Zach Behrens

Photo by Tom Andrews/LAist In a strongly worded post on StreetsbogLA, Damien Newton breaks down where support lacked for AB 766, dubbed the "Safe Streets Bill:" Assemblymember and Transportation Chair Mike Eng, representing the San Gabriel Valley, only let the California Highway Patrol speak as expert witnesses. Lieutenant Carl Povilaitis of the Glendale Police Department, who has experienced too many pedestrian vs. auto accidents in the city, spoke during public comment. Councilmember and Controller-Elect...

Photo by Dan4th via Flickr After heavy opposition from the Teamsters and the Automobile Club (AAA), Assemblyman Paul Krekorian's AB 766, otherwise known as the "safe streets bill," failed to advance out of the transportation committee's today. That doesn't mean it failed--it just didn't get seconded--but it will either fade away until forgotten or the more likely outcome, until it's tweaked to incorporate opponent's comments and concerns. The bill is meant to give local...

Among the nearly 1,700 guns turned in at this weekend's gun buyback program was an old looking thompson submachine gun, finds Jason Kandel over at the Daily News' Mean Streets blog. It was "made famous, or infamous, in one of a score of movies about mobsters terrorizing American streets during Prohibition," he says. Also among guns was a grenade launcher turned in at the Valley's Topanga Station. See a general list of what kind...

Carmen Trutanich and David Vahedi Signaling a cry for new blood in city politics, both major newspapers in town have endorsed David T. Vahedi for Council District 5 and Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich for City Attorney. Both face career track politicians, Paul Koretz and Jack Weiss, respectively, on next week's ballot. "Having seen Weiss in public office for eight years, his shortcomings, including his obvious lack of interest in his constituents and the work of...

As expected, the Miss California USA pageant held a press conference today to announce the fate of Carrie Prejean's crown after four-year-old semi-nude photos--a breach of contract--surfaced on the internet. But instead of a simple yes or no, they said that runner-up Tami Farrell would act as the de facto Miss California at appearances because "every time they reach out to [Prejean], they are confronted by an army of her handlers and haven’t been...

It's been nearly a week since the Jesusita Fire began in Santa Barbara and now officials are saying that, oddly enough, it may have been caused by someone clearing brush, something used to help prevent fire damage on homes. A total of 8,733 acres have burned, leaving 77 homes destroyed and 22 damaged, according to the County of Santa Barbara. Additionally, 60 outbuildings have been destroyed and 69 outbuildings were damaged. As of this...

Whoa! A luggage container was "drawn" into an engine of a Japan Airlines jet as it pushed from its gate at LAX at approximately 1:30 p.m. The plane was immediately grounded and the 245 passengers safely departed back into the terminal as authorities investigated what-at-the-time was an unknown object. The type of luggage container involved was not immediately identified, but an example of one type is shown here....

Gary Allen Lintz, a 44-year-old Glenadale man who was arrested in connection with a handful of arson fires at Griffith Park last year, was sentenced to 16 years in prison today. He pleaded no contest to one of the fires and admitted causing "great bodily injury to a firefighter" in his August 16th conflagration. In exchange for his plea, the judge dismissed charges for starting fires on July 27, Aug. 4 and Aug. 23....

Photo by GarySe7en via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr It's that time of year again. When politicians tout the importance of cycling for five business days through a series of events. That began this morning with a downtown press conference encouraging Angelenos to give bicycling a try, or at least one day this week. Then comes tomorrow with the annual blessing of the bicycles (sort of likethe blessing of the animals). Then on Wednesday...

Since 1991, California's teen birth rate has dropped by 48 percent, according to the California Department of Public Health today: "From 1997 to 2007, birth rates decreased among both younger and older teens. The birth rate among 18 and 19-year-olds dropped from 85.5 per 1,000 in 1997 to 64.3 in 2007. The birth rate among teens ages 15-17 decreased from 33.8 per 1,000 in 1997 to 19.9 in 2007." All told, 53,393 babies were...

Last week we had a few bear sightings, but this one was the cutest. A CBS/KCAL viewer sent in a video of a mother and her three cubs strolling through a Duarte neighborhood, something they apparently do everyday without alarming officials. When the state's Department of Fish & Game told us this could be "the year of the bear," they weren't kidding!...

This house is so big, it has its own website. Too bad they claim it's in Beverly Hills when in reality, it's in Los Angeles's 5th District... but we digress with zip code minutia. This more-than-9,000-square-foot home has nine bedrooms, ten bathrooms, a six car garage, four bars and six fire places. The rent fluctuates, depending on a few factors: furnished or unfurnished and short or long term lease? So anywhere between $39,000 to...