The numbers from a new LA Times/USC poll shows that the percentage of voters in California who have tried pot are also the voters who say they're likely to approve the ballot initiative to legalize the drug in the state, according to the Times. more ›

A second poll conducted in the past few weeks indicates that same-sex marriage has increasing--and now majority--support from California's voters, according to LA Now. In a Los Angeles Times/USC poll, registered voters who were surveyed "said 52% to 40% that 'same-sex couples should be allowed to become legally married in the state of California.'" more ›

A resolution to support a ballot initiative that would fully fund state parks, thus protecting them from budget raids that prompt closures, failed to garner support from a L.A. City Council committee (.pdf) yesterday afternoon. At issue for Councilmembers Dennis Zine and Tony Cardenas were the fees associated with the proposal. more ›

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has his eye on a big prize: Governor of California. With the 2010 election in the seedling stage, Newsom is aiming to raise his profile in Southern California, and has set his sights on the youth vote and the liberal leanings of Los Angeles for his local visit this week, explains the LA Times. more ›

Incumbent Mayor Antonia Villaraigosa wouldn't take Steve Lopez up on the offer of comparing french dip sandwiches along with his challengers a few days ago, but according to his Twitter feed, he's happy to shake a few hands with voters at another famous LA meat sandwich shop: Langer's Deli. Villaraigosa is kissing babies and finding photo ops as part of a very busy weekend campaign bus tour of the city. Already today he has "rallied the troops in support of the solar plan Measure B" and "open[ed] a Fire Station in the Pico Union area." His campaign blog lists many such visits today and tomorrow (although the midday ones are absent from today's agenda) and includes an awful lot of greeting, and a lot of potential meat-eating. His late-night nosh stops include Canter's Deli at 10 pm and Pink's Hot Dogs at 11. more ›

By 6:00 p.m. tonight, 72.22% of the roughly 4.3 million registered voters in Los Angeles County have voted. That translates to about 3,105,460 people including those who voted prior to the election via vote-by-mail and early voting in Norwalk. By comparison, 63.51% and 56.04% of registered voters turned out to the polls by 6:00 p.m. in 2004 and 2000, respectively. more ›

As of 2:00 p.m., the LA County Registrar-Recorder's Office said that an estimated 48.55%, or 2,087,650 people, of the 4.3 million registered voters have voted already today. This number reportedly does not include the more than 647,000 people who voted by mail or participated in early voting (though, over a million early vote requests were made). "A comparative sample turnout for the 2004 Presidential General Election showed 43.62% for the same time period," an advisory stated. " Samplings from previous year General Elections for the time period ranged from 20.71% in 2002 to 35.69% in 2000." more ›

There are 4.3 million registered voters in LA County and approximately 1,638,601 had voted as of noon today, five hours after polls opened at 7:00 a.m., according to the Registrar-Recorder's office. Polls will close at 8:00 p.m. tonight. more ›

Alicia Dwyer, a filmmaker from Los Angeles who has directed, edited and produced an Academy award winning documentary and an Emmy-award winning series, recently travelled to Ohio not to film a documentary but to direct and produce advertisements. She produced ads for Local Voices for Obama, an innovative campaign to broadcast local ads featuring local voices and attitudes in swing states. LAist sat down to talk to Alicia Dwyer about her experience. more ›

As the results of today's caucuses--including one being held at Caesar's Palace--in Nevada continue to stream in, most are projecting Senator Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney the winners of the Democratic and Republican races, respectively. more ›

California is still a hue of royal blue in the bloody bruise that exemplifies partisan U.S. politics. But with the ludicrous and often homogeneous plans suggested by members of the so-called "right" and "left," California voters have only grown to embrace their right-to-choose in a people's democracy. Californians who choose not to register as a red, blue, or third-party voter -- "Decline to State" voters -- comprise nearly one-fifth of the state's registered voters according... more ›