Bell Gardens

Holiday DUI Checkpoint Cheat Sheet: Massive Drunk Driving Crackdown Starts Friday

'Tis the season to be jolly, yes, but try not to do your fa-la-la-la-laing in a jail cell. Not fun. The L.A. County Sheriff's Department this week previewed the anti-DUI can of whoopass it's unveiling for the holidays, starting this weekend. It's massive:

Garbage Monopolies Coming to L.A.?

Unions, enviros, push hard to ban free-market trash removal.

DUI Crackdown For Late Summer Includes Hollywood Checkpoint Tonight

We're not sure why the end of summer is DUI crackdown season, what with all the other wonderful times of year to find drunktards on the road -- St. Patrick's Day, Cinco De Mayo, New Year's Eve, at. al. It just is. We've got a boatload of info for you in our latest edition of LA Weekly's DUI checkp ... More >>

Wal-Mart Continues L.A. County Expansion With 'Neighborhood Markets' in Bell Gardens, Downey

One labor organization's doomsday scenario for a Wal-Mart invasion of L.A. County is starting to look less and less outlandish. Late last week, Wal-Mart officials announced plans for two new "neighborhood markets" in the L.A. area: One is set to open in a deserted party-supply store in Downey, and ... More >>

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

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 driver left 19-year-old Jose de Jesus Mendoza Jr. dead in an area of Commerce known for street racing. S ... More >>

Huntington Park Has the Fattest Kids in California; Manhattan Beach Has the Skinniest

As we're sure you've heard, childhood obesity levels are not doing so good in America. Though they've leveled off overall, low-income cities are still stuffing over 50 percent of their young with enough French fries to earn them an "obese" Post-It on their forehead. Fattest city in California? That ... More >>

Assembly District 58 Results: City of Bell Activist Cristina Garcia Beats Entrenched Has-Been Tom Calderon

Updated to reflect the final vote totals. What happened on June 5, 2012 in Assembly District 56 covering Bell Gardens, Downey, Pico Rivera and Cerritos, where government reformer Cristina Garcia beat Democratic darling Tom Calderon, of the Calderon dynasty, and will almost certainly win in Novembe ... More >>

Apartment Managers: L.A.'s Ultimate Slacker Dream Job

A rare chance at a job for grads

Cocaine Worth $5 Million Seized by California Agents in Bellflower, Bell Gardens, Kamala Harris Says

Das alotta coca my frengs.​Huge cocaine bust announced today: 51 kilos were seized by state agents in Bellflower and Bell Gardens. And the dope was linked, according to the office of state Attorney General Kamala Harris, to Mexico's Gaudalajara Cartel. Total worth? About $5 million, according ... More >>

8 Top Asian Ice Milk Bars

Jim ThurmanGreen Bean jelly ice milk bar​ Last summer we were all about paletas. And, why not? The Mexican ice treats are remarkably refreshing on a hot day, while the array of flavors includes many unfamiliar and exotic, at least to anyone who recalls the typical grape or orange of childhood. ... More >>

Carmageddon Junior This Weekend as 710 Freeway Closes Overnight in Southeast L.A. County

NoiseCollusion​We're sensing a little Westside bias. Shutdown the 405 for less than a weekend and all other news must cease: The world is coming to an end. But over on the Eastside they're going to have a little Carmageddon Jr. going on this weekend. That's right, the 710 will be shut down ... More >>

Carmen Montelongo, Grandmother Accused of Carting Body Parts in Trash Can, Allegedly Buried Other Remains in L.A. County

Carmen.​The story of the Inland Empire grandmother allegedly caught wheeling body parts down the street in a trash can the other day only gets stranger. As we told you, the woman was spotted carting the can down the street in Ontario. Neighbors alerted authorities not only because the thing s ... More >>

SoCal DMV Gets a Teeny Bit Less Awful With New Self-Serve Kiosks (Video, Locations)

Self-serve bypass, sucka!​If there's a hell on Earth, we're pretty sure it's the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Not only does a simple license/registration errand eat up the better part of an afternoon, but a cacophony of cranky employees and crankier babies makes it the worst aftern ... More >>

Music Picks: Prince, Amanda Jo Williams, Kendrick Lamar, Xzibit, Civet,

Also, Miguel, L.A. Bluegrass Situation, Heidecker and Wood, the Ditty Bops and others

FBI Makes Fun of L.A. Bank Robber's Enormous Ears

KABCThere's no disguising those babies​Reveling in the only lighthearted part of working for the FBI -- the official naming of the crooks -- investigators have christened a prolific bank robber currently on the loose in Los Angeles the "All Ears Bandit." Which is kind of mean, actually. With ... More >>

The Spudnuts Saga: A Bite of Donut History

Jim Thurman​What was the first nationwide donut chain to reach Los Angeles? Krispy Kreme? You're not even trying. Dunkin' Donuts? Not from around here, are you? Winchell's?, Yum Yum? Getting closer, but no. The answer: Spudnuts. Brothers Al and Bob Pelton were working as an appliance salesman ... More >>

Power Outages, Black Ice, Unruly Trees And Tumbleweeds Wreak Havoc On Los Angeles

