News

Seeing a rise in influenza cases and outbreaks in Los Angeles County, the Department of Public Health is asking residents to heed caution. “During this summer, the recommendations for avoiding illness are the same as during the fall or winter months: wash your hands, cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze, and stay home if you are sick,” said Jonathan E. Fielding, Director of Public Health and Health Officer, in a statement. more ›

Thomas J. Barrack Jr. has lived near Neverland Ranch for decades and recently came into ownership of the property, via his private-equity firm, when Jackson defaulted on a loan. Although Jackson partially still had a stake in the land, he moved to a large Holmby Hills estate where he died last week. Now there is a chance a public viewing of Jackson later this week will occur at the ranch in Santa Barbara County, which has officials worried about traffic anywhere Jackson's body is taken. If that happens, the quiet countryside of Santa Ynez Valley could temporarily quintuple (or more!) it's population in a matter of hours, prompting Barrack to write a very poetic open letter to the community (posted below). Also under consideration for a ceremony is the Staples Center, says the LA Times. more ›

Unless Sunset Junction Festival organizers address local resident concerns and businesses, the festival is unlikely to be permitted by the city. So far, the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council, who represents the area at a grassroots neighborhood level, has voted against the festival in its entirety. For their meeting tomorrow, the agenda (.pdf) lists has a motion for consideration that seeks to alleviate some of those concerns: more ›

There hasn't been much rain these days, but that's not stopping the city from trying to maximize the usefulness of rain when it comes. A new rain water harvesting pilot project will start in Mar Vista and a nearby neighborhood in mid July, thanks to a $1 million grant. Gray water, as it's called, is one part of greening ones property and is often used for water gardens and lawns. The project's goal is to enlist 600 properties--whether they be residential or commercial--to take part in the program. Those who take part might receive a free rain barrel (usually costs $200) or have experts re-route gutter downspouts off impermeable surfaces like sidewalks and onto permeable ones like gardens. All the details are not set yet, but more are to come in next month. more ›

Margaret Prescod, a KPFK radio host and founder of the Black Coalition Fighting Back Serial Murders, announced a new campaign last week to inform the community about the notorious Grim Sleeper, who has alluded police for over 20 years, killing at least 11 since 1985 and most recently in 2007. The Stop the Serial Murders Community Information Campaign will flyer the community with information about the murders in hopes that someone knows something or at least connects the dots and contacts police. "People don't know much about the murders," Prescod told the LA Weekly. "These murders have not been a priority of [Police Chief William] Bratton, the mayor and most of the media." Making it harder to spread the word, this campaign was announced as Michael Jackson's death took the world by storm. Christine Pelisek, who broke the serial killer's story, faithfully attended the press conference. more ›

On Saturday night, Councilman Tom LaBonge showed off prototype neighborhood sign for the maybe-future Little Italy neighborhood in the downtown area. "The borders of what would make up a Little Italy would certainly take debate," noted Ed Fuentes of blogdowntown. "The Italian community in Los Angeles was originally centered in land that is today occupied by Chinatown." Last weekend's 1st Annual Taste of Italy was held at Italian Hall where in 2010, a museum is slated to open with exhibits intended to educate the public about Italian-American Angelenos. more ›

CNN is reporting that Michael Jackson's body will be transported to Neverland Ranch on Thursday for a public viewing on Friday and a private memorial service on Sunday. However, the LA Times says things are not exactly confirmed: "A source knowledgeable about Neverland affairs said that no decision had been made. 'Nothing has been confirmed,' the source told The Times. 'The family is still trying to work it out.'" Jackson's will has been found and a service is scheduled for next week in Gary, Indiana, where he might be buried, is in the works, says CNN. more ›

When Casey Schreiner graduated from Boston University, the Connecticut native moved to Los Angeles, like many, with a dream of landing an entertainment industry job. "I flew out here with a duffel bag and an air mattress, hoping to land some sort of writing job," he explained. And a job he got--a fun one, too. The 28-year-old West Hollywood resident (just moved from the Miracle Mile) has been writing for G4’s “Attack of the Show” since its beginning days. "It’s a great place to get my hands the latest gadgets, technology, and web sites--and has been a good outlet for all of the jokes about Mac OS X and Star Trek fan-fic that I can’t make in mixed company." more ›

After years of lawsuits against the Bush Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency today granted California the permission it wanted to impose strict emissions regulations on cars sold in the state. By 2016, fuel economy in cars and trucks sold in the state will need to have an average of 35.5 miles per gallon, a reduction of 40%. more ›

Now in its third drought year, Southern California could be facing another if a developing El Nino off the coast of South America comes August with not much force. "El Nino is El Wimpo," said Bill Patzert, climatologist for the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge to the Daily News. "He's late. He's stunted. He's definitely not the great wet hope." For the last year, downtown LA has received 9.08 inches of rain, six inches below normal. Not good, but better than the 3.21 inches it saw the year previous. Because of that many cities have enacted water rationing ordinances. And this year could be no different as some climatologists are predicting another dry winter. more ›

Superintendent Ramon Cortines is going apeshit over photos of Sacha Baron Cohen with Lake Balboa high school football players published as part of a GQ magazine cover story. Cohen's salacious poses with the stars of Birmingham High's football team appear in the middle of this GQ fashion spread. more ›

With the new fiscal year looming on Wednesday and Democrats refusing to cut programs in their entirety, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday presented his budget Plan B. In it, he backed off from eliminating "welfare assistance, health care for poor children, and financial aid for college students," according to John Myers of KQED. more ›

LA Dodgers defeat Colorado Rockies 4-2 (13 innings). The game just wouldn't end. All of the scoring in regulation came in the fifth with each team scoring twice. While both teams had their chances in the tenth inning to put it away, the lack of fundamental offensive baseball kept the game tied. Finally in the 13th inning with Casey Blake on board with a single, who else would knock the walk off homer other than Andre Ethier. To be honest Ethier's at bat looked horrendous until he popped that change up out to right field. So the Dodgers manage to avoid losing three consecutive games, the only team in baseball to do so. Also Randy Wolf gets his 11th no-decision of the season. The offensive star of the game was Juan Pierre who went 3-for-5 with a walk, three stolen bases and NO runs. Like I said, the Dodgers have not been playing fundamental baesball. more ›

• The military shell uncovered today at Cabrillo Marina was determined to be "not explosive" and Port of LA operations were not affected.
• Some photographs of Michael Jackson's last rehearsal at Staples Center for his London tour taken the night before he died have been released by the concert promoter. They may opt to release the video footage gathered to market to fans interested in seeing the King of Pop's last performances.
• Fans of taking it all off on the beach at San Onofre will find that authorities are cracking down on their bare bottoms: No more nudity!

The two anonymous bloggers at the popular vegan blog, Quarrygirl, went all out and published a large investigative report today, finding that a handful of vegan restaurants, mostly Thai in nature, are in fact not vegan. more ›

The Valleys will once again get the short end of the stick. The agency responsible for monitoring air quality in the Los Angeles region announced that tomorrow’s air quality will be unhealthy for sensitive individuals such as those who have heart disease, asthma or other respiratory disease. People with such conditions living or working in the Santa Clarita Valley, Pomona Valley, East San Gabriel Valley and West San Fernando Valley should minimize outdoor activities, says the South Coast Air Quality Management District and echoed by the LA County Department of Public Health, which also warned of today's and tomorrow's high heat. more ›

Twice a year, Metro makes a slew of changes to their schedules and transit routes in an effort to improve service and efficiency. Sunday was one of those days. Usually, there is something new and flashy to show off like a new Rapid bus route, but this summer there's no such thing. In fact, one Rapid line was discontinued in the Valley and another lost its weekend service in South LA. more ›

Earlier this year, Tustin's Dan Choi, a lieutenant in the Army National Guard, shared during a television interview that he is homosexual, which put him in violation of the military's Clinton-era "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gay servicemen and women's need to keep their sexuality a secret. more ›

Pulitzer Prize winner and 18-year LA Times veteran Drex Heikes will join LA Weekly as their Editor later this summer. Most recently, Heikes was at the Las Vegas Sun where he was honored with the Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for Public Service for an investigation he assigned and edited. While at the LA Times, he served as editor of the Sunday magazine and as foreign affairs editor in the paper's Washington bureau. He will take the Weekly's reigns on August 17th. Earlier this month, Editor Laurie Ochoa parted ways with the paper. more ›

This weekend's Fourth of July holiday and the many celebrations taking place all over Los Angeles means that it's time to remind the non-professional pyrotech-ies that fireworks are, in fact, not only illegal, but also dangerous. The Daily News quotes County Fire Captain Mike Brown, who says: "The use of fireworks not only can cause fires, but can result in severe injuries and burns if not used properly." more ›

Last week Long Beach did something that, by all appearances, no other city has ever done: they painted sharrows--a common practice to educate motorists that bicyclists get to legally share the road--with a five-foot green lane--a new and inventive way to grab everyone's attention and help cyclists stay out of the door zone. more ›

The hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries that cropped up all over town in the past few years are now facing uncertain futures, as City officials mull the next step in the process to close them down, reports the LA Times. They are working on a short list of pot shops "targeted for extinction by a City Council chagrined that it allowed hundreds to open in Los Angeles despite a 21-month-old moratorium." more ›

Typical for the Los Angeles area, beaches are experiencing upper 60s to mid 70s while more inland, highs will reach the mid 80s, according to the National Weather Service. In the Hollywood Hills and Valley, expect the 90s. However, the LA County Public Health Office today released a warning for the Santa Clarita Valley: "High temperatures are forecasted for today and tomorrow in the Santa Clarita Valley, with the heat index forecast to reach 104 degrees today and 101 degrees tomorrow.... 'While people don’t need to be told it’s hot outside, they do need to be reminded how to take care of themselves, children, the elderly, and their pets when the weather gets hotter,' said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer.'" more ›

One frequent question that lingered on many people's mind following the sudden death of Michael Jackson last Thursday was the fate of his three children, Prince Michael (12), Paris Michael Katherine Jackson (11), and Prince Michael II aka "Blanket," (7). This morning a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted temporary guardianship of the Jackson children to Michael's mother Katherine, 79, reports LA Now. Mrs. Jackson filed the papers this morning, and a hearing is scheduled for July 6th. The two older children were borne to Jackson by his then-wife Debbie Rowe, but "attorneys for Katherine Jackson said in court papers that [she] does not have a relationship with them and that if she won custody, it would be 'detrimental' to the minors." The youngest child was born via surrogate, who could, in fact, claim custody, as could Rowe. "Some legal experts believe the [...] Rowe is most likely to receive final custody of the two elder children." more ›

In a move that some feel is risky, Prop 8 will be tested in Federal Court Thursday when it will go before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker in the Northern District of California, according to Karen Ocamb at The Bilerico Project. more ›

Sex in jail is illegal, but if it's going to happen, it had better be safe. At least that's the wisdom behind the eight-year-old program that "makes condoms available once a week to 300 inmates within the segregated unit" at the Men's Central Jail in Downtown Los Angeles, explains the Daily News. more ›

The city is looking into installing new parking meters that could potentially bring in $1 million in additional revenue to help fill the budget gap, but officials say they don’t have enough resources to do so. LADOT told councilmembers at last week’s Transit meeting the plan would not make any money in its first year because the meters would cost $1 million to install. Additionally, officials said the department is already 18 percent understaffed in maintenance technicians, making it harder to collect money and fix existing meters. more ›

Finally, Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 year this morning, reports Gothamist: "In the courtroom, Madoff told [U.S. District Judge Denny] Chin, federal prosecutors and his victims that he thought he could "work his way out" of fraud and that he lives in a "tormented state." He added that he lied to his brother and sons and that his wife Ruth Madoff cries herself to sleep each night. However, Madoff did not turn around to address his victims." Still he did hear from some of his victims. Donald Ambrosino, a retired NYC corrections officer who lost his life savings thanks to Madoff: "How could someone do this to us? We worked honestly and so hard. This can't be real. We did nothing wrong." Another: "I have lost all of my life’s hard-earned savings. I have lost the home my husband and I had owned for 25 years because of this theft. I have lost the ability to care for myself in this old age." more ›

In a late Sunday night Session, the state's Assembly passed a budget with $2 billion in tax and fee increases that included a $15 annual vehicle registration fee that would pay for state parks, among other taxes and fees like a $1.50 tax on cigarettes. The Democratic budget solution is headed to the state Senate for consideration this morning. more ›

• After missing the first time, California lawmakers will get back to closing the deficit. Doesnt help that when they turned to Washington for assistance, they were told to deal with it themselves. Yeah wake us when that happens...
• Police are on the search for a suspect in a Santa Ana shooting. A 35 year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene with a gunshot to the upper body. The shooting is not believed to be gang-related.
• State budget cuts could force a third of the agents in the Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement to be lost. The state Attorney General bemoans the loss but the Senate Budget Committee says they have no other choice.

The Dodgers continue to be mired in their offensive slump for the second consecutive day and lose the rubber game of their series against the Seattle Mariners 4-2. It was the final game of their interleague schedule where they went 9-9, their first non-losing interleague record since 2004 when they went 10-8. more ›

Following the release of the body of the late icon Michael Jackson from the Los Angeles County Coroner's office, his family ordered a second autopsy which was completed by a private pathologist yesterday afternoon here in Los Angeles, reports LA Now. Although the County coroner had ruled there was no foul play or evidence of "exterior trauma," the full report remains incomplete as they await toxicology tests that will take weeks to process. more ›

Known for his exuberant television pitches for household products like OxiClean and Orange Glow, Billy Mays, 50, has died, according to the LA Times. Police in his home city of Tampa say Mays "was pronounced dead this morning after being found by his wife at home. There were no signs of a break-in, and investigators do not suspect foul play. The coroner's office expects to have an autopsy done by Monday afternoon." The Pennsylvania-born pitchman provided his high-energy endorsement to dozens of products over the years on television after a successful career as a salesman on the boardwalk in Atlantic City, then traveling to places like state fairs and auto shows. Mays' wife Deborah is not expected to make any public comment, and has asked for privacy following the sudden death of her husband. more ›

Actress Farrah Fawcett, who died Thursday morning after a lengthy battle with cancer, will be honored and mourned in a private funeral service on Tuesday, according to the Huffington Post. The Catholic service is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Downtown. more ›

The Dodgers could not figure out Mariners starter Felix Hernandez going down 5-1. more ›

• Rev. Jesse Jackson said in a press conference today that the family of Michael Jackson would like to have a second autopsy performed on the body of the late pop icon.
• What was probably a natural gas leak caused a small explosion (and caused damage and a headache) in a Canoga Park apartment last night.
• LA County Sheriff Lee Baca said if his budget gets cut, he'll shut down one of his five jails in response.

Leave it to Sacha Baron Cohen to stir things up. The comic entertainer and his upcoming new feature film Bruno is the subject of a few raised eyebrows at the Los Angeles Unified School District when they realized he'd posed for pictures at the Valley's Birmingham High, according to KCOP. In the publicity photos, Cohen is reportedly "wearing not much more than a paper cup as a jockstrap and pretending to sexually abuse a prone football player." more ›

Occidental College, the private liberal arts school with its campus on the hills above Eagle Rock, is experiencing a marvelous surge in enrollment for the upcoming school year, reports the LA Times. They are "expected to enroll a freshman class of about 560 this fall -- up 100 students, or 21% -- from last year," and this has many wondering if the campus' popularity is because President Barack Obama began his post-secondary journey there in 1979. more ›

It's been less than 48 hours since news of Michael Jackson's death at the age of 50 broke, and the fan tributes from his many local fans continue to pour in at significant locations around Los Angeles, including the Jackson family home in Encino and Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The tributes include flowers, candles, notes, and mementos, and already commemorative T-Shirts are up for sale from enterprising capitalists. A woman showed off her brand new Michael Jackson tattoo (on her, err, rear end) for a photog--one of the few who have added their images of the fan tributes to our LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr.
more ›

Following the autopsy conducted amid massive media buzz yesterday, the LA County Coroner's office has turned the body of Michael Jackson to his family, who are working to finalize plans for the star's funeral, according to LA Now. "Los Angeles Police Department sources said officials have been talking to the Jackson family about plans for a memorial, which is likely to take place in the L.A. area. The LAPD is involved in the planning because it's likely to be mobbed by fans." The coroner has yet to determine and official cause of death, but were able to conclude and announce yesterday that there was no evidence of foul play or "exterior trauma." Toxicology reports will take several weeks; Jackson's body is currently being held at an undisclosed mortuary. more ›

In light of Michael Jackson's death, a small and recently closed exhibit featuring some of the pop star's wardrobe selections made a return yesterday at the Grammy Museum in downtown LA. Fans, the media and even one impersonator flocked the museum Friday, increasing the usual attendance and drawing more interest for the weekend when even larger crowds are expected. Michael Jackson: HIStyle features the suit worn on the Thriller album cover, two gloves and more. In the same rotunda, an original Grammy documentary repeats throughout the day. more ›

Four Los Angeles eateries received awards tonight at Dwell on Design honoring excellence in their design. The 4th annual 2009 Restaurant Design Awards presented by American Institute of Architects Los Angeles (AIA/LA) presented Bottega Louie and Chaya Downtown with top category jury prizes and The Conga Room with the lounge/nightclub award. The Lab Gastropub on USC's campus garnered the People's Choice award in the cafe/bar category. more ›

