News

The second annual Brew Haw Haw last Saturday attracted a medium-sized but lively (not rowdy) crowd 'Drinking for a Good Cause' to benefit of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It was nice to not have to wait in big lines for the food or beverages as the weather wasn't as blisteringly hot as last last year or days just prior. more ›

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's line item cuts to the state budget on Tuesday drastically reduced many programs, including state parks and domestic violence funding. AIDS/HIV programs were also hit particularly bad to the tune of around $85 million, leaving the California’s Office of AIDS with only 20 percent of its funding for programs like HIV education and prevention, HIV counseling and testing, home health and early intervention. more ›

As the sun sets and dusk prevails over the city tomorrow night, Nissan will be unveiling their new fully electric car (not a hybrid) in Los Angeles and other West Coast cities. It won't be an event, but rather something more guerilla as a team crosses town from Santa Monica to West Hollywood, Hollywood to downtown with a projector strong enough to show images for fifteen minutes on the sides of buildings (think temporary billboards of sorts, which could be illegal, too, with our current signage controversy). more ›

The music industry has never been the savviest when it came to the internet and its possibilities. Suing kids, grandmas and college students left and right. But when the latest, happiest and most popular YouTube video with a Chris Brown song became a hit last week, they profited instead of becoming another lawsuit headline. more ›

A series of innovative and futuristic type of lighted and magnetic studs will be placed along the 110 Freeway out of downtown to help ease traffic congestion on the the northbound 5 freeway later this year. Basically, "at peak hours, the 'smart studs' would illuminate to automatically open a second connector lane on the 110, easing the long lines," explains the LA Times. If you know anything about this particular connector, you know it can be traffic hell. more ›

Despite an announcement earlier this month that former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was to speak at an event in Simi Valley, today a representative says she never committed to attending. “As repeatedly stated to several in the media over the last week, former Governor Sarah Palin is not committed to attend the Simi Valley Republican Women’s event at the Reagan Library and in fact is not attending the event,” read a statement that was posted on Palin‘s Facebook site and posted on CNN. “Neither the Governor’s state staff nor SarahPAC has ever committed to attending this event or speaking at this event, and even requested that the Governor's name be removed from the invitation several weeks ago.” The event is scheduled for Saturday, August 8th for the Republican Women Federated of Simi Valley. more ›

After nearly a year of grueling and dramatic meetings between Sunset Junction Festival organizers, the city and local neighbors and businesses, the festival will be likely be permitted for August 22nd and 23rd after addressing concerns, according to City Council President Eric Garcetti's office. more ›

Intent on adding arms to a very tired bullpen, the Dodgers finalized a trade bringing them left-handed relief pitcher George Sherrill from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for minor leaguers Josh Bell and Steve Johnson. Sherrill, the Orioles All-Star closer, became available when the Orioles fell out of playoff contention sometime between Spring Training and Opening Day when it was confirmed the team was still in the AL East alongside the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays. more ›

Police have found that a man with a similar motive and description is approaching young girls in an attempt to sexually assault them after enticing them into apartment buildings. The most recent attempt was partially caught on a security video (embedded below). more ›

As the United States Post Office seeks way to save money and "weather this storm," today a list of 677 branches were given to congress for review as possible closures. Only 200 are expected to close and a number are listed in the Los Angeles area, but none within the city limits, according to the LA Times. more ›

• Speaking of all the local food lately, Your Daily Thread posts a list of seasonal summer fruits that can be found at local farmer's markets.
• Live in the Valley? Here is the final list of candidates running for Council District 2.
• Concerned about increased traffic, the Glendale City Council voted to oppose a proposal to extend the 710 Freeway from its current northern terminus to the 210 Freeway in Pasadena.

The NoHo Arts District has over 20 live theatre spaces, but no movie theatre of note nearby. Part of the redevelopment of the neighborhood--besides adding public art that LAist readers dislike--is the third phase of the NoHo Commons development that includes a mixed use building, Phil's Diner, a parking garage and a seven-screen Laemmle Theatre, which is being delayed. "Laemmle Theatre is working on their architectural drawings and hoping to secure financing to be able to start construction," according to Curbed LA. more ›

The LA County Bicycle Coalition announced today in an e-mail blast that they will be "conducting the first ever bicycle count for Los Angeles" in September. "Bicycle counts are used to track the number of cyclists at key intersections. This is used to understand year-to-year changes in cycling as policy and infrastructure changes. Bicycle counts are basic city planning tools that help change policy to encourage cycling. Most major US and European cities have them. This will be LA's first, and we plan to do it right while having a good time. As we are counting bicycles, we will also be counting pedestrians." If you have any suggestions for which intersections they should monitor, let them know via this survey. more ›

The Environmental Protection Agency announced today that they are fining a container company nearly $50,000 for environmental violations. APM Terminals Pacific Limited-- one of the world’s largest container terminal companies--reportedly discharged industrial-activity storm water at its marine shipping container terminal facility, a violation of Clean Water Act and the California National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, according to the agency. more ›

State parks may be threatened, but worse is the total elimination of domestic violence funding in the 2009/10 budget signed by Governor Schwarzenegger. It was a surprise to many when he added nearly a half billion in extra cuts including more to parks and to various health programs on Tuesday. The Domestic Violence Center in the Santa Clarita Valley is the only agency that provides domestic violence services in the 200-square mile valley. As a result of Schwarzenegger's cut, which is immediate, they've lost 45%, or $207,222.00, of their annual funding more ›

When City Attorney Carmen Trutanich sat down with the L.A. City Council a couple weeks ago, he said his investigators found both "civil and criminal aspects" in their research that could lead to potential lawsuits. He would not discuss details publicly, but did go into a private session to talk about the civil aspects. more ›

Yesterday the nonprofit that has taken the lead to build a streetcar in downtown Los Angeles by 2014 held a public meeting to update the community on the latest developments and present the options they could take next. LA Wad at MetroRiderLA attended the meeting and heard some interesting facts: more ›

A new bus line between the Santa Clarita and the NoHo Metro Red/Orange Line stations will begin service next week. This is actually a pretty good idea for the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County as Metrolink trains run between the city and downtown, but only six days a week as opposed to the NoHo Express, which will run everyday. Additionally, this delivers commuters to a transit hub. Service will begin on August 1st with the first two weeks completely free of charge. Then if riders want to ride for the rest of the month for free, they can take an online survey to give feedback on the route. Wow, immediate feedback and evaluation so they can improve service right away? Imagine if all government agencies did that? more ›

The poshest gas station in Los Angeles--directly abut the Beverly Hills border at Olympic and Robertson--just recently changed its branding from BP to the company-owned and consumer friendly ARCO. Usually, the brand is cheaper or seems so without the 45-cent charge to use a card. But that's clearly not the case here. Catty-corner in Beverly Hills, the listed prices are same, sans credit charge. more ›

A woman pulled up to a Boyle Heights gas station in a Long Beach police cruiser early this morning. Suspicious as why a civilian clad woman was rummaging through the cruiser for money to purchase a lighter, the gas station attendants called police who responded and arrested her around 3:30 a.m., according to the LA Times. It is unknown how the cruiser was stolen, but the LAPD has transfered her into Long Beach's custody. more ›

One morning two weeks ago, a clerk at Daisy's Market was tied up as two suspects robbed the store and police yesterday released screenshots of them from video surveillance. It was 9:40 a.m. on Wednesday, July 15th when the first suspect entered the store at 3214 Sunset Blvd.. He bought something and then left. more ›

Last week police were simply looking for a child's step father after his body was found with unexplained injuries. Then yesterday, they announced Marcas Fisher, who has a troubled past, is the murder suspect and that anyone who was harboring him could be charge with interfering with the criminal investigation. Fisher is believed to be in the South LA or Long Beach area. Last week Thursday, officers responded to the 800 block of East 87th Place where paramedics had been summoned to an apartment residence. At the location, they found the body of Dae'von Bailey with multiple, unexplained injuries to his body in various stages of healing. The stepparent of the child was the last known caretaker of the boy, but was not at the location when paramedics and officers arrived. Anyone with info about this crime should contact LAPD Juvenile Division detectives at the Department’s 24-hour, toll-free number, 1-877-LAPD-24-7 or by texting CRIMES (274637) and beginning the message with the letters LAPD. more ›

Although the only Pulitizer Prize winning food critic, Jonathan Gold, believes a major component of the Los Angeles restaurant scene is locally sourced food, and with the multitude of farmers market and the year round weather suitable for growing food at your home, our city has not made a top 10 list at the Huffington Post. Luckily, that can change: We here at HuffPost Green think the local food movement is a thriving and exciting part of the discussion about sustainability. After researching the best local food in the United States, we compiled this slideshow of our discoveries, focusing mainly on restaurants. more ›

Now that the Los Angeles Marathon is back on a Sunday in March--the 21st to be exact--the new "Stadium to Sea" route is being hashed out. Under current Santa Monica law, only 5K and 10Ks are permitted, but on Tuesday the City Council instructed staff "to return with an ordinance or policy change that would allow marathons to be held in the city," according to the Santa Monica Daily Press. more ›

• In light of the additional budget cuts to state parks, the California Parks Foundation is already asking the public to send letters to state politicians. It takes a second to do on this webpage.
• Los Angeles had its first beer float showdown last weekend and no surprise here, Golden State in partnership with Scoops won.
• Let the trend continue! Now the folks behind Kogi BBQ are exploring the possibility of becoming consultants for other mobile food vendors.

When compared to New York City and Chicago, Angelenos score a cheaper price when buying organic, finds a study release by IBISWorld. "The study looked at three product categories: Private label or store brands, commercial brands, and organic items," explained Wallet Pop. The cost of groceries depends largely on what part of the country you live in. Chicagoans get a cheaper groceries than the next two bigger cities (but pay among the highest sales taxes), except for organic items. If you want to eat more naturally, you'll pay less in L.A. But organics in general will set you back more, about 18% more than branded products and 37.6 % more than store brands, according to the findings." more ›

A driver, reported to be an elderly woman in an SUV by KNX1070, was killed when her vehicle was struck by a Metrolink train this afternoon in Pacoima. The train was heading towards Antelope Valley Los Angeles when the collision occurred at between Van Nuys Blvd. and Pierce St. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene and a bus bridge is currently continuing service for the 22 passengers on board. more ›

Closed Monday after 1,000 gallons of sewage spilled into Los Cerritos Channel, three affected beaches were allowed to open back up to the public today after tests concluded the water was within state standards. Mother’s Beach, Colorado Lagoon and Marine Stadium were closed after a private pumping station failed, spilling raw sewage into the storm system. Water quality monitoring will continue to be performed by the Health Department’s Recreational Water Quality Program on a weekly basis, says Long Beach officials. more ›

At a Zocalo food panel focused on defining Los Angeles' cuisine moderated by the Pulitzer Prize winning Jonathan Gold last year, there was no specific dish or item that could be defined as owned by this city. Tacos, burritos, sea food, sushi were all brought up (mind you, this was before Kogi BBQ and the mobile food truck culture ever existed, so much changes in less than a year, right?), but none felt like the quintessential L.A. food. But one consistent theme was apparent with Gold and others: a chef's long-term relationship with farmers and farmer's markets. In other words, what L.A. should be known for is not one specific food or dish, but the locally grown and sustainable food trend, the panel seemed to agree. more ›

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced yesterday that after four decades, they were ending their much-loved weekend film series, but hopes to reassure fans and patrons that they aren't abandoning film altogether, reports the LA Times. more ›

For UCLA students, the quarterly Undie Run wasn't just an opportunity to frolic on campus late at night in their skivvies (and be snapped in pics that quickly made their way to teh internets) but the "unofficial campus tradition" was "a way of relieving stress during finals week," according to the UCLA Newsroom. It's pretty self-explanatory, but for the uninitiated: Students run "through campus, many in their underwear, in the middle of the night at the end of the fall, winter and spring academic quarters." more ›

Looks like Burbank officials goofed on the whole letting the business community know they were taking away blocks of parking to add traffic lanes. Not only does it exacerbate the current recession for owners, but it has possible legal ramifications with the law, says Damien Newton at LA Streetsblog: "In May of 2008, when the debate over the fate of the Mayor's Pico-Olympic Plan was at its hottest, a Superior Court Judge ruled that the City of Los Angeles needed to do an environmental study of the effects on eliminating street parking before moving forward with the plan to increase capacity on the two thru-fares at rush hour. The judge specifically noted the poor public outreach done by LADOT and the City, an outreach campaign that looks like a model for good government next to Burbank's." A Burbank traffic engineer admitted outreach could have been better. There was about a 24 hours notice given. more ›

San Francisco Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom is once again back in Los Angeles on the campaign trail. Today he sits down with Los Angeles' business community at the L.A. Chamber of Commerce as part of their California Candidates Series. Newsom will discuss public and private-sector jobs and how they could revitalize the economy to the group who could offer a powerful endorsement later in the race. According to his campaign, Newsom "was a business-owner who created more than 1,000 jobs before entering public service." Newsom has been traveling around the state presenting a program called "Conversations About California's Future," which hit San Bernardino yesterday and will soon arrive in Long Beach, Orange County, and Riverside. more ›

You want to eat fresh seasonal produce that's grown by area farmers. You want to help your local economy and not line the coffers of corporate America. You appreciate that an Oxnard-grown strawberry--one that's softer, smaller, redder, riper, and sweeter--is about a thousand times tastier, better for you, better for the environment, and better for your fellow Californians than the one that's bigger, harder, paler, less flavorful and found in a big plastic box inside the store that feels like a big plastic box. more ›

A new tax incentive allowed under a new bill for filming in California has been so popular, the majority of its allotted money has been taken advantage of by 25 film projects across the state. Local Assemblymember and current LA city council candidate Paul Krekorian's legislation to allow up to $100 million in tax credits for filming became a reality last month with 25 productions already claiming $67 million. “Just one month into the start of this unparalleled effort to boost jobs and invigorate our economy, we have already seen how this targeted economic stimulus measure has retained California jobs that will surely deliver much needed revenue,” Krekorian said yesterday against the backdrop of the nearly empty 20th Century Props, a local business that fell victim to runaway production. The $100 million in tax breaks is expected to inject $2.5 billion back into the state's economy. more ›

Blame pollution: 2008 was another banner year for troubled waters at our nation's beaches, according to the results of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) annual study. Although last year was a dry one, "aging and poorly designed sewage and stormwater systems hold much of the blame for beachwater pollution [and] stormwater runoff contributed to two-thirds of the closing/advisory days in which a contamination source was reported." more ›

Yesterday an Oakland medical marijuana entrepreneur took his first official step to put a proposition on the 2010 ballot that would ask Californians to legalize marijuana. If passed, those over 21 could smoke freely and could grow it for personal use on garden plots up to 25 square feet, according to the Associated Press. Richard Lee and his group will need to collect 434,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot. This proposition is different from a less restrictive one filed two weeks ago by two lawyers in Northern California. Also at the state politics level, Assemblymember Tom Ammiano's bill will have hearings this Fall. more ›

World-renown acrobatic entertainers Cirque du Soleil have been dangling a 2011 permanent stay here in Los Angeles for several months now. Talks to have the troupe set up their act at Hollywood & Highland's Kodak Theatre for a ten-year residency at the venue have been in the works for sometime, but now it falls to the City Council to decide if Los Angeles can afford to have them here, according to the Daily News. more ›

St. Louis Cardinals defeat LA Dodgers 10-0. Chad Billingsley started out strong for the Dodgers pitching a one-hit shutout after five innings. Then the sixth inning happened. Billingsley crumbled giving up two two-run singles and one one-run single. After the dust settled, the Cards put a six-spot on the Dodgers. After Claudio Vargas got two out in the eighth inning with a runner on third, Brent Leach came in and got no outs allowing the runner on third to score (run charged to Vargas) and giving up three more on his own. more ›

• Celeste Freemon at WitnessLA dives into the alleged killer's past and the evolution of reporting in regards to the weekend murder of 17-year-old Lily Burk.
• A La Mesa man was convicted today for making death threats against Barack Obama during the presidential race. He faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced in late October.
• LACMA has canceled their weekend film series, at least for now.

