In case you weren't already aware that child sex trafficking is a heinous crime, Los Angeles County law enforcement officials are going to make extra, extra sure that you do by unveiling a multimedia awareness campaign starting Thursday.
L.A. Launches Anti-Child Sex Trafficking Media Blitz
Summer Travel Season Kicks Off With Gas Prices at Record High
Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial kickoff of summer and the start of vacation season. Unfortunately for holiday travelers in Los Angeles County today, the average cost of a gallon of regular self-serve gasoline at $4.299 set a record high for Memorial Day.
Which L.A. Beach Is Most Polluted in California?
Los Angeles County once again leads Heal the Bay's "Beach Bummers List" with seven locations out of California's top 10 most polluted beache
L.A. Drivers Warned of Beefed-Up 'Click It or Ticket' Campaign
Los Angeles County authorities announced today that they are on heightened alert to spot any drivers who are not wearing a seat belt.
L.A. and O.C. Drivers Pumped About Lower Gas Prices
The average price of a gallon of regular gas in Los Angeles County fell for a fifth consecutive day.
How Much Do L.A. County Cities Spend on Fighting Legal Battles?
Are our local cities paying the price for legal troubles? A data set compiled and released by the L.A. Times ranks spending on city attorneys in the 88 cities in Los Angeles County.
Los Angeles County: Major National Sex Trafficking Hub
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors highlighted the sexual trafficking of minors today after the L.A. County Probation Department staffers triumphed with a $1 million grant to actively combat the issue. "Sadly, this county is recognized as one of the major hubs for sex trafficking in the nation, primarily of girls as young as 11 and 12 years old," said Supervisor Don Knabe.
Buyers, Beware: County's Plastic Bag Ban Expands to Small Stores Next Month
If you live, work, or, most importantly, shop in unincorporated Los Angeles County, reusable shopping bags should be on your holiday wish list, because the ban on single-use plastic bags expands to include smaller stores effective January 1, 2012.
Happy SAFE Holidays: Planned LAPD DUI Checkpoints & Patrols
Southlanders should be merry this holiday season, but they should also be responsible and smart. L.A. County is cracking down on drunk and drugged drivers again this year with the help of an "Avoid the 100 DUI Task Force." Enforcement began on December 16 and will continue through January 1.
Drink & Stay Put: L.A. County Launches Winter Anti-DUI Campaign
Before you reach for your keys after that third glass of eggnog or that fifth holiday brew this holiday season, think "Avoid the 100." Drunk and drugged drivers will be targeted during a two-week campaign of DUI/driver's license checkpoints and hundreds of roving DUI patrols. Enforcement begins on Friday, December 16 and ends on Sunday, January 1.
Video Brag: L.A. County, The World's Creative Capital, Is #1
Turn your brain back on this Saturday afternoon and bone up on your L.A. County stats. Today's boastful video lunch shares "Los Angeles County in numbers" via motion graphics by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC).
Thanksgiving Weekend: DUI Arrests Up, Traffic Fatalities Down
Los Angeles County, pat yourselves on the backs. Go on. So far over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, zero traffic fatalities have occurred. But then stop gloating and hang your heads in shame. DUI arrests have already surpassed last year's total, and it's only Saturday.
Gusty Winds Cause Brush Fires & Leave 12K SoCalians Without Power
Enjoying the hot, dry wind against your face today? Many SoCalians are not. Several brush fires have been reported, and 12,000 Edison customers are without power. High wind advisories were in effect until 3pm today.
Gusty Winds + Very Low Humidity = Extreme Fire Weather
Hold on to your hats and fire extinguishers, L.A.! The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory until 3pm this afternoon and a red flag warning until 6pm today. The LAFD has also issued a red flag alert for the City of L.A.
L.A. County Crime Rates Escalate This Summer, Is Your 'Hood In The Red?
Crime alerts soar this summer in Los Angeles, and several neighborhoods are seeing a significant increase in both violent and property crimes. Areas experiencing a surge in violent crimes are Hancock Park, Hollywood, Panorama City and Sawtelle. Red alerts of "violent crime up significantly" are viewable in each location via The L.A. Time's database of Los Angeles County crime reports.
So Many Bicyclists at the Beach, Lifeguards Declare a SigAlert
Massive traffic congestion leading to the declaration of a SigAlert is no big thing when it comes to our well-traveled freeways. But on a bike path? Sure, why not!? On the beachfront bike path from Venice Beach to Torrance area yesterday afternoon, Los Angeles County lifeguards hailed the traffic as "worse than the San Diego (405) Freeway" and declared a SigAlert, according to the Daily Breeze.
