Angeles City

Los Angeles Voter Guide May 21, 2013: Mayor, Weed Measures, City Council, City Attorney, LAUSD Board and The Works

Here's a quick guide to the key races and issues on the May 21, 2013 ballot in the city of Los Angeles. Los Angeles Mayoral Race: Read this fascinating dissection of the five main behavioral and philosophical differences between 2013 Los Angeles mayoral candidates Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti, ... More >>

Los Angeles' Filthy, Fecal-Laden, Sickness-Inducing Beaches: Who Should Pay to Treat the Rain Runoff from Oily, Dog-Poop Streets?

By Matthew Mullins and Jill Stewart Update: The Board of Supervisors rejected the Clean Water, Clean Beaches plan today in a big upset, thanks to what many say was exceedingly poor outreach on the massive tax plan to pay for it. See next page for details. Hundreds of angry people today demanded th ... More >>

Los Angeles City Controller Primary Results: Ron Galperin and Dennis Zine to Face Each Other in May Runoff

In the Los Angeles City Controller race, Dennis Zine and Ron Galperin are heading to a May 21 runoff. Zine raised more money -- $811,000 to Galperin's $362,000 -- but Galperin got a Los Angeles Times endorsement and kept things close. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, neither Zine nor Galper ... More >>

Los Angeles City Controller Primary: Absentee Ballot Results Show Dennis Zine Ahead of Ron Galperin

In the Los Angeles City Controller race, frontrunners Dennis Zine, Cary Brazeman, and Ron Galperin are duking it out. Zine raised more money than his two rivals -- $811,000 to Galperin's $362,000 and Brazeman's $215,000 -- but Galperin got a Los Angeles Times endorsement. As of now, Zine leads with ... More >>

Los Angeles City Controller Primary Results: Ron Galperin and Dennis Zine Spar in Close Contest

In the Los Angeles City Controller race, frontrunners Dennis Zine and Ron Galperin are duking it out. Zine raised more money -- $811,000 to Galperin's $362,000 -- but Galperin got a Los Angeles Times endorsement and is keeping things close. A May runoff looks likely. With 30 percent of precincts re ... More >>

Wendy Greuel Adds Another Public Sector Union, Picking Up Firefighters Endorsement

Update below: Eric Garcetti wins UTLA endorsement. L.A.'s public-sector employee unions continue to line up behind Wendy Greuel in the race for mayor.Greuel already has the backing of the L.A. Police Protective League and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 18, which repr ... More >>

"Shelter Me" Director Steven Latham Talks About Saving Cats and Dogs

In the new documentary Shelter Me, director Steven Latham shines a light on the issue of shelter animals, who are too often put to sleep because no one adopts them. The issue has long been a concern of animal rights activists across the United States. The film is airing on PBS stations, and there w ... More >>

Judge Faults Carmen Trutanich For Misleading Voters, Orders New Ballot Designation

A judge today ruled that City Attorney Carmen Trutanich was trying to mislead voters when he anointed himself "Los Angeles Chief Prosecutor."Judge Joseph Kalin ordered a change on the ballot for L.A. County district attorney. Trutanich will now be referred to as "Los Angeles City Prosecutor."Prosecu ... More >>

Low Morale at Los Angeles Fire Department? Chief Brian Cummings Says It's Simply A Nationwide Epidemic

Someone needs to pull aside Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Brian Cummings and give him a few pointers on talking to the press... or maybe he needs a refresher course in owning up to things. When L.A. Weekly approached Cummings last week and asked why firefighters were suffering from low morale, ... More >>

Salvador Preciado, 17-Year-Old Panorama High Football Player, Died After Alcohol Binge at Party, Mom Says

Updated at the bottom with a new statement from the LAPD. First posted at 1:51 p.m. A 17-year-old Panorama Senior High School football player might have died over the weekend as a result of a night of binge drinking, according to reports. Salvador Preciado was found dead about 9 a.m. Saturday in a ... More >>

L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel Finally Gets to Grit of Housing Authority Probe: Its Profitable 'Non-Profits'

