Zach Behrens

Photo by JMRosenfeld via Flickr The LAPD's high public ratings in an LA Times poll may partly be due to Mayor Villaraigosa, but he earned a 55% approval rating with the same poll takers. The upside? With LA voters, he could win the Democratic nomination for Governor's seat at 38%, beating out Jerry Brown (32%) and Gavin Newsom (13%). Goverornor Schwarzenegger's approval rating was 29%. As for the LAPD and their 77% approval rating,...

A couple hours before today's trial, R&B Singer Chris Brown entered into a plea agreement for pleading guilty to assault while the criminal threats charges were dropped. Under the agreement, Brown will do six months of "community labor" (that's 1400 hours of work), serve five years probation and take a year-long domestic violence prevention class, according to the LA Times. He will also have to stay at least 50 yards away from Rihanna except...

For the right buyer, a piece of $15 million Frank Lloyd Wright history could be theirs. The famous Ennis House, tucked up in the hills above Los Feliz, has sat quiet, unopened to the public as a non profit tried to bring it back. About $5 to $7 million is what they needed, but they never got and now it's for sale. "Our goal has always been to be a good steward of the...

May's unemployment numbers are the state's highest in modern record keeping, according to the Department of Labor. That's a loss of 69,000 jobs with a majority in the government sector and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to lay off 5,000 state employees in his latest budget plan. Other cuts in that plan would force other government agencies to cut jobs, too. Compared to a year ago May, unemployment was 6.8%. Since then, a total of...

Violating school bus laws brings in a hefty fine of $500. And it seems the city of South Pasadena held a big fundraiser on Wednesday when police handed out 160 tickets totaling $80,000 to drivers on the six-lane Huntington Drive at Milan Ave. It was quite an elaborate sting, involving no schoolchildren but lots of lights and sirens described one driver who was cited to the LA Times. “It was a circus of lights...

"We've got a room full of people, all claiming to have been left out of the Bicycle Plan Update process. You can't call that the result of effective outreach!" That was Councilmember Wendy Greuel last Wednesday at the big bicycle transportation meeting chastising representatives from the Planning and Transportation Departments on not performing sufficient outreach for the now controversial bicycle plan. It looks like she has taken a cue from Laura Chick--that is, opining...

Starting next week and for four months after, Blue Line train service is going to be impacted as crews integrate the Expo Line, which will run between 7th/Metro station and Culver City, sharing two stations and track. Service will run every 30 minutes instead of the usual 20 on weekdays after 8 p.m. as crews work between the Washington and 7th/Metro stations. Weekend service will not be affected. The 8.5 mile line is expected...

The County of Los Angeles has gone ahead and busted themselves. "This is government at its worst," Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky was quoted saying in the LA Times. "We have a problem, no question about it. But we are going to move quickly to fix it." The county started auditing themselves after they found over 300 unused lines at the now-closed Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital. The $1.5 million number only totals what they've discovered...

Photo: Koga/LAist Even with big name acts like Conor Oberst and Built to Spill announced by the Sunset Junction Festival organizers this week, it doesn't mean the festival is happening. "We've asked the organizers to come back with a written proposal that addresses the concerns raised by local residents and businesses," said Julie Wong of Councilman President Eric Garcetti's office. "If they don't, it's unlikely they will be permitted." But imagine they do get...

It happens every election, except when that Obama guy shows up: voting turnout is dismal and embarrassing. Now, three bills being considered within the state could make some interesting changes. They won't change things overnight, but two of them deal with those under 17. The most interesting is from Long Beach Assemblyman Warren Furutani. ACA 2 would allow 17-year-olds to vote in a primary if he or she will be 18 by the time...

Photo by A.C.Thamer via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr From NPR: "The largest community of Iranians outside of Iran is in Los Angeles. They've been hungering for news from their homeland so they can share stories of family and friends dealing with the post-election turmoil there. Radio station KIRN has been catering to that need." UV rays are expected to be extremely high tomorrow. Wear sunscreen, even if you'll be outside for...

In a pretty shocking move last month, the Los Angeles Unified School District cut summer school for elementary and middle students along with some high school level classes in a move to save $34 million from its dwindling budget. Overall, this affects 225,000 students. So what are the kids to do, asks the Daily News? Are they at risk? Will they run amok throughout the city? How about getting a job? The latter is...