Email Author Simone Wilson

Awards

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

  "Culture of Cruelty"

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2012 Stories by Simone Wilson

• 710 Freeway Expansion Would 'Improve Air Quality and Public Health,' Says Metro; Residents Call B.S.

  published Aug 07, 2012

  A new wave of resistance is swelling in the decades-old struggle between California transportation officials and L.A.-area residents over both an expansion and extension of the uber-clogged 710 freewa... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Richmond Refinery Fire Could Push L.A. Gas Prices Back Over $4

  published Aug 07, 2012

  Goddammit. Just when we were beginning to get used to this summertime dip in gas prices -- they've fallen from over $4.30 in March to about $3.90 today -- the largest refinery in NorCal has to go and ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  L.A. Parking Taxes Gone Wild: City Approves New Meters, Looks to Expand Street Sweeping

  published Aug 07, 2012

  The L.A. City Council knows our weak spot. In order to get almost anywhere in this godforsaken sprawl pit, we need to drive a car. Unless we can afford valet/a driveway, we often need to park that car... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Larry Beal of Moreno Valley Gets Laptop Stolen; Thieves Find Child Porn, Try to Blackmail Him, Says Riverside Sheriff

  published Aug 03, 2012

  What's the cruddiest possible scenario for a guy with (alleged) child porn on his laptopr Lawrence Tibbals Beal of Moreno Valley might hold the world record for worst luck-having by a suspected pedop... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  MTV's Diggity Dave Says James Holmes Called Him Before Dark Knight Massacre; Did His Sick Batman Spinoff Inspire Aurora Shootingr

  published Aug 01, 2012

  In the answer-seeking aftermath of the Dark Knight massacre, many have fingered Hollywood as a prime suspect: Was alleged shooter James Holmes so numbed by blood and gunfire in the movies that he beca... More >>

• Streetcar for Downtown L.A.r Council Creates Special Voting District So Residents Can Decide

  published Jul 31, 2012

  What a romantic day for downtown: Dreams of a streetcar loop from Broadway to 11th to Figeroa to Hill (see map below) have a chance of becoming reality, now that the L.A. City Council has created a sp... More >>

• Dating Survey: Rich Guys More Likely to Take a Bullet for You at Dark Knight Screening

  published Jul 31, 2012

  A new survey was released today by the same whorish online-dating empire that recently let us know which U.S. city has the most sugar daddies (not L.A., weirdly). The new numbers again involve incom... More >>

• L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl Smokes Pot (and Gets Paid for It)

  published Jul 31, 2012

  Whenever a public figure in an esteemed/elected position announces that he or she smokes (or used to smoke) pot, everybody freaks. Obamar No! Bloombergr Schwarzeneggerrr Michael freaking Phelpsrrr Bu... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Prop. 8 Sent to U.S. Supreme Court by 'Protect Marriage' Camp

  published Jul 31, 2012

  They're like potato bugs who refuse to die. After four yeas of rejection, ProtectMarriage.com and four other individuals in the pro-Prop. 8 camp have taken California's gay-marriage fight to the high... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  VIDEO: L.A. Cops Investigated for Running Rogue Hollywood Boot Camp

  published Jul 31, 2012

  Two Los Angeles Police Department officers, Ismael Gonzalez and Alex Nava, have reportedly been running a rogue boot camp out of a Hollywood school since February. They've recreated the the LAPD's off... More >>

• California Tax for Mentally Ill Is Going Toward Massage Chairs, Zumba Classes in SoCal

  published Jul 30, 2012

  California Governor Jerry Brown is asking for another tax hike this November: He hopes the dead-broke people of this dead-broke state will have the heart to toss a few coins at our crumbling education... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  L Bar on Sunset Is Closing

  published Jul 30, 2012

  L Bar -- a Sunset Boulevard warehouse bar that's been gaining popularity despite its Google Maps obscurity and complete lack of signage -- is closing. Well, there goes LA Weekly's entry for "Best Ba... More >>