• As the shock and disbelief of Michael Jackson's passing turns to loss and sadness, many people including celebrities expressed their feelings. Some even turned to the internet...
• LA City and union officials have agreed "in concept" to a deal that could save LA around $500 million over two years. The plan has yet to be agreed to by the 22,000 city workers that are represented by the union.
• Former Dominguez High boys' basketball coach Russell Otis was ordered to stand trial on charges that he tried to molest a former player and stole a $15,000 check that was to be used to fund the team.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget-saving threat to close 80% of state parks for two years has the federal government raising a red flag. Numerous parks, including a handful local to Los Angeles, are under stipulations to stay open to the public because the land was fully or partially federally funded or transferred to the state from federal ownership. more ›

The LA County Coroner's office today announced the completion of Michael Jackson's autopsy, but a cause of death could not be determined until more tests are done. Toxicology and other tests could take four to six weeks, they said. more ›

Dwell on Design officially started today with design, architecture and other industry folks visiting the convention center today. Come tomorrow and Sunday the public will be attending the large event full of booths, speaking events (read LAist's picks here) and a great mobile food event tomorrow evening at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. more ›

On Monday, crews will begin construction on the LA River bike path, extending it further south towards downtown. The 2.5 mile stretch will go from Fletcher Drive to Barclay Street over an asphalt easement previously owned by the Army Corps of Engineers. The current path, running from the northern end of Griffith Park to Fletcher Drive is about 4.25 miles. The project is expected to take 6 to 7 months based on preliminary reports. more ›

As of yesterday, the State Senate had not moved on items except denying a budget package of three bills passed by the Assembly (before a bill can go to Schwarzenegger, it must pass both houses). That package would temporarily halt the use of IOUs in lieu of bill payments from the state. In regards to the threat of state parks, no action has been taken yet. The Democrats proposal goes like this: AB 180, the big budget revision bill (remember, the budget was already passed earlier this year), contains a one year cut of state parks (Schwarzenegger called for two years). Once that passes, effectively eliminating state parks, then another bill would be introduced to save state parks via a $15 annual fee on vehicle registrations. That's a risky move considering Schwarzenegger and Republicans vow to veto any taxes or fee increases. The Senate reconvened at 12:30 today and the Assembly will on Saturday. more ›

TMZ got their hands on the audio from the 911 call yesterday from Michael Jackson's rental home in Holmby Hills. They never identify the 50-year-old man who is not breathing as Jackson, but do say that a doctor is there present with him: more ›

A new nutritional information and menu labeling law will take effect next Wednesday, forcing many restaurants in the state to provide facts about the food they serve. Split into two phases, the first one next week states that restaurants with 20 or more locations in California must provide brochures at the point of purchase with number of calories, grams of saturated fat, grams of carbohydrates and milligrams of sodium for all standard menu items. more ›

On Wednesday night, this is what Ed McMahon's Hollywood Walk of Fame star looked like just outside of the Roosevelt Hotel. There were no flowers or no notes, just newspaper stuck to the sidewalk with some black paint or tar over his name. Accident? Vandalism? Probably the latter--there are some crazy and mean spirited people out there. Luckily, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce cleaned it up that night and things are back to normal. Blogger TaraMetBlog also saw the star in ruin, noting her shock and dismay.
more ›

Overshadowed by Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcet's death yesterday, a shout out to Sky Saxon is also deserved. He was the co-founder of the local garage band, The Seeds, and made the Top 40 Charts with “Can’t Seem To Make You Mine” and “Pushin’ Too Hard” in 1967. The band broke up in 1970 and Saxon recently moved to Austin where he was publishing music DIY style and playing with his new band Shapes Have Fangs. He was in his 60s and no details have come to light about his death other that he was recently sick, but only briefly. RIP, Sly Saxon. Videos of the two hits are embedded below. more ›

As promised by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, after equipment from the last night's Bruno premiere was moved, flowers would be placed on Michael Jackson's star in front of the Chinese Grauman's Theatre. Crowds are beginning to now gather there after spending yesterday at the star of radio personality Michael Jackson. more ›

After one death and a shooting this week, some fans are wondering what happened to their sweet Orange County Disneyfied Angels baseball experience. The LA Times takes a look, finding some interesting comments made on the internet: "In a ballpark that once had a no-alcohol section for families and won over youngsters with Disney promotions, fans have taken notice, erupting on message boards and on Twitter. Several threatened to stop going to games. 'Not willing to risk family safety because of gangbangers & thugs in SF, LA Dodgers, and now Anaheim Angels,' one fan wrote. Many took shots at the 'Los Angeles' in the Angels name. 'When did Angel Stadium turn into Dodger Stadium?' one person asked. 'Guess it really HAS turned into an LA team,' another wrote." more ›

For the second time this year, a California man has died at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Claude Finney, 48, jumped into the water to swim without a personal safety device, according to National Park Service officials, who say he was treading water for about a minute before he began to call for help. Friends tried to throw him life-rings, but he disappeared below water before they reached him. Search and Rescue teams have yet to find his body and are presuming this is a drowning. "The heat and the boat's motion can take a lot out of you. You just don't realize it until its too late. You jump in the water to cool off and fatigue hits you from no where and you can't keep yourself afloat." said Andrew Muñoz spokesman for Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Over Memorial Day weekend, a man from El Monte drowned when he jumped into the water without any safety floatation devices. more ›

• Up in the capitol, legislators are trying to fix the state's $24 billion budget deficit. After another day on both house floors, the Assembly unanimously voted for three bills that would cut school spending and delay payments to schools and local governments in order to allow the state to pay its bills instead of giving IOUs. It was a short term solution intended to give "the state time while legislators and Schwarzenegger negotiated on a comprehensive solution." Schwarzenegger vowed to veto. In any case, the Senate failed to pass any bills.
• Who's going to Dwell on Design this weekend? It's a great event, blogdowntown previews.
• Top Chef's Stefan Richter is now the co-owner of LA Farm, which will close its doors tomorrow for renovations and preparations for Stefan's at L.A Farm in Santa Monica.

We mentioned this in an earlier post, but are breaking it out because of e-mails and questions thrown at us. In Hollywood, fans have gathered around the star of the other Michael Jackson, a radio personality, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1541 Vine. St. more ›

The Jackson family attorney, Brian Oxman, stepped outside UCLA Medical Center and spoke with KCAL9 for a live interview. "The family is just very sad. They are together, they are not saying anything, they aren't doing anythig, they are simply hugging one another," he said of the scene inside the hospital. "The music of Michael Jackson has been echoing off the walls here at UCLA; it has been one of the most surreal experienes of my life... The fans here are so extraordinaire. They love this man, I love this man, he was my friend." Oxman said he saw and hugged both Randy and Jermaine Jackson, who were both speechless. more ›

"It doesn't feel like we're waiting for a press conference, it feels like we're waiting for a rock concert," an on scene KCAL9 reporter described as crowds gathered outside UCLA Medical Center. more ›

Michael Jackson, reportedly suffering from a heart attack, was rushed to a local hospital from his Holmby Hills rental estate during the twelve noon hour today. When paramedics arrived around 12:26 p.m., the 50-year-old pop star was not breathing, reported the LA Times. "The call came in because a person was not breathing," said an LAFD official. "When the team arrived, they saw that CPR was already in progress by someone at the home. The person not breathing was transported to UCLA Medical Center and remains there." He was taken to UCLA Medical Center just a few minutes away from the home. more ›

LA Weekly is tracking every murder within Los Angeles city limits and yesterday in Pacoima, the 137th for 2009 occurred. Yesterday, "30-year-old Gerardo Cruz was standing out in front of his girlfriend's house with her brother drinking beer when three alleged gang members jumped out of their blue compact car and 'shot up the place.'" Although gang related, police said Cruz was not affiliated with any gangs. This was the fourth homicide in the LAPD's Foothill Division this month. Citywide, homicides are significantly down--around 32%--compared to last year. more ›

"If Bernie Madoff had committed his crime in California under the proposed statute, his … scam which has destroyed countless lives and fortunes, would have been a misdemeanor," wrote LA District Attorney Steve Cooley in a letter to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger obtained by the LA Times today. In trying to fix the $24 billion state budget deficit, Schwarzenegger proposed changing state sentencing guidelines so that some felonies would be prosecuted as misdemeanors. The theory behind that idea is saving $1 billion over three years since 23,000 criminals would be ousted from state prisons and into local ones and re-entry programs. more ›

Who knew our little freeway that could was the largest and most stimulated project in all of the state. Ripped from a White House press release about California meeting Recovery Act goals ahead of schedule: "As of today, California’s largest ARRA-funded project is the I-405 in Los Angeles County that will be widened and include several interchange upgrades along a 10-mile stretch of HOV lanes. This project is located in an economically distressed area and relies on $190 million in ARRA funding to go toward the total cost of $739 million for the project." The only 10-mile 405 freeway HOV widening project listed on Metro's website is located in the "economically distressed" areas between the 10 Freeway and Ventura Blvd... you know, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Brentwood, Westwood Village, etc. Still, once completed, it should be happier days for many. more ›

Nothing really happened yesterday in the capitol other than the Democratic plan to fix the budget went nowhere (for those following the possible closure of most all state parks, this means more time to advocate). Now Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg is vowing to work everyday to pass the budget by July 1st. If that date is not met, the state will begin sending IOUs instead of payments to bills. Here's to another day of being $24 billion in the red. more ›

Charlie's Angels darling, Farrah Fawcett, died this morning at 9:28 a.m. at St. John’s Heath Center in Santa Monica where she had returned "for treatment of complications from anal cancer, first diagnosed three years ago," according to People Magazine. She was 62 years old. Her spokesperson is saying the cause of death is the cancer. Ryan O'Neal and Alana Stewart were at her bedside as she passed away, reported TMZ. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, she had become pop culture figure and sex symbol after her role on Charlie's Angels when it began airing in 1976. You will be sorely missed, Farrah Fawcett, sorely missed. RIP. more ›

Now that the U.S. is picking up steam in the soccer world (especially since a UCLA alumnus is the captain), this city might be getting a little more soccer crazy. Blogger, New York City transplant and soccer fan Max Lance is putting together a map of good places to catch a soccer game and is still updating it, looking for your suggestions. He's looking for places that will show soccer games with the sound on and the above map shows the places that do just that (have more? add them in the comments section below). more ›

After being no-shows at last week’s Transportation Committee meeting, LAPD appeared before councilmembers and cyclists yesterday, only to be met by harsh criticism for their “distinct bias towards bicyclists” and their response to a hit-and-run accident in late April in which a Hummer sideswiped a rider in downtown L.A. At the meeting, cyclists were “deeply disappointed” and scoffed at the conflicting details police gave regarding the incident. more ›

There have been some questions recently about all the helicopter activity in the Echo Park area. The Eastsider LA was trying to figure it out (and eventually did!) and even the LAPD's one media relations officer had no clue despite the information being published last week on their blog. The urban training missions began June 15 and will continue through Saturday. "The operations will be routine training exercises conducted by military personnel, designed to ensure the military’s ability to operate in urban environments, prepare forces for upcoming overseas deployments and meet mandatory training certification requirements," the LAPD wrote. "Training sites have been carefully selected so that activities do not interfere with the daily routines of the local populace." more ›

More details are coming out from last night's shooting at the Angels-Colorado game. An off-duty officer from the Anaheim Police apparently shot two men after an altercation. One was shot in the head and the other in the chest. All three were sent to the hospital and the officer has been the only person released so far. TV news reports suggest that the officer identified himself as the two men were allegedly breaking into a car. When he approached, they attacked him and he used the gun in self defense. One witness who claimed she was one of the victim's sister-in-law told KTLA that the officer began the fight with the two men, one of whom is a marine. more ›

After nearly 60 years of U.S. soccer history, the famous shot heard round the world from the 1950 World Cup in Brazil now has company. Former UCLA standout Carlos Bocanegra captained a U.S. Men's National Team that on Wednesday evening (South Africa time), defeated the number #1 ranked Spanish team by a score of 2 - 0. The victory earned the U.S. team its first ever finals berth in a FIFA sanctioned competition and also ended the impressive 35 game undefeated streak the Furia Roja had amassed over the last couple of years, which included last year's prestigious European Championship. more ›

Chicago White Sox defeat LA Dodgers 10-7. Just as I write about how the Dodgers pitching has kept them on top, they decide to go into the tank. Dodger pitching gave up six homers to the White Sox: three off of starter Randy Wolf; two off of Cory Wade and one off of James McDonald. It's the most home runs given up by the Dodgers in eight years. But the Dodgers would fight back after being down 10-3 after six innings. The would score a run in the seventh and three in the eighth. Even though the seven-run deficit was too much to overcome, their fight is something that will help them out in the long run. more ›

According to CBS2/KCAL9, two people were reported shot at Angels Stadium. The Anaheim Fire Department said a call of two people shot in the parking lot at Angels Stadium came in at 10:26 pm. Anaheim police are confirming reports of an assault but nothing else. According to ABC7 it was an officer-involved shooting. No officers were injured. more ›

• A nine year-old girl was pulled from a Northridge swimming pool and airlifted to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles in serious condition. She had a medical emergency of some kind in the middle of the pool and was submerged for an extended period of time.
• A "nationally recognized" anti-gang leader was among those arrested in a MS-13 gang sweep. Among the charges are racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder while supposedly running a non-profit group.
• Another budget fix was rejected... so prepare for some IOUs.

The circus is coming to Orange County soon, but not before a show of a whole other kind hits town, which is due to take place midday tomorrow in the heart of Anaheim. The show is actually a protest organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) who will express their displeasure about what they believe is the unethical treatment of circus animals by "having one of its members, 32-year-old Melissa Sehgal, pushed through downtown Anaheim in a cage, nearly nude except for tiger-stripe body paint," according to the OC Register. more ›

Martin J. Gomez was confirmed today as the new City Librarian, charging him with the duty to oversee a $129 million budget, 6 million books and 1,100 employees throughout the 71 branches. The UCLA grad started his 30-year career as branch librarian in San Diego, moving on to head up Oakland's system, then to work in Brooklyn and most recently San Mateo. more ›

We're number one! But if you're gearing up to start cheering, don't hold your breath. In fact, you might want to reconsider breathing in at all. Why? Because according to the Environmental Protection Agency, we have the most toxic air in the country, reports cbs2. more ›

The location of the first See's Candy shop located at Western and 1st Street (see it in Street View), was designated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument by City Council today. The 1921-built structure has character-defining features of Italian Renaissance Revival architecture, according to city documents, which continue to say "the See family developed their distinctive store design and aesthetic: white colored storefronts and interiors, black-on-white lettering and font, black and white tiled foor, as well as their advertising slogans." The shop isn't there any more, but since it was used as the prototype for all future shops and has surviving character-defining features, it was eligible for the local designation. more ›

Both legislative houses met today to vote on the a budget revision aiming to fix a $24 billion deficit with no success. Out of 20 bills, only one was voted on and it failed. While Assembly Budget Chair Noreen Evans mentioned the State Parks fee idea, none of the two questions regarding them were addressed. Traci Verardo-Torres of the California State Parks Foundation's told LAist she wasn't sure "if state parks have lived another day or state parks have lived to be fought over for another day. As far as we're concerned, were still fighting to keep our parks open." State Controller John Chiang said today he will start issuing IOUs as payment for bills starting July 2nd if a solution is not quickly found. more ›

Los Angeles' "photo-op" Mayor has spent the past few weeks with the word 'FAILURE' hanging over him, so to speak, thanks to Los Angeles Magazine's recent cover story on Villaraigosa's approaching second term in office. Now it seems that the bulk of his Partnership schools within the LAUSD have also given the Mayor an 'F' in the form of a "thumbs down from teachers," according to the LA Times, adding:

Eight out of 10 schools delivered a "no confidence" vote, and we're talking landslides (84 to 17 at Santee Education Complex, 96 to 13 at Stevenson Middle School, 70 to 13 at Gompers Middle School, 61 to 8 at Markham Middle School and 184 to 15 at Roosevelt High, which the mayor himself once attended).

