Frank Mateljan

Eric Garcetti Owned Clear Channel Stock When He Voted For Digital Billboard Giveaway

Councilman Eric Garcetti long ago conceded that he made a mistake when he voted for a legal settlement that allowed Clear Channel Outdoor and CBS Outdoor to erect 420 digital billboards apiece across the city.The vote was one of the bigger debacles of Garcetti's reign as city council president. Resi ... More >>

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, Whose Old Law Firm Worked For The NRA, Comes Out For Gun Control

The school shooting in Newtown, Conn., has put gun control back on the national agenda. Over the last two days it's also become an issue locally, as the candidates for L.A. city attorney jockey to prove how tough they are on guns.It started on Wednesday, when incumbent Carmen Trutanich wrote a lette ... More >>

Justin Wesson, Son of Herb Wesson, Sees DUI Arrest Despite Clear Checkpoint Warnings

Justin Wesson, the son of L.A. City Council President Herb Wesson, was arrested over the weekend for alleged drunk driving, authorities tell the Weekly. Normally we might raise an eyebrow and wonder about dirty political tricks. After all, it wouldn't be the first time around here. Allegedly. But ... More >>

Marijuana Dispensary Referendum to Overturn L.A. Ban Has its Signatures, Heads to Council

Folks who want to overturn the city of Los Angeles' ban on medical marijuana dispensaries scored a victory today as the City Clerk's office announced they officially have the signatures to take this thing to the ballot box. The office said this afternoon that, after sampling 5 percent of the 49,021 ... More >>

Los Angeles' War on Street Artists

The art world sees a vibrant movement. Metro's cops see jail fodder.

L.A. Violates Your Due-Process Rights

How residents unearthed 200,000 words of phony findings City Hall used to illegally approve a skyscraper at Hollywood and Gower

Marijuana Dispensary Supporters Turn in Signatures to Stop L.A. Pot Shop Ban

Updated at the bottom with signatures headed for City Hall tomorrow morning. Also, one councilman says pot shops aren't safe regardless of the petition drive. First posted at 7:08 a.m. Organizers of a referendum that aims to overturn L.A.'s ban on marijuana dispensaries planned to turn in their sig ... More >>

Marijuana Dispensaries See Hope in California Supreme Court Move on Pack Case

The California Supreme Court this week threw out a court case that was part of the legal rationale for banning medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles and Long Beach. The court held that Pack v Long Beach is moot. So does that mean L.A.'s pot shop ban, which takes effect Sept. 6, is dead? No ... More >>

Marijuana Shops Told to Close by Sept. 6 Via City Attorney Warning Letter

See also: *Where to Buy Marijuana in Los Angeles After Dispensary Ban Takes Effect. Letters telling marijuana dispensary operators in Los Angeles that they must shut their doors by Sept. 6 were mailed yesterday and provided to the media today. Frank Mateljan, spokesman for the L.A. City Attorney's ... More >>

L.A. Will Now Treat Scalpers Like Gang Members

That guy with the cardboard sign yelling "Tickets!" is on par with a gangbanger. At least that's the message City Attorney Carmen Trutanich sent with an announcement yesterday that Los Angeles will institute the nation's first-ever scalper injunction. What that means is that "known scalpers" -- 17 o ... More >>

USC Grad Student Sues Over a Deep L.A. Secret: Who Got Rich Off Illegal Billboards?

Justin Bieber Freeway Chase Nets Charges Against Paul Raef, Paparazzo

While L.A. City Councilman Dennis Zine thought Justin Bieber should have been arrested for what he said was a 100-mile-per-hour exhibition of speed with paparazzi in tow on an L.A. freeway this month, the L.A. City Attorney has instead targeted one of the photographers. Paul Raef, a 30-year-old fre ... More >>

As LAPD Spends Big Money to Crack Down on State-Regulated Limos, Drivers Like Andy Chung Get Screwed

Carmen Trutanich Suffers Another Defeat, As Judge Tosses Criminal Charges In Supergraphics Case

For as long as he's been L.A. city attorney, Carmen Trutanich has been trying to throw Barry Rush in jail. Rush, owner of the firm World Wide Rush, was once one of the major installers of unpermitted supergraphics -- the giant vinyl signs that blanket the sides of buildings.Trutanich came into offic ... More >>

Catharine Whelpley, Northridge Mom, Allegedly Aided Girls in Anti-Semitic Poop-Smearing Spree

Remember the Northridge "Mean Girls" who allegedly scrawled swastikas on their classmates' front walkways and smeared poop on their cars in April? Well, according to the L.A. City Attorney, they had their very own Amy Poehler on hand to drive the getaway vehicle. (Refresher course: Poehler was the ... More >>

Lenny Dykstra Admits to Craigslist Sex Crimes

Hasn't been Lenny Dykstra's year. The baseball legend was sentenced to three years behind bars last month for essentially stealing cars by buying them from dealers with false paperwork. Last year he faced federal charges related to alleged bankruptcy fraud. Now he's been convicted for sexual misco ... More >>

