Zach Behrens

Photo: current events In a telephone press conference this morning with various mayors from across the state, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa fervently said that he and other cities "will not accept a flawed budget." It's been a consistent theme since Tuesday, the morning after a state budget solution was agreed upon by state leaders. The full legislature is expected to vote on the proposal as early as tonight. "Some may believe the spin," Villaraigosa warned,...

Surprisingly, this didn't happen earlier. A new iPhone App simply called Cannabis, which will "let users search by city for their nearest medical cannabis suppliers, doctors, clinics, lawyers and other relevant organisations," explains The Sun. "Makers the campaign group Ajnag.com hope to add cannabis related news, menus, reviews and videos soon." Also: A few months ago, the iPhone compatible Weedmaps launched. It uses Google Maps and is also like the Cannabis app, being all...

Early this morning, 27-year-old Luis Pozos was fatally shot while apparently parking his car. Police found him lying on the curb in the 1700 block of South Longwood Avenue located near the major intersection of La Brea and Venice. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics around 1 a.m. The motive and any suspect descriptions are unknown at this time police are asking for help. Anyone with information about the incident is...

The LAPD, its union and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today will discuss the impact to the city if 27,000 people are released from state prisons. While saving the state budget, the cost to taxpayers will be more than $4 billion over three years according to their calculations based on " the number of inmates to be released and standard recidivism rates." That could mean an additional 245,000 new crimes and new crime victims in the...

Photo: Tom Andrews/LAist Times are a-changin'... Three galleries--Pharmaka, the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art (LACDA) and El Nopal Press--at the corner of 5th and Main were recently given eviction notices by the building's owner, reports blogdowntown: "While the notices were surprises, the move fits with the growth patterns that have characterized gallery districts around the country. Galleries enter a depressed but interesting neighborhood, help make it a safer and more vibrant place, and...

It looks like the Port of Los Angeles, which brings in billions for the city, is behind on cleaning up the popular but chronically polluted Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro. It looks likely that the city will miss a federal compliance deadline next Spring and people will be enjoying their summer swims in some yucky water. "Starting April 1, Cabrillo Beach must meet fecal bacteria water quality standards 100% of the time from April1...

Judy Ramos was crossing the street shortly past midnight on Sunday when a car struck her. She was brought to the hospital where she died the next day from her injuries. Now police are looking for the suspect vehicle but have few leads. It could be a 4-door white vehicle, but that's about it. She was hit on Vaughn, a side street, near Glenoaks Boulevard. Anyone with information is asked to call Valley Traffic...

Under the new drought rules banning sprinkler use--save for early mornings and nights on Mondays and Thursdays--city parks, especially those in the sweltering Valley, are turning brown. Now they want an exemption from the strict water rules so the public doesn't have to picnic and play soccer on brown fields. They claims they've reduced water consumption by 40% over the past two years and the LADWP Board of Commissioners seem to agree larger than...

K-Town is getting its own food festival early next month and it looks like it could become a staple of LA's summer festival scene. How could grilled and smoked meats with magical flavors not be a hit? Details are slowly coming out for the event, set for August 8th, but here's what we know: Jonathan Gold and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are confirmed to be cook-off judges. Confirmed restaurants include Beverly Soon Tofu, Byul Dae Po (Star BBQ), Ham Ji Park, Mu Dae Po, Park's BBQ, Seoul Jung, So Hyang, Soowon Galbi. There will be a food eating contest

All things gubernatorial seem to be Gavin, Gavin, Gavin these days. At least for the Democrats. Where's Jerry Brown? Will there even be a primary? Gavin has been to the Los Angeles area on a regular basis hosting town hall style meetings and today he's back, this time in South LA. Tonight's event is open to the public and is a "Conversation About California’s Future." "California needs new leadership with new ideas," the San...

Photo by jasonawhite via Flickr Just like in a recent episode of Weeds, deep within public lands are some major areas prime for cultivating marijuana. Yesterday, local and federal officials eradicated two sites, one in a state park and another on National Park land. Likely to be worth close to $10 million on the street, 2,088 marijuana plants were found in Malibu Creek State Park and another 1421 in Zuma Canyon. Both operations used...

Photo: lavocado@sbcglobal.net Culver City has been working on a Bicycle and Pedestrian Initiative that's currently in draft mode. The city's location between the Cheviot and Baldwin Hills as well as the Ballona Creek and eight major roads and freeways "has led to the development of an irregular (broken-grid) roadway network which presents unique challenges for non-motorized transportation." The initiative will hopefully help travelers overcome the physical barriers and lead to the city's first comprehensive...