The Westside subway extension, which would bring Metro's Purple Line from its current Wilshire/Western terminus to Westwood, got what some are hailing as a "major step" closer to some big federal funding. California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer made a joint announcement today, urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to okay a $641 million federal loan for the project. more ›

At the National Association of Theatre Owners' CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas, Christopher Dodd, the former Democratic senator from Connecticut, is addressing attendees today in his first public comments since taking over as chairman and CEO of the MPAA nine days ago, reports Deadline. more ›

Rival candidates Barbara Boxer (D) and Carly Fiorina (R) are scheduled to go head to head this afternoon in their second debate, according to the Pasadena Star-News. more ›

The campaign against the movement to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in California has another prominent member in the opposition camp. Senator Dianne Feinstein has "agreed to participate in the campaign opposing" Proposition 19, the ballot initiative that would make marijuana a taxable crop in the state, according to an AP report. more ›

Following up on all the Field Polls released last week -- recreational marijuana and Jerry Brown not doing as well as some would expect -- here's the results of the third one (.pdf): "Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer is clinging to a narrow three-point lead (47% to 44%) over her Republican opponent, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, among likely voters in California’s upcoming November general election for U.S. Senate." LIke the Brown-Whitman match up for Governor, Boxer's dominating Democrat lead has shrunk significantly statewide. Locally in L.A. County, however, Boxer still leads by 55 to 35. more ›

Slate's Micky Kaus has been the Democrat underdog challenging Senator Barbara Boxer in the upcoming June 8th primary. The Venice-based writer hasn't garnered much media attention, but today's news could: he's set up a debate between himself and Boxer at 2 p.m. today, according to LA Weekly. "We know Senator Boxer will be in San Francisco then, because she's having a $35,000-a-couple fundraiser a few blocks away that evening," Kaus said. The Weekly has offered crickets for the event. more ›

Although California Senator Dianne Feinstein earlier this week admitted she was not familiar with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's 30/10 plan and that it could be a tough sell, today she gave her support. "I think the 30/10 Plan could become a national model for how to build up communities across the country," she said, echoing the sentiments of fellow Senator Barbara Boxer. more ›

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa decided not to run for Governor this summer and media consultant Charles Feldman believes he knows why: "Many have been puzzled by his decision recently not to run for governor; I am not. That's because I think he has already begun seriously entertaining the notion of running for the US Senate," he writes on The Huffington Post. more ›

Council President Eric Garcetti sat down with Neon Tommy's Senior Editor Hillel Aron for a nice interview this week. It revealed that the Councilman is a not hipster (although he represents the most hipster-dense neighborhood) and that Rodeo Grill in Echo Park is a good diner. We also learned that--as we suspected--Los Angeles is in for a worse budget shortfall fiscal year than the current one. more ›

Republican Assemblyman Chuck DeVore will announce today that he's running for U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer's seat in 2010. The Irvine state representative who just won his third term for his district "is among the most conservative members of the Assembly GOP caucus," the SacBee reported in a Capital Alert e-mail this morning. more ›

"As a state, I believe we should uphold the ability of our friends, neighbors and co-workers who are gay and lesbian to enter into the contract of marriage," said California Sen. Dianne Feinstein in a statement about Proposition 8, that November ballot initiative that seeks to ban gay marriage in California. more ›

Former Democratic Presidential candidate contender John Edwards is now admitting that he had an extra-marital affair with Rielle Hunter, but denies that he is the father of her child. Edwards initially denied the reports of the affair, as first broken by the National Enquirer, which claimed he had a rendezvous with the divorced model Hunter at a Los Angeles-area hotel that involved him seeing what they called their "love child." The Senator has been on some speculators' short lists for potential running mates for Barack Obama, but Edwards' involvement in Obama's candidacy and the upcoming DNC in Denver are most likely questionable following this admission. Edwards discusses the affair on an ABC newscast tonight during an interview with Bob Woodruff. more ›

The National Enquirer is at it again. After last year's "love child" scandal (aided by Huffington Post) that eventually died down, today, the Enquirer leads with this, claiming that "Vice Presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards was caught visiting his mistress and secret love child at 2:40 this morning in a Los Angeles hotel." They say that their reporters waited around until they saw Edwards leaving, approached him, but Edwards wouldn't talk and ran into the bathroom for 15 minutes until security ousted the writer and photographer. The story was so huge today, that a link from Drudge apparently crashed the National Enquirer's website. more ›

Today over at the Huffington Post, California Senator Barbara Boxer contributes her third post to the locally based blog and news site -- this time in an effort of advocacy: more ›

If you thought Sacramento politics was like watching paint dry on a wall, then it's time to revaluate that thought... at least for the moment. On Friday, the Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert blog picked their Press Release of the Week and if the proposed bill is passed, it could effect the roadways here in Los Angeles by letting solo drivers, including Hummers and other SUVs, gain access to car pool lanes if they purchase carbon off-sets annually. According to Senator Jim Battin (R- La Quinta), who submitted the bill, a "flashy, fuel-sucking car" (like his Lincon Aviator) only costs $45 a year while a Prius' carbon footprint can be neutralized for $15 (otherwise, the green bean car becomes "a worse foe to the environment than an SUV"). more ›

Thousands attended the Obama 2008 rally yesterday at Rancho Cienega in Crenshaw. We spoke to several Barack Obama supporters and found a variety of interests and goals bringing people together. To nobody's surprise, we found one common theme: Hope. Watch the video for more from the crowd and from Senator Obama himself.... more ›