On Monday, not many people in Los Angeles knew the name Jack Chiang, a city planner overseeing a project in Valley Village. Then on Tuesday, The Daily News published the Department of Planning staffer's name. Come Wednesday, the LA Times caught on. Why all the sudden popularity? Sometimes when you pick up the phone and dial a number, you call the wrong person and leave a message.A Los Angeles City Council panel voted Tuesday......

The courts once again sided with the Bush administration in its warrantless spy tapping program. This time, the liberal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to rule against the government in its handling of the war on terror. Somewhere, Abbie Hoffman is crying. Following an incident at Cal State Fullerton, in which nooses appeared on a clothesline at an anti-hate rally, civil rights leaders are calling for a federal investigation. College officials quickly took......

Norman Mailer, the controversial and beloved novelist and winner two Pulitzer Prizes died today in New York City of acute renal failure. The author of almost 50 books, Mailer lived a life beset by tragedy, triumph and tribulation. He once ran for Mayor of NYC and was almost stabbed to death by one of his wives. Mailer was 84. Out of the ashes of one fire in San Diego, a man sold a charred,......

Best known for her rendition of Rihanna's "Umbrella" on acoustic -- here she's singing Britney's "comeback" single... A Los Angeles native and former UC Berkeley attendee, she recently drew controversy for using YouTube to get her name out à la LonelyGirl15. It worked. Local radio station STAR 98.7 started plugging her single and it soared in sales on iTunes as a result. You can currently catch her touring the country in small venues.......

Los Angeles is cleaning up after a wet weekend that drenched the southland and knocked out power to thousands. Want asthma? LAUSD is building seven new schools near freeways, despite scientific studies saying such construction could damage the children's lungs. Huell Howser is here. That's amazing! The city's neighborhood councils could be in for some major changes. Maybe now, you'll actually understand what they are. A Los Angeles man suspected of shooting his pregnant girlfriend......

Today's LA City Beat's LA Sniper column focuses aim on 30th District Congressman Henry Waxman who led the banning of subway construction under Wilshire Blvd. in the mid 1980s. Could you imagine what LA would be like today? A Los Angeles with a subway down the god friggin' most congested city street in America? Instead we have the one of the nation's busiest rapid bus lines, the 720, which the Sniper suggest should be......

If the red line seems slow today, now you know why. The Los Angeles Fire Department is reporting that a man either fell or jumped inito the path of the North Hollywood bound Metro Red Line train at the Westlake/MacArthur Park subway station shortly before 8:40 a.m.The subway train was unable to stop before striking the man, who was found trapped beneath the trainset. Despite the prompt response of Los Angeles Fire Department personnel, the......

There's gunna be some more traffic for you 'der late night commuters and all... Why? To remove temporary structures at the Palms Avenue Bridge. Tonight and Wednesday 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Northbound 405 from Venice Boulevard to the 10 Thursday and Friday 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Southbound 405 from the I-10 connector to Venice Boulevard The Big Picture The closures are connected to the $167 million carpool lane project on 405 from the......

If you are travelling to or from or near Downtown tonight and tomorrow, avoid the hassle. Tonight All northbound lanes will be closed from Vignes to Alameda from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Tomorrow Night All southbound lanes will be closed from Main to Vignes from 11:59 p.m. to 5 a.m. Why? A $24.1 million realignment project, which will also widen commercial streets and modify on- and off-ramps. Anticipated completion is summer 2007. Photo by......

On storefronts all over town the word Famima!! (and its quirky pair of exclamation points) is showing up, with a vibrant backdrop of neon green and black. So what's Famima!!? Basically they're the Japanese version of 7-11, proffering convenient food and sundries for the urban dweller. Packaged sandwiches nestle alongside Asian-style eats like sushi rolls and noodle bowls, the dessert area is resplendent with tasty cold creme brulees and pastries, and the refrigerated drink......

Eleni Mandell, with her sixth full length release, Miracle of Five, hit up the Echo for the KCRW release party last night. The packed and almost giddy crowd filled with literally all walks of life (think middle aged baldies, a trannie, and the usual hipsters) were swaying along to EM’s hushed, moody, jazzy folk. Is jazzy folk even a thing? If it isn’t Mandell has made it one. Highlight of the evening? The Echo......

When exactly The Edison started their soft opening, we don't know - what we do know is that we've haven't seen a bar like this in Los Angeles, well, ever. In major East Coast cities this is a trend we've seen before - taking over an old space be it a bank vault or power plant and making it a lounge, but this is the first we've seen in Los Angeles and it's guaranteed......

The Mayor Who Wasn't Is The Solar Panel Man Los Angeles Mayor challenger in the 2005 election, Robert Hertzberg: “California does have this great image,” said Mr. Hertzberg, a former speaker of the California State Assembly and the co-founder of an investment firm, Renewable Capital. “But Europe still is much greener than anywhere in the United States, by several orders of magnitude.” His thin and flexible solar panels work in overcast and in rain.......

It's hard to believe that Jordan Mechner is only in his 40s. He's accomplished an awful lot in a short period of time. Hailed as a visionary game designer, Jordan is an icon in the video game industry. His first game, "Karateka," was an immediate success. Using innovative character animation techniques, Jordan's next game, "The Prince of Persia," redefined the look and feel of video games for years to come. Currently adapting the screen......

Steve Erickson's new novel Our Ecstatic Days is set in a lyric, hallucinatory Los Angeles, where a spreading lake begins to take over the city, setting characters adrift. At Barnes & Noble's full-house reading last night, hosted by KCRW's Michael Silverblatt, it was apparent that Erickson's terrific writing is finally getting its due. Early reviews have been unapologetically adoring (Bookforum, CityBeat, Washington Post). Erickson's looping, time-twisting plotlines have long entranced readers who try to figure......