An initiative backers hope will make a future ballot has the potential to change the state's budget process in big ways. Question is, will the outcomes be good or bad? more ›

Mainstream media as we know it is changing. Has been for a long time. With bastions of old media like ABC news and the Los Angeles Times trimming their budgets and staff, people have to look elsewhere for fair and balanced news. The public still needs to make informed decisions--especially after the battle for health reform and the upcoming mid-term elections--but what will replace traditional media as government watchdogs? That's just one of the topics to be addressed at the day-long Media Reform Summit at Occidental College tomorrow. more ›

Does your company encourage leadership, transparency, democracy and creativity in the workplace? Do your co-workers participate in company decisions on an ongoing basis? WorldBlu -- a social enterprise that champions the ideas of "organizational democracy" -- compiled its list of the forty most democratic companies in the world based on questions like these. more ›

Back in October, the Yes on 8 "people" challenged California's Superintendent of Schools, Jack O'Connell, to a debate about gay marriage. According to Yes, even the remotest possibility of learning anything about gay marriage is harmful to children. Nothing hateful about that! more ›

Progressive author, cultural critic and feminist Naomi Wolf is in Los Angeles tonight and tomorrow promoting her book Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries. Wolf, who blogs at the Huffington Post, also wrote The End of America which was recently turned into a documentary. There are no screenings scheduled in Los Angeles at the moment, but we thought the trailer was interesting enough to share. more ›

UPDATE: Seven Grand is a 21+ bar. We apologize for any inconveniences. more ›

President George Bush delivered his final State of the Union address this evening. As we mercifully begin the transition out of the Bush era, let us examine the President's speech in typical Washington fashion: taking out a few lines here and there for the most opportune response. more ›

I love that France is smelly and filled with laughing Nazis, because, you know, we don't want that here. more ›

While the presidential election is the sexy supermodel on the Feb. 5 California Primary ballot, there are important propositions asking you to say Yes or No when you walk in to that polling place or mail in your vote. more ›

Today is the first day you can sign up to be an absentee voter in California for the Feb.5 Primary. To do so, click here and fill out the form. more ›

While the presidential election is the sexy supermodel on the Feb. 5 California Primary ballot, there are three important propositions asking you to say Yes or No when you walk in to that polling place or mail in your vote. more ›

Yesterday's tragic assassination of Pakistan's opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has shocked and angered the world and the tide of emotion is strong in LA's community of Pakistani-Americans. more ›

Monday Eliot Tiegel presents The Latinization of America 6:30pm @ Book Soup Judith Freeman discusses and signs The Long Embrace 7pm @ Vroman's Roz Chast discusses Theories of Everything 7pm @ Central Library Robert Kuttner in conversation with Arianna Huffington about The Squandering of America 8pm @ James Bridge Theater, UCLA Tuesday Cesar Millan presents Be the Pack Leader 7pm @ Borders, Pasadena Frank McCourt presents Angela and the Baby Jesus 7pm @ Borders,... more ›

Two explosions ripped through a convoy carrying former Pakistani premier and maybe the country's best hope for Democracy, Benazir Bhutto, following her triumphant return after an eight-year exile. She was not hurt, but hundreds were killed and injured. How did the White House respond? By tying it back to the war on terrah, of course, saying, "Those responsible seek only to foster fear and limit freedom." A dump truck is in a "precarious spot"... more ›

Here are the five productions opening this weekend that are currently piquing LAist’s interest: more ›

If you haven't seen it already, Hillary Clinton's campaign spoof of The Sopranos' finale was released today (and wow is that acting bad!). It's purpose? To show that she and Bill are still together? Nah. The video helped announce her campaign theme song. And it's possibly the lamest campaign song EVER. Move over, Bill and Fleetwood Mac. Here comes Hill and Celine Dion. Yup, to appeal to all those kids and liberals out there,... more ›

David Mamet & Howard Norton sign their new books 7pm @ Dutton’s Brentwood more ›

Original Soundtrack - A - Team [Mike Post & Pete Carpenter] (Silva) more ›

Jagshemash! more ›

Today, the Information Technology Administration (ITA) along with the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE), announced some Los Angeles E-Democracy, as they call it. What does this mean? A bunch of online toys for us city nerds. Here's some of what they've done in the past 24 months: Online Council Votes: stalk follow your councilmember's voting track record. Online Council File Index: Keep track of any legislation considered and/or acted upon. Online Council Docs: We... more ›

Love music, free mp3s, social reform, and political justice? If so, you’ll love Protest Records. more ›

- Now these are the friends we're talking about. Lily Allen (pictured) has a record deal with a major label in the UK, but a Beverly Hills talent agency recently signed her so they can represent the young singer in the US because, in part, because of her numerous MySpace 53,244 "friends". -YouTube has kicked the LA-based MySpace off the top rung of the Internet's popularity ladder. The controversial video-sharing site is responsible for... more ›

It's too late for the $1 tickets, but $12 ones are still available for tonight's powerhouse performance of Beethoven's 9th at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Phil under the baton of Leonard Slatkin. If you haven't heard this from start to finish, you're really missing out. more ›

Do you realize that The Replacements' "Let It Be" is 22 years old? Indeed, if "Unsatisfied" was a chick, she could buy you a drink at the swinging party. In 1997 Warner Bros put together a 34-track double disc of Replacements "hits" called "All For Nothing / Nothing For All" but none of their earlier groundbreaking Twin/Tone material was included. more ›

The Silverlake Film Festival is on and, as you might guess, it features new independent films, many from local filmmakers (right on). But if you guessed that the Silverlake Film Festival was taking place in Silverlake, you'd be dead wrong. more ›

As the whole world knows, Pope John Paul II died on Saturday. He was 84. more ›

LAist wonders if Angelenos will be attending any of the post-election protests organized by groups such as www.Nov3.us and www.BeyondVoting.org in cities across America on November 3. more ›

They were the words as spoken by an Elections Official, sitting behind a card table, in a small garage, on a small street somewhere in the San Fernando Valley. more ›

Tonight at the Knitting Factory, see Morrissey's new chum Nancy Sinatra performing with special guest Tina Dico at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $25.00. more ›

Aside from the Vice Presidential debates, there are some events going on around town. If you decide to go out rather than remain home, glued to the TV as Cheney and Edwards duke it out, you can always catch the highlights on the radio while on your way to one of these fine events. more ›