Jason Toney

The San Jose Mercury News day-trips down to downtown and finds a safe, bustling community much different from when the reporter lived here ten years ago. It reminds us that we really want to check out Checkers Hotel bar one of these days and that maybe we should visit downtown one week day and just walk and spend the entire day into night. LAist has done Olvera Street but we should take it all...

We didn't pay much attention when LA Observed discussed the rise of The Los Angeles Lunar Society and their apparent spokeswoman, Theresa Duncan, but over the weekend, under the Harvest Moon, they became LAist's favorite local community organization. The Society is advocating the secession of Venice from LA and will revolt to do it if necessary. Thankfully, though, all members of the society involved in film work of any kind won't have to join...

First things first: It is a little weird seeing David Boreanaz walk around in the day time without beginning to smolder and from the first words that came out of her mouth, we were completely in love with Michaela Cronin's Angela Montenegro. We can't help it, LAist has a thing for quirky, brainy chicks that do cool things with computers. Emily Deschanel as 'Bones' is a passable heroine and it seems likely that she...

Everyone is talking about what may become the most important speech in George W. Bush's presidency. We've been struggling to find a local connection, but the truth is that this is a national story that significantly effects all of us. It is a speech most people on both sides of the political coin never thought Bush would make. An outright call for big government from a Republican President that, while short on specifics, is...

- City Beat looks at high school from the perspective of local high schoolers. - The Gay Marriage bill isn't the only bill the Governor is feeling the pressure on. - Don't you want to buy your own post office? - The City Council can't ignore the Valley if they start meeting regularly there, right? - Sister City has two posts of interest this morning: Many of our first responders that went to help...

Depends on who you ask. There is this article that opens with the scare numbers for what happened in a simulation of The Big One hitting Los Angeles. The rest of the article mostly suggests that, again, FEMA isn't really ready to deal with this type of disaster before or after it happens. Locally, though, politicians are at least aware of the problems and are actually doing something about it. LAist hasn't seen an...

There were a few stories this week that we wanted to get to but didn't so here they are in a handy dandy roundup. - In the 53rd district, 3 Republicans can't touch one popular Democrat. His name is Tom Lieu. Does this mean we're no longer get two or three Paul Whitehead press releases every day anymore? - The folks behind the Staples Center want to build a consumer monstrosity downtown and call...

Jen Sincero is a musician, sexpert, and the author of the bestselling book, The Straight Girl’s Guide To Sleeping With Chicks and the semi-autobiographical novel, Don’t Sleep With Your Drummer. She currently hosts a weekly sex talk radio show called Dr. Happypants on killradio.org. Living in Sin is her weekly advice column for LA's sexually curious, confused and constipated. Got a question for Jen? Ask her. We promise to be discreet (all questions will...

It seems weird on the first day of Hispanic Latino Heritage Month to associate a story about local Latino restaurant workers with a picture of Kosher Deli food but it'll all come together in a second. Forward (free registration required) has a great in-depth story about Rene Baroana and Juan Martinez, the butcher and top cook at Pico Kosher Deli. Martinez, an immigrant from Mexico, speaks limited English but is fluent in Hebrew, having...

It has been quite a while since KRS-One was claiming criminal minded and the few reports we've read about the event don't suggest there were problems or even calls of complaints to the force so we're very curious about the reaction of the LAPD to a Hurricane Katrina Relief concert at a warehouse in Downtown LA this past weekend. KRS, Ras Kass and Dead Prez were all on the bill and while they are...