Zach Behrens

Photo: manmadepants As one side of the city deals with importing water, even as they face a possible water rationing situation, another deals with exporting the water. The City’s Bureau of Sanitation is in charge of wastewater, which is the focus of City Controller Laura Chick's most recent audit (.pdf) on performance and efficiency. As usual... "There are issues, however, uncovered in my audit regarding a lack of 21st Century business practices and efficiencies,...

In what is the third train related death in a week, "authorities say a woman is dead after a Union Pacific freight train crashed into her sport utility vehicle on railroad tracks in Palmdale." Last weekend, two women died in separate incidents in Burbank and Chatsworth when they were hit by Metrolink and Amtrak trains, respectively....

Now here's a great use for the criticized TV screens all around LA LIve's Nokia Plaza. Councilwoman Jan Perry invites all to come "celebrate history" at "L.A.'s Biggest Inaugural Viewing Party." It's next Tuesday morning with events beginning at 7 a.m.. Barack will take office around 9 a.m. with post ceremony coverage, entertainment, and the parade to follow.

Traffic snarled in the San Gabriel Valley for at least 10 miles after a big rig tanker truck early this morning filpped over blocking all lanes of the eastbound 210 Freeway. At approximately 5:41 a.m., a call came in reporting the incident at Azusa Ave. which appears to be a solo crash with no injuries. The truck is carrying 50,000 pounds of liquid asphalt material and some of it has spilled out, said California Highway Patrol Office Francisco Villalobos over the phone. A small amount of diesel fuel also leaked.

Photo by CarbonNYC via Flickr Roberto Lopez just turned four last December. Late yesterday afternoon he was walking with his sister two doors down to a community center on the 1200 block of Court St. near Angelino Heights and Historic Filipinotown when a bullet fatally struck him in the chest. Police are not sure exactly what happened yet but the "prevailing theory" based on very preliminary information is that shots came from a moving...

Photo by Mr. Theklan via Flickr City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo warned last month that he would start suing gangs and today he announced his first win, which is actually a first for any local government in California after a 2007 state law allowed prosecutors to go after gang assets. "This is a whole new front that we're waging against these gang members," Delgadillo said per the LA Times. "It's new to them, it's new...

As the March 3rd municipal election approaches, expect to see more debates between candidates fighting for the more heated seats such as City Controller and Attorney. On February 12, the regional Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils is hosting a candidates forum. Everyone vying for a school board, controller or attorney seat is attending except one person. You probably would have guessed it without the headline or photo, it's 5th District Councilmember Jack Weiss, who...

The most controversial initiative on the March 3rd ballot is Measure B, "which calls for unionized DWP workers to install solar panels on rooftops and parking lots across the city," as the LA Times once put it. Solar power, a definite good thing, is not all that it's cracked up to be, at least in this plan say opponents. At last night's packed Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council meeting of around 200 people, proponents from...

Photo by discarted via LAist Featured Photos Last Fall, the ACLU released a study based on post-stop actions of its officers on 810,000 field data reports completed by LAPD officers nearly every time they stopped a vehicle or pedestrian between July 1, 2003 and June 30, 2004. They concluded that black and Hispanic residents are stopped, frisked, searched and arrested by LAPD officers far more frequently than white residents. Today, some recommendations were rejected...

For the third time in four days, LA Airport Police have arrested a man for bringing a gun to LAX. "Markus Dane Sargent, 27, was taken into custody about 7 a.m. on World Way West, which is used by employees getting into the airport, Airport Police Sgt. Jim Holcomb said," via wire reports. "An antique .22-caliber long rifle made by the Marlin Firearms Co. loaded with 12 rounds was found in the trunk of...

An e-mail to LAist and Curbed LA yesterday showed us a photo of decapitated chickens found along the Santa Monica Blvd in Silver Lake. "We dont know where they came from or how they got there, but they were in plastic bags, decomposing," the do gooder from the LA Neighborhood Cleanup Project wrote. "We are currently searching for an explanation. Any ideas? Is there an underground cock fighting arena in the neighborhood?" As a...

The driver of a Smart Car pulled over by a California Highway Patrol officer last night in North Hollywood fled after giving the officer his license and registration. The one and a half hour chase whipped through the Valley and eventually up to eastbound 210 Freeway in Sylmar when police pulled back and ultimately abandoned ship when they confirmed the driver's home address. No word if he went straight home to get arrested or...