Zach Behrens

Charlie Beck Today is the big day. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will name our new Chief of Police. Per former Chief William Bratton's recommendation, the new LAPD leader is from within the department. The candidates are Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Charlie Beck, Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell and Deputy Chief Michel Moore. But if you cannot wait to hear, the Los Angeles Times has the scoop: Beck will lead the department, the paper says...

Remember last year when Dr. Christopher Thompson slammed on his breaks on Mandeville Canyon Road so bicyclists he apparently was annoyed with would crash into him? He was found guilty by a jury on all seven counts this afternoon. "Thompson was accused of assault with a deadly weapon, reckless driving causing specified bodily injury, battery with serious bodily injury and mayhem," among other charges relating to two incidents, one of them being the July...

The Los Angeles Fire Department is reporting major flooding on the 7000 block of Van Nuys Boulevard, near Sherman Way. It looks like a sheared fire hydrant, but it is reportedly a water main break. Water is shooting about 100 feet into the air and LADWP crews are on scene. [Update: the LADWP confirms that it is a water main break]. Streets on and around the major thoroughfare are closed down.

The new Regal Cinemas L.A. Live is offering seven free screenings to downtown residents tonight, according to blogdowntown. They are first come, first serve, but the boundaries of downtown and whether IDs will be checked is unknown. "Tickets are available the day of from the box office. I don't believe they will be checking IDs, but they don't explicitly say," noted blogdowntown's Eric Richardson in the comments section. Tonights films are Funny People (7:00),...

Former Assemblyman Mike Duvall will not be investigated by the FBI after he was caught on tape telling stories--fairytales, allegedly--about have sex with a lobbyist. "No prosecutive action by the United States Attorney’s Office is warranted," an FBI statement read. The day the video aired on TV, Duvall resigned, calling his words "inappropriate storytelling.'' Meanwhile, Sempra lobbyist Heidi Dejong Barsuglia "is exploring legal remedies for the personal and professional damages caused by allegations that...

It was the early morning on February 8th--Grammys night--when Chris Brown lashed out at his girlfriend Rihanna in Hancock Park. What exactly happened is unknown, but ABC says Rihanna will reveal publicly what happened on Good Morning America this Thursday and Friday (also on 20/20 on Friday evening) in an interview with Diane Sawyer. Brown eventually apologized publicly on YouTube after entering into a plea agreement. He was slapped with five years of probation...

Don't freak out just yet, it's not that bad | Photo by curtis_ovid_poe via Flickr On Halloween, some new tax rules began that will affect your next paycheck and so on. You'll see an additional 10 percent in state income taxes taken out, but not to fear, says the Sacramento Bee. Basically, the state is front-loading the coffers. An excerpt from their in-depth analysis to clarify: Simply put, if you owe taxes when April...

With a $1 billion net income for the 3rd quarter, Ford is forecasting "solidly profitable" future by 2011. The AP reports: "The automaker said Monday earnings were fueled by U.S. market share gains, cost cuts and the Cash for Clunkers program, which drew flocks of buyers to showrooms this summer. Ford's shares rose 58 cents, or 8.3 percent, to $7.58 in pre-market trading." The company was the only Detroit automaker that did not receive...

The Los Angeles Fire Department is reporting a large car crash, involving approximately 10 cars, on the southbound 101 freeway. The crash, which occurred around 1:40 a.m., has injured at least 10 patients, two who are reported to be in critical condition. A Sigalert was issued by 2:09 a.m by the California Highway Patrol. Update: All southbound lanes are blocked just north of Highland Avenue for at least a half hour, according to CHP...

Watch out, folks! As always, never, never, never, never drink and drive. Halloween weekend is no exception and the LAPD is keeping an eye out. Over at Sunset and HIghland, a sobriety and drivers license checkpoint will be set up tonight between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 127 driving under the influence-related and 989 hit and run traffic collisions in the Hollywood area....

It may be a temporary move from NYC, but the frontman of The Strokes is loving our city. He tells the New York Times: “It’s fun; I won’t lie. L.A.’s kind of, like, seven really cool towns. It’s so laid-back. If you go in the right spot, you can walk around, and you don’t need a car. It’s a lot easier to eat healthy. And the weather!” (via torrmoz)...

Maxine Waters and Laura Richardson are the focus of separate investigations by the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct , reports KPCC. Waters stands accused of arranging a meeting between Treasury officials and an association representing minority banks, one of which she owned stock in. Richardson may have "improperly profited" when she lost her Sacramento home to foreclosure, sold it to a third party and later reacquired it. This is "the first time that...