Zach Behrens

Paul Matheis, a Newport Beach divisional fire chief, was using toll roads in Orange County without having a Fastrak transponder on his car. When that happens, a photo is taken and a citation is sent to the vehicle's registered address. In Matheis' case, it happened so many times, it went up to $26,000, according to the Daily Pilot. No worries, though, he paid it out of his pocket. But now he's still under scrutiny...

Art by David Choe The last time British art promoter Lazarides came to Los Angeles, it was a hit, to say the least. It featured the work of the famously elusive Banksy, who also left the gallery behind to hit the streets, installing a British phone booth in Chinatown and a Guantanamo Bay detainee at Disneyland. Later this month, Lazarides is embarking on four months worth of art shows. While Banksy is not part...

The credit rating agency that downgraded Los Angeles in February is doing it once again. Moody Investor Services today announced a downgrade on the city's $3.2 billion of debt, reported the Daily News, which notes "a lower credit rating means the city would have to pay more to borrow money." Yesterday, Fitch withdrew its positive rating from the LADWP. The actions stem from a budget standoff over the controversial carbon surcharge. Meanwhile, Mayor Antonio...

As the city of Los Angeles comes close to running out of money, City Controller Wendy Greuel today released her annual report on all city funds in the City Treasury through June 30th of 2009. Basically, everything was in compliance with state codes. However, Greuel did point out some "troubling" findings. The Treasurer’s Investment Advisory Committee (IAC), which is supposed to provide oversight as to how the City’s funds are invested, hasn't met in...

View larger version of this map Some ten years after breaking ground, Santa Clarita officials last week opened the last segment of an 8.5 mile road that they hoped would relieve traffic throughout the city and valley. So far, the Cross-Valley Connector, which diagonally connects the 14 freeway with the 126 highway, has worked, city officials are touting today. "After one week, the newest link has resulted in a 30% reduction in vehicles during...

Following the news of Councilmember Paul Krekorian's iPhone app, the Council President himself, Eric Garcetti, will announce his app in a training session this afternoon. Garcetti 311 will let people in District 13, which covers parts of Hollywood, Thai Town, Little Armenia, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Atwater Village, Glassell Park and other neighborhoods, take and submit photos of potholes, graffiti and other problems for the city to address. The free app will be available...

Inside Alcatraz | Photo by bdearth via Flickr The Los Angeles Newspaper Group, owners of the Daily News and various other local papers, today is calling it like it is when talking about California's budget-saving early release prisoner program. Their editorial lede: "As evidence that the state simply has lost the ability to govern effectively, the early release program for prison inmates already is off track." Ooof. When Governor Arnold Scwharzenegger and former Assembly...

Following the magnitude 7.7 earthquake northwest of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, no tsunami activity is expected along the West Coast, says the AP. That's because the quake, which occurred at 3:15 p.m., PST, "was outside the Pacific basin." But just in case you live, work or play near the beach, check out the state's tsunami evacuation maps for the Los Angeles area. The quake was originally reported as a 7.8....

Photo: = Manny = Nearing bankruptcy, thanks to a stand off over the controversial carbon surcharge, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today announced drastic action. "I am asking the CAO to develop a plan to shut down all General-funded city services - with the exception of public safety and revenue-generating positions - for two days per week beginning the week of April 12," he said in prepared remarks at a press conference. Non-general-funded departments include LADWP,...

In a quirky fundraising plea, the main proponent behind the legalizing marijuana proposition on November's ballot today introduced their grassroots fundraising efforts. "Today, I'm asking you to set up a fundraising page and raise $100 or more by April 20 for the Control & Tax Cannabis 2010 campaign," asked Richard Lee in an e-mail.

Outside the crime scene | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist Details about how a restaurant shooting that left four dead and two injured went down started to become more clear Monday, but police were still left with varying reports, leaving a murky picture on some ends. What's clear is that around 4 p.m., a suspects or suspects walked in and approached the table where the six victims, who were at a funeral earlier in the...

The Valley as seen from Wilacre Park in Studio City | Photo by Atwater Village Newbie via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Someday soon, clothing sold in the state might have to disclose if animal fur is in the product. Is California red or blue? It might be getting harder to tell. A growing number of residents are identifying themselves as "Decline to State" when registering to vote. Think parking is hard in Santa...