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! Late next week, teachers and administrative staff from public schools around the state will find out they may soon be unemployed, reports the Daily News. "The layoff letters, which by law must go out by Saturday, could number in the tens of thousands, school officials warn."......

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: 12 miles of bus lane on Wilshire Blvd. ($5 million) Expo Line ($73.5 million unevenly split between Phase I and II) 95 new natural gas busses ($50 million) Bus rehab ($27.5 million)......

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

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. Naysayers may suspect Mayor Villaraigosa is bored with LA already and is ready to climb the political ladder ASAP, but columnist Rick Orlov at the Daily News says it more has to do with a future run at Governor and better federal......

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. The LA Times is reporting that if Gov. Schwarzenegger's proposed new budget goes into effect, most student fees [will] rise by 10% at the 23-campus Cal State system......

After declaring a fiscal emergency, Governor Schwarzenegger yesterday unveiled his budget plan which seeks to close the gap in California's budget. The governor proposed a 10 percent cut across the board for state programs, including education, health care and social services. Democratic state representatvies are stongly opposing the plan, including Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez of Los Angeles. The Daily News reports: "All of the cards ought to be on the table," said Assembly Speaker......

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......

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......

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. In an bizarre move, the Tonight Show invited Governor Schwarzenegger on the air yesterday as a guest on the show -- in the middle of a close race. But for some reason they didn't invite the Democratic candidate Phil Angelides, which has prompted Angelides' team to begin an online protest, demanding......

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. Tony Award-winning actor Robert Sean Leonard, who's now working in Hollywood as a regular cast member of House, turns 37. So does......

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......

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. In other Mayoral news, former police chief and current councilman......

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......

The papers today are carrying a story detailing the plan to reinvent the state government. Although Governor Schwarzenegger has yet to back the plan, he appointed the members of the panel and their report recommends adding unprecedented power to his office. Most of the cost-cutting - estimated at over $30 billion over five years - would come by consolidating redundant chunks of the bureaucracy. Arnold will have to overcome many obstacles to pass his plan.......

The L.A. Times reported yesterday that President Bush is planning a campaign trip to our state in order to raise money and bolster the campaign of GOP Senate candidate Bill Jones. He will make appearances with Governor Schwarzenegger as well as with Jones. The President lost to Al Gore in California in 2000 by 1.2 million votes. It ought to be noted: Schwarzenegger has refused to campaign for the President outside California - he wants......

The nation turns its lonely eyes to Sacramento politics as Governor Schwarzenegger makes headlines by calling the Democratic legislators 'girlie men.' This begs the question - if these guys are so girlie, why can't the Arnold make them bend to his will with a steely glare and a threat of termination? The budget's 3 weeks late, boss. Maybe you recall - you promised the voters zero weeks. Now, I don't think the Democrats are going......

According to KABC News, Governor Schwarzenegger is set to appear today at an undisclosed location in Southern California to announce his "bipartisan budget plan." Arnold might not be our first celebrity Governor, but he's certainly got more of a Hollywood P.R. instinct than Reagan ever had. 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......

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. Joe Gold was born in East Los Angeles. It was during his teens that he discovered Venice's Muscle Beach, the regular hangout for stuntmen, acrobats and bodybuilders. He became a regular, working out, playing beach volleyball and making friends with other Muscle Beach frequenters. He joined the......

Governor Schwarzenegger has built a solid reputation on a foundation of bipartisanship and a tough attitude towards the budget. This week, however, some cracks have begun to appear. 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. Early......

The governor who promised that he was environmentally friendly and would stand up to special interests has given into special interests at the risk of the environment. Governor Schwarzenegger removed fees from his budget proposal which would have gone to protecting forests. "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. And when you have......

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,......

Mayoral hopeful Bob Hertzberg has unveiled an impressively interactive new campaign website. The page features a number of innovations pioneered by Joe Trippi of the Howard Dean campaign, including a 'Hertz-blog' (groan) and a palm-tree thermometer to keeps track of new donations. It even implores Angelenos to set up "BBQs for Bob" in order to generate interest and money for the campaign. LAist is taking Hertzberg's candidacy seriously - he's raised more money than the......