We all know that in five days Californians go to the polls to decide the fate of this state, this country and the world. That gross overstatement seems fitting given the coverage and verbage some are using to describe the upcoming Primary. But, hey, what might have gotten lost in the shuffle of debate talk, Indian gaming commercials and Obama vs. Hillary rhetoric is a city ordinance that could affect everyone with a cell......

Let's party on the streets! The homicide rate is set to match its lowest number since 1970. The overall homicide rate is down 17 percent from last year. (More about it on LAist here.) With all this peace and, well, non-murder, Snoop might have to find something else to sing about. More good news: Gas prices dropped about 3 cents over the last two weeks. The average price of regular gasoline on Friday was......

Three people were injured and dozens evacuated after an apartment fire in Sherman Oaks gutted at least two units at 2 a.m. this morning. It was cold last night, but there are better ways to stay warm people. Australian police arrested a man in Melbourne who threatened to attack The Grove Friday. There is no evidence the man, who has never been to the United States, intended to carry out the attack. Still, days......

While the rains yesterday helped alleviate some of the dryness under which southern California has been hampered, it did little to lessen the worries of those in fire-stricken areas. Streaming rivers of rain created mudslides and prompted officials to call for mass evacuations. Flash flood warnings remain in effect. But, hey, it's LA, and today was clear and beautiful. A woman who poisoned her Marine husband to buy a boob job with the insurance......

Zuma Dogg was nice enough to post this video on Mayor Sam today which lays out a proposal that Jan Perry wants to inflict on the residents of South Central. Even though the councilwoman is ignorant in regards to the neighborhoods in her district, she does know that the people she represents are fat. They're so fat (and in her mind, ignorant) that she seems to want to protect them from themselves. It's her......

It's Halloween and that means it's a big day at CreepyLA.com. Among many stories posted today, an interview about today's holiday with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. How does one do a green Halloween? Do like Siel: organic pumpkins, drink and go by public transit and send eco-Halloween e-cards. There's plenty to do in the ghost town that was tonight. Head Downtown! And while Downtown, Mayor Sam has some updates from political ghosting at City Hall.......

A million people can't be wrong, right? Metro has released six well-produced television spots featuring a man harassing interviewing Metro riders on why they Go Metro. MetroRiderLA says he might be a little "douchey," yet the spots will most likely and hopefully be effective. We think it will too, especially for those who like to have more time to play Soduku. One of the photos taken early last week amidst the wildfires was one......

Fires raged across Southern California for the second day in a row. Helicopters joined the effort as did a Boeing 747, according to NBC TV. Also, 250,000 San Diegans were told to evacuate their homes. LAist is on top of recent developments. Fires in the region always make me think of when NBC newscaster Chuck Henry reported on the forest fires in 2003. His news van caught on fire and he and his crew had......

Silly Jack Weiss! He thinks the Valley is different from the City. Tsk tsk! The Daily News takes the Councilman to task (lovingly) for his slip of the tongue. Halloween events abound in the city this time of year, and LAist is your best source for the hottest spooky spots: check out our continuing Halloween coverage here. OMGZZZ Kitten Cops! I can has ratburgerz?? The LAPD is recruiting feral cats to root out rodents......

The identity of one driver caught in the horrific fire on the I-5 Friday night might now be identified by the last call he made. Reports surfaced that the fire in the tunnel was so hot, the concrete began to melt. But, things are going smoothly today, officials said. Or as smoothly as rush hour on the I-5 can be. A cockfighting raid in San Diego over the weekend netted 4,400 birds at a......

Love the quote to the private bodyguard: ABC7: "Are you a government employee?" Bodyguard: ... Previously on LAist Politicians Say the Dumbest Things: Nuñez is 'Middle Class'? Fabian Núñez, a California politician who needs to go Extra, Extra: Welcome to the Party Train h/t Mayor Sam......

Welcome to October! Metroblogging wants to know how you and your neighborhood will celebrate the run up to All Hallow's Eve. Kobe "I can't live with you, I can't live without you" Bryant was in a jolly mood today as the Lakers greeted the media at its El Segundo practice facility. Construction on a proposed child-care facility, once touted as the centerpiece to Panorama City redevelopment, is hampered by political and building delays. I......

LAist just lost a writer to the Midwest, and on Monday, the Los Angeles blogasphere may lose another major player -- Mayor Sam, otherwise known as Michael Higby who is a City Hall watchdog and whistle blower. "The last week or so I've been exploring whether to stay in LA or move to my family's hometown of Waterloo, Iowa," Higby wrote in an e-mail last night to LAist. Over the past week, he's compared......

Recent major events for the LAFD include last night's apartment fires in North Hollywood and Westchester. Busy day on LAPD's blog: a drive-by shooting yesterday, a labor day homicide, Congressman Xavier Becerra's office burglarized, two fatal Skid Row stabbings, a Carl's Jr. robbery and a fatal shooting this morning in South LA. Sparked by the recent heat-reated power outages, Matt Littman at the Huffington Post asks if Los Angeles is in permanent decay: "It......

Guest Day Editor LA City Nerd will be joining LAist with a few posts throughout the day. Read the introductory interview here and check out the nerd's blog. As the LA City Nerd, we have to consult many sources to stay up on the latest news and issues facing the City. Besides reviewing the Council File Index regularly, we have to also consult websites to stay up on the latest issues facing the City or......

