Last week, census data revealed that 16.1% of L.A. County residents are living in poverty. Now data about the Inland Empire is surfacing and it's telling an even worse story: the region saw a 15.4% poverty rate in 2009. more ›

Census Bureau data released yesterday shows an increase in the poverty rate as reported in Los Angeles County, according to LA Now. Up from 15.2% in 2008, the 2009 figure for the County is 16.1%; over "1.56 million county residents lived below the poverty threshold, which is $10,956 for one person and $21,954 for a family of four." more ›

For the latest installment of the "Vice Guide to Travel" series, filmmakers Shane Smith and Andy Capper of Vice literally went where no one else has been: West Point in Monrovia, Liberia, "one of the worst slums in Liberia, which makes it one of the worst in West Africa, which makes it one of the worst in the world". The result is a raw, in-your-face and harrowing look at this country ridden with years civil war and poverty. more ›

It's a fascinating story -- ex-gang members from Los Angeles traveling to rural southwest Alabama to talk to kids about violence, gangs, poverty and love. Homeboy Industries, the largest gang intervention program in the country, is based in Los Angeles and is doing just that. The LA Times covered a recent trip to Prichard, Alabama by two members of Homeboy Industries, Luis Colocio and Agustin Lizama. more ›

Another collection of holiday gift ideas that give more...and many of these are perfect for those of you who like to save it last minute...and perhaps not even leave the house! Check out PhiLAnthropist Gift Guide Part I for more... more ›

"When you are doing what you are supposed to be doing, the universe opens up and says, 'yeah, I am going to help you out.'" Mary Fanaro, founder of the LA-based OmniPeace fashion brand, perfectly summed up her experiences since starting the company in 2005. The former event producer remembers waking up one morning after throwing a huge bash for the 10-year anniversary for the Hard Rock Hotel more ›

What happens when you travel to Argentina to learn how to play Polo? You start a sustainable and socially conscious shoe company. Of course. more ›

Back in February, we told you about Twestival, a worldwide "tweet-up" in the name of raising money for charity:water. Over 200 cities, incuding Los Angeles and Anaheim hosted their own Twestivals. What madeTwestival and the partnership with charity:water so great, in addition to the fact that thousands of people came together to make this happen in a matter of weeks, is that 100% of the proceeds raised from Twestival goes directly to the provision of clean and safe drinking water. (And we browsed their financials, they are legit). more ›

LA prides itself on being a standout among other American cities for its weather, celebrities, and attractions. One distinction, however, points to the darker side of life in our troubled metropolis--the fact that over "two million people living in Los Angeles County - about 20 percent of the area's population - receive welfare or other public aid," according to the Daily News. In fact, our county tops the list nationwide, per Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who said: "We have the highest human service burden of any county in the country in sheer numbers. Two million people is the size of some countries; that's how big our problem is." Officials believe numbers will continue to rise as our economic woes continue. Local offices are "ill-equipped to deal with the growing throng of indigent people," and, as of the end of 2008 LA County was drawing $334 million a month from local, state, and federal governments. more ›

December's Skid Row Neighborhood Watch Walk was lightly attended, likely due to the tree lighting events happening at LA Live. As always, the walk went on, and as always, the walk was unlike any prior walks. While feelings of sadness, confusion and hopelessness had ensued after previous walks, this one offered a new, fresh and somewhat hopeful perspective. One of the most intriguing aspects of the walk is having the chance to meet, talk to and walk with the individuals that have a true passion and dedication to Skid Row and those who make up the community. more ›

What happens when you take a girl living in poverty and give her a uniform to attend school? more ›

Waking up early for Black Friday's "doorbusters" sounds like the anti-fun. So here are some of LAist's Holiday Picks for the philanthropist in you, none of which involve any malls, massive stores or long lines. All of these gifts have a charitable element to them, benefiting mostly local or national organizations so you're really giving two gifts and making lots of people happy. And you feel good. Everybody wins! Onto the gifts that keep on giving... more ›

It was a historic night indeed; Americans joined together to demand change and Obama eloquently answered, reminding us that this victory is thanks to commitment and dedication on the part of the American people. While the election is over, the momentum must continue; we must continue to work together to truly bring change to our lives, our city and its people. So, speaking of the need for change and the homeless, the monthly Skid Row neighborhood walk happens tonight. The situation on Skid Row serves as a perfect example of how a successful policy of "containment" has lead to a growing human tragedy. more ›

LA City Councilman Richard Alarcon and representatives from over 20 organizations announced that they will be calling on new the President-elect and Congress to update the Federal Poverty Guidelines. They'll be making their way to Washington DC to lobby for the cause. From Alarcon's office: more ›

LA Weekly has taken a deep look into the local Proposition B, "an extremely obscure measure on the Nov. 4 ballot [that] would wipe out the two-story height restrictions on poverty housing in Los Angeles, legally allowing tall towers containing low-income housing once again," writes Jill Stewart who explains that "the measure [...] would also wipe out the Los Angeles voter-approved cap allowing no more than 52,500 of these low-rent units, in carefully controlled dollops of 30 units or less per building, citywide." She goes on to call the popular and usually untouchable LA City Council President Eric Garcetti an "avid density hawk" who has engaged in "breathtaking spin" regarding the measure. So that's one side of it, at least. More to come. more ›

