Zach Behrens

The former First Lady was in California this week promoting her new book and made a stop by CNN in Hollywood to talk to Larry King. On the topic of gay marriage, Laura Bush told King that she and her husband George W. Bush disagreed about gay marriage. "It’s a real reversal … to accept gay marriage," she said, predicting that legalization because it's "a generational thing.”...

The L.A. County Department of Public Health is saying cases of the mumps are on the rise this year. “At least nine cases of mumps have already been reported in Los Angeles County this year, six of which have been confirmed,” said Jonathan E. Fielding, Director of Public Health and Health Officer. “By comparison, seven cases were confirmed countywide in all of 2009, seven in 2008, and five in 2007.” It's a vaccine-preventable viral...

Photo by Shawn Nee/Discarted Today the Los Angeles City Council will debate and vote on a resolution calling for the end of city business with the state of Arizona and companies headquartered there until the controversial immigration bill SB 1070 changes. In an analysis (.pdf) prepared for the discussion, $56.28 million has been identified in city contracts with Arizona-based companies. The department with the most investment with Arizona is the L.A. Harbor, which spends...

In Silver Lake | Photo by queequegMB via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Identity can be a topic that gets people talking, good or bad. Recently, there's been an effort to rename a part of Los Angeles commonly, but erroneously, called The Eastside. And in Sacramento, some want to officially rename the 405 Freeway in honor of a fellow politician. When it comes to people calling Echo Park, Silver Lake, East Hollywood and Los...

The azalea maze at the Getty Center | Photo by hyperbolation via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr LA Weekly is calling shenanigans on the potential downtown location for Eli Broad's museum. "What can $1 a year get a billionaire these days?" they ask. "Evidently, a property worth $7.7 million." Banksy is still hitting up California, giving San Francisco lots of love (we want more in LA!). In what police believe is a gang-related crime,...

A scene from See What I Wanna See, the current main stage production at The Blank Theatre Company Over 20 stages make up Hollywood Theatre Row on Santa Monica Boulevard. From the Hudson to the Unknown, from Elephant to Asylum, the small area is alive with the performance spaces that attract audiences from across the city. And it's that foot traffic that has Concilmember Tom LaBonge seeking improvements because the area, in particular Seward...

The move to ban the city from doing business with Arizona, a reaction to its controversial immigration law, will be discussed and likely voted on at Wednesday's L.A. City Council meeting. "The City of Los Angeles has taken a stand against injustice many times in the past, and it's often been very successful," Janice Hahn, who co-authored the resolution, told LAist. "I hope my Council colleagues will support my proposal to boycott Arizona, so...

Photo by Tom Andrews/LAist A pilot program loosening rules for where taxi cabs can pick up and drop off customers in downtown and Hollywood was extended today by the Los Angeles City Council. The program, first established in 2008, allows drivers to temporarily stop at “No Stopping” and “No Parking” zones and alongside parked vehicles to load and unload passengers. But today City Councilmembers said it's time to make this a permanent rule, entering...

Apparently, a suspicious package was reported in Venice yesterday, prompting the LAPD to shut down the area around Market Street, reports neighborhood blog Yo! Venice. "As you can see in the pictures, it appears they diffused a skateboard by blowing it up. Better safe than sorry we assume, so thanks for 'lookin’ out,' LAPD." In the end, it was a false alarm and no one was hurt. A robot took the package to Ocean...

Photo by guamafro via Flickr A man who is suspected of kidnapping and shooting a woman in Long Beach this morning, leaving her body in a parking structure, was shot during a standoff in front of a San Fernando Valley Best Buy a few hours later. In what police believe was a family dispute, Donovan Morris apparently took a woman from her home at 7:35 a.m. before killing her. Long Beach Police notified the...

Police surround a group chaing together on Alameda Street (more photos here) | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist The 14 protestors who chained themselves together outside the federal Metropolitan Detention Center last Thursday were released today, nearly four days after their arrest, the LA Times is reporting. Charges include interfering with police work and failure to disperse. The week prior, Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez made headlines for his arrest in Washington D.C. after he and...

Richard Riordan Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan turned heads last week with his scathing review of the city's financial status and continued his opinions over the weekend with LA Times columnist Patt Morrison. Of note were his thoughts on police and bringing football to the region. "We can try to make the Police Department and the Fire Department run more efficiently. For example, eliminate the 12-hour day [and the resulting three-day workweek]. Go...