L.A. still saying parkway vegetable gardens must go

First it was the rebel Abbie Zands, in Los Feliz, who ran afoul of L.A. City Hall. A few weeks later, Angel Teger of South Los Angeles incurred the wrath of the great bureaucracy. Their crimes? They planted lush vegetable gardens in front of their...

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Kevin James OKd for board seat after grilling by L.A. council

After being grilled about controversial past statements on immigration and climate change, former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Kevin James was confirmed Tuesday as a member of the powerful Board of Public Works, which is expected to play a key role...

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Carson declares emergency over contamination in housing tract

The city of Carson has declared a local emergency over contamination in a sprawling housing tract, ratcheting up the pressure on Shell Oil to cleanse the neighborhood of the toxic chemicals found in the soil around homes. City officials hope the declaration...

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Fullerton firefighter was arrested in Huntington Beach riot

One of the suspects arrested in connection with looting and rioting in Huntington Beach has been identified as a Fullerton firefighter. Anaheim resident Michael John Lytle, 30, was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest in...

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LAPD to try voluntary mediation in racial profiling cases

The Los Angeles Police Department received the go-ahead Tuesday to launch an experimental mediation program that would bring officers face-to-face with people who have accused them of racial profiling. The three-year pilot program, unanimously approved...

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New York City principal to head downtown L.A. arts high school

The third time was the charm in efforts to land a high-profile New York City educator to head the $232-million downtown Los Angeles arts high school. Or was it the fourth time? Kim Bruno, the longtime head of the LaGuardia High School of Music &...

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L.A. County moves to fire four social workers after boy's death

In an unusually swift and aggressive response, Los Angeles County officials have moved to fire four child welfare workers they say were responsible for serious lapses in the case of an 8-year-old Palmdale boy who died after allegedly being tortured by...

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San Diego City Council refuses to pay Bob Filner legal bills

SAN DIEGO — Saying taxpayers shouldn't have to foot the bill for the mayor's "mess," the San Diego City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night not to pay any of Bob Filner's legal bills as he fights a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by one of his top...

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Commission to begin sweeping reform effort in child welfare

A blue-ribbon commission tasked with examining Los Angeles County's embattled child welfare agency begins work this week on a sweeping reform effort that officials hope can stem persistent cases of child abuse and deaths. Much of the panel's focus has...

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Vegetarian in Buenos Aires? Prepare yourself for shocked reactions

I've been a vegetarian for most of my life, which means that over the years I've been subjected to plenty of unsolicited opinions about my health and my decision to stop eating meat. There were epic battles with my grandmother, who grew up on a hog...

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Filner's attorney asks City Council to pay mayor's legal bills

SAN DIEGO — Mayor Bob Filner's attorney asked that the City Council pay his legal bills as he fights allegations of sexual harassment. The request came to the San Diego city attorney on Monday and will be considered in closed session by the council...

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Huntington Beach cleans up after weekend violence, looks ahead

The belligerent crowd poured onto Huntington Beach's Main Street at the surfing competition's conclusion near sundown, seemingly looking for trouble. They tipped over portable restrooms, the waste flowing into the roadway. They rocked a city pickup...

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Celebrities join prison hunger strikers in protesting isolation

SACRAMENTO — Gloria Steinem, Jesse Jackson, Bonnie Raitt and Jay Leno have joined prison hunger strikers in calling for an end to California's use of solitary confinement to control prison gang violence. The civil rights crusaders, singer and late-night...

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L.A. County literacy initiative reaches juvenile offenders

At 8 a.m., the energy was already rising at a gathering in the affluent community of La Verne, nestled beneath the San Gabriel Valley foothills. Nearly 80 boys sang, cheered and chanted as participants shared inspirational readings, gave selected shout-outs...

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L.A. seniors confident about aging, yet many don't manage health

Ninety percent of Los Angeles seniors are confident they will keep up the quality of their lives as they age, a new survey shows. Yet experts warn that only a fraction are taking steps to manage their health. For many seniors battling chronic conditions...

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West Hollywood bars boycott vodka to protest Russian anti-gay laws

West Hollywood may be home to a thriving Russian community, but at least one import is no longer welcome at the city's gay bars. After Russian President Vladimir Putin recently signed anti-gay laws, bar owners decided to say nyet to Stolichnaya vodka....

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Prison hunger strike leaders are in solitary but not alone

PELICAN BAY STATE PRISON — Inside the concrete labyrinth of California's highest-security prison, an inmate covered in neo-Nazi tattoos and locked in solitary confinement has spearheaded the largest prison protest in California history. Convicted killer...

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Long Beach fire stations in hot pursuit of creative icons

At the corner of Loma Avenue and 4th Street, the Dark Knight keeps watch over the sleeping town below. Perched atop the firehouse, the Batman figurine — his gaze steady, his pose vigilant — looms as a symbol of the busy nights in the Belmont Heights...

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Compton's first Latino councilman inspired pride, now draws concern

On a scorching July afternoon, Compton residents gathered to celebrate the inauguration of the city's first Latino councilman. A nine-piece mariachi band played and families cheered at the event many had been awaiting for decades. But just a few weeks...

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Anaheim