California State Parks director Ruth Coleman said that the agency faces a total of about $39 million in cuts after the new budget, which directly states a $14.2 million cut, was signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today. Additionally, $2.4 million was siphoned from a cigarette tax fund because less people are smoking. Furloughs and salary cuts round out the large number (Note: a full budget fact sheet is embedded below). more ›

Roughly 600 city, fire and police department employees are part of the $100,000 pension club, writes Ron Kaye at OurLA.org. Councilmember and former LAPD Chief Bernard Parks topping the L.A. Fire and Police Pension Fund's list at about $265,000 annually while John Driscoll, former head of LAX and City Personnel director, leads LACER's list with about $204,600. more ›

As the city of Pasadena explores options to help fix the mess that is the popular three-mile loop around the Rose Bowl used by walkers, joggers and cyclists, three options have from planners with two exceptionally progressive. "What a difference two years make," said LA Streetsblog writer Damien Newton noting that an older proposal sought to eliminate bicycles from loop altogether. The three proposals include leaving the path as it is (unpopular), marking a yellow pedestrian lane with two lanes of car/bicycle traffic in opposite direction (improved) and what's seen in the image posted here: a pedestrian path, a bicycle lane and a one-way car lane (the most popular for many). more ›

With parts of the Valley at 83 degrees at noon, it was a welcome surprise after yesterday's blistering temps and with LA County public health officials extending a week long heat alert through today. Of course, the Antelope Valley has already hit triple digits with the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys to follow, but the National Weather Service is no longer predicting that nor are they reporting high temperatures at the height of the day. Temperatures for both valleys are in the 80s. However, an air quality adivosry has been sent out for the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys stating the air is unhealthy for sensitive--old, young, sick prone--individuals. more ›

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger finally signed California's budget today, making additional cuts to fill a $1.1 billion gap left by legislators in their approved package. An additional $6.2 million was cut from state parks after an $8 million cut was proposed last week. That makes a total of $14.2 million, a number the Schwarzenegger's office predicts "will result in the closure of probably more than 100 parks." more ›

Mr. Brainwash, aka MBW, is no stranger to Madonna (remember his Optical illusion mural of Britney and Madonna kissing?). Now one of his ubiquitous street poster works of the pop singer has been chosen as the album cover art for her "Celebration" album, due out on September 29th. more ›

No matter how legal a marijuana dispensary is, drugs and money make them popular targets for crime. One of those such incidents last year on an October afternoon left Noe Gonzalez, a security guard, dead when a robbery attempt by four men went wrong at La Brea Collective on the 800 block of La Brea. And although two of the suspects were immediately caught, two others were on the loose and put on L.A.'s Most Wanted list. more ›

With the Friday trade deadline rapidly approaching for Major League Baseball, teams are looking at themselves in the mirror asking the perennial question: “Are we buyers or are we sellers?” With a one-game lead on the New York Yankees for the best record in baseball to coincide with their eight-game lead over the Colorado Rockies in the NL West, the Dodgers are clearly buyers. more ›

Last week, authorities raided Dr. Conrad Murray's office in Houston. Today, his other office and home in Las Vegas. Search warrants said DEA and police were looking for "items constituting evidence of the offense of manslaughter that tend to show that Dr. Conrad Murray committed the said criminal offense." Murray's lawyer told the Associated Press yesterday that he did not prescribe or administer anything that should have killed Jackson. Murray was paid $150,000 a month to care for the pop star and was at the Bel Air abode when he died. more ›

They say Los Angeles is best compared to Paris. Well, both cities share rankings in a report released yesterday showing the busiest airports in the world: Paris at 5th, Los Angeles, formerly at 3rd and 5th in recent years, now at 6th. At its peak in 2000, Los Angeles served 68 million passengers. In 2008, 59.5 million travelers. more ›

Here's a cozy north Pasadena story. Early this morning around 1 a.m., a group of 10 people were gathered on a street in Pasadena when about three shots were heard. The group dispersed and four houses down, a bullet that made its way through a window was found between the legs of a 1-year-old in his crib, according to the Pasadena Star News. more ›

The campaign for Chris Essel for Council District 2 has been gearing up for a big announcement this morning, but the LA Times scooped away what the press conference was supposed to announce later this morning. “In both the private and public sectors, Christine Essel has proven that she has the skills and the commitment to get the job done,” Riordan will say, according to a statement obtained by the Times. Essel has served Los Angeles as a mayoral appointee on several difference occasions. She was on the board of the Community Redevelopment Agency during the Bradley and Riordan administrations and on the Board of Airport Commissioners under Villaraigosa as well as the California Film Commission and the California Workforce Investment Board. more ›

St. Louis Cardinals defeat LA Dodgers 6-1. For the second game in a row the Dodgers have gotten 10 or more hits yet lost a game. Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter was just that good. Although he gave up nine Dodgers hits he allowed only one run in seven innings pitched striking out two and walking two. Dodgers starter Randy Wolf had a decent outing going six innings giving up only two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four. The Dodgers were in the game trailing 2-1 until the bottom of the seventh when James McDonald came into a game and had his first pitch taken out of the park by Mark DeRosa. Although Albert Pujols would hit a single only to get thrown out trying to advance to second by Matt Kemp, Matt Holliday would reach first thanks to a throwing error by third baseman Casey Blake. After Ryan Ludwick flew out to Kemp and Yadier Molina walked, Brent Leach came in for the Dodgers and gave up an RBI single to Rick Ankiel and Guillermo Mota gave up a 2 RBI double to Brendan Ryan. That was all she wrote. more ›

• Will fellow "big house" resident Phil Spector be the album producer Charles Manson has waited his whole life for?
• An OC judge has appointed a financial guardian to oversee the new TV careers of OctoMom Nadya Suleman's 14 kids.
• The University of California is reporting a rise in their graduation rate, from 76 to 82 percent from 1992 to 2002.

17-year-old Lily Burk's murderer is allegedly Charlie Samuel, a parolee transient, who was arrested for drinking in public and possession of drug paraphernalia. Already behind bars, he was later connected with Burk's murder after fingerprints from inside her car matched. Sameul's "quality of life" arrest under the LAPD's Safer Cities Initiative has received a lot of heat as of late. Calling it an "oft-criticized quality of life arrest," Eric Richardson at blogdowntown puts this weekend's events into that context: more ›

A sewage spill last night prompted the closure of three beaches in Long Beach today. Failed circuit breakers in a private pump station caused approximately 1,000 gallons to discharge last night around 10:30 p.m. into the storm drain system near the Bixby Terrace Area leading to the Los Cerritos Channel where Mother's Beach, Marine Stadium and Colorado Lagoon are located. The beaches will remain closed until the city's Health Department and Officer deem the water bacteria levels within state standards. All water contact activity will be prohibited in the area. more ›

A source close to the investigation of Michael Jackson's death has told the Associated Press that the pop star's doctor administered a drug that authorities believe killed him. Dr. Conrad Murray, who is the subject of a manslaughter investigation, apparently gave Jackson anesthetic propofol to help with sleep. "Murray's lawyer has said the doctor didn't prescribe or administer anything that should have killed Jackson," said the AP (bold emphasis by LAist). more ›

California's budget has passed both houses and now awaits Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature. Until then, nothing is set in stone and parks and open space advocates await the final verdict on state parks. As it stands now, $8 million will be sliced off for this year, which could translates to the closure of 30 to 50 parks. Schwarzenegger's original proposal included a two-year cut that would close 80% of parks. more ›

For someone living in Los Angeles, 500 Days of Summer was not only a cute and hilarious movie (watch the trailer here), it was equally pleasing to see a film shot in downtown Los Angeles that had a story line taking place and recognizing the burgeoning neighborhood for what it is. From the Redwood Bar to the Broadway Bar, Bunker Hill to the Civic Center Mall, it was exciting, for once, to go, "hey, I know that location and it's not being masked as New York City," and not go "why are they filming downtown but calling it North Hollywood? NoHo isn't that urban." more ›

ESPN is reporting that former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has been conditionally reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Gooddell. This will allow Vick to play the final two preseason games for any team that signs him to a contract. Gooddell will then decide on Vick's full reinstatement after week six of the NFL season in October. more ›

About 30 minutes after Charlie Samuel allegedly killed 17-year-old Lily Burk Friday, leaving her body in her car parked off a Skid Row street, he was detained by police a few blocks away for a Drinking in Public violation. As he was being searched by officers, narcotics paraphernalia was found and he was arrested and booked for Possession of Narcotics Paraphernalia. more ›

If it's broke, fix it, right? Only what happens when the people who are supposed to fix it are the ones who broke it in the first place? And they happened to have run out of the money it's going to likely take to do the fixing? Easy solution: Sell management of the school(s) to the highest--well, "superior"--bidder. more ›

Elected Los Angeles city councilmembers are paid $178,789, the highest in the nation, although many are taking a volunteered 10% pay cut, according to Rick Orlov in his City Hall column. Now a San Pedro man wants to see a local ballot measure in 2010 asking voters if the electeds' salaries should be halved. He'll need petitions from around 240,000 registered voters to even see the question asked to the public. If that would pass, officials would be paid less than some of their staff. Similarly, another proposal seeking ballot recognition is for the creation of a new city position that would act as a Department of Water and Power ratepayer advocate. "We need someone independent to provide the cost-benefit analysis ... and let ratepayers know the true cost of what the DWP is doing," explained Nick Patsaouras, who is leading the cause. Maybe for once, DWP bills will be crystal clear. more ›

By 10 a.m., it was already 80 in Van Nuys, 88 in the Santa Clarita Valley and 95 in Lancaster. In general, today should see highs in the 70s at the beaches and into the 80s and 90s more inland, according to the National Weather Service. Some areas in the Valley could break triple digits. The rest of the week should be slightly less brutal, but only slightly. The ultraviolet index today is 11, which means at noon, when the sun's rays are at their strongest, a fair skinned person could get burned in about four minutes without protection. Any index number above 10, the highest number on the chart, is considered to be "a very high exposure level reading." more ›

Talk about opposites. An Orange County man who owns 320 acres abut the internationally famous poppy reserve in the Antelope Valley wants to build a 3.6-mile course race track. The owner says there won't be much of an impact as it will be built for car clubs and racing organizations with no grandstand for spectators. Still, there are other concerns, explains the LA Times in a feature story: more ›

Water use by Los Angeles residents and businesses were down by 11% in June when compared to June 2008 making it the lowest demand in 32 years, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power announced today. June 1st of this year marked the beginning of a new water conservation law aimed mainly at sprinkler usage, limiting it to certain hours on Mondays and Thursdays, and a new "shortage year" rate structure. more ›

Lily Burk left her Los Feliz home Friday on some errands for her mother. While out, twice called her parents asking how to get money out of an ATM using a credit card and never came home. The next morning she was found dead sitting her car near Alameda and 5th streets in downtown's skid row. Police quickly arrested Charlie Samuel, 50, for murder and will announce details at a press conference later today. Motive is believed to be robbery and she reportedly encountered Samuel at the Southwestern University School of Law on Wilshire Boulevard where she was picking up papers for her mother, according to the LA Times. She may have been abducted and it appears she died of blunt force trauma. more ›

Down 8-0 to the Florida Marlins after five innings, the Dodgers rallied to keep fans on the edge of their seat but ultimately fell short losing 8-6. "These guys play hard," Torre said. "Aside from the one inning that [Jeff] Weaver pitched, the bullpen did a good job to keep us close and put us in the position where we had the tying run at the plate a couple of times." more ›

• It's been a busy weekend for the police with 11 shootings and 7 homocides. One of which include a grizzly axe murder in Pasadena.
• The LA Times has a nice look at the Santa Monica pier and carousel then and now.
• Counter-terrorist investigators broke up an identity theft ring that included some bribed members of the DMV.

As I sit here and write these words on this glorious day, in Cooperstown, NY, Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice are being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Henderson's career spanned from 1979 to 2003 playing mostly left field for the Oakland A's, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, LA Dodgers (in 2004), Anaheim Angels (in 1997), Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays. In 1982 he broke Lou Brock's stolen base record by stealing 130 bases. By the All Star break that season he had already stolen 84 bases. more ›

Galaxy forward Landon Donovan scored his 8th goal of the season at the 33rd minute as the blue-and-gold played to a draw against the Kansas City Wizars last night. Kansas City had taken the lead at the 26th minute when forward Claudio Lopez picked up the ball at the center circle and sent a long arching shot towards the Galaxy goal. Galaxy 'keeper Donovan Ricketts was caught off his line and despite his desperate attempts to recover more ›

For the 10th time this season the Dodgers have won a game in walk-off fashion leading the Majors. Tonight Casey Blake in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Florida Marlins broke a 3-3 tie with an RBI bloop single with the bases loaded to give the Dodgers the 4-3 win. "The real credit goes to the at-bats leading up to that," Blake said after the game. "I'm just trying to put the bat on the ball there, and I found a hole." more ›

Tonight the Dodgers send Hiroki Kuroda to the mound. As discussed previously, Kuroda has been scuffling this season since coming of the disabled list on June 1. With a 2-5 record he has not gotten a win in his last three starts, the last coming on July 8 when he went 5 1/3 innings in San Diego giving up three runs. more ›

• Five teenagers were wounded at a party in Long Beach last night after two or three suspects opened fire.
• The LAPD has conducted raids on several underground clubs, thought to be operated by members of the 18th Street gang. The raids netted 34 arrests on local and federal charges.
• Despite being scheduled to surrender yesterday, former OC Sheriff Mike Carona remains free as he awaits an appeal ruling by a federal court.

It's a dream come true for the woman known as OctoMom: A European production company has hired the 14 children of the OC's Nadya Suleman and papers have been signed and filed guaranteeing each kid a $250 a day salary for their upcoming work in a reality TV show, reports the LA Times. The Suleman brood, including the octuplets born amid a flurry of flashbulbs and headlines earlier this year, will begin work September 1st. more ›

The state budget has finally been passed, and as a result billions of dollars have been cut from the coffers that help support education at all levels. Included are cuts to the large University of California and California State University systems, necessitating the respective campus network leaders to push through their own budgets cuts that include layoffs, furloughs, pay cuts, fee hikes, enrollment caps, and decreased resources. Despite student and faculty protests, the UC and CSU passed the proposals on the table that aim to stave off the shortfall. more ›

It's a storm in the tropics that is reverberating on our SoCal shores in the form of massive--and deadly--surf these days. LAist's Lifestyle Editor Julie Wolfson sent over these shots captured this morning on the shores of Salt Creek Beach in Laguna Niguel, and some of the brave (foolish?) surfers who couldn't turn down an opportunity to hang ten in the huge waves. more ›

Dangerously high surf is still expected today at the beaches, as predicted earlier--all part of the same system of swells that "pounded Orange County beaches on Friday, killing a surfer at the Wedge" according to the OC Register. Massive waves can be awe-inspiring, but the 4-7' swells "and occasional sets up to 9′" and higher in some places mean even the pros should think twice about hitting the water. more ›

Kudos to MLS Commissioner Don Garber for fining Galaxy midfielder David Beckham for his actions at last Sunday's match versus A.C. Milan at the Home Depot Center. While the amount is trivial ($1,000), the action restores some credibility to the league and perhaps signals the beginning of the end of the special treatment Beckham has received. more ›

• Test teachers or else... The US Education Secretary Arne Duncan is saying that California could lose millions in federal education dollars unless law makers change their policy of not using student test scores to measure teacher performance.
• Sad news at the LA Zoo. Asali, a Masai giraffe that has lived at the zoo for over 25 years died from possible complications after giving birth to a stillborn calf.
• The heat that has been leaning on us the past few days is expected to last about another week. Hang in there, keep cool and enjoy the sunshine!

Police say 46-year-old Akop Aduryan was shot and killed after a verbal dispute on a North Hollywood sidewalk last night. It happened around 11 p.m. on the 7500 block of Goodland Avenue. "An unidentified person heard arguing in a foreign language, then gunshots and called 911," says the LAPD. "Aduryan was struck in the chest and died at the scene. Investigators have few leads and there is no suspect description. The motive for the shooting has not been determined." Anyone with information regarding this murder is urged to call Detective Rich Wheeler at (818) 623-4045. During off-hours, call 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247). Callers may also text “Crimes” with a cell phone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on web tips. When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with “LAPD.” Tipsters may remain anonymous. more ›

Finally, the budget has passed both houses--the Senate early this morning and the Assembly this afternoon--and Governor Arnold Scwharzenegger says he plans to sign it next week. However, the LA Times hints that Schwarzenegger may do some line item vetoing and a $1.1 billion deficit still remains to be solved. more ›

An assembly bill making its way through state committees gained the support of the city of Los Angeles today. AB 524 "would allow civil fines of up to $50,000 for the taking and selling of images or recordings of people engaged in personal or familial activity, with actual knowledge that the images or recordings were obtained illegally and if any compensation, consideration, or remuneration was provided," according to a city motion. Councilmember Paul Koretz, a former Assemblyman himself, said the bill "only makes sense." more ›

For a few years now, there has been a movement to turn the 3.6-mile 4th Street from Koreatown to near MacArthur Park into a Bicycle Boulevard. Next week, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition will hold a meeting about the idea. more ›

Metro is continuing to study the conditions below the ground surface as they prepare an environmental impact report for the possibility of placing a subway line or two in the Westside. Next week, exploratory drilliing with minimal sound, vibration and traffic effects, will take place at San Vicente/Gracie Allen, Wilshire/West of Irving and at UCLA Parking Lot 36 near Wilshire/Veteran. Next month, there will be five public meetings where the public can hear updates and ask questions. more ›

As part of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's "shared sacrifice" plan to save the city budget, cuts proposed to fire department ladder and ambulance companies, nicknamed "brownouts," would short-staff stations on a rotating basis by 87 firefighters. more ›

There's Erik and Kelley Knuzten with their homegrown revolution in Silver Lake. There's also Silver Lake Farms. Over in Torrance, a woman named Judi Gerber writes the LA Farm Girl blog about urban, local and sustainable farming and gardening, local food, victory and community gardens . Out in South Pasadena, there's the Urban Homestead. And today we learn of another large urban farming operation in Altadena. more ›

Earlier this month, Robert Korda's family used the internet to round up help to find a missing loved one. Van Nuys resident and Los Angeles Philharmonic veteran Robert Korda never showed up to work after suffering a heart attack the night before. But when his body was brought to the coroner's office, sans identification, fingerprint databases were used and he was erroneously identified as Robert Norda, not Korda. That prompted a manhunt over next few days until the misspelling was figured out. In an article about Korda's memorial tribute in August, the Daily News explains that Korda died while doing some do gooding: more ›

Remember that video of the car chase where the driver fled from the car, prompting a short foot chase where it ended with him surrendering, laying on the ground face down and then being kicked in the head by an officer in El Monte (If you don't, the video is embedded below)? Now he's suing for $5 million and his lawyer, a former Los Angeles City Councilman is advising him to change his looks for court. more ›

Last night police responded to a home in South LA finding a the body of a young boy with unexplained injuries, which are suspected to be from child abuse. Paramedics pronounced him dead on the scene on the 800 block of 87th Place. His father, Marcas Fisher, is the last known care-taker of the boy and his whereabouts are not known. Now the LAPD's Juvenile Division is requesting the public’s help to locate Mr. Fisher, so that he can help explain the child’s injuries. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call LAPD Juvenile Division Detectives at (213) 485-2801. After hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 or by texting CRIMES (274637) and beginning the message with the letters LAPD. Tipsters may also submit information on the LAPD website www.lapdonline.org. Tipsters may remain anonymous. more ›

LA Angels defeat Minnesota Twins 6-5 (10th inning). On the day the Angels unveiled the logo for next season's All Star Game being hosted at Angels Stadium, the Angels needed some extra to come from behind against the Twins. With Joan Jett in attendance, the Angels allowed Jason Kubel to ride roughshod over them. Kubel went 2-for-5 with three RBI in this game giving him 10 RBI in four games against the Angels. Jered Weaver would go seven innings plus one batter in the eighth inning giving up four runs on six hits and two walks. In the bottom of the ninth inning facing Twins closer Joe Nathan, the Angels dinked and dunked scoring twice to tie the game at five and give Nathan only his third blown save of the season. After Angels closer Brian Fuentes came in and pitched a perfect tenth, Mike Napoli hit a walkoff RBI single off of Jesse Crain in the home half of the inning. more ›

• That vertical mall project at Wilshire and Vermont? Gone, dead, boom.
• A small brush fire in the Sepulveda Basin was knocked down this afternoon.
• Sister station nation: CBS and KCAL's news broadcasts will now be co-branded as NewsCentral. Alrighty, then.

