The slew of local teacher misconduct allegations in recent months has shocked not only the Southland but the entire nation. Today, the Los Angeles Board of Education will vote on proposals that would make it faster and cheaper for the school district to fire teachers and notify parents sooner when an educator has been charged with a crime. more ›

A North Hollywood intersection is getting its streetlight ahead of schedule thanks to the efforts of City Councilmember Paul Krekorian and Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member Tamar Galatzan, who helped fast-track the construction after a fatal accident in the crosswalk that killed 12-year-old Emely Aleman in November. more ›

Yesterday the Los Angeles City Council was presented with a motion by Councilmember Paul Krekorian to expedite the installation of a traffic light at a North Hollywood intersection that has been the site of multiple fatal accidents in recent years. more ›

Yesterday was election day for those in Los Angeles' second district, spanning a slice of the Valley from Sherman Oaks to the Northeast Valley. Ten candidates put in a bid, but only two came out strong enough to turn the race into a runoff, which will take place on December 8th. Assemblyman Paul Krekorian and Businesswoman and City Commissioner Chris Essel dominated the results, something that was not too surprising, one bit. Here are the full results: more ›

No big surprise here. City Controller, and former Councimember for District 2, Wendy Greuel will endorse Chris Essel for the council seat. Both women have backgrounds in the film industry business. This is the second big endorsement for Essel in the past few weeks. She most recently gained the support of former Mayor Richard Riordan. Assemblymember Paul Krekorian was endorsed by Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley earlier this week and no word on big endorsements yet from the other frontrunner, Tamar Galatzan, but in an e-mail blast yesterday, a tongue-and-cheek top ten reasons to elect Tamar list touted that she "has voted for Wendy Greuel more times than Essel and Krekorian - combined." That's because she's a long time resident of Council District 2. Krekorian, for example, just moved into the boundaries this summer. more ›

The grassroots, but powerful San Fernando Valley Democratic Club yesterday endorsed Assemblyman Paul Krekorian for the 2nd District Council Seat in Los Angeles, according to wire reports. Krekorian is considered one of the front runners in the race along with Studio Exec Chris Essel and city prosecutor and LAUSD boardmember Tamar Galatzan--he currently represents portions of the Valley and over-the-hill neighborhoods like Los Feliz and Silver Lake. The endorsement gives the Democrat an edge on Essel, who has raised the most money and has been endorsed by former Mayor Richard Riordan. No matter, "money is not going to be a factor in this council race," says his campaign manager. "This campaign is going to be won on the ground, talking to voters directly." The primary for the district, which runs from Sherman Oaks to the Northeast Valley, will be held on September 22nd. more ›

Now that Wendy Greuel has officially vacated her seat as the 2nd District Councilmemember for her City Controller post, we're going to begin to hear more about those who are officially running. Councilman Jack Weiss' popular Valley field deputy Joan Pelico was rumored to be taking a stab at running, but it seems not any more. She's been re-hired by Weies' successor Paul Koretz at the satisfaction of a handful of neighborhood groups who urged him not to replace her. Following in the footsteps of Greuel's film industry to politics move, Chris Essel of Paramount has announced her campaign. Additionally, a local medical marijuana dispensary owner, Frank Sheftel, announced his intentions to run at various community meetings. While there's been no official announcement, Assemblymember Paul Krekorian is "still strongly considering stepping into the CD2 race," a spokesman told us. No official word yet from City Attorney and LAUSD School Board Member Tamar Galatzan or Director of Street Services Bill Robertson. more ›