Lindsay William-Ross

Photo by foodwoolf via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Federal Election Day could become a holiday in California, and to get the process going, Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced today that Roy Benson, the proponent of a new initiative, can begin collecting petition signatures for his measure. Although our state Elections Code (Section 14000) stipulates that employees must be granted two hours of paid time, at the start or end of...

The Los Angeles Police Department are prepping a news conference for later this afternoon during which they intend to provide details and images of eight more women would could be linked to the Grim Sleeper killer, Lonnie Franklin, Jr. According to a news advisory sent out by the LAPD, at 4 p.m. today LAPD "[d]etectives will be giving an update to the ongoing investigation and will provide information related to the focus of the investigation against Franklin..."

The Manila Machine's cheery orange truck (Lindsay William-Ross/LAist) When the Manila Machine food truck, with its tasty Filipino fare, got rolling last summer, it soon became a favorite meals-on-wheels option in the city. From their addictive and unique purple ube cupcakes to their savory and satisfying lumpia, sliders, and adobo dishes, local food bloggers turned entrepreneurs Marvin Gapultos (Burnt Lumpia) and Nastassia Johnson (Let Me Eat Cake) got thousands of eaters tuned into to...

An Alaska Airlines aircraft comes in for a landing at LAX (Photo by Mark Luethi via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr) The embarrassment of being a "world class city" with an ugly, user unfriendly, depressing, skanky airport seems interminable, doesn't it? Renovations, upgrades, and pretty-fication seems to happen one terminal at a time at Los Angeles International Airport, and today comes word that Terminal 6 might emerge as being actually pleasant in...

Photo by somegeekintn via Flickr If you're hoarding masses of excess prescription pills and aren't sure of when or how to just get rid of them, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is ready to serve you. On Saturday, April 30th, they will be hosting their second National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day at sites throughout Southern California. The service is anonymous and free, no questions asked--just show up and drop off all those pills you...

Joe Le (via Facebook) Los Angeles County coroner's officials confirm this morning that the body found in the Angeles National Forest is indeed that of Joe Le, a 20-year-old hiker from Anaheim who was swept away by the cold and fast-moving waters of the San Gabriel River, according to the AP. Le, a Golden West College student, had been hiking with friends on Friday and was attempting to wade across the waist-high waters at...

The initial testing will take place between 23rd & USC (Map via Metro) You may be so bowled over by the sight that you spazz out and get into some sort of traffic accident, so Metro this morning is cautioning folks that they are, indeed, going into the testing phase for the Expo light rail line, and a train car will be moving along a portion of the line between Downtown and Culver City....

Even if you sit on your pot and pretend to be disabled, those drug-sniffing dogs of the border patrol can still get wise to your plan. A 19-year-old man learned this lesson this weekend as he attempted to make it over the border from Mexico into the U.S. at San Ysidro,"the world's busiest land border crossing" (thanks, Wiki!) with five pounds of marijuna stuffed inside the seat of a wheelchair, according to KTLA.

Photo by denisetaylor☼ via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors would like you to know that there will be a lot of people hanging out on their sands this season and not enough money to pay the folks to clean up after them. Or, as they say, they will "implement beach service curtailments," starting May 1st. A release issued today explains that with a...

In today's no foolin' April 1st Extra, Extra we've got 6 eco facts about one valley 'hood, some serious lady power, Chris Brown's rowdy posse (and who they're pissing off), "Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You," and more news bits of the day. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports.

BUR at Night (Photo by paTTrick via Flickr) If you live within earshot of the flight paths for Burbank's Bob Hope Airport or the Van Nuys Airport, you aren't going to find any sound relief in this news. The House of Representatives has rejected a proposed legislative amendment that would have imposed nighttime curfews on flights in and out of those two airports, according to the Daily News. The effort to curb the nightly...

A Santa Ana teenager has admitted to flashing his parts at at least four women in the past few weeks while out walking his dog, according to the OC Register. Santa Ana Police Department Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said the boy has said "he needed to get out to take care of his business."