Zach Behrens

The times are tough and today it reared its ugly head on the front page of the LA Times. An L-shaped ad with a thick black border surrounds a traditional ad and some clearly marked fake editorial content (in a different font, no less) sits in the lower left hand corner, notes freelance journalist Charles Apple on his blog. As controversial as it is, the ad definitely creates buzz in that viral way (example,...

After her daughter died in a hit-and-run accident a couple weeks ago, the family is moving on, but not back to Santa Barbara. "The intersection [at Jefferson and Hoover] where [Adriana] Bachan was killed is notoriously treacherous for pedestrians, and her mother said she’s on a mission to see that the area’s safety is improved. She said she’d like to see a pedestrian bridge constructed," Santa Barabra's Noozhawk reported. Damien Newton at StreetsblogLA notes...

Los Angeles has been in a large deficit for the past year--this year it could up to $530 million--forcing City Council to raise parking meter fees, citations and cut or delude city programs. However, that hasn't stopped them spending $1 million each year on "hand-inked calligraphy scrolls that bestow commendations on everyday folk, celebrities and supporters," the LA Weekly finds: The council and Villaraigosa recently cut back on such basics as city paramedic captains...

A proposed LADWP rate hike on customers who do not conserve water was unanimously rejected by the LA City Council today. If passed, the proposal would have gone in effect this summer forcing users to reduce usage to under a certain amount (on average, 15% less) or have significantly higher rates. The council's consensus was that they had not enough time to fully study the motion. "City water department officials say that 85% of...

The cities of Diamond Bar and Walnut are not exactly thrilled with Industry's plan for a a professional football stadium. But as of last night, Diamond Bar is dropping their objections after approving a settlement with Industry. They will get $20 million to deal with increased traffic from the stadium, $1 million for a middle school athletic field and $700,000 a year for community facilities as long as the stadium remains in operation, reported...

Here's a group of Orthodox Jews blessing the sun this morning at La Brea and Oakwood. Why are they standing there? "Today, precisely 5,769 years later, according to Jewish tradition, Jews in Los Angeles and around the world will mark the occasion by reciting a rare outdoor blessing," explained the LA Times on the event which only happens every 28 years "when the sun is said to reach the position it occupied when it...

Photo by via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Why did Los Angeles make Prevention Magazine's "25 Best Walking Cities" list? As they say, "once a cement pipe storage yard, the Augustus F. Hawkins Natural Park offers lush vegetation and paths for strolling on 8.5 acres right in the heart of the city." There's no doubt that this South LA park is a great public space, but it being the reason Los Angeles...

Sketch of Suspect On April 1, 2009, at about 4:30 p.m., a 12-year-old girl was walking into an apartment complex on the 8500 block of Balboa Boulevard. As she neared the entrance gate in a small alcove of the complex, she was grabbed from behind by the suspect who sexually assaulted her. After the assault the suspect walked away. The suspect is described as a Hispanic man, 30 to 40-years of age, 5 ft....

Four valley streets with proposed speed limit increases are scheduled to be voted on by the City Council tomorrow. This has livable streets activists up in arms as they ask how can vehicles legally gain more speed while pedestrians and bicyclists are put in more danger, especially in light of a slew of recent fatal pedestrian incidents. Damien Newton at StreetblogLA explains why there is an increase: "The LADOT and LAPD have conspired to...

After last week's announcement of a two new commercial, hotel and residential towers by Korean Air, another Southern Korean firm has announced plans for a 43-story downtown skyscraper between Figueroa and Flower streets near the Convention Center, finds the LA Times. It is scheduled to be heard this week by the Los Angeles Planning Commission. And add to that this good news for foodies: As noted last week, the popular Silver Lake restaurant and...

Showers are predicted for tonight and into tomorrow morning, but they probably won't be big rain producers, according to the National Weather Service. Tomorrow and Thursday are expected to be dry until Friday when a larger storm could bring more rain during the day. The weekend is expected to be dry. Temperatures will bounce between the upper and lower sixties throughout the week....

Eric Garcetti LA City Council's new ad hoc Committee on Economic Recovery and Reinvestment met last week for the first time carefully deciding how stimulus will be handled. "At that meeting, we established a set of 9 guiding priorities by which we intend not only to fulfill the president’s vision for efficient allocation of the stimulus funds, but also to make Los Angeles the most accountable, transparent, and effective city in moving economic recovery...