Election Day

Damn the Man: How to Have the Best Day Ever in L.A. Without Getting Arrested

The big news in lawlessness this month came with the revelation that the Los Angeles Police Department will generally no longer consider 91 offenses misdemeanors, but mere infractions. Infractions are usually punished by a simple fine, as opposed to all the meshugas of a court date and so on. The ... More >>

Mission Creep at the L.A. Fire Department

The LAFD has become a huge mobile health clinic. And that's simply unsustainable

Do Endorsements for John Choi and Mitch O'Farrell Reveal Answers for Tri-Hipster Area Voters?

Is L.A. City Council District 13 candidate John Choi a pawn of downtown City Hall interests? Does rival Mitch O'Farrell really have the support of CD 13's community activists? Will residents be screwed no matter who gets elected? All important questions as the contentious CD 13 race heads into the ... More >>

Is L.A. City Council Candidate John Choi a No-Show?

Read L.A. Weekly's "Who is Mystery Man John Choi?" Los Angeles City Council District 13 candidate John Choi is getting slammed by his opponent, Mitch O'Farrell. He says Choi has shown a disturbing "pattern" of being a "no-show" at important candidates' forums. "Voters deserve the right to hear abo ... More >>

Rita Walters to Curren Price: Stop Inciting 'Racial Animosity' in Los Angeles Council District 9 Contest

Former Los Angeles City Councilwoman Rita Walters has accused Council District 9 candidate Curren Price of trying to "incite racial animosity among African-American voters." In a strongly worded "open letter," Walters, who backs Council District 9 candidate Ana Cubas, says Price, an African America ... More >>

Los Angeles' Historic Election Night for Gay Candidates Underlines 'Gay Okay' Trend in United States

While local media and L.A. political leaders are bemoaning the city's embarrassingly low voter turnout on Election Day, something quite positive, even historic, happened last Tuesday night: Gay candidates across Los Angeles kicked butt. Many gay politicos can't think of an election in Los Angeles h ... More >>

Will Mayoral Candidate Emanuel Pleitez Hurt Eric Garcetti With Immigration Plan?

Read L.A. Weekly feature story "Meet Emanuel Pleitez." Los Angeles mayoral candidate Emanuel Pleitez, a 30-year-old Stanford grad and technology executive who grew up on the mean streets of El Sereno, pushed forward a three-point immigration plan yesterday, attempting to further connect with Latino ... More >>

More Political Intrigue in West Hollywood City Council Race, But Will Voters Care on Election Day?

Every two years, West Hollywood residents often get a startling look at how their government is actually run via City Council elections, and every two years West Hollywood residents almost always vote for the same people -- if they show up at the voting booths at all. Will this year be any different ... More >>

Street Art Champions Underdog Odysseus Bostick in Tough L.A. City Council Election

Los Angeles City Council candidate Odysseus Bostick is facing an extremely difficult election against frontrunner and longtime Councilman Bill Rosendahl aide Mike Bonin, but Bostick has been the beneficiary of some cool street art. Recently, two murals have popped up in the Westside in Council Dist ... More >>

Mayor's Race: Eric Garcetti Edges Wendy Greuel In Chase For Campaign Cash

Eric Garcetti has expanded his narrow lead over mayoral rival Wendy Greuel in the race for campaign cash.According to campaign filings released this evening, Garcetti raised $727,000 last quarter, beating out Greuel, who raised $672,000.Garcetti also has more money on hand, with $3.6 million in the ... More >>

Roc Marciano, In the Sunshine

[Editor's note: Weekly scribe Jeff Weiss's column, "Bizarre Ride," appears on West Coast Sound every Wednesday. His archives are available here.] The most cold-blooded and grimy New York rapper of the last decade lives by the Beverly Center. It's worlds removed from the drug-infested projects of hi ... More >>

Barbara Kruger Created the Billboards and Buses For the Best Ad Campaign in the City Right Now

