Michael Bloomberg

Energy Drinks Could Be Policed By LAPD

The LAPD has a lot on its plate, what with all the gangsters, burglars, traffic scofflaws and various other idiots in a city the size of some entire countries. But L.A. City Councilman Bernard Parks wants cops to do one more job: Figuring out how energy drinks can be placed in special sections, wit ... More >>

Sugary Drinks Linked to 180,000 Deaths Annually

Now we know you were all really mad at NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg for trying to ban large-sized sodas. But the man may have had a point. Sugary beverages are linked to more than 180,000 deaths worldwide annually, according to new research presented this week at an American Heart Assn. conference. ... More >>

LAUSD School Board District 4 Election: Absentee Ballot Results Show Steve Zimmer Leading Kate Anderson

With just under 24,000 absentee ballots counted by the city clerk, incumbent Steve Zimmer has a significant 16-point lead over challenger Kate Anderson. Zimmer has tried as best he can to hold the middle ground between the teachers union and the reformers. But middle grounds are hard to come by in ... More >>

LAUSD School Board District 4 Election Results: Incumbent Steve Zimmer Holds Healthy 14 Point Lead Over Kate Anderson

Update, 11:39 PM: The race is tightening up a bit, with Zimmer's lead down to 10 percent. Incumbent Steve Zimmer has a significant lead over challenger Kate Anderson, with absentee ballots and a small number at-poll ballots being counted. This race was expected to go down to the wire. But Zimmer ... More >>

Mayor Michael Bloomberg Pours $1 Million into LAUSD Elections to Oust Steve Zimmer, Elect Monica Garcia

See also, "LAUSD's Dance of the Lemons," and "Can Kate Anderson, Mom of Twins, Fix LAUSD?"Los Angeles Unified School District, whose teachers union UTLA has squelched attempts to raise student learning by making ineffective certified teachers relearn subject matter and skills, just attracted $1 mill ... More >>

L.A. Public Libraries Restore Hours After Voters Rose Against Villaraigosa Budget Cuts

While Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the L.A. City Council continue to deal with lingering budget deficits, there's one bright spot amid the darkness -- L.A. public libraries are now open longer. Starting today, the added hours at the city's 73 libraries is the second phase of returning the public ... More >>

L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl Smokes Pot (and Gets Paid for It)

Whenever a public figure in an esteemed/elected position announces that he or she smokes (or used to smoke) pot, everybody freaks. Obama? No! Bloomberg? Schwarzenegger?? Michael freaking Phelps??? But when L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl announced in today's Los Angeles Times that he's been hap ... More >>

L.A. Tries to Ban Soda Vending Machines From City Parks, Libraries

The highly politicized crackdown on America's fat people hits Los Angeles today, with a motion from L.A. City Councilman Mitchell Englander to ban all soda vending machines on city-owned property. Englander, a physically fit frat-bro type who is clearly trying to one-up New York Mayor Michael Bloom ... More >>

Immigrants: Can't Live With Them? Study Says American Can't Thrive Without Them

If you watch Fox News you know that illegal immigrants are really the reason our economy has been in the dumps. They suck up government benefits like leaches at a blood convention, they pop out anchor babies and, to top it all off, they commit mad crime. Securing the border has been a top priority ... More >>

New York City Mayor Proposes Ban on Large Sodas

As we count down the days remaining to enjoy foie gras in California, we should also count our blessings that we do not live in New York City, which has just proposed a ban of large-size sodas. (Or maybe we shouldn't; maybe it is good idea.) The far-reaching ban would prohibit the sale of large soda ... More >>

On The Heels of Water Rate Increase For L.A., Report Says Average Water And Power Worker Makes Nearly $100,000 a Year

Craig Bennett​You think times are hard? Try being an average-salaried Department of Water and Power worker, who takes home $96,805 a year of public money, according to a recent analysis by Bloomberg. Can you even, like sustain a Whole Foods-stocked pantry on that kind of money? Really, that's ... More >>

NYC Cracks Down on Kimchi

Bureaucrats stomp in where angels fear to tread. Health inspectors in New York City have recently cracked down on how kimchi is stored, penalizing many Korean restaurants with violation points and fines. Health inspectors view the fermented cabbage dish as a cold food, which means it must be store ... More >>

Occupy L.A. Clashes With LAPD at Midnight OWS March: Are We Next in Line for Eviction?