Who wouldn't want to live in a Sonoma wine country house for six months getting paid $10,000 a month to eat, drink, schmooze, party and then blog all about it? In a stroke of viral marketing genius, Murphy-Goode Winery is holding a contest to win that job and the voting ends this Friday. more ›

Out with the old meters, in with hand-me-down bicycle racks called meter hitches. When the city last year began replacing parking meters with the new pay station ones, that either left headless meters or no meters at all along stress, which meant less options for bicycle parking. Then last night, as part of a pilot project between the Department of Transportation and Council President Eric Garcetti's office, came 52 new bicycle meter hitches on Hollywood Boulevard between La Brea and Vine. more ›

A visit to Channel Islands National Park means an hour or longer boat ride across the Santa Barbara Channel. Your travel takes you over the National Marine Sanctuary where without a doubt--unless the weather is treacherous--you're bound to see some amazing ocean wonders. In two recent trips, we've seen hundreds of dolphins, seals, birds, a whale, a sun fish and last weekend, something very unusual, a feeding frenzy. more ›

Today, the Legislature is expected to vote to close the State's $24 billion budget deficit with measures that include taking $57 million in gas tax money from the City of Los Angeles. If that were to happen, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says the city could lose 800 street maintenance positions through those revenues. Yes, street maintenance, one of the most complained about aspects of Los Angeles. more ›

...and by nuts we mean pistachios. The FDA is warning consumers not to eat pistachios that are from California Prime Produce and Orange County Orchards, which are the brands repacked by Orca Distribution West Inc., an Anaheim company, reports the OC Register. These pistachios may in fact be tainted with salmonella; Orca's involvement stems from an earlier recall of Setton Pistachio, another California distributor, who sent their nuts to Anaheim for repacking. Because "Orca has not made a public announcement regarding these products. Therefore, the FDA is issuing this press release to alert consumers so that they can take appropriate action.” If you've got pistachios in your pantry, check your nuts. These were "distributed to retail locations in airports and hotels nationwide [and] packaged in clear 6 ounce flexible plastic Ziploc bags, UPC Number: 8 10826 01116 2 with Sell By Dates of 7/30/09 and 8/30/09." more ›

Groundbreaking is scheduled to take place this morning on Metro's Orange Line extension, which will expand the dedicated busway that currently runs from North Hollywood to Warner Center. The $215.6 million extension "is the very first project to begin construction under the new voter approved Measure R half-cent transportation sales tax," reports abc7. more ›

Now that the Lakers season is over it’s time to get caught up on all things Doyers. At just about the halfway point in the season the Dodgers have the best record in baseball at 47-24. They are 23 games over .500 and hold an 8 ½ lead in the NL West over the San Francisco Giants. What’s remarkable is that they’ve done this with their best slugger Manny Ramirez more ›

LA Dodgers defeat Chicago White Sox 5-2. This was Hiroki Kuroda at his best. Kuroda gave up a solo shot to former Dodger prospect Paul Konerko in the second inning and an RBI single to Jermaine Dye in the ninth as the only blemishes in his 8 2/3 inning performance. After Dye's single Jonathan Broxton came in and Jim Thome to strike out to end the game. Meanwhile the offense was buoyed by James Loney's two-run dinger in the second and Casey Blake's two-run single in the eighth inning. The Dodgers are now 23 games over .500 the most since the end of 2004. more ›

• The LAUSD school board approved their budget today with $1.6 billion in possible cuts over the next three years. Begrudgingly say hi to layoffs and larger class sizes!
• The Daily News looks into the man who died in yesterday's early hit and run. His family speaks out.
• The headline says it all: "Phil Spector will be allowed jam sessions with fellow prisoners"

Every time we have a statewide election, there tend to be a few bond measures in there. Last November, one was the popular high speed rail bond that raised nearly $10 billion to whisk people from Los Angeles and San Fransisco in two hours, thirty-eight minutes. Most all agree, it's a good thing, but when it comes down to paying bonds back, it can run the state into fiscal problems such as we're facing today. more ›

The threat of closing most all state parks and a proposal to save them will hit the Assembly floor tomorrow during the budget revision process. Around 20 bills are queued one, one of them asking legislators two park related questions. more ›

The state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) this month released its health advisory and safe eating guidelines for fish caught from coastal areas from Ventura Harbor south to the Dana Point area. "The results do not bode well for those that regularly eat locally caught coastal fish," wrote Mark Gold, President of Heal the Bay. more ›

A motion that is likely to pass in the City Council will take a chunk of Van Nuys and plop it within Sherman Oaks' boundaries. This will be the second time that Van Nuys has lost parts of its neighborhood--Valley Glen and Lake Balboa are also post-Van Nuys 'hoods. more ›

Remember the classic Griffith Observatory show when "the audience sat in dentist-like chairs so they could watch whirling laser beams dance on the domed ceiling to the classic rock tunes of Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon,' Led Zeppelin and the Beatles"? Well, it's back, reports the Daily News in a feature today. But there are some changes, most notably with new technology and its new pedestrian friendly location at the Historic Vine Theater at Hollywood and Vine. And apparently, the popcorn glows in the dark. more ›

A radar on the belly of a airplane flying above the Southern California region is taking in detailed data for scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab so they can study faults' shifting, straining in relation to seismic energy. "The data from this project could help scientists figure out where the risk of earthquake activity is highest, though the data will never be so specific as to predict a day, location and magnitude of a quake, explained the LA Times. “This will help us with the five- to 10-year time horizons,” Donnellan said. “We can see hot spot maps and ... figure out where to target our retrofitting,” said Andrea Donnellan, a JPL geophysicist. more ›

For the fourth time in recent months, the City Council's Transportation Committee tomorrow will take on a handful of bicycle issues continued on from last week's meeting. Consultants from Alta Planning are slated to speak about the bicycle plan, which has recently become an unpopular subject with many cyclists. The LAPD will also be present to talk about their relationship with the bicycling community. Also on the dock is the continuing look at reviving a version of the defunct bicycle licensing program, which many believe should be left to the private sector. more ›

An asymptomatic blood donor in the Antelope Valley has tested positive for the West Nile Virus, marking the first case for the year, according to LA County health officials. As of June 19th in Los Angeles County, Public Health and the mosquito abatement districts have detected WNV in five dead birds, two mosquito pools, and three sentinel chickens. In past seasons, most of the infected birds and positive mosquitoes have been found in the San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, and East Los Angeles County areas. more ›

The man who we all remember with his "H-e-e-e-e-e-ere's Johnny!" line on the Tonight Show died early today shortly after midnight. Ed McMahon, 86, was at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for a "multitude" of health problems, but no one cause of death has been announced. Post late-night career, McMahon held various roles, but most recently his Studio City home foreclosure and Cash-for-Gold commercials had made headlines. You'll be missed, Mr. McMahon. R.I.P. more ›

Colorado Rockies defeat LA Angels 11-1. Angels starter Matt Palmer was 6-0 coming into Monday night's game. Then the red hot Rockies stopped by Angel Stadium and scorched Palmer to the tune of six runs in 4 2/3 innings. Brad Hawpe celebrating his 30th birthday gave himself a present knocking a three-run homer in the top of the fifth inning that all but cinched the win for the Rockies. Meanwhile Rockies starter Aaron Cook pitched seven innings of three-hit one-run ball thoroughly frustrating the Angels hitters. In fact the Kendry Morales hit a solo shot off of Cook in the fourth inning to make the only dent for the Angels. The Rockies have now won 17 games of their last 18 under new manager Jim Tracy. I wonder if he still interviews himself. more ›

• Gettin' bigger in the 'bu: Malibu's City Hall is getting a new home.
• The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have set up the Pitcher of the Year award in memory of Nick Adenhart, the pitcher who was killed early this season by a drunk driver.
• It's a trip down Rock n' Roll memory lane, aka Devonshire Downs, for one San Fernando Valley group.

"It will be cool to be under people's feet," Cameron Diaz joked today about her star. "It really is the place where people can understand exactly that actors are not really stars - they exist on the ground just like everybody else." more ›

Chicago in the 90s experienced something quite drastic one summer--thousands of dead fish were washed ashore as a result of the relatively new freshwater critters in town. Zebra and Quagga Mussels had been making there way through the Great Lakes system since the late 1980s and while the end results for a breach goer meant stunningly crystal clear water, the ecosystem was shifted. Come January 17th, 2007, the first of these mussels in California were found in Lake Havasu. more ›

A couple hours before today's trial, R&B Singer Chris Brown entered into a plea agreement for pleading guilty to assault while the criminal threats charges were dropped. Under the agreement, Brown will do six months of "community labor" (that's 1400 hours of work), serve five years probation and take a year-long domestic violence prevention class, according to the LA Times. He will also have to stay at least 50 yards away from Rihanna except at industry events where it will be set to 10 yards. more ›

Shortly after LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced that he will not run for Governor, candidate Gavin Newsom released a statement. Looking for an endorsement? Probably. Doing what any good candidate should do? Yes. "I look forward to continuing to work with him, sharing our experiences as mayors, and collaborating on innovative solutions that will take California in a new direction... As Mayor Villaraigosa has said so eloquently recently, state government needs to change and I believe we can work together to make that a reality." The full statement is below: more ›

Students at Liechty Middle School engaged in a silent protest during their graduation ceremony last week and it wound up costing them their diplomas. "The students turned their backs on graduation speaker Monica Garcia, LAUSD Board President, to express their displeasure to teacher layoffs and cutbacks," press materials explain. more ›

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told Wolf Blitzer this afternoon that he will not run for Governor. "The answer's no. I make that decision because like I've said many times, I love the city I was born and raised in, the city my grandpa came to 100 years ago," he told Blitzer. "Cities are on the frontlines of the challenges facing us in terms of the economic crisis," he continued. "Here in the City of LA, 12.5% unemployment rate, 21,000 people have lost their home over the last 2 years, we're facing an unprecedented and historical budget deficit of $530 million dollars. more ›

Walking home from a party in April, Haik Oganyan and a friend became victims of a street robbery that turned deadly."Oganyan had left the party with a friend and began walking west on Gresham Street toward their car," explained the Daily News. "Three men described as Hispanics with shaved heads demanded their wallets and keys. The victims complied, but the suspects attacked Oganyan and their friend anyway. The friend suffered stab wounds but survived. The friend broke free and ran back to the Corbin address. The suspects, meanwhile, disappeared, leaving Oganyan on the grass, bleeding from the neck." A $50,000 reward has been offered by the city and police are asking that anyone with information, call Devonshire homicide detectives during business hours Monday through Friday at (818) 832-0609. After hours, call (877) 527-3247. more ›

A vigil was held at a Torrance Church this morning in honor of Euna Lee and Laura Ling, according to MyFoxLA. The two American journalists were recently sentenced to twelve years of hard labor in North Korea on charges of being spies. The pair, who were working on a piece for San Francisco-based network Current TV, were captured on March 17th and put to trial earlier this month. more ›

That whale that drew hundreds to Marina Del Rey left Friday, presumably headed to its summer home in Alaska. Accompanied by about 50 bottlenose dolphins, the young 25-foot gray whale headed out of the marina's shallow waters after spending three weeks there. The whale had become quite a spectacle for people, even some paddled out to touch it, which is against the law. LAist posted a video and photos of the whale earlier this month. more ›

Appearing later today on CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, Villaraigosa is expected to announce his intentions in regards to governor, says CNN via LA Now. Will he or will he not? If he does announce something, we suspect a national setting like CNN could only mean one outcome: he's going to run for Governor. However, at this point it's anyone's guess. A recent LA Times poll found that Angelenos are pretty much split on whether he should or not--they at least would vote for him over San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Situation Room airs at 1 p.m. PST. For the Record: The original headline indicated a choice was made, but his intent on running or not has yet to be seen. more ›

The LAPD's high public ratings in an LA Times poll may partly be due to Mayor Villaraigosa, but he earned a 55% approval rating with the same poll takers. The upside? With LA voters, he could win the Democratic nomination for Governor's seat at 38%, beating out Jerry Brown (32%) and Gavin Newsom (13%). Goverornor Schwarzenegger's approval rating was 29%. more ›

Bicyclists quickly shot down the city’s idea of possibly making it illegal to ride on sidewalks. During the Transportation Committee meeting last Wednesday, advocates said changing the vehicular code won’t ensure that all cyclists will be aware of the law. Instead, the city should develop safety education programs to inform casual or less experienced riders of the dangers posed by cycling on sidewalks. more ›

Is it Griffith Park if it's not with the spastic Councilman Tom LaBonge? Tonight, as per usual with solstice time (it was officially yesterday), he organizes a community hike to Mount Hollywood. And because LaBonge is the President of the Sister Cities of Los Angeles, Inc., there will be a potluck of world cuisines to snack on, too. “This hike has become a tradition in Council District 4, for avid hikers and the international community as well,” he said. “There’s an unparalleled view of Los Angeles from the peak at sunset, which is really inspiring.” If you go, it starts at 6 p.m. Meet at the Griffith Observatory parking lot. more ›

A bizarre standoff took place overnight at a home in Arcadia located in the 1700 block of Mayflower Ave. as local authorities responded to a 911 call regarding an armed suspect who had allegedly barricaded himself in the house with hostages. The caller identified himself as someone who had fled the home, according to cbs2. "Arcadia police Captain Gene Gioia said previously a police SWAT team and sheriff's negotiators have been trying for hours without success Monday to communicate with the man." more ›

A motorist driving on the streets of North Hollywood at around 2:15 this morning saw a body "laying near the curb" close to "the intersection of Satsuma Avenue and Vanowen Street," and made the 911 report, according to the Daily News. The victim, a Hispanic male in his 20s or 30s whose identity is being withheld until his next-of-kin is notified, was apparently struck and killed by a driver who did not remain on scene. Los Angeles police Sgt. Ben Alonso, watch commander at North Hollywood Division notes: ``There were no witnesses. But there are cameras in the area, so we're hoping to get something from them on the driver who fled." Alonso adds: ``There was no marked crosswalk where the victim was hit. So we're not sure what happened yet.'' The corner removed the body about an hour ago, and Vanowen has since been re-opened in the area. more ›

Galaxy and Chivas USA drop respective games by similar scoreline as the MLS season quickly approaches its halfway point and SuperLiga action got underway. more ›

• The hottest tickets in town weren't for a concert, a comedian, or a sporting event, but rather Kennedy High's graduation. And that's hot as in forged. Yikes.
• Sharing is caring: How to garden in Los Angeles if you don't have a garden. Or, how to get your garden gardened if you don't have the time yourself.
• If youv'e got upcoming air travel plans, be ready to pay a fee on top of your fee when checking bags onto some airlines at the airport.

Tomorrow marks the first day of summer, though our overcast skies tell another much gloomier story. Today happens to mark the day when several public City-operated swimming pools open up for the season. It also marks the launch of Operation Splash, a free "learn-to-swim project for area youth," run in partnership by the City of Los Angeles and Kaiser Permanente, according to abc7. more ›

The Department of Street Services doesn’t have the authority to remove abandoned bikes on the 3,000 city-owned bike racks in L.A., officials say. Many business owners complain about the eyesore of bicycle skeletons left on racks in front of their stores, but current laws don’t allow the city to touch them. During this week’s Transportation Committee meeting, cyclists suggested creating a system for bikes similar to car parking meters and time limit enforcements, and doing away with the ban on parking bikes on meters. more ›

USC announced on their website that Kevin O'Neill was hired as their Men's Basketball Coach. An assistant coach and special assistant to the GM for the Memphis Grizzlies this past season, most people here in Pac-10 Land will know O'Neill from being the interim coach in 2008 for the Arizona Wildcats while head coach Lute Olsen took a leave of absence. And contrary to what CNBC's Darren Rovell said, USC football coach Pete Carroll did not break the news. more ›

It is SuperLiga time at the Home Depot Center! more ›

more ›

If you didn't know, Los Angeles is placed within quite a rare landscape, biologically speaking that is. There are only six Mediterranean Biomes in the world making up 2% of the world's land area and Southern California's coast and surrounding mountains are part of that. This is one of the reasons why congress in 1978 decided bring in the Santa Monica Mountains and the five northern Channel Islands into the Department of the Interior under the National Park Service. They were named the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and Channel Islands National Park. more ›

Saturday, Jeff Weaver of the Los Angeles Dodgers is scheduled to start against his younger brother, Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in interleague play at Anaheim. "It's a chance to share the same mound on the same day and not many can say that," said Weaver. "It's a moment we won't forget. It's pretty special regardless of the outcome," Jeff told MLB.com. Weaver said his parents had planned to attend the wedding of a relative in Temecula, but those plans have changed. more ›

The County of Los Angeles has gone ahead and busted themselves. "This is government at its worst," Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky was quoted saying in the LA Times. "We have a problem, no question about it. But we are going to move quickly to fix it." The county started auditing themselves after they found over 300 unused lines at the now-closed Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital. The $1.5 million number only totals what they've discovered so far and it could double when they finish with 16,000 useless lines. Any savings is good news, especially in this economy, but the County has a long way to go. The $22.8 billion budget has department heads trying to cut as much as 13%. more ›

It happens every election, except when that Obama guy shows up: voting turnout is dismal and embarrassing. Now, three bills being considered within the state could make some interesting changes. They won't change things overnight, but two of them deal with those under 17. The most interesting is from Long Beach Assemblyman Warren Furutani. ACA 2 would allow 17-year-olds to vote in a primary if he or she will be 18 by the time of the general election. Another bill, AB 30, from LA State Senator Curren Price would allow 16 and 17-year-olds to pre-register, but they would not be able to vote until they are 18. Price also has AB 106 that would allow you to be registered to vote via your state income tax, drivers license and various other forms. more ›

For the right buyer, a piece of $15 million Frank Lloyd Wright history could be theirs. The famous Ennis House, tucked up in the hills above Los Feliz, has sat quiet, unopened to the public as a non profit tried to bring it back. About $5 to $7 million is what they needed, but they never got and now it's for sale. "Our goal has always been to be a good steward of the house. We've made a lot of progress, but at this point a private owner with the right vision and sufficient resources can better preserve the house than we can as a small nonprofit," said Ennis House Foundation's president, James DeMeo. Just last week, LAist presented a feature history piece on the home. more ›

"We've got a room full of people, all claiming to have been left out of the Bicycle Plan Update process. You can't call that the result of effective outreach!" That was Councilmember Wendy Greuel last Wednesday at the big bicycle transportation meeting chastising representatives from the Planning and Transportation Departments on not performing sufficient outreach for the now controversial bicycle plan. It looks like she has taken a cue from Laura Chick--that is, opining harshly, but telling it how it is--and is ready to become City Controller in July (let's keep that fire lit in her). . more ›

Welcome to the big Save Our State Parks weekend. The California State Parks Foundation wants everyone to go out, enjoy a day at a state park and take a photo of you and your friends holding a sign (graphics downloadable from their website). There will be a few organized events (scroll down) at Will Rogers, Pio Pico, Rio de Los Angeles and the Baldwin Hills Overlook, which will not be closed because it is run by a local agency. more ›

Protesters upset over recent elections in Iran waved flags, marched, shouted, and made a scene without fear of government reprisal. more ›