A distant cousin of the Los Angeles Unruly Tree​Just because the puddles are gone this morning doesn't mean Mother Nature is done having her fun with SUV nation. In the mad dash from our living room to our car this morning, we couldn't help but notice that it's, um, ridiculously cold outside ... More >>

Gang Homicide In Echo Park: 18-Year-Old Cesar Guerrero 'Could Have Just Stayed Home For Christmas'

LA CurbedEcho Park hosted a gang shoot-out on Christmas Day​Updated after the jump: Is Echo Park the new Venice -- where art meets crime? The Weekly asks the gentrification question; police officers and a bar manager weigh in. Originally posted at 11:58 a.m. Here's one thing AOL Patch could ... More >>

Bubble Wrap Bandit: Hey Police Agencies, Better Nicknames For Bank Robbers, Please

Bubble wrap​Police say a man with a history of alleged bank robberies hit a Bank of the West Tuesday at Valley View Boulevard and Imperial Highway in La Mirada. He's been dubbed the "Bubble Wrap Bandit." So does he wrap his face in bubble wrap to disguise himself or something? Or perhaps he ... More >>

Free With Lease On Bell Gardens Apartment? Hungry Pet Snake

Not the actual snake​Be careful when renting an apartment in Bell Gardens, as there may be a random snake in a wall heater that the previous occupant just left there. A sleeping 15-year-old boy was awakened when a snake poked its head from a wall heater and bit him Monday night. "I was sl ... More >>

Vinyl of the Week: From Stars of the Lid Emerges the Pretty Pop of Bell Gardens [MP3]

In the strange wake of music's digital rebirth, vinyl has experienced a modest boom in popularity, seen by many as a replacement for the awkward middleman that is the compact disc. INCHES reviews the output of L.A.'s healthy vinyl community, believing that good music deserves much more than a handfu ... More >>

Raves At L.A. Coliseum On Probation As Commission Continues Dance Party Inquisition

By Steve La and Dennis Romero Timoth NorrisA scene from 'EDC.'​The Los Angeles Coliseum Commission over the weekend continued a temporary moratorium on raves at the Coliseum/Sports Arena complex while allowing three previously scheduled dance parties, including one slated for next month, go o ... More >>

Vinyl of the Week: Seven Inches of Pristine Garage-Punk from the Franks [MP3]

In the strange wake of music's digital rebirth, vinyl has experienced a modest boom in popularity, seen by many as a replacement for the awkward middleman that is the compact disc. INCHES reviews the output of L.A.'s healthy vinyl community, believing that good music deserves much more than a handfu ... More >>

Live in L.A. Tonight: Pacha Massive, the Hold Steady, Jane's Addiction, Dosh, Two Door Cinema Club

​No matter whether you regard Cinco de Mayo as a meaningful holiday or a beer company-sponsored excuse to get loaded, it's a good day to get your bilingual on. Spaceland's lineup tonight plays right into that: NYC's hybridizers of dub, electro and Latin rhythms Pacha Massive headline, supporte ... More >>

Drowning, Not Eating

L.A. is awash in tortas ahogadas

Hollywood's Catered Stimulus

Why $23 million creates just 21 jobs

Kenneth James Gibson: Hollywood Shuffler

Techno DJ produces more beats than an EKG machine: "My whole thing is sort of chaotic and crazy"

Mario Beltran's Undertow

Police probe whether the Bell Gardens pol helped a three-time felon win a sensitive towing contract

Mario Beltran’s Strange Bedfellows

A political brouhaha erupts as LAPD seizes documents from a Bell Gardens councilman and the city’s towing company

April 20, 2007

Friends in Low Places

A city-approved towing firm’s manager faces opium-distribution charges — no biggie in Bell Gardens

Politics Meets Street

Why are politicians and civic leaders bellying up to the eyebrow-raising 740 Club?

The Trouble With Mario Beltran

Convicted Bell Gardens Councilman is no stranger to the law

Prince or Troll?

Where do L.A.’s most prominent MAPs land on the troll-o-meter?

Mario Beltran's Wild Night

Rising political star, on trial for falsely accusing others, can’t recall using the “N” word or attacking a woman UPDATE: Beltran convicted

Un Pueblo Olvidado por la Ley

A Spanish translation of “The Town the Law Forgot”. Pandillas, carteles y políticas al estilo “sur de la frontera” enlodan la reputación de un suburbio de L.A.

The Town the Law Forgot

An L.A. ’burb is mired in gangs, cartels and south-of-the-border-style politics

The Ghastly World of Johnny Legend

Dealing with the Master

Men the Master and His Vietnamese Poker Cartel

Side Tripping

DJ Muggs smokes alone

The Erotic Arts

The South

From Downtown to Long Beach Harbor

Heating Up

Coming out against South Gate’s proposed power plant

Ten Bands You Can't Kill

A non-definitive tribute to the bands we adore

Barrio Logic

Immigration will revitalize Fortress L.A.

Can’t Kill for Trying

Generation XX

20 years of covering the unheard music

Of Lice and Men

Naomi Wallace's play about London's Great Plague

Weeping Willes

A River Should Run Through It

Repairing downtown, riparianly