Zach Behrens

Map via Patch AOL's brand of local news websites are growing faster than ever. Just last week, LAist posted about two new Patches in the San Gabriel Valley and today are two more in North Hollywood/Toluca Lake and in Monrovia. Craig Clough will take the helm for North Hollywood/Toluca Lake, which is likely going to be tough. While some of his fellow site editors have very defined and sometimes relatively small cities and neighborhoods,...

One quarter into the 2010-11 fiscal year and Los Angeles' "spending is running $63 million more than expected," according to the Daily News. The information comes from City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana, who warned the City Council last week in the latest financial status report. The overrun can be covered by the reserve and unappropriated balance accounts, but come June, there's an anticipated $318 million deficit expected. (h/t LA Observed)...

Detail of the Crystal Cathedral | Photo by loop_oh via Flickr What looked like a possibly just a few days ago became a reality today. "Crystal Cathedral Ministries, an Orange County landmark and megachurch founded by television evangelist Robert H. Schuller, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday morning," reports the OC Registar. $55 million in debt, today's filing by the mega-church is over $7.5 million owed to creditors who "filed lawsuits and obtained writ...

Hello, Fall! Expect temperatures in the 60s throughout the week and weekend, accompanied by clouds and rain for at least four days, according to the Weather Channel. By Friday, the sun should start peaking out, and by next week Monday, it's expected to be sunny, but still in the 60s....

Map via AIDS Walk The 26th Annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles is this Sunday, meaning thousands of people will be taking to the streets to fundraise and bring awareness to the disease. It also means some streets will be closed during the morning. Some streets will close as early as 6 a.m., but the walk starts at 9:15 a.m. at West Hollywood Park. It will head East on Santa Monica, South on La Cienega,...

Thursday night at the Downtown Art Walk | Photo by meddzilla via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Are you part of this trend? Sales of e-books are up 193% this year. Last night's Downtown Art Walk was well attended, despite confusion if it was really on or not (it really was). This haunted house in Sherman Oaks might be worth checking out. AOL's West Coast editorial director for Patch spoke at last night's L.A....

November 2nd is a big election day for California. Residents will vote on nine propositions and for a number of elected officials, most notably Governor, Attorney General and U.S. Senate. Currently, 16.99 million Californians are registered to vote, but are you? Monday, October 18th is the last day to register. If you need, the Secretary of State's office has put together an informative webpage on registering....

Mayor Huang Well here's a lede you don't read everyday. Courtesy of the LA Times's Sam Allen: "The mayor of the city of San Gabriel was in custody Friday on charges of felony robbery and assault after he allegedly took a woman’s purse and sped down a residential street with her clinging to the side of his sport-utility vehicle." Luckily the woman, who clung to the car for more than a quarter mile, was...

Sunset over the San Fernando Valley | Photo by Mark Luethi via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Abbot Kinney is quite popular these days: parking, valet and food trucks will be a big topic issue at the Venice Neighborhood Council next week. Sarah Palin on California: it "has unfortunately become a case study in failed liberal policies." Intelligentsia in Pasadena will start serving alcohol tomorrow. The White House will be lit in pink tonight...

Supporters and protesters gather during a news conference in front of Dorris Place Elementary School in Elysian Valley where California Attorney General and Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Jerry Brown spoke on Thursday (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) Despite the "whore" controversy, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown is leading Republican opponent Meg Whitman by 6 points, according to the latest poll from Rasmussen. "The numbers: Brown 50%, Whitman 44%. likely voters has a ±4% margin of error," explained...

The Big Blue Bus Line #1 | Imaga via Google Maps It looks like Big Blue Bus finally jumped on the Google train! Today transit activists were excited to find that Google Maps offered transit directions via Big Blue Bus, something that has been desired for awhile now, even prompting a petition last month. Neither Google or Big Blue Bus have made an official announcement about the feature, which could mean today's discovery is...

Photo by joanna8555 via Flickr An unidentified performer who has tested positive for HIV has sent waves through the adult entertainment industry, prompting a quarantine and a number of companies to halt production. So far, four have taken action: Vivid Entertainment, Wicked Pictures, Hustler Video and Digital Playground, according to the LA Times. The incident has activists once again calling for mandatory condom use in films, something that is generally frowned upon in the...