Lisa Brenner

Get Out! And Get thee to a garden, an air conditioned theater or to the ocean. Pirate battles, giant monsters and beautiful plants await at every turn today. Independence rules.

Photo by D.H. Parks via Flickr Here's a quick recap of some of the new laws that went in effect on July 1, according to the L.A. Times. How many have you broken already? Tsk tsk. Ban On Plastic Bags: Unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, we're talking to you. Pharmacies and supermarkets may no longer use plastic bags for carryout items (except for fruit, veggies, raw meat). Paper bags will cost 10 cents...

Photo by samproof via Instagram I mean really. Have you ever met a package that wasn't suspicious? Day two of the Anime Expo got animatedly dramatic on Saturday when the Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad cleared out the costumed from the South Hall lobby of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Reports of a "suspicious crate" were investigated by officers around 10:45 a.m. and "ultimately determined to be a basket belonging to a homeless...

Photo by Aidras via Flickr Shaking awake the neighborhood, a huge, centuries-old oak tree toppled in Canoga Park "barely missing the home that sat under its canopy," according to the Daily News. Estimated to be between 300 and 400 years old, the massive wood crashed to earth at about 10:30 p.m. Thursday at Chase Place and Ponce Street covering both the front and side yard of the house. Said homeowner Frances Arrieta, "It was...

Photo by Tony Webster via Flickr A shooting near the 101 and Normandie early Saturday morning left a man and woman critically wounded, according to LA Now. The incident occurred about 4:05 a.m. on the 600 block of North Normandie Avenue near the 101 Freeway. According to police, the victims were reportedly standing outside of a building when a man got out of a vehicle and shot both of them. Both were transported to...

The Sunset Strip Best friends of summer, beer and music, are coming out to play next weekend as The Sunset Strip says hello to summer fun with two new outdoor events: ColLAboration Pop-Up Craft Beer Garden and The Sunset Strip Record Swap. On Saturday, July 9, LIVE! On Sunset will host a record swap in the former shrine of Tower Records. To satisfy your listening and DJing desires, the event will run from noon...

There will be no giant chipmunks. You should still TOTALLY go. (Photo by Loren Javier via Flickr) For six consecutive Thursdays beginning July 21 through August 25, The Skirball Cultural Center will be presenting their FREE "Sunset Concert" World Music Series, now in its fifteenth year. No reservations are necessary and seating is limited on a first-come, first-served basis. Parking is $10 (cash!) per car, or take Metro Rapid 761 and add eco friendly...

Photo by ElvertBarnes via Flickr Los Angeles Police Department Detectives have arrested local soccer coach Jose Duarte on multiple charges of child molestation, and believe more victims may be out there, according to a news release. 42-year-old Duarte was arrested June 27 in mid-City following an investigation that began a day earlier when "a 13-year-old victim came forward and said he had been sexually assaulted by his soccer coach." Duarte was identified as the...

Photo by mjmonty via Flickr The Baldwin Hills Conservancy has awarded Culver City $570,000 to make improvements to the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Hetzler Road, the site where a motorist plowed through a group of Midnight Ridazz in the wee hours of June 16, according to LA Streets Blog. The improvements include the installation of a raised median near the intersection to differentiate the area surrounding the Scenic Overlook and the rest of...

Photo by ccharmon via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr A Los Angeles man tried to rob gas station customer in La Crescenta early Wednesday morning with a beer bottle, according to the Pasadena Star-News. Police say 25-year-old Jose Hernandez approached a 47-year-old man filling his gas tank at the Shell gas station in the 3000 block of Foothill Boulevard around 1:40 a.m. and "brandished an empty beer bottle and demanded the man's credit...

Photo by Vectorportal via Flickr Keith Hasson (Photo courtesy U.S. Marshals) Authorities said 45-year-old Keith Hasson, one of the U.S. Marshals Service's 15 "most wanted" criminals, was taken into custody near Shoup Avenue and Victory Boulevard in Canoga Park on Wednesday, according to ABC Local. Drug enforcement agents obtained a search warrant to enter Hasson's apartment in the 22000 block of Victory Boulevard where neighbors said he'd lived quietly for at least a year....

Photo by @sevenphoto via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Two area homes have been placed in the solar-powered spotlight this week -- a Santa Monica 1910 Craftsman that underwent a green transformation and a three-story Mount Washington house that connects to its natural landscape on at least two sides of every room. The house in Santa Monica, situated one block from the beach, boasts an organic garden of fruit trees and vegetables kept...