LAist Editor Tony Pierce has blogged here non-stop for more than a year deserving a well-earned vacation (and did he ever earn it). While out of town, we decided to have a little fun and bring some guest day editors in from around the blogLAsphere. Monday we had Green LA Girl and Tuesday saw Fred Camino of MetroRiderLA. Yesterday was Zuma Dogg and today is the official nerd him/her/itself, the LA City Nerd. 1.......

Guest Day Editor Zuma Dogg will be joining LAist with a few posts throughout the day. Read his introductory interview here and check out his site as well as Mayor Sam where he contributes. He also wrote an article in the current edition of the LA Weekly Thanks so much to LAist for having me as Day Editor, sitting in for Tony Pierce! Hopefully, some of the people who know me from my comedy/entertainment public......

Guest Day Editor Zuma Dogg will be joining LAist with a few posts throughout the day. Read his introductory interview here and check out his site as well as Mayor Sam where he contributes. He also wrote an article in the current edition of the LA Weekly Well, if I were running for mayor, I would continue to speak about the exact same things I have been talking about all year. Because since you only......

Guest Day Editor Zuma Dogg will be joining LAist with a few posts throughout the day. Read his introductory interview here and check out his site as well as Mayor Sam where he contributes. He also wrote an article in the current edition of the LA Weekly This where ZD got his start! Public Access Adelphia/Time Warner! Whoooooo!......

Guest Day Editor Zuma Dogg will be joining LAist with a few posts throughout the day. Read his introductory interview here and check out his site as well as Mayor Sam where he contributes. He also wrote an article in the current edition of the LA Weekly The city and state are basing some of their major plans on the fact that you are going to vote to approve more bond money out of your......

Guest Day Editor Zuma Dogg will be joining LAist with a few posts throughout the day. Read his introductory interview here and check out his site as well as Mayor Sam where he contributes. He also wrote an article in the current edition of the LA Weekly Dear Los Angeles City Council, We all know legislation, administration and meetings take up a good amount of your time, whether ZD shows up that day, or not.......

LAist Editor Tony Pierce has blogged here non-stop for more than a year deserving a well-earned vacation (and did he ever earn it). While out of town, we decided to have a little fun and bring some guest day editors in from around the blogLAsphere. Monday we had Green LA Girl and Tuesday saw Fred Camino of MetroRiderLA. Today, get ready for Zuma Dogg who has his own website, but also contributes to Mayor......

- Two Long Beach teens are heroes after rescuing two kids in apartment fire - CBS2 - The LAFD and the FBI are investigating a tip that animal rights extremists placed a bomb under the car of a UCLA eye doctor - LAT - The LA Times has a new managing editor? Yes, no, maybe so? - FishbowlLA - Heck of a job, BushCo - Milk could cost $5 a gallon by end of......

Water-coloring, jazz-listening, horse track-attending, local politics-loving, cocktail-making, Joseph Mailander is stepping down from the blog he helped form, the Martini Republic. LAist has the exclusive interview with one of our favorite LA bloggers who dares say something about the Yankees which we recommend that you ignore as we have done. LAist: There appears to be some major changes in Martini Republic, namely I see that you are not the Editor of the site any......

Yesterday thousands of people participated in the weekend long Big Sunday event: Community service erupted across Southern California during a Big Sunday volunteer weekend billed as the largest volunteer give-back in the nation. "Normally, I'd be in bed with my wife, asleep," Dexter Conner, 28, of Toluca Lake said while raking soil to create a "hidden garden" in North Hollywood. "I'm just trying to help out when I can." And help out they did......

No Chicago Dunkin' Donuts for LA So where are the best donut in Los Angeles? LA City Nerd asks and readers respond. Is it the Donut Man in Glendora or Bob's at the Farmer's Market? How about California Donuts? Mike Trujillo for LA City Gang Czar Mayor Sam puts up a quick poll for who should be LA's Gang Czar. Ahead of Bill Clinton and Connie Rice is Mike Trujillo. Who the hell is he?......

- List of Major League baseball players who wore 42 today - Yahoo - Best headline about Chicago getting the nod by the US Olympic committe: "Gone with the Wind" - LA Daily News - How a Hollywood blockbuster could earn over $200 million but still lose the studio $78 million - LAT - Local businesses, companies, and even malls are writing big checks to the LAPD for extra protection - LAT - An......

- The #1 downtown landowner, and major contributer of Mayor Tony's sure has a curious history of allegedly doing some horrible things - LA Weekly - Homelessness up in Downtown! - LA Times - Verizon's "Unlimited" EVDO plan is actually 5 Gigs a month - Cybernet - Keith Richards is now flipflopping on his snorting of coke laced with dad story - MTV - Britney to KFed "You’re the biggest mistake I’ve ever made,......

blogging.la wins for best fire coverage of yesterday's blaze - blogging.la Zuma Dogg wins for reporting that Doug McIntyre of 790 KABC asked him for a hemp tshirt on the air - Mayor Sam We all win when Franklin Avenue takes the Gold Line and shows us what they did and where they ate on their journey - Franklin Ave h/t MetroriderLA Losanjealous wins for the meanest haiku review of the Jill Cunniff show......

We know this video was shot almost a year ago and Mayor Sam just posted it, but somehow we missed this one. And we love it.......