Jessica Ritz

The proliferation and profitability of storefront psychics in Los Angeles is one of those persistent urban mysteries, such as the absence of baby pigeons in New York City. The recent vote by the Los Angeles Police Commission suggests that it might be explained by good old fashioned people being easily suckered. The soothsaying industry will remain marginal after the Commission decided yesterday to not officially regulate it. In contrast, Riverside and San Francisco allow psychics...

Ever nearly rear end someone while staring at those Blade Runner-esque dynamic digital billboards that dazzle and daze passing motorists at numerous intersections around town? Those same devices that might push drivers to dangerous distraction are now urging us to mind the road. Go figure. LAist is skeptical about the logic behind the DOT’s $2 million, multilingual campaign that hopes to curb careless, aggressive, and/or reckless behavior. Despite good intentions (urging people to use...

Ever nearly rear end someone while staring at those Blade Runner-esque dynamic digital billboards that dazzle and daze passing motorists at numerous intersections around town? Those same devices that might push drivers to dangerous distraction are now urging us to mind the road. Go figure. LAist is skeptical about the logic behind the DOT’s $2 million, multilingual campaign that hopes to curb careless, aggressive, and/or reckless behavior. Despite good intentions (urging people to use...

While the rest of the country might jeer at our naïveté, we Southern Californians pride ourselves on our paradoxical relationship with nature. Proximity to the mountains and the sea are touted as a major regional advantage, but it was sheer human will in the face of ecological challenges that helped build this city. And the ever-present prospect of earthquakes makes living in Southern California even more, well, special. The utter unpredictability (and potentially huge impact...

While the rest of the country might jeer at our naïveté, we Southern Californians pride ourselves on our paradoxical relationship with nature. Proximity to the mountains and the sea are touted as a major regional advantage, but it was sheer human will in the face of ecological challenges that helped build this city. And the ever-present prospect of earthquakes makes living in Southern California even more, well, special. The utter unpredictability (and potentially huge impact...

Along with many of our local lawmakers, the Hahn-Villaraigosa rivalry has been transported to Boston this week. Both the Los Angeles mayoral gig and convention stage time are highly sought-after, and so far Villaraigosa is in the lead — by one minute. (LAist previously discussed the attention given to L.A. mayoral wannabes at the DNC.) Villaraigosa’s connections to presidential hopeful John Kerry and his position as co-chairman of the Democratic Party platform committee nabbed Antonio...

Along with many of our local lawmakers, the Hahn-Villaraigosa rivalry has been transported to Boston this week. Both the Los Angeles mayoral gig and convention stage time are highly sought-after, and so far Villaraigosa is in the lead — by one minute. (LAist previously discussed the attention given to L.A. mayoral wannabes at the DNC.) Villaraigosa’s connections to presidential hopeful John Kerry and his position as co-chairman of the Democratic Party platform committee nabbed Antonio...

Keeping up with cultural goings on is one of the joys and burdens of living in a big city. As July draws to a close, LAist recommends catching the following exhibitions before the opportunity vanishes. Inventing Race: Casta Painting and Eighteenth-Century Mexico (La invención del mestizaje. La pintura de castas y el siglo XVIII en México) is at LACMA through August 8. As described by the museum, this extensive exhibition "explores the complex process...

Keeping up with cultural goings on is one of the joys and burdens of living in a big city. As July draws to a close, LAist recommends catching the following exhibitions before the opportunity vanishes. Inventing Race: Casta Painting and Eighteenth-Century Mexico (La invención del mestizaje. La pintura de castas y el siglo XVIII en México) is at LACMA through August 8. As described by the museum, this extensive exhibition "explores the complex process...

Lovers of good food and doing good will revel in some new exciting businesses that recently opened. The Coffee Cellar (La Bodega de Café): Sustainable Coffees Community Roaster is the latest of the bunch. The Coffee Cellar is located at the MacArthur Park Sidewalk Vending District headquarters and inside Mama's Hot Tamales Café. An outgrowth of the Institute for Urban Research & Development, these projects merge progressive business philosophy with providing some damn tasty goods....