Violating school bus laws brings in a hefty fine of $500. And it seems the city of South Pasadena held a big fundraiser on Wednesday when police handed out 160 tickets totaling $80,000 to drivers on the six-lane Huntington Drive at Milan Ave. It was quite an elaborate sting, involving no schoolchildren but lots of lights and sirens described one driver who was cited to the LA Times. “It was a circus of lights and chaos,” she said of the sting that also involved from Alhambra, Monterey Park, San Gabriel, San Marino and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Temple City station. “No one was speeding, I mean people were literally just trying to figure out what was going on and what to do to to keep away from whatever the activity was. I thought I was being directed along with other motorists away from whatever it was that was happening.” One commenter at LA Times noted that the tickets are bogus noting that "VC Section 22454 states that the bus must be 'stopped for the purpose of loading or unloading any schoolchildren'." more ›

One of the crucial roles professional sports have is uniting a city in catharsis. In July 1967 the city of Detroit endured riots that claimed 43 lives and injured 467. In addition 7,231 people were arrested while damages estimated from $40 million to $80 million (not adjusted for inflation). In 1968 when the Detroit Tigers faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, the city came together to cheer them on to victory. more ›

Starting next week and for four months after, Blue Line train service is going to be impacted as crews integrate the Expo Line, which will run between 7th/Metro station and Culver City, sharing two stations and track. Service will run every 30 minutes instead of the usual 20 on weekdays after 8 p.m. as crews work between the Washington and 7th/Metro stations. Weekend service will not be affected. The 8.5 mile line is expected to open in 2011 with the line extending to Santa Monica in the future. more ›

Although City Council repealed the bicycle license law earlier this month, the issue continued to be a point of discussion between officials and bike advocates. At the Transportation Committee meeting earlier this week, some cyclists said they don’t completely oppose a licensing program, but they would like to see a more efficient and easier process that would be “voluntary.” more ›

Nestlé voluntarily recalled Toll House chocolate chip cookie dough today after an outbreak of illnesses possibly linked to eating the raw delicacy. More than 60 people have fallen ill so far in 28 states. more ›

LA Dodgers defeat Oakland Athletics 3-2. Yet another one-run game in this series for the rubber match, and yet another start for Randy Wolf who came away without a decision. Wolf went six innings giving up only one run on five hits and four walks with three strike outs. However Rajai Davis would score in the top of the seventh thanks to Rafael Furcal instructing Juan Pierre to throw to second on a Kurt Suzuki single. Pinch hitter Mark Loretta hit an RBI single in the home half of the seventh for the Dodgers to come away with the win. Jonathan Broxton was unavailable again thanks to a sore toe so the job of the save was left to Ronald Belisario and Ramon Troncoso. The Dodgers head down the Golden State Freeway for a weekend series against the Angels. more ›

• From NPR: "The largest community of Iranians outside of Iran is in Los Angeles. They've been hungering for news from their homeland so they can share stories of family and friends dealing with the post-election turmoil there. Radio station KIRN has been catering to that need."
• UV rays are expected to be extremely high tomorrow. Wear sunscreen, even if you'll be outside for just a few minutes. The worst part of the day will be around noon.
• Uhhh, yeah. SoHo as South Hollywood? Oh boy. Here we go again.

Like Runyon Canyon, Temescal is one of the more popular hiking trails immediately accessible to Angelenos. Runyon is a city park so it is not under the threat of closing like 80% of states parks in Gov. Schwarzenegger's budget plan. Temescal, however, runs through two state properties. One is Temescal Canyon Gateway Park, which is under two conservation agencies not threatened with closures. more ›

Remember these people at the Oscars? It's the infamous Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church and they are protesting various locations in Los Angeles tomorrow including Fairfax High School, a Jewish temple, a community center and the Anti-Defamation League's headquarters, according to the LA Times. more ›

A teacher hunger strike protesting LAUSD budget cuts officially comes to an end today after 24 days. Nine participated with two making it to the end, according to LA Now. In an open letter on Day 6, Jose Lara, published an open letter to a few key board members about the strike. more ›

It was the City Council and without their thinking caps, says the LA Weekly. The City owns the marathon and contracts it out to the McCourt Group (yes, the same McCourt who owns the Dodgers). "Everyone seemed happy — until the first 'pre-planning' meeting" at Councilman Tom LaBonge's office, wrote Tina Dupuy. "There, somebody thought to ask senior transportation engineer Aram Sahakian about the street logistics of holding the marathon on President’s Day, February 16. Incredibly, nobody on the vast staff of the 15-member Los Angeles City Council, which employs 320 personal assistants at an annual cost of about $20 million, had bothered to fully review that date with the transportation engineers before the council approved the deal. Instead, Sahakian tells L.A. Weekly, 'It was done verbally at a meeting.'" Good one, guys. Too many people work on President's Day, traffic would be severely impacted so it was moved to Memorial Day, which is traditionally hot. Luckily, this year runners got lucky with the weather. Next year, all signs point towards a colder Sunday date, but you never really know in LA. more ›

I was driving back from the Costco in Burbank one afternoon when my boyfriend turned to me and asked "Why in God's name is there a custom hat store on Magnolia? Who wears hats anymore?" I thought a second, laughed, and said -- "Hollywood!" Movie-makers will always need milliners and other manufacturers of specialty props -- right?? more ›

Three people have been arrested for posing as undercover police officers in order to rob homes and police believe there are more victims out there. Late last month, three suspects posing as LAPD undercover narcotics officers knocked on an apartment door in the 400 block of N. Normandie Avenue. more ›

At the Transportation Committee yesterday, the city presented its Bicycle Plan proposal, which maps potential fixes to L.A.’s streets to make riding easier and safer for cyclists. The verdict? “Flawed,” pretty embarrassing” and an “egregious waste of money” were among some of the comments from bike and community advocates, Sierra Club members and neighborhood councilmembers. “No matter what people tell you, we are not involved in the process,” said bike activist Stephen Box, who also commented on several other items discussed at the meeting. “I’m calling on you to…call it dead,” he told Transportation Committee Councilmembers Wendy Greuel and Bill Rosendahl. more ›

As this week marked the bittersweet one-year anniversary of legal gay marriage in California, two political leaders made big moves in the advancement of gay rights. In California, Governor Schwarzenegger on Tuesday decided not to defend the constitutionality of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage, in a federal court case. Disappointing traditional marriage advocates, he said it will be up to the courts to decide because the case "presents important constitutional questions that require and warrant judicial determination." more ›

In a pretty shocking move last month, the Los Angeles Unified School District cut summer school for elementary and middle students along with some high school level classes in a move to save $34 million from its dwindling budget. Overall, this affects 225,000 students. So what are the kids to do, asks the Daily News? Are they at risk? Will they run amok throughout the city? How about getting a job? The latter is particularly a problem in this economy because unemployed adults are accepting work usually held by teens. more ›

Lakers Victory Parade and Rally. And that was how a victory parade should be. With the exception of a few knuckleheads outside the Coliseum, everyone was filled with joy cheering the Lakers. For all the detractors who said Los Angeles didn't deserve a parade after the actions of certain shiteaters Sunday night, tell me the thousands of people along the 2.2 miles of Figueroa Street between the Staples Center and the Coliseum and the 80,000 in the Coliseum itself didn't want some diversion from everyday struggles. Everything about this celebration was done exquisitely and served as a great dress rehearsal for November's parade. One last thing. For all you shitheads complaining about the cost burden of the city, what is $1 million more to a $500 million shortfall? more ›

• The Lakers celebrated their 15th World Championship with a parade from the Staples Center to a HUGE party at the Coliseum. Great times were had by all and only minor trouble was reported. However three children did get separated from their family during the festivities.
• Of course today's parade party was made possible because of donations made by business leaders including the group that owns the Staple Center AEG . The estimated $900,000 price tag was pledged for police and fire services and ensured that no tax money will be spent. Maybe they can get a group of similarly deep-pocketed people to donate to say... the LAUSD? Just a thought...
• Burbank Police have arrested a driving instructor for allegedly exposing himself. Officials are investigating but no charges have been filed as of yet. He was released on $35,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in Burbank Superior Court.

Even before the parade got underway news agencies in Los Angeles reported that the Coliseum was at max capacity, and traffic from most parts of the city headed towards Downtown was backed up before and all through the a.m. commute. People bedecked in purple and gold lined the streets, shouting and waving as any reporter and camera crew passed by. After the players boarded the bus and greeted the adoring fans at the Staples Center, the parade made its way just over 2 miles southbound on Figueroa, where those assembled were first greeted to performances from the Lakers Girls and had lots of opportunities to shout their devotion to our winning team. more ›

A $1.50 tax increase to packs of cigarettes sold in California was approved today by the state's Senate Health Committee. Yesterday, a legislative budget committee approved the increase, among various other deficit related moves, all supported by Democrats, which Schwarzenegger promises to veto. It's estimate that it would provide $1.2 billion in new revenues. "A statewide poll by David Binder Research in the wake of the May 19th Special Election demonstrates that a strong majority of voters, 74%, support increasing taxes on tobacco," said a release from the bills sponsor, Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima). "Sixty-two percent of those who voted no on the Prop 1A budget measure support." 1998 was the last time packs of cigarettes were increased--back upping it by fifty-cents to the current $0.87 tax. 31 other states have a higher tobacco tax. more ›

Just like over the weekend, local Iranians and supporters of a fair voting process will gather outside the Federal Building tonight at 5 p.m. Another one will be held in Irvine. The world's attention has been focused on Iran for the past few days after an election scandal. On Friday, voters hit the booths to vote for a new President or keep the current one. The results were quickly announced--reform candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi lost to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Protesters are calling it voter fraud. more ›

The Huntington's legendary Corpse Flower (because when it blooms, look out, it smells like rotting flesh!), which has been nicknamed "Stinky," is now closing in on 7 feet tall (he's 6ft 9.25 inches, according to the Huntington's Twitter feed). Jim Folson tells us what we can expect in this short video. more ›

Here's an interesting scam we heard via Jeff Berk of Watch2.org in Studio City. Last week, a resident of his neighborhood watch was on her way home from the grocery store and became the victim of an alleged car damage claim scam. From an e-mail to neighbors: [She] was returning home from Ralph's on Coldwater & Ventura when she was waved over to the side of the road at Dickens and Van Noord by 2 men in a car who claimed she had hit their car at Ralph's. more ›

Mr. Brainwash is at it again at his usual spot on La Brea at San Vicente. This time celebrating along with the rest of Los Angeles. "It might be an understatement to say Mr Brainwash polarizes opinion," wrote the unnamed blogger at unurth, a street art blog. "While some people love his work, and he sells prints and originals at blazing speed, others criticize him for lacking originality and being overly commercial. I like a lot of his work, but to me this piece doesn’t make it any easier to defend him." more ›

There's going to be 6.8% fewer freshmen figuring out post-secondary life on the nine University of California campuses come fall, and that's precisely what the schools were hoping for, according to the LA Times. more ›

Around 6 a.m. this morning, driving to the Coliseum was no big deal. The trouble for people, we're hearing, was when you arrived to the immediate area that traffic just was just a parking lot. more ›

Fourth, fifth, and sixth graders at Rolling Ridge Elementary in Chino Hills and Dickson Elementary in Chino would probably issue their school district admins a great big ol' F for FAIL if they could. Those hundreds of students don't get to sing "no more pencils, no more books" for 34 more days, thanks to "a clerical error on a spreadsheet" at the Chino Unified School District that led to the miscalculation of mandatory time spent in the classroom, according to the LA Times. more ›

Yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama joined 5th graders from a DC-area school in harvesting some of the bounty from the White House's Kitchen Garden, a 1,100-square-foot, L-shaped plot on the South Lawn planted in April. Together they picked "harvested 73-pounds of lettuce and 12-pounds of peas," then worked together to create a meal they shared picnic-style right there at the White House. NPR broadcast a lovely story about the event, including the enthusiasm of the kids for working with the land and what it's taught them. The powerful partnership between learning and gardening has never been more evident than now. more ›

Popular low-cost carrier JetBlue debuts their new service to LAX this morning, as they are scheduled to land their inaugural flight from New York's JFK at 10:45. It's been a bit of a wait, however, for the airline to begin service from our major airport; today's launch comes after "a yearlong delay," caused by a period of soaring fuel prices that made cross-country air travel costly, reports the Daily Breeze. more ›

Get ready to splash! Come Saturday, 34 pools will open to the public for the summer season, including the new family Aquatic Center at Jackie Tatum (Harvard) Recreation Center in South LA. Additionally, 16 year-round pools will begin their summer schedule. more ›

It's 6 a.m. and beginning right now, you can park at the Coliseum for the noon rally that will last until 1 p.m. The later it gets, the more street and freeway onramp closures you'll face. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. and space is limited to 95,000 (it could definitely fill up). When the parade begins, Coliseum attendees will be able to watch it on big screen TVs. more ›

LA Dodgers defeat Oakland Athletics 5-4 (10 innings). A's starter Dallas Braden had a perfect game going for 4 2/3 innings when I decided I had to do something. At the game merely as a spectator I yelled out to my top deck brethren, "Braden's throwing a perfect game!" Matt Kemp then promptly hit a double to break up the perfect and no-hit game. In the bottom of the sixth inning I wondered if I could jinx a shutout. more ›

• We all want this city to be a certain way in the future. Will Oloughlen decided to put his idea of the future of LA in a 2 minute short film. Enjoy!
• Silverlake's own, Silversun Pickups just reached #1 on the Billboard Charts topping Linkin Park and Green Day. SP are still on the Indie label, Dangerbird Records, therefore have NOT sold out.
• After the Lakers win, it wasn't looters who ran into The Holy Grail shoe store in Downtown to get the latest sneaks, it was pyro's looking for something to set on fire to throw at the Police.

Under pressure not to spend nearly a million dollars in city money for the Lakers parade tomorrow, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa raised $850,000 from private donors to offset costs. "If we hadn't had a parade, you've have had a whole bevy of other people criticizing," he said. more ›

After years of gang-related activity around Fremont High School in South LA, the state and city filed an injunction last Friday, seeking to restrict four gangs from the area for the majority of the day. “These brutally violent street gangs have indiscriminately terrorized students who simply wanted to travel to and from school,” said Attorney General Brown, who filed the case with LA City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. “This first-of-its-kind injunction would create a gang-free zone around Fremont High School that shields students from violence, intimidation and drug trafficking.” more ›

If you've ever driven the 2.1 mile canyon-to-valley-floor stretch of Beverly Glen Boulevard, you probably have noticed that it changes throughout, telling you to go 25 mph, now 35, oh wait, now 30. The city's Department of Transportation now wants to change the sporadic nature by splitting the baby with a uniform 30 mph from Mulholland to Moorpark in Sherman Oaks. "It will be easier for motorists to monitor their speed as well as for the police to enforce using radar," said John Fisher, Assistant General Manager of LADOT. Once an ordinance is drafted, it will be submitted to the Transportation Commission for consideration. more ›

Blue Line trains will run every 6 minutes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow to help move the hundreds of thousands of people expected at tomorrow's Lakers victory parade. Additionally, the Red and Purple Lines will carry extra train cars and Gold and Green Lines are prepared to add more trains to service if needed. "Metro Bus services will be significantly impacted in the event area, especially bus lines that either run on or cross Figueroa, Flower or Grand streets, between Olympic and Martin Luther King boulevards," the agency said in a statement. "Delays can be expected beginning about 10 a.m. and will continue until the end of the parade for all passengers riding in the Metro Bus lines: 28, 30, 31, 35, 37, 38, 40, 42, 55, 70, 71, 76, 78, 79, 81, 96, 102, 200, 204, 335, 355, 378, 439, 442, 444, 445, 446, 447, 450x, 460, 484, 485, 550, 714, 728, 730, 740, 754, 770." more ›

KCRW today officially launched three iPhone apps connecting listeners with live streams, calendars, videos and archived shows. Each cost 99-cents, which "will help offset costs for future iterations of this app and future apps," says a station spokesperson. more ›

About 500 employees were slashed from MySpace's company roll call, CNET reported today. "Simply put, our staffing levels were bloated and hindered our ability to be an efficient and nimble team-oriented company," Owen Van Natta, CEO of the News Corp.-owned social site, said in a release. "I understand that these changes are painful for many. They are also necessary for the long-term health and culture of MySpace. Our intent is to return to an environment of innovation that is centered on our user and our product." Van Natta was hired in April and used to be the Chief Operating Officer at Facebook. MySpace will continue to employ around 1,000 people in the U.S. more ›

Phil Willion on the LA Times "LA Now" blog reports that the City of LA found enough private donors to cover their $1 million share of the Lakers parade Wednesday. Previously it was agreed between Staples Center owner Anschultz Entertainment Group would split the $2 million cost evenly with the city. There will be a news conference later this afternoon announcing this plan. more ›

It's been more than a year since a proposal to ban smoking in outdoor dining areas was brought forth as an idea. Now, the City Attorney's office has written the draft ordinance, which is scheduled to be reviewed tomorrow by a City Council Committee. more ›

Tomorrow's City Council Transportation Committee meeting has an agenda full of bicycle (.pdf) issues including the master plan, LAPD and a revival of the bicycle license. The latter is one of the more peculiar items because city council just recently squashed its existence. Now a new motion is trying to have it come back. Vaguely written, it goes like this: more ›

Several lanes remain closed on the southbound 405 freeway as police search for burglary suspect who hid in a storm drain near the Roscoe on- and off-ramps. The suspects--one was arrested--were apparently trying steal copper wiring from a nearby warehouse when someone reported the burglary, according to the LAPD. The closure began around 3 a.m., snarling morning traffic on one of the busiest freeways in the world. more ›

Despite the unruly celebratory behavior witnessed, the crowd control Sunday night after the Lakers win was considered a success by the LAPD, reported the LA Times. A new tactic was to "remove the rabble-rousers, push larger crowds into marginal areas and chase smaller groups until they disperse" in order to limit injuries and property damage all while not reviving the horrid use of force images from the May Day Melee in 2007. more ›

An annual $15 vehicle fee proposed by a state budget committee yesterday could save 80% of state parks currently threatened to be closed amidst the budget crisis. The Ventura County Star explains: Under the plan, all motorists would pay a $15 surcharge on the license fees they pay each year to register their vehicles. The surcharge would yield about $220 million — enough to keep parks open, allow anyone with a California license to enter and park for free at state parks and leave enough left over to make some debt payments on outstanding park bonds. more ›

It really did seem inevitable, didn’t it? Oh yeah. I was steadfast in my belief that the Lakers would win the NBA title. Oh that blip after Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals was another person. Wasn’t me. I was possessed by TJ Simers! In all seriousness, watching the Magic steadfastly break apart the Cleveland Cavaliers while the Lakers were at that time having problems with the Denver Nuggets was cause for concern. more ›

• The body of a 22-year-old man who dove off a cliff in Laguna Beach was found today. Witnesses say they saw the man get dragged under the current after making the jump.
• A civil suit filed today against Target Corp. alleges that hundreds of California locations illegally disposed of hazardous materials.
• Practicing holding up your hand (but not just that one finger, mmmkay?) in Hollywood: The Hail-a-Taxi Program has begun.

