Zach Behrens

Photo by tamrich905 via Flickr In their annual warning to the public, the California Department of Public Health wanted to remind Californians "that collecting and eating wild mushrooms can cause serious illness and even death." Oddly enough, the message was sent today, the day before Halloween, but officials over the phone say there was no rhyme or reason to the warning's timing. Nevertheless, the department says that 894 cases of mushroom ingestion were reported...

Photo by Lars Plougmann via flickr Parking at Santa Monica's 3d Street Promenade might get a little more expensive under a plan the city council is exploring, says the Santa Monica Daily Press: After hearing a presentation by the consultant, the City Council in September directed its staff to develop a plan of action to institute some of the suggestions from the study, including raising the maximum daily rate from $7 to $9, the...

Photo by CarbonNYC via Flickr Travion Terrett Ford, 25, was sentenced Thursday to prison for 2nd degree murder in the fatal stabbing of a USC student in September of last year. Bryan Richard Frost, 23, was walking with two other students early morning on the September 18th near 28th Street and Orchard Avenue when Ford apparently approached and an argument turned fight. Frost was killed by his stabbing wounds. Ford's lawyer has filed an...

The Gold Line Memorial Park Station in Pasadena | Photo by Alberto Cueto via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa tomorrow is expected to announce his plans in building support for something he calls the "30/10" push to accelerate Measure R transit projects--the voted in half cent sales tax increase--from being completed in 30 years to 10 years. We bask in that vision, too, chock full of a subway to the sea...

Despite his aggressive campaign full of neighborhood town halls across the state, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced this afternoon that he has dropped out of the race for California Governor. He was the only major name running for the position but his fundraising and poll numbers lagged behind Attorney General Jerry Brown, who has yet to officially announce a run for Governor. Gavin's statement is below: It is with great regret I announce...

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger apparently slipped in an embedded and hidden "fuck you" in a veto message to San Francisco Assemblymember Tom Ammiano and now the San Francisco Chronicle is taking a stab back. A hidden message in their in-print editorial today reads "Grow Up Girlie Man." And maybe the state's frat boy squad can get back to work now. (h/t LAObserved)...

A mobile advertising trailer getting towed for being parked in a red zone in Sherman Oaks You know those mobile billboard trailers that line streets for days at a time, taking up parking and generally looking ugly fugly? While the city can't outright ban them, they can enforce the 72-hour parking ordinance, which states that vehicles and trailer parked in the same spot for more than that time can be towed. After having 77...

Since this morning, one block of Wilshire Boulevard has been closed to traffic. Police were alerted at 8 a.m. to a suspicious bag left on the 3600 block of Wilshire, prompting the usual response by the LAPD--close the area down, send out the bomb squad. Officer Rosario Herrera said there is no word when the street will be reopened....

What isn't this man involved in? Sean MacPherson has his hands in Bar Lubitsch, the Roger Room, the Good Luck Bar, Jones, El Carmen and Swingers (his bid for the Magic Castle appears to be over, though). Now it appears he's gotten ahold of Orso on West 3rd Street (across from Cedars Sinai and the Beverly Center), according to state records, which could mean plans to open a new eatery or bar. Earlier this...

This is one trend we hope to see spread around Los Angeles. Hopefully Arnaud Ozharun, owner of Natural Mind Beauty & Beyond on Sunset Boulevard, can inspire the city. After working with the city through permitting issues, it looks like Ozharun will be able to start planting soon, finds Jesus Sanchez at The Eastsider LA. Some 20,000 plants will cover the wall, now donned in soft purple fabric where thousands of seeds will be...

Cat fights, now bloodier | Photo: Malingering Hello, People's Republic! Santa Monica this week passed a new law banning cat declawing within city limits, reports the Santa Monica Daily Press. When it goes into effect in December, the city will be the second in California with such a ban. West Hollywood already has the law on the books and as of January 1st, 2010, a state law will go into effect restricting cities from...

A claim that President Barack Obama was born in Kenya and not in Hawaii was dismissed in a Santa Ana U.S. District Court today, reports the LA Times. California attorney Orly Taitz, who apparently is the leader of the "birther" movement, has tried several times to challenge Obama's natural born citizenship with no luck. She's lost in many lower courts and was fined by a federal judge in Georgia for using the legal system...