Law Professor Laurie Levenson Will Teach Occupy L.A. First Amendment Class

​Law professor Laurie Levenson will give an hourlong lecture next week to about 30 arrestees from Occupy L.A., as part of their diversion program.The class is the result of a compromise worked out between the office of City Attorney Carmen Trutanich and the National Lawyers Guild, which has been r ... More >>

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich Stands to Reap Windfall From Pension Lawsuit

​City Attorney Carmen Trutanich announced Thursday that his office is suing Northern Trust, a firm that manages investments for the city pension fund, in an effort to recoup $95 million in market losses."I'm coming," Trutanich said. "We're coming. And we want our money back."If Trutanich prevails ... More >>

Joe Francis: Girl Fighter Extraordinaire

Normally we would fear being sued by the lawyer-wielding stud behind the Girls Gone Wild video juggernaut for calling him "girl fighter extraordinaire." But in this case there doesn't seem to be any question about it. Joe Francis got down with a girl following a fender bender in Beverly Hills today ... More >>

In Court Fight With Occupy L.A., City Attorney Carmen Trutanich Sees Many Cases Dismissed

​City Attorney Carmen Trutanich wants to teach Occupy L.A. a lesson about the First Amendment. But as the first wave of failure-to-disperse cases goes to court, the Occupiers are teaching him about the Sixth Amendment. That's the one that guarantees a speedy trial, as well as the right to confront ... More >>

Top 5 Douches of 2011, L.A.-Style: Kobe Bryant Breaks The Color Barrier

rorjnd.com​This is Los Angeles, douche capital of the world. When you talk douche here, you have a lot to talk about. So it wasn't easy chosing our Top 5 douches of the year. L.A. can go douche-for-douche with just about any global metropolis -- even New Jersey. Perhaps the only place on ear ... More >>

Occupy Arrestee Says City Attorney Carmen Trutanich Is "Going For The Jugular"

Carmen Trutanich: Preoccupied​Bethania Palma was one of those arrested on Saturday for "re-occupying" the lawn at L.A. City Hall. She has since pleaded no contest, and been sentenced to 18 months' probation and seven days of Caltrans duty.Palma, a former reporter at the San Gabriel Valley Newspape ... More >>

Elizabeth Macias: Pepper Spray Lady's Black Friday Gassing Under Review by L.A. City Attorney

Lalo Alcaraz​As the holiday season is upon us, we turn with warm thoughts to the case of Pepper Spray Lady, the woman who unleashed a torrent of bitter tear juice on fellow shoppers during a Black Friday sale at a Porter Ranch Walmart. National headlines ensued. As we told you previously, the ... More >>

Marijuana Dispensary Numbers Remain Near 2009 High: Starbucks or Weed, You'll Find Plenty of Choices in Los Angeles

Even after the city of L.A. tried to whittle down the number of pot shops to 100, even after a city councilman is proposing to outlaw them altogether, even after the federal government has announced a crackdown on California dispensaries, L.A. remains the medical marijuana capital of the nation. Wh ... More >>

Occupy L.A: 19 Charged With Failure to Disperse, One Sees Heavier Allegations

For whom the bell tolls? These people: L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich today announced that 19 occupiers have been charged with alleged failure to disperse following Wednesday morning's raid of the Occupy L.A. encampment at City Hall. City Attorney's spokesman Frank Mateljan told the Weekly tha ... More >>

Occupy L.A. Arrestees Kept in Jail Unfairly, National Lawyers Guild Says

Attorneys defending Occupy L.A. protesters arrested in this morning's eviction outside City Hall say the LAPD is not playing fair in dealing with their bail amounts. Many remained behind bars and could stay there through Friday morning. The National Lawyers Guild wants the LAPD to cite and release ... More >>

'Green Day' Marijuana Dispensary on L.A.'s Skid Row Shut Down

greenday.comGreen Day: not the "collective," but Billie Joe Armstrong.​Skid Row in L.A. is arguably the nation's largest homeless encampment. And it's a place where you can score just about anything, from crack to heroin. Recently a marijuana dispensary added high-grade bud to the produce av ... More >>

RAND Withdraws Questionable Marijuana Dispensary Study That Claimed Crime Goes Down Around L.A. Pot Shops

​When the respected Santa Monica think tank RAND released a study last month claiming that crime went up in neighborhoods where marijuana dispensaries had closed in L.A., it just didn't smell right to us. We had a litany of problems with the research, first among which was the fact that not e ... More >>

Marijuana Dispensaries Can be Snuffed Out by Cities Like L.A. Under New California Law

​Updated at the bottom with L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich's pleased reaction. First posted at 8:01 a.m. The city of L.A. has had a hard time regulating pot shops which, some have said, outnumber Starbucks in this fair town. The City Council passed a slate of rules that basically outlaw ... More >>

Noel Stephen Buller Charged in Near Riot Outside Premier of Rave Doc 'Electric Daisy Carnival Experience'

