Zach Behrens

Louie Lujan The former 33-year-old mayor of La Puente, Louie Lujan, was sentenced to three months probation, fined $1,000 and barred from holding elected office, a Superior Court Judge ruled today. Last month, Lujan pleaded guilty to one felony count of perjury not reporting contributions and expenditures during his 2009 campaign before submitting his resignation. Lujan's attorney last month said this was about race. "If you're a Hispanic politician and you fill out the...

Photo by °Florian via Flickr A small pilot project in Palm Springs and Cathedral City last year gave 35 homeowners free water controllers, which resulted in 2.5 million gallons in water savings, decreasing their bills by more than a quarter. Now more are being given away, the Desert Sun reported earlier this month. “We are huge fans of using controllers,” a Desert Water Agency said. “We think it's one of the quickest, easiest and...

Senator Barbara Boxer faces a challenging re-election with either Republican and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina or former Republican Congressman Tom Campbell in the race. Both GOP candidates stand a good chance against Boxer, according to poll numbers that put both sides in a "statistical dead heat" this week. Also, Boxer's unfavorable rating went from 39 percent to 51 percent in two months. Obama will attend a fundraiser in support of Boxer in April,...

That's what LAPD officers found and turned over to Animal Services when they arrested a man for felony animal cruelty last Saturday. Demetrio Plumamena, 46, was arrested for the illegal sale of animals on a sidewalk--that's against local and state laws--by undercover officers working the Fashion District. When animal service officers arrived, they noted that the caged animals were malnourished and resided in cramped cages, all which constituted as animal cruelty. “The illegal sales...

Louie Bottega in Downtown L.A. | Photo by eveillone via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Making a threat online can send you to jail instead of being protected by the 1st Amendment, even if you haven't Facebook friended that random cute girl who is actually an undercover federal agent. L.A. Fashion Week = this weekend. The high-profile restaurant Provecho in downtown has filed for bankruptcy and eviction proceedings have begun. Long Beach's alt-weekly The...

Now here's a reason for L.A. politicians to finally pay attention to the unfinished Core Trail plan, which would giver hikers and equestrians the right-of-way along Mulholland Drive through the city (are you listening Sierra Club member Paul Koretz?). A report released today by the National Parks Conservation Association says visitors drawn to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area--it spans 153,000 acres from Runyon Canyon to the Santa Monica Pier and Point Mugu--spent...

If you've seen the tags “FIGO” and “FIGOE” scrawled across walls along the 10 and 101 freeways near downtown Los Angeles, he may be off the streets now. LAPD detectives today searched 20-year-old Eduardo Ramirez' Maywood home finding evidence suggesting that he's the tagger they've been looking for in a two-month investigation. “We have two officers assigned full time to investigate these vandals,” said Lt. Paul Vernon in a news release. Ramirez, who was...

Photo by GarySe7en via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Although California Senator Dianne Feinstein earlier this week admitted she was not familiar with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's 30/10 plan and that it could be a tough sell, today she gave her support. "I think the 30/10 Plan could become a national model for how to build up communities across the country," she said, echoing the sentiments of fellow Senator Barbara Boxer. 30/10 seeks $30 to...

On the heels of the confirmation of California's first gay Speaker of the Assembly comes the Episcopal Church's vote to consecrate its second openly gay bishop, according to the New York Times. Rev. Mary D. Glasspool will be one of two new assistant bishops here in Los Angeles as of May 15th. At issue for the Anglican Communion is the interpretation of the bible--does it condemn homosexuality or is that open to interpretation?--and it...

In response to the recent gubernatorial Field Poll results, which has former eBay CEO and Republican candidate Meg Whitman pulling ahead of Attorney General and Democrat Jerry Brown by 3 points, Brown's spokesman went but wait, touché: “Meg Whitman has spent a year and $40 million running for governor and what that’s accomplished is that she’s in a virtual dead heat with Jerry Brown, who launched his campaign two weeks ago.” Of course, Brown...

Photo by Allan Henderson via Flickr Once again, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's vision of a clean energy city is coming under fire. It's not the goal--have L.A. powered by 20% renewable energy by the end of 2010--it's the how you get there part, says the Los Angeles Times in an editorial today. "There is a familiar and disturbing whiff of deception," the Times says about the proposed increased rates. "The plan throws in so many...

No, the insanely popular Sunset Junction Festival is not going away (dates for this year are slated for August 21st and 22nd), but Silver Lake will soon be home to two major festivals with the introduction of the Silver Lake Jubilee come this May. And by what's been announced so far, it's looking like a killer event. Although no line-up has been announced yet (companion monthly Wednesday night events called Serenade Sunset, however, do...