Zach Behrens

Tourists at Pink's | Photo by Purple Blossom via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Local and Bay Area police departments are readying up for the verdict in the Johannes Mehserle case, which went to trial in Los Angeles. Oscar Grant was shot and killed by a police officer while lying face down in a Oakland BART station on New Year's Day 2009. Once a giant festival, the Lotus Festival in Echo Park scheduled for...

Two Burbank police officers were shot outside a Burbank K-Mart store on San Fernando Road this afternoon, according to the Burbank Leader. The circumstances surrounding the noontime-hour shooting are unknown, but the two unidentified officers are expected to survive. One officer was shot in the hand and leg and the other in the chest, where a bulletproof vest may have helped stop the bullet. A man was scene in handcuffs being taken to the...

The 7.2 Mexicali earthquake on Easter Sunday may have put more pressure on neighboring fault lines in Southern California, according to preliminary analysis by NASA. That analysis showed "that the Mexicali quake placed more pressure on at least two Southern California fault lines: the Elsinore and the San Jacinto," reported the LA Times.

Photo by GarySe7en via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr The Santa Monica City Council is considering placing a measure on the November ballot that would put the city's budget woes in their hands. City leaders are considering placing a measure on the ballot that would ask voters to raise the sales tax a half cent or a property transfer tax hike of $1.50, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press. At issue is the...

A small plane crashed early this evening at Penmar Golf Course in Venice, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The golf course, which sits at the edge of the border between Los Angeles and Santa Monica, is located on departure side of the runway, according to ABC7, which reported one fatality. The crash occurred around 6 p.m. and near the 8th hole, the fire department noted. [Update: LAFD Spokesman Erik Scott said the...

Detail of Santa Monica's official seal | Photo by mares8 via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr A legal challenge to Los Angeles' medical marijuana ordinance, which limits the number that can operate within the city, thus forcing hundreds to shut down, is still in limbo. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Mohr yesterday delayed his decision until after July 23rd, when briefs he requested are due, according to the LA Times. Mohr...

Hollywood & Highland | Photo by Benjamin Heath via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr He's an environmentalist? The L.A. car guy is, says Green LA Girl. Is internet access a right or a privilege? Some don't want taxpayer money going to something that can access adult industry content, others say the U.S. has to be competitive internationally. A plane that crashed on Catalina Island after the pilot apparently had a heart attack sparked a...

A new law that takes effect today will force first-time and repeat DUI offenders to install an ignition interlock device in their vehicle, according to the Associated Press. In order to start a vehicle up, drivers would have to blow a passing score into the device (see a video from one company on how it works here). The law isn't statewide, but is only in four counties on an experimental basis for five years....

The Board overseeing California's 800-mile high speed rail project are scheduled to meet next week and hear reports on possible station locations in the San Fernando Valley. One of the four will eventually be chosen, according to the Glendale News-Press. They are: near the Burbank Airport, in the city of San Fernando, near the Tujunga Wash at Branford Street and near the Pacoima Wash. Specific details are expected to be posted on July 7th...

Food trucks aren't the only issue on the 5700 block of Wilshire Boulevard these days. The LAPD today said a man -- they nicknamed him the "Office Creeper" -- during daytime hours on Tuesday walked into a building, stole a large amount of U.S. and European money and walked out casually. He's described as a balding black male, 40-50 years old, standing about 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing about 230 pounds. He...

Photo by Benjamin Heath via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Your tax dollars at work: thousands of dollars in welfare money was found to be taken out of ATM machines at strip clubs, many of them local. Now that Trader Joe's is heading in the direction of selling sustainable seafood, Greenpeace's latest target is Costco. Anthem Blue Cross' latest proposed healthcare rate hike: not a 39% hike, but a 14%. July 1st marks the...

via Google Maps Despite its name, Santa Barbara Island is located off the coast of Los Angeles. At one square mile, it's the smallest of the eight Channel Islands and is one of five included in the National Park. Today, rangers are warning island visitors to swim at their own risk. "Great white sharks have been observed in this area attacking California sea lions," said a notice released today. "There have been no shark...