When the LA Weekly broke the news about the still-out-there "Grim Sleeper" serial killer, who would rape and murder victims in South LA, one detective had an idea. What if the matching DNA from the crime scenes was of a registered sex offender who had not yet been swabbed? Of the 1,500 local sex offenders that matched the Grim Sleeper's description, 92 of them did not have DNA on file. So police began collecting DNA samples and one of those samples matched a number of crimes, but not the Grim Sleepers, another one, possibly the Westside Rapist: more ›

The company contracted by Los Angeles to install, maintain and monitor cameras that record drivers running red lights, eventually prompting a costly traffic ticket by mail, has filed for a court receivership, an alternative to bankruptcy. Now city officials are looking at what options they have when the contract expires with Nestor Traffic Systems, which could go out of business or be purchased by a another company. more ›

The Metro board today voted to approve a demonstration ExpressLanes project and to support high speed rail between Union Station and Anaheim, but they failed to take action on the Long-Range Transportation Plan, the guiding transit document for the next 20 to 25 years. The board also learned that the installation of fare gates, which began appearing last week, has been delayed systemwide. Damien Newton at StreetsblogLA explains from the meeting: more ›

State Assemblyman Paul Krekorian will be soon be voting on the proposed budget solution, which severely impacts local governments including Los Angeles. If it passes, Los Angeles could lose millions and has leaders like Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Council President Eric Garcetti worried. Krekorian also happens to be one of the frontrunners in the race for Los Angeles Council District 2. That's quite a pickle of a situation and when pressed about it, his office declined to comment. Will he vote along Democratic party lines to approve the budget, which could hurt Los Angeles yet immediately help the state, or will he make a statement as someone who really wants to represent Los Angeles on the City Council? No matter what he does, it's not a black or white situation--it's not like the Democrats have many choices with Schwarzenegger, who basically is unwilling to compromise with many workable ideas. Still, politics are politics: if he votes for the budget, expect that to be a major issue his opponents will use against him in future debates. more ›

In addition to approving support for high speed rail, the Metro Board today approved ExpressLanes for portions of the 10 and 110 freeways as part of a one-year congestion reduction demonstration project funded by a federal grant. Because there's no space to build more freeways, Metro says this is a way to squeeze in more capacity. Under the plan, car pool lanes would turn into toll lanes of sorts. Those who carpool, take public transit or drive a motorcycle will not be affected, but solo drivers would be allowed into the lanes at a price--anywhere from a quarter to $1.40 a mile depending on the time of day and demand for usage. more ›

In a telephone press conference this morning with various mayors from across the state, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa fervently said that he and other cities "will not accept a flawed budget." It's been a consistent theme since Tuesday, the morning after a state budget solution was agreed upon by state leaders. The full legislature is expected to vote on the proposal as early as tonight. more ›

A quick 20-minute trip to Anaheim via high speed rail could be a reality in less than ten years, according to Metro, whose board today officially supported the California High Speed Rail initiative, as well as a first segment that would connect Los Angeles to Anaheim. The segment within the 800-mile system could begin construction as early as 2012, finishing six years later, and is considered to be the most "construction ready.” “Union Station will become transformed into a world-class, 21st Century intermodal transit hub that will serve the County of Los Angeles in ways that are very exciting to imagine," said Metro CEO Art Leahy. Metro estimates the creation of 75,000 jobs, enabling the possibility for $8 billion in federal stimulus money. Voters last November already passed Prop 1a, a $9.95 billion bond for the state's high speed rail system. The Board also voted to support general improvements to the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor, mainly served by Metrolink and Amtrak Surfliners, for more efficient and coordinated service. more ›

Surprisingly, this didn't happen earlier. A new iPhone App simply called Cannabis, which will "let users search by city for their nearest medical cannabis suppliers, doctors, clinics, lawyers and other relevant organisations," explains The Sun. "Makers the campaign group Ajnag.com hope to add cannabis related news, menus, reviews and videos soon." Also: A few months ago, the iPhone compatible Weedmaps launched. It uses Google Maps and is also like the Cannabis app, being all social networky and all. There's even a community section so patients can find marijuana related jobs, 420 friendly roommates and more. more ›

We all know that Schwarzenegger loves Twittering and yesterday he uploaded a short TwitVid that began with him holding a very large knife, apparently a metaphor for his budget cuts. Har, har! As of 11 a.m., it's received over 100,000 views. more ›

Early this morning, 27-year-old Luis Pozos was fatally shot while apparently parking his car. Police found him lying on the curb in the 1700 block of South Longwood Avenue located near the major intersection of La Brea and Venice. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics around 1 a.m. The motive and any suspect descriptions are unknown at this time police are asking for help. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact Wilshire Homicide Detectives Frank Carrillo or John Shafia at (213) 473-0446. During off-hours, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247). Callers may also anonymously text “Crimes” with a cell phone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on Web tips. When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with “LAPD.” more ›

Now in its second year, the Sunset Strip Music Festival in West Hollywood announced yesterday that the event has evolved from a series of concerts in nearby venues to a full on street festival with two stages in addition to the strip's indoor venues. more ›

It's another typical day in the Los Angeles area--temperature wise at least--but south facing beaches are expected see some of the biggest waves seen in years because of a swell originating in the South-Pacific. "The high surf is a byproduct of 50-knot winds that developed off Tahiti and are blowing toward Southern California, producing 8-to-12-foot swells at some beaches," explains the LA Times. more ›

When Wendy Greuel became City Controller, her seat in the popular 2nd District of Los Angeles opened, leaving over 10 candidates vying for the spot. Before any debates have occurred, community organizers are bringing together the community this Saturday to "lay down a community based platform that will drive the issues that frame the upcoming election for the open CD2 City Council seat," according to an e-mail blast. "The CD2 Town Hall is designed to put the needs and desires of the community first, to frame the campaign with a real focus on the issues that matter, and to position the candidates so that the debates and forums start with a real foundation of vision and commitment to improving the quality of life in CD2." Greg Nelson, retired General Manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, will open the town hall. There is also a blog dedicated to the council district race. Info for Saturday's town hall is below: more ›

While it's all high fives in Sacramento, it's stress in the city and county halls of across the state. A big part of the state's budget solution is on the backs of local governments, raiding their funds and only sometimes with a plan of paying them back years later. In the LA Times, the budget proposal from Monday night was likened to a “ponzi scheme that passes off responsibility to future governors, legislators and to our taxpayers" by Judy Mitchell, mayor of Rolling Hills Estates and president of the League of California Cities. more ›

The LAPD, its union and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today will discuss the impact to the city if 27,000 people are released from state prisons. While saving the state budget, the cost to taxpayers will be more than $4 billion over three years according to their calculations based on " the number of inmates to be released and standard recidivism rates." That could mean an additional 245,000 new crimes and new crime victims in the same time period statewide. Shees, there goes L.A.'s dropping crime rate. "The people being considered for release are convicted felons," said Paul Weber, the Los Angeles Police Protective League's President. "A large number of them parole violators -- in other words, they are people who have already proven they cannot remain law abiding after being released from prison. That is why they were rearrested and put back into custody." more ›

LA Dodgers defeat Cincinnati Reds 6-2. It was Manny Ramirez bobblehead night at the Stadium Wednesday night, and it was a complete sell out of 56,000. Those 56,000 though thrilled with receiving their bobblehead nonetheless were disappointed when they found out Manny wouldn't be starting the game thanks to being hit Tuesday night by a pitch on his left hand. With the game tied at two in the bottom of the sixth inning, Russell Martin hit a sharp single with runners on first and second that prevent anyone from scoring. more ›

Just like in a recent episode of Weeds, deep within public lands are some major areas prime for cultivating marijuana. Yesterday, local and federal officials eradicated two sites, one in a state park and another on National Park land. Likely to be worth close to $10 million on the street, 2,088 marijuana plants were found in Malibu Creek State Park and another 1421 in Zuma Canyon. more ›

Sad news, y'all. Gidget, who we all know as the Taco Bell chihuahua ("Yo Quiero Taco Bell") suffered a stroke and died at age 15. After she retired from her commercial fame, she lived her days in the sun before dying Tuesday night. "She made so many people happy," said Gidget's trainer, Sue Chipperton. Speaking of Taco Bell, they've also joined the Twittering trend of mobile food trucks, but fear not, they are not in Los Angeles...yet. They'll be here for a few days next week. And in completely unrelated news, Baja Fresh is giving away Burritos today if you buy a drink with this coupon. more ›

Times are a-changin'... Three galleries--Pharmaka, the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art (LACDA) and El Nopal Press--at the corner of 5th and Main were recently given eviction notices by the building's owner, reports blogdowntown: "While the notices were surprises, the move fits with the growth patterns that have characterized gallery districts around the country. Galleries enter a depressed but interesting neighborhood, help make it a safer and more vibrant place, and then are pushed out once rents rise. The three galleries, all located on the ground floor of the Amerland Group's Rosslyn Lofts, have long been aware that a time would come when the building owner would want to attract a tenant paying higher rents." more ›

Police and federal agents served a search warrant in Houston today to Michael Jackson's personal doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray. "The search was conducted by members of the DEA, two Robbery-Homicide detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department and Houston Police officers. The search warrant authorized law enforcement to search for and seize items, including documents, they believed constituted evidence of the offense of manslaughter," Murray's lawyer said in a statement. The LA Times notes that "to obtain a search warrant, authorities are required to show probable cause for a felony," but this in not an indication of any current charges. Various items were taken, according to the Times' sources. more ›

Faced with multiple drought years and the fact that 85% of Los Angeles' water is imported, Los Angeles and other cities are taking a hard look at every way to conserve and curb water use. A new city ordinance was voted on unanimously by the City Council this morning and will be sent to Mayor Villaraigosa for a signature. The ordinance, brought forth by Councilmembers Eric Garcetti and Jan Perry, will set new water efficiency guidelines for toilets, urinals, faucets, showerheads, dishwashers, single-pass cooling systems, and cooling towers in new buildings and for the replacement of broken fixtures in existing buildings. It would save an estimated average of 1 billion gallons of water per year over the next 20 years. That's almost like if no one flushed a toilet in Los Angeles for over a month! The specifics of the ordinance are below: more ›

It looks like the Port of Los Angeles, which brings in billions for the city, is behind on cleaning up the popular but chronically polluted Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro. It looks likely that the city will miss a federal compliance deadline next Spring and people will be enjoying their summer swims in some yucky water. "Starting April 1, Cabrillo Beach must meet fecal bacteria water quality standards 100% of the time from April1 -Oct. 31. The liability to the City of Los Angeles to comply with the water quality requirements could be substantial, yet the pace to complete the Cabrillo projects in time to comply with the deadlines continues to be far too slow," explains Mark Gold of Heal the Bay. He says a contract management “short cut” is the culprit in slowing this project down. "As a result of poor time-management by the Port, the city will likely be out of compliance with the beach water quality standards when the April 1 deadline arrives. The end result? The public will continue to swim in polluted waters and the city will face tens of thousands of dollars in potential liability." more ›

Apparently, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was booed at when he was introduced at last night's Dodgers pregame ceremony, according to the LA Times. And maybe rightfully so, but considering his latest promises for the next four years, we think he deserves a second chance in his new term. That chance won't last forever by any means, but if he does what he says he's going to do--major rail infrastructure being a sexy one--you know he then will have a guaranteed job as Governor down the line. He promises to track results online, so we'll see about that, too. Because, hey, whatever happened to the promises of citywide Wifi by this year? Will it actually happen by the end of 2009? Tracking those results cannot be easily found on the Mayor's website. more ›

Lifeguards are cautioning surfers and swimmers alike that a high surf is due to hit the shores of the OC with some pretty serious strength starting tomorrow, according to the OC Register. "The waves are going to be so big from this south swell - the biggest our coast has seen for years - jet-ski assists have been added to this year's Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing so the surfers don't paddle against a raging river all day." more ›

Judy Ramos was crossing the street shortly past midnight on Sunday when a car struck her. She was brought to the hospital where she died the next day from her injuries. Now police are looking for the suspect vehicle but have few leads. It could be a 4-door white vehicle, but that's about it. She was hit on Vaughn, a side street, near Glenoaks Boulevard. Anyone with information is asked to call Valley Traffic Detectives at (818) 644-8021. After hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247) or by texting CRIMES (274637) and beginning the message with the letters LAPD. Tipsters may also submit information on the LAPD website: www.lapdonline.org. All tips may remain anonymous. more ›

All things gubernatorial seem to be Gavin, Gavin, Gavin these days. At least for the Democrats. Where's Jerry Brown? Will there even be a primary? Gavin has been to the Los Angeles area on a regular basis hosting town hall style meetings and today he's back, this time in South LA. Tonight's event is open to the public and is a "Conversation About California’s Future." more ›

Under the new drought rules banning sprinkler use--save for early mornings and nights on Mondays and Thursdays--city parks, especially those in the sweltering Valley, are turning brown. Now they want an exemption from the strict water rules so the public doesn't have to picnic and play soccer on brown fields. They claims they've reduced water consumption by 40% over the past two years and the LADWP Board of Commissioners seem to agree larger than normal properties such as parks, colleges and cemeteries deserve a break from the rule if they can show a 20% reduction in water. The City Council will consider that measure today in a meeting. more ›

No, she won't just go away: Nadya Suleman, aka OctoMom, is keeping her name in the press thanks to a pair of lawsuits going on in Orange County regarding her children and their being filmed. "A child-labor activist has filed suit against Suleman in Orange County Superior Court, alleging that video shot of her children violates a law aimed at protecting child entertainers from overwork. The suit seeks to create an independent trust for the children," LA Now reports. more ›

Got any eggs handy? You might want to experiment with sidewalk frying today, because we're due to "bake under sizzling temperatures today," according to the Daily News. The heat wave is not releasing its grip on us just yet, and the humidity is clinging too, and we're going to see "highs today in the low 100s in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita, San Gabriel and Pomona valleys and the mountains of Los Angeles County, other than the Santa Monica range." They might even set a new record out in Lancaster--beating the one they set yesterday (at a balmy 107 degrees). And it's not going to cool down anytime soon, so hang on, hot stuffs, it's going to be another few days of hot hot heat. The National Weather Service forecasts mid to upper 90s in Pasadena and Burbank, low 100s in the Valley, mid to upper 70s at the beaches, and DTLA will hit 89. more ›

LA Dodgers defeat Cincinnati Reds 12-3. The Dodgers unleashed on Reds starter Homer Bailey who as Vin Scully noted throughout the broadcast was a one-pitch pony. They scorched Bailey for nine runs in 2 2/3 innings. However the nine runs didn't come without a price when Bailey hit Manny Ramirez on the left hand during the third inning. Manny was taken to the hospital for x-rays which were negative. Meanwhile Randy Wolf pitched 7 1/3 innings giving up only two runs on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts. The Dodgers bats helped his cause by giving him 12 runs of support, the most this season. Wolf got his very first win at home this season, and the Dodgers are now the first team to 60 wins. more ›

• The future and and of the Los Angeles region's transportation system? The big Metro board meeting is taking place this week and LA Streetsblog has a preview.
• Bistro LQ Opens on Beverly Blvd. tonight, offering atypical bistro fare including "uni tapioca pudding with yuzu and osyters, "oat meal" with fennel lobster broth and cinnamon roasted lobster, and squab with duck hearts and duck gizzard."
• Cupcake Watch: Blue Cupcake can now be found at Lot44 in Downtown.
• Laurette Healey, who led the effort to annex a part of Van Nuys in to Sherman Oaks, has dropped out of the race for LA Council District 2 in the Valley.

Culver City has been working on a Bicycle and Pedestrian Initiative that's currently in draft mode. The city's location between the Cheviot and Baldwin Hills as well as the Ballona Creek and eight major roads and freeways "has led to the development of an irregular (broken-grid) roadway network which presents unique challenges for non-motorized transportation." more ›

With over a half billion in cuts, the California State University Board of Trustees voted to increase student fees by 20%, implement employee furloughs and workforce reductions, cut enrollment and other measures that were met with protest at today's meeting in Long Beach. more ›

David Beckham made his much talked about return to the Home Depot Center on Sunday night as the Galaxy hosted a friendly against Italian giants A.C. Milan in front of a sold out crowd. more ›

The deal to solve our state budget deficit has basically come to a conclusion, but it's not final yet and we still don't know what parks will close with at least $8 still million proposed to be cut. The California Parks Foundation, in an e-mail this afternoon, explains the latest: "The details are not yet in print, but several sources are confirming that $70 million of the park system's General Fund allocation will be eliminated, with $62 million backfilled by other funding sources on what appears to be a one-time basis. This leaves the state park system with an $8 million gap, and is expected to result in park closures. At this time, there is not a list of certain closures, we do not know how many or which parks may be closed as a result of the budget deal. Considering where we started just 8 weeks ago, this outcome is better for state parks than most people could have imagined. We are not finished - the Legislature still needs to approve the budget deal by the end of the week and more details need to come out regarding the parks that will close - but the fact that we're looking at a much more scaled-down version of park cuts than we started with is welcome news." more ›

By LA Weekly's count of every murder within Los Angeles city limits, we are at 168 as of yesterday when a taxi driver stabbed earlier this month died of his wounds. Compare that to last year July 18th, when there were 208 murders and juxtapose that to the 162 this year as of that date. That's a 22.1% decline in murders so far. Add to that, the murder rate has declined over the last few years. The LAPD's consent decree ended last week, which in theory should let officers be more productive in some aspects, but some oppose the lifting of the decree. The ACLU contends that there are still problems within the department in regards to racial bias. more ›

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich announced this afternoon in a session of City Council that his investigation into tax payer money being used for the Michael Jackson Memorial has revealed "civil and criminal aspects." He would not speak publicly about details, including a lawsuit's target, but offered to go into closed session about the civil aspects. City Council agreed and went to the back chambers to discuss at 12:30 p.m. As this publishing, they are still in closed session. more ›

Shortly before noon, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved moving the LA Marathon back to a Sunday date in the month of March beginning next year. During public comment, most speakers supported the date change, but a few stood up to save Sundays. "For those who have made this into a religious issue, this is not a religious issue... This has not and has never been a religious issue," said a determined Father John Bacchus who said that a single event should not tie down the city to the degree it prevents people of faith attending their institution. A compromise within the approved motion instructs city agencies involved with the race's logistics "to design a new point-to-point route which will minimize disruption to Sunday church services." The agreement also allows for the "Stadium to Sea" route, which could include Santa Monica, announced last week. more ›

Top flight soccer comes to the Rose Bowl tonight as the nationwide World Football Challenge tournament makes its only Southern California appearance. Featuring top teams from Europe and Mexico, the 4 team tournament includes English side Chelsea FC, Italian giants AC Milan and Inter Milan and lastly, storied Mexican side Club America. Pasadena will play host to one of the tournament's most anticipated matches, featuring Chelsea FC and Inter Milan. more ›

In addition to the $70 million Los Angeles could lose via raided redevelopment funds, another $166 million could be lost if $120 million in property tax revenue and $66 million in gas tax revenue are taken to fix the state budget, which will be voted on later this week by state legislators. The County of Los Angeles also stands to lose major funding, which could have long term effects in the billions. The county says they would lose $313.4 million in redevelopment, $109 million in gas taxes, $53.3 million from CalWorks (welfare program), $22.1 million in substance abuse crime prevention, $21 million for mental health managed care and $5.7 million in AIDS/HIV treatment and prevention, according to the LA Times. more ›

Going more in depth into the State Budget deal, local redevelopment projects around town could get hit pretty hard, according to the LA Times. $1.7 billion in redevelopment funds will be taken away from local municipalities, which could mean $72 million less for Los Angeles with a total loss of $360 million in private investment and 2,300 less jobs. Of those projects that could threatened include a shopping center in Reseda and a mixed-used affordable-housing project at Hollywood and Western. more ›

