Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors

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 >>

Tuberculosis Outbreak's Federal Help In DTLA Could Be Hampered By Sequester

Federal health officials planning to help out with a Skid Row tuberculosis outbreak might be foiled by the federal budget impasse. That according to Los Angeles County's director of public health Jonathan Fielding, who told reporters today that the federal "sequester" that would impose deep cuts on ... More >>

L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich Looks to Extend Term Limits After 3 Decades in Office

Not to be outdone by Kenny Hahn, the current record-holder for longest time spent on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (40 years), current supe Mike Antonovich is shooting for the big 44. He's apparently attempting to be sly about it, but county-watchers got wind of his proposal just in t ... More >>

Porn Condom Mandate Could See Vote From L.A. County Supervisors

Updated at the bottom: The supervisors put off the vote (but why?). First posted at 9:07 a.m. The folks who want porn stars to start using condoms have qualified just such a proposal for the November ballot in L.A. County. But before you get to vote on it, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors gets ... More >>

L.A. City Council Bans Camping in Public Parks; Occupy Declares It a War on Civil Rights

Local politicians keep insisting that their new ban on camping in city parks was not in reaction to Occupy L.A. That's insanely hard to believe, considering they're smack-dab in the middle of a makeover story starring the L.A. City Hall lawn -- which got thoroughly wrecked by the hundreds of protes ... More >>

Ball-Throwing, Sand-Digging at L.A. Beaches Could Cost You Hefty Fine

Updated at the bottom: The Department of Beaches and Harbors admits the ordinance is "tremendously confusing," but promises it won't fine you $1,000 for throwing a ball. (Small corrections in headline and throughout.) Guess what? If you've ever thrown any object over 10 inches in diameter at an L.A ... More >>

Teflon Sheriff Lee Baca Can Now Decide Inmate Sentences: D.A. Steve Cooley Concerned About More Bad Guys on L.A. Streets

D.A. Steve Cooley is not liking 'realignment.'​If you think Sheriff Lee Baca's L.A. County Jails are a mess now, what with years'-old allegations of deputies beating inmates and a reported system of problem cops being assigned to lockup duty, just wait. You see, under California's inmate-redu ... More >>

Stargazing in L.A. County? Dark Skies Ordinance to Outlaw 'Light Pollution' in Rural Areas

sightseeingworld.comHollywood Boulevard's about to get some country-bumpkin competition.​Just because we live in the biggest, brightest county on the West Coast -- famous for its neon signage, supergraphic billboards and helicopter searchlights -- doesn't mean we can't fight for our right to s ... More >>

Hollywood Bowl Invites Helicopter Pilots to L.A. Philharmonic Rehearsal, Arranges for Noisy Chopper to Fly Over

Professional Helicopter Pilots AssociationBullseye.​The L.A. County Board of Supervisors picked up the hot-button helicopter noise issue this week, adding their (somewhat meaningless) endorsement to the recently proposed House of Representatives bill that would "force the Federal Aviation Admi ... More >>

War Over Marina Del Rey Remake

A broke county government seeks dramatic growth of seaside district

Los Angeles County Gerrymanding: Did the Board of Supervisors' Redistricting Decision Violate the Federal Voting Rights Act?

By Hillel Aron After a seemingly endless session that included hundreds of public speakers, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a redistricting plan, 4-1, with Gloria Molina the dissenting vote, yesterday. Why does this matter? Isn't gerrymandering -- the redrawing of the lines in ... More >>

The Politics of The L.A. County Redistricting Fight Explained -- With Venn Diagrams!

Zev Yaroslavsky: At the center of the storm​The L.A. County Board of Supervisors is just a week away from its big vote on redistricting.Last week, we used pie charts to illustrate the underlying demographic reality of the issue, which is that white people are over-represented on the Board while La ... More >>

The L.A. County Redistricting Battle Explained -- Without Maps!