We've heard about the Lakers badness that went down last night. Sometimes it's the worst of the group that makes up the most of the news coverage. Good news doesn't bleed, but it's still good news. One project the city runs that we would like to highlight is the Community Beautification Grants program (they have a blog, too) Over 930 projects have been completed in partnership with the community across the city since 1998. 540 of those projects can be seen on an interactive Google map (it's a big web page, we warn thee). Projects range from murals to gardens to playgrounds. more ›

OMG! My favorite team won! I should go steal some pringles! The collective wisdom of last night just confused a lot of people. Why would this happen, especially after we won? Who would do this? Why? Why? Why? USA Today takes a stab: What has happened, observers say, is the result of an explosive mixture of youthful adrenaline more ›

Prince William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton were apparently spotted touring a "privately-sited $8 million 4-bed, 4.5-bath compound with a detached guest house, 4-car garage and beautiful ocean view." That particular home has already been sold, but there are plenty of other high class homes fit for a Prince in town. Before her death, his mother Princess Diana reportedly paid a deposit on a home in Paradise Cove. more ›

The official Lakers parade on Wednesday will cost $2 million, split evenly between the city and the Lakers. Of course, with the city scrapping every nickel and dime to save the city budget, the politicians are coming under fire. The LA Police Protective League is not happy and rightfully so considering employees citywide are being forced on furloughs and some will be laid off. "At a time of financial crisis, when the public expects -- and quite frankly should demand -- city leaders to be good stewards of every tax dollar, it is foolish for elected officials to favor spending 1 million tax dollars on a three-hour parade," the union's president said in a statement. Now Mayor Villariagosa is reportedly getting private donations and has raised a several hundred thousand dollars. While we're at it, can we change the route, too, Mr. Mayor? more ›

Just last week, the LAUSD's Homeless Education Program was at risk of becoming a victim of the many budget cuts. The program aims to "ensure that homeless youth have access to a free public education, equal to that of any other youth". General Jeff, Skid Row activist and founder of Issues and Solutions, sent an email to the director of these programs explaining the importance of these services and asked them to reconsider. In an email from LAUSD's Melissa Schoonmaker, he received word that his efforts paid off: more ›

The annual Dyke Day L.A. march and celebration took place Saturday, moving from the top of the hill in Barnsdall Art Park to Edgecliff Dr in Silver Lake. "Dyke Day L.A. is a day in the park for all self-identified dykes and allies, including gay families, transgender dykes, and dykes of all ages. The mission of Dyke Day L.A. is to create an inclusive space that brings together the past, present, and future of our east side Los Angeles dyke community," explains their Facebook contingency. more ›

At a ceremony held last night at the Sheraton Universal hotel in Universal City, media luminaries gathered to fete local reporters, photographers, broadcasters, and even bloggers at the LA Press Club's 51st Annual Southern California Journalism Awards. Presenters included on screen personnel from NBC4 and ABC7, as well as WSJ and KCRW film critic Joe Morgenstern and columnist Gustavo Arellano, who handed honors to journos including David Evans of Bloomberg, Brad Greenberg of the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, Frank Stoltze of KPCC, Warren Olney of KCRW, Alex Pham of the Los Angeles Times, and more. Blogging nods went to Ted Johnson of Variety/Wilshire & Washington, with 2nd Place going to Pat Saperstein of Eating L.A. A full list of awardees and honorable mentions is available here. Congrats to all! more ›

A fire burned through a two-story home yesterday evening in West Hollywood next to an elementary school as LA Pride Celebrations were coming to an end. At about 5:30 p.m., the home at Cynthia and Hammond caught fire, prompting a large response from the LA County Fire Department and onlookers from the nearby festival on Santa Monica Blvd. It took roughly two hours before a knockdown was called. more ›

A fiery crash yesterday evening has caused the connector road between the eastbound Artesia (91) Freeway to the northbound Long Beach (710) Freeway as CalTrans continues to investigate the deadly incident. more ›

If you were in the Southpark area of downtown last night, it smelled of things burning. After the isolated incidents of chaos, a survey of the area found light damage just about everywhere with pockets of small businesses unfortunately hit by looters and those Fakers fans running amok for no reason than just doing that (CurbedLA has photos of a ransacked Lexus and blogdowntown has shots during and after, too). more ›

Your city's team has won a major sports championship. It's a great achievement, and a reason to celebrate. You love your team, you love your city, you love a good time. But how do you celebrate? Dance, hug, shout, throw confetti, have some drinks, high five your friends, eat cake, relive the highlights of the game, throw a party at your home? Sure, right? You want to express your pride, your joy, your happiness on behalf of the team. more ›

Talk of a victory parade for the NBA's Lakers began before the team had even cinched the victory itself, which, if you're in LA and live under a rock, happened last night in Orlando in game 5 of the championship. more ›

Around 700 people gathered outside the Staples Center tonight to celebrate the Lakers' win in Orlando. Mostly peaceful, but it only took a small group of fools to ruin it for everyone. Small fires, fireworks, thrown rocks, bottles and flares, street signs torn down, attempts at turning over police cars cued the LAPD to try to end festivities sooner than anyone had hoped. As Larry Welk said on KCAL9, "they're sort of leaving a path of destruction." more ›

Here is the liveblog of Game 5 of the NBA. I assure you the Lakers will bring home the championship tonight. more ›

• LAKERS WIN!!!
• Thousands of revelers took to the streets of West Hollywood for the 39th annual Pride Parade. Floats, bands, advocacy groups and others including Mayor Tony V and Gubernatorial candidate San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom were on hand for the celebration.
• LAKERS WIN!!!

The Orlando Magic are done. We all witnessed it Thursday night and saw them make many boneheaded plays in the last 30 seconds of regulation in Game 4 to cost them the game. Let’s break it down. more ›

The Galaxy undefeated streak came to an end last night as the visiting Real Salt Lake took a 2 - 0 victory at the Home Depot Center while Chivas USA prepares to close out its 2 game road trip this afternoon in Columbus. more ›

• The "Big Belly" solar-powered trash receptacles in Pasadena are expected to save the city some serious green in the long run.
• 20 years later, a serious round of Clue: Did the LAPD rookie do it in the living room with the missing gun?
• Two overnight crashes in the Valley caused at least six injuries, making for a rough Friday on the streets.

“The way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than in the previous 10,000, but the image that’s used to sell the food … you go into the supermarket and you see pictures of farmers. The picket fence and the silo and the 1930s farmhouse and the green grass. The reality is … it’s not a farm, it’s a factory.” more ›

Cuts to education are affecting, and will continue to affect, students at all levels here in California. From increased class sizes, teacher layoffs, program cuts, eliminating most summer school offerings at public K-12 schools, and enrollment caps or freezes, program cuts, and fewer courses offered at colleges and universities, the problems begin in Kindergartens and carry through each and every public school, college, and university classroom, and last beyond graduation, as students lucky enough to get in and get out face enormous debt. more ›

On May 30th of this year, a group of fifteen bright-eyed L.A. students were honored as URBAN TxT's inaugural graduating class. URBAN Teens Xploring Technology (URBAN TxT) is an innovative after school program helping inner-city youth develop leadership and other skills through the use of technology. The program is sponsored by ZeroDivide, a San Francisco based organization that assists low-income communities empower themselves through the use of technology and is the brainchild of Oscar Menjivar -- himself a graduate of Jordan High School and Cal Poly Pomona. The idea itself dates back to Menjivar's high school days who states "the program was created to develop confident and collaborative minded young men equipped with the skills to improve social and economic conditions in their community." more ›

Looks like the roller coaster riders at the many theme parks operated by Six Flags, including our Magic Mountain, aren't the only ones experiencing some topsy-turvy twists and turns; "Six Flags is seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, saying it needs to reorganize and shed $1.8 billion of debt," reports the Huffington Post. Despite what reps hail as a "great" 2008, with "25 million visitors" and "record revenues," the $2.4 billion in debt is signaling a load too great to carry. But the company's CEO "says the move won't affect the operation of its 20 theme parks in the U.S., Mexico and Canada." So for now, it's all systems go for thrill junkies boarding Colossus, the Riddler's Revenge, Viper, or the Terminator Salvation ride. more ›

If you can't seem to understand that you shouldn't drink and drive, this weekend you might learn your lesson. In fact the LAPD is conducting a DUI checkpoint in such a high traffic and popular spot tomorrow evening, we're sure it's going to end with a lot of people in jail for the evening (hint: take the Red Line). And tonight in two South LA and in the Harbor area, the LAPD will be conducting sobriety saturation patrols. Point being, stop the tomfoolery, the LAPD is on the look out, even in areas not mentioned here. more ›

It's been a long five year process--sometimes nasty--but yesterday marked the beginning steps in transforming a former blighted Metro bus yard into the South Los Angeles Wetlands Park, located on Avalon Blvd north of Slauson. Expected to be completed by 2011, the first phase of the wetland park will feature the passive park elements followed a rail museum and community meeting space in phase two. The space will also act as an outdoor classroom. more ›

It's been closed for a handful a years, but the Downey Pool between Chinatown and Lincoln Heights has begun construction and is expected to open next year June. The $2.2 million project includes a 3,000-square-foot lap pool, an 1,800-square-foot splash pad, and a 500-square-foot structure that will house new pumps and filter equipment, and chemical rooms. A pool in this park was original built in 1919, according to city documents. more ›

Last night's win already caused people to run amok in East LA. And even though Sunday night's game is in Orlando, should the Lakers win the Championship, the LAPD and LA County Sheriff's say they are prepared, citing the win 2000 when 11 people were arrested and close to a million dollars in damage was caused on downtown streets. Yeah, police cars were torched. more ›

LAist Featued Photos contributor Jonathan Alcorn took some amazing shots of the gray whale hanging out in Marina del Rey this week. The young whale, about 20 feet in length, has been hanging around drawing crowds because, hey, it's not just everyday that you get to see a whale so easily from shore. Yesterday, another contributor shared a couple videos with us. more ›

As one of the advocacy tools to save most of state parks in California from being slashed from the budget is to have a weekend of support. Next weekend, the California State Parks Foundation is asking us all to camp, visit or otherwise bring attention to the state parks issue. While there, take a photo of you holding a sign and submit it so Sacramento can feel bad, or something. Meanwhile, the organization continues its 40 best state park trails podcast series. Recent episodes featuring Los Angeles area trails include Temescal Canyon, the river trail at Rio de Los Angeles State Park and La Jolla Canyon at Point Mugu State Park. You can listen to these three episodes below: more ›

UCLA's end of term, near-nude right-of-passage, The Undie Run (mucho LAist coverage) went off this week. In this video, the stripped-down co-eds can be seen jogging in fleshy unison, like a Discovery Channel special on the salmon migration. LA Times reporter, and LAist contributor, Adam Rose, doing his best Melissa Rivers, wondered "who are you wearing?" An anonymous source told LAist that only one intoxicated person attended this event. However, that party-fouler does not appear in this video. No way. more ›

Heaven comes in the form of oooey, gooey, and slightly crunchy with a spicy kick. Meet Nickel Diner's appropriately named Smac and Cheese ($7.50). Large macaronis are smothered with four cheeses--cheddar, fontina, pepper jack and mozzarella--mixed with a few roasted tomatoes and topped with baked breadcrumbs and herbs. Wowee. more ›

It's safe to say that Kogi BBQ has started a trend: fusion, Twitter and deliberate locations. Don Chow Tacos, obviously inspired by Kogi, has been around for about two months and last night they were found at the Downtown Art Walk. more ›

There is a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms throughout the Southern California mountains today with rain, wind and lighting possibly hitting other parts of the region late this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Temperature wise, the direct Los Angeles area will be in the 60s and low 70s with lows in the 50s and 60s, depending on where you're located. Over the weekend, expect more of the same with patchy drizzle. Sorry, no beach weather yet, but summer isn't officially until the end of next week! more ›

The porn industry's self regulation, albeit a good step, but never to the satisfaction of health officials, has been for the most part under the radar until cases like the one happening this week. Yesterday morning it was reported that one case of HIV was within the industry. Then in the afternoon, reports surfaced that there has been at least 16 since 2004, when the last reported group of performers tested positive for HIV. more ›

Thousands of teachers are still going to lose their job at the end of the month, but at least 500 of them are saved. "Many of the teachers who were at risk of losing their jobs, as well as their supporters, camped out overnight at LAUSD headquarters in downtown L.A. to protest the proposed layoffs," says CBS2, who received the layoff information from LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines exclusively. more ›

Apparently, the ballot initiative that passed last November to make cages more livable for farm animals, notably chickens and hens, is confusing farmers. The Assn. of California Egg Farmers says the prop guides space via a “broad principle” but not much detail more than that, says the LA Times. And now there is more legislation about eggs from Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael). He wants eggs imported to the state to be produced under humane conditions and farmers say they won't support it until they get clear instructions on how to deal with being more humane within the state. Prop 2 will go in effect in 2015. more ›

It took some scratching and clawing, but the Lakers defeated the Magic in overtime 99-91. The Lakers were off kilter to start off the game allowing Magic center Dwight Howard to grab 11 first quarter rebounds. Also all the Lakers bigs were in foul trouble at one point forcing the Lakers to play DJ Mbenga and Josh Powell. Thanks to Magic turnovers the Lakers were down by only four points despite not being able to shoot and. It would get worse for the Lakers in the second quarter where they couldn't defend worth squat and would trail at halftime by twelve. more ›

• The latest on having Pedicabs operate in the city? After a meeting combing over the proposed rules, Transportation Commissioners continued the item until next month after asking for changes on some of the more ridiculous items like dress code and helmets for passengers.
• Schwarzenegger: Give me a budget on time or I'm shutting this state down. Of course, that didn't make politicians happy.
• A group of activists are demanding progress on the Grim Sleeper serial killer case. “Black Lives Count," read a placard at protest.

it's been a long battle between permanent residents and the new mobile permanent residents of Venice. With the streets filling up with RVs and some allegedly dumping water waste (in the literal sense, too), on lawns and into the streets, residents wanted to limit the amount of overnight and RV parking in the neighborhood. It's what the residents ultimately voted for and what California Coastal Commission staffed urged. Nonetheless, Commission members voted against restrictions, saying it was not their "job to be the balance between homeless and residents.” Therefore, RVs stay put for now. We posted a good "catching up" video on this subject a couple weeks ago. more ›

A family hired forensics expert said today that he believed David Carradine's death was not a suicide, but the cause of death could not determined until he received more information from Thai authorities, the Associated Press reported today. Carradine was found hanging dead last week, with ropes tied around his neck, wrists and genitals, in a Bangkok hotel. Thai officials original suspected suicide, but later said it could have been accidental, too, because the way he was found indicated a possible act of auto-erotic asphyxiation. It could be a few weeks before the private forensics expert receives more information from Thailand so he can complete his report. more ›

Here's that baby gray whale we mentioned earlier this week. He's been hanging out in Marina Del Rey, showing off bits of his 20-foot long body when he surfaces, creating quite a spectacle for locals and tourists. more ›

It's the second Thursday of the month, so that means Downtown Art Walk night. And although its June gloom, there's nothing better than walking the streets with tons of other art revelers between getting good food and drinks. more ›

A new trend for Los Angeles? After learning that Cruzer Pizza in Los Feliz began offering a vegan-heralded brand of very realistic cheese, Daiya, Purgatory Pizza chimes in via Twitter to us saying, "Someone told me they read on LAist that only one place in LA has Daiya. Not true. We have it at Purgatory Pizza too." For vegan blogger Quarrygirl, her favorite pizza place just got a lot better (added bonus: she notes that you can bring your own beer or wine). more ›

When former Mayor James Hahn visited China in 2002, hoping to get panda exhibit for the LA Zoo, he came back with the promise of three golden monkeys for 10 years. Now that is not even happening, according to the Daily News. "We did pursue it with the Chinese government, but our understanding is they were no longer responding to our inquiries," Zoo Commission President Shelby Kaplan Sloan said. "We are working to bring in other simians and think we can come up with something the public will respond to and be just as attractive." More than $7.4 million was spent on the exhibit, which will now be used for other Asian primates, birds and miniature deer. more ›