• Is Westwood Really 'Dying'r Twitter Account Mourns Neighborhood's Decline

  published Jul 30, 2012

  Ever since the beginning May, a morbid Twitter account called @westwoodisdying has been forming an unofficial file of all "the closed and closing storefronts in Westwood Village," and just documenting... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  San Fernando's JCPenney Drama Comes to a Head: Guerilla Preservationists Block Midnight Sign Removal (VIDEO)

  published Jul 30, 2012

  The drama is once again on blast in the city of San Fernando, where an affair-gone-south between councilmembers recently turned City Hall into the set of a live soap opera. This time, the estranged l... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Jose Mendoza, Bell Gardens Teen, Killed by Hit-and-Run Driver in Popular Racing Spot

  published Jul 27, 2012

  The victim's name was Jose Mendoza, not Jose Mendez. Post and headline have been updated to reflect this fact. Last night around 11 p.m. in the southeastern corner of L.A. County, a hit-and-run drive... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  L.A. Sheriff, Undersheriff Defend Jail Abuse and Deputy Gangs: Listen Live

  published Jul 27, 2012

  It's rare to catch L.A. Sheriff Lee Baca and his shadow leader, Paul Tanaka (who also bizarrely serves as the mayor of Gardena), candidly speaking about the hundreds of deputy-abuse allegations that h... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  LAPD Officers Lied About DUI Case, Says D.A.

  published Jul 26, 2012

  Update: One of the officers has been fired. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck says: "I do not believe that their intent was evil, just extremely misguided." Read his full statement at the bottom. Originally po... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  VIDEO: L.A. Journalists Amber Lyon, Tim Pool, Steven Gregory Shot at by Anaheim Police

  published Jul 25, 2012

  Approximately 500 protesters, majority Latino, were showered in police beanbags, rubber bullets and pepper balls last night outside Anaheim City Hall as they rioted over two recent officer-involved sh... More >>

• VIDEO: Lloyd Morris, Alleged Glendale Drunk, Rams Thunderbird Into Crowd at 7-Eleven

  published Jul 25, 2012

  The tale of Lloyd Morris' arrest alone is enough to make the Glendale PD history books. When a cop showed up to his house on Edmonton Road last Thursday morning, the suspect allegedly flipped a bitch... More >>

• Kristen Stewart, L.A. Director Rupert Sanders Apologize for Affair; Sexual Tension on Set Was Palpable

  published Jul 25, 2012

  All anyone can talk about this morning, aside from that stupid 3.7-mag in Marina Del Rey, is 22-year-old Kristen Stewart's far-from-alleged fling with 41-year-old Los Angeles director Rupert Sanders o... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Father Jose Luis Cuevas, Long Beach Priest, Charged With Sexual Battery on Church Grounds

  published Jul 25, 2012

  The latest sex scandal and PR nightmare for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles comes by way of northern Long Beach, near Compton: Father Jose Luis Cuevas, 67, the longtime head priest at S... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  3.8 Magnitude Earthquake 'Jolts' Marina Del Rey, Causes No Damage Whatsoever

  published Jul 25, 2012

  Update: U.S. Geological Survey spokeswoman Elizabeth Cochran says the magnitude has been downgraded to a 3.7. She says the "jolt" effect had to do with the earthquake being "directly underneath" the L... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Alex Schaefer, L.A. Artist Behind Burning-Bank Paintings, Arrested for Chalking Outside Chase

  published Jul 23, 2012

  Updated at the bottom with video of the chalking and arrest. Semi-famous local artist Alexander Schaefer -- the same guy whose paintings of burning banks (including Chase Bank) went viral last year a... More >>

• White Powder Found in Envelope at Paramount Studios; LAFD Determines It 'Non-Hazardous' But 'Suspicious'

  published Jul 23, 2012

  Update: The powder reportedly fell from a fan letter to Glee creator Ryan Murphy. Details at the bottom. Someone at 5555 West Melrose Avenue (the address for Paramount Studios) called 911 today after... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Bryshon Nellum, USC Runner Shot in Leg by Gangsters, Now Going to London Olympics

  published Jul 23, 2012

  The University of Southern California (USC) is one of the nation's most prestigious private universities -- its reputation for academic excellence bested only by its reputation for churning out sports... More >>