happened at resentencing?
The brothers’ lawyers turned to family members and those who knew the brothers since their conviction to speak to their character and rehabilitation in prison in front of Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic.
The Menendez family have supported the brothers and called for their release since their resentencing effort began last fall.
Prosecutors, who have opposed the brothers’ resentencing, did not call any witnesses. They’ve argued the brothers haven’t taken full responsibility for their crimes.
Erik and Lyle Menendez appeared virtually to read their statements to the court.
“You did not deserve what I did to you, but you inspire me to do better,” Erik Menendez said, addressing his family.
Jesic issued his decision immediately after the brothers spoke, granting them a new sentence of 50 years to life.
How soon could they go before the parole board?
The brothers are immediately eligible for parole under California’s youthful offender law because they committed the crime at ages 18 and 21, both under the age of 26.
Parole suitability hearings are conducted by a state board to determine if a person should be released. An inmate will be scheduled for their first hearing no later than six months following their eligibility date, according to board policy.
They already have a hearing before the board scheduled for June 13 in a clemency petition they’ve submitted to Gov. Gavin Newsom. It’s not yet clear if that will serve as their formal parole hearing or if a separate one will be scheduled.
Newsom ordered the state parole board to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment for him to determine their danger to the public if released.
Anne Bremner, a trial lawyer in Seattle, said the brothers will have some pressure on them to prepare for the parole board and impress upon them that they should be let out.
“My guess is the parole board has been watching this and of course they’ve done these risk assessments already,” she said. They know “who these two are, what their alleged crimes were and what they’ve done since the time that they were incarcerated until today.”
What happens if parole is denied or granted?
If they are denied at their first parole hearing, they will continue to receive subsequent hearings until they are granted release.
If parole is granted, Newsom could still move to override the board. If he lets the parole decision stand, the brothers would be released from prison.
What other avenues do they have for release?
In May 2023, the brothers’ attorneys also filed a petition for habeas corpus to the court, asking for a new trial in light of new evidence of their sexual abuse. LA prosecutors have filed a motion opposing that petition, but its status is unclear.
Story by Jaimie Ding, Associated Press
MICROCLIMATE FORECASTS:
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BREAKING OVERNIGHT:
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The talks have taken place in the warring capitals of Moscow and Kyiv, from Washington and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to countries across Europe. Now, all eyes are finally turning to Istanbul to seek an end to Russia's 3-year-old, full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed restarting direct peace talks Thursday with Ukraine in the Turkish city that straddles Asia and Europe. And President Volodymyr Zelenskyy challenged the Kremlin leader to meet in Turkey in person.
What will unfold remains unclear. The Kremlin has refused to confirm who's going to Turkey and whether it will include Putin. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Zelenskyy will only sit down with the Russian leader.
Zelenskyy said Tuesday that “if Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war."
Story by Dasha Litvinova, Associated Press
CONSUMER:
Mayor Todd Gloria on Wednesday is expected to release his final city budget proposal that, according to his office, includes “some funding reallocations in response to community and City Council feedback from last week’s Budget Review Committee hearings.”
With San Diego currently facing a $258 million budget deficit, the mayor’s initial proposal included increasing certain city fees, reducing hours for specific city services, and job cuts.
Per Gloria’s initial proposal, 393 city jobs -- of which 160 are currently filled -- would be eliminated. The Mayor’s Office said,” The vast majority of employees in those filled positions are eligible to be transferred to other positions within the organization.”
Additionally, all city libraries will be closed on Sundays and Mondays, and all recreation centers will see hours reduced from 60 hours per week to 40 hours per week.
The draft budget included a "rightsizing" of fees, such as doubled parking meter rates, increased parking citation penalties and increase of various fees for services across the city. Gloria is also relying on a new fee to collect solid waste, which will be decided in June by the City Council, and on an increase to the city's hotel tax.
That latter tax, Measure C, was approved by a simple majority of San Diego voters in 2020, but it needed two-thirds of the vote to pass. San Diego decided the two-thirds rule was unfair and has moved forward with the intent to collect the tax beginning May 1, but the issue remains tied up in court.
Gloria's budget includes net increases for both the San Diego Police Department and Fire-Rescue Department, $29.3 million for the former and $24 million for the latter.
Additionally, the budget includes a total investment in homelessness services of $105.3 million, with $71.1 million coming from the General Fund, $25.7 million from the state's Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention program, and $8.5 million in other grants.
Gloria proposed cutting 393 positions -- 160 of which are currently filled -- and transferring many of these employees to other departments. The draft budget proposes $175.9 million in reductions across all city departments.
City News Service contributed to this report.
WE FOLLOW THROUGH:
After months of reporting by ABC 10News, the City of San Diego's Public Utilities Department has implemented significant changes to address customer service issues and billing problems.
ABC 10News previously uncovered long wait times for water customers, but now the city says wait times have been cut down by 92 percent.
Reporter Ryan Hill details the major updates that were put into place and how they will benefit city customers.
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