A Silver Lake billboard that recently hawked Avion tequila took on a very different tone last month. "SUPPORT PUBLIC EDUCATION OR FACE CATASTROPHE!" read the near-apocalyptic message in stark black type. On Santa Monica Boulevard, the wisdom of Robert Frost crept by in the same foot-tall, all-caps c ... More >>

Angelenos Focus on the Important Issues on Election Day: Trying to Hook Up

As the nation came together to determine the course of our nation for the next four years, some Angelenos headed to their designated polling place looking to do a little "polling" of their own, if you know what we mean (we mean having sex). Missed Connections lit up as woeful would-be suitors atte ... More >>

Propositions 30 and 38: Field Poll Says Support Has Dropped For Tax Measures

The Field Poll released its latest report on Thursday, and it's looking bad for both Governor Jerry Brown's Proposition 30 and civil rights attorney Molly Munger's Proposition 38 -- especially Prop. 38. With less than a week until Election Day on Nov. 6, according to the Field Poll, likely voters s ... More >>

The Candidate

Measures MM and HH Campaign: Doug McIntyre Lone Voice in Opposition to More Taxes?

Whenever the prospect of more taxes appears in Los Angeles, usually some kind of organized group loudly rises to oppose it. So it seems awfully strange that only L.A. Daily News columnist Doug McIntyre, as far as we can see, is sounding the alarm about two parcel tax initiatives that some L.A. voter ... More >>

Same-Day Voter Registration is Here! ... Next Year (Maybe)

Someday you'll be able to vote simply by driving your Prius past the Whole Foods (your desires will be tallied automatically because we all know who you're going to vote for). Until then, Gov. Jerry Brown saves the day with same-day voter registration in California. Yay! Except that ...

Gas at $5.51 a Gallon in Los Angeles? Prepare for More Increases as a Result of Refinery Fire

Updated at the bottom: And it gets worse as another refinery in the Bay Area goes up in smoke. First posted at 2:40 p.m. If this heat wave has you down, just wait until your next gas station visit. A fire at a Chevron refinery near San Francisco last Monday knocked out a portion of one of Califor ... More >>

California Assembly District 50 Race: Torie Osborn Mailer Rips Into Rival Betsy Butler's Commitment to Education

There's only a week until Election Day, and the contentious California Assembly District 50 race has ramped up several notches, with candidate Torie Osborn sending out a mailer that questions rival and Assemblywoman Betsy Butler's commitment to education. Butler's supporters are now aggressively com ... More >>

Lies Abound About Why Senate Bill 18, to Limit and Ban Gifts to California Legislators, Was Killed by those Legislators

madashelland.comCalifornia legislators were awash in lies as they killed another gift-giving reform.​Remember the names Kevin de Leon, Fran Pavley, Curren Price and Ted Lieu among California legislators who helped kill Senate Bill 18, which would have banned their sleazy acceptance of luxury g ... More >>

Mildred Patricia Baena PHOTO: Mother of Schwarzenegger's Love Child Has Nothing on Maria Shriver

MySpace50-year-old Mildred Patricia Baena​Updated after the jump: Photos of the snazzy $268,000 Bakersfield spread, rumored to have been purchased for Baena by her loving baby daddy. Do we smell a buy-off? Also, a photo of the "couple" in 1994 confirms: She's got nothing on Maria Shriver. Upd ... More >>

Campaign Consultants Stank up L.A. on March 8

City Council candidate Rudy Martinez should have listened to his mom

Bernard Parks Race May Not Be Settled For Weeks

Bernard Parks clings to a small lead.​L.A. Councilman Bernard Parks appears to have survived a $1.2 million onslaught from organized labor, but the race is close enough that the outcome may not be known for sure for a couple weeks.Parks' top opponent, Forescee Hogan-Rowles, is not conceding. She i ... More >>

L.A. CRA Scandal Outdoes Itself: City Council Calls Special Meeting to Steal $1 Billion From State on Election Day, After Weeks of Stalling

