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...

Remember when actor Sean Penn, sick and tired of the paparazzi, went on the offensive and kicked a photographer in Brentwood last year (video)? The City Attorney filed charges in February and today the verdict came out. He "was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to perform 300 hours of community service," according to the LA Times, which reminds us he served 60 days in jail in 1987 for attacking an extra for...

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...

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...

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 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...

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,...

via CBS2 The group of women known as the "Knock Knock Burglars" have been caught, police believe, according to CBS2. On Friday morning, a Glendale resident apparently noticed three women knock on a door before trying to pry it open. Police nabbed them as they drove away and allegedly found tools in the car that can be used for burglaries. In April, the LAPD was on the lookout for a crew of women using...

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...

The body of a 35-year-old man has been found inside the parking garage at The Grove, reports the LA Times. The death, however, does not appear to be a result of foul play, but could be a drug overdose. "He may have been there for a couple of days," an LAPD commander said. The man was found inside his truck....