Dennis Romero

The Los Angeles Police Department is facing an $80 million deficit and seems poised to cancel its January class of academy recruits. If the City Council's public safety and personnel committees confirm the move next week, it would mean a third month of hiring freezes for cops just out of......

A nonprofit group's legal attempt to stop the city's construction of a war memorial at the site of L.A.'s birthplace, El Pueblo de Los Angeles, was rejected by a Superior Court judge Monday, according to Associated Press. We told you last week how parks, recreation and transit advocacy group City......

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has secured $150 million in taxpayer dollars to speed up baggage screening at LAX, officials announced Monday.That's a lot of cash for an automated, in-line baggage screening process. Put it this way: The feds gave so far pledged......

City leadership has been bold when it comes to pressing issues like cat declawing, so it's no surprise that two Los Angeles City Council committees on Monday took up the issue of who should cover the $3.2 million bill for policing the Michael Jackson memorial at Staples Center -- the......

The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles over the weekend elected openly gay Rev. Canon Mary Glasspool as its assistant bishop, a move that has raised the eyebrows of the church's spiritual leader, the Archbishop of Canterbury. "That decision will have very important implications," stated the Welsh Archbishop, Rowan Williams. The......

You might not know it but there's a momentous battle for a City Council seat going down this week, and it's attracting some big money and powerful interests. Former Hollywood studio executive Christine Essel is fighting state Assemblyman Paul Krekorian for the chance to represent the East Valley's Council District......

It's been years since Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa worked as a Sacramento power player, but that hasn't stopped him from throwing his weight around in statehouse politics. The Los Angeles Times on Monday reported that the mayor last month held a "summit" at the Getty House -- the city-funded, official mayoral......

Read Dennis Romero's updates from Monday's City Council committee meetings.LA Weekly obtained a series of emails that shed light on City Hall's oft-touted contention that July's Michael Jackson memorial at Staples Center downtown was a $4 million boost to area businesses. The number is important because it's often cited by......

It's something we reported on a few years ago: Gang members are using social networking sites to represent their neighborhoods, show pride in their sets and display their muscles, weapons and bravado. Today, authorities are one step closer to them online, however, and postings on Facebook and Twitter are now......

This is an LA Weekly public service announcement: If you're too drunk to walk, you're too drunk to drive. And take heed this holiday season as you paw that last snifter to keep you warm on your way home: Police have a lot of surveillance cameras watching you these days......