With the budget shortfall--estimates now have it up to $700 million for the rest of this fiscal year and next year--and massive city layoffs--up to 4,000 over the next year--city services will start dwindling. The one we'll feel (literally) the most? Potholes. On Wednesday at the L.A. City Council meeting, Bureau of Street Services director Bill Robertson said 80,000 fewer potholes will be filled, according to the Daily News. That's 300,000 potholes instead of the usual 380,000 (at least they are useful to artists). "We will not be able to be as proactive as we have been," Robertson said. "We will be reacting more to complaints and emergencies than we are able to deal with this in advance." Response times to illegal dumping complaints will also take longer--from four tday to six to seven days. 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 ›

"City of LA's Bureau of Street Services successfully cleared vehicles from the streets of Atwater Village by 6:00am, but haven't started much work here 2 hours later," the neighborhood blogger noted today in this Flickr photo. Another photo shows a car ticketed for street sweeping restriction: "City of LA is leaving $58 parking tickets on cars that had to move off closed streets in Atwater Village and had noplace to park but on other streets restricted for sweeping." more ›