ABC7LAPD officers face off with protesters.​Updated at the bottom: LAPD Chief Charlie Beck is negotiating with protesters, hoping Occupy L.A. will voluntarily dismantle "without confrontation." Last night was a long one for uprooted protesters at Zuccotti Park in New York: Hundreds of cops re ... More >>

L.A. City Hall Promises Rent Guarantee to Chinese Car Corporation BYD, Which so Far Employs 20 People Here

treehugger.comBYD comes to L.A.​L.A. leaders like to say how business-friendly our city is and that the big bucks taxpayers invest in billionaire and corporate moves here (Eli Broad's $52 million museum parking lot, architectural firm Gensler's $1 million bonus for doing what it had plannned a ... More >>

'Occupy Long Beach' Campers Arrested for Refusing to Vacate Lincoln Park

Occupy Long Beach via Facebook​As the Occupy Wall Street movement spreads worldwide, it's also filling itself out here at home -- building slowly but surely in small towns and communities surrounding the big urban hubs. (Occupy Venice, Occupy Northridge, Occupy Irvine, Occupy Riverside, etc.) ... More >>

Shepard Fairey, L.A. Street Artist, Designs Party Invite for Occupy Wall Street

theoccupationparty.comA West Coast legend does his part.​Yup. This just happened. Right after receiving the victorious news from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg that Occupy Wall Street doesn't have to move out of Zuccotti Park after all, protest organizers learned they'd been blessed with a S ... More >>

Some 'Occupy L.A.' Campers Say They've Officially Changed Their Address to City Hall (200 North Spring Street)

Courtesy of Patrick Range McDonaldYou can't foreclose a tent!​L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti might have spoken a little soon when he told hundreds of Occupy L.A. protesters last week to "stay as long as you need." What Garcetti perhaps didn't realize is that Occupy L.A. doesn't wan ... More >>

Occupy L.A. Now Allowed to Camp on City Hall Lawn: Why Are Politicians Sucking Up to Protesters?

Update: "City Council Unanimously Passes Occupy L.A. Resolution -- Protesters Struggle to Distance Themselves From Democrats, Unions." On Saturday night, the number of tents pitched outside L.A. City Hall had nearly doubled from the night before to 256, according to Joe Briones in the media tent. ... More >>

Occupy L.A.: City Council Resolution Supports Anti-Wall Street Protesters, Lets Them Keep Sleeping on Front Lawn

Council District 11 via TwitterCouncilman Bill Rosendahl bonds with the many characters of Occupy L.A.​L.A. City Councilmembers Richard Alarcon and Bill Rosendahl introduced a resolution to support the Occupy L.A. movement today -- a gesture that would essentially attach the City of Los Angele ... More >>

Los Angeles City Gets Credit Score Downgrade by Moody's Investors Service

​It was only last month that L.A. Mayor Antonio Villariagosa waived a wand and erased the city's $336 million deficit (at least on paper), turning in an optimistically balanced budget. Looks like the folks at the Moody's credit rating service aren't impressed. This week, according to Bloombe ... More >>

Antonio Villaraigosa Does His Best Michael Bloomberg Impression on "Meet The Press"

Antonio Villaraigosa on "Meet the Press"​Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa made his debut on "Meet the Press" on Sunday, appearing in his newest incarnation as a transpartisan truth-teller.Doing his best impersonation of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Villaraigosa bashed Republicans and Democrats alik ... More >>

Mayor Villaraigosa Ribbed by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, 'Glee' Producer

FoxMayor V. vs. 'Glee.'​Wow. You know you're in low-approval-rating territory when the mayor of New York gets more love than you even when it comes to art-and-culture in your own city. That was the rap for L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa this week. After a 60 Minutes profile of local billiona ... More >>

Mayor Villaraigosa Makes Pitch For AEG Corp's Football Stadium Bid Even Before City Has Seen Any Actual Plans

Mayor V. has your best corporate interests in mind.​The mayor of L.A. and its City Council are supposed to be a judge and jury for the people when it comes to development, city services and other issues facing this vast metropolis. But sometimes you wouldn't know it. Mayor Antonio Villaraigos ... More >>

The Daily Meal's 50 Most Powerful People in Food

Listmania continues (David Letterman's cultural legacy, perhaps, along with Velcro suits) but this time The Daily Meal has come up with something more compelling than a list of Top 10 Cupcakes. Theirs? America's 50 Most Powerful People in Food. It's a good list, as it would be: The Daily Meal is h ... More >>

Decision On NFL Team For L.A. By March? That's What Staples Center Honcho Tim Leiweke Wants To See