If they can send men to the moon, then they can surely help bitch-thirsy Los Angeles save some water in drought times and beyond. A three-year agreement between the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena and the Los Angeles Department of Power & Water will bring automatic sensors to various projects. One example, explains the Pasadena Star News: "DWP maintains a network of sprinklers to keep the dust under control when winds pick up. To help reduce dust, the DWP and its team of contractors are installing a computer-controlled network of sprinklers currently covering more than 14 square miles of the lake bed. But the system consumes significant amounts of water." Other sensor projects include snow pack monitoring in the Sierras and solar power on roofs within the city. more ›

Pasadena will once again play host to top level soccer when Chelsea FC takes on Inter Milan on Tuesday night at the Rose Bowl. The match is part of the World Football Challenge tournament currently being played throughout the nation, but it is the only one scheduled for the famed Pasadena venue. more ›

By 8 a.m., it was already 89 in the Antelope Valley, 92 in Palm Springs, 75 in downtown LA, 70 in Santa Monica, 74 in Van Nuys and 82 in San Pedro. Today will be mostly sunny, save for some patchy morning clouds still hanging around, according to the National Weather Service. As the day progresses, expect hot temperatures like yesterday--mid to upper 70s at the beaches and upper 80s to mid 90s inland--to continue. Tomorrow may cool down slightly, with inland temperatures reaching near 90, but the continuing heat wave trend is expected to pick up again on Thursday through the at least the weekend. more ›

Last Friday, a federal judge lifted a federal consent decree that oversaw the Los Angeles Police Department for eight years in order to reform patterns and practice of excessive force, false arrests and unreasonable searches and seizures. It was placed over the agency after the infamous Rampart Scandal in which anti-gang officers working in the named division were implicated in a plethora of crimes over several years. more ›

A budget deal was agreed on last night between top legislators and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Part of that deal was cutting $8 million from the state parks system, saving the majority of parks from the original proposal to cut around $70 million forcing the closure of 80% of them. more ›

LA Dodgers defeat Cincinnati Reds 7-5. After watching the abomination that was the top half of the first inning, Jason Schmidt looked like he was heading back on the shelf. He gave up three runs on two singles, a double, a triple, a walk and a stolen base and wasn't fooling any of the Reds hitters. In the next four innings he would only give up a single, two walks and hit a batter while keep the Reds scoreless. Meanwhile the Dodgers bats had Schmidt's back by knocking in four runs in the bottom half of the first inning. Manny Ramirez would surpass Mickey Mantle for 15th on the all-time home run leaderboard on a two-run homer in the second inning, his tenth of the season. Andre Ethier would tack on a solo shot in the fifth inning. The Reds would make it interesting off of James McDonald in the eighth inning by scoring two runs, Ramon Troncoso and Jonathan Broxton would shut them down. This would make it win number two for Schmidt in a Dodger uniform. more ›

• The posh St. Regis Hotel in Dana Point is in foreclosure--its lender seized ownership today.
• Looks like Sony is winning the rights race for the final footage of Michael Jackson's last concert tour rehearsals.
• The Autry Center announced today that they are having to cancel this summer's annual Pow-Wow, scheduled for July 31-Aug. 2 due to the event's cost.

As Hollywood loses the Knitting Factory, it gains Madame Tussauds. Even trade? Not at all. But as tourism goes, the wax museum will be a sticky attraction. 350 construction jobs were created out of the project and over 100 permanent operational jobs will exist thanks to Madame Tussauds, according to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office, which expects it to have an annual fiscal impact of $800,000. A ribbon cutting with the Mayor and others will take place tomorrow morning. more ›

I sat at the Dodgers home opener on April 9, 2007 and watched Jason Schmidt pitch a horrible game. Just looking at the scoreboard after each pitch he made it was evident something was wrong. The velocity on his fastball was down. There was no way he could get the Colorado Rockies hitters to bite on a 80 mph change-up when his fastball was only clocking at 86 mph. more ›

As exploratory drilling for the possibility of a subway to the Westside continues to take place on city streets, Metro is gearing up for another set of community meetings for updates on the project (meeting info is below). Last Spring, public meetings gathered input on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report (DEIS/R) process that is currently underway. Next month, they will present a summary of what was heard at those meetings, provide updates to possible route alternatives and discuss the subway construction process if the project goes forward. more ›

It was Grammy night here in Los Angeles when police responded to an incident between Rihanna and Chris Brown. The saga, full of speculation and controversy, was dragged through media and courts, eventually leaving Brown with five years of probation. In a YouTube video posted today, he apologizes. "I have told Rihanna countless times, and I am telling you today, that I am truly sorry and that I wasn't able to handle the situation both differently and better.. I hope that others learn from my mistake. I intend to live my life so that I am truly worthy of the term 'role model,'" he said. The full video is below. more ›

As part of the environmental review analysis, Metro is continuing their ongoing and weekly effort to study conditions below the surface for the possibility of a subway to the Westside. This week, the majority of the light drilling will take place in West Hollywood overnight. Spots include San Vicente/Melrose, Santa Monica/Ogden, Santa Monica/Fairfax and Santa Monica/Sweetzer. Crews will also be seen in Los Angeles along Wilshire Blvd during the day: Wilshire/La Jolla (Tues-Thur) and Wilshire/Crescent Heights (Wed-Fri). Traffic, noise and vibration impacts will be minimal. more ›

In a move perhaps aimed to articulate her triumph over great adversity, de-throned Miss California USA Carrie Prejean has just signed a book deal to tell "her side of the story," with "conservative book house Regnery Publishing," KTLA is reporting. Prejean will discuss "what happened behind the scenes at the pageant and why she answered the question posed to her by Perez Hilton the way she did," and hopefully give insight to her subsequent firing by The Donald in the tome, to be titled Still Standing. more ›

Another day, another suspicious package. Unattended luggage caused officials to evacuate a portion of LAX this morning. Shortly after 11 a.m., the bag sitting next to a Tom Bradley Int'l Terminal ticketing counter and bearing no name tags began emitting an alarm-type sound. Airport police cleared the area, moving about 500 travelers and employees into the streets. The LAPD bomb squad arrived and via an X-Ray machine, determined the sound was coming from a megaphone. 50 minutes later, operations were back to normal. LAX officials say there's a good lesson here: make sure all your bags, including carry-ons, are tagged with your name and info. Whoever's bag this was will likely never see it again. more ›

Tomorrow, the City Council will likely vote to change the Los Angeles Marathon's date back to a Sunday in March after last year forcing organizers to choose a holiday Monday to avoid conflict with religious institutions on Sunday, the traditional day for a race. In the end, traditionally hot and sunny Memorial Day was chosen only to scare off a large number of runners from registering. more ›

This weekend was the very definition of a beach weekend, and a perfect one for some serious beach volleyball at that. The 2009 AVP Crocs Slam Bud Light Manhattan Beach Open hit the shores Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and "Manhattan Beach is considered by many as 'the granddaddy' of the AVP Crocs Tour. Players say once you win in Manhattan Beach, you really have made it on the AVP Tour," explains their official site. more ›

As new residents flock to downtown, so do businesses. Last week, City National Corp. announced that it will move its corporate headquarters and subsidiary, City National Bank, from Beverly Hills to downtown Los Angeles. "The move is symbolic in nature -- few if any personnel will make a move -- but is important in terms of Downtown's place in the financial world," according to blogdowntown. "While Downtown Los Angeles was historically home to a number of prominent banks, decades of mergers and acquisitions have left the Central City almost void of the financial headquarters." Although some banks like U.S. Bank have naming rights to building tops, they do not have headquarters in downtown or even California. Only a handful of banks make Central City their home. more ›

In sad news today from the Beastie Boys, Adam Yauch has a cancerous tumor in his left parotid (salivary) gland which means the group will be canceling their current tour which includes the Hollywood Bowl on September 24th. In a video announcement--embedded below--Yauch expresses healthy optimism about his recovery, because the cancer is localized and will not affect his vocal chords. He's expected to have surgery next week, to be followed by radiation treatment. This will also delay the release of their next album. Those with tickets to the Hollywood Bowl show should check this website for details. more ›

Tomorrow the California State University Board of Trustees is scheduled to vote on proposed cuts within their operating budget that will have staff and faculty accepting twice-monthly furlough days, student services and class offerings reduced, enrollment caps and freezes implemented, and tuition raised 20 per cent--on top of the already approved 10 per cent increase voted on just two months ago. more ›

A man stabbed to death on a Hollywood sidewalk, a woman kills her son before killing herself in Highland Park, two shot dead in South LA in separate cases all made for a busy weekend for LAPD officers and detectives. Hollywood, Saturday, 10:50 p.m.: A passerby on Santa Monica Blvd. notice a man lying on the sidewalk and call police. Police arrive to find a victim, still alive and described as a male White, transient, approximately 50-years-old. He's rushed off to the hospital where he died. While police do not know the motive behind the murder, they do believe it is not gang related. more ›

Ever wonder how Andre Ethier manages to stay so chill despite leading the Dodgers in game-winning RBI? The Dodgers' right fielder shared his secret on Saturday with 100 lucky participants in DodgersWIN with the first-ever yoga session in Dodger Stadium. Ethier's yoga instructor, Johanna Epps, flew in from Phoenix to lead a group in one hour of twists, poses, sun salutes and Etheir's personal favorite, the difficult Pigeon Pose. The session took place at the unusually tranquil hour of 11 a.m. in the Mannywood neighborhood of Dodgertown, CA 90090 -- aka left field.
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An early morning fire sent a medical marijuana dispensary in Westchester up in smoke today. The clinic, the Westchester Collective, was located "on the second floor of a two-story commercial building," at 8936 Sepulveda Blvd., according to cbs2.com. "It took 69 firefighters an hour to extinguish the blaze," that caused property damage but no injuries, and did not spread to nearby structures. Authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze more ›

A tip for those who struggle with small talk: Open with "Ohmigod it's too hot these days!" and the conversation will flow from there. We are, indeed, in a heat wave, and we can expect "several more days of torrid temperatures," along with "an excessive heat warning," from the National Weather Service, according to the Daily Breeze. Today we can add humidity to the high temps, causing a heat index that is a veritable hotbed for heat-related illnesses. Keep it cool, Los Angeles! Stay hydrated, avoid long periods of time outdoors, and pay close attention to the elderly, pets, and kids. Downtown temps will be in the high 80s, 90s to 100s in the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys, and high 70s at the beaches. more ›

Matt Kemp carried the Dodgers on his back scoring all four of the Dodgers runs in the 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros. Kemp walked, hit two singles and hit a solo home run in the eighth inning for his grand finale. "It was a heck of a day," manager Joe Torre said of Kemp. "He had a great day. Obviously we needed every bit of it." "It was a team effort," Kemp said. "I was just getting on base, and Brad Ausmus just kept driving me in. We were a dynamic duo today." more ›

FC Dallas forward Kenny Cooper scored a penalty kick goal at the 105th minute to give the U.S. the advantage over Panama in Gold Cup action last night. The match itself was less than spectacular for the U.S. side. It was a hard fought midfield battle with a slight advantage to the Panamanian side, but not by much. Both teams struggled to get into their opponents offensive third, but when they did, the Panamanians seemed to be the more dangerous side. more ›

Timely hits, sweating bullets and strange plays all came together to help give Dodger manager Joe Torre a 5-2 win on his 69th birthday. Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw surrendered only two hits and a walk in his seven inning shutout of the Houston Astros. In fact Kershaw is 5-0 in his last seven starts with a 0.63 ERA giving up only three earned runs in that span. "He's using the off pitches a lot better," Torre said of Kershaw's improvement. "Now that he's getting ahead in the count it makes hitting off him a little less secure." more ›

• A 30-year-old-woman and her 5-year-old child were found dead this morning in Garvanza in what appears to be a murder-suicide.
• Two people flying in an experimental single-engine jet registered to an Encino owner were killed in an accident today in Santa Clarita.
• The brush fire in Castaic is now reported as fully contained; it burned a total of 55 acres.

If you mention that at age 51, you still do a handstand everyday, as did Bart Conner in this 710 ESPN Radio interview recorded at Morton's Steakhouse in Downtown LA, you just might feel the urge to take off your jacket and show, not just tell. And you just might be joined by fellow '84 Olympians Peter Vidmar, Mary Lou Retton and even Greg Louganis in some handstands of their own. more ›

Open since 2000, Hollywood Boulevard's music venue The Knitting Factory announced yesterday that they will not renew their lease for the site, which ends on October 31st of this year, reports the LA Times music blog Pop & Hiss. more ›

A variety of great soccer options await fans over the next few days. more ›

A fire was already burning in the Castaic area when an Amtrak bus nearby on the 5 Freeway caught fire--"exploded" according to news reports--and spread flames into the grass. The Sloan fire has reached heights of 3,000 feet elevation and is persisting in the 103 degree weather of the Santa Clarita Valley. However, good progress is being made, according to the Angeles National Forest's Twitter. Even without the fire, the Santa Clarita Valley and San Gabriel Mountains and Valley were and will continue to be under an air advisory alert for sensitive individuals (heart disease, asthma or other respiratory disease). Over in Monterey Park against he 710 freeway, a small 8 acre fire, called the Mcbride Fire, broke out, but was knockedown around 2:30, reported LA County's Fire Department Twitter. more ›

When a bald eagles disappear from the Channel Islands allowing room for Golden Eagles, who eat really cute little foxes, to take over, everyone freaks out (got 20 mins? Watch this amazing short documentary). When a pretty flowering Spanish Broom begins to grow, not many take notice despite it being one of the top invasive and harmful-to-the-ecosystem plants found in the Santa Monica Mountains. Now, that might start to change. more ›

Although they won't be operational for some time now, the first of Metro's fare gates are being installed at the Purple Line's Wilshire/Normandie station. LAist Featured Photos contributor LA Wad shares a few shots. Expect to see these popping up at most train stations over the next few months and say goodbye to the honor system. more ›

Where there's a will, there's a way. For years, the owner of Annandale Canyon in Pasadena wanted to develop his property into 24 luxury homes. But neighbors fought it, even imposing a tax on themselves to raise over a million dollars in order to assist the city in purchasing the land. In total, it was sold for $6.2 million with funds coming from the tax, a Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy grant (even though the land is not in the SaMos, it's in the the San Rafael Hills.) and other sources. Now the 20.6-acre site and an additional 31,000 square foot neighboring property will be used by advocates as a template for other acquisitions in Pasadena, according to the Pasadena Star News. more ›

Alecko Eskandarian, Landon Donovan and Eddie Lewis each scored first half goals for the Galaxy, giving the blue-and-gold a 3 - 1 victory over Red Bull New York last night at Giants Stadium. more ›

A West LA waitress at a Hamburger Hamlet was found guilty of 34 felony counts of identity theft and credit card fraud was sentenced to 5 years probation and a $3,000 fine. "April DuBoise, 29, used a "wedge" -- a small skimming device that reads and stores data from a credit card for downloading to a computer -- over a 1 1/2-month period while working in early 2006 at the Hamburger Hamlet restaurant at 2927 Sepulveda Blvd. in West Los Angeles," explains the Daily News. Although it's said that DuBoise, who sold the information to another man, caused $28,000 in damages, prosecutors say that the number is "a gross underestimation." The publicity of the case caused a sharp drop in business forcing the closure of the restaurant. more ›

A survey conducted on behalf of Metro found that residents still support Measure R, which boosted LA County's sales tax up a half cent in order to raise $30 to $40 billion for transportation projects. However, it also found that people feel projects are moving too slowly to get the region out of gridlock. According to the LA Times, the poll of 605 registered county voters finds (with a plus or minus margin of 4%)... more ›

Not even 24 hours after a post on LAist about Baja Fresh's suspiciously sounding Kogi BBQ-like menu spread through Twitter, the Orange County based company has changed their word usage and released the following statement by Chuck Rink, president of Fresh Enterprises, which owns Baja Fresh: more ›

Has the building boom stopped in downtown's South Park neighborhood? The crane at the soon-to-open Ritz Carlton tower on the LA Live campus is currently being dissembled, according to blogdowntown, which notes that "in the summer of 2007, a half dozen of the cranes stood within a few blocks of L.A. Live, with the two on-site at the complex joined by others atop South Group's Evo, Hanover's 717 Olympic, Meruelo's 717 W. 9th and Astani's Concerto." Of course, more cranes could come if planned and approved projects get funded and break ground such as the 43-story tower that was just approved for across from the Convention Center. The two hotels in the Ritz Carlton tower--the other being a J.W. Marriot--are scheduled to open on February 15, 2010. "The structure will hold the 879-room J.W. Marriott (floors four through 21), the 123-room Ritz Carlton hotel (floors 22 through 26) and the 224-unit Residences at the Ritz Carlton (floors 27 through 52)," says blogdowntown. more ›

Let's face it. The city of Los Angeles is truly in the stone ages when it comes to technology. City workers may be addicted to their crackberries and the City Council File Management System may be pretty sweet, but other than that, our tax dollars are disappearing into a non-efficient system. Now enter the idea of partnering with Google's e-mail and apps program. From the LA Times: more ›

• Two weeks on the job and Carmen Trutanich is making his mark, making heads turn and fighting the fight, whether you like it or not.
• Because the bar was one of the first to take a risk and open in the new downtown, a big Happy 5th Birthday to the Golden Golpher!
• Cheap lunch date? Lucky Strike downtown is offering a recession deal of sorts: $7.95 for a meal and a game of bowling if you've got time.

