Pasadena's beautiful, historic, and oft-immortalized on film City Hall has a birthday today! Designed by San Francisco's Bakewell and Brown, the Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival style building began its life in 1923, and was completed on December 27th, 1927, which means today marks the building's 83rd birthday. On the National Register of Historic Places (listing # 80000813) since 1980, people all over the world have gotten glimpses of the civic center structure in films from The Great Dictator to A Walk in the Clouds--not to mention a ton of TV shows (Wikipedia). Of course, people love to photograph Pasadena City Hall, so we had to look no further than our own LAist Featured Photos pool for some impressive shots. more ›

Los Angeles County dedicated its first "green" library today in Whittier. The new Sorensen Library is a state-of-the-art facility that was built using recycled materials and includes sustainable features. This 10,655 square foot library replaces the original 1,048 square foot Sorensen Library opened in 1956, once the smallest in the County's public library system. more ›

Majestic Realty and AEG are currently battling for gridiron supremacy, both builders hoping for the honor of attracting the NFL to Los Angeles. more ›

The County Board of Supervisors are set to vote tomorrow on three progressive green ordinances tomorrow that would affect unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, some of which that are the most undeveloped (look northward to the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley areas). The ordinances--green building, drought tolerant landscaping and low-impact development (LID)--would "be the singularly most progressive environmental action ever taken by the county and will set an impressive precedent for the entire region," writes Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay, on his blog. But Gold is reserving excitement warning that the Building Industry Association is mobilizing to kill it. more ›

Running is one of the most dangerous things you can do," explained Brian Humphrey, Spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department and a previous Community Emergency Response Team instructor. "People can lose their lives when they run, especially when windows or glass mirrors are near. You should duck, cover and hold." more ›

Usually, building codes are not at the forefront of state politics, but recently, as Los Angeles and other cities are setting their own building standards, a statewide standard was passed. It's a good step, but Schwarzenegger and environmentalists have differing views on if it is strong enough or not, even though it is the strictest in the U.S. "Nationwide, buildings consume 39% of energy, 12% of potable water, and 40% of raw materials, according to the U.S. Green Building Council. The structures are also responsible for 39% of greenhouse gas emissions," explains the LA Times. New green building codes, which would reduce energy use by 15% and water landscaping use by 50%, for the state will go into effect in 2010. more ›

So, which city is more eco-friendly when it comes to building codes? After reading the LA Times, San Francisco comes out the winner, but that's not to say Los Angeles is some black hole of environmental actions. more ›

City Controller Laura Chick announced yesterday the results of an audit ordered on the construction of the 10-story police headquarters downtown, revealing that the costs on the project "have soared $150 million over projections" bringing the receipt to over $453 million, according to the Daily News. more ›

• 45-year-old murder suspect Hovik "John" Mankyan, who engaged police in a lengthy standoff on Good Friday in Palmdale, is reportedly "clinging to life" in the hospital. Mankyan, who is wanted for a 2004 North Hollywood homicide "ingested poison and severed arteries" prior to surrendering.
• Honors on Ice: The Anaheim Ducks will honor SWAT officer Randal Simmons, who died in the line of duty, with a moment of silence before tonight's matchup with the Kings. James Veenstra, the officer who survived the violent standoff, will throw out the first puck.
• Design, engineering, aesthetics...oh, and bulletproofing. Today's Times looks at the need for buildings in some parts of LA to be built "drive-by proof."
• So punk rock: 52-year-old Rocco Bannich (aka Rocco Roll of 70s band The Absentees) was sentenced 55-to-life yesterday for shooting at three Long Beach SWAT officers. The maximum sentence was imposed because of his "complete lack of remorse."
• Who's to blame: Cab companies? Car rental agencies? MTA officials? The Daily Breeze looks into the gap between the Green Line and LAX, and why over the past decade those trains haven't gotten any closer to the airport.
• Hey yooooouuuuuu guuuuyyyyysss! A rally was held today in Sacramento by environmentalists and activists demanding that "the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to be more aggressive about requiring automakers to produce a larger number of electric vehicles." Paging Ed Begley Jr...
• And to make a textbook case of the adage "from the sublime to the ridiculous," an Aliso Viejo woman is getting attention for being the first Mary Kay rep in the OC to earn herself a pink Cadillac Escalade for her makeup schilling skills. Now how much mascara does she have to sell to get a tank of gas for that thing?