Through the end of 2011, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) received a thorough spanking from press and politicians alike. L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel scrambled to play catchup with an Earth-shaking investigation by local news station KCET -- revealing swanky dinners, li ... More >>

L.A. County Emergency Response System, $700 Million and 3 Years in the Making, Implodes at Final Hour

L.A. County CEO William Fujioka makes almost $340,000 per year.​Updated after the jump with appalled response from the L.A. County Board of Supes. Also, for clarity: The CEO only chaired the oversight board for this project. There is a giant roomful of folks -- especially county attorneys -- r ... More >>

Janice Hahn Defeats Tea Party's Craig Huey In Congressional Race

Congresswoman-Elect Janice Hahn​With all the precincts counted, L.A. Councilwoman Janice Hahn has defeated Republican Craig Huey by 9 points in the special election to replace Rep. Jane Harman. Despite the Tea Party energy -- and all the lawn signs -- in support of Huey, he was unable to overcome ... More >>

Ryan Kavanaugh, Hollywood Tycoon, Wants His Hotel-Top Helicopter Landing Pad in WeHo Back -- and His L.A. City Council, Sheriff Friends Do Too!

Deadline HollywoodRyan Kavanaugh only lands in style​Oh, the lifestyles of the rich and famous. And of those with the misfortune of living beneath the noisy, whirly personal choppers of the rich and famous [Los Angeles Times]. See, Ryan Kavanaugh, head of Relativity Media, loves to fly. "I th ... More >>

School Reformer Yolie Flores Departs LAUSD to Fight From Outside

She forced through the most radical idea in recent lausd history. So why’s she leaving for a Bill Gates start-up?

Reggie Doucet Jr, 25-Year-Old Hollywood Model And College Football Star, Shot To Death By LAPD In Front Of Playa Vista Home

Update: A revised LAPD report says Doucet tried to take the black officer's gun during the fight -- for that, he was immediately killed. Updated after the jump: LAPD officers are out of the hospital -- they were both punched in the head by Doucet. The officer who shot him was a black male who had o ... More >>

Cat Hoarder Found Living With 96 Diseased Pets In Panorama City Mobile Home

Cats in cages: Almost as bad as 96 cats in one mobile home​The cat hoarders of Los Angeles County strike again! We should totally hook this guy up with "Tammy," the Pasadena shut-in discovered with 140 live cats stuffed into her toolshed last month. Then again, the latest suburban cat lover o ... More >>

California Controller John Chiang: City, County Salaries Statewide To Be Published On Website

John Chiang.​A day after Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel announced she would post the salaries of city workers and officials online, state controller John Chiang said he would do the same for all municipalities and counties in California. In a statement Chiang ordered all cities and ... More >>

Mayor Villaraigosa's Gang Program Has Spent Half Million Evaluating Itself -- To No Avail

Wendy Greuel.​An audit by Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel scheduled to be released Tuesday found that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's $26-million-a-year Gang Reduction and Youth Development office has, along with the nonprofit Urban Institute, spent more than a half million dollars to ev ... More >>

Twist and Shout

Lawyer: "Antonio Villaraigosa is above the anticorruption laws; public has no right to know who gave him free tickets"

By Tibby Rothman and Jill Stewart He's very, very special​ Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's attorneys, after promising the public they would divulge his extensive acceptance of free tickets, meals, alcohol, parking and other goodies that he failed to report under anticorruption laws for the past five ... More >>

What Ever Happened to 'Transparency' at L.A. City Hall?

