After spending 563 days in jail for contempt of court, Richard Fine has been freed. In fact, Fine broke the L.A. County record for a lawyer held in contempt. He was officially jailed for not adhering to a court order: pay $46,329 or release details of personal finances, but he believes it was in "retaliation for exposing Los Angeles County's practice of paying judges an annual bonus of $57,000 in addition to their state salary of $179,000 - providing local judges with salaries higher than the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court who earns $218,000 annually," according to the Daily News. Read LAist's previous posts on Fine here and here. more ›

Not only do judges get paid a state salary of $178,789 a year with medical and retirement benefits up to 75% of their salary, in Los Angeles County they get an added bonus to the tune of $47,726, compliments of County Supervisors. It's been going on for years and in 2008 the practice was found illegal by a state appellate court, but only after a local judge rules against the case (the case alleged judges are bribed by the extra money to side with the county in cases against it). It, however, did not take too long for a state bill, snuck into a budget bill last year, to reverse that decision, allowing L.A. and other counties to pay judges extra money and avoid liability. more ›

All over Los Angeles, on chain link fences and freeway underpasses, sprawling banners and rectangular placards advertise names of people running for office you might have never heard and with whom you will probably never have any contact. more ›