Jill Leovy's LAT homicide blog now takes note of 99 killings across Los Angeles county so far this year, about three a day. That's lower than last year's daily average, but the fact is that homicide spikes in the summer months. So there's still plenty of time for the rate to catch up, though here's hoping it doesn't. Meanwhile, LAPD chief William Bratton released new stats today showing that murders are down 25% in the city of Los Angeles on a year-to-date comparison. A starker way to look at it: there have been 38 murders and 66 reported rapes in the city already this year, plus 1,379 aggravated assaults, 1,570 robberies and 2,734 vehicle thefts. All are better than last year, at least by the LAPD's stats.