The Convention Center, and Staples, by sky.​Angelenos could find out if we're getting an NFL team within three months. That's the goal Staples Center boss Tim Leiweke set for the NFL to give us the green light (and a team), he told downtown business leaders this week. And next month, he sai ... More >>

Daily News Reports "Midnight Run" to Spend Food Stamps; Bloomberg Shakes His Finger at Poor Soda-Drinkers

Karen Apricot New Orleans/FlickrFood stamps accepted.​ We've told you before. Food stamps are hotter than the flames that hissed around that truck of yams on I-5 Thursday morning (where was a marshmallow avalanche and a dusting of brown sugar when you needed them, right?). If you require fu ... More >>

Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner Being Floated As Possible L.A. Mayoral Candidate

​With little political or policy background businessman Austin Beutner has gotten some plum leadership assignments within the administration of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, including interim chief of the powerful Department of Water and Power. His name is now being floated as a poss ... More >>

Meg Whitman Trumps Michael Bloomberg On Absurd, Neo-Gilded Age Campaign Spending

Michael Bloomberg: cheapskate​A year ago, it would have been hard to imagine anyone making New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg look thrifty. He set a record in 2009 by putting $108 million of his own money into his re-election campaign.But Meg Whitman has shattered that mark, spending $119 million of ... More >>

City of Airheads: Villaraigosa Dismantles L.A.'s Vaunted Library System

Mayor mirrors Detroit's disastrous choice

Michael LoGrande Confirmed Planning Director; Symposium Asks, What Now?

New Planning Director Michael LoGrande with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa​ Michael LoGrande, who had been the city's chief zoning administrator, was confirmed Wednesday by the City Council to become the new planning director. He'll be charged with creating and executing a vision for the city's fu ... More >>

City Hall’s Revenge on Cecilia Estolano

Villaraigosa and his boys pushed out the one woman who topped them all

Big Apple Takes A Bite Out Of L.A. Tourism

What's not to like?​New York City beat out Los Angeles for international visitors nearly two-to-one to take the top spot as America's destination for foreign tourists, the office of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Monday. The Big Apple saw 8.6 million international tourists in 2009, twi ... More >>

Outbreak: Swine Flu Update

UPDATE: The L.A. County Coroner's Office is beginning to rule out swine flu as the cause of the Orange County man's death (see below), while announcing that swine flu is not suspected in the case of the Long Beach victim. Autopsies and final rulings are still pending. The L.A. Times reports that cou ... More >>

Pen Pushers Break Bank: Cash-Strapped L.A. City Hall Spends $1 Million on Calligraphy

Despite fiscal free fall, Villaraigosa and City Council spend public money on scrolls

Villaraigosa's Million Tree Planting: 55 Down -- 799,945 to Go

Today Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa helped plant 55 new trees in a Westlake neighborhood as part of his Million Trees L.A. initiative, which aims to plant that many trees in the city. However, a Department of Public Works spokeswoman tells the L.A. Weekly that, since the program began in 2006, only 200 ... More >>

Villaraigosa, Solar Measure B, Weiss all get voter rebuffs

While Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa won, as expected, his poor showing, and the humiliating possible defeat of solar Measure B, was a repudiation by Los Angeles voters and indicates tough sailing if he decides to run for governor. While surprisingly biased cheerleading for the mayor continued today fro ... More >>

How L.A. City Council Got Those Huge $178,789 Salaries

Thankful for the LA Times' David Zahniser

We'd be horrible Scrooges if we ended this year without a nod to a former Weekly reporter and columnist, our friend Dave Zahniser (or Dave Z., as he's known throughout the local political and journalism world).  His amazing recent scoop about the secret report on Measure B on the ballot on Marc ... More >>

Rick Caruso's Aria: L.A.'s Mall King Mulls a Mayoral Run

Does he have a shot?

Movie Reviews: The Edge of Heaven, The Foot Fist Way, The Strangers

Also, Blindsight, Hollywood Chinese and more

Progressive Tactics

Antonio Gets Schooled

The mayor’s vision of L.A. schools encounters reality

A New Age

Civic excitement in blasé L.A.

Letters

Lighten Up, Bloomberg

The demonstrators yelled a lot, so what?

Big Tents That Are Hard To Get Into

At the convention, GOP talks inclusion and walks intolerance

World vs. GOP

War for truth marches on in the streets of New York

The Perfect Storm

Remember me to Herald Square

Ass You Like It

A Show for Posteriority

About Brent

Pushing paper at The Office, a new British comedy