A new "community safety scorecard" compiled by a public policy group takes a look at each Los Angeles zip code. The scorecard, created by the Advancement Project and published by Miller-McCune, "assesses the factors that foster or fight violence in every community" in L.A. more ›

During an online dating attempt in '08, Manhattan-based artist and programmer R. Luke DuBois discovered that even the smallest tweaks in his profile would net drastically different crops of hopeful matches. This curiosity led DuBois to sign up for 21 different dating sites so he could analyze commonly used words in an effort to create a series of maps called "A More Perfect Union" that would display trends by geography. The Bronx, for example, is fond of Hustler and PMS, while Los Angeles checks in with a whole dictionary of winners from Dutiful to Xenophobic. more ›

Does the zip code influence how a crime is classified? City Councilman Tony Cardenas says yes, per the Daily News. He said recently: "If there is a dispute in Pacoima or Sylmar, they might call it gang-related. If the same things happens elsewhere in the city, it's just a dispute." This means gang crimes are inflated in certain areas, raising--or maintaining--the public's alarm about a given geographic region. Fellow Councilmember Greig Smith disagrees: "I can assure you, no [LAPD] watch commander wants to see an elevation in gang crimes if they can avoid it." more ›

It's the kind of day folks in 90068 won't ever get to capitalize on, residents of 91604 got earlier this decade, and those in 91423 have to wait a few more years to riff on: Today is 9-02-10, and, if I can get a Brandon Walsh-style double fist-pump,please, Beverly Hills is celebrating. more ›

Inspired by our friends at Gothamist, we took a look at the Los Angeles maps posted by the NY Times showing trends and popularity of titles in Netflix rentals. more ›

Unless Sunset Junction Festival organizers address local resident concerns and businesses, the festival is unlikely to be permitted by the city. So far, the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council, who represents the area at a grassroots neighborhood level, has voted against the festival in its entirety. For their meeting tomorrow, the agenda (.pdf) lists has a motion for consideration that seeks to alleviate some of those concerns: more ›

Yes, Chavez Ravine, or the more recent marketing term Dodgertown, has its own zip code, which will formally launch tomorrow when Los Angeles Postmaster Mark Anderson throws out the ceremonial first pitch. 90090 takes over the area around Dodger Stadium and the baseball club has named a section called Mannywood 90090. Blogger Mark Bodie who blogs over at The Mancave Memoirs has his own suggestion: "The next move for the Dodgers is to rename the parking lot 'Hell.'" Har, har! more ›