Zach Behrens

Officers write a citation to The Green Truck in August | Photo by Koga/LAist Once again, workers along Wilshire Boulevard's Miracle Mile are witnessing an LAPD crackdown on the popular trucks that populate the area throughout lunchtime. One tipster, calling it a "raid," describes the scene in an e-mail: But the cops are downstairs again giving tickets to the food trucks. They not only cited the fruit vendor, but they rolled his cart away...

Photo by Gary Winterboer via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr "This has officially gotten out of control," tweeted Angeline Vuong, a Citysearch community manager, in reference to LAist's growing list of designer food trucks that Twitter. That list, which was updated yesterday, includes 23 trucks plus six more, like the grilled cheese truck, that are coming to Los Angeles streets soon (add in this fact: a 2006 estimate has the number of taco trucks...

Photo by Sklathill via Flickr Without too much discussion last year, the L.A. City Council raised parking meter fees citywide to at least $1 an hour at all meters. Times were also extended, angering some businesses, especially theatres in the NoHo Arts District where patrons potentially had to leave during intermission or in the middle of the show to refill a meter. A year later, some businesses still see a drop in business with...

Labor Day weekend at Rock Pool in Malibu Creek State Park | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist State Park officials said today that a closure list will not be released today and will likely come next week. "There is a list and it's being reviewed," explained Sheryl Watson, an Information Officer with California State Parks, over the phone. Amid a mass budget crunch this summer, the legislature and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger slashed the department's budget...

Past air quality alerts regarding Station Fire pollution stated that the air quality was unhealthy for "sensitive individuals," such as the elderly, children and those with respiratory problems. However, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health toda said air quality is "unhealthy for all individuals" in the San Gabriel Mountains and Valley. Air quality in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys remain "unhealthy for sensitive individuals." Officials urge residents to call...

Prepping food at Hollywood's Loteria Grill | Photo by Tom Andrews/LAist After opening a second location in Hollywood last year, Loteria Grill is readying a new one in Studio City, according to a land use committee agenda (.pdf) with the Studio City Neighborhood Council. This Wednesday, the group will discuss and possibly make a motion in regards to the restaurant's application for a full line alcoholic beverage license. Loteria, which has a space on...

The Station Fire may be 56 percent contained, but its smoke is still affecting air in the San Gabriel Valley and the San Gabriel Mountains. "Air quality may reach Unhealthy levels, or higher, due to high concentrations of fine particulates in smoke-impacted areas," the South Coast Air Quality Management District announced this afternoon. "All individuals are urged to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities in any area directly impacted by smoke. This includes...

Photo by ashleighb77 via Flickr This is news to us: "there are twenty-two wild horse and burro herd management areas located throughout Southern California," according to the Los Angeles Animal Services Department, which sells licenses to those planning on having one at home (but you've gotta live in an equine district, we believe). Every year, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rounds up the animals from public lands in California, Nevada and Arizona,...

Do you know which way onshore and offshore winds are going? The confusing nature of the subject has one local professor frustrated with KNBC's weatherman, Fritz Coleman. "Melanie Patton Renfrew, a Harbor College teacher, wants KNBC-TV's Fritz Coleman to change references to onshore and offshore winds. She says the terms are confusing because people don't know which are coming and which are going," reported the Associated Press. Apparently, Renfrew's insistence on the terminology has...

Photo by nicadlr via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr The L.A. City Clerk is reminding residents of Council District 2--that's Sherman Oaks through Shadow Hills--to register by Tuesday in order to participate in the September 22 special election to fill the seat vacated by Wendy Greuel, who left to become City Controller. You can register or re-register to vote by mail by completing a voter registration form that can be obtained at the public...

It's the last holiday weekend of the summer and that means more drinking and driving than usual. Last year Labor Day, 40 people died on California freeways--half of those killed were not wearing a seat belt, according to the California Highway Patrol. That said, the agency will begin a Maximum Enforcement Period statewide at 6:01 p.m. through midnight on Monday, meaning every available officer will be on the road keeping a vigilant eye out...

As firefighters get a better handle on the Station Fire, evacuations are lifted and shelters close. Two remain open, the Red Cross announced today. One at Verdugo Hills High School in the L.A. neighborhood of Tujunga (10625 Plainview Avenue, Tujunga, CA 91042) and the other at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita (27051 Robert C. Lee Parkway, Newhall, CA 91350). Since the beginning of the Station Fire last week Wednesday, the Red Cross...