Zach Behrens

The Day of Decision Protest in Hollywood on May 26 (more photos here) | Photo by Tom Andrews/LAist It's just after 10 a.m. and case against the unconstitutionality of Prop 8, which banned gay marriage in California, is being heard for the second time in a federal district court in San Francisco. Before the first hearing in July, Judge Vaughn R. Walker said "given that serious questions are raised in these proceedings ... the...

An apparent burglary in the Northeast Valley neighborhood of Sunlund last night left one man dead and another person in the hospital. Police are searching for up to 10 suspects who may be involved in the incident, according to a spokesman over the phone. Details on that end are still sketchy, but the incident took place around 10 p.m. on the 9700 block of Sunland Boulevard. Apparently, the burglary was taking place when the...

Since June, Google has been playing with the idea of tourism itineraries within Google Maps. Basically, the service "helps you identify points of interest and plan multi-day trips to most major cities. You just specify the location of your hotel and the length of your trip and City Tours will map out an itinerary for you," explains Google. Still, it's a major work-in-progress. A search for "Hollywood, CA" doesn't show any local sights, but...

Shortly before 11:30, the Los Angeles Fire Department received a call of a brush fire in the hills of the San Gabriel Mountains seen from Foothill Boulevard. It is estimated to be 2-3 acres in size on the ridgeline. Temperatures in the San Fernando Valley are cool today, but winds are blowing in a southeast direction at a speed of nine, according to LAFD Spokesman Erik Scott. "It's too early to tell how much...

Firas Alkhateeb, the 20-year-old Chicgaoan, didn't intend his Obama Joker face as a political statement to be seen around the world. Actually, it wasn't him who put the word "socialism" below it and then plastered posters in Los Angeles. "It really doesn't make any sense to me at all," he told the LA Times in an interview. "To accuse [Obama] of being a socialist is really ... immature. First of all, who said being...

The LAPD and family of Jasmine Fiore are asking the public's help in finding her since she last disappeared last week. Fiore, who has modeled in the past--a cursory internet search indicates experience with Playboy, Lingerie Bowl, Hawaiian Tropic and as a promotional model--was last seen Friday around 8 p.m. at her residence on the 800 block of Edinburgh Avenue close to Fairfax and Melrose. A recent transplant from Las Vegas, he vehicle is a white, 2007 Mercedes CL S550 with black rims, tinted windows, and paper plates that read, “Platinum Motors.” The 28-year-old is described as white with brown hair (she used to be blonde), blue eyes, 5'7" and around 120 pounds.

View the larger version of this map here LA Creek Freek blogger Joe Linton leads us to a nice river vision in Studio City called the L.A. River Natural Park, which would go between Whitsett Avenue and Coldwater Canyon. Described as "a forward-thinking concept design for the last remaining unprotected open space along 22 miles of the L.A. River in the San Fernando Valley," the project could include walking and bicycle paths, a native...

The body of a woman stuffed into a suitcase found over the weekend was connected to the woman the LAPD Missing Persons unit was searching for today. Police asked the public's help late last night in the search for 28-year-old Jasmine Fiore, a model who had recently moved from Las Vegas to the Fairfax District in Los Angeles to start up a personal training business. She was last seen Friday around 8:30 p.m. at...

The marijuana farm suspected of being the cause of the 90,000-acre La Brea fire in Santa Barbara County is reported to have at least 30,000 plants. "Also found were stacks of propane tanks, melted irrigation tubing, empty canisters of fertilizer, mounds of trash, a torched cooking stove and a semiautomatic rifle," reported the LA Times. "The growers diverted a nearby stream and planted the garden on the side of a mountain." 225,058 plants have...

Old M*A*S*H set at Malibu Creek | Photo by Lydia Marcus (fotonomous) via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr It used to be $7, then it was $10 and as of yesterday, parking at Malibu Creek State Park is $12. The same price adjustment can be found at Malibu Lagoon and Leo Carillo thanks to nearly $39 million in state budget cuts that are forcing state park officials to look at every avenue for revenue....

A car crash into a Bank of America building around 8:20 a.m. has left at least one person injured and traffic snarled along the Wilshire and La Brea corridors. "It's a mess, avoid the intersection for the next hour or so, said a KNX1070 broadcaster. Records with the L.A. Fire Department do not indicate a car into the building yet, but show a possible auto vs. pedestrian incident. A fire hydrant has also been...

A teaser image of the flower display being debuted today Later this morning, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Caltrans and Toyota will unveil what they call a first-of-a-kind "Harmony Floralscape." From what we can tell, it's a garden of 20,000 flowers that make up a living mural of sorts, and in this case, a creative and eco-friendly supergraphic advertising Toyota's 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle. Creative, eh? The 30 x 60 foot floralscape is made up...