This year, it seems like there has been more reported pedestrian and bicycle incident than usual. Back in the Spring, three pedestrians were killed in incidents involving a Metro bus or train. Two bicyclists were shot this past weekend and one was killed by a drunk driver. The list could go on. In today's LA County Bicycle Coalition e-mail blast, it announced the beginnings of a campaign to bring California a law to help protect the people who use the modes of transportation: more ›

dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. Never leave children, elderly people, or pets unattended in closed vehicles, even with the windows ‘cracked,’ because temperatures inside can quickly rise to life-threatening levels.” more ›

Today a Metro committee on Measure R funds were to discuss the possibility of pushing up the opening dates of three rail projects in the county--the regional connector in downtown, the second eastside extension of the Gold Line and the Green Line to LAX. After the meeting, Foothill Gold Line Extension advocates (they want the line to run beyond Pasadena towards Ontario) announced that the acceleration of project timelines in the agenda were picked at random to study the feasibility of earlier than planned opening dates. Still, they contend that their project is shovel ready and Mayor Villaraigosa is behind the line opening as far as Azusa by 2013. more ›

He did it! 17-year-old Zac Sunderland left Marinda Del Rey on June 14th, 2008 (he was 16 then) to journey across the world only to make it home today. That's a 28,000 mile trip for the Thousand Oaks native who saved up $6,000 for his 36-foot Intrepid sailboat. Although he has beaten records, a younger sailor is already trying to beat him with a faster boat, but Sunderland shrugs it off knowing someday his record will be beat. Next up? "I'm hoping to set off on my next adventure soon — Mt. Everest or down to the Arctic Circle," Sunderland said. KCET's SoCal Connected has been following him with web cam interviews throughout the late spring. more ›

Mayor Antonio Villaraigasa may want Los Angeles to be the greenest city in the country and San Francisco may be popularly referred to as one of the greenest, but when it comes to solar power, San Diego is king when it comes to California big cities, according to a report released by Environment California. The city leads with 2,267 solar roofs. By contrast, San Francisco has 1,493 with Los Angeles trailing behind at 1,432. "But when it comes to per capita installations, little Nevada City, Calif., topped the list, with nearly 1 in 5 households hosting a solar system," noted the LA Times. "City of Industry, outside Los Angeles, had the most capacity per capita, with 1.5 kilowatts installed per person. The bad news: Solar power still accounts for less than 1% of energy nationwide." more ›

Last night, Los Angeles lost a true Angeleno. Photographer Julius Shulman, 98, died last night, according to an LA Times breaking news e-mail alert. Shulman was a blunt--yet hilarious--critic of architecture and he showed the works he loved through his work. In a new documentary about Shulman, screened in Los Angeles at Dwell on Design, he would call most of the city's housing design style a pile of junk. The audience burst out laughing. more ›

Los Angeles has had one for a little while and now Santa Monica has joined the club. Typically, when it rains the runoff goes into the storm drains directing it to the ocean. What it takes along with it--chemicals, trash, etc--is extremely harmful and wasteful, too. If the little water brought to us in Southern California was spent on keeping it in the groundwater system instead of spending money to move it out, all the better. The Lookout News in Santa Monica was at a demonstration yesterday and explains how the new one on the 100 block of Bicknell Avenue works: more ›

These weasels are so damn cute, but once again their population is dwindling. In the late 19th Century and into the early 20th, the population estimated to be over 100,000 decreased to extreme lows of around 1,000 to 2,000 thanks to the fur trade (in California, the population was specifically around 16,000 which was decimated to around 50). Today they are protected by law and a Monterey Aquarium favorite. more ›

People are annoyed with Jury Duty enough. Apparently, the message that the courts were closed for a budget-saving furlough day didn't make it to all the jurors, according to the Daily Breeze: "Some people complained that they were not told that Wednesday was a furlough day. Even those who had been asked to do their civic duty." Add to that those who traveled from afar to the courts. A man who drove out from Arizona was turned away and he was not sure if staying Los Angeles an extra day was a possibility. In fact, the word on the newswires about yesterday's furlough really didn't get out until early Wednesday morning. It almost seems the courts were as caught off guard as the people it serves. Although furlough days are scheduled for every third Wednesday of the month, there is no obvious indication of that on their webpage. Talk about a major fail in basic public information. more ›

Since the Twilight Dance Series on the Santa Monica Pier began a couple weeks ago, the pier has gotten over capacity and has prompted extra police, says the Santa Monica Daily Press, noting that this is a first in its 25 year history for the weekly Thursday night summer event. Bigger crowds usually happen by the end of the summer, but not like this: "Franz-Knight attributed the big crowds to the economic downturn. 'We've had some great shows but I think people in a down economy are more excited and looking more for free events and community gathering spaces, and I think the concerts provide that,' he said." more ›

If marijuana were to be legalized for recreational use, it would raise nearly $1.4 billion for the California, announced a state tax board yesterday. The numbers were from an analysis of a bill, AB390, introduced earlier this year by San Francisco Assemblymember Tom Ammiano. more ›

This weekend the AVP tour comes back to where it all started. The AVP Crocs Slam Bud Light Manhattan Beach Open begins this weekend with an unprecedented 64-team draw. Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers are looking to be the first team to four-peat in 25 years. On the ladies side a new women's team will be crowned for the first time since 2004 with Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh sitting out. Also competing in the Open is Jesse Rambis, son of Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis. He and partner Mark Williams are the 17th seed of the Open. more ›

On Monday, following the taping of their rousing performance on the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, cast members from the Broadway revival of Hair stopped by Here Lounge in West Hollywood for a "Be In" aimed at promoting marriage equality. more ›

A small plane carrying three people crashed this afternoon near the Hawthorne Airport off the 105 freeway, according to KNX1070. "Hawthorne Municipal Airport, also known as Jack Northrop Field, is an FAA-designated general aviation reliever airport owned by the City of Hawthorne," according to its webpage. It's located at 12101 S. Crenshaw Boulevard. more ›

Before an African American man clad in Klu Klux Klan apparel was to speak to the Los Angeles City Council, members walked out of the room, effectively canceling the meeting because a lack of quorum, the legal limit of members needed for a meeting to take place. more ›

It's about time, no? After weeks of rejecting bogus medical marijuana dispensaries, three LA City Councilmembers brought forth a motion to explore a tax on legal medical marijuana sales in the city. “In this current economic crisis, we need to get creative about how we raise funds. A tax on medical marijuana could enable the city to continue providing services we might otherwise have to cut,” said Councilwoman Janice Hahn. Retired LAPD officer and West Valley Councilman Dennis Zine said "Part of becoming a legitimate business in the City of Los Angeles means supporting local government by paying a fair share of municipal taxes.” Councilman Bill Rosendahl also brought forth the measure. A motion for a resolution in support of H.R. 2835, the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, which allows for state law to prevail with regard to medical marijuana use, was also introduced. more ›

At about 12:30 p.m., a suspicious package prompted police to shut down the area round Santa Monica Blve and Avenue of the Stars in Century City. The bomb squad responded, but as of 2:45 p.m., there was no word on the status of the incident, according to LAPD Media Relations. This unfortunately is a regular occurrence. The area around the Federal Building has been shut down a handful of times in the past and City Hall on Monday afternoon after suspicious packages were noticed. It should be emphasized that suspicious packages are not bomb threats as rumored on Twitter. A bomb threat is basically when someone calls in the threat, according to the LAPD. A suspicious package is something noticed by a citizen or authority and makes the police aware of its location. UPDATE: As of 3:21 p.m., LAPD Media Relations was notified that the incident was cleared. more ›

The behind doors budget deficit talks have been quite hush-hush leaving a big question mark on the latest for the survival of California's state parks. "There's not a lot of information coming out now about the parks issue," said Traci Verardo-Torres of the California State Parks Foundation who said environmental issues are rumored to be the subject of discussions today in the private budget meetings. What Verado-Torres does know is that 60,000 people have sent 128,000 letters to the Governor and legislators through their online advocacy system. Word on the street is that an additional 12,000 letters have been sent via other organizations to the Governor's office, too. Also, around 41,000 people have signed a the foundation's petition to keep the parks open. Since 80% of state parks were threatened to be closed, the foundation's Facebook page has ballooned from only a few hundred to over 40,000 fans. more ›

Unionized employees of the University of California will rally today at UCLA in Westwood in protest against proposed cost-cutting measures that will see the, losing work hours and funds for operating costs, according to the Daily News. more ›

Last summer The Dark Knight earned $18.5 million in midnight screenings. Then came along Harry Potter last night bringing in a record $22.2 million. Earlier this summer, the horribly-awesome-but-really-horrible Transformers made $16 million on its first night of midnight screenings followed by the "second biggest single day gross in history of $62 million," according to Hollywood.com who notes that reviews for the new Harry Potter "have been the strongest for any film in the franchise and that means word-of-mouth buzz will be strong and will propel the grosses on an upward momentum rather than the typical drop-offs." All that could mean more records to be broken this weekend. more ›

We still don't have a budget as of this moment, but Governor Arnold Scwharzenegger says there is a "good shot" of the deficit deal being approved today, he told reporters this afternoon. Meanwhile, the California Democratic Party today filed a complaint about Schwazenegger's ad (seen above) about the budget. The ad is officially done under the auspices of a political committee, but Democrats allege it violates law. more ›

A report released yesterday ranked Los Angeles number one out of 273 cities for the treatment of homeless populations. "Homes Not Handcuffs: The Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities" by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and the National Coalition for the Homeless highlights the Safer Cities Initiative--which has spent $6 million on extra police in Skid Row--as a program that traps homeless in the criminal justice system rather than housing. more ›

Los Angeles has thousands of miles of failed sidewalks. Buckled, cracked, missing chunks or completey destroyed, the problem leaves the city paying out $2 to $4 million in trip and fall lawsuits each year. The city's budget only provides for fixing less than one hundred miles a year leaving residents on a wait list for 83 years to have their sidewalk fixed. more ›

Several Los Angeles County Superior Court employees get to take today off without pay as part of a furlough plan that begins this week and is slated to run for the next year as part of a cost-cutting measure, according to abc7.com. The third Wednesday of the month will now find dozens of courtrooms in the system at a standstill, with the hopes of staving off "permanent court closures and layoffs." more ›

Angeleno Opera enthusiasts have been anticipating the long-planned Ring Festival LA, which will span multiple venues between mid-April and late June of 2010 and boast numerous performances by different organizations, each "providing its own unique point of view on the influences of [composer Richard] Wagner's art and philosophy from the 19th century to the present day," explains the LA Opera. more ›

As part of his campaign to win the Governor's job in 2010, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will make a stop tonight in Woodland Hills to hold what he's calling one of his "conversations about California's future," at Taft High School, according to the Daily News. more ›

As expected, Judy Chu won California's 32nd Congressional Seat in yesterday's election. "With 173 of 209 precincts reporting Tuesday night, Chu had 14,115 votes, or 62 percent. She was trailed by her cousin by marriage, Republican Betty Chu, with 7,355 votes, or 32 percent," reported the Associated Press. "Most residents in the 32nd Congressional District are Hispanic, but Judy Chu assembled a diverse coalition and stressed her ability to work across racial and ethnic lines. Her supporters included Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, one of the nation's most recognized Latino politicians." The district stretches from East LA into the San Gabriel Valley, from Monterey Park to Azusa. NPR yesterday featured the race as a unique one because Chu faced off with Betty Chu, the Republican Monterey Park city councilmember and a cousin by marriage. more ›

American League defeats National League 4-3. Perhaps we can call this the All Star Game that the NL West helped to lose for the NL. San Francisco Giants Tim Lincecum started the game for the NL and promptly gave up two runs to the AL although only one was earned. Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley came in the fifth inning with the NL leading 3-2 and gave up a run to tie the game. And just to rub salt in the wounds San Diego Padres closer Heath Bell gave up the winning run to the AL in the top of the eighth inning. more ›

• New York City-based Grub Street launched a Los Angeles version of their foodie blog yesterday. First order of business: Katsuya2Go!
• Metro is looking at speeding up the timelines for three rail projects, but Streesblog LA questions the fiscal reality of that idea.
• Mayor Villaraigosa may have to report his recent trip to Africa because it was paid for by the Academy of Achievement, which is partially funded by Philip Anschutz of AEG. Last year, the group gave him $4371.97 in travel-related expenses, according to Eric Spillman's The News Blog on KTLA.

A new mixed use tower to across the street from the LA Convention Center was approved today by City Council. It will be New York City-based architect Daniel Libeskind's first for Los Angeles and the savvy architectural readers at Curbed LA are mostly giving a thumbs up. The building, located at 1340 S Figueroa Street, will include " include 273 residential units stacked atop an eight-level podium, restaurants and a spa," according to the LA Times. more ›

Steven Rosenberg has been a long time Van Nuys resident and neighborhood blogger for the Daily News. As of today's City Council vote, he now lives in Sherman Oaks and tells it likes it is from his perspective: "For one thing, every single person who bought into this neighborhood received a discount of sorts on their home by virtue of it NOT being in Sherman Oaks, even though it is close (and this is, for the most part, a fairly nice area). Now those who live here presently can reap a premium of many thousands of dollars if and when they sell (or rent) their home by virtue of their ability to write the words 'Sherman Oaks' in their ads and listings without the additional word 'adjacent' following. All this BS about 'feeling' like you're a Sherman Oaks resident, even though you live in Van Nuys — I didn't buy it then, I don't buy it now." more ›

When will we learn? Just because they spray paint cans may seem harmless doesn't mean the people using are not. A man who approached taggers in Santa Ana this morning was attacked, says the LA Times: "The 38-year-old was walking near the intersection of McFadden and Orange avenues just after 2 a.m. when he saw a group of three young men painting graffiti on a wall, said Santa Ana Police Cmdr. Tammy Franks. The man told them to stop. After pausing, the three men, joined by two others, surrounded the man and began hitting, kicking and stabbing him in the torso. The man, whose name was not released, was taken to the hospital and is recovering from injuries that are not life-threatening." He got lucky and we thank him for his bravery. However, many times people are murdered over this. The LAPD says if you witness a tagger, clear the area and call 911. more ›

In a vote that angered some and brought extreme joy to others, the Los Angeles City Council voted to annex a portion of Van Nuys into Sherman Oaks after residents of the affected area brought forth the idea last year. During the meeting, Don Schultz stood up announcing that he and others will seek for Van Nuys to secede from the city and that by 2011, they will celebrate their independence. There have been also rumors, albeit quite possibly jokes, that a portion of Sherman Oaks will try to annex into neighboring Bel Air. more ›

The food truck trend has hit almost every culinary delight. Take your pick: korean, chinese, Vietnamese, BBQ, cupcakes, ice cream, (see a full list here). One of those choices includes sushi from Fishlips Sushi Truck, who we caught at the recent Buff Monster signing. more ›

By the end of this week, we should see gates in the Metro Purple Line Wilshire/Normandie station, reports LA Streetsblog: "Once the Wilshire/Normandie installation is completed, Metro will continue along the Red and Purple Lines, a process that Rick Jager estimates could take up to six months before moving on to the Green Line, then the Blue Line and finally, the Gold Line." But that doesn't mean they'll be in working condition. "A start date for the turnstiles to be operational hasn't been announced, nor whether they will begin operation "piecemeal" or wait until the system is installed at every rail stop." more ›

A city proposal could do just that. Smart Sprinklers, as explained by the Catalina Island Conservancy's Isla Earth podcast, works like this: "a weather-based controller starts talking to your local weather station. It gets data about things like rainfall, air temperature, and wind speed. It then uses those data to figure out how much water your plants will need and how much will be lost to evaporation. It turns on the sprinklers to deliver just the right amount." more ›

20-year-old Marco Antonio Valencia will be arraigned today in court for a weekend incident that killed a Santa Clarita Valley man and injured two others on Bouquet Canyon Road. It's a pretty gruesome story, as the local paper, The Signal, tells it: more ›

A fire that sparked up yesterday in Castaic is still burning, but fire officials are starting to gain an upper hand. As of 6 a.m., the Osito Fire near Pyramid Lake is 65% contained and was downgraded from 400 acres to 288, according to official reports. Two lanes were closed on the northbound 5 Freeway and remain closed this morning. No structures have been reported to be damaged and there has been one minor injury--a bee sting. more ›

[UPDATE: Shortly before noon, the City Council voted to approve the annexation. Read more here] more ›

Well, some of us vote, at least. After the May 19th Special Election where no candidate garnered 50 percent of the vote needed to claim the 32nd seat in the U.S House--left open by Hilda Solis after she joined the Obama administration as the Labor Secretary--a run-off was set for today. Democrat and vice chair of the California Board of Equalization Judy Chu is the frontrunner and is expected to win. She faces off with Republican Monterey Park Councilwoman Betty Chu (no relation) and Libertarian businessman Christopher M. Agrella. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. through 8:00 p.m. and to find out where to vote, plug your address into the county's Recorder-Registrar website. The 32nd Congressional District covers a portions of the San Gabriel Valley and other areas including East LA, Rosemead, El Monte, Monterey Park, Baldwin Park, Irwindale, Azusa, Covina and Walnut Valley. more ›

A minor 3.2 quake struck near Los Angeles International Airport at 9:14 p.m., but caused no reported damage as of a half hour later, according to the LA Times. The earthquake was also located in the same general area of a few quakes that struck in May. A 4.7 rattler struck on May 17 followed by a 4.1 on May 19. These little quakes are always a good reminder to get prepared: store water, take CERT and take other measures (.pdf) to help make one of the potentially worst days of your life--when the big one strikes--a little better. more ›

• The annual Echo Park Lotus Festival fared pretty well this weekend--despite the lack of, well, lotuses.
• Preservation of the work of well-known architects is a respected pursuit...unless you're looking to preserve a set of tract homes designed by Paul Williams in Rancho Palos Verdes.
• A Garden Grove woman went from being a part-time social worker to a full-time lotto winner when her scratcher netted her $750k.