The County tried to regulate the time a taco trucks could operate in one place and lost. On Friday, a similar, but lesser known Los Angeles city ordinance from 2006 was struck down by a judge. Last December, a taco truck owner received a $150 parking ticket from the city's Department of Transportation for violating the law. He and a group of attorneys and students from UCLA Law School's clinical program challenged the ticket in an administrative hearing, but lost. They appealed to LA County Superior Court and won with no city attorneys present at the hearing. more ›

This morning officials will announce a new runway safety system designed to prevent airport accidents. LAX has been subject to many close calls over the years. The new safety lights, known as Runway Status Lights, are a series of red lights embedded in the pavement that warn pilots when it’s unsafe to enter or cross a runway, according to Mayor Villaraigosa's office. The system cost $7 million and has been placed on the eight highest risk taxiways at the airport. more ›

Around 20 Rolling 60s gang members were arrested early this morning during a birthday party at Platinum Live on Ventura Boulevard, which was rented for the event. "They're one of the larger gangs in South Los Angeles," said LAPD Sgt. Dan Horan. "They're well established. There was a gang injunction against them in the neighborhood that they claim. That area around there is Slauson and Crenshaw in South Los Angeles. They are large in number and notorious in their activity." more ›

Adult Industry Medical Healthcare in Sherman Oaks. "The actress was involved in a small amount of films in a short period of time," said AIM administrator Brooke Hunter. "She still is in counseling." Her working partners have tested negative so far, but are under two 14-day quarantines getting tested again. "All required reporting has been complied with, as have the AIM and industry protocols," AIM said in a statement. "The investigation is ongoing. This is not a major event." more ›

One of LA's best ideas is about to get a little more pricier. Beginning August 1st, LAX FlyAway one-way tickets between Union Station/Van Nuys and LAX will raise one dollar to $7 to further close the gap between revenues and expenses. Westwood to LAX and back will remain at $5 each way. more ›

San Diego Padres defeat LA Dodgers 3-1. Ah the frustration of youth. Clayton Kershaw could not find the strike zone to save his life. He gave up three runs in his short 2 2/3 innings which in reality felt much longer. After giving up a Dodger run in the first inning thanks to shoddy defense behind him, Kevin Correia just kept getting the Dodgers hitters out picking them off like a sniper. While the Padres bullpen was shaky, they did just enough to prevent another Dodger run to score. As for Kershaw he's young. He'll be all right. As for the Dodgers they head to Dallas to face the Andruw Jones and the Texas Rangers in interleague play. more ›

• Just when you thought you had seen every type of road rage comes the story of a NEWS VAN running down, hitting and dragging a cyclist. WTF???
• Congrats to former USC Trojan Mark Sanchez on inking a 5 year - $50 million contract with the New York J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets! Now of course comes the hard part... winning.
• The great mystery of the shark advertisements has been solved by Curbed LA. Apparently they were put up to call attention to illegal shark fin hunting. So much for the Animal Planet Shark Week theories.

Last night, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger tweeted, asking followers to try to fix the budget themselves on LA Times' wicked-cool budget calculator. "Tell me how you do," he said. Now that's Government 2.0, or whatever, at its prime. So, this is how we did, amazingly earning the state an extra $840 million. Of course, that came at the expense of the education system and your taxes. Here's how we solved the budget crisis, making enemies the whole: more ›

Today Metro made a big step with an announcement that will give programmers a new tool to make and computer savvy commuters ecstatic. They launched a new beta developer website (and blog!) with two downloadable data sets--GIS and GTFS, or Google Transit Feed Specification, which is used in Google Transit. "This data set is a collection of tabular data describing route, stop, schedule, and fare information for Metro’s system," Metro said in a news release. "The GIS data is a collection of shapefiles for mapmakers who wish to include a layer of Metro Bus and Metro Rail lines and stops into a map." more ›

It's been heard on the streets, but Metro says no date has officially been set. That's not to say August will end up being the opening date, as rumored, but there's no telling when it will really open, says Marc Littman of Metro in an e-mail: "Ignore the rumors. No official opening date has been announced and won’t be finalized and announced until we complete critical testing of tunnel ventilation and other safety systems and components. The PUC also must give us approval to begin revenue operations. We also need at least a month to do pre-revenue service so our operators and control staff become familiar with the alignment and the eight new stations. We’re still ahead of schedule, within budget and construction has achieved an unparalleled safety record - 4 million hours without a lost time work injury. So stay tuned. If all goes well, we should announce an opening date soon but, again, we need to go through the testing phase first." more ›

Curbed LA has heard it twice now--Metro's Gold Line Eastside Extension between downtown LA and East LA will open in August. Little Tokyo UnBlogged took a safety walk with officials around the tracks and found that people had many concerns about crossings and signage: "The other questions that came up time and again were the lack of language-appropriate signage (some of the signs that were up did have Spanish translations). Many in the group expressed concerns over how local Japanese and Korean residents, most especially seniors, would be able to read the warnings." UPDATE: Metro says no firm date has been set. Read more here. more ›

Since 2002, the National Park Service has been tracking Mountain Lions in the Santa Monica Mountains, studying their movements, pinpointing their ranges and observing how human development impacts their population. Twelve have been tracked in that time with some remarkable finds. more ›

Conan O'Brien and Andy Richter may have tried to navigate the LA River's precarious waters the other day, but now you can, too, without ever leaving your computer. more ›

Donald Trump to Miss California USA Carrie Prejean: "You're FIRED." The mogul has stripped the controversial beauty queen of her crown, but not because of her stance on political issues. Trump, who once said he was "very proud" of the blonde beauty "gave the green light to fire" Prejean "because she just wouldn't do the job and treated people badly," according to TMZ. more ›

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced that $400 million from the economic recovery package is headed to make capital investments in transit throughout California. It's not going to build us the Subway to the Sea or anything sexy like that, but is headed to more functional improvements, such as seen in the above photo: more ›

Near the summit of the Cajon Pass, which reaches 4,100 feet, June gloom fog may be the culprit in a chain reaction crash that has involved up to 50 cars, reports the Associated Press. "There was like three, four big-rigs, a couple cars accordioned in between them. In all between the three accidents, 50 cars-plus," said one driver who zig zagged through the mess that began around 7:30 a.m. more ›

Thinking of purchasing a car? Your options remain plentiful, and deals are readily available as the auto industry is eager to make sales in these rough economic times. But if you happened to be headed to Universal City Nissan, a sign on the hill above the dealership might have you thinking twice about your decision to go with the import. more ›

Something is clearly afoul over at the historic Huntington in San Marino. Nothing is wrong, actually. But all eyes--and noses--are on one rare bloom in particular: The Corpse Flower. more ›

Motorists spotted a brush fire after midnight last night as they traveled along the 91 Artesia Freeway and the 710 Long Beach Freeway and alerted the California Highway Patrol, reports the Press-Telegram. Firefighters soon arrived on scene to douse the blaze that ultimately "scorched roughly one-fourth of an acre of brush below the transition road" from the 91 to the 710. It took about 15 minutes to get the fire out; no one was injured and it had no effect on traffic. The cause of the fire is being investigated. more ›

Finally. "The nine-month stalemate between the Screen Actors Guild and producers came to an end Tuesday night as SAG members overwhelmingly voted to approve the union’s new TV/theatrical contract with the AMPTP. The final tally: 78 percent voted 'yay', and 22 percent voted 'nay'," reports the The Warp. "The contract includes a 3 percent wage increase, a .5 percent increase in pension and health contributions and residuals for new-media work similar to the guild’s home-video residuals." more ›

• Mayor Villaraigosa is in Sacramento today trying to make the best of the possible state raids on local tax dollars. “Our willingness to sacrifice on the State’s behalf does not represent an open-ended commitment or a blank check,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “We must be sure that our hard-earned tax dollars make their way back to taxpayers as quickly as possible.” (via press release)
• With losing the political support of Sen. Harry Reid, the MagLev train between Vegas and Anaheim seems to be less and less a future reality. He's now backing a high speed train called the DesertXpress that would go between Sin City and... Victorville.
• Chrysler is the new Fiat, says the Supreme Court.

The storefronts denied today had all applied for hardship exemptions before it was removed from the city's marijuana dispensary moratorium earlier this afternoon. Only owners from two stores appeared to speak during public comment, noting they were unprepared because notices of today's hearing were only sent out last Friday. more ›

As of 1 pm this afternoon, Tim Floyd resigned as USC men's basketball coach according to Floyd's home state's Clarion Ledger. In his one-paragraph resignation later to USC athletic director Mike Garrett he writes, "Unfortunately, I no longer feel I can offer the level of enthusiasm to my duties that is deserved by the university, my coaching staff, my players, their families, and the supporters of Southern Cal." Perhaps this wane in enthusiasm stems from him allegedly giving $1,000 to a person close to OJ Mayo during Mayo's recruiting process? More on this later. more ›

Two years ago, two pedicab companies tried to set up shop in downtown to carry commuters from subway station to work, from bar to bar, or any kind of short range trip. Lacking permits, they were shut down and the pedicab issue went to study. Now a proposal is back and headed to the city's Transportation Committee, however with some odd rules, notes Eric Richardson at blogdowntown. more ›

In a unanimous vote by the Los Angeles City Council this afternoon, a loop hole in a medical marijuana moratorium was filled. "Hopefully that will bring this matter to success," said Councilman Dennis Zine, a former LAPD officer. Although a ban on new medical marijuana dispensaries went into effect in 2007, the hardship exemption language created a loophole, prompting over 500 new storefronts to pop up around the city. With today's action, hardship exemptions will no longer be an option for new medical marijuana dispensaries. UPDATE: The six month extension may have not actually gone through, we are awaiting confirmation on that item. Stay tuned... more ›

Conan is having fun exploring Los Angeles so he went canoeing in the LA River. "Let's never do that again," he said after humorously trying it near the 6th Street Bridge. more ›

Today, LAPD detective Stephanie Lazarus was arraigned in court for the murder of Sherri Rae Rasmussen in 1986. Then the victim's father (pictured right) also held a press conference explaining that he told police time and time again that he thought she was one of the probable suspects. But detectives at that time had a different theory--burglars--and ignored him "repeatedly [saying] that he was watching too much TV," according to the LA Times. Looks like father was right, DNA caught up with Lazarus last week and she was arrested. "In hindsight, 20/20, we wish the investigation had gone in other directions," Deputy Chief Charlie Beck told the Times. "There will be justice in this case, but it might not come at all levels." more ›

The state parks that are proposed to be cut are quite beautiful and very popular--still, if they close, it's not like there's nothing left. State parks make up 23% of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, leaving a good amount of acreage to the National Park Service and another state park agency local to Los Angeles, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (note that there is a considerable amount of private land within the Nat. Rec. Area, too). more ›

It was last month on May 17th, 2 a.m. when a 31-year-old female hailed a cab in front of Ecco in Hollywood to grab a ride home. Armen Ayvazian was her driver, according to the LAPD, and when she got home, he allegedly followed her inside where he sexually assaulted her. Detectives caught up with the North Hills man last week and arrested him without incident. But police believe there are more victims out there and if you recognize him (a photo of his cab is below), give the police a call. more ›

That's according to Paul Kortez, who will be the next City Councilman for the 5th District, which spans from Hollywood to West LA and into the Valley. "It is my pleasure to announce that three weeks after Election Day, it appears that all of the votes have been counted and our campaign has won by over 700 votes. This hard-fought election is over, and my opponent David Vahedi has conceded," Koretz wrote in an e-mail this morning. "I will strive to serve in an atmosphere of integrity and transparency. No one will serve on my staff unless he or she is willing to embrace the mission of service to the public. I have no doubt that communication is the key to rebuilding trust between residents and their councilmember." more ›

Just in case you were wondering, Kyra Sedgwick, wife to Kevin Bacon and who plays the hard nosed LAPD Deputy Chief on TNT's "The Closer" received a star, the 2,384th star, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Monday. It's located around Cinespace at 6356 Hollywood Blvd. She also sits on the board of the Natural Resources Defense Council. more ›

Since a moratorium went into effect on new dispensaries, the exact opposite happened--more than 500 opened because of a hardship exemption loophole in the ordinance. Today, a few months shy of the moratorium being lifted, the City Council will vote on to whether or not close that loophole, as recommended by its planning and land use committee, and will look at 16 (of the many hundreds) hardship applications, either passing them or denying them. more ›

Every month LAPD Senior Lead Officer George Aguilar takes a look at his area's traffic patterns and behaviors and focuses enforcement on one issue. In the past, he's done pedestrian crosswalk stings along Ventura Blvd., catching drivers who ignore those walking across the street, and enforcement on the various no left turn signs on Van Nuys Blvd. This month, he's going after speeders in these general areas, including nearby side streets: Woodman/Ventura, Van Nuys/Ventura, streets surrounding Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Park and Valley Vista between Sepulveda and Coldwater Canyon. He encourages people to spread the word (so tell your friends), but he won't say what days each area will be heavily patrolled. Basically, if you keep it cool, there's nothing to worry about. more ›

Remember right before Labor Day weekend, officials at Lake Mohave were puzzled at why hundreds of dead carp were all of the sudden washing up on shore dead? Scientists have finally figured out the probable cause: Koi Herpes Virus (KHV). Good thing it poses no threats to human health. To fish, however, it's a different story, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department via the Lake Mead National Recreation Area: "The virus, which can impact carp as water temperatures warm, affects gill function and can lead to suffocation and secondary infections. While there were bacterial issues, lab tests show KHV as the primary cause of the die-off." Dead fish continue to line the around 200 miles of beachfront on both Nevada and Arizona sides and warn fishers to avoid carp and for recreation users to be patient in finding a beach area. Otherwise, the lake water, although lower than usual, is deemed to be safe. more ›

From Culver City to the West Valley, police officers will be supporting the Special Olympics today in a torch relay from the Westside and South LA through Hollywood and across the south rim of the Valley. It's all for a good cause--raising money and awareness--but it will cause traffic. more ›

• An arrest has been made in the Koreatown karaoke bar shooting.
• Long Beach is looking to ban smoking in more public places and to get more "green" buildings.
• A deadly crash on Vineland in North Hollywood last night killed two and injured one more.

The 74.9 million people who visit state parks produce over $4 billion in direct spending associated with their trip, a new Sacramento State study has found. The findings are shocking researchers considering the state only invests around $70 million a year into the system. more ›

Streetsblogger Damien Newton is not happy with the most recent Dodgers free parking promotion, which will run during the series against the Oakland A's June 16-18, saving you $15. Newton's problem is that the Dodgers earlier this year refused to fund the public transportation shuttle between the stadium and Union Station, a program that began just last year. Here are his thoughts plus math: "Well, now it's official. The Dodgers don't consider people that don't own cars part of their fan base. For the record, the Dodgers parking lot fits 16,000 cars. At $15 a pop, they are losing more revenue with this three day promotion to 'all their fans' then they would have spent funding the bus service from Union Station to Dodger Stadium for the entire season." But will the A's games fill up the parking lot? more ›

Here's what a citation from the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power looks like. Luckily, if its your first time, there's no monetary punishment, just a conversation with a conservation team member, which could be its own sort of punishment depending on who you are. If they visit you again, you're looking at $100 or more. more ›

It's hard to juggle being a beauty queen and a wife and mom...but even harder if you add a whole other identity to the mix. Manhattan Beach's Susan Shaw was once Miss Hawaii International, and had a husband and children in Oahu who didn't know she also had a life here in SoCal. Shaw was arrested in Honolulu last month, after detectives here found her rented home full of "hundreds of stolen credit cards," along with "Social Security numbers, addresses and birthdays of victims and potential victim," according to abc7. more ›

Metro wants to test out their own brand of congestion pricing called ExpressLanes, which would allow solo drivers to access carpool lanes for a price. For one year, starting in December 2010, Metro will convert carpool lanes on the I-10 (El Monte Busway) and the I-110 (Harbor Freeway Transitway) freeways to toll lanes. more ›

The Nobu chain of sushi eateries is global in its reach, and undeniable in its popularity, particularly among trendy Hollywood-types. But what's also trendy is eating what isn't on the verge of extinction, which is what is prompting some celebs to put the screws to Nobu to stop slicing up bluefin tuna. more ›

There's been controversy aplenty surrounding the date of the LA Marathon this year, and now, in preparation for next year's run, Greersoc.com founder and 15-time marathon runner Greer Wylder suggests in an LA Times editorial today that organizers also consider improving the route. Why? Because, to be blunt, it's really ugly. more ›

Convicted killer and former Manson follower Susan Atkins was due for another parole hearing May 28th after being denied a compassionate release last year. According to Associated Press, the parole hearing was abruptly postponed until September. The debate over Atkins' potential release has been raging. After all avenues to request compassionate release were exhausted, the bid for parole appeared to be Atkins' last chance at freedom. Last summer Atkins was given a year to live, so maybe it is just a matter of biding time. more ›

Good news for everyone's well-being, but perhaps bad news for speed junkies--at least of the variety who enjoy zipping around on residential streets. "On of the longest stretches of unregulated residential asphalt in Atwater Village, with some 1,600 feet of acceleration space, is getting speed humps," blogs the Atwater Village Newbie. more ›

It was March 17th when Current TV reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee were arrested for illegally entering North Korean territory while working on a story. Today, despite protests around the country, they were charged with 12 years of hard labor. more ›

"What we've seen has been totally unfair toward landscapers," tells Larry Walsh, assistant executive director of the California State Landscaping Contractors Association, to the Daily News. "We think the idea of two-day limits [Mondays and Thursdays] is wrong. It would be much better to have a water budgeting system, where people are allowed a certain amount of water at a base rate and they decide how to reach it... We are asking that there be an exemption for landscapers and for people living in fire areas. When you have professional landscapers, you use less water. With a two-day limit, people tend to over-water their plants." The LA Department of Water, that is in charge of the program, says the program is under constant review and will make changes when necessary. For now (and maybe for a long time), landscapers will have to adjust to from their usual ways. more ›

Andrew Gallo, who is accused of killing Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others in an April drunk driver crash in Fullerton, will be arraigned today in court on three counts of murder, drunken driving and fleeing the scene of an accident, reports the LA Times. The 22-year-old driver was said to have had three times the legally acceptable blood alcohol limit when he ran a red light, crashing into Adenhart's vehicle. He was also driving on a suspended license for an earlier DUI conviction. more ›

After Game 1, I said that the Magic's outside shooters would not miss all of those shots again. Well the Lakers survived the Magic's improved shooting in Game 2 101-96 in overtime. After being non-factors in Game 1 Rashard Lewis and Hedu Turkoglu showed up in Game 2 knocking down 34 points and 17 points respectively. Lewis knocked down six three-pointers in the Magic's effort to steal one game on LA's home court. The effort would come up short. more ›

• Police are on the hunt for the driver of a maroon colored minivan that was involved in a hit-and-run early this morning. A car involved in the incident was hit so hard that it split in two. Police are investigating and have made no arrests, but have two "people of interest".
• The Dodgers are gonna pick up the parking tab for the June 16-18 games against the Oakland Athletics. Sweet...
• Three students including one from UCLA have received Fred Rogers scholarships presented by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation and Ernst and Young. They were honored at a ceremony that included the widow of Mister Rogers.

