Email Author Simone Wilson

Awards

• 2011 - Southern California Journalism Awards/LA Press Club, published December 16, 2010

  "Culture of Cruelty"

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2010 Stories by Simone Wilson

• Jeff Gorell Wins* California State Assembly District 37 In Election 2010, Beating His Manly Chest To The Tune Of Opponent Ferial Masry's Bitter Tears

  published Nov 02, 2010

  We're calling it: Jeff Gorell (R) of Ventura is your next representative for California State Assembly District 37. He beat opponent Ferial Masry (D) by a landslide. *OK, so we fibbed in the headlin... More >>

• Alex Padilla Wins* California State Senate District 20 In Election 2010, Feeding Opponent Kathleen Evans To Lions Before Cheering Valley Crowds

  published Nov 02, 2010

  We're calling it: Alex Padilla (D) of the San Fernando Valley is your next representative for California State Senate District 20. He beat opponent Kathleen Evans (R) by a landslide. *OK, so we fibb... More >>

• Buck McKeon Wins* California Congressional District 25 In Election 2010, Obliterating Opponent Jackie Conaway In Gladiator-Style Death Match

  published Nov 02, 2010

  We're calling it: Buck McKeon (R) of Bakersfield is your next representative for California Congressional District 25. He beat opponent Jackie Conaway (D) by a landslide. *OK, so we fibbed in the he... More >>

• Prop. 26 Is Emission-Happy Prop. 23's Sneaky, Environmentally Unfriendly Stepsister

  published Nov 02, 2010

  While environmentalists get their panties in a twist over Prop. 23, a slicker plan to dodge environmental regulations is making its way past protesters. By changing the definition of "fee" to "tax," ... More >>

• We Met Outside The Mummy Ride: The Best Of Halloween Weekend's 'Missed Connections'

  published Nov 01, 2010

  The only thing harder than making a lasting connection in L.A. is making a lasting connection when you can't recognize the person the next day. In the tradition of our sister news blog at the Village... More >>

• L.A. City Councilman Greig Smith Overrides City's Arizona Boycott -- Again -- To Maintain Ties With Taser Company, Of All Things

  published Nov 01, 2010

  When L.A. City Councilmembers approved an economic boycott of Arizona back in May (a trendy move at the time, echoed by the likes of Lady Gaga and Rage Against the Machine), they must have thought the... More >>

• Halloween Shooter Took Out Four Guys In Hollywood -- Right In Front Of The Cops

  published Nov 01, 2010

  West Hollywood -- L.A.'s central Halloween hotspot -- may have stayed relatively tame last night (if you call 8,239 trannies doing the "Time Warp" tame), but Hollywood proper just to the north gave th... More >>

• The Damage, Halloween 2010: Three-Year-Old South L.A. Trick-Or-Treater Slammed By Hit-And-Run Driver, Boyle Heights 22-Year-Old Kills Girlfriend And Child In SUV

  published Nov 01, 2010

  The night of October 31/morning of November 1 are inevitably rough on the crime front -- something about unlimited Skittles and slutty schoolgirls brings out the evil in any community. This year was n... More >>

• City Of Pasadena Set On Running 'Romantic' Trolley Around Downtown Loop

  published Oct 29, 2010

  Mayor Villaraigosa and the Subway-to-Sea dreamers aren't the only ones with pricey public transportation on their lists this holiday season. The Pasadena Star-News reported yesterday that city offici... More >>

• Marlon Harvey, L.A. Homicide No. 211: 38-Year-Old Gunned Down Near Westmont

  published Oct 28, 2010

  A man fatally shot around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 26, has been identified as 38-year-old Marlin Harvey. The shooting took place on the 1300 block of West 95th Street, between Vermont and Normandie ... More >>

• Why Doesn't CNN En Espanol Have Any News Anchors From Los Angelesr

  published Oct 28, 2010

  Do the math, CNNE: Miami's population might be 20 percent more Latino than ours, but Los Angeles is bigger -- so in the end, we have close to a quarter million more Latino residents than that other pa... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  $9 Billion 'Subway To The Sea' Gets Final Approval From L.A. Metro Officials -- Now For More Studies

  published Oct 28, 2010

  Who cares if it won't de-congest traffic, as promised by L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa back when he needed taxpayer supportr The extension of the L.A. Metro Purple Line (why does that sound so gay)... More >>