Tragic Kingdom No More? Are Angelenos Growing Fond of The OC?
Come on, Angelenos: You know you've got a derogatory nickname for Orange County in your arsenal. So how often do you get to use it? If your answer is: "Less than I used to" then your sentiments are perhaps in line with the author of a recently published article in Orange Coast magazine that claims that L.A. residents are softening up when it comes to their next-door neighbor county.
HIV Testing Week in L.A. County Starts Today With Event at Rose Bowl
This month marks 30 years since the Centers for Disease Control published its first mention of AIDS, and today marks the start of HIV Testing Week in Los Angeles County. A county-wide effort is underway to make HIV testing as easy and convenient as possible for residents.
Anonymous Donor Sends L.A. County Check for $10K
What would you do if you got an anonymous check for $10,000? If you're one of the top money folks for Los Angeles County, well...you'd cash it. You know, to see if it was real. In the case of a check that arrived recently to the County from Washington state, it was, in fact real. So why would someone do this?
L.A. County Tops U.S. Hunger Study
Los Angeles County leads the nation with 1.7 million people struggling to afford to stay properly fed, according to the Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap study. While 50 million people nationwide struggle to put food on the table, L.A. is highest in food insecurity, according to the study, which is based on 2009 statistics collected by government agencies.
"Clark Rockefeller" Con Man Charged for 1985 L.A. Murder
CNN calls 50-year-old Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter "a cultured poseur," who adapted the identity of a wealthy member of the iconic Rockefeller family, and has now been charged in Los Angeles for his role in the 1985 murder of a San Marino couple John and Linda Sohus. Gerhartsreiter, however, is only being charged with one count of murder, because the body of Linda Sohus has never been recovered.
Mapmaker, Mapmaker: A New Look at Los Angeles
Leave it to a pair of Ohioans to give us a fresh look at Los Angeles, cartographically speaking. The map-making team of Jen Adrion and Omar Noory, under the banner These Are Things, launched their project to create simple and modern world maps to "help [them] chart [their] future travels" in 2009. Today they dropped us a note to say they've finished their map of Los Angeles.
4 Hikers Stranded Since Sunday Rescued
Three men and one woman were located early this morning in the San Gabriel Mountains after being stranded while waiting out the recent massive rainstorms. The hikers, all "Orange County residents ranging in age from 23 to 34," were found by search teams and helicopters deployed by Los Angeles County, according to LA Now.
What 2 Cities are the Most Business-Friendly in L.A. County?
Making economic development a priority in a city located in Los Angeles County doesn't just mean there are incentives for business owners and jobs for residents. For several cities, it meant being named as being among the most business-friendly cities and honored in a ceremony in Beverly Hills, according to CBS2.
How Many of the Country's Most Expensive Universities are in L.A.?
The price of higher education in the U.S. isn't getting any cheaper, and Los Angeles County is home to some of the costliest four-year schools in the nation.
L.A. County to Pursue Plastic Bag Ban
Despite the optimistic future for AB 1998, the statewide ban on plastic bags, Los Angeles County Supervisors are going ahead with efforts to pass their own ordinance.
Public Works + Twitter = Cost-Cutting Info Sharing
The Los Angeles County Public Works Department is using Twitter to keep people connected with the latest updates on the lay of the land.
Just launched, @LACoSurveyor aims to use the free social media service to keep people apprised about "tract map and parcel map recordations throughout Los Angeles County, including the unincorporated areas and all 88 cities," via daily updates.
Map: Migration In, But Mostly Out, of LA County
Forbes has released a series of maps using Internal Revenue Service data that chart the migration patterns from county to county as part of a series of articles called "Where America's Money is Moving." The maps were created using 2008 information, though not every move in the country is represented, since the IRS "only reports inter-county moves for more than 10 people."
Death Penalty Sentences on Decline in U.S., But on Rise in L.A.
On the same day that serial killer Rodney Alcala was handed a death sentence for the murder of a pre-teen girl and four women in Orange County in the 1970's, the ACLU released a report on death penalty sentences in the United States, noting that while nationwide such sentences are on decline, in California they are, in fact, on the rise.
County Slashes Pay for ER Docs Who Treat Uninsured
Doctors who work in emergency rooms and in private hospitals will receive less compensation from Los Angeles County for their work with the uninsured, reports CBS2.