On July 1st, our taxes in LA County increased a half penny on the dollar to fund a mix of transportation projects, whether they be rail, highway or something else, thanks to Measure R, which was voted in by the public last November. This Thursday morning, Metro will hold a Measure R committee meeting (.pdf) to discuss aspects of that and part of that discussion will be the possibility of moving up the timelines of three projects. more ›

Newport Beach held a demonstration this weekend for their future bicycle sharing program, something that many desire here in Los Angeles after seeing similar programs in Europe and Canada. The Brandenburger Foundation is bringing the program to the city and has chosen the Bixi Bike System, which can be seen on the streets of Montreal. Here's how it will works, as explained by the Orange County Reigistrar's green blog: more ›

A personal injury lawsuit has been filed in Los Angeles Superior Court against former USC football assistant Dave Watson, as well as the university and a local auto dealership. The plaintiff, Alaric Valentin, was a passenger in a vehicle struck by Watson's car on May 17, 2008. Watson was arrested at the time on suspicion of driving under the influence. The suit alleges that he had taken as many as seven Vicodin and several Soma pills. Valentin's attorney believes the damages (ranging from medical bills to pain and suffering) could run more than $500,000 -- far exceeding the insurance coverage on the accident. more ›

Wakame, which is used in Miso Soup, is a non-native Asian kelp that found its way to the California coast, now possibly threatening the state's marine ecosystem. Scientifically called Undaria pinnatifida, it was first found in Los Angeles around 2000 and began spreading northward and was thought to be stopped near Monterey. Then last May, it was found in San Francisco. The species is considered one of the 100 worst invasive species and scientists are worried it could block sunlight for native marine plants and kelp. "This is not well studied enough, and we're really quite nervous about it getting out in the ecosystem," a scientist told the AP. "It will attach to about anything." more ›

Another day, another fire. This year's fire season in Southern California may have gotten off to a slow start, things are beginning to pick up. Two fires--the Oak and Marshall fires--burned in and near the Angeles National Forest within the last 24 hours. This afternoon, a new one began near Pyramid Lake in the Grapevine. A first, it was reported to be rather small, then more than 100 acres and now over 350 acres according to KNX1070 on air. At least two northbound lanes on the 5 freeway have been closed. Also: A larger fire has burned around 1300 acres at Camp Pendleton. more ›

Van Nuys resident Robert Korda had been missing for a few days, prompting a police and community search fueled by the media and social media tools like blogs and Twitter. Korda died Wednesday night at a home in Glendale and although the search by police included the coroner's office, he wasn't discovered until last night after an autopsy was performed--at some point, his last name was input incorrectly as "Norda," not "Korda." He died of what appears to be natural causes, but a specific cause has not been determined. Korda played for the Los Angeles Philharmonic for about 20 years and his disappearance became an issue after he did not show for a music gig on Thursday morning at Sunset-Gower Studios. more ›

Last week, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa tweeted seven times, asking for fans for donations that would help offset the cost of Michael Jackson's public memorial service. Every tweet included a link to the city's website where the online donations could be given. more ›

Following his well-received gig as host of the Tony Awards in New York earlier this year, actor Neil Patrick Harris has been booked as the host of the upcoming 61st Primetime Emmy Awards. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences made the official announcement today, confirming speculation that the onetime Doogie Howser, MD wunderkind and current How I Met Your Mother star, will be the telecast's emcee. Viewers and attendees can expect the unexpected from the versatile performer. Said Harris of the impending hosting duties: "I'm looking forward to the challenge of the show — adding my own voice to it, while honoring the nominees and the entire year in television. But which voice to choose? I'm torn between gangsta, foppish Brit, and robot. Really proud of my robot. We'll see what happens on the night." Emmy noms will be announced Thursday; the show is September 20th at the Nokia Theatre. more ›

A fire reported yesterday afternoon around 3:47 p.m. near the Marshall Canyon Golf Course in La Verne is now fully contained, after raging through 95 acres of "thick, heavy brush" that made for challenging work for LA County Fire to combat. Now, authorities have "determined the blaze was the product of arson because it started in two places near a dirt road close to the golf course," according to the Daily News. more ›

Sarah Palin will step down as Governor of Alaska on July 26 and next month she's headed to Simi Valley to attend a gala for the Republican Women Federated of Simi Valley. The August 8th event will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library with conservative radio talk-show host and filmmaker John Ziegler as the master of ceremonies. Palin announced that she was stepping down from office for unknown reasons last week, but some are speculating it's to make room for a 2010 Presidential Bid. Nonetheless, she is saying she will be staying in the national politics scene. more ›

Was it hot enough for you this weekend? Summer is in full effect here in sunny SoCal, which means the mantra for many over the weekend was "Must. Counteract. Heat." The answer for many was simple: Hit the beach! more ›

An undersea earthquake rattled a few nerves in San Diego Saturday morning, and the 4.0 shaker was felt in the OC, but it wasn't the aftershocks that had area residents talking later that day. Several giant squid washed ashore on Saturday, surprising beach-goers, most of whom had never seen anything like it before. Even after they were tossed back in the water they'd re-appear on the sand, causing many to wonder if it was because of the earthquake. Check out the video for the story. more ›

An LAPD officer is recovering from the injuries he sustained when he apparently shot himself "by accident while off duty at his home in Valencia," according to the Daily News. Few details are known about the incident, which reportedly took place Saturday evening at the officer's home in Valencia. Investigators from both the LAPD and the Sheriff's Department were called to the scene to look into the case, and the officer, whose name has not been released, was "taken to a hospital and is expected to survive." more ›

The Theme Restaurant Building has been virtually synonymous with LAX since it opened in 1961. In 2001, the rooftop observation deck was closed in reaction to the September 11th terrorist attacks in the US, and in early 2007, when a hefty piece of plaster fell down as patrons ate nearby, the landmark building was closed for renovations. more ›

Authorities revealed this morning that missing Van Nuys resident and violinist Robert Korda, 54, "was found dead on July 12 by LAPD Missing Person Unit detectives at the Los Angeles County Coroner," according to the Daily News. However, "the cause of his death is under investigation." Korda's son Noah was actively using the internet to spread the word about his missing father, in the hopes that someone might come forward with information to help the LAPD locate the man. Late last night he posted this message on his blog: The final update for now. 7/12 11:55pm more ›

• Street smarts came in hand for the 19-year-old CSUN student who fought off a would-be rapist.
• A divorcing couple's lives ended tragically after the husband bludgeoned the wife to death then hung himself last night in Santa Clarita.
• LAPD Chief William Bratton and his wife have listed their Los Feliz house for $1.2 million. They plan on buying another home in the City of L.A.

Here's where I'll lay down the stories that were missed throughout the week. It's not to say these stories are insignificant. I just missed them. Another LA sports feud - We've witnessed the Shaq-Kobe-Phil feud and the subsequent implosion. Now we have the Becks-Landon feud. In SI writer Grant Wahl's new book The Beckham Experiment, Landon Donovan aired his grievances to Wahl about David Beckham. more ›

Three was the magic number for the Galaxy last night. Galaxy forward Edson Buddle scored his 3rd goal of the season at the 30th minute to give the blue-and-gold a 1 - 0 victory over Chivas USA in the second leg of the Honda SuperClásico. The victory extends the Galaxy win streak to three games, all of which have come by the same scoreline. Coincidentally, the combination of yesterday's loss by Chivas USA and a Seattle victory over Houston drops the red-and-whites to third place in the standings. more ›

Robert Korda was supposed to leave his Van Nuys home for a gig at Sunset Gower studios in Hollywood Thursday morning, but he never showed up. By that afternoon, his family, who does not live with him, became worried and began looking into the matter. Korda was last seen the day before and with no clues of his whereabouts, Korda's son Noah made a police report at 10 p.m., followed by blogging and twittering about his father. more ›

• A movie sets leave Hollywood, the little guys behind the scenes are feeling the pinch.
• Skinny dippers in Palm Springs attempt a world record for jumping in pools naked. Yay!
• While the numbers were up for naked swimmers, the numbers were apparently down for people showing their butts to passing trains.

The Dodgers have the best record in baseball at 55-31. In fact they have had the best record in the majors since May 4, three days before Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games. In fact this is the best record for the Dodgers to this part of the season since 1977 when they won 98 games and made it to the World Series against the New York Yankees. Baseball Prospectus as of today is predicting the Dodgers to win 100 or 101 games based on their three different models. more ›

If you follow (the person who ghost-tweets for?) the Mayor of L.A. on Twitter, you may have noticed, as LA Observed did, that he was happy to be at home after his vacation in Africa. "Good to be back in LA!" he remarked. more ›

As a group of cyclists were riding through Highland Park last night, they encountered a group of alleged gangster's who approached the cyclists and started throwing glass bottles and vases, some following the riders with shovels. more ›

The upcoming school year at California's two major public University systems continues to look bleak for students, faculty, and staff alike, as budget shortfalls are forcing school officials to recommend fee increases, furlough days, and enrollment stoppages in order to save costs. more ›

Sacha Baron Cohen's latest character-star-turn as the "flamboyantly gay Austrian fashionista," Bruno opened on movie screens all around the country yesterday, and now The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has come out in objection to the flick, saying it "reinforces negative stereotypes and decreases the public's comfort with gay people," according to the Huffington Post. While some of the movie's moments "hit the mark," Cohen's cavorting "hit the gay community pretty hard and reinforce some damaging, hurtful stereotypes" GLAAD's president noted. Universal Studios, who released the film, sought input from GLAAD during advance screenings, and insist the film is meant to be seen only as satire. However, one scene that includes "Bruno in a hot tub with his adopted infant son and two naked men involved in a sex act," remained in the film, despite GLAAD's objection. Bruno has also ruffled feathers locally after a series of photos taken at Birmingham High angered LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines. more ›

Chivas USA returns to MLS action tonight after a 2 week break during which time it participated in the SuperLiga U.S. Open Cup tournaments. The red-and-whites will have little time to reacquaint themselves upon their return, jumping into the deep end from the get-go to host the second leg of the Honda SuperClásico against in-stadium rivals Los Angeles Galaxy. more ›

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As talks to extend the Green Line closer to LAX continue, the city will still have to figure out how to get people to each terminal from the new station. Councilman Bill Rosendahl last week proposed that a study be conducted about the feasibility of extending the train line directly into the Central Terminus area so a people mover can deliver travelers to their terminals, according to his motion: more ›

There's been a lot of bicycle talk on LAist today and here's one more: the idea of bicycle sharing in Los Angeles has been mulled over about quite a bit and next week, a city panel will examine (.pdf) using a site near Olvera Street and Union Station for a variation that theme--bicycle rentals. From a motion introduced last month: more ›

It's pretty much been known for months, but today Assemblymember Paul Krekorian announced his campaign for Los Angeles Council District 2, which crosses the Valley from Sherman Oaks to North Hollywood to a handful of Northeast Valley neighborhoods like Shadow Hills and Tujunga. Currently, Krekorian represents the 43rd Assembly District, which covers Burbank, Glendale and portions of LA including Valley Village, Valley Glen, Toluca Lake, Atwater Village, Silver Lake and Los Feliz. more ›

After a year of disappointments, the Los Angeles Marathon is considering a new route that would begin at Dodger Stadium and end in Santa Monica, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press: "Marathon officials are planning a new route for the 2010 race, starting the course for its 25th anniversary at Dodger Stadium and ending it in Santa Monica, hoping to breathe life into an event that in years past has lost some of its luster." more ›

Plans for a streetcar in downtown moved ahead today when conceptual routes were released by Los Angeles Streetcar, Inc. (LASI), the nonprofit charged with giving Los Angeles a streetcar by 2014. The routes all serve three distinct areas. more ›

It's getting closer to reality. That subway route for an expansion of mass transit to the Westside , commonly referred to as the Subway to the Sea, will undergo some serious study beginning Sunday. Metro contractors will be conducting exploratory drilling as a part of the planning and environmental analysis for the proposed Westside Subway Extension. more ›

52 bicycles have been stolen downtown this year so far with one-third of them taken in the area bounded by 5th and 7th Streets, and Figueroa to Hill Streets, according to the LAPD. Drilling down the analysis further, police said "nearly 80% of the downtown stolen bicycles have been taken between noon and midnight; the top days to have a bike stolen are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays," in an advisory. "Ten of the 52 stolen bikes were taken from one of two libraries downtown, the Central branch on 5th Street, and the Little Tokyo Branch on 2nd Street." more ›

The Echo Park based artist who made President Obama's iconic poster image pleaded guilty today to three vandalism charges in a Boston Municipal Court. Shepard Fairey was accused of 28 counts of vandalism, but prosecutors dropped 14 charges last month and 11 of them today. "He pleaded guilty to one charge of defacing property and two charges of wanton destruction of property under $250," according to the Associated Press. As part of his two-year probation, he will have to pay $2,000 to a graffiti removal organization and is banned from carrying tagging materials unless he is working on a legal art installation. more ›

Yesterday was a big day for Los Angeles transportation. Metro, the county's behemoth transit agency, officially announced their partnership with Google. But the county is large and there are various partner agencies throughout. Here's a sampling, with more to come in later days, of where other city transit systems stand with Google Transit: more ›

With no state budget solution, Governor Arnold Schwarzegger ordered a third furlough day per month. Today is the one of the three for July, meaning most state offices are closed. more ›

At yesterday’s Metro meeting, officials said they may do with the current rush-hour bike-on-rail ban to accommodate the system’s growing cyclist ridership, but they’re also considering implementing a two-bike-per-car rule. During their 6 p.m. meeting, which was considerably quieter than their earlier one at noon, officials said they also want to improve signage that directs cyclists and clearly state the rules (no blocking doors or walkways). more ›

LA Dodgers defeat NY Mets 11-2. As Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness documented, Randy Wolf decided to change his number yet again taking Will Ohman's 43. Coming into the game leading all starters with 12 no-decisions, Wolf got the win thanks to the Dodgers bats bring his record interestingly enough to 4-3. Second baseman Orlando Hudson who had been in a hitting slump recently decided to make an exclamation in the first inning with the bases loaded by hitting a bases clearing double to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead. Manny Ramirez was deuces wild going 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI and two walks. Wolf's line for the game was 6 1/3 innings pitched giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts. The Dodgers took two of three games against a Mets team that has been reeling thanks to injuries with Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes. more ›

• The 15th Annual Culver City Music Festival's first of nine weekly concerts begin tonight with the 10-piece Afro-Cuban/Salsa band, Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca. Starts at 7 p.m.
• Following the Sepulveda Pass Fire, the Getty Center Museum will open tomorrow.
• Uh oh! "L.A. County coroner issues subpoenas for medical records from multiple Michael Jackson doctors"

A ground breaking ceremony is underway for a new $5.5 million Recreation and Parks facility in South LA. The 9,200-square-foot Prop K funded Fred Roberts Recreation Center near Alameda and Vernon south of downtown will include a high school regulation size gymnasium with six baskets on motorized backboards, power touch electronic scoreboards, staff offices, bathrooms, storage space and a courtyard suitable for public gatherings. more ›

Earlier this week, word got around that Google Transit was up and working in beta mode. Today, it became the real deal. Over 200 bus lines and five lines with more than 2.5 million data points are now on Google Transit, an option found on Google Maps. more ›

Tonight is the official unveiling of Peter Shire's latest public work of art. Over in the NoHo Arts Distrct, a gateway on Lankershim has been erected at Huston will welcome people to the neighborhood just like the arch in Chinatown and The Wave on Wilshire at the LA-Santa Monica border. LAist wrote about this project last week and readers in the comments section have not been thrilled. A ceremony is scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m. more ›

Yesterday, Controller Wendy Greuel lambasted the city's Emergency Management Department for spending $30,000 over what she thinks they should have on lunches for LAPD officers covering the Michael Jackson memorial service. Not only that, the near $50,000 spent was with a business 80 miles outside city limits. Speaking to the LA Times, Jim Featherstone, manager of the department, responded, saying the vendor is able to prepare large amounts of food within 24 hours. "We have to feed the 3,000-plus responders who are in a ready-response posture. They checked in before dawn and had potential to go for 12 or 15 hours. It wasn’t just a boxed lunch." The lunch included two sandwiches, two drinks, desserts, a candy bar, trail mix, chips or crackers, a granola bar and a pack of gum. more ›

With tens of thousands of crimes in Los Angeles, the LAPD's crime map tool will never be 100% perfect, but missing 40% of all reported crimes is a far cry from being complete. Thanks to an LA Times investigation--the second about the LAPD's touted crime map--today we learn that 26 homicides, 137 rapes and over 10,000 other nonviolent thefts remain off map, but not intentionally says the LAPD. more ›

The Getty Center museum will remain closed today after a fire that began yesterday afternoon consumed 80 acres in the area. Sepulveda Boulevard was still shut down this morning as well as two freeway off-ramps. 90% of of the blaze has been contained while fire crews work on various hotspots throughout the area. Only one firefighter sustained minor injuries to his foot and no structures have been damaged. As the fire continues, more updates will be posted at this link. more ›

This morning's greater alarm fire in the Arts District that took one building with it was apparently a marijuana grow-house, according to KNX1070 radio. "We don't have any eyewitness reports of interesting-smelling smoke," noted downtown maven, Eric Richardson at blogdowntown. The fire, first reported at 6:40 a.m. on the 600 block of South Santa Fe Avenue in the one story commercial building, took 75 firefighters 37 minutes to knockdown. The cause is under investigation but police are reportedly treating it as a crime. UPDATE: "There's nothing confirmed at this point regarding that," said LAFD Spokesman Erik Scott at 9:50 a.m. more ›

Sorry for being so neglectful recently. It seems like everything exploded in the sports world in the last week or so. So here's a round up rather than reading about how the Dodgers and Angels lost Wednesday night. more ›

A problem at an electrical distribution station that caused around 20,500 West LA customers to lose power tonight was restored by 9:55 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. The problem began around 7:40 p.m. causing some 13 people to be trapped in an elevator, traffic jams across Westside neighborhoods and LAPD officers in the West Bureau to go on tactical alert. The basic area where power was knocked out was bordered by the 10 Freeway to the south, Wilshire Blvd. to the north, Sepulveda Blvd to the east and the city of Santa Monica to the west. For the second time, the LADWP gave updates directly to the public via Twitter. Last week, a power outage affecting 6,000 customers in the Hancock Park area was the first time they used Twitter during a major outage. more ›

• Jesse James Hollywood was convicted of the kidnap and murder of a 15 year-old. A story which inspired the movie "Alpha Dog". Since the crime also involved an assault weapon, he is eligible for the death penalty. The penalty phase of the case is scheduled for Monday.
• The only candidate for the Department of Health top position will not be confirmed by the LA County supervisors so the search continues for someone... ANYONE to take the position. There hasn't been a chief of that position in over a year.
• The Road Rage Doctor of Mandeville Canyon trial is set for September 17th. The "accident" occurred over the July 4th weekend last year where Dr. Chris Thompson, after a confrontation with two cyclists overtook them in his car and slammed on his brakes right in front of them. (via LAStreetsBlog)

As of 5:45 p.m., the fire in the Sepulveda Pass near the Getty Center museum was 20 percent contained with 80 acres burnt through, a number that will likely be revised very soon. A volunteer evacuation is in effect for nearby homes and there is concern that a nearby landfill may cause a methane explosion, according to ABC7. The Getty Center museum and Mount St. Mary's college were evacuated. more ›

Just a week on the job and City Controller Wendy Greuel is kicking butt. The city's Emergency Management Department was charged with feeding some 3,200 officers that were deployed for the Michael Jackson memorial service in case the crowds outside the Staples Center grew, possibly to a million people. more ›

A fire in the Sepulveda Pass began as a small brusher, only growing to around 10 acres at 3:30 p.m., according to the LA Fire Department. By 4:15 p.m., they said it was 80 acres. Still, no structures have been damaged and no injuries have been reported. As the day moves into late afternoon and nighttime, fire officials are concerned over sundowner winds that could flare up the fire into a larger one. 250 fire fighters are on the ground with four helicopters assisting. Both the Getty Center Museum and Mount St. Mary's College have been evacuated. As the fire continues, more updates will be posted at this link. more ›

The fire that began earlier this afternoon has prompted the Getty Center to close for the rest of the day. If should reopen tomorrow pending the status of the fire, which has grown to 10 acres and is slowly traveling northward, according to Erik Scott of the LA Fire Department. 250 firefighters are on the ground coordinated with air attacks. Mount St. Mary's College has also been evacuated. No structures or injuries have been reported. There are 130,000 residences in LA city limits within the "very high hazard severity zone" that must provide brush clearance year round, Scott noted, but many of them are cited in an annual May inspection. As we near the height of summer, he hopes this is a wake up call for those who live in such areas. As the fire continues, more updates will be posted at this link. more ›

As an 8-acre fire burns near the Getty Center, a commercial fire has prompted the full closure of Sierra Highway near the Canyon Country campus of College of the Canyons, reports a city of Santa Clarita's emergency text alert. The fire began shortly before 1 p.m. in a strip mall at 17223 Sierra Highway, a knockdown was called at 1:48 p.m., but fire truck equipment blocked access to the street. more ›

Firefighters continue to battle the brush fire that is burning in the hills adjacent to the Getty Center, though they are limited to working from the air due to the terrain. more ›