"The measure of any society is how they treat their weakest element. The widows, the orphans, the strangers on the land. How we do anything is how we do everything. We're not doing so well on Skid Row." ~ Sam Slovick more ›

And then there were two. Tonight in Los Angeles, Democratic presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will pontificate, bicker, wax poetic, and throw things at each other. The debate is sponsored by the LA Times, Politico.com, and CNN, and moderated by Wolf "Hack" Blitzer. The "show" begins at 5pm PST. more ›

Mayor Tony calls the federal government's failure to address issues such as poverty, housing, and infrastructure "absolutely criminal" in this short video interview produced by The Nation and The Drum Major Institute. more ›

The first time I was in Compton, I didn't even know it until later when I was at a restaurant looking at the menu and noticed the address. It appeared the world's stereotype was wrong, maybe gone or I just happened to be in the "right" part of town. "Compton is beautiful, there are horse ranches there," a co-worker who grew up there told me at a previous job a few years before my... more ›

The LA Times is reporting today that the city has a near $77.5 million unspent in Quimby fees that it has been collected from developers for park space and improvements. The fees, from the California 1975 Quimby Act (not that quimby folks), require developers to help mitigate the impacts of property improvements and new development by paying a fee that goes into a city parks department fund or set aside land on the development.The... more ›

"Constance" by Mr. J. Medeiros of Echo Park more ›

The Idiot Box portrays the structural demise of a group of Friends-esque roommates living in an alternate realm of televised situational comedy (complete with predictable jokes, stereotypes, accepted sexism, and laugh tracks) that slowly collapses under the weight of the crude reality of the modern human condition. This Open Fist Theatre production has all of the traditional markers of a really good drama: Michael Elyanow's new play is a carefully crafted quagmire of complex, yet well-structured writing that painstakingly deconstructs commercialized apathy; Jeremy Cohen's complementary stage direction subtly juggles all of the unnerving discomfort, painful associations, and concocted awe that the Idiot Box inherently emotes with the tact of a Twilight Zone junkie; and the cast skillfully completes the production, straddling both exaggerated artificiality and awakened intensity as their paradigm shifts from that of a sit-com world to one of war, terrorism, poverty, racism, psychological crises, mediocrity, self-loathing, and fear. more ›

If there's one thing I hate more than the MSM's obsessive coverage of the presidential campaigns, it's the gross fickleness and inanity inherent in the coverage itself. Given that the next president will need to tackle a whole host of weighty issues immediately upon taking office — global warming, the Iraq war, healthcare and the deficit, just to name a few — you might think the press would be busy providing in-depth and insightful... more ›

Writer Ray Bradbury may be 87, but his mind and sense of humor are as agile as ever. LAist joined his diehard fans and other audience members for an evening with Bradbury live at the Fremont Centre Theatre in South Pasadena on Friday night. The author of American classics – Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles etc. – took the stage and talked for nearly an hour and a half on his love life. more ›

Here are the five productions opening this weekend that are currently piquing LAist’s interest: more ›

At the height of the strange filmic subgenre affectionately known as the "Rupert Pupkin documentary," a genre popularized by American Movie and bowdlerized by Windy City Heat, sits the drunk, demented, one-legged granddaddy of them all: Dancing Outlaw. If you've never seen Dancing Outlaw, then stop right here. I don’t mean stop reading this review, I mean stop everything else you are doing in your life and get a hold of this movie immediately.... more ›

But it was for a good cause, right? LAist watched the entire two hours of American Idol's telethon tonight, which was broadcast at both the regular Idol studios and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. And while we admire Ryan Seacrest and company for trying to do something good for kids living in poverty in both America and Africa (checkout myspace.com/idolgivesback or the Idol Gives Back page for ways to donate), we felt cheated and... more ›

The LA Times has nominated five books in each of nine different categories for the 2007 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. In the weeks leading up to the Festival of Books where the winners will be announced, LAist will take a quick look at each category and will wax poetic on a few favorites (or least favorites) along the way. Whiteman by Tony D'Souza - D’Souza delivers a memorable journey of ideals, disillusionment and partial... more ›

Recommended 13 Tzameti - French movie with an Eastern European sensibility about a young handyman who decides to follow instructions intended for the owner of the house he's repairing. He ends up in a remote house, where he is forced to take part in a brutal game of Russian Roulette in which only one of the 13 participants will survive. Bicycle Thieves - Criterion has released a DVD of Vittorio De Sica's 1947 classic... more ›

#8 Woman pissed off that she got the wrong change sets an Orange County Walgreens on fire with her cigarette. Quoth store employee Harry Ambriose: "You see flames all over the store, smoke all over the store, it was crazy...I smelled smoke in the cooler and I was like, 'What's going on? What’s going on?' Ran out and I see big black smoke all over the store, black on the ceiling, black everywhere...She just... more ›