The Phillies managed to tie the series thanks to their home run hitting in a 7-2 rout of the Dodgers. While the Dodgers managed to contain the National League leaders in home runs throughout the series, the Phillies got three today off of Dodger pitching. Dodgers starter Randy Wolf admitted his stuff wasn't that good. "I didn't think I was very good all day," Wolf said. "It's just one of those things. I've got to get better." more ›

California Governor-hopeful and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is part of a trailblazing trend: Politicians and social media. Along with current Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Golden State politicos are part of what is re-shaping the face of campaigns, according to an Associated Press report:

Online social networks are rapidly making traditional political advertisements obsolete, said veteran political strategist Joe Trippi, who used Internet fundraising to propel Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign. The social networks are giving elected leaders like [Newark, NJ Mayor Cory] Booker and Newsom a new way to satiate the public’s hunger for transparency. “These are the first politicians to build considerable followings on Twitter, and they’re doing it by taking the filter out and showing people who they really are,” Trippi said of Booker and Newsom. “Twitter and these other social networks and new media demand authenticity. This is the future.”

A late night shooting in Koreatown has claimed one life, and left another person wounded. The incident took place just after 2:00 in the morning at the M2 Cafe & Karaoke bar at 4001 W. Sixth Street, according to KTLA. "One of the victims was shot in the head and was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was declared dead. The other victim suffered a graze wound to his head and was expected to survive." No arrests were made at the scene. M2 is described by one Yelp reviewer as being a bar/lounge up front with the karaoke rooms in the rear; it is not clear from available reports if the shooting took place in or outside the venue. more ›

Galaxy forward Alan Gordon led the blue-and-gold to a 2 - 1 victory over Toronto FC yesterday afternoon, while in the evening, Chivas USA forward Eduardo Lillingston scored his fifth goal of the year to give the red-and-whites a 1 - 0 victory over Seattle. more ›

• The family of actor David Carradine, who was found dead last week in his Bangkok hotel room, is asking the FBI for help in investigating the tragic incident.
• Hoping to pick up a class or two this summer at Cal Poly Pomona? Think again.
• The NBA says there will be a "major announcement" tomorrow before Game 2 of the Finals between the Lakers and the Magic. Could it be that the All-Star Game will be in L.A. next time?
• Speaking of the purple and gold (Go Lakers!) Lamar Odom says he hopes to stay with the team once he becomes a free agent this summer.
• Police have arrested two suspects they believe led them on a chase in a stolen car after they broke into a Woodland Hills home.
• Times must be pretty tough if a City worker is stealing gas from city facilities and then re-selling it.

Word of the Taco Zone truck that parks near Vons in Echo Park being on fire spread in much the same manner as the blaze last night via Twitter and food-centric message boards. more ›

On this day Dodger manager Joe Torre is only undecided about one thing: which horse to bet on in the Belmont Stakes. more ›

Summer is almost upon us and that means two things: warm weather and the race to the MLS playoffs is about to start. Entering the 12th week of the 2009 campaign, a couple of interesting and familiar trends are starting to surface. more ›

It's been proposed and pooh-poohed by the public before, but considering our drought, does treating sewage so it's drinkable gaining more public consensus in Los Angeles? It already has in Orange County at the world's largest modern reclamation plant that serves many of the county's residents. more ›

North Hollywood: What do you do when the city owns a vacant lot that's being used by people as an unofficial trash landfill? Clear it out and make it into a park. On Monday, Councilwoman and Controller-Elect Wendy Greuel and others will make the first ceremonial dig on the Bellaire Pocket Park Project, located at the corner of Bellaire Ave and Strathern St. more ›

It was April 17th, 2006 when a contractor working on a Bel Air home looked over into Stone Canyon and swore he saw a bear. He immediately reported it to the LA Department of Water & Power, who own and operate the reservoir and in turn told the California Department of Fish & Game. more ›

When the Orange Line opened in the Valley, there was crash after crash. So many, in fact, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa assigned traffic officers to major intersections during rush hour for a time. Now, as test trains perform along the new Gold Line extension into East LA, Metro is warning that officers from the Sheriff's Department will be keep an extra careful eye out for motorist not following the new traffic patterns along the six-mile route. more ›

LAPD detective Stephanie Lazarus, who was profiled on the side as an art theft detective protégée in the LA Weekly's People Issue this year, was arrested this this morning for the 1986 murder of ex-boyfriend's wife, who was beaten and fatally shot. Back then, the case led nowhere, but two things today contributed to finding the alleged killer. One is the advancement of DNA and when it was tested recently, it showed it was from a female, not a man as they expected. Two, the lower murder rate apparently is allowing for detective to focus on cold cases. more ›

Yes, Chavez Ravine, or the more recent marketing term Dodgertown, has its own zip code, which will formally launch tomorrow when Los Angeles Postmaster Mark Anderson throws out the ceremonial first pitch. 90090 takes over the area around Dodger Stadium and the baseball club has named a section called Mannywood 90090. Blogger Mark Bodie who blogs over at The Mancave Memoirs has his own suggestion: "The next move for the Dodgers is to rename the parking lot 'Hell.'" Har, har! more ›

Raymond Lee Oyler, who set the deadly Esperanza Fire in 2006, was sentenced to death today after a jury recommended the penalty with the judge concurring in his final sentence. Five firefighters died when flames overtook them while protecting a house in the foothills of the San Jacinto Mountains. 41,000 acres burned and 34 homes were lost, too. The 38-year-old arsonist was convicted in March of five counts of first-degree murder, 20 counts of arson and 17 counts of using an incendiary device. more ›

Now with Wendy Gruel heading to the City Controller Office on July 1st, her seat will be soon vacant leading to a possible campaign if a special election is approved by City Council (and it's likely to go that way instead of an appointment). Tomorrow is the last day to submit proof of residence and voter registration within Council District 2, which stretches from Sherman Oaks and Studio City through North Hollywood into the Northeast Valley neighborhoods of Shadow Hills, Sunlund and Tujunga (see a PDF map here). more ›

We're experiencing scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms today with a 40% chance for it to continue tonight, according to the National Weather Service. Tomorrow only holds a 20% of rain with Sunday expected to be partly cloudy. Temperatures should remain in the 60s for the most part throughout the weekend with some areas hitting the low 70s this afternoon. more ›

This is just... darling. "I don't see how you guys stand a chance. It's going to take some magic for you to come even close to us," Los Angeles Congresswoman Maxine Waters told Congresswoman Corrine Brown of Florida yesterday. Waters was right, Lakers kicked some ass, beating the Magic 100 to 75. more ›

“With nearly a half million Angelenos employed by the technology and hospitality sectors, Los Angeles is a perfect fit for E3,” Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said earlier this week welcoming the expo back to Los Angeles and touting how it and its 41,000 attendees bring $15 million to the local economy. Ironically enough, he said that below a banner advertising a game that has players build their own street gang and kill the competition. more ›

Hello highest rate of unemployment in 25 years, up from 8.9% last month. The one thing economists are saying about today's statistics--employers cutting 345,000 jobs in May--is that it's the lowest rate since last September, which could be a sign the recession is making a turn around. A study in April said the Los Angeles-Long Beach region ranks 56 out of 66 for job growth in large U.S. cities. So, who's doing some funemployment these days? more ›

LA Lakers defeat Orlando Magic 100-75. This certainly was not what I had in mind coming into this NBA Finals. The Lakers were led by Kobe Bryant scoring 40 points and getting eight rebounds and eight assists. This was the first time Kobe has scored 40 or more in the NBA Finals in his career. The game started out with both teams feeling each other out in the first quarter. The Magic took a five point lead at the end of the quarter. But in the second quarter despite surprisingly good play by Jameer Nelson, the Lakers started to pull away taking a 10 point lead into the half. more ›

• Who says the Catholic Church doesn't love basketball and a little friendly wager? Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony is putitng a case of Angels-labeled wine on the line up against Orlando's Bishop Thomas Wenski's three key lime pies (Florida's official state pie), four pounds of fresh shrimp, and a bottle of oxygen. The oxygen is Wenski's poke at LA's dirty air. Is it even right to have a snarky comeback against a Bishop?
• MySpace is reaching out to older musicians to reel in the older demographic because we don't go there anymore. If you don't remember, MySpace is the social site that you used post Friendster and before switching to Facebook and Twitter.
• A man named David Schwartz threw a bolt from his car while shouting a derogatory name at Special Olympics runners yesterday, and is now behind bars awaiting a Friday hearing. Enough said.

For the most part, new supergraphics and billboards are illegal under a moratorium passed last December (there are a handful of locations grandfathered in, though). We're not sure if this bold new supergraphic at (check out an old supergraphic in streetview) is one of the illegal ones or not, but this looks like a new step into the future of them. That 3D cup of frozen joe (or whatever it is) on that fake brick is described as huge by LAist contributor Tim Hammer who noticed it while driving. What's next? Digital supergraphics? more ›

The reality is setting in. "I screwed myself. I screwed up my life, I screwed up my kids' lives," Nadya Suleman told a RadarOnline videographer about mistakes she's made. "I have to put on this strong facade and I have to pretend like I don't regret it." The conversation was mainly about how she never informed the biological father she was using his sperm after the first six children. "I went behind his back and used them all. He didn't want me to. I feel so much guilt for that." The said unidentified father is currently married and has children with his spouse. more ›

You don't even need to be on shrooms to get hypnotied by this. Thanks, Conan! Yesterday the blog Serious Lunch found that Conan's background seems based off the Mario Bros. Mushroom Kingdom. And boy, it looks like they were right. more ›

Pulitzer Prize winning food critic Jonathan Gold did not discover an unknown but extremely tasty mom and pop restaurant in a strip mall in one of his reviews this week, but instead headed to LA Live's Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill. "To be honest, Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill feels more like Puck’s restaurants in the Midwest or Las Vegas than it does like Spago: This is the export model, food in the crunchy, spicy, sprightly, smoky, slightly sweet groove he does so well," Gold writes. "He’s not making any breakthroughs here. But Puck, the Magic Johnson of chefs, perfected many of the tropes of new American cuisine, from the Mediterranean-Asian thing to hardwood grilling, from exotic pasta to rowdy herbal accents to wood-oven pizza, and there is a sheen, a professional presence to the cooking here — burgers, chops, sautéed Alaskan halibut and beet-burrata salad — that Puck always seems to execute more consistently than anyone else." more ›

Welcome a new baby saki monkey to the Santa Ana Zoo! Born on May 18th, the child's sex is still unknown, but zoo officials say it's healthy and full of energy. It is the fourth born to its parents Dakota and Aaliyah. The full family can be seen at the zoo's Tropical Rainforest multi-species exhibit. more ›

Thanks, lightning and dry brush. After yesterday's storm, lightning caused at least 19 fires in remote regions of the forest, Angeles National Forest officials report after a early morning reconnaissance flight. Twelve of those fires are full contained, but one fire called the Twin Fire remains fairly active in the the central San Gabriel Mountains. The 680,000-acre forest was struck by lightning approximately 400 times between 2:30am and 8:00pm Wednesday. Inciweb will be keeping tabs on the event. more ›

Eric Garcetti proposed to have the city do bicycle sharrows--basically painted graphics on street lanes indicating bicycles and cars should share the lane, per state law--as a pilot project. That was last year June. One year later, here's the latest via the LA County Bicycle Coalition's e-mail blast today: "At a meeting, held last week, the pilot project timeline was reevaluated and due in part to LADOT and Alta Planning's priority to finish the Bike Plan, the Sharrow Project prioritization won't begin until September. We were hoping to see paint on the ground before the end of 2009, but unfortunately it looks like we will not see paint until early 2010. " more ›

News of increased parking rates--yeah, $15--at The Getty Center and Villa effective July 1st did not go over so well with some people. So today, they announced that it will be free after 5 p.m. on Saturday nights when the Getty Center is open 'til 9 p.m. The Getty Villa is not open Saturdays, so it does not apply there. Of course, museum admission has always and will always be free so if you can get there car free, none of this matters. more ›

In the past LAPD Chief William Bratton was rumored to be a top candidate to take over Scotland Yard. He denied that and he's still here serving Los Angeles today. However, today Her Majesty awarded him with the honorary title Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his work to promote cooperation between the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) police, both before and during his service with LAPD. more ›

Remember back in February when local artist Shepard Fairey was arrested in Boston for allegedly sticker slapping and postering in Boston? Well, this week, 13 charges were dropped, but he still faces more from a September 16th, 2000 incident in which he did not appear for his arraignment the next day. "We're happy that those cases have been dismissed and we're looking forward to others being dismissed as well that rely on the same set of facts that these did," Fairey's lawyer said, noting "that the evidence against Fairey included commercially available stickers featuring images of his work which could have been posted by anybody," explained the Boston Globe. more ›

Here's an interesting rumor that's been floating around neighborhood groups about 5th District Councilman Jack Weiss, or should we say, soon to be former councilman who did not win the public's vote for City Attorney: Hidden in the new budget is for the Mayor to add the position of Deputy Mayor of Homeland Security, pays $200,000 year, is housed at LAX and paid for by Airport funds. The Mayor is appointing Jack Weiss to the position...it even gets better, the Airport is laying off 24 employees and filling the positions with the entire Jack Weiss City Hall staff. more ›

You've probably seen this happen: it's raining, yet the sprinklers are working hard in a city park. Not such a smart idea in a drought, or anytime actually. This past week, new sprinkler regulations went into affect (.pdf info sheet), only allowing sprinkling use on Mondays and Thursdays and not between the times of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. For a few years now, there's been a more advanced sprinkler that knows the weather so if it's raining, it knows not to turn on. The Isla Earth podcast from the Catalina Island Conservancy explained in an older episode: more ›

Freelancers, actors, waiters, web designers and all sorts of people who receive 1099s often find themselves puzzled at why they get letters from the city telling them that they owe money. That's because if you're doing business within the city of Los Angeles, you officially need to declare your earnings. In many cases, people don't earn enough for you to owe, but if you don't register in a timely fashion, you will owe plus interest and penalty, per city law. However, in a push to fill the city deficit, Mayor Villaraigosa is using a Tax Penalty Amnesty Program that ends July 31st to encourage businesses and people to pay their taxes without penalty (interest not included). To take advantage of the amnesty program call the L.A. Tax Amnesty Hotline at (213) 978-1555 weekdays from 8:00 A.M. to 5 P.M. or go to www.lacity.org/finance/amnesty/ for more information and office locations. more ›

There's a reason it's taken me this long to talk about the NBA Finals. I have no idea how this will play out. When I made the proclamation last week that the Magic would win in five games if they faced the Lakers in the Finals, the Lakers didn't look to hot. They were in the middle of feeling out the Denver Nuggets tying the series two games a piece. But the Lakers brought down the hammer capped with a 27-point victory in the decisive Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, and everything changed right there. more ›

There's a 20% chance we get rain today and tomorrow as this system hangs around for a couple more days. "It's kind of unusual to get stuff coming in from the Pacific Ocean as far as rain goes this late in the year," said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist for the National Weather Service, told the Pasadena Star News. That said, most areas received just one-tenth of an inch, but enjoyed a the novelty of a little thunder. more ›

Today, the California High Speed Rail Board meets to discuss a number of things, but mainly the route between Anaheim and Union Station and up to the 134 Freeway, which could be on of the first legs to be built along with a leg between San Francisco and San Jose. more ›

L.A.'s master of puppets officially became a part of history as the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre was declared an historic cultural monument by the city of Los Angeles yesterday. "At age 85, he’s still the star of his company," Steve Meltzer, president of the L.A. Guild of Puppetry, told the LA Times. "There are performances where his presence is requested.” more ›

Kung Fu and Kill Bill actor David Carradine was found dead in Thailand today, naked and hanging from a rope in his luxury hotel. Police are still investigating the case. But whatever the cause of death may be, we lost a great icon of film and TV. We'll bring you more updates as they become available. (AP Photo/Ric Francis) more ›

LA Dodgers defeat Arizona Diamondbacks 1-0. For the second straight night James Loney was the hero for the Dodgers. Leading off the sixth inning he hit a triple past the glove of a diving left fielder Gerardo Parra and came home on Casey Blake's sacrifice fly to Parra. Meanwhile Chad Billingsley and the relievers did their job to keep the DBacks off the scoreboard. Bills struck out nine in six innings of work while closer Jonathan Broxton came in wanting to blow away the DBacks hitters. His last pitch was a 100 mph fastball to Ryan Roberts that was swung on and missed badly. The Dodgers are now 37-18 for the season with a 9 1/2 game lead in the NL West and a four game lead for the best record in baseball. The second place team in baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies, will make their roost here starting tonight for a four game series. more ›

• A flight stuck at LAX for almost THREE DAYS finally took off for China. The original flight, scheduled for Sunday, was canceled because of a nose landing gear problem. Here's an idea... How about a different plane?
• From the WTF?!?!? Department... The state's unemployment fund could be short by BILLIONS. Ugh...
• A woman was nearly struck by lighting today while shopping at the Cabazon Outlets. She was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for "moderate" injuries.

