Local authorities weren't kidding around when they said they would see to it registered sex offenders out on parole did not use Halloween as an excuse to lure children into their homes for possible illegal activities. more ›

It seemed like things couldn't get going fast enough earlier this year when the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) was trying to sell Los Angeles leaders and residents on building another sports stadium at their Downtown L.A. Live campus. They gave it a name, and Angelenos the hardsell, and the hunt for an NFL team to call it home continued. more ›

The Department of Justice announced that they are probing the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in the Antelope Valley, where deputies have been accused of violating the civil rights of minority residents in Section 8 housing. "In interviews with affected individuals and community representatives, we heard troubling accounts of allegedly unjustified stops and searches," Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez said, in a statement. more ›

If you're going to a rave, and you're going to take Ecstasy, should the Public Health Department help you know how to take the drug safely? A flier intended to be distributed at rave events that was produced by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has come under scrutiny, particularly by Supervisor Michael D. Anotonvich, who has ordered the distribution of the fliers halted. more ›

In a joint acquisition by the Getty Museum and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, $30 million worth of Robert Mapplethorpe photos will soon call L.A. home. While "the bulk of the work came from New York's Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, the museum and trust say the rest was obtained with donations from The David Geffen Foundation and the Getty trust," notes the HuffPo, not everyone in Los Angeles is cheering. more ›

In LA County our restaurants and food trucks get graded, and now so will our nursing homes. Supervisor Michael Antonovich (also behind the County's restaurant grades) behind a new state law that goes into effect January 1, 2011 that requires nursing homes to publicly display their federal five-star rating. The rating system was set up in 2008. more ›

As of the start of the new year, medical marijuana dispensaries will be banned in unincorporated Los Angeles County, according to the Daily Breeze. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted today to approve the ban by 4-1; their "formal adoption of the ordinance barring the outlets was expected, given a 4-1 vote in favor of the ban two weeks ago." A ban has been in the works for several months. more ›

First they banned plastic bags in unincorporated Los Angeles County, now the Board of Supervisors is considering a ban on medical marijuana dispensaries in the same area, according to LA Now. Currently the pot shops are living on borrowed time, under a 4-year-old policy that already imposes strident restrictions on where they can set up. more ›

Calling plastic bags "urban tumbleweed," L.A. County Sup. Zev Yaroslavsky was among the voters on the Board who helped put a sweeping ban on the items today, according to LA Now. Joining Yaroslavsky were Sups. Gloria Molina and Mark Ridley-Thomas, with Sup. Michael D. Antonovich opposing, and Sup. Don Knabe absent. more ›

Marina del Rey, Altadena, East L.A., Topanga, Stevenson Ranch and other L.A. County unincorporated communities could see an all-out ban on medical marijuana dispensaries if a proposal becomes law. Supervisor Michael Antonovich introduced a motion (.pdf) on Tuesday that requests staff to propose revise county code "for a..." more ›

In a split decision, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors today approved a boycott of Arizona over its controversial immigration law, SB 1070. The 3-2 vote means county employees cannot travel to the state unless "the county’s chief executive determines it would seriously harm county interests," according to the LA Times. "The boycott also calls for a divestiture of Arizona’s state and municipal bonds by the county’s pension fund." Mark Ridley-Thomas was the deciding vote when he joined Gloria Molina, who introduced the measure, and Zev Yaroslavsky in approving the measure. Don Knabe and Michael Antonovich voted no. “We need solutions, not boycotts,” said Antonovich. more ›

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich has offered his two cents on the movement in California and within his own board to engage in a financial boycott of Arizona, and he thinks the idea is "stupid," according to a press release issued today. more ›

Earth Day or not, the move to build 12 major transit projects in 10 years--instead of 30 as they are currently planned for--was wholly supported by the Metro Board of Directors today. The 30/10 Plan, as touted by Mayor (and cheerleader) Antonio Villaraigosa, would ask congress to loan billions of dollars upfront for the projects with a guarantee of paying it back, thanks to the Measure R sales tax. more ›

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been going around selling his 30/10 plan to everyone, even to President Barack Obama. The idea is to get a $30 to $40 billion loan from the federal government with a guarantee that Metro will pay it back with funds raised from Measure R, the 2008 voter-approved sales tax. The money would build 12 transportation projects slated to be completed within 30 years in 10 years instead. The idea is a first-of-a-kind and is garnering a coalition of support. more ›

Funding for the first phase of the Gold Line Foothill Extension was approved this morning by the Metro Board of Directors, setting in motion work that will allow for a June groundbreaking. Today's vote moved $690 million, raised from the voter-approved Measure R sales tax, to the coffers of the Gold Line Construction Authority, which will build 11.3 miles of light rail track, extending the line from Pasadena to Azusa, generally along the 210 freeway. more ›

A Metro committee Thursday is poised to vote on a move that would fully fund the first of two phases extending the Gold Line along the 210 Freeway. If the $690 million transfer is approved, Phase IIA would extend the light rail line 11.3 miles from Pasadena to Azusa, mostly along the 210 freeway, by 2014. There would be six stops in the cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, and Azusa. The vote is to transfer Measure R dollars from Metro to the Goldline Construction Authority so it can break ground in June. “This historic vote will secure victory for the San Gabriel Valley and move us toward our goal of a truly regional transit system,” said County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, who has been pushing for this project. The move then must be approved by the full board next week. Correction: The committee vote was last week and the full board vote is Thursday. more ›

The transit program that swept baseball fans between Union Station and Dodger Stadium in 2008 and then canceled in 2009 is back, thanks to a $300,000 grant enabling a no-cost express bus service for the 2010 Dodgers season. more ›

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It is now up to state legislators to pass AB 2321, and if they do, the half-cent increase in sales tax to 8.75% approved by the Metro board today will be put in the hands of Los Angeles County residents when they go to vote on election day this November. If the sales tax proposal, now called Measure R, is approved, it could raise as much as $40 billion over the next 30 years for public transit and road projects. Two members voted against the sales tax: LA County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and Duarte City Councilman John Fasana. Supervisor Gloria Molina abstained from voting. more ›

Two murders in nearly two days, two men walking on the street and now two hefty financial rewards for tips leading the prosecution to both of the separate slayings. Both the city and county of Los Angeles are offering these rewards because "someone knows who committed this senseless crime," LA City Councilman Jack Weiss told the Daily News of the March 9 murder in Hollywood. "This $50,000 reward gives them another reason to come forward and talk with the police." On that night, police found the body of Katan Khaimov, 70, on the street after he had been stabbed. Ten days into the investigation, police say they have no leads. more ›