Redistricting-- without the maps!​The redistricting battle at the L.A. County Board of Supervisors is the ultimate arcane, inside-baseball political fight. From a distance, all you can see is a bunch of people squabbling over some maps.So let's try to simplify it a little bit. And the first thing ... More >>

California Prison Parolees in L.A. Might End up Under Sheriff's Supervision Because County Probation Department is so Troubled

Sheriff Lee Baca, left, with county Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.​How bad is the L.A. County Probation Department? So bad that the county's leaders are actually looking at giving state parolee supervision duties, which would normally be taken over by local probation officials, to the departm ... More >>

Plastic Bags to be Tossed Out of Long Beach Grocery Stores

​Following the footsteps of the County of L.A, the city of Long Beach tonight will likely ban plastic bags at grocery stores -- meaning it will be bring-your-own reusable bag or pay for paper ones. The Long Beach City Council already approved the rule 6-2 but will have to affirm it at tonight ... More >>

L.A. Beaches, Venice, Marina Del Rey, Could Get Tsunami Warning Sirens

Tsunami warning sirens for L.A?​Update: The county Board of Supervisors today approved the motion to have the Office of Emergency Management look into the feasibility of installing sirens on the coast. We noted recently that some of Southern California's most densely populated beach communiti ... More >>

Monuments to Me

Legacy-obsessed L.A. politicians are covering buildings and parks with their names

1,440 Bodies Of Indigent, Poor To Be Buried In Boyle Heights Mass Grave

Ted SoquiA photo from today's mass burial.​Updated with photos by Ted Soqui. First posted at 7:05 a.m. Contemporary L.A. County is home to Rodeo Drive, more than its share of billionaires, and some of the priciest real estate in the world. But a Dickensian scene will unfold Wednesday when L. ... More >>

Los Angeles County Finalizes Its Ban On Pot Shops

Supes say no.​Pro-pot protesters made their stand, but in the end the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors had its way and outlawed pot shops in the areas of L.A. it controls. That means no medical weed dispensaries for unincorporated areas of the county, where about 1 million people live. ... More >>

The Question of Plastic Bags: Banning the Bags The Plastic Bag Tree

A. ScattergoodBearss lime tree, with plastic bags​ Finally, after much wringing of hands and, presumably, grocery bags, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to ban plastic grocery bags in unincorporated areas of the county. But although seriously overdue, the new legislat ... More >>

Los Angeles County Bans Plastic Bags At Grocery And Convenience Stores

Bags be damned in L.A. County.​Updated after the jump: Fixes date the ban would go into effect. First posted at 12:45 p.m. The California legislature couldn't do it. The city of Los Angeles hasn't done it. But the L.A. County Board of Supervisors got it done: It voted to ban plastic bags in g ... More >>

Beware Of The 'A:' Food Truck Letter Grades Now A Sure Thing In Los Angeles County

Trucks like this will soon have letter grades.​The roach coach that serves up your favorite tacos will soon have a letter grade attached to it, restaurant-style (that is if it even makes the grade). At least you'll have guidelines: For authentic fare avoid "A"s. The Los Angeles County Board o ... More >>

Los Angeles Food Truck Health Grades Approved: Look For As, Bs And, If You Like It Authentic, Cs, At A Roach Coach Near You Soon

​Sometimes it's hard to tell a true roach coach from one of those foodie rides with gourmet offerings. Now the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved health-department letter grades for the mobile eateries that will make it easier for you decide if you like A-level bites or C-app ... More >>

Food Truck Update: L.A. Food Truck Health Grades Approved

LA Weekly Flickr pool/ricardodiaz11food truck caravan​ As Dennis Romero just reported in the Weekly's news blog, today the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved health-department letter grades for food trucks. This will allow the Nathaniel Hawthorne approach (newly adopted in New Y ... More >>

Should Food Trucks Be Given Letter Grades? Stay Tuned...

