Zach Behrens

Week 3 of the federal case against Prop 8, which banned gay marriage in California, continues on today with the defense--the sponsors of the initiative---presenting their case. Here's what each legal team is saying about the case: Plaintiffs via e-mail (pro gay marriage): "The trial is culminating with the defendants' own witnesses making the plaintiffs' case, and crumbling under cross examination."

Remember back in 2008 when that well-produced creepy video came out, prompting numerous worldwide protests of the Church of Scientology? Since then, that energy and zeal to oppose the church has died down and yesterday the Church scored a point when a Nebraska man agreed to plead guilty in a Los Angeles federal court, according to the LA Times. Brian Thomas Mettenbrink, 20, admitted to engaging in a cyber attack that took down the...

Note: recording time is one hour advanced On the heels of the long-awaited passage of an ordinance for medical marijuana dispensaries, the LAPD this afternoon released a press release seeking the public's help in a shooting and robbery at a facility in Northridge. "On Jan. 8, 2010, at about 2:10 p.m., LAPD Devonshire Division officers were dispatched to the 8900 block of Reseda Boulevard where a 33-year-old medical marijuana clinic employee was robbed of...

A shootout between police and three suspects this morning prompted the LAPD to shut down an area of Boyle Heights as they began a manhunt. Still reportedly ongoing in the area around Cesar Chavez and Soto, police are searching for three male hispanics, approximately 24 to 27 years old, according to the LAPD. At 11:53 a.m., undercover officers from the city of Huntington Park--it's unknown why they were in L.A. city limits--observed the suspects...

Photo by Benjamin Page via LAist Featured Photos The insurmountable budget shortfall for the city of Los Angeles received another reality check today. City Controller Wendy Greuel today released her Bugedtary Cash Flow report one month early. "Traditionally, I report to you on March 1st of the year but the situation we are facing is so dire, I am compelled to update you now so that urgent action can be taken immediately," she wrote....

At its 10 a.m. meeting, the Los Angles City Council is scheduled to put the medical marijuana issue to rest. The new ordinance, which regulates dispensaries on a variety of issues such as location, hours of operation and security, must be considered two times and today is that second time. Although the over two-year debate is coming to an end, some advocates of access have threatened to bring lawsuits to the city, citing how...

Back in November 2008, Glynn Johnson, a former LA County Assistant Fire Chief, was accused of beating a puppy with his fists and a 12-pound rock after he was bit. He was returning the canine back to neighbors in his Riverside County neighborhood when the incident happened. Karley, a mixed breed shepherd, was later euthanized. Johnson and neighbors had a long-standing feud over various issues and animal groups pressured the District Attorney to prosecute...

Here's a alert for calorie-minded sensibilities. The Grilled Cheese Truck this afternoon will make an appearance at the Frosted Cupcakery in Hollywood today (would suggesting grilled cheese cupcakes be taking it too far). The brick and mortar sweets shop at Highland and Lexington has about six parking spots, making it a possible future location for regular truck appearances (it's the streets where trucks and police sometimes don't get along), according to owners. The truck...

Yes, it's true. A notable European wants to succeed Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, an Austrian. Prince Frederic von Anhalt, who came here from Germany and became a citizen when he married Zsa Zsa Gabor, says he is a gubernatorial candidate, according to the LA Times. "When I came to California 26 years ago, we had the 'good life.' We were prosperous; people had jobs, affordable homes and money to spend," he said in a statement....

The world's biggest concert promoter and ticketing service are now okayed to be one giant-ass company. The deal was approved today, despite opposition over such a game-changing move, by the Department of Justice. One of opponents was Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which owns L.A. Live. The rumor is that Live Nation agreed to sell some of its venues to AEG in exchange for them dropping their arguments of the merger....

At an L.A. City Council meeting in Van Nuys City Hall | Photo by alexbcthompson via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr The "B" in the word budget takes on so much more than its usual banal meaning these days for Los Angeles officials. The looming possibility of a billion dollar deficit within a few years and the predictions that the city will file for bankruptcy this Spring have brought such a boring subject into...

As rain and snow continue to drop on the Southern California region, old power outages get fixed and new ones occur. The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power reported some 700 outages after 3 p.m. and as of 4 p.m., Southern California Edison had 15,342 customers without power. The hardest hit areas serviced by Edison are Yucaipa (3,150 customers), Blythe (2,174), Shaver Lake (935), Forest Falls (925), Idyllwild, (498) and Ventura (467)....