Zach Behrens

John Nunez After Rosemead City Councilman John Nunez lost a his re-election bid in early 2009, he claimed and eventually collected $11,250 in unemployment benefits, paid by the city, despite objections. When news broke, it ruffled many politicians the wrong way prompting them into action. State senators Gloria Romero (D - East Los Angeles) and Bob Dutton (R- Rancho Cucamonga) both co-authored SB 1211, which seeks to prevent elected officials from collecting unemployment benefits...

LAX Officials this morning said volcanic ash over the UK and Europe (see satellite images) continue to affect flights in and out of the airport. In all, eight departures and 13 arrivals have been nixed. However, give flights were given clearance to depart. Using aircraft and flight crews stranded in Los Angeles for the past few days, Lufthansa, British Airlines and Air Tahiti Nui were able to depart....

Happy Friday frok Santa Monica Beach | Photo by red.dahlia via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr The San Diego County man accused of killing two teenage girls plead guilty today. Ooofff! Three-hour wait reported at Coachella today. A well-known Skid Row resident was shot and killed early this morning on Los Angeles Street. Brian Center talks up his non profit A Better LA on HuffPo today: "Perhaps government could learn to operate differently, by...

City Council President Eric Garcetti will officially launch his free iPhone App tomorrow and is inviting folks to come out to Historic Filipinotown in the morning to download it and try it out by reporting potholes, graffiti and other problems. “Garcetti 311,” which will work for all of District 13 (.pdf map) that spans parts of Echo Park, Silver Lake and Northeast L.A., is a pilot program to let citizens report problems with visual...

Photo by doisneau via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr So you've gone to Coachella, but why head back to Los Angeles so soon? April 17th to 25th is National Park Week, meaning entrance fees are waived. April is the park's busiest month and also a great time to check out wildflowers. “The desert is at its best for the next few weeks,” said Park Superintendent Curt Sauer. Other regional National Parks will also be...

Photo: balmes via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr A state assembly bill with the goal of reducing crime around public transit stops and stations, and aboard vehicles and trains, has been introduced, Assembly Speaker John Pérez (D-Los Angeles) announced today alongside L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca. The bill namely makes it a crime to bring most weapons aboard public transit vehicles and around bus depots and in train stations. “We need to keep weapons...

And that includes some Coachella fans and bandmembers. Eight arriving flights from London, Paris and Amsterdam and nine departure flights, impacting approximately 4,800 passengers, have been canceled due to the temporary closure of airspace over the U.K. and northern Europe. Thanks, Volcanic ash! Confirmed airlines with cancellations include Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, Virgin Atlantic, Air New Zealand, British Airways, American Airlines and United. "Passengers going to/from the U.K. and Europe are advised to check...

At Santa Monica and La Brea | Photo by red.dahlia via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr The AIDS Healthcare Foundation filed labor complaints against nine porn companies, accusing them of knowingly exposing actors to STDS. Hermon Dog Park in Northeast L.A. makes a magazine's #7 pick for top spots in America. Another bicycle hit and run incident goes to trial. $17,346. That's the value of the trip given to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for his...

Parmount Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains Tonight through Sunday are a few events to take you far enough away from the city to make you feel like you're on a trip without the Coachella traffic experience. Tonight is the first day of the Santa Monica Mountains 1st Annual Science Festival. While it sounds a wee bit nerdy, it's worth a look at what the National Park Service and Natural History Museum of Los...

It's the weekend and that means the LAPD is out in force, looking to catch drunk drivers. And as expected, there will be DUI checkpoints. In fact, there will be two tonight. From 7 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. in Eagle Rock, a checkpoint will be set up on Eagle Rock Boulevard near Avenue 41. Over in Echo Park, a checkpoint between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. will be found on Glendale Boulevard at Effie...

The internet hasn't totally killed the record store yet and let's keep it that way. To boost stores' presence across the country, every third Saturday of April is Record Store Day (and usually on Coachella weekend) where we celebrate the physical record, 8-track or disc. This year, stores across the Los Angeles region are pitching in and having events or offering discounts. The good folks at L.A. Record have produced a sweet guide to...

Although L.A.'s medical marijuana ordinance was approved back in January, one piece was still needed to push it onto the books. What was missing and ultimately approved were registration fees--$1,200-- that dispensaries will be required to pay, according to the LA Times.