The perilous state of the California budget has had a rippling effect on institutions and employees for months now. The California State University has been no exception, and now its officials have announced that things are about to get even chillier on their 23 campuses with the arrival of a salary and hiring freeze aimed at controlling costs. more ›

The state's budget woes may soon have a massive casualty list to its credit, culled from our already ailing school systems. Who's getting kicked out of school? Educators! more ›

Governor Schwarzenegger announced today where some of the Proposition 1B, the $20 billion infrastructure bond approved by us voters in 2006, will go... right here in Los Angeles: more ›

Topanga State Beach is not one of the state recreation areas threatened by the Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed budget cuts. more ›

Los Angeles is $75 million in the red and the state is using the same colored crayon at $14 billion. And where's the Mayor? He's spending a lot of time with Hillary Clinton. more ›

For those who say you can't put a price on education, California's governor and UC and CSU officials say you're dead wrong. In fact, not only can you put a price on it, you can hike the price, making undergraduate education in the state increasingly more expensive. more ›

After declaring a fiscal emergency in California, Governor Schwarzenegger yesterday unveiled his plan to close the gap in the state's budget through a 10 percent, across-the-board cut to state programs. more ›

Last night I put on a white “I Love WeHo Dykes” t-shirt, merged with the throng of Dyke March 2007 attendees, and paraded down Santa Monica Boulevard, a street coincidentally named in honor of the patron saint of abused, victimized, and neglected women. It may seem strange to some that I would do such a thing given that I am not Dyke, Lesbian, or Queer. But as a woman, a West Hollywood resident, and a lover of civil rights, I cannot lie. It is true. My t-shirt is accurate. I do love Dykes. I love them for their courage, their defiance, and their sacrifice. And as women, we share a traceable genealogical line that extends beyond 180,000 mitochondrial generations, making us all grand-daughters of the same Eve-of-origin. more ›

One of Hollywood’s Highest-Ranking Female Execs Gail Berman, the president of Paramount Pictures, has resigned. “This has been an extraordinary two years for Paramount, but after the DreamWorks purchase and the evolution of Nick movies and MTV films into our label structure, Gail’s job became too small for her. She’s a great talent," Brad Grey, chairman of Paramount. (New York Times) LA River Plan Businesses in the San Fernando Valley take a look at... more ›

While LAist hasn't really made up our mind yet who we're voting for in the Governor's race, it looks like Jay Leno has. more ›

Pritzker Prizewinner Frank Gehry is LA's most famous architect; Disney Hall is his most famous hometown work. It could be argued that its architectural significance has helped revitalize downtown. We know, he overworks and underpays his staff. But we can't help it; we still like his buildings. Happy 77th birthday, Frank Gehry. more ›

A report released last month by the California Climate Change Center at UC Berkeley says that global warming presents California with valuable business opportunities. "Managing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in California" says that "climate action in California can yield net gains for the state economy, increasing growth and creating jobs." In more simple terms, that spells ECONOMIC BENEFIT. If California is smart, our state could easily become "a leader in the new technologies and industries that will come into existence worldwide due to the common goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions." more ›

Much like the New England Patriots, Taft High School seems like a team of destiny. The two time national Academic Decathlon champions have won the district tournament and move one step closer to another national championship. Their win comes on the same day that Governor Schwarzenegger called for the breaking up of LAUSD while throwing his support in the Mayoral race to Bob Hertzberg. more ›

It's been busy legislative week up in Sacramento. One law in particular should make animal rights activists cheer and hardcore gastronomes groan: Governor Schwarzenegger signed the measure prohibiting the practice of gavage, AKA force-feeding ducks and geese to fatten their livers. Because of the Governor's largess and concern for the rights of animals who cannot speak for themselves, foie gras producers in the state will have to develop a humane alternative to the practice which is used to create the swollen, juicy livers to satisfy the finest epicurean palettes. Sounds like tough legislation to swallow for might foie gras purveyor, Sonoma Foie Gras, the state's only source of domestic foie gras. more ›

Arnold will have to overcome many obstacles to pass his plan. Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez has all but announced his opposition. If the plan isn't "perfect," he says, "I think it's going to run into a lot of problems." Furthermore, civil service unions will fight with ferocity to protect their members' jobs. The authors of the report seem to recognize this fact of government life. Check out this language: �Once the envy of the nation, today our state government fails the people of California, and it fails the men and women who have given their careers to its service.� more ›

It ought to be noted: Schwarzenegger has refused to campaign for the President outside California - he wants to keep his distance, as Bush is locally unpopular. He has agreed to speak at the Convention, but only after his demand for a plum speaking spot was satisifed. And rumor has it that the topic of his speech is "The New Republican Party." Will this master of P.R. blast the Bush administration's hard-right ways in order to cultivate his public profile? It's possible - John McCain seems to do it every other day. more ›

Now, I don't think the Democrats are going to convince anyone that the Gov is speaking with misogyny or homophobia here - he's just quoting a decade-old SNL skit. It's a cheesy line for rallies at Stockton or Ontario Mills. It may make more sense to point out that Arnold is doing nothing but inflaming partisan divisions in a budget negotiation where a compromise is necessary. more ›

Assembly speaker Fabian Nunez (D-L.A.) says that he and the Democrats have reached a budget agreement with the Governor but that recalcitrant Republicans are preventing the plan from going forward. He gives his view on the problem: more ›

Joe Gold, founder of LA's iconic Gold's Gym and the man who helped pump up our very own Governator, passed away Sunday at the age of 82. more ›

The LA Times reported yesterday that Arnold's agreement with the powerful prison guard lobby included tons of concessions and minimal cutbacks. While the Governor managed to delay some pay raises, he delivered a costly new benefits package and more institutional power for the union in return. more ›

"Our position on the fees is we opposed probably all of them. Most of them we consider hidden taxes, said Sen. Dick Ackerman (R-Irvine) the Senate's Republican leader. more ›

Richard Riordan, showing all the kindness and compassion that Angelinos remember in our former mayor, has apologized for a rather tasteless joke he made last Thursday. A young girl visiting with State Education Secretary Riordan during an appearance in Santa Barbara asked our former leader if he knew that her name meant "Egyptian goddess." Riordan misunderstood the question and, thinking that she had asked him what her name meant, replied that it meant "stupid, dirty girl." more ›

LAist is taking Hertzberg's candidacy seriously - he's raised more money than the rest of Hahn's potential opponents, and that counts for a lot. And his desire to beat the mayor on a campaign theme of "change" and "new ideas" shows that he's ambitious. But it takes actual, genuine new ideas to make that kind of case compelling (not to mention a healthy dose of charisma). Does Bob have either? Will his friendship with Governor Schwarzenegger prove decisive? And, for that matter, does the word of non-bodybuilders count for anything in this town anymore? more ›