An LAFD Alert reports that a brush fire of approximately 2 acres is burning in the heavy brush near 1200 Getty Center Dr, in the Sepulveda Pass. "L.A. City Fire Department says they will need to fight this fire from the air, as the area is inaccessible," according to abc7, who are also live streaming video-only (no audio) coverage of the fire. more ›

Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood visited Los Angeles last week and took a tour of the Gold Line Eastside Extension, which is expected to open soon (no date had been announced, though). The line will run between Union Station and East LA. "This whole rail line is way ahead what we are talking about in Washington," exclaimed LaHood. "This is what we mean by livable communities. You build it and they will come." more ›

CurbedLA shares this good-news bit for preservationists and fans of Fatburger, and report that the original 1952 South LA stand where the popular fast food franchise began has been purchased by the CRA and will be preserved and made a part of the new development on the property. According to family rep Frank Evanisko," The actual shack still on the property cannot be torn down but must be rehabbed and incorporated into any new development." The site is destined to be for low income housing; public records indicate "the proposed project will be a 66-unit moderate income housing condominium consisting of 61 residential condominiums and five Live/Work units at 3001-3023 S. Western Avenue." Fatburger was founded by "female African American entrepreneur Lovie Yancey." Yancey died at age 96 in February 2008. more ›

Finally! Being a local in Hollywood has some advantages. Or, rather, will have some come October, if you want to play tourist in your own backyard. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has announced several area businesses and services will be offering savings of 50 per cent to SoCal residents during the month of October, according to abc7. more ›

Although the big event has come and gone, the Encino Neighborhood Council is meeting tonight to discuss with city officials about crowds and media that are expected to still visit the Jackson Family compound on Hayvenhurst Avenue, just south of Ventura Boulevard. "As a result of the tragic death of Michael Jackson, the LAPD has exercised considerable restraint in accommodating worldwide media and mourners with access to the Jackson family residence on Hayvenhurst Avenue," according to a statement from the council that the Daily News printed. "At the same time, Hayvenhurst is a vital community access roadway, especially for evacuation and emergency response." The police said strict enforcement would begin last week. The meeting, open to all to attend, will be held at the Encino Women's Club, 4924 Paso Robles Ave. more ›

Abram Bynum, 35, was killed by Columbus Police officers yesterday in Ohio at the end of a high-speed chase on Interstate 70. Before moving to Columbus, Bynum lived in the Antelope Valley and is accused of five rapes that happened between 2004 and 2007, according to the LA Times. more ›

During yesterday's California State University system's special Board of Trustees meeting, Chancellor Charles B. Reed said he will seek approval for "an additional student fee hike of 15% to 20% for this fall, and enrollment reductions of 32,000 students in the year to follow," reports the LA Times. more ›

Estimates peg yesterday's massive memorial service for Michael Jackson costing the city at around $4 million, but "one economist says Los Angeles may end up breaking even," according to abc7. "Jack Kyser says the event costs may be offset by the money spent on food and lodging from all the fans and media who came to L.A." To help cover the unexpected expense, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office established a website yesterday to collect donations. However, "newly-elected city attorney Carmen Trutanich says his staff is investigating how to make sure the city is not put in this position again." more ›

The 2009 Urban Mobility Report was released today, and the study gives us insight into how much time and gas we waste in traffic, according to abc7. Published by the Texas Transportation Institute, the study uses 2007 data to compare to earlier years, and while we may want to cheer that we shaved one hour from our "stuck in traffic" time from 2006 to 2007, we are still the worst in the nation when it comes to traffic. more ›

• The state has handing out IOUs to people in lieu of their income tax returns since last week. Now those with IOUs can return them to the state when paying their personal or corporate state taxes.
• Music fans rejoice. Vault 350 in Long Beach will reopen and also serve as the headquarters for internet radio station X1FM.
• A proposal for the first baseball diamond in Los Angeles for disabled children is not without controversy.

Although the Jackson family held a private memorial service this morning at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Toluca Lake/Universal City area, Michael Jackson's death certificate--obtained by TMZ--shows that the location is listed as temporary. The Celebrity Gossip website says the final burial ground will be somewhere else, but that location is unknown. After today's public service at the Staples Center, the family headed to the Beverly Wilshire hotel for lunch before heading back to the family home in Encino. more ›

The millions expected to show in downtown Los Angeles today did not appear. While that was good on the city's resources, it meant bad business for hundreds of vendors selling t-shirts, buttons and other items. more ›

Last Easter Sunday, downtown Los Angeles experienced the neighbor's first murders of the year. Two skid row residents were shot and killed inside the Lamp Lodge on Stanford at 7th Street. Kevin “KK” Cohen, 49, and Tommie Hayes, 27, were found around 5 a.m. that morning with multiple gunshot wounds. Both were not staying at the hotel. "One of the men was found in the hotel’s first-floor lounge, and the other victim had walked out of the hotel after the shooting and collapsed in the parking lot," the LA Times reported a week after the incident. more ›

Along with that golden ticket and wristband the lucky 17,500 people received to attend today's memorial service was the golden program book. Inside, it is simple, basic and touching: large photos cover pages with messages from La Toya, Tito, Rebbie, Evvy and other family and friends. more ›

Last night at around 9 p.m., LAPD Detective Susan Clemmer, 41, waked into the Santa Clarita sheriff's station at 23740 Magic Mountain Parkway in Valencia, "placed a box of personal items on the counter," then ended her life with a single gunshot, according to the LA Weekly. more ›

Say what you will about the entertainer, the headline-maker, the musician, the defendant, the humanitarian, and the man who was Michael Jackson, but as she briefly took the microphone on stage, surrounded by her siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, 11-year-old Paris Jackson's few tearful words said the world about Michael Jackson--her dad. "I just wanted to say...Ever since I was born...Daddy has been the best father I could ever imagine...and I just wanted to say that I love him...so much." more ›

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa may be out of town until the end of the week, but his office is still working to keep the finances of the City under control. One unexpected expense this week: The estimated $4 Million cost of hosting the public memorial service for the late King of Pop Michael Jackson. Although City Councilmember Jan Perry, acting in her capacity as Mayor pro tem, went public with a plea for donations, much like the manner in which the costly Lakers Championship parade and rally was funded, no major donors, including the Jackson family or Staples Center owner AEG have come forward with funds. more ›

In plans that were revealed only this morning, Michael Jackson's casket journeyed from the private family service held around 8:30 a.m. at Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills to inside the Staples Center where it was put on display during the public memorial. more ›

If you were wondering why helicopters hovered above West LA for hours last night, they were assisting police on the ground after a man was shot and killed by an officer. The incident happened around 11:40 p.m. on the 13000 block of Iowa Avenue. Few details are available on what led up to the shooting. more ›

Up to a million people were expected to be hanging around the perimeter of Michael Jackson's memorial service this morning at the Staples Center. But walking downtown streets a few blocks away, the scene was relatively normal, save for the heavy police presence, the constant drone of helicopters and a handful of vendors selling Michael Jackson buttons and t-shirts. more ›

Police quickly surrounded a man who was allegedly scalping on the corner of Figueroa and Olympic in front of the only major crowd outside L.A. LIve. Once in handcuffs, the crowd cheered as he was escorted into the security perimeter to a detainee holding area. A security guard placed on the rooftop of the Grammy Museum and Club Nokia said he had witnessed various people throughout the morning get arrested for the same thing. more ›

He may have been the King of Pop, and his public memorial service at Staples Center an unprecedented spectacle featuring live tributes from Motown stars, pro athletes, and celebs, but a set of parading pachyderms aren't on the guest list. more ›

People with the heralded golden tickets to the Michael Jackson memorial service are still trying to sell them on Craigslist, some as high $600 bucks and with posts after 8 a.m. Whether these are scams or not, lots of them are being flagged for removal. more ›

Fans hoping to head to Hollywood & Highland to watch a live simulcast of this morning's Michael Jackson memorial service shown at the Mann Chinese movie theatre--steps away from Jackson's Walk of Fame star--will have to make other plans. The venue has just announced that they are canceling the broadcast, according to a press release. The request to cancel this viewing opportunity came by the Los Angeles Police Department, "resulting from the overwhelming demand of individuals in the Los Angeles area to participate in the memorial service." Jonathan Dern, president of Cinedigm Entertainment Group, the company hosting screenings in dozens of US cities said: “The security of those in the Los Angeles area must come first. While we wish we could bring the service to more local fans, the right decision is to remove the Mann from our group of theatres providing this event." Screenings in Buena Park and Monrovia at Krikorian theatres will continue as scheduled. more ›

Virtually every mainstream media outlet will be broadcasting today's memorial service for Michael Jackson at 10 a.m. PST. It will be wall-to-wall: TV stations, radio and internet galore. If you're stuck at the desk and want to watch here on LAist, click play on the above NBC player after 9 a.m. and you'll be covered. more ›

Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton revealed this morning during a live radio interview that despite days of plans indicating otherwise, the coffin containing the body of the late King of Pop Michael Jackson will be taken from the earlier private funeral at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills to the Staples Center, where it will be on stage during the memorial event.* more ›

With the eyes of the world on downtown Los Angeles today, the LAPD took an abundance of caution, more than doubling the amount of officers to work announced yesterday. "Past events including the 1984 Olympics 'pale in comparison to what we have assembled today,'" reported the LA Times, quoting LAPD Deputy Chief Earl Paysinger. The department has two main concerns for today: the "cold zone"--the space immediately outside the security area where large numbers are expected to gather--and the airspace, where the FAA granted a the city a temporary flight ban below 2500 feet. more ›

Today might be a little chaotic, but remember this: what usually would take months in planning was done in only a few days. Yesterday, various agencies alerted the media and public of closures to streets, freeway on and off-ramps and public transit service changes. Here's what you need to know... more ›

A lot of people wouldn't be caught dead in downtown LA around midnight. But to catch a glimpse of the dead? That's a whole different story. One of several dozen fans standing on the corner of Olympic and Figueroa checked her iPhone and squealed when TMZ reported that Michael Jackson's body may be brought to the Staples Center for today's memorial service, even though she didn't have tickets. more ›

• LA Weekly looks into the city's most recent murders: numbers 142, 143 and 144.
• "Morbidly obese man dies after being Tasered by deputies in Lancaster"
• If you saw a bunch of Sailor Moons and other anime clad people (including some Michael Jacksons) downtown this past weekend, they were here for the big annual Anime Expo

Although the ban of bicycles on a handful of rush hour Metro trains is not strictly enforced, the rule is still on the books. After threatening to enforce the rule, officials changed their tune and most recently, the transit agency "piloted a program of taking out seats to make more space for bikes on trains," reported Damien Newton at Streetsblog. "The first step in the public process to end the ban will be a pair of meetings this Thursday in Metro Headquarters at noon and 6 P.M. The meetings will be held at the Board Overflow Room on the Third Floor across from the cafeteria." For more details on the public meetings, head over to this flyer (.pdf). more ›

A private funeral for Michael Jackson will be held tomorrow morning at Forest Lawn cemetery, according to sources with the LA Times. "Sources said some family members will start at the Jackson family compound in Encino and go to the cemetery before going to Staples. It's unclear whether there will be a procession from the cemetery to Staples, though sources said law enforcement is against such an idea," the paper reported. more ›

Metrolink has announced the addition of extra trains leaving Union Station to accommodate the expected mass of ticketed and unticketed popele that will hit the streets of downtown tomorrow. A 2:15 p.m. train will leave on the Ventura line ending in Chatsworth, a 2:30 train on the Antelope Valley line will go only as far as the Via Princessa Station and a 3 p.m. Riverside Line train will stop at the Industry Station. Additionally, a few morning downtown-bound trains that experience high volumes of passengers will have extra cars added to them. Those include Orange County trains 603 and 605 and Antelope Valley Line trains 204 and 206. more ›

Tomorrow morning's public memorial service for Michael Jackson has not only been an epic ticketing drama and financial burden, but will also impact how vehicle and public transit traffic moves--or, rather, doesn't move--through the streets of Downtown Los Angeles tomorrow. more ›

Details about the Michael Jackson memorial event tomorrow have been kept under wraps, but the Jackson family has just come forward with a list of people who they expect to be participating in the highly anticipated service, according to KTLA. As of now, "the list includes family friend Ron Boyd; Kobe Bryant; Mariah Carey; Andrae Crouch Choir; Berry Gordy; Jennifer Hudson; ``Britain's Got Talent'' finalist Shaheen Jafargholi; Magic Johnson; Martin Luther King III; Bernice A. King; John Mayer; Lionel Richie; Smokey Robinson; the Rev. Al Sharpton; Brooke Shields; Pastor Lucious Smith; Usher; and Stevie Wonder." Prior to this public memorial, which will be broadcast live on all three major US TV networks, the King of Pop will be laid to rest in a private service at Forest Lawn in Hollywood Hills. Jackson's ex, Debbie Rowe, mother to his two eldest children, will not be in attendance at the Staples Center. more ›

Of the 1.6 million who tried to get a pair of tickets and wristbands for tomorrow's downtown Michael Jackson memorial service, only several thousand were chosen for admittance into either the Staples Center or to the Nokia Theatre to watch a live feed. If you did get a ticket, part of the deal was to head to Dodger Stadium today for pick up. That meant thousands of people descending upon Echo Park and Elysian Valley, many of them during rush hour. more ›

After much pushing and prodding by the public and media, Metro finally succumbed, quietly launching Google Transit this past weekend. Go ahead and play, it's like we're in a real big city now, catching up with most other major ones. more ›

The memorial for Michael Jackson tomorrow will require shutting down a large area around the Staples Center. Metro's Blue Line Pico Station sits at the corner of that closure and while they are preparing to run service as normal, they are prepared and warning commuters of the worst case scenario, meaning massive crowds forcing the trains to operate between Long Beach and the Washington station. "We're going to run the blue line until told not to," explained Metro Spokesman Rick Jager. "The biggest impact is the busses because they've cornered off a large area." Over 50 bus lines will be re-routed (details below). "We're really urging people to plan ahead tomorrow. They will probably be a lot of delays," said Jager. more ›

NPR's Ben Bergman did a ride along with one of the fifteen Department of Water and Power's Water Cops, who patrol and respond to complaints about water wasting. It's not like riding along with a police officer, he rode with a city employee in a Toyota Prius, whose job is about trying to educate before writing citations as high as $600. more ›

The National Park Service does not want to take control of state parks, but will take six of them, including the nearby Point Mugu State Park, if Gov. Schwarzenegger's proposal to close 80%, or 220, of them goes through under a Federal land transfer agreement. If parks do close, they will stay open through at least labor day. "It's important to note that nobody is proposing to close these parks permanently. This is a temporary suspension until budget times are better," a State Parks spokesman told the LA Times. "We have no intention of giving them away or selling them. There's an interest in finding a way to preserve and protect them. It could be temporary federal control. We would hope they can come back to state parks." A proposal to pay for state parks via an annual $15 fee on vehicle registrations will be vetoed by Schwarzenegger if it hits his desk. Last month, LAist exposed a letter--currently making the media rounds--from the National Park Service to the Governor alerting him to the legal consequences. more ›

A fire that broke out yesterday afternoon in Little Tujunga Canyon where the Marek Fire scorched nearly 5,000 acres is close to full containment with last reports at 85%, according to authorities. A total of about 250 firefighters from city and county departments are assisting federal authorities in the blaze that's located in the National Angeles Forest. 130 acres have burned since 1:45 p.m. yesterday. One firefighter has reportedly suffered a minor injury. more ›

• 1.2 MILLION people registered online for a chance for free tickets to the Michael Jackson memorial service at Staples Center. Problem is there are only 17,500 free tickets available.
• Even if you dont plan on attending the memorial, you could still be affected by it with the road closures and delays expected around the area.
• Have the budgets talks in Sac-Town gotten so bad that there is a possibility of a reality TV show? The Governator says that he would be OK with televising or webcasting the talks. Real World Sacramento???

A brush fire is burning this afternoon in the Angeles National Forest near Little Tujunga Road, according to e-mail and txt alerts. The wildfire has burned 20 acres, and at this time is reportedly about 20% contained. Because the fire falls under the Angeles National Forest (ANF) jurisdiction, the firefighting response requires mutual aid. LA County says there are about 100 firefighters along with air support on scene, and winds are moderate. Earlier today the LAFD worked quickly to put out a small brush fire in Elysian Park. more ›

1.6 million people signed up to be eligible to win tickets to attend Tuesday's highly anticipated public memorial service for late music icon Michael Jackson, according to MyFoxLA. The Staples Center's website caved under the pressure of the hits several times since the lottery was announced and until the cut off time last night at 6 p.m. local time. Initially the registry was open only to US residents, but soon expanded to allow anyone around the world to sign up for the chance to win a pair of tickets to the event, about which few details are known, save that there will be no funeral procession, and that it will cost the City of Los Angeles a pretty penny to host. more ›

• Whoops: Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge John Thaddeus Doyle was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving late Thursday night in Baldwin Hills.
• Want to lick the backside of Michael Jackson? Al Sharpton thinks we all should be able to!
• Police in Ventura have determined the June stabbing of Wendy Di Rodio wasn't coincidental, but rather that the victim had been targeted.

So the City of Los Angeles is going to put their hands deep into the Piggy Bank to pull out the cash needed to foot the bill for Tuesday's public memorial service for Michael Jackson at Staples Center. That means shutting down the streets around LA Live's Downtown "campus" and lots of bucks to pay LAPD officers to serve as security to police the anticipated throngs of crowds. And don't bother showing up if you aren't on the list: "Officials said that there would be no funeral procession and that no one would be allowed inside a large area around Staples unless they had a ticket and a wristband, a media credential or could prove they live or work there," notes the LA Times. more ›

“I can’t wait to get to the field,” Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez said of his 50-game suspension. “I miss the game the game that I love.” more ›

If you happen to live within seven miles of where you find yourself too inebriated to drive home today, you can take advantage of The Automobile Club of Southern California's Tipsy Tow service. AAA is offering "free towing in an attempt to keep drunken drivers off the road during the Fourth of July weekend," explains the Daily Breeze. "The Tipsy Tow program will be available to intoxicated drivers through midnight tonight in the 13 Southern California counties served by the Auto Club." If you're in need of a ride (or you are taking the keys out of a tipsy driver's hands) call 1-800- 400-4AAA (1-800-400-4222) and ask for a Tipsy Tow, and a tow truck will haul your car and your drunk ass (not passengers) home (within 7 miles). more ›

• A man who went into the street to rescue a woman trying to commit suicide died in the hospital after being struck himself. The driver of the car was not cited or arrested but the accident is still under investigation.
• Investigators are saying that the death of the Bentley driver on the 101 last December might have been a Cartel hit.
• You can get seriously busted for watering your grass past hours, but it turns out some government agencies aren’t even following the law!

