Lindsay William-Ross

Tenants who enjoy puffing away in Santa Monica may soon have to butt out if Santa Monicans for Non-Smoking Renters Rights has their way. Local self-proclaimed "tree hugger" Jerry Rubin is leading the call to put in place "what would arguably be the country's tightest restrictions on smoking -- a ban on the practice in apartments, condos, duplexes and any 'multi-family units' in the city," according to the LA Weekly. Rubin and the renters'...

Roman Polanski in a still from the HBO docu "Wanted and Desired" which covers his trial Director Roman Polanski is now confined to a chalet in a Swiss resort town, having posted the $4.5 million bail to release him from prison, but the next steps in his criminal case remain undetermined. Yesterday in Los Angeles the wish to have the original charges against him of sexual misconduct dropped was discussed in court, as the...

Photo by The Gifted Photographer via Flickr Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. But one happy fact is that while not everyone will participate in the dreidel spinning and menorah lighting, the food of Hanukkah is some of the best fare that transcends denominational boundaries, thanks to the universal appeal of fried food and sweet treats. There are several places in Los Angeles who offer all manner and variety...

John Perez The next speaker of the California Assembly marks a milestone for the house, as Los Angeles union organizer John A. Perez is the first openly gay man to serve in that capacity. 40-year-old Perez has been politically active since his teens, and worked "both in housing projects and with immigrants on job sites to improve wages, healthcare and benefits," eventually leading him to become UFCW political director before running for the Assembly...

Photo by GarySe7en via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Metrolink's board is scheduled to hold meetings today during which they will discuss the removal of Chief Executive David Solow, as well as service reductions, according to LA Now. Solow has been the focus of much scrutiny and criticism since the deadly September 2008 Chatsworth crash. Doubts about Solow as leader have been felt within Metrolink's governing board. LA County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, one of...

Photo by www.voteJoeC.com via Flickr A gated community in Newport Beach was the scene of extensive police activity overnight following a home invasion robbery at the home of subprime mortgage lender David Sadek, according to the OC Register. The robbery was called in just after 10 last night by someone in the home's back yard. Authorities believe that "four armed men forced their way into [the] home at 7 Longboat, off Pelican Ridge." Police...

Jeffrey Tidus (Photo via Baute & Tidus) [Update: The death has been ruled a homicide. Read more here] The fatal shooting of prominent attorney Jeffrey Tidus continues to raise eyebrows as detectives investigate the case's mysterious circumstances. 53-year-old Tidus was found shot to death outside his Rolling Hills Estates home at around 8:30 on Monday morning. His wife claims he'd gone outside to retrieve his laptop from his blue Toyota Prius, but he did...

Monday night's rainy sunset seen in Glassell Park (Photo by lavocado@sbcglobal.net via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr) Today brings us another day of respite from the rains, but we can expect more wet weather starting tomorrow and lasting through at least Saturday. The forecast for the Los Angeles County area indicates "rain likely" Thursday night through Saturday night, with a chance of rain on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. In...

A Gardena municipal bus struck "a fire hydrant, a few cars and power lines in Harbor Gateway" at around 5:45 this morning, according to abc7. The driver was killed. Crews are working to turn off the water that shot into the air when the hydrant was sheared, and the DWP is working to restore the power lost to about 3,300 area customers who were thrown in the dark when the accident downed power lines....

KCRW and Tourism Australia are paired up for the second consecutive year to bring live events to L.A. focused on life Down Under. The eats of Australia will be in the spotlight on Sunday January 17th with "Good Food Live!" hosted by Evan Kleiman. Attendees will join Kleiman and her guests, Aussie chef Curtis Stone, fish expert Peter Evans, mixologist Gus McShane (of Santa Monica's Copa d'Oro) and wine aficionado James Gosper, for an afternoon honoring the food and drink of Australia.

Last night the Burbank City Council voted 4 to 1 in favor of banning the practice of cat declawing, making it the 7th Californian city, including L.A., to do so, according to The Leader. The recent rush of such city-level bans is thought to be because of "a state law that bars cities and counties from enacting such bans after Jan. 1." The Burbank vote was reached after "weeks of testimony and political squabbling"...

Getting a shot from this vantage point is pretty rare. That's because in recent years, the Hollywood Sign has become more highly guarded than ever before, which means casual explorers, hiking enthusiasts, tormented would-be starlets, pranksters, and enemies of the state are kept at bay from the 86-year-old icon on the hillside. But every now and then--apart from the heavy-handed "magic" of film--folks make their way* to the area, which is how LAist Featured...