Zach Behrens

Photo by tim_mcgarry via Flickr It's not just the city of Los Angeles with budget woes, but the county, too. The massively large organization faces a $510.5-million budget deficit, which could mean layoffs for 100 employees, according to the LA Times. The budget shortfall, however, is different than the city's $222 million one. That's because the county is planning for a $22.721 billion budget, which is $885 million less than the one this year....

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...

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...

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...

The L.A. Board of Water and Power Commissioners approved a one-time rate hike of 0.6 cents per kilowatt hour this afternoon. The move comes after the City Council convened an emergency meeting yesterday afternoon, recommending the rate hike, after learning of today's meeting. Some believe the move to call in meeting on such short notice was a violation of the state's open meeting laws. In fact, a city attorney present at the meeting recommended...

President Barack Obama will arrive in Los Angeles on Monday evening for a quick trip in support of Senator Barbara Boxer at her fundraiser. There will be no public events and only media will be allowed to be present for his arrival and departure. He'll be gone by the Tuesday morning. If a local high school in Lawndale wins a White House contest, the President will be back to give the commencement speech....

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.