The Metropolitan Water Board is set to approve a controversial new "drought plan" for Southern California. More updates on the tragic Oxnard shooting that has left one student seriously injured and possibly dead. Twelve top Defamer posts from outgoing editor Mark Lisanti, via...some guy's Tumblr account. Teh internets! Are you a lazy asshole? But a romantic lazy asshole? Well, check out last minute V-Day flower bargains from the Daily News' Bargain Hunter Blog. File......

Today it became official. Mark Lisanti, the Editor of Defamer since mid-2004, is done as of this Friday: Of the 9 or 10,000 posts I've done since we started this site, this one is the hardest to write. After almost four years here at Defamer, I've decided it's finally time to move on. In an effort to keep this short and sweet, I'll be climbing out of the blogging hamster-wheel this Friday, and though I......

Last night, Zócalo L.A. hosted a panel discussion at the Central Library to explore the question, “Who Really Runs L.A.?” The discussion, moderated by Mariel Garza of the Los Angeles Daily News, featured panelists Kerman Maddox, who works for public affairs consulting firm Dakota Communications; L.A. Weekly city hall reporter David Zahniser; political scientist and Director of Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs at Cal State L.A. Jaime Regalado; and Los Angeles Magazine writer......

Hmmm, what better day to start what will probably become our weekly look around the local blog soap operas than the morning after The Huffington Post/Yahoo!/Gawker Media love fest that was billed as a night celebrating Defamer's Mark Lisanti but really was to celebrate and launch the syndication agreements between the three parties. While we generally hovered next to the go fug girls, the Mister Zero you don't want to !@$* with, Defamer's Employee......

Mark Lisanti might get the headlines but it is that other local blogebrity that gets the ladies. Tony Pierce, who we interviewed in January, is celebrating the fourth anniversary of his bus blog today. As he notes, of all the Tonys in the world, Google ranks him as #3. That's pretty damn impressive, Tony. Happy Blogiversary! photo by George Kelly.......

Where did July go? The end of the month snuck up on us today and so here we are working and reflecting. LAist had its one year anniversary early in July but we're just getting around to celebrating it this week. Thursday, in fact. Details to come as we get even closer to the date. Today, we want to point you towards our new rss feed (and if you scroll down the homepage, you'll find......

A year ago today, a barely beta-tested LAist was born. The cast of three who primarily kept it running—two of which are still on staff—had spent a month planning and writing, trying to keep abreast of topics and issues that would interest Angelenos. We wanted to focus on the things that make LA a viable, vibrant place to live; the odds and ends that are often glossed over on the way to covering the......

During the months since Defamer launched in May last year, the Hollywood outpost of the Gawker blog dominion got under the collective skin of Hollywood faster than the hands of an agent under a willing starlet’s skirt. This formerly anonymous, always smooth operator has proven that equal opportunity offending makes openly credited blogging a safe enterprise. While the media spinners of the world try to protect us, the delicate and impressionable public, from the......

The sun is back out which means that new parties are on the horizon. Few tonight, mind, but we promise to get back in the know on where all the cool kids are kicking back drinks and silently judging you from starting tomorrow with a possible chance to hang out with NBA phenom LeBron James after the Cleveland Cavaliers battle your Los Angeles Lakers. But first, the party you can't go to. Defamer.com is......

If you haven't heard by now, LA.com has posted an item about the identity of the author of "The Defamer" website. Alexandra posted an item this morning that the December issue of Esquire magazine has identified Defamer as Mark Lisanti (whose surname the magazine misspelled as Listani). Was the misspelling deliberate misdirection? LA.comfidential has just updated the entry to include Lisanti's Friendster's profile. Welcome to the Thunderdome, Mr. Lisanti. We don't think knowing your......