Zach Behrens

Bobby Salcedo was well known in El Monte. The 33-year-old Mountain View High School graduate was an assistant principal and school board member before he was kidnapped and shot execution style on New Year's Day in Gomez Palacio, Mexico. Now signs along the 60 Freeway between Monterey Park and Rosemead mark the porition as the Roberto "Bobby" Salcedo Memorial Highway, according to the Whittier Daily News. "We have all been touched by Bobby's story...

The LAPD faxed a copy to LAist | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist Through last week, there have been close to 18,000 reported car break ins within Los Angeles city limits, making it the city's most often-committed property crime. For someone involved in their community, this is not news. Officers at community meetings often sound like a broken record, telling residents to not leave stuff in the parked car, or, at the very least, not...

Photo by foldablebags.com via Flickr As the opposition began airing messages to the public about the prospect of California banning plastic and other single-use bags, Santa Monica Assemblymember Julia Brownley announced today that she has amended her bill in hopes of gaining broader support. The biggest change is the removal of language that would have charged customers, who did not bring reusable bags, at least five cents for a recycled paper bags made of...

An officer at Sunset Junction | Photo by Jamie Engber via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr The Los Angeles Police Protective League yesterday backed the mostly Texas-oil company funded Prop 23, which would suspend California's landmark global warming bill, AB 32. At issue for the LAPD union are city budget constraints, which is affecting the number of officers on the streets. "The City's budget deficit has already forced LAPD to cut services and reduce...

Design plans for the Sunset & Western Target project (via CurbedLA Target is not just taking heat for its large political donation to an anti-gay candidate, its plan to bring a store to Hollywood and Western has drawn enough fire that it's going back to the drawing board, despite approval by the L.A. City Council in June. Facing lawsuits, the company will develop en environmental impact report (EIR), which was never done for the...

Photo by cuttlefish via Flickr In a bid to pressure state lawmakers to approve California's proposed plastic bag ban, officials from Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach and L.A. County today announced they are ready to do it on their own if they have to. AB 1998 must pass out of the state senate by the end of August and if approved -- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he would gladly sign it into law -- it...

A previous Janitors for Justice protest | Photo via SEIU Local 1877 The group Janitors for Justice are planning a large protest for this afternoon in the middle of Century City. Avenue of the Stars, and likely other surrounding streets, is expected to be shut down around 1 p.m., lasting through around 3 p.m. (However, the LAPD is prepared for a noon to 6 p.m. shut down if needed). At issue for the SEIU...

Lighting up a cigarette in Hollywood | Photo by Lucyrk in LA via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Remember in June when L.A. County health officials released a study that broke down smoking rates based on geographical locations? It showed that cities like West Hollywood and Lancaster have some of the highest smoking rates while Malibu, Agoura Hills and Calabasas had the lowest ones. Now that data is being put to work. Yesterday Health...

Photo by Lord Jim via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr It's street political activism at its best and we're sure many of you agree with this sign that covers a Los Angeles city meter found by LAist Featured Photos contributor Lord Jim. "Stop Feeding Your Government, What Have They Done to Feed You?" reads the sign that shows a fist inside the mouth of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. But no matter how one feels about...

In addition to today's gubernatorial poll showing Republican candidate Meg Whitman leading by eight points, Rasmussen Reports also surveyed likely California voters on the U.S. Senate Race that could unseat Barbara Boxer. The poll, released Wednesday, shows former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina catching up to Boxer -- 43% to 44%. Among the other poll respondents, 5% said they'd choose a third party candidate and 8% were still undecided. In a Ramussen Reports earlier this month,...