Redding, CA is a bit further north than most towns that find themselves in our wheelhouse of coverage -- nearly nuzzling the Oregon border, it's a good 550 miles away from Los Angeles. But there's a story going on up there that's so voyeuristically fascinating, we thought it bore telling on the grounds that, hey, we're all Californians. Here's the way it goes... more ›

She's at it again. Laguna Niguel-based lawyer Orly Taitz, one of the key players in the anti-President Barack Obama "birther" movement, is getting dressed down by a federal judge. This time it's in response to her claims Obama "has used other people’s Social Security numbers," reports the OC Register. more ›

The issue of social security inequality (and in general, the lack of federal recognition of gay partners) for domestic partnerships is getting some more attention. Occasional LAist contributor Shawn Nee produced a video featuring Atwater Village resident Bill Bowersock and his story of being rejected by the feds over survivor benefits. Since last week it has spread to the New Yorker, the Atlantic and most recently on NBC's The Filter with Fred Roggins, who had Bowersock on as a guest Wednesday evening. more ›

When it comes to the gay marriage debate, social security is hardly brought up. But the fact is, partners who have lived together for years are face economic hardship when social security benefits are denied after their other half dies. That's why occasional LAist contributor Shawn Nee produced this short documentary video, telling Atwater Village resident Bill Bowersock's story of loss and burden. more ›

At a march and rally yesterday, U.S. Representative Linda Sanchez announced that she would be authoring legislation to provide equal Social Security benefits for same-sex couples. more ›

The L.A. City Council today unanimously backed a resolution to support social security benefits for same-sex couples. Currently, no benefits are offered in four main categories, including retirement benefits, disability insurance, survivor benefits and burial expenses. more ›

A contract security guard for the Department of Homeland Security ousted a woman from a Van Nuys federal building yesterday because she was wearing a t-shirt with "lesbian.com" printed on it when she came to pick up a social security card for her son. more ›

• Happy 5th Birthday Gothamist!!
• A "possible" security breach at the Department of Water and Power Monday may result in more than 8,300 employees wondering, why are there two me's? The lifted information included stats on active DWP employee's names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth and could result in a massive case of stolen identity.
• The gig is up for all you stingy, free-loading kids who like to use their school's gym for league sports. "Soccer leagues, volleyball clubs and basketball groups that have had gratis access to LAUSD facilities from the Harbor Area to Carson will need to pony up beginning March 1 to defray usage costs and raise revenue," the Daily Breeze said. And it's about time. I'm sick of hearing the joyful laughter of kids who should be out getting a real job or doing drugs. Thankfully, they now might have to turn some tricks to pay for what was once free.
• Yahoo is planning to lay off nearly 500 employees in the next couple of months, including 111 in Burbank and 52 in Santa Monica. Yah-poo is more like it for the jobless.
• The LA Times offers a scathing editorial of the state assembly's efforts to cut down the $14.5 billion deficit. Wait, that's not an editorial at all. That's a news story with sentences like, "their move would not actually reduce spending" and "lawmakers' measures would put taxpayers on the hook for more debt." Most (not all) of the stuff is attributed, but I can find ten people right now to tell me I look great though I have a bag over my head.
• In an effort to clean our smoggy image, Los Angeles officials are proposing tighter green building standards that would require large, privately built commercial and residential projects to use environmentally sound practices. This is a great step, but you know what would actually reduce smog? Less driving! And more public transportation!
• Do you love Los Angeles? Do you want everyone to know how much you love this city? Monopoly is giving you the opportunity as it prepares to unveil its first global board where you can vote for the city (ahem, Los Angeles) of your choice to appear on the coveted square. Right now, Montreal is first, followed by Istanbul and L.A. is sitting not so pretty in the 43rd spot. Vote here.
• One smart bastard from Long Beach turned his collection of 301 rare pennies into a $10.7 million pay day. Dallas-based auction house Heritage Auction Galleries, which held the sale in Long Beach Friday night says that coin and a 1794 cent with tiny stars added to prevent counterfeiters each raised $632,500. People make fun of me for picking up pennies, but this seals it: I am never throwing away anything ever again.
• Hey Momma, you have two more days to enter the Kanye contest on LAist. Who loves you? We do.

The courts once again sided with the Bush administration in its warrantless spy tapping program. This time, the liberal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to rule against the government in its handling of the war on terror. Somewhere, Abbie Hoffman is crying. Following an incident at Cal State Fullerton, in which nooses appeared on a clothesline at an anti-hate rally, civil rights leaders are calling for a federal investigation. College officials quickly took... more ›

Regina Spektor - "Us" @ Coachella, 2007 Maybe you're like us. Maybe you already have been to every great Halloween that Isla Vista has to offer. Maybe you are tired of scaring the little kids in your Dick Cheney costume showing them how Social Security will be wiped out by the time they're 40. Maybe the West Hollywood omg I'm a slut costume has worn thin(ner). Maybe you just want to get away from... more ›

With a major project concluded, I'm back to regular writing. Hockey is back, too. You can watch a free game downtown tonight. Angels 10, Devil Rays 7 - The last time the Halos played small ball this well, they won a World Series. They could be headed back, with their magic number down to five. The Angels piled up double digits against the Devils without a home run on Monday, the 11th time they've reached... more ›

I happened upon this event last year and giggled for about 4 days. Last year I had the fortune of walking by just as the women's figure competition was finishing up, and there was this voice of God over a microphone that would say "LEFT DELTOID" and then everyone would turn and flex their oily glistening shoulders in unison and smile their most constipated smile while standing atop 4 inch tall plastic hooker shoes.... more ›

On Nov. 21 UCLA discovered that an unauthorized person or persons had exploited a previously undetected software flaw and fraudulently accessed the school's database between October 2005 and November 2006. While UCLA cannot pinpoint exactly whose info was stolen, they know that "the hacker sought and retrieved some Social Security Numbers." Personal information for 800,000 people including current students, former students, faculty, staff, even some parents of students who had applied for financial aid... more ›

fair and balanced? The new White House press secretary will be Tony Snow, direct from Fox News. What next, Bill O'Reilly for Secretary of State? more ›

While we scratch our heads figuring out how to increase civic engagement here in the city of LA, the restless lefties at MoveOn.org are thinking nationally. Monday they launched a Flash animation contest To Stop the Republican Social Security Scam. There are 16 days left for you to submit your wickedly funny, wierd, politically persuasive Flash animation. Al Franken and Arianna Huffington (of course) are among the judges, plus Richard (Slacker) Linklater, Aaron McGruder (The Boondocks cartoons), and John Cusack (LAist loves Grosse Pointe Blank). The winner, in addition to a few seconds of fame, will get an Apple G4 laptop. LA's genius deserves to represented in the final 10. more ›