• L.A. Advertisers And Anti-Billboard Activists Pissed Over City Council's Bright Idea To Slap Billboards With A 12 Percent Tax

  published Oct 28, 2010

  The Weekly has long had an eye on sketchy billboard deals throughout Los Angeles. In 2008, we reported that 4,000 of the city's 11,000 billboards were illegal, built without permits or earthquake regu... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Countdown To Halloween: Another 1920s Hotel In Downtown L.A. Gets Spooky With Ballroom Fire And Sprinkler Flood

  published Oct 28, 2010

  After 48-year-old Laura Finley died last Saturday from a suspicious tumble down the 1920s-era Millenium Biltmore Hotel's grand stairwell, the Mayfair Hotel -- a few blocks to the west, on the other si... More >>

• L.A. City Councilman Paul Koretz Buddy-Buddies With Union Chief Brian D'Arcy To Kill Proposed Reform That Would Deflate DWP Worker Pensions

  published Oct 27, 2010

  [Updated after the jump with council-floor perspective from Bernard Parks, the L.A. City Councilman behind the push to gain city control of DWP pensions. Originally posted at 3:33 p.m.] Some of the h... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Five Bandits -- One With Obama Mask And Toy Knife -- Tie Up El Pollo Loco Employees In Duarte, Make Off With $4,000

  published Oct 27, 2010

  Halloween (and Election Night) couldn't come soon enough for a group of hooligans in East County yesterday. Just after the last couple customers had moseyed out, five masked men descended upon an El ... More >>

• Carly Fiorina, Rebublican U.S. Senate Candidate, Hospitalized With Infection Caused By Breast Reconstruction Surgery

  published Oct 27, 2010

  [Updated after the jump: Fiorina will be released today -- and is expected back on the trail by tomorrow.] [Updated after the jump with the probability that this is just an infection. Expert commenta... More >>

• Meg Whitman Accidentally Endorses Jerry Brown In 'Why I Came To California' Vid

  published Oct 27, 2010

  California governor hopefuls Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown have both taken their fair share of pot shots this election season. It's gotten downright catty: "Job killer." "Whore." "Jerryfails.com." "Sch... More >>

• CEO Of L.A.'s Own 'Central City' Health Charity Accused Of Using Taxpayer Revenue For Personal Business Expenses

  published Oct 27, 2010

  [Updated after the jump: The Central City "independent" oversight board consisted of Varela's own friends and sister -- and failed to notice a $2 million private-contractor charge to the charity's acc... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  13-Year-Old Miranda Hemphill Abducted By 22-Year-Old L.A. County Sex Offender -- Dad Reaches Out Via YouTube

  published Oct 26, 2010

  [Update: Hemphill and her abductor were discovered in a car together on Las Vegas Boulevard around noon and taken into custody. Originally posted at 8:15 a.m.] Best way to communicate with your 13-ye... More >>

• Bedbugs Finally Outnumber Hipsters In New York City, Shoot For Total (High-Brow) Infestation At Carnegie Hall

  published Oct 26, 2010

  In the month since we last reported on New York City's booming bedbug epidemic, the situation's gotten worse than we ever could have hoped. It was embarrassing enough when the nasty little vamps inva... More >>

• Fat Salaries Of West Hollywood City Council, Manager And Employees: Now Available For Your Viewing Pleasure

  published Oct 26, 2010

  The state Controller's new salary-tracking website is already coming in handy. Drooling for some more Bell scandals, we stumbled upon the public-official salary listings for West Hollywood -- a relat... More >>

• Costa Mesa She-Bum Drove Around With Homeless Friend's Mummified Corpse In Passenger's Seat For 10 Months

  published Oct 26, 2010

  Not even death could part a Costa Mesa homeless woman from her 59-year-old friend -- identified as Signe Margit, another transient known for hanging around Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley... More >>

• Latest Response To The Bell Scandal: CA Controller's Office Posts All Public Salaries Online, L.A. County Water-Board Officials Found To Pad Own Paychecks

  published Oct 25, 2010

  Holding public officials accountable is so hot right now. The state Controller's Office made its heroic contribution to the transparency trend today, unveiling a website it's been cooking up (on low ... More >>

• Lynwood Man Electrocuted To Death By Exploding Vault -- Police Say It Was Copper Theft, Brother Claims It Was Strictly Business

  published Oct 25, 2010

  Jose Fernando Santillanes, a 36-year-old Latino man, was tinkering with an electric vault in an empty South Gate lot on Saturday afternoon. His wife, 33-year-old Maria Cortez, stood by. Their two kids... More >>