Orange County based Johnny Rockets is launching two mobile food trucks, but you won't find them in California until later. The fast food American fare chain restaurant is taking the mobile truck model and doing it franchise style. "Each mini-burger truck will have a 22 foot kitchen and a 14 foot trailer. Each is designed to provide a condensed Johnny Rockets menu consisting of hamburgers, shakes, fries, hot dogs, chicken tenders and maybe even onion rings," explains the Orange County Register. The first truck will hit the streets in Ashburn, VA, home of the Washington Redskins training facility--Johnny Rocket's parent company RedZone Capital also owns the football team. The second truck will found in... the Middle East. more ›

One of the most consistent tips police give retail business owners along Ventura Blvd. is to leave cash registers empty and open over night to show potential burglars there's nothing to steal. However, that doesn't mean they'll try anyway. more ›

Long Beach Press-Telegram Sports Columnist Doug Krikorian witnessed a little girl with her family riding along Long Beach's new green bike lane in Belmont Shore. He was a bit taken aback, worried for her safety among the potentially deadly cars on the road. Others shared that sentiment: "This is an absolutely crazy concept," says Long Beach resident Bernie Selmanson. "Who's going to accept the responsibility when someone gets seriously hurt? The first time that happens - and it inevitably will - that'll be the end of cyclists sharing the right lane with motorists in Belmont Shore." With our without the green painted lane, the law will always allow for bicyclists to share the road. As heard many times about this and other projects, serious education on bicycle laws need to happen in communities and at the DMV level. more ›

A Los Angeles federal judge tentatively threw out a jury's verdicts against a Missouri mother who used MySpace in a hoax directed towards a teenage girl who eventually killed herself. The trial about the out-of-state incident happened in Los Angeles because MySpace servers are located here. Judge H. Wu's decision will become final once it's in writing. more ›

The Foothill Transit agency approved $259,141 of federal transit money for two automated wheel polishers from Australia, the Pasadena Star News found. Watchdogs are obviously not happy, but the agency said no U.S. companies placed a bid, that the polishers will "dramatically" reduce time spent on prepping buses, therefore streamlining operations, and $72,000 a year will be spent on polisher supplies from the U.S. "If we were to look at the highest-priorities for FTA, I don't know that this would fit," said Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, to the paper. Foothill said most of the money they received went towards expanding programs. more ›

The beyond ironically-named "Love Crusades" of Westboro Baptist Church is on its way to Los Angeles to demonstrate at Michael Jackson's memorial. The crusades are part of a hate-based mission started in Kansas by the WBC and Fred Phelps in order to picket the funerals of people who had died of AIDS, demonstrate against the "fag lifestyle" and other loving Christian activities. It appears their main beef is well, Michael Jackson's very existence, his death, and any mourning by anybody. If you are still unclear, here is the official announcement from the website's picket schedule. I am intentionally not linking to their site, because this is probably more attention than they deserve already. more ›

Although the city is fighting a $534 million budget deficit, they will dip into special funds for extraordinary events such as Michael Jackson's memorial service planned for next Tuesday. The situation is reminiscent of when the LAPD spent $25,000 on an operation escorting Britney Spears from her home to the hospital, about 6 miles away. Of course, if private donors want to help out as some did with the Lakers parade, the city welcomes them with open arms. more ›

AEG officials announced today that 17,500 tickets will be available for Tuesday morning's memorial service for popstar Michael Jackson at the Staples Center. A website has been set up for people (U.S. Residents only) to enter for a chance be selected for a pair of tickets, meaning a total of 8,750 names will be drawn. You have until 6 p.m. PST, July 4th to enter, so don't delay! Names drawn will be notified on Sunday by 8 p.m. PST (Update: It seems the server has crashed as the whole world tries to enter their info for a ticket) more ›

We may be cut short by 80 miles for the train to Vegas, but the one to San Francisco is moving along. Yesterday the California High-Sped Rail Authority met electing Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle as the chairman and approving the scope of projects that qualify for federal stimulus funds. “We have obtained environmental certification for the general statewide alignment and station locations for the 800-mile system designed to carry over 100 million people by year 2030, as well as secured California state bond proceeds resulting from passage of Proposition 1A," explained Pringle. "These are the kinds of things that position the state very competitively to secure matching federal funds through ARRA to begin construction on three key segments and to complete the preliminary engineering work on the linking segments.” more ›

After 30 years of planning, the MagLev project between Anaheim and Vegas lost one of its biggest proponents last month to a train part of the federal high-speed rail corridor. Nevada Senator Harry Reid is now behind the DesertXpress between Southern California and Las Vegas that would mainly go along Interstate 15. Unfortunately, the phase planned right now only goes between Vegas and Victorville. Why Victorville? Their website explains: more ›

After days of speculation, it was finally confirmed yesterday evening: Michael Jackson's public memorial will be held Tuesday morning at the Staples Center. 11,000 tickets will be distributed for free via a process yet to be announced. It's safe to say, ticket or not, hundreds of thousands of people will show show up. It's going to be quite a day in downtown Los Angeles. more ›

• Why did the police close down Pershing Square this afternoon? A manhunt ensued for three jewelry suspects involved in a jewelry store theft.
• LA Weekly's cover story this week is all about environmental activism in the city, or the lack thereof: "Activists leave the street-fighting to the little guys. The city’s environmentalists must increasingly deal with the fact that labor unions, big businesses and politicians are embracing a green economy to solve their own financial and political woes."
• California attorney general Jerry Brown is aiding the investigation into Michael Jackson's death. The DEA is also helping.

So California is issuing IOUs for the first time since 1992. They carry an interest rate of 3.75%, but that's apparently on an annual basis only earning about ten bucks for every thousand you're owed. But that's not stopping people from trying to buy them on Craigslist! Unlikely it's for profit, it's probably just for the kitsch souvenir factor. more ›

This year marks the 30th anniversary since the NoHo Arts District began to change from scary, dirty and dangerous to the still-blossoming arts and theatre neighborhood. Part of the neighborhood's redevelopment are three public art projects including a gateway arch that will be revealed next week by prolific public artist Peter Shire, who may be known for his work at the Wilshire/Vermont Subway Station, Union Station, Elysian Park, LACMA, West Hollywood and various other places around town. more ›

Now that Wendy Greuel has officially vacated her seat as the 2nd District Councilmemember for her City Controller post, we're going to begin to hear more about those who are officially running. Councilman Jack Weiss' popular Valley field deputy Joan Pelico was rumored to be taking a stab at running, but it seems not any more. She's been re-hired by Weies' successor Paul Koretz at the satisfaction of a handful of neighborhood groups who urged him not to replace her. Following in the footsteps of Greuel's film industry to politics move, Chris Essel of Paramount has announced her campaign. Additionally, a local medical marijuana dispensary owner, Frank Sheftel, announced his intentions to run at various community meetings. While there's been no official announcement, Assemblymember Paul Krekorian is "still strongly considering stepping into the CD2 race," a spokesman told us. No official word yet from City Attorney and LAUSD School Board Member Tamar Galatzan or Director of Street Services Bill Robertson. more ›

A state board voted today to hand out IOUs that will be repaid on October 2nd at the earliest. Although Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's staff wanted a repayment date to be set for as last as next year June with an 1.5% interest rate, staff with Controller John Chiang said people need their money and next year would be too late. Ultimately, the Pooled Money Investment Board sided with Chiang and put the interest rate at 3.75%. "In 1992, CA IOUs were at 5% interest," twittered John Myers from KQED, noting that it will be interesting to see if people buy and sell IOUs hoping to make a profit. Wells Fargo and Bank of America have said they're willing to accept IOUs before July 10th. $140 million in IOUs will be sent to people expecting income tax returns. A full list of where IOUs will be going is here. more ›

A transformer in a distributing station tripped this morning de-energizing some circuits causing some 6,000 customers to lose power in the Hancock Park/La Brea/South Hollywood area this morning around 7:40 a.m., according to an LADWP spokesperson. By 9:40 a.m., LADWP crews restored power to 3,300 customers and were working to 100% restoration. Kudos to the department for their first time use of Twitter to update real-time alerts on the situation. You can follow them at @LADWP. more ›

In her inaugural speech as the City Controller, Wendy Greuel vowed to continue former Controller Laura Chick's quest to legally audit--financially or performance-wise--the offices of the Mayor, City Attorney and City Councilmembmers. Chick had tried to audit former City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo's office, but he balked and the matter went to court where Chick lost. “If there is any question about this, I shall take this issue to you, the voters of the city of Los Angeles,” Greuel said yesterday. If you follow city politics, answer this question: if she fills the role just like Laura Chick did for the past eight years, will we be soon calling her Mayor Greuel? more ›

Following up on an LAist story published last week, the San Jose Mercury News spoke to Governor Schwarzenegger's office about a letter from the National Park Service to the state about closing parks. In that letter, Pacific regional director Jon Jarvis, informed Schwarzenegger that closing some 69 parks that received funding in the past jeopardized all future funding and that a handful of parks deeded to the state from the feds, including part of Point Mugu near Malibu, could be repossessed. more ›

In what appears to be an accident, a 24-year-old man died yesterday evening after he apparently climbed the fence near the cliffs of Point Fermin Park in San Pedro. The fence is there for a very good reason, but numerous people have fallen, often to their death, at the park over the years. Fire department rescues at this location almost seem routine. more ›

Unemployment increased from May to June, but only by one-tenth of a point, or 467,000 lost jobs, a 26-year high. Here's the breakdown: Professional and business services slashed 118,000 jobs, more than double the 48,000 cut in May. Manufacturers cut 136,000, down from 156,000. Construction companies got rid of 79,000 jobs, up from 48,000 the previous month. Retailers eliminated 21,000, up from 17,600. Financial activities cut 27,000, following 30,000 in May. The government cut 52,000 jobs, up from 10,000 the previous month. Leisure and hospitality cut 18,000 jobs, erasing a gain of the same size in May. One of the few industries adding jobs: education and health services, which added 34,000 positions last month and 47,000 in May." Statewide, unemployment numbers have not been calcuated--in May, it was 11.5%. more ›

t that cow tails are not important, but Gov. Schwarzenegger has a good point. Early in the afternoon, he tweeted, "Instead of working on budget, the Legislature is about to debate whether cows can keep their tails while we're in a fiscal crisis." We just thought he was being Mr. Sassy Pants. Then a few hours later, he proved it with this video. more ›

• The I-5 has some lanes closed as a brush fire near Castaic is being handled. The suspected arson fire has consumed more than 25 acres already.
• LAPD officials are announced that none of the officers involved with the 2007 May Day immigration rally will lose their jobs. Police Chief Bratton asked for the four officers to be fired but will have to settle for one of the officers getting a 20-day suspension.
• One person is dead and four were hurt in a shooting at a dental office in Simi Valley. Police are still investigating.

As mentioned yesterday, the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council has a motion before them tonight about making the Sunset Junction Street Festival free for all those who live in the three surrounding zip codes. LAist inquired with the post office on how many deliveries are made in the zips and here's what they told us: more ›

Google's Street View has gone off roading--in a sense--with their cutely named Google Trike, which has "3 bicycle wheels, a mounted Street View camera and a specially decorated box containing image collecting gadgetry," according to the company. more ›

Is it already time to start talking about the 2010 election? While there's been quite a bit of gubernatorial talk already, congressional districts have been on the down low. California's 36th District is the exception, however, with one Progressive Democrat nearly two months into her campaign and hosting her first fundraiser tomorrow. more ›

Yesterday, Tustin's Lt. Dan Choi was told by the military's Federal Recognition Board that they were recommending his discharge from service, citing his violation of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The Board determined that his declaration of his sexual orientation during an appearance on MSNBC's Rachael Maddow Show and his serving in the military while openly gay was an act of "moral and professional dereliction," according to a letter by Choi sent to his supporters in the Courage Campaign. Choi adds, however, that this is only the beginning of his fight:

The board's decision to fire me is not the end. Now that this panel of four officers has recommended my discharge, it still must be approved by senior officials in the Army, a process that could take a few weeks to a year. Unless something unexpected happens, it may be just a matter of time before the Army officially fires me. more ›

A new fiscal year means a new Metro Board chair at the helms of L.A. County public transportation. Meet Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian, who has served the city since 2005 and once as the rotating Mayor from 2007 to 2008. “As the new Board Chair, I look forward to providing the leadership necessary to enhance transportation options throughout the region,” Najarian said in a statement. “This next year will be both challenging and rewarding as we move the agency through difficult financial times while at the same time, begin implementing transportation improvement projects voted by the public with the passage of Measure R, the half-cent sales tax initiative.” Damien Newton at StreetsblogLA notes that Najarian could be a plus for the pedestrian and bicycle communities. more ›

According a recent study conducted by condom manufacturer Trojan, we're at least in the top ten for US cities based on how often we have sex and how often we're satisfied with it. Their study has us ranking number 4 in the nation, with Angelenos getting lucky an average of 82 times a year--that's just a few times shy of the action in Atlanta and Washington DC, but well behind Houston, where the Texans are gettin' it on 101 times a year (is there anything else to do there?). more ›

Kat Odell just started her new gig as Editor of Eater LA a couple weeks ago, a nice change of pace for readers since Lesley Balla left the position in December. Then yesterday, she got some high exposure along with a downtown restaurant that became the focus of a post based on an anonymous tip. The Must Bar was using generic foods and charging high prices, the tipster asserted, adding possible health code violations. The LA Times' Daily Dish blog quickly jumped on to the story, interviewing the owners and finding that their thinking about legal action. But Ben Sheffner at Copyrights & Campaigns notes that the law is on Odell's side for the most part. For us, really, all this does is make us want to go support and check out The Must at least once to decide for ourselves. Time for a drink? more ›

Shots broke out this morning at Family Dental Care around 10:38 a.m. this morning in Simi Valley. Exactly an hour later, the suspect shooter surrendered to police, but not before killing one, critically injuring three and leaving another with minor wounds. No word yet on the motive. more ›

Since last week's death of Michael Jackson, crowds and media have flocked to various locations related to the superstar. In Hollywood, it was his Walk of Fame star; on the Westside, his Holmby Hills rental mansion; and in the Valley, his family home on Hayvenhurst Ave., just off Ventura Blvd. more ›

Oscar- and Emmy-winning actor Karl Malden, best known as Detective Lt. Mike Stone on the '70s TV series The Streets of San Francisco, has died of natural causes at the age of 97, Before entering television, "he won an Oscar for his portrayal of Blanche's earnest suitor Mitch in the 1951 adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire (he'd previously played the part on Broadway), and received another nod for his role as streetwise Father Barry in 1954's On The Waterfront. He followed with acclaimed turns in Baby Doll (1956), How the West Was Won (1962), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), and Patton (1970)," reported Entertainment Weekly. more ›

Jobs, environment, public transit, crime and education were the focus of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's second inaugural address today on the south steps of City Hall. "I stand, hopefully a little bit wiser as well, chastened and enlightened both by our successes and failures over the last four years," he said. "Angelenos, I offer this oath today. In the next four years, we are going to judge ourselves plain and simple — based on what we build. We intend to write our record in concrete rather than poetry, focused on deadlines over headlines. And you have this in writing, we are going to track our promises and put the results online. And we are going to build our efforts around five clear goals for the next four years." more ›

While it might not be surprising that American Apparel has made the headlines once again for their business practices, it is a touch ironic that the company who is behind the "Legalize L.A." movement for immigration reform revealed today "that the government has found that 1,800 of its employees are either illegally working in the U.S. or potentially illegal to work," according to USA Today. more ›

As the case against Prop 8 goes to Federal Court, the presiding judge has warned that he will likely not approve an injunction against Prop 8 during trial. Even gay marriage supporters such as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown have warned of the confusion and uncertainty if that were to happen and Prop 8 was found to be law. However, the judge wants to get the trial going soon. "To avoid the procedural and practical problems surrounding a preliminary injunction," U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, "the court is inclined to proceed directly and expeditiously to the merits" of the case. Tomorrow will be the hearing for the preliminary injunction. Walker will also explore whether or not Prop 8 was "discriminatory intent" and whether the "sole motivation for Prop. 8 was moral disapproval of gays and lesbians," according to the LA Times. more ›

House Rep Henry Waxman was admitted to the hospital yesterday for "routine testing" after he was not feeling well Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. However, this morning he's "feeling much better," a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center spokeswoman said. Waxman, 69, has held office since 1975, representing California's 30th District, which covers the Westside, Malibu, parts of the Valley and into Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Hollywood. He's the chairman of the all-powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee and just finished pushing through major climate change legislation and has been gearing up for a summer of health care reform. more ›

It's been one year now since a California law went into effect making it illegal to drive while using a hand-held cellphone. The Automobile Club of Southern California has released the findings of "observational roadside surveys of drivers on Orange County roads," and have determined that the "use of hand-held cell phones by drivers declined sharply from pre-law levels." more ›

In an era when traveling by air has become less and less comfortable physically, and sometimes financially, passengers might take it upon themselves to do whatever they can to make themselves feel at home while on board. Maybe that was what was going through the mind of a US Airways passenger who opted to strip down to his birthday suit during a flight from North Carolina to Los Angeles last night. His actions "caused a diversion in more than one way," explains abc7.com, who were sent photos of the naked air traveler by a fellow passenger. Rather than fly all the way to L.A., however, "the flight had to be diverted to Albuquerque," when the 50-year-old stripped-down passenger "was restrained by two off-duty law enforcement officers, who happened to be onboard," then "was taken into custody by airport police, who called the FBI." For the passenger, whose name has not been released, his trip ended in New Mexico, while the flight he'd been on resumed its course and landed in Los Angeles. more ›

Happy New Fiscal Year! To no surprise of anyone, the state once again failed to pass the budget revision before today, the beginning of the 2009/2010 fiscal year. That means 28,742 payments, many of them tax refunds, totalling $53.3 million will be sent out tomorrow as IOUs, costing the state $3.4 billion over the next 30 years due to higher interest rates. more ›

and City Attorney-elect Carmen Trutanich will also take part with Los Angeles Laker guard Derek Fisher serving as the Master of Ceremonies. Among the councilmembers, only one is new, but not new to politics. Paul Koretz will take the reigns of Council District 5 (parts of Westside, Bel Air, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Hollywood Hills, Hollywood, South Robertson) bringing his experience as a West Hollywood councilman and State Assemblymember. Others coming back for another city council term include Ed Reyes, Dennis Zine, Richard Alarcon, Jan Perry, Bill Rosendahl, Eric Garcetti and Janice Hahn. more ›

Colorado Rockies defeat LA Dodgers 3-0. In the race for win number 10, Chad Billingsley came up on the short end against Jason Marquis. He didn't do a terrible job giving up three runs on five hits and three walks in 7 2/3 innings. The problem was that Marquis was better pitching a complete game two-hit shutout on only 86 pitches while walking no one. With the Dodgers offense sputtering, Friday is looking brighter as the days go by. more ›