Grieving Californians will no longer have to consider working during their bereavement period, according to a bill passed by the state assembly today. AB 325, authored by Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal, states that all employees -- from part-time to temporary to salaried -- will get four days of unpaid leave following the death of certain relatives, including a child, parent, spouse, domestic partner, grandparent, grandchild or sibling, reports the OC Register. more ›

Senator Jenny Oropeza (D - Long Beach) has died, according to the Sacramento Bee. The 53-year-old was diagnosed with a blood clot in her abdomen earlier this year and had been largely missing from the floor since. She was an State Assemblymember from 2000 to 2006, when she was elected to the Senate. Before that she was a member of the Long Beach School Board and Long Beach City Council. R.I.P. Jenny Oropeza. more ›

A Senate Joint Resolution initiated in June of last year is moving towards adoption today follwoing a 10-3 vote in its favor by the California State Assembly Committee on Health, according to a press release issued by the advocacy group Americans for Safe Access. more ›

Remember those cute commercials showing cows auditioning American Idol-style to be the next "face" of Real California Milk? Too bad they were all shot in New Zealand, and not California. more ›

Assembly Bill 1998, which would ban single-use plastic bags, passed out of committee today and will now be taken to the Assembly floor for a vote. Santa Monica Assemblywoman Julia Brownley’s bill prohibits any retail establishment that meets the definition of a “supermarket” from distributing plastic or paper single-use bags. more ›

Legislation to ban mobile billboards throughout California took a big step forward today when a bill to ban them was approved by the State Assembly in a 46-14 vote. The city of Los Angeles has been fighting mobile billboards, which have become one of the biggest complaints in some communities, for years with no success. AB 2756, brought forward by two Los Angeles Democrats, now heads to the State Senate for consideration. more ›

A state assembly bill seeking to ban mobile billboards on county and city streets where no local laws address them was approved in a committee this morning. AB 2756, authored by two Democrat Los Angeles assemblymembers, is in response to numerous community complaints about these advertisement, which many contend blight city streets, take up parking and endanger residents. more ›

A 1950s state code still on the books instructs California's Department of Mental Health to conduct research into the "causes and cures of homosexuality," but a group, with the help of a local Assemblymember is looking to repeal it. AB 2199, or "Repeal of Discriminatory Code," was authored by Bonnie Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) and sponsored by Equality California (EQCA). more ›

The next speaker of the California Assembly marks a milestone for the house, as Los Angeles union organizer John A. Perez is the first openly gay man to serve in that capacity. 40-year-old Perez has been politically active since his teens, and worked "both in housing projects and with immigrants on job sites to improve wages, healthcare and benefits," eventually leading him to become UFCW political director before running for the Assembly representing the 46th district, according to his campaign biography. more ›

Although Republican Assemblyman Bill Maze of Visalia introduced a bill that would fine people driving with animals on their laps $35, the Governor is giving it the ol' veto. more ›

A local state assemblyman has proposed a bill that could end up adding a fee to driver registrations or gas at the pumps in Los Angeles County. The West Hollywood based Mike Feuer, who sits on the state's Transportation committee, has put in AB2558 that would either add $90 to annual registrations or 9-cents per gallon of gas. more ›

For the last ten years, state representatives from Los Angeles have dominated the role of Speaker of the Assembly, including Mayor Villaraigosa, LA City Council Herb Wesson and Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle. Today, Karen Bass, the assemblywoman who represents neighborhoods from West LA to Culver City to Baldwin Hills, had enough votes to become Speaker of the Assembly up in Sacramento. more ›

As it gets closer to Halloween for LAist, a contributer recollects her tale of staring down the serial killer, Richard Ramirez, otherwise known as the Night Stalker. Must think happy thoughts -- okay, free organic chocolate chip cookies for Los Angeles -- now that's a happy thought. Other happy Los Angeles thoughts include an interview with Jack Kehler of The Big Lebowski (he was the Dude's landlord), a beautiful and magical photographic moment in Venice and the press making the speaker of the California State Assembly, Fabian Núñez, run away when being asked hard questions about sketchy luxurious and worldly expenses. more ›

Núñez represents downtown Los Angeles, to the south of, and East LA in the state assembly. It is rumored he wants to run for Mayor. It is not like Democrat Fabian Núñez, Speaker of the California State Assembly, is some bogus politician with bad intentions and total self-serving motives. I am not going to argue with him for looking into universal preschool, high speed rail and global warming solutions for California; in fact, I... more ›

Just when you thought the public transportation and traffic situation in Los Angeles couldn't possibly get any worse... it did. Yes, in a true stroke of brilliance, the State Assembly decided to cut close to $1.3 billion in funding from mass transit transportation in this year's budget bill. As Siel over at green LA girl notes, this means we can probably kiss that planned Expo line expansion from Culver City to Santa Monica good-bye.... more ›

Last night I put on a white “I Love WeHo Dykes” t-shirt, merged with the throng of Dyke March 2007 attendees, and paraded down Santa Monica Boulevard, a street coincidentally named in honor of the patron saint of abused, victimized, and neglected women. It may seem strange to some that I would do such a thing given that I am not Dyke, Lesbian, or Queer. But as a woman, a West Hollywood resident, and a lover of civil rights, I cannot lie. It is true. My t-shirt is accurate. I do love Dykes. I love them for their courage, their defiance, and their sacrifice. And as women, we share a traceable genealogical line that extends beyond 180,000 mitochondrial generations, making us all grand-daughters of the same Eve-of-origin. more ›

Even though "experts" are saying that Chicago will be the US city that the USOC will choose to represent the USA as host city nominee for the 2016 Summer Games, today the California State Senate approved a quarter-billion dollar guarantee if LA does get the nod. From an excited LA2016 press release: The California State Senate today voted overwhelmingly in favor of AB300, previously approved 65-1 by the State Assembly, which authorizes $250 million as... more ›

The Mayor Who Wasn't Is The Solar Panel Man Los Angeles Mayor challenger in the 2005 election, Robert Hertzberg: “California does have this great image,” said Mr. Hertzberg, a former speaker of the California State Assembly and the co-founder of an investment firm, Renewable Capital. “But Europe still is much greener than anywhere in the United States, by several orders of magnitude.” His thin and flexible solar panels work in overcast and in rain.... more ›

LA County Supervisor Yvonne Braithwaite Burke will retire after 40 years in politics. She was the first African-American woman elected to the California State Assembly. While there will be many heartfelt farewells for the 73-year-old, more interesting will be the race for her seat. The 5-member Board of Supervisors controls the pursestrings for the County and is vastly powerful; so far, Mark Ridley Thomas, Herb Wesson and Bernard Parks are rumored to be possible successors. more ›

Today, July 1, Los Angeles gets a new mayor. more ›

The bill was unanimously approved today, by the state assembly's Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media (say that six times fast), and will now come to a vote before the full assembly. more ›

Scheduled to appear: more ›