Following weeks and weeks of stalling, the State Senate is finally getting ready to pass the budget bill after securing the crucial vote of Senate Republican leader Dick Ackerman. Good news in the environmental department: San Bernardino County authorities have just agreed to start cutting back on their greenhouse gas emissions after monitoring conditions over the next 30 months. Secretary of State Debra Bowen is going after ES&S for selling close to 1,000 uncertified......

Geffen, Zell Reportedly Discuss LA Times Movie and music mogul David Geffen is negotiating with Sam Zell on a possible deal for the Los Angeles Times following Zell's successful bid for Tribune Co., a published report said Thursday. How much of the city is still trying to feign interest in this ongoing saga? LA gang members in country illegally may face quicker deportation City and county prosecutors say they are working more closely with......

UPDATE: The deal went down this morning according to the Tribune. It's liberation day. The LA Times reports:Billionaire real estate mogul Sam Zell has reached an agreement to buy Tribune Co. in a two-stage deal valued at $8.2 billion, or $34 a share, the company said this morning. The Tribune Company auction has been all show -- nice bids but no bite -- kind of like those "30 percent chance of rain" days when there's......

Photo by The Spinosaurus @ Flickr Tom LaBonge Proposes Smoke Free Parks Los Angeles Councilman Proposes Smoke-Free Parks Los Angeles parks may be headed for smoke-free designation if City Councilman Tom LaBonge has his way. Sam Zell's bid for Tribune Co. is valued at $33 a share Chicago billionaire Sam Zell's bid for Chicago-based Tribune Co., which owns the LA Times, is valued at roughly $33 per share. The Man Behind Motor Trend Magazine Dies......

"I don't care if Mark Foley had been asking boys to describe their penises because I have some sad news for you: Your kid is so larded out on Cheetos and Yoo-hoo, he can't even see his penis." - Bill Maher, today on Salon.com "You're wankers, but really important wankers. Even you, Robert Joseph at Earthlink, who has sent me consistent hatemail for two years straight. You, sir, have been impressive." - Jessica Coen......