L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti​L.A. City Hall watchdog and CityWatch columnist Jack Humphreville sounds the alarm today about the City Council's apparent lack of transparency when dealing with pension reform and the possible sale of the city's parking garages. "The sale of the cit ... More >>

Audit: Water And Power Had Enough Cash On Hand To Pay L.A. City Hall Its Due

​According to an audit by the Los Angeles City Controller's office, the Department of Water and Power was not in the financial jeopardy top officials had said it was in when claiming the department could not provide a promised $73.5 million transfer to the city's general coffers without hiking ... More >>

L.A. City Controller Will Release Much-Anticipated Audit Of Water and Power Thursday

City Controller Wendy Greuel.​Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel's office stated on Wednesday it will soon release an audit of the Department of Water and Power's finances, an inquiry specifically aimed at statements by DWP leaders insisting the agency did not have cash on hand to come u ... More >>

Claudio Johnson, L.A. Homicide No. 119: Man Shot in alleyway in South LA

A man who was found shot to death in an alley in South Los Angeles May 30 has been identified as 20-year-old Claudio Johnson. View Larger Map Johnson was discovered by Los Angeles Police Department officers around 7 am in the 5900 block of South Figueroa Street.

Claudio Johnson, L.A. Homicide No. 119: 20-year-old Man Found Shot to Death in Alleyway in South Los Angeles

A man who was found shot to death in an alley in South Los Angeles May 30 has been identified as 20-year-old Claudio Johnson. Johnson was discovered by Los Angeles Police Department officers around 7 am in the 5900 block of South Figueroa Street. Johnson was lying in an alleyway behind his house ... More >>

Save us, WWE and Barbie! Mattel reports a revenue turnaround and sighs with relief

Can Barbie save us from the incredible, persistent 12 percent to 14 percent unemployment that has ravaged Los Angeles city and county?The folks over at Mattel are doing something right -- gobbling up successful stuff like World Wrestling Entertainment. Now, they're reporting a key turnaround in thei ... More >>

City Hall's Gift to Goldman Sachs

A vast upsizing of the Playa Vista minicity means $146 million for Wall Street partners

Free Email To Cost City $1.5 Million Extra

That city deal to take on Google's free email services as a cost-cutting measure will actually cost the taxpayers $1.5 million more next year than if City Hall would have stayed with its old email system.​In what seems like bizarre math, Google competitor Novell points out that the cost of trainin ... More >>

Another Bratton Endorsement Bites the Dust

Outgoing Los Angeles Police Department Chief Bill Bratton once told the Weekly that he would never personally run for office . . . but it still didn't keep L.A.'s Top Cop from backing political candidates when critics said he should stay out of the endorsement business.Ted SoquiLAPD Chief Bill Bratt ... More >>

Replacing Wendy Greuel in the Valley

A juicy $2.5 million City Council seat opens in anti-Villaraigosa territory

Coalition of Whatever

Bizarre outcomes in California bond measures, social issues, taxes. Mystery voters have their say.

Amazing Los Angeles City Council Salaries: $171,648 plus goodies

Major Law Enforcement Crack down Nets the Gangsters of Drew Street

A multi-agency task force of 500 law enforcement officers swooped down on members of the avenues gang on Drew Street early this morning. The crackdown netted 32 members or associates of the “Drew Street” clique of the avenues. The operation, which began at 4 a.m., stemmed from a massive 157-pa ... More >>

Proposition S: City Hall's Black Hole

Don't expect the new city phone tax to be spent on cops and firefighters

2007 Film Poll: If It Bleeds, It Leads

Dark and violent movies top the year’s best. What are we — at war or something?

Dem Presidential Candidates Face Gays

At Hollywood Q&A, Richardson screws up, Hillary argues, Edwards flipflops

Slammed for Secret Asbestos Removal

A company chaired by Villaraigosa�s biggest fat-cat contributor refuses to say where all that asbestos went. Originally published April 5 � updated April 11

Tit for Tat

The mayor and the council talk up a deal � LAUSD power for term-limit extensions

Jimmy�s Final Gasps

Unloved Hahn fades into history

Re-Germinated

Stuck in Idle

Political reasons for the sluggish MTA contract talks

Quaking Over Belmont

News of fatal fault revealed only after school bond passed

Frequently Asked Questions About Belmont

. . . and the answers

Then and Now

Year-end Scorecard

Two good changes, one sick business-as-usual mess down at Civic Center

Hillary Bashing, Horowitz Style

Parks in Charge

Police chief has convention and council firmly under control

Our selections in Tuesday's General Election (cont.)

Upgrades on the Gravy Train

We got laws for jokers like these