In a stroke of creative genius, a reality TV producer wants to make a show about high school kids that live in the Malibu area, documenting what happens over their summer vacation. This staggeringly original idea comes to us courtesy of executive producer Sean Travis ("The Hills," "The City"), and the show -- called "Our Summer" -- is described as follows on Facebook. more ›

A bunch of kids tried to have a party on the Westside last night, disturbing the efforts of (at least) one Holmby Hills resident trying to curl up with a biography of Steve Jobs. We're going to admit that yes, the story sounds like a brilliant April Fools' prank. more ›

The Gallegos Mexican Deli's westside roots go back to 1946, when Jose Maria Gallegos started a Tortilleria on Olympic near 15th Street called "Gallegos Brothers" with his brother, Ezequiel. Now, the Gallegos Mexican Deli is closing for good on Saturday, March 31. more ›

We all know Abbot Kinney Boulevard on L.A.'s West Side is awesome. Rife with eateries, watering holes, clothing stores, swanky home furnishing shops, salons, knick-knack spots, art galleries and public art displays, the bustling strip offers something for everyone. With this fact in mind, it was no surprise - more so a delight - to learn that GQ has dubbed the eclectic Venice locale "the coolest block in America." more ›

Ballona Creek runs west into the ocean, starting almost ten miles inland. Near the mouth of the creek, it widens and forms both freshwater and saltwater marshes. Runoff from the nearby Baldwin Hills fills the basin. Spring is a particularly attractive time to visit the wetlands, although it’s a nice place to take a break during any season. more ›

Put on your Ed Hardy gear, shine up your spray tan, stuff your wallet full of bills, and get ready to get douchey: Complex Magazine has named their picks for the "25 Douchiest Bars in L.A." and we're curious to know if you agree with their choices. more ›

When third-generation Angeleno Mary Melton took over as editor-in-chief of Los Angeles Magazine in 2009, one of her charges was to continue expanding the magazine out of its Westside comfort zone. Melton discussed this change and why it's important for wealthy Westsiders to know what's going on with the have-nots in the rest of the region in a Q&A with Frying Pan News. more ›

Someone on the west side is really trying to take the fun out of the nightlife. A reader sent us the above picture, and let us know that the sign popped up on her neighbor's yard in the Olypmic/La Brea area last night. In case you can't tell, it admonishes bystanders who might be inclined to indulge in prostitutes (or be prostitutes themselves), drugs, drinking, shooting or stabbing people, and even good old-fashioned loitering. more ›

Carmageddon has brought out the resourcefulness of some local agencies, and the inventiveness of some business owners. For many, though, "Carmageddon" is simply an overwrought battle cry of the politically beaten-down. Much ado about nothing, if you will. In fact, it is proof that we've all turn into pussies. more ›

This weekend's impending Carmageddon has spurred a host of deals throughout the city, luring Angelenos from their safe abodes to various restaurants, bars, malls and amusement parks. Despite the city's caveats to refrain from driving this weekend, especially on the west side, western establishments are offering some tempting (and slightly absurd) specials. more ›

Metro is beefing up their freebie options on the upcoming Carmageddon weekend of July 16-17 by adding select bus routes to a list of no cost transit rides for the traffic nightmare. In addition to free rides on the Metro Orange, Red and Purple Lines, Metro will make 26 bus lines free for riders. more ›

There's a food truck for every palate, so it's only apropos that a former food (well, ice cream) truck has been turned into a mobile florist. The trend mavens at Daily Candy steered us towards Jennifer Kaplan and her sweet (smellin') Flower Truck. more ›

Reminiscent of the Trader Joe's song of yesteryear, today's video lunch is another market jam filmed on location, this time on the Westside of L.A. Your new favorite song of the summer, "Whole Foods Parking Lot," speaks to the overspending, aggressive parker in all of us. Sadly, some things you can't get at Ross. more ›

Things are Traffic is gonna get "heavy" tomorrow when President Obama spends some time on the west side of Los Angeles for a fundraising event. Details of the President's precise schedule, including what roads will be blocked off, have not been released, according to LA Now, however word has it "much of the president's travels in L.A. will be done on surface streets." more ›

