Zach Behrens

At the Huntington Gardens | Photo by adamgreeves via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr The 15th Annual Culver City Music Festival's first of nine weekly concerts begin tonight with the 10-piece Afro-Cuban/Salsa band, Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca. Starts at 7 p.m. Following the Sepulveda Pass Fire, the Getty Center Museum will open tomorrow. Uh oh! "L.A. County coroner issues subpoenas for medical records from multiple Michael Jackson doctors" LAPD Chief William...

Photo by GarySe7en via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr There's been a lot of bicycle talk on LAist today and here's one more: the idea of bicycle sharing in Los Angeles has been mulled over about quite a bit and next week, a city panel will examine (.pdf) using a site near Olvera Street and Union Station for a variation that theme--bicycle rentals. From a motion introduced last month: More and more...

After a year of disappointments, the Los Angeles Marathon is considering a new route that would begin at Dodger Stadium and end in Santa Monica, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press: "Marathon officials are planning a new route for the 2010 race, starting the course for its 25th anniversary at Dodger Stadium and ending it in Santa Monica, hoping to breathe life into an event that in years past has lost some of its luster."

Yesterday, Controller Wendy Greuel lambasted the city's Emergency Management Department for spending $30,000 over what she thinks they should have on lunches for LAPD officers covering the Michael Jackson memorial service. Not only that, the near $50,000 spent was with a business 80 miles outside city limits. Speaking to the LA Times, Jim Featherstone, manager of the department, responded, saying the vendor is able to prepare large amounts of food within 24 hours. "We...

This morning's greater alarm fire in the Arts District that took one building with it was apparently a marijuana grow-house, according to KNX1070 radio. "We don't have any eyewitness reports of interesting-smelling smoke," noted downtown maven, Eric Richardson at blogdowntown. The fire, first reported at 6:40 a.m. on the 600 block of South Santa Fe Avenue in the one story commercial building, took 75 firefighters 37 minutes to knockdown. The cause is under investigation...

The popular rotisserie chicken and french fries joint Reddi Chick at the Brentwood Country Mart will be serving free ice cream today from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. The eatery is not exactly an ice cream shop--they serve the basic soft serve chocolate and vanilla in a cup or cone--but if you're in the area, free helps in this economy, right?...

Crimes within one mile of Hollywood and Highland between last Saturday and Tuesday, according to the LAPD Crime Map With tens of thousands of crimes in Los Angeles, the LAPD's crime map tool will never be 100% perfect, but missing 40% of all reported crimes is a far cry from being complete. Thanks to an LA Times investigation--the second about the LAPD's touted crime map--today we learn that 26 homicides, 137 rapes and over...

A problem at an electrical distribution station that caused around 20,500 West LA customers to lose power tonight was restored by 9:55 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. The problem began around 7:40 p.m. causing some 13 people to be trapped in an elevator, traffic jams across Westside neighborhoods and LAPD officers in the West Bureau to go on tactical alert. The basic area where power was knocked out...

It's like a Rothko painting with sunglasses | Photo by nicadlr via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr The state has handing out IOUs to people in lieu of their income tax returns since last week. Now those with IOUs can return them to the state when paying their personal or corporate state taxes. Music fans rejoice. Vault 350 in Long Beach will reopen and also serve as the headquarters for internet radio...

Although the Jackson family held a private memorial service this morning at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Toluca Lake/Universal City area, Michael Jackson's death certificate--obtained by TMZ--shows that the location is listed as temporary. The Celebrity Gossip website says the final burial ground will be somewhere else, but that location is unknown. After today's public service at the Staples Center, the family headed to the Beverly Wilshire hotel for lunch before heading back...

The fire that began earlier this afternoon has prompted the Getty Center to close for the rest of the day. If should reopen tomorrow pending the status of the fire, which has grown to 10 acres and is slowly traveling northward, according to Erik Scott of the LA Fire Department. 250 firefighters are on the ground coordinated with air attacks. Mount St. Mary's College has also been evacuated. No structures or injuries have been...

Although the big event has come and gone, the Encino Neighborhood Council is meeting tonight to discuss with city officials about crowds and media that are expected to still visit the Jackson Family compound on Hayvenhurst Avenue, just south of Ventura Boulevard. "As a result of the tragic death of Michael Jackson, the LAPD has exercised considerable restraint in accommodating worldwide media and mourners with access to the Jackson family residence on Hayvenhurst Avenue,"...