Billy Gil

Heavy rain in the foothill areas, waterspouts over the ocean and weak tornadoes along Southern California's coastal plains are just some of the actual weather phenomena set to hit SoCal Friday. A smaller cold front is first predicted to bring a drizzle midday Wednesday, leaving by early Thursday, followed by a storm Friday to Saturday.

Police are searching for a group of men who allegedly beat and raped a 19-year-old female student from University of California Santa Barbara. The Isla Vista resident was attacked yesterday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., somewhere between the UCSB campus and Isla Vista.

An eighth-grade Fullerton schoolteacher was arrested Friday and accused of sexual misconduct with two minors. Melissa Lindgren, 28, of La Mirada is charged with felony counts of child molestation, child annoyance and "dissemination of harmful matter to a minor."

A 35-year-old man was struck and killed yesterday evening while walking across the northbound 405 Freeway for an unknown reason. The man was hit by a 2006 Ford F-150 pickup truck and was then struck by a 2012 Hyundai, dying later in the hospital.

Heads up if you live in an apartment building that needs earthquake retrofitting—if you thought the city or landlords would pay for it, think again. Los Angeles City Council member Bernard C. Parks has proposed exempting landlords from rent control laws to “incentivize retrofitting,” thereby passing all of the cost along to tenants “over a reasonable period of time.”

An 18-year-old man was struck by two cars in Van Nuys last night and killed. But he laid himself down on the road intentionally, police say. Michael Joel Alvarez was hit by two separate vehicles in an apparent suicide.

A fight continues over a statue in Glendale honoring “comfort women,” women who were forced into prostitution by invading Japanese troops in World War II. A Glendale resident and a nonprofit group have filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Glendale over the 1,100-pound statue.

Justin Bieber could get off pretty lightly from his DUI and resisting arrest charges—provided he can stay clean. The Florida State Attorney has offered Bieber a plea deal, offering to drop the charges if he fulfills a number of conditions.

Before you destroy another bag of Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Pretzels in one sitting, you should know the grocery chain is being sued over them. Trader Joe's is accused of cutting out Aliso Viejo-based Maxim Marketing from managing the supply of a product they say they pioneered.

The CEO of Huy Fong Foods said the company has fixed the alleged odor problem caused by its production of the popular, spicy Sriracha condiment. The city of Irwindale had sought a restraining order in October against the company, alleging Sriracha production caused nearby residents’ eyes to burn and gave them coughing fits.