Kaskade.​If it was a riot, which is what the L.A. City Attorney's office is calling the events of July 27, it was the lamest one ever. It was a rebellion without a cause: Ravers amassed at 6 p.m. to see a DJ who showed up playing atop a truck that quickly turned a corner and released the stre ... More >>

Fake Designer Goods Sellers in Downtown L.A. Ordered by Court to Stop it: Now You Know Where Not to Buy Counterfeit Goods

For real.​Fake designer fashions and accessories downtown are a fixture. They've been there longer than most loft-dwellers. And while there have been occasional crackdowns, you pretty much count on being able to find three things downtown: Heroin, homeless addicts and counterfeit Louis Vuitton ... More >>

LAPD Headquarters Blues

How two affable restaurateurs went from PAB's pals to eviction targets

Imperial Stars, 101 Freeway Traffic-Blockers, Due In Los Angeles Court Wednesday

imperialstars.com'Cause posin' in front of Lambos is hardcore for the homeless kids, yo.​'Member these guys? The Imperial Stars? The "hardcore hip-hop" act that blocked the 101 freeway on a mid-October morning because their cause (purportedly homeless children) is much more important than your ... More >>

Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich Was One Of Those Stuck In Traffic As A Result Of Imperial Stars' Stunt On The 101 Freeway: Guess Who Gets To Charge The Suspects?

The Imperial kooks will face Carmen Trutanich's wrath.​Looks like Imperial Stars, the band that blocked the 101 freeway for a publicity stunt Tuesday, pissed off the wrong motorist. Stuck in that horrific traffic behind the act's bobtail truck, as it performed what has almost universally been ... More >>

Shutting Down Pot Shops Isn't As Easy As You'd Think. Case In Point: KFC

Kind for Cures, still Kind​Embarrassing. That's what Jay Handal, West Los Angeles neighborhood council chairman, calls the city's failure to shut down pot shops that are out of the compliance with the medical marijuana ordinance, which took effect June 7. Handal, who owns San Gennaro restaura ... More >>

City Attorney Drops Investigation Of Staples Center After It Kicks In Cash For Michael Jackson's Memorial

​Following Anschutz Entertainment Group's announcement that it would give $1 million to the city (and $300 to the L.A. Police Foundation) to defray the city's costs related to last year's Michael Jackson memorial show at its Staples Center venue, the Los Angeles City Attorney's office stated t ... More >>

Smoked Out

Famous KFC Pot Shop Shuttered By New L.A. City Law

​Los Angeles' famous "K.F.C." pot shop was one of many that dared take no chances Monday and instead closed up shop as the city's new medical-marijuana-dispensary law went into effect. The city's law prohibits those weed retailers that weren't open before a 2007 moratorium from doing business. ... More >>

L.A. City Attorney Targets Overdue Taxes, Gets $1.5 Million For L.A.

​As the city struggles to make ends meet -- cops need to be hired, city workers will likely be fired, and fire companies are already going on daylong hiatuses to save money -- it's been hard to find a hero at City Hall. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took off for Europe this month, at the taxpayer ... More >>

Homeless Get (Fake) Designer Shoes For Holidays

manoloblahnik.com​If you see a homeless person hot stepping in some Manolo look-alikes or strutting in what appears to be Air Jordans, we don't blame you for doing a double take. But it's all good. Turns out counterfeit footwear seized by Los Angeles police in the Fashion District and elsewher ... More >>

Kerry's Daughter Walks After Getting Swift-Boated On DUI Arrest

​The 36-year-old daughter of Sen. John Kerry was off the hook Monday for DUI after she was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Thursday in Los Angeles. Cops pulled Alexandra Kerry over about 12:40 a.m. in the Hollywood area for allegedly driving with expired registration tag ... More >>

Supergraphics Be Banned: City Attorney Scores Another One Against Billboard Blight

If you're frustrated by the city's inability to control those Times Square/Vegas Strip-like digital billboards and towering, slab-sided "supergraphic" ads, there's a crusader on your side, and he actually works for us -- unlike those other city politicians who seem to work for developers, media comp ... More >>

Potshots Over Los Angeles Pot Shops

A year late, the City Council tries to uninvite its unvetted marijuana collectives

Jimmy On the Edge of Town

A Homeless Christian-Muslim From Palestine Pitches a Tent Behind Bed Bath & Beyond in Northridge. Then Come the Railroad Men and Feral Cat Activists.

L.A.'s Reefer Revolution

City Hall's yawning loophole for pot dispensaries spawns a Woodstock economy

L.A.'s Density Bonus Blowup

A judge says City Hall broke the law by allowing outsize projects

Letters: Called Out

Our readers write

Meruelo Maddux’s Missing Asbestos

A company chaired by Villaraigosa’s biggest fat-cat contributor refuses to say where all that asbestos went

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

The Miseducation of Bill Rosendahl

Lincoln Place proves a tough test for new councilman