Zach Behrens

Thousands across Los Angeles are without power today, according to the L.A. Department of Water and Power. Some 20,000 customers in the greater South Los Angeles area are affected. In portions of Studio City and North Hollywood, about 1,100 customers are without power. Outages have always been reported in East Los Angeles, Mid City, and Woodland Hills. The department has increased the amount of crews working on power restoration....

Kayakers gather on an island beach at Channel Islands National Park | Photo by mikebaird via Flickr The close of summer means more opportunities at California's desert National Parks like Joshua Tree and Mojave (though you might want to wait a few more weeks for Death Valley). But these colder weather months mean limited options at Channel Islands National Park, just off the coast of Ventura and Santa Barbara. Of the five islands within...

Photo by adactio via Flickr Among the various laws signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday was one strengthening an already existing law aimed at paparazzi. "To curtail the potentially harmful situations and other problems created by out of control paparazzi, AB 524 extends the 'invasion of privacy' laws to persons that purchase, publish, and print images or recordings of individuals, if these persons knew that the images or recordings were obtained illegal," according to...

Photo by bossco via Flickr Governor Arnold Scwharzenegger last night vetoed a bill that would have limited the options of completing the 710 Freeway, which is considered the missing link of the regional freeway system, according to the L.A. Times. If signed, the bill would have stopped any possibility of a surface route, therefore increasing chances of a 4.5-mile tunnel under South Pasadena, connecting to the 134/210 freeway exchange. "There is absolutely no need...

Among the hundreds of bills signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger last night, two gay rights ones were authored by San Francisco's Senator Mark Leno. One names May 22nd as Harvey Milk Day and the other recognizes same-sex marriages from other states by providing "the same legal protections that would otherwise be available to couples that enter into civil unions or domestic partnerships out-of-state," according to the bill's language. "In short, this measure honors the...

Photo by LA Wad via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr According to a report posted on Metro's website, it appears the Gold Line Eastside Extension could be opening on Saturday, November 14th. It is listed in a powerpoint presentation (.pdf) meant for a board committee meeting this Wednesday. The 6-mile extension will run from Union Station to East LA and stop at eight stations. Previously on LAist: Gold Line Eastside Extension Begins Regular Testing...

Statistics for 2008 crime in California were released today (.pdf) by the Attorney General's office, finding that homicides and many other crime categories were down. In 2007, there were 2,258 homicides, compared to 2,143 in 2008--a 5.1 percent change. Forcible rape slightly decreased 1.6 percent to 8,906 incidents. The other two violent crime categories, robbery and aggravated assault, also went down to 69,391 and 104,793, respectively. However, burglary and larcenty theft over $400 increased...

As part of the proposed network of high speed trains in California, a route from Los Angeles to San Diego could go b-line eastward through into the Inland Empire instead of taking the traditional Amtrak Surfliner route down the coast. Such a trip would take 1 hour and 18 minutes. There are lots of public meetings this month about transit and a series about this project will start up next week....

Although the city of Walnut has settled with the developers of the proposed NFL stadium, the project has yet to get the green light. A lawsuit by a citizen's group is still active and a vote by the Senate, which is expected to pass, should be voted on this week. And now one Walnut councilman is speaking out, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Councilman Joaquin Lim said the city felt pressured into...

This might top that knife-yielding video of his from the Summer. On Friday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger twitpic'd the above image and said "This is how I start my day." He may be part of the major political destruction of California, but he gains at least one adorable point with us. And question... did Maria make that for him? Random Sort-of Related Link: We still prefer our oatmeal cold and raw...

Ah, life in the desert outskirts of Los Angeles. This incident happened this morning in Victorville when a 5'7" 200-pound Caucasian man gave a note to a teller that implied a threat if he did not receive some money. So far, no arrests, but not to fear, we hear barnyard animals are good crime stoppers. That's because of another great headline: "Barnyard animals help nab burglar." A suspect burgler Thursday in nearby Pinon Hills...

Officials continue to gain control of the Sheep Fire, burning near Wrightwood. The 7,128-acre blaze is currently 90 percent contained with full containment expected tomorrow by 6 p.m. On Wednesday, fire personnel began implementing rehab initiatives for short- and long-term repair of the forest and infrastructure. The fire began last Saturday afternoon and has damaged or destroyed a handful of homes, also leaving eight firefighters injured. At one point, the fire prompted 6,000 to...