If you've ever been out and about and wondered (as surely we all have): "Am I breaking the law if I..." and you are an iPhone user, you might want to make a 99-cent investment in a new app released today called Cal Codes. Also handy for those study law enforcement or law, the Cal Codes app "contains the complete California State Penal code, Vehicle Code and Criminal Code." Go forth, legal eagles, and arm yourself with info on what's a felony, misdemeanor, or infraction in the Golden State. more ›

January 1 is right around the corner, and for California drivers, that means a slew of new laws go into effect. The California Highway Patrol sent out a reminder and details about all of the state's new traffic laws that will govern the roads and their drivers starting with the turn of the calendar. more ›

Violating school bus laws brings in a hefty fine of $500. And it seems the city of South Pasadena held a big fundraiser on Wednesday when police handed out 160 tickets totaling $80,000 to drivers on the six-lane Huntington Drive at Milan Ave. It was quite an elaborate sting, involving no schoolchildren but lots of lights and sirens described one driver who was cited to the LA Times. “It was a circus of lights and chaos,” she said of the sting that also involved from Alhambra, Monterey Park, San Gabriel, San Marino and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Temple City station. “No one was speeding, I mean people were literally just trying to figure out what was going on and what to do to to keep away from whatever the activity was. I thought I was being directed along with other motorists away from whatever it was that was happening.” One commenter at LA Times noted that the tickets are bogus noting that "VC Section 22454 states that the bus must be 'stopped for the purpose of loading or unloading any schoolchildren'." more ›

Bicycle advocate Alex Thompson wrote on his blog that he ran various red lights last night in Santa Monica. He explains his actions. "Because the decrepit signals wouldn’t change for me. Every time I visit Santa Monica City Council I run the light in front of the Police Department. I wait and wait and wait before I realize that the signal is not going to change for me. Then I look around, make sure there aren’t any police about, and I run it." more ›

It took less than 48 hours for a friend of LAist to bring the first V.C. 23123 infraction ticket into LAist HQ. And yes, 23123 is the much-vaunted "Hand-Held Wireless Telephone: Prohibited Use. "The phone rang and I naturally picked it up," said our friend. "My client said it'll be real quick. But it wasn't quick enough." The ticket doesn't indicate a dollar amount (and according to the driver, the phone was actually in his left hand) but according to code, the first 23123 infraction is a $20 fine (subsequent infractions are $50). Are Ofc. Lockett and others out staked out purely to pin the headsetless? more ›

LAist Featured Photos contributor Michael Zara, aka monkeytime, took this photo on Main Street in Santa Monica and makes an interesting observation: more ›