Today the Los Angeles city council voted 13-0 for an ordinance that was widely viewed as an effort to block Walmart's effort to open a grocery store in Chinatown. The only problem? The ordinance won't actually stop the Chinatown location from opening at all. All the necessary permits for the location were already quietly approved at 4:30 pm yesterday. more ›

Right now teachers' contracts require the district to toss out anything in their files older than four years old that doesn't result in any discipline. So if a parent makes a serious allegation or a principal includes a warning or concern about a teacher, but nothing comes of it after four years, those notes are tossed out or put in an "expired" file. more ›

This afternoon the San Marino Police Department sent out a formal apology to the entire city for not doing more to stop a protest on the lawn of a Wells Fargo executive, according to San Marino Patch. more ›

Tens of thousands of people marched and gathered for the "Our Communities, Our Good Jobs" labor rally in downtown on "Solidarity Saturday" in support of union workers in Wisconsin and in Los Angeles. more ›

Union workers from the LA County Federation of Labor flew to Madison this morning to join tens of thousands of activists gathered at the Wisconsin state capital to protest Gov. Scott Walker's overreaching efforts to curb union benefits and vanquish its collective bargaining powers. more ›

Are dropping crime rates proof of the need to hire more LAPD officers or is it time to maintain the status quo? Police Chief Charlie Beck is clashing with the police union over new LAPD hires, according to the LA Times. Union leaders would like to halt the hiring of new LAPD officers and instead use that budget to fill open civilian jobs. Beck disagrees, citing his department's ability to "balance safety and finances" and that recent drops in crime rates over the past several years prove as much. more ›

As rumored in the past few weeks, the powerful Service Employees International Union of California is readying to officially endorse Prop 19, which would legalize and tax marijuana. It's not official yet, but sources are confirming it to the New York Times, which notes that the endorsement offers "the proposition a shot of mainstream legitimacy as well as a potential financial and organizational lift." The group has 700,000 members, making it the largest statewide group. more ›

Just in time for the Labor Day weekend, a union that represents Hyatt workers across the country is highlighting their labor contract problem with the hotel company. In July they held a major demonstration that shut town traffic on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood outside the Andaz Hotel, which led to over 60 arrests. Yesterday they went back, but reportedly stuck to the sidewalks. And today it's the Hyatt in Century City. more ›

A peaceful labor protest that shut down rush hour traffic on a portion of the Sunset Strip Thursday afternoon ended in numerous arrests. It was part of an effort by hotel union workers in 15 cities in the U.S. and Canada to highlight contract disputes with hotel owners. more ›

The budget drama is not yet over! As July 1st approaches -- that's the new budget year for L.A. -- the process to let go of 761 workers began yesterday, according to the Daily Breeze. The first round will include 246 people, including employees from libraries to animal services and parks. If $53 million does not come in from leasing garages later this year, another 1,000 employees could also go to the wayside. Unions argue the layoffs won't save the city much as deferred wage hikes are coming down the line. more ›

When thousands of city jobs were threatened earlier this year due to L.A.'s own budget crisis, the Coalition of L.A. City Unions decided to propose their own budget that would include job-saving measures. One of those ideas would take 50 sacked employees and put them to work on the streets as parking enforcement officers. more ›

The union that represents 8,700 L.A. Department of Water & Power workers is at odds with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa over the carbon surcharge drama going down between the City Council and Board of Water & Power Commission. Despite warnings, the Board approved a higher electric rate than recommended by the Council, which in turn vetoed it. That meant the needed rate increase to address bankruptcy concerns and renewable energy expansion can't happen for another three months. Brian D'Arcy, the head of the power-weidling International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, told the Villaraigosa that the Board should have supported the plan. A LADWP top official says the agency is now "significant jeopardy." more ›

Facing a $405-million budget deficit, Mayor Villaraigosa earlier this summer asked city employees to share the sacrifice. A major deal was struck with civilian union employees by letting 2,400 employees retire early within five years. That plan needed City Council approval and with months of no action, things have changed. more ›

Senator McCain is visiting California for three days for the first time since he locked up the Republican nomination. While in the Golden State, The Man hosted a town hall meeting for military families in Chula Vista on Monday, will host a roundtable event for Hispanic small-business owners in Orange County on Tuesday, and will deliver a policy speech to the Los Angeles Foreign Affairs Council on Wednesday. Interspersed, of course, are scheduled fundraising events. At Monday's town hall meeting, he was greeted by picketers protesting his economic policies. Who would protest McCain's economic policies, you ask? Labor unions. more ›