Lindsay William-Ross

Playboy has named UC Santa Barbara as one of the country's Top 10 Party Schools of 2010. The only California campus to make the cut, at UCSB their #8 ranking is credited to their "perfect mix of sun goddesses, sand and studying." Of course, being included in this 5th annual list isn't purely academic. Okay, so it's not really academic at all. Notes Playboy: "UCSB grads go on to do great things after their...

Photo courtesy The Munchie Machine Ready to roll out into the fray come Tuesday--yes, 4/20--is The Munchie Machine, a food truck that aims to go beyond the ordinary. With a promise the truck "oozes love and soul and delivers fun, unique, delectable and often healthful foods it knows you're craving any hour of the day," this foodmobile will have meals, snacks, sides, and desserts, according to their press release. Co-owned and operated by "munchie...

Photo by kytan via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Funeral services were held today, including a processional to and viewing at Garfield High, for the late Jaime Escalante. A woman who works as a veterinary technician has been arrested for leaving a German Shepard to starve for several weeks in her garage. The California Democratic Convention is underway today in Los Angeles, and features three days of meetings, speeches, and festive gatherings....

LAPD Detectives took less than 24 hours to identify a suspect in the shooting death of 41-year-old Conrad "Dread" Phillip, who was gunned down early yesterday morning at 563 South Los Angeles Street on Skid Row. A warrant was issued overnight for 50-year-old Charles Colbert, who was last known to be living at the Pershing Hotel, an SRO located a block from the scene of the crime.

emocratic gubernatorial candidate-hopeful Jerry Brown threw down the gauntlet, calling for a three-way debate between himself and rival Republican candidate hopefuls Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner. Today, in a statement released by "Team Poizner," Communication Director Jarrod Agen responded in the affirmative, adding some zingy adjectives for the opposition:

Early images from within the rally show crowds, heavy police presence (Left: zarahrivera/Twitpic; Right: frijolefil/yfrog) A planned march, rally, and press conference organized by the National Socialist Movement may find itself over before it's due to start at 12:30 this afternoon thanks to the thousands of counter protesters and early reports of violence from among the crowd assembled on the South Lawn of LA's City Hall. A strong LAPD presence is reportedly evident as...

Volcanic ash from Iceland moving through the air travel space over Europe is continuing to ground flights all over the globe. Today approximately 7,250 passengers who were expected to depart from or arrive at Los Angeles International Airport today have found their travel plans canceled, as 14 departing flights and 15 arriving flights will not be taking off or landing today. Travelers headed to and from London/Heathrow, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Zurich remain grounded....

Photo by hall.chris25 via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Despite efforts to pressure Mayor Villaraigosa and city officials to cancel the event, a rally organized by the National Socialist Movement will take place today at 12:30 on the South Lawn of City Hall, an LAPD release confirms. The purpose of the demonstration, the NSM leaders claim, is to honor the April 20th birthday of Nazi party founder Adolf Hitler, reports KTLA. A...

Photo by denisetaylor☼ via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Late last month the City Planning Commission approved a proposal to update the language of a decades-old ordinance on the books as pertaining to something called "truck gardening." Dubbed the "Food & Flowers Freedom Act" by movement spearhead Tara Kolla, whose Silver Lake Farms was at the center of the fruit, veggie, and floral controversy. Tomorrow the City Council will be presented with...

Photo by kristen_neveu via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Fewer students have been admitted to one or more of the 9 UC campuses and over 10,000 now wait-listed for the upcoming school year. A German Shepard left tied to a tree for weeks is recovering in a Garden Grove animal hospital. Nicknamed "Courage," the dog tried to survive by eating dirt and rocks before he was rescued. Learn where co-creator Steven Levitan...

No, seriously: The octogenarian "Golden Girl" likes her hot dogs plain, which is why the new Pink's Hot Dogs opening in Universal CityWalk next week will be one served without toppings and named in her honor. Betty White will appear on Monday at 10 a.m. for the special hot dog dedication and the location's grand opening, according to a news release. It will be called the "Betty 'Naked in the City' Hot Dog" and...

To Anaheim, it doesn't matter if red light cameras are potential cash cows or costly enterprises; they don't want them in their city, period. Last night the Anaheim City Council "expressed support for an city charter amendment that would ban the" cameras that click a picture then ticket motorists who allegedly run the intersection's red light, according to LA Now. Anaheim's mayor, Curt Pringle, said of the cameras and tickets: "It's very discouraging when...