Westside foodies will no longer have to pine over the “exotic grilled sausages” of Wurstküche, known to many as the sausage kitchen for its literal German translation. The popular downtown location in the historic Arts District will expand to its own Venice locale. The Westside digs will replace the newly departed Air Conditioned lounge on Lincoln Boulevard. more ›

Several restaurants who call Downtown, Hollywood, or other eastern parts of the city home are making strides to set up shop closer to the shore. Caroline on Crack has a breakdown of the restaurants who are opening up in Venice, Santa Monica, or TBD Westside spots. Who's headed Westward-ho? Scoops Westside in Culver City should open soon, Hungry Cat is taking a spot in Santa Monica, Bulgarini Gelato is headed to Venice, both Starry Kitchen and La Guelaguetza have the 310 in mind, and Wurstkuche is taking over the Air Conditioned Supper Club. more ›

The LA Times Roundtable Series is holding a session with the LA Phil's Music Director Dudamel and LA Opera's Placido Domingo. Although tickets are unavailable, the website says that if additional tickets are released, then the website will update immediately. Tickets are free so check it often if you want to go. more ›

Where is crime trending right now in Los Angeles? Mostly in the Valley. To be specific, the West Valley. Violent crime is up significantly in Northridge, Chatsworth, Canoga Park and West Hills and property crime is up significantly in Winnetka and Porter Ranch. All this is according to the LA Times' new data-based project called Crime L.A. more ›

TRANSIT FIGHT!!!! In this corner, MTA's Subway-To-The-Sea, a proposed Westside expansion offering future options for future drives to opt out of their autos and into a 25 minute train trip from Union Station to UCLA. In the other corner, LA Weekly and their $9 billion rip off story... more ›

Just as Metro did for the regional connector, Metro today released the draft environmental report for the Westside Subway Extension, the proposed project that would extend the Purple Line down Wilshire Boulevard and possibly add a spur in West Hollywood. more ›

Anytime a President has arrived in Los Angeles, traffic has been inconvenienced. But today's afternoon rush hour visit of Obama seems to have had a magic touch in that really unmagical way. Angelenos have been sharing their experiences from the road, some funny, some reeking of exasperation. Here are a just a few of their stories. more ›

Westside traffic is slowly crawling back to its normal crawl after a morning crash involving a CHP motorcycle officer on the northbound 405 Freeway this morning that prompted both sides to be closed. "The northbound 405 is so eerily clear," noted an LAist tipster around 5 p.m. today, about 15 minutes after all lanes were re-opened. more ›

Just over a year ago, the LA Times launched their neighborhood mapping project, which used data from multiple sources and reader input in the hopes of settling debates about physical--and often psychological--boundaries. more ›

There's no telling how much a coalition of food trucks that rallied around a candidate helped, but in any case, their choice won. Betsy Butler won the Democratic nomination in Assembly District 53, which covers parts of the Westside and South Bay. more ›

A small earthquake, described by some as a "quick jolt," occurred just a few miles off shore of the South Bay this morning. The 3.6 magnitude shaker struck at 2:17 a.m. 3 miles from Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, according to the USGS. It only took a few minutes before a 1,000 tweets blew by. "Nothing like going to bed and having mother nature rock you to sleep with an earthquake," said softpipes. Up here in the Valley, nothing was felt at LAist's Studio City headquarters. Some reported feeling it as far as Pomona, Simi Valley and Irvine. Did you feel it? more ›

Tonight, residents of homes and condominiums in Westwood and Century City who may be affected by construction for the Westside's "Subway to the Sea" will have an opportunity to hear "how homes, businesses, water lines and other structures will be protected" during the course of the drilling for the project, according to the Daily News. more ›

Tonight begins the end of traffic exasperation and the start of traffic hell. Metro and Caltrans are embarking on a major project to bring the Northbound 405 Freeway a carpool lane at the same time retrofitting bridges that cross it up to current standards. The Sunset Boulevard bridge begins tonight. more ›

Last week two young men allegedly walked into an IHOP on Lincoln Boulevard and demanded money at gunpoint before fleeing on foot. What they may have not known was that a security camera focused on the front door clearly caught their faces. Now police are hoping people can recognize the two. more ›