Zach Behrens

In this day and age, it boggles our mind that people are still leaving their iPods and other valuables in their cars. The Eastsider LA is reporting a rash of Echo Park BFMVs (that's police talk for Burglary from a Motor Vehicle) from "Tweeker Tom." As the LAPD says, "leave it and lose it." It's pretty simple, really, because for a bad guy, breaking into a car is fast and if they know what...

Photo by Julie Wolfson/LAist Do you love Pink's as much as you love classical music? As part of the welcoming video package yesterday for the new 27-year-old new conductor of the LA Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel, pinks took two hot dogs and wrote "Welcome Gustavo!" on two hot dogs. No word yet if they'll name a dog after him, but what would Venezuelan hot dog be like?...

Following a report earlier this week that said 164,000 jobs would be lost in the Los Angeles region alone in 2009, the state released its own report today telling us California hit a 9.3% unemployment rate in December. That's almost 1 percentage point more than a month before in November. Save those pennies, it's time to get recessed obsessed. Warner Bros. announced that they will be cutting 800 jobs worldwide on Tuesday....

San Gabriel Valley Congresswoman Hilda Solis is President Barack Obama's choice for Labor secretary. But a republican senator is using a secret hold--more formally known as a senatorial hold--to delay a vote on her confirmation. It's apparently because of her "support for 'card check' legislation aimed at facilitating union organization and another bill regarding pay-discrimination, and for non-responsive answers during her confirmation hearing," the Pasadena Star News reported via the Washington Post. If she's...

Gas prices continued to increase at the rate of about a penny a day this past week. That makes for an average of $2.07 in the Los Angeles area today. "Southern California prices do normally rise at this time of year as refineries cut inventory, perform maintenance, and prepare to produce the 'summer blend' of gasoline that is required to improve the state's air quality," said Auto Club spokesperson Jeffrey Spring in a statement....

A few days out of office and it didn't take long for the former rormer Secretary of State to get all Hollywood and sign with the famous William Morris Agency. But it's not what you think--she won't be making appearances in bad sitcoms. Condoleezza Rice will be joining House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Byron Dorgan, Sen. Jim Webb and former Sen. Fred Thompson to be represented for her upcoming books, lecture appearances, philanthropic activities...

Figuring union members would vote down any authorization to strike, Screen Actors Guild officials have suspended plans to protest contract offers from movie studios and producers. "The declaration represents an about-face and follows months of preparations for a strike vote that would have given the guild the power to shut down production of major studio movies and prime-time TV shows," reported the Associated Press. SAG's contract with AMPTP expired last June....

No, he didn't get take a new job, but he can't guarantee he will be stolen away at some point. Chief William Bratton is traveling the world today starting off with a trip to Amman, Jordan where he will meet with King Abdullah II and law enforcement agencies to exchange ideas, he says. Along with the LAPD's Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence top cop, they'll be discussing law enforcement, security, counter-terrorism, criminal intelligence and community...

The Department of Water and Power knows there are plenty of people using sprinklers while it's raining. "Under the city's Water Conservation Ordinance, it is illegal to water outdoors when it's raining," they said in an e-mail out to press. "Violators are subject to citation and fines under the municipal code." This is especially important this year due to drought conditions and a 50% less snow pack than usual. If you want to tattle...

The LAPD will be releasing a composite sketch later today of a taxi cab driver that they say "targets lone females and is responsible for at least 5 sexual assaults." There have been a series of sexual assaults that occurred between August and December of last year. This is reminiscent of a two-part CSI:NY episode where the serial killer taxi driver would trap people in his car and take them away....

"The community has been going ballistic," Rosendahl said of the Venice community looking down on all the new RVs making home on local streets. "They can't park their own cars. Some of the folks who live in their cars and in campers defecate and urinate outside and create other issues of quality of life and health... Let's stop kidding ourselves. People are living in their cars.,, So let's deal with the reality. In this...

After a three-year investigation into a crew of savvy burglars that robbed wealthy homes, the suspected leader, Troy Corsby Thomas, was arrested Saturday and pleaded not guilty to two residential burglary charges yesterday in court. The 'Hillside Burglars' have struck over 150 homes in the Holmby Hills, Bel Air, Bevelry Hills, Sherman Oaks and Encino, successfully evading security systems and cameras except once. LAPD will be holding a press conference later today to disclose...