SoCal's Lisa Vinton is one of the World's Strictest Parents. She and her family were featured on the premiere episode of this CMT show, and now Vinton is using the web as a forum to express her thoughts on parenting, and to offer advice to those seeking wisdom about raising children in the face of challenges. more ›

Exene Cervenka released a statement on her website yesterday that she has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Usually abbreviated as MS, Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks the nerve cells, affecting communication between the spinal cord and the brain. Although there is no cure, there are treatments to lessen the possibility of disability. It is not life-threatening although it can be debilitating. Other public figures who have previously been diagnosed with MS are Teri Garr, Lola Falana, Montel Williams, Donna Fargo, Annette Funicello and Richard Pryor. more ›

Is New England the new California? New Hampshire became the sixth state, the fifth in New England, to legalize gay marriage today. After months of back and forth revisions, the legislature approved it this morning following by Governor John Lynch approval this afternoon when he signed it into law. more ›

A one-acre fire is burning in a remote part of the Cleveland National Forest in Orange County today. Officials first got word of a column of smoke that led them to a section about a mile west of Los Pinos Peak. “It is way up there and in a very inaccessible area,” a fire official told the OC Register. They predict the fire will not spread and will be knocked down fairly quickly. more ›

Transit projects are long-range, costly, and eagerly watched by Angelenos, and the MTA's Gold Line Extension is no exception. Years in the making, the six-mile stretch of tracks from Union Station to East LA is actually ahead of schedule, but also now behind. How's that? more ›

Last month, a story floated around about a dog named Hoagie that saved his owners from a mountain lion in the Cleveland National Forest in Orange County. But soon after, state officials found that the mountain probably lion did not initiate the attack. more ›

Get ready to reach a little deeper into your pockets come July 1, as several Southern California communities will be seeing a hike in sales tax. The increases are the result of voter and California Board of Equalization approval, explains abc7, although some local areas will actually see a drop, like Orange County's Laguna Beach, where the "city council discontinued a temporary tax increase." Here's where you'll be paying a half-percentage point more in sales tax starting next month: Los Angeles County (9.75 percent); Avalon (10.25 percent); El Monte (10.25 percent); Inglewood (10.25 percent); Pico Rivera (10.75 percent); South Gate (10.75 percent). What do you think? Are sales tax increases the way to go to help us through the economic hard times? Will this affect your spending habits? more ›

Come June 15th--that's just 13 days from now--the state of California could be a path to having no money, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told the legislature yesterday. Tough choices lie ahead, such as those we've been hearing about since last week like the cutting of most all state parks and all of welfare. He's urging lawmakers to pass those budget proposals within the next two weeks, a short time to solve a $24 billion deficit. more ›

A man dressed in a business suit entered the Pizza Hut at 1261 S. Central Ave. in Glendale on Sunday at 11:10 a.m. He produced a gun and crossed over the counter, demanding money from the 18-year-old female shift manager, who was working alone. "He confronted the young woman in the back of the building and, at gunpoint, demanded money from the safe. After getting some cash, he turned around, shot the victim in the shoulder and also took her purse," explains cbs2, adding that the investigation authorities "say they believe he meant to kill her." The restaurant has released surveillance video showing the heist and shooting; the employee was wounded, but is expected to survive. The crime netted the robber "several hundred dollars," according to an abc7 video report. more ›

Today marks Day 8 of the Hunger Strike initiated by several LAUSD teachers and community members. In addition to the hunger strike, protesters have held, and will continue to hold, "camp-out" events, bringing supporters and community members together to "celebrate and protect the culture" of area schools; one such evening is planned for tomorrow from 6-8:30 p.m. at Miguel Contreras Learning Center. more ›

The moment the new water laws hit Monday, it's like the LA Department of Water & Power went bonkers with water conservation ideas. Today is a new door hanger program, in which the the hangers were given to the public via their print newspaper subscriptions. "LADWP door hangers are designed to help customers encourage their neighbors not to waste water and to avoid fines associated with violations of the City’s Water Conservation Ordinance," they explain. "On one side of the door hanger is a list of four common wasteful water practices, with a checkbox for each prohibited use. Neighbors, when they spot water being wasted on a neighbor’s property, can select the box or boxes that apply and leave the hanger anonymously on the neighbor’s door." Those four common wasteful practices are: excess water flowing over pavement and into gutters during irrigation or car washing, sprinklers are on more than twice a week, sprinklers are on during the day, broken or leaky sprinkler. You can also obtain them at any of the 14 LADWP Customer Service Centers. more ›

Earlier this year the LA Times launched their "Mapping L.A. Neighborhoods" project, when they released some maps with basic neighborhood boundaries and offered themselves up to the mercy (or malice) of the public for feedback and input. And spoke we did, giving the project managers plenty to work with, prompting them to make "nearly 100 boundary changes, producing an updated map showing 113 neighborhood subdivisions within the city," they say. more ›

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa yesterday signed off on the $7.01 billion Los Angeles budget for the next fiscal year that begins on July 1st. What does that mean? Well, "with all the financial uncertainties in the local economy, more review of the budget is expected in coming weeks," the Daily News explains. So, yeah, the budget is signed, but there is still a ways to go. more ›

Residents of West LA, South Robertson, Hollywood, the Hills, Sherman Oaks and Encino, on July 1st, Paul Koretz will replace Jack Weiss as your city councilman. Last night, the County Clerk declared that he won the election by a tight margin of nearly two points, according to Jill Banks Barad, President of the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council. As listed on the County's website, last updated yesterday afternoon, Koretz received 18,547 (50.99%) votes while David T. Vahedi was less than a thousand behind at 17,825 votes (49.01%). Koretz is both a former West Hollywood Councilman and State Assemblymember. Vahedi, a community organizer and attorney, is expected to concede tomorrow. Don't know if you live in CD5? Check the embedded map below. more ›

LA Dodgers defeat Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5. Going into the game everyone knew what the Dodgers game plan would be: wait out Dan Haren, hope the game doesn't get out of hand and pounce on the decimated bullpen. Haren went seven innings giving up only one run on two hits. He made the Dodgers look more like the Nati(o)nals. But he gave way to Tony Pena in the seventh inning and the Dodgers pounced. Matt Kemp led off with a single. With two outs, the Dodgers did their damage. Trailing 5-2, Loney cleared the bases with a double tying the game off of Daniel Schlereth (yes, the Big Stink's son). Casey Blake singled Loney home giving the Dodgers the lead. Jonathan Broxton used 15 pitches to get the DBacks out in the ninth. As SI's Jon Heyman tweeted, "anyone who doesnt believe in dodger magic isnt watching now." more ›

• Note to self: Don't Tweet vaca. plans. One SF man, tweeted about his family vacation and came back to a ransacked apartment. Everyone's a suspect!
• Green LA Girl wants to test your penis knowledge. Correctly identify the phallus in the picture to be entered for a chance to win a "big package."
• It was only a matter of time... The "off-the-leashers" are gunning for their own park in Venice. They're actually only going for the hours of 6:30 am - 8 a.m, but still being met with a lot of opposition from local residents. Baby steps...

A motion to fill a loophole in Los Angeles' moratorium on new medical marijuana dispensaries was approved by a City Council committee today. In 2007 when the ban was set, routine ordinance language provided dispensaries a chance to apply for "hardship exemptions," demonstrating why they should not be included in the ban, even if they had not fulfilled basic requirements like showing proof of insurance, a business tax license and other documents. Around 500 applications have been submitted, according to the city's Council File Management System (search "marijuana") and none of have acted upon, but dispensaries continue to open around the city. The moratorium will expire in September. A copy of today's motion, which should move to the full City Council soon, is below: more ›

Here's a little of what we saw this afternoon at E3, otherwise known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo, where new video games and technologies are being shown off. Yesterday, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr helped introduce 45 Beatles songs to Rock Band. more ›

Following suit with the LA Department of Water (LADWP), a city agency, the LA County Board of Supervisors declared a water emergency today for three the county areas. Residents served by the Department of Public Works (LADPW) will have to meet a lower 15% tier usage rate or face higher fees, a similar system to the city of Los Angeles. Also, the Board approved to charge customers for "water service availability" in Kagel Canyon, Malibu, Val Verde, Acton and the Antelope Valley. more ›

40-year-old Donald Barrett was walking across the street when he was fatally struck and dragged by a Metro bus around 850 feet down two streets in Venice yesterday afternoon. "There does not appear to be any evidence of a crime and there are no charges pending at this time," explained the LAPD in a news release today. "The driver of the bus was transported to a local hospital for treatment of an undisclosed medical condition." more ›

Yesterday morning at 2 a.m., 46-year-old Sheila Tudmon was in the street, presumably crossing, when she was struck by a black SUV that left the scene without rendering aid. She was later transported to the hospital where she died. The incident happened around 2 a.m. on Tudmon Street, near Arlington Avenue and 37th Street. Detectives need help on this one, more info is below: more ›

Advocacy via Google Maps is a lovely thing. Take your neighborhood, your city, etc., document what could be improved, where incidents are happening and let the data help drive more livable streets. Today, we become savvy to a newer website called Bikewise, which documents bicycle hazards (leaving room for suggestible improvements), crashes and thefts in the Los Angeles area. Caltech student Zane A. Selvans, who runs the site, began with Pasadena is hoping others will add information about their neighborhoods, too. Related: Super awesome community organizer Andrea Ambrose continues to update her LA Neighborhood Cleanup Project Google Map on neighborhood improvements in the Silver Lake/Echo Park area. more ›

Every time a flying fish popped out of the water, most all of the close-to 100 passengers on the boat began screaming in excitement last Friday night. That's because it's quite exhilarating to see a fish emerge from the water with its wings fluttering about as it tries to glide across the water before disappearing underneath. Some went as high as five feet and for a good few hundred feet in distance, but unfortunately none went as high or far as their ability is rumored to be. more ›

One day after new lawn watering regulations went into effect, the LA Department of Water and Power announced a program to encourage residents to replace their traditional bitch thirsty green grass lawns with ones filled with drought tolerant plants. You're not going to make loads of money, but it's a good step for the department to take, nonetheless. From their news release: more ›

Okay, what was in the air yesterday? At approximately 4:36 p.m., a 60-year-old male driver ran into a bus stop, injuring three others and himself, according to Devin Gales at the Los Angeles Fire Department. Everyone was transported to area hospitals in minor condition except one 25-year-old female who was left in critical condition. The bus stop was located on the 14300 block of Vanowen near Van Nuys Blvd. Earlier. Earlier in the day a few miles away, a bicyclist was killed by a LADWP contractor. In Venice around the same time, a man was dragged under a bus leaving him dead. more ›

A bus making a right turn fatally struck, ran over and dragged man some 700 feet down a Venice street yesterday afternoon, according to KTLA. At about 4:32 p.m., the Metro bus was making a turn onto northbound Pacific Avenue from westbound Rose when a 30-year-old man was crossing Pacific and happened to be in the blind spot as the vehicle made the turn, police believe. The 51-year-old driver was not aware until other pedestrians flagged him down. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to an address on Pacific near Navy Street. A map linked here shows the possible dragging distance. more ›

Arizona Diamondbacks defeat LA Dodgers 3-2. Hiroki Kuroda did a good job in his first start since opening day going five innings giving up two runs. But DBacks starter Billy Buckner (not to be confused with World Series goat Bill Buckner) was better shutting out the Dodgers in six innings. The Dodgers relievers didn't help themselves with Cory Wade throwing three wild pitches and Brent Leach throwing two wild ones that would have made Mitch Williams smiled. The Dodgers rallied with two runs in the bottom of the ninth but couldn't muster anything more. I guess getting back to LA from Chicago at 4 am doesn't help things any. more ›

• Reporter fetish? Mayor Villaraigosa has a new girlfriend and she's former Miss USA, current KTLA reporter, Lu Parker. His last known girlfriend was Telemundo's Mirthala Salinas.
• So we know Laurie Ochoa is out at the LA Weekly, but who will fill her shoes? Perhaps you'd like to answer the Craigslist job posting for the gig...
• California wants us to work towards being a big ol' zero. As in "zero-net energy" for every home and building in the state.

Neighborhood concerns over noise and quality of life issues surrounding pehrspace in the Historic Filipinotown neighborhood apparently have led to the self-invoked precautionary and temporary closure of the venue's Monday night concert series run by Sean Carnage. more ›

The big media news today is that LA Weekly's Editor, Laurie Ochoa, is "parting ways" after eight years of leading the paper (she also worked there in various roles from 1978 to 1998). As that news hit, foodies were abuzz that is must be due to her husband, Pulitzer Prize winning food critic Jonathan Gold, being offered the Food Editor position at the New York Times. However, a source close to the matter at hand told LAist that Ochoa was fired and that Gold is staying. more ›

With the failure of Prop 1A in last month's statewide election comes the reality of painful cuts to higher education in California. On the books for the upcoming academic year are announced enrollment cuts at both the California State University and University of California systems, and the likely denial of admission to 250,000 prospective Community College students thanks to a combined $825 million in budget cuts and $115 million in deferrals. more ›

A Los Angeles Department of Water & Power truck struck and killed a cyclist this afternoon in the Lake Balboa area. A woman in her 30s was riding her bicycle when the truck, attempting to make a right turn, ran into her shortly after 12 p.m., said Devin Gales, a spokesman with the LA Fire Department. Paramedics responded finding her trapped under the truck, located at 7447 N. Louise Avenue. The driver was a private contractor doing work on behalf of LADWP, a department spokesperson said. Further details are pending an investigation. UPDATE: The LAPD estimates her age to be between 50 and 60 years old. more ›

About 3,000 people descended upon on Fresno Saturday for the Meet in the Middle 4 Equality to protest Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California and was upheld by the state Supreme Court last week. First, a group marched 14.5-miles from Selma to Fresno's city hall followed by a rally with speakers including Charlize Theron, T.R. Knight, Eric McCormack, Cleve Jones, Rick Jacobs, Robin McGehee and Robin Tyler. more ›

A middle-aged woman with health problems died late May after contracting swine flu, otherwise known as Influenza A (H1N1), the LA County Department of Health is reporting this morning. “Every death is regrettable, but given the number of H1N1 cases in Los Angeles, identifying the new H1N1 strain in someone who passed away with severe respiratory disease is not unexpected. This flu strain continues to follow a pattern similar to regular seasonal flu,” said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer in an e-mail. more ›

Will he or won't he? That seems to be the question of late when it comes to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's 2010 bid for California Governor. In an item run this weekend in the San Francisco Chronicle, the seeds of the no-go rumor were planted, watered, and sprouted: "Our sources in L.A. say Villaraigosa has come to the conclusion that the time is just not right for him to make a state run - given that he hasn't even been sworn in yet to a second term, and that he's facing bloody political fights at home." more ›

Last year this time, gas was a daily news story as it climbed to its all time high on June 21st at $4.626. However, in these recession times, gas prices are not, thankfully, news breaking items. Gas has risen 19-cents in the last two weeks, now at the price of $2.743 per gallon of regular. more ›

Following several days of protests by teachers, and their students, against the Los Angeles Unified School District and their recent decision to layoff hundreds of teachers, increase class sizes, and eliminate funding for several programs, the civil disobedience continues in the form of a hunger strike. more ›

Jennifer Perla and seven others, including her sister, were on the way to their Taft High School prom night at the California Science Center when the driver lost control, overturning the vehicle on the 110 Freeway. 16-year-old Perla, the only one not wearing a seatbelt, died when she apparently was thrown from the 2003 Chevrolet SUV. She was wearing a purple dress. "She looked so beautiful in that dress. She was stunning," her older brother told the LA Times. "You just can't imagine. It's horrible. Plain horrible... She was very popular in high school. Very friendly, very loving, beautiful." more ›

Hello, June. Today means two basic new water rules. Firstly, no using sprinklers on days other than Monday and Thursdays. Easy enough, right? Well, if you're the tattling type and catch a neighbor breaking the new law, you can contact the LA Department of Water & Power's drought buster unit at (800) DIAL-DWP or via e-mail at waterconservationteam@ladwp.com. Also, new rates begin today trying to get people to reduce use by 15%. If not, you could be charged more. It's based on tiers, not what your average use has been over the last year so in theory, you're current habits may already be 15% under what they're looking for. Confused? Here's their Fact Sheet (.pdf) and their FAQ sheet (.pdf). more ›