Zach Behrens

Citing delays in fixing the deficit, Los Angeles' financial outlook was downgraded from stable to negative by a major Wall Street financial credit service today, finds the LA Times. This comes at city leaders try to figure out how to fill in a $212-million budget gap with an expected $484-million one expected next fiscal year. Moody’s Investors Service's downgrade could mean the lowering of the city's credit rating, which would increase the cost of...

In-N-Out Animal Style French Fries: probably not good for your physical health, but maybe for your mental health? | Photo by nomsnotbombs via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr When it comes to L.A. County's overall health, it sits in the middle of 56 California counties studied for a recent report, according to the LA Times. Orange County made the top ten. “This report shows us that there are big differences in overall health across...

Photo by okarol via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr The weather has been absolutely beautiful this week. Too bad the weekend is not expected to be the same. "It looks to be a good one coming through," said Bill Hoffer, a National Weather Service spokesperson, noting that a few storm cells are headed our way, beginning tomorrow and possibly lasting through next Wednesday. Tomorrow morning, Angelenos could be waking up to some drizzle, with...

Google is starting to experiment with broadband services and L.A. wants in, according to USC's NeonTommy. "They've opened this up to everyone, but we're actively pursuing a deal," said Kevin Crawford, the deputy director of L.A.'s Information Tech...

Fans of documentaries like Food, Inc., The Cove, The Inconvenient Truth and movies like Good Night and Good Luck, Syriana and The Soloist might not know they were all produced under a company called Participant Media. And it's that company that recently launched a new social action network called TakePart, which aims to be, in our words, the Google of Do Gooding and the Yelp of Volunteering. In an effort to spread their word...

The family of Melody Ross, the popular 16-year-old honors student and athlete who was fatally shot by gangmembers while attending her high school Homecoming last October, has filed a claim both against the Long Beach Unified School District and the city, reports LBPost.com. "The cliam at least in part holds the school district accountable on the grounds that 'respondent [LBUSD] failed to provide adequate security precautions for the large-scale event,'" said the local news...

For Angelenos who are not paying attention to the city's current fiscal crisis, they might start feeling it... literally. We're talking about potholes. Speaking to the urgency of laying off 1,000 or more city hall workers, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa yesterday served up the harsh realities that could be waiting for us.

Photo by Lucyrk in LA via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr It may be Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's goal to not layoff police officers, but attrition and budget cuts to overtime have the department struggling to meet its staffing goals. Chief Charlie Beck today said to the LA Times that he's in the process of transferring 350 officers from specialized units to patrol duty. "Beck said the cuts to the specialized units were necessary because...

At the Laundramat | Photo by VintageSon Foto via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr How much do you love Santa Monica? The tourism board launched a lovefest of a blog about itself on Valentine's Day. Accused of shooting her husband Dave Laut, a former Olympic shot-putter, Jane Laut today pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges. R.I.P. Knack lead singer Doug Fieger, who wrote and sung "My Sharona," died of cancer on Sunday. Speaking...

Around 75 small earthquakes have struck the Redlands area since last Saturday, when a light 4.1 earthquake shook the area. Today, the quakes continued with a 3.5 magnitude shaker at 1:35 p.m. More locally, a 2.0 quake also struck the Malibu area at 7:30 a.m. this morning. As always, each little quake is hopefully a reminder to get prepared because not all quakes will be so small....

First Silver Lake, then Venice and by the midsummer, Pasadena, the Chicago-based coffee company announced today. The exact location is still secret, but Intelligentsia CEO Doug Zell tells the LA Times the look and feel will be "very, very different in a way that hasn't been done in the U.S. yet for a coffeehouse. We want to continue to push the boundaries of the coffee making process."...

Take a look at the Hollywood Sign and you'll notice it's back to normal. Today, Trust for Public Land officials ended its awareness campaign, which had the sign covered with "SAVE THE PEAK," announcing that almost $2 million has been raised since the beginning of last week (about $1 million was raised since Thursday, when the campaign officially began). Although $8 million is now in hand, $4.5 million still needs to be fundraised by...