Zach Behrens

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is back in Washington D.C. today, rallying for billions of dollars to fulfill the 30/10 plan, which is 30 years of transit projects--12 in all--built in 10 years. Unlike business as usual, the money would be paid back in full, thanks to the voter approved Measure R, which increased L.A. County's sales tax to raise $30 to $40 billion for transportation projects. California Sen. Barbara Boxer is in full support, but...

Those who are already members of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) should know this--"the big one" will likely be preceded by a biggish one--but it's a fact worth repeating over and over and over again. "I would expect some aftershocks with a 4.4 quake," USGS seismologist Bob Dollar tells Sciencedude Gary Robbins at the OC Register about this morning's "light" 4.4 quake at 4:04 a.m. "There’s still a 5 percent probability that we’ll...

Photo by eleanor.black via Flickr Although a local medical marijuana referendum failed to collect enough signatures to make June's ballot, the statewide initiative to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana like cigarettes and alcohol is still making its way through the process. "It's pretty much in the bag," said Richard Lee over the phone about the initiative statute he submitted. Lee, who founded the cannabis trade school Oaksterdam University in 2007, said counties around California...

A sunset, as seen from Venice | Photo by Anthony Citrano via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr A new taco joint is opening on West 3rd Street tonight, serving up such items like grilled tilapia fish tacos, braised beef taquitos and spicy grilled tiger prawns. Tax relief for homeowners and green energy companies? Gov. Schwarzenegger says no. Former LAPD Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell has taken over the Long Beach Police Department. (Will they finally...

Gamma Infinity "Transportation Freedom Day is the day of the year on which a median-income household has earned enough money to pay for transportation for the year," explains The California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) about Tuesday, when L.A. celebrates it. "Americans who live in areas with good access to public transportation tend to spend less on transportation than those who are fully dependent on cars. As a result, residents of transit-friendly neighborhoods achieve...

Photo via Discovery Talk about a sugar high (or coma). Yesterday, a fundraiser for children’s art’s programs at the Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge broke the Guinness World Record for world’s largest Rice Krispies Treat. Weighing in at more than 10,000 pounds, the process to build the treat was documented by the The Learning Channel for a new special to air this summer called "Mega Bites." Hundreds of volunteers came together to make...

Finally, the two Republican governor hopefuls will duke it out tonight in a debate in Costa Mesa. The hour-long event, hosted by the GOP-based New Majority California and moderated by KNBC's Conan Nolan, will be streamed live on www.sacbee.com/live starting at 5:30 p.m. Billionaire and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman has put millions into the her campaign and is pulling ahead in polls. She faces current California Insurance Commission Steve Poizner....

A Redondo Beach police officer who pleaded guilty to one count of grand theft by embezzlement last month was sentenced today to three months in county jail, following be three years of probation and one year of gamblers anonymous. 40-year-old Gene Tomatani embezzled $72,388.56 from the Redondo Beach Police Officer’s Association when in capacity as the organization's president and treasurer over a four year period beginning in May of 2004. He also embezzled $3,000...

There's a reason people refer to Los Angeles County Supervisors as kings and queens. Until recent years, the position had no term limits and the powerful job, which reigns over millions of residents each, usually went unchallenged. Filing to run in the primaries on the June 8th ballot were due last Friday and various incumbents are getting an easy ride, reports KPCC. Supervisors Gloria Molina and Zev Yaroslavsky (image to the right) and Sheriff Lee Baca will face zero challengers, save for any aggressive write-in campaigns.

At a L.A. City Council committee meeting last Friday, city budget officials announced that Los Angeles has received around $591 million from 84 grants in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. That's out of 150 applications put forth so far, asking for a total of $1.5 billion in the three-year federal program. And applications aren't over yet. A low-income weatherization grant was submitted by LADWP last week and two more are expected to be...

Blocking a bike lane and standing in a red zone | Photo by Peggy Archer via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Bicycle activist and blogger Ted Rogers is among a handful of cyclists who received an advance look at training materials to be handed down to rank and file officers for better enforcement and protection surrounding cycling on Los Angeles streets. One thing absent from a list of laws to enforce was blocking bike...

As seen at Bronson and Santa Monica earlier this week | Photo by douglasspics via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr A new live music venue in Venice? Meet Witzend. The city budget cuts and how they are affecting the parks is enough to make you feel like a nervous "rec." The cute Hollywood restaurant Off Vine, which was shuttered because of a fire, is finally opening next week. Lady Gaga's latest video, featuring Beyonce,...