Zach Behrens

Photo: Bob Oberstein Despite an abundance of precaution over a possible bank break-in, police officials have called a code 4--everything back to normal, no issues--at a Bank of America branch in Sherman Oaks. Around 8 a.m. when the bank manager arrived, things seemed out of place and suspicious noises were heard coming from the vault area. Police were alerted who in turn shut down Ventura Blvd. between Cedros and Willis for 3 and a...

After spending the weekend in Chicago at an Obama event, San Francisco Mayor and Gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom is back in the Los Angeles area for like the billionth time today and tomorrow for his "Conversations About California's Future" tour. He'll discuss the economy, health care, education and will hold a question and answer period with the audience. Tonight he'll be in Long Beach and in Santa Ana tomorrow followed by Riverside next week...

It's not that the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California wants Lancaster officials to stop praying all together at the beginning of meetings, but to stop singling out that Jesus guy. “The City Council is clearly showing bias toward one religion by leading council and planning meetings with Christian prayers,” said Peter Eliasberg, Manheim Family Attorney for First Amendment Rights at the ACLU/SC in a statement...

Police have shut down Ventura Boulevard between Cedros and Willis in Sherman Oaks after bank employees suspected a possible break-in in progress this morning. Upon arriving around 8 a.m., bank workers heard suspicious noises coming from the vault area. They alerted police who in turn precautiously shut down the busy artery during rush hour as they prepared to enter the building. As of 9:40 a.m., police were preparing to enter the building, according to...

William Bratton may be Chief of the LAPD (not for long), but city hall actually has three other totally separate police departments, which may be confusing to some. There's the Port Police, Office of Public Safety--they police city properties like parks and libraries and not city streets like the LAPD--and the Los Angeles World Airports Police who are in charge protecting airport properties like LAX, Van Nuys, Ontario and Palmdale. Although not confirmed, LAWA's...

Taking on the next challenge, Homeboy Industries has expanded their breakfast and lunchtime eatery, Homegirl Cafe, to include Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for dinner, says Ed Fuentes at blogdowntown. The cafe provides job experience for former gang members and at-risk youth and includes an organic garden, classes and an art gallery. The new dinner menu includes a Mexican salsa pasta, a vegan mole tofu dish and a cucumber avocado salad. Homeboy Industries also...

A 50-year-old man who jumped into Lake Mohave on Sunday is presumed drowned after rescue personnel suspended a search as night fell. The Lawndale man, whose identity has not been released, jumped into the water without a life jacket to retrieve a lost hat. "He went underwater and has not been seen since," according to a statement from the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, a popular destination for Southern Californians. Two Californians have died...

After a wildfire swept through a portion of Joshua Tree National Park last May, officials announced today that the Lost Horse Mine Trail has been reopened. "While the Lost Horse Mine Trail is being re-opened, park visitors are urged to remain on the trail while hiking through the area," a statement read. "The pace of germination and post-fire re-growth [of fragile desert plants] has been slowed somewhat due to the lack of summer rainfall...

For those living in apartments or condo buildings, much of the recycling is done by the city's Multifamily Residential Recycling Program from the the L.A. Bureau of Sanitation. The progressive department, who is also aggressively working on a zero waste plan with the public, has now entered the world of Web 2.0. They just set up Twitter and Facebook accounts so people can learn about materials accepted in blue bins, but also for residents...

Lake Balboa at sunset | Photo by T Michael Kim via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr A brush fire in Riverside prompted a mandatory evacuation in some neighborhoods this afternoon. The LADWP is offering free California friendly landscaping workshops over the next four Saturdays. Environmentaland has opened its doors at Hollywood & Highland. It's a theme park of sorts... an interactive environmental one, they say. Cobras & Matadors shut their doors to the Los...

Photo by Julie Wolfson/LAist Taste approved, this seasonal pizza at Pizzeria Mozza is crazy good and will only last until fresh artichokes are out of stock (likely by September). This $15 pie is made with stracchino, a soft and creamy cheese, and is topped with shaved artichokes, lemon & olives. Got food porn? Submit your own Eye Nosh photos and mini-review to our LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr (label them "Eye Nosh" too.)...

For the first time since 2002, the Los Angeles city council today voted to ban new billboards and supergraphics. Take note, this is not a moratorium like in the past, this is a b-a-n. The last time such an action was approved, the city ended up in years of litigation--some of still ongoing--thanks to a pile of lawsuits from the billboard industry who have reportedly installed thousands of illegal billboards in the meantime. Those...