Zach Behrens

Today, a pair of Los Angeles city council committees will discuss the controversial costs of the Michael Jackson memorial, which ended up costing taxpayers a pretty penny. $3.2 million for police, street closures and other services was spent by the city on the Michael Jackson memorial that was produced by AEG, who, as the LA Times points out, ended the spectacle with "All Rights Reserved" on television screens around the world. The discussion will...

Photo by clouds & sky via Flickr We may be getting a refreshing dose of rain this morning--the first of two storms--but out in San Bernardino County, it's a snow day (!!!) for kids at one of seven schools in the Rim of the World Unified School District. As for chances of snow seen in Los Angeles, levels could drop to as low as 1,500 feet. As for the rest of the day, this...

Already in use along other border states along Mexico and Canada, Predator B unmanned surveillance drones will be unveiled a press conference today in Palmdale. The planes, which will be operated out of the Lake Los Angeles area, will patrol not just land, but the sea, according to the various papers. The planes' primary focus will be drug smuggling....

Photos via KPCC If you live in Council District 2--from Sherman Oaks to the Northeast Valley--it's election day tomorrow. Two candidates face off for the seat once throned by now-City Controller Wendy Greuel. To say the least, the race has been downright nasty. Racism, sexism, burglary and just about everything has been accused one way or another in this race between two Democrat carpetbaggers. In the blogLAsphere, State Assemblyman Paul Krekorian is the winner...

Businesses along Ventura Blvd. in Studio City. are flooded after a water main burst under Coldwater Canyon Blvd early Sunday morning Sept. 6, 2009 just south of Ventura Blvd. unleashing a torrent of tens of thousands of gallons of water along the famous street. (AP Photo/Mike Meadows) A loss of business for just one day is tough for a restaurant, but three months is unimaginable. That's what happened to both Il Tramezzino and Le...

Come on, L.A.! The kids down here would love a Twittering food truck full of steaming hot and tasty ramen noodle soup. LAist's sister site to the north SFist reports that Shirohige Ramen-Ya, a ramen truck, launches this weekend in Hayes Valley. But really, L.A. could use a soup truck this winter. And how about a pizza truck, too? Kthxbai!...

A quarter-acre brush fire has been spotted in Griffith Park, the Los Angeles Fire Department is reporting. At 9:25 a.m., a call to dispatch alerted officials to the blaze "north of Golf Course behind Zoo."A few minutes later, an L.A. County Fire helicopter in the area confirmed the fire, estimating its size. Staff from the L.A. Zoo, which has not opened, says the fire is visible near "Mineral Wells." [Update: Another helicopter on scene...

A 1.5 magnitude earthquake shook in the Santa Susana Mountains, north of Granada Hills, Porter Ranch and Chatsworth, this morning. The 9:41 a.m. shaker is considered a microquake and is usually only felt by those extremely close to the epicenter. Another quake, measuring the same size, was reported in Claremont last night at 7:08 p.m....

For those living and visiting downtown Los Angeles today, there's a lot going on in addition to Unique LA. Beginning at noon and ending at 7 p.m. is the Arts District Open Studio Tour, which will include a free limo shuttle between areas of the district. Over a Crewest Gallery, from 6 to 9 p.m., a hand printed art show will feature a large group of artists, many known on the streets for their work.

From 8 p.m. to 3 a.m., the LAPD will be holding a DUI checkpoint at Lankershim and Campo de Cahuenga. It's actually a genius spot because that's the entrance and exit to Universal Studios and CityWalk. It's also home to the Metro Red Line Subway Station. The North Hollywood police division, which covers the Universal City area, has experienced 166 driving under the influence-related and 1,058 hit and run traffic collisions so far in...

Photo by richardmasoner via Flickr The idea of putting sharrows on Los Angeles streets has been on the books since Council President Eric Garcetti introduced a motion in June 2008. The motion was simply for a pilot program--not even citywide--to see how they work. The original motion asked for them to be along Vermont Avenue between Hollywood Boulevard and 4th Street as well as Fountain Avenue between the 101 freeway and Hoover Street. A...

Although the Hollywood & Highland area lost the Knitting Factory, it will soon gain a new club, of sorts. Rolling Stone Magazine this summer will open a two-tiered nightclub and restaurant. It won't be a music venue, however, as it will be more DJ-based (though they say live events will happen time to time). How will the 10,000 square-foot space work? The top floor, which will open up into the Hollywood & Highland outdoor mall will be a bar and restaurant, meant for tourists and locals a like. On the street level, the vibe gets more exclusive and will include heftier prices and the like.