Should food trucks be given health inspection letter grades? The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will meet next week to consider whether food trucks should be given the same health grades that Los Angeles County restaurants are currently given. Letter grading has been in effect for L.A. Coun ... More >>

L.A. County Throws $1.4 Million Lifeline To Gang Intervention Group Homeboy Industries

Boyle's bestseller.​The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday threw a nearly $1.4 million lifeline to the financially ailing gang intervention organization Homeboy Industries, which in spring announced it had laid off 330 of 427 employees and would require a $5 million injection t ... More >>

L.A. County To Consider Health Grades For Food Trucks

​The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will take up the issue of whether or not to give restaurant-style health grades to food trucks. The board was originally scheduled to consider the matter Tuesday but the proposal was postponed until next week. County public health director Jonathan ... More >>

Los Angeles County Creates Rave Task Force

​The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to create a task force that will look into health and safety issues at raves hosted at public venues in the region. The move comes in response to the death of a 15-year-old girl who had attended the Electric Daisy Carnival rave at ... More >>

L.A. County Settles With Family Of 14-Year-Old Who Died At Juvenile Hall

​The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this week voted to approve a $400,000 settlement to the family of a boy who died after he showed signs of medical problems for at least five days at a county-run juvenile hall before he was taken to a hospital, where he ultimately died. The five-me ... More >>

L.A. County Considering A Pot Shop Ban Of Its Own

​Fearing an influx of pot shops from municipalities, like the city of Los Angeles, that have cracked down on their very existence, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will consider a proposal to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in its unincorporated areas, which include communities s ... More >>

L.A. County Supervisors Vote To Boycott Arizona

​The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to boycott Arizona business and travel over the state's controversial immigration law. The vote was three to two on the powerful five member board, with Mark Ridley-Thomas casting the decider alongside the boycott's author, Gloria Mol ... More >>

Unclaimed $45 mil fortune in Los Angeles: Does the tax assessor owe you hundreds of dollars?

Does Los Angeles County own you a piece of $45 million? You could easily be one of the 25,200 people the county can't "find" who got screwed shortly after the last California housing bubble collapse in 1991. If you don't know the squirmingly familiar lessons from that disaster, read "Unreal Estate" ... More >>

Mark Ridley-Thomas Has Deciding Vote For Proposed County Boycott Of Arizona

The decider: Mark Ridley-Thomas.​The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to take up a proposal to initiate its own travel and business boycott against Arizona, and on Friday it looked like the vote would be close: Supervisor Don Knabe said he would oppose such a measure, putt ... More >>

HARK! THE PARKING'S FREE TODAY!

County Urges Feds To Allow Night Firefighting From Air

File photo​The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday urged the U.S. Forest Service to allow nighttime air attacks on brush fires. The board cited damage done and momentum gained in the first night of the deadly Station Fire in August, which ended up as the largest wildfire in coun ... More >>

Newborn Saved Through Firestation Program

Normally firefighters drive out into the community to save lives, but Monday no one at L.A. Fire Department Station 33 had to make a move out the door. Instead, an unidentified woman came to the South Central station and dropped off an infant daughter she'd just given birth to at home. As part of th ... More >>

Supervisors Vote to Resurrect MLK Hospital

Today the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to fully reopen Martin Luther LACHS​King Jr.-Harbor Hospital. In doing so, the board will also reopen wounds and political accusations that were temporarily forgotten when most of the medical center was shut down two years ago. Calling t ... More >>

Supes Take Off Gloves, Take on Sacramento

After disentangling itself from the morass of feel-good decrees and distractions like the Wagner Wars, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to sue Sacramento if state legislators or the governor try to seize local redevelopment and highway taxes to shore up California's budget. As the budget c ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Fewer Freshmen at UCLA The University of California confirms that, in a system already tightening the number of freshmen admissions, UCLA has the toughest 2009 entrance rates with the fewest number of new students admitted. L.A. TimesSupes Want Park The L.A. County Board of Supervisors approved desi ... More >>

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

Villaraigosa's Fiscal Folly

The ant (L.A. County Board of Supervisors) and the dung beetle (City Hall)

Power Grabs Antonio Villaraigosa Should Make Once He’s Done with the Schools

Mr. Holloway Can Talk

A free-speech guide to angering county supervisors

Our Own Secret Government

County supervisors must learn when to open the door

Board and Tree

County Sneaks Through Museum Rebuild Proposal

Sunshine Homecoming Day

The county’s public officials decide to go public

Fairness Dictates