Jerry Brown is coming, and L.A. won't go down gracefully.​Update: The City Council votes to shield about $1 billion from Governor Jerry Brown after Councilman Paul Krekorian begs them not to, revealing the City Council only got their huge, complex reports yesterday. See jump. The Los Angeles Com ... More >>

March 8 2011 Los Angeles Election Results at Your Fingertips: Click Here for Winners and Losers

Will Mona Field, a college trustee for years, be called to account by voters?​Beginning at 8:30 pm tonight, the Los Angeles City Clerk will issue the first Election Day results for seven Los Angeles City Council races where Jose Huizar, Bernard Parks, Tom LaBonge and other long-timers face ch ... More >>

West Hollywood: Political Ad Tells WeHo Residents to Read, Vote & Kick Out Incumbents

Park LaBrea News/Beverly Press advertisement​Someone sure wants change in West Hollywood, taking out a quarter page advertisement in the March 3 issue of the Park La Brea News/Beverly Press that features two L.A. Weekly cover stories. But there's no need to Google. You can find the exposes r ... More >>

West Hollywood Incumbents Dig In

A surprisingly pitched City Council battle for control of a town without term limits

John D'Amico, West Hollywood Candidate: City Hall Needs New Ideas and Resident-Friendly Policies

Jennie WarrenWest Hollywood candidate John D'Amico​Read the latest L.A. Weekly news story about the West Hollywood City Council race: "West Hollywood Incumbents Dig In." After raising around $105,000 for his campaign, City Council candidate John D'Amico realizes he's not exactly the kind of ... More >>

Steve Martin, West Hollywood Candidate: Former Councilman Promises Change, Says Voters Feel 'Heilman Fatigue'

Jennie WarrenWeHo City Council candidate Steve Martin​Attorney and community activist Steve Martin loves a good fight, and, this year, he's sticking himself smack in the middle of one -- the highly contested race for West Hollywood City Council, which features six challengers and longtime inc ... More >>

Mito Aviles, West Hollywood Candidate: Overcoming Adversity, Aviles Seeks to Open Up Government to Residents

Jennie WarrenWeHo City Council candidate Mito Aviles​Update, 11:50 a.m.: Aviles, who hung a Sarah Palin mannequin in effigy from his rooftop in 2008, has received an endorsement from the gay Republican web site GayPatriot.net. More after the jump. For West Hollywood City Council candidate Mi ... More >>

West Hollywood City Council Candidates Debate Again, Challengers Seek to Unseat Longtime Incumbents

Ted SoquiWest Hollywood candidate John D'Amico​West Hollywood candidates meet up for another debate tonight at the West Hollywood Park Auditorium, where hard-charging challengers seek to unseat longtime incumbents John Heilman, Abbe Land, and Lindsey Horvath. Heilman and Land have served a c ... More >>

West Hollywood City Council Candidates Square Off in First Debate, Challengers Say Time for Change

Ted SoquiWest Hollywood Mayor John Heilman​A long-anticipated debate will take place in West Hollywood tonight between all of the candidates running for City Council, including several hard-charging challengers and incumbents John Heilman, Abbe Land, and Lindsey Horvath. The challengers will ... More >>

Fantasy Voter Fraud

Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was dissed by Russell Pearce over Prop 200's dismissal

Steve Cooley Not As Non-Partisan As He Thinks

Steve Cooley laments partisanship​L.A. District Attorney Steve Cooley lamented the rise of partisanship in his concession message today, echoing a complaint that his consultants have been making since Election Day.In their view, Cooley had a scarlet R next to his name, and it led to his defeat.It ... More >>

Kamala Harris Defeats Steve Cooley For California Attorney General

Fox 11 NewsSteve Cooley went with his gut and declared victory on Election Night. His gut let him down.​We've been saying for a while that the math didn't look good for Steve Cooley. But now we can go ahead and make it official.Steve Cooley has lost. Kamala Harris will be the next attorney general ... More >>

Asian, Latino Voters Are Less Liberal -- But Not When It Comes To Republican Whores

Image de DenverDid I forget to tell them how much I hate Arizona?​Not shockingly, the Republican candidates of California are in a state of confusion after the ransacking they received on Election Day 2010. They can't understand why, when Latinos and Asian-Americans report being politically l ... More >>

Steve Cooley's Goons Square Off With Kamala Harris' Goons In Norwalk

Steve Cooley​Steve Cooley's campaign is engaged in an escalating war of words with elections officials in L.A., where 150,000 provisional ballots could tip the balance in the razor-close race for attorney general.Cooley's attorney has fired off three letters to the L.A. County Registar-Recorder in ... More >>

Soft Revolution Ends Gerrymandering

Under Prop. 20, 14 citizens chosen this month will remake state political map

L.A. County Vote 2010: Results for Propositions 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 And California Governor, Attorney General, Etc.

Here's how Los Angeles County voters weighed in on November 2010 Election Day as of about 1:15 a.m. Wednesday morning, with 67% of precincts counted: Proposition 19 Legalize Marijuana: YES 582,228 45.39% NO 700,389 54.61% Proposition 20 End Gerrymandering: YES 693,803 57.25% NO 518,10 ... More >>

Twitter Kicks California Secretary Of State's Ass In Real-Time Election Coverage

Even Ah-nold chooses Twitter on Election Day​On California Secretary of State Debra Bowen's most important night of the year, her prehistoric website was handling the traffic like the 405 freeway at 5 p.m. The standard map and chart features were wiped inexplicably, then replaced by a ghetto P ... More >>

Steve Cooley Not Done Yet: Over 1 Million Ballots Uncounted In Attorney General's Race

Steve Cooley and Kamala Harris are still too close to call​With all precinct votes counted, San Francisco D.A. Kamala Harris is hanging on to a lead of 15,000 votes in the race for attorney general. That's a margin of two-tenths of a percent over L.A. District Attorney Steve Cooley.But there are 4 ... More >>

Merlin Froyd Is The Poor Guy Taking On Gerrymandering Congressman Howard Berman In The Fixed California 28th District Election

By Hillel Aron No chance for Merlin Froyd or any other challenger from any party in the fixed Congressional races​When California Congressman Howard Berman was first elected to congress, Merlin Froyd wasn't even born. That's the poor guy the Republican Party found to run against Berman. He's ... More >>

Steve Cooley Trails In L.A., Clings To 1-Point Lead Statewide Over Kamala Harris

Steve Cooley​Steve Cooley and Kamala Harris are in a dead heat in the race for attorney general, according to the latest Field Poll. Cooley leads Harris 39-38, with 23% undecided the week before Election Day.Cooley is now trailing in L.A. County, 43-37. That's a big change from September, when he ... More >>

Baked California

Prop. 27 Gerrymander Supporters Duck and Cover

Howard Berman camp issues denial; consultant Michael Berman won't talk

Greens Vs. Big Oil and Prop. 23

To save California's global-warming law, a 23-year-old finds his rage — and 60,000 friends

The Nicky Diaz Effect: Jerry Brown Extends Lead Over Meg Whitman With Support From Latinos And Women

Photo by Ted SoquiJerry Brown​Jerry Brown has an eight-point lead over Meg Whitman in a new PPIC survey out tonight. Among likely voters, Brown is beating Whitman 44-36.In the September PPIC poll, the candidates were in a virtual tie, with Whitman holding a 38-37 margin.Two big stories have domina ... More >>

Farmer John Trying to Make Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog The Official Dog of L.A.

Farmer John​ When it comes to being "official," L.A. has many things going for it: official basketball, baseball and hockey teams and even an official "City of Angels" slogan. But one thing that's missing is an official food. If Farmer John has its way, that won't be for long. The nationwide ... More >>

Jerry Brown v. Meg Whitman: Back To Dead Heat

​About two weeks ago we told you how it seemed like Republican Meg Whitman had finally broken through against Democratic Attorney General Jerry Brown in the governor's race, opening an 8 point lead in a Rasmussen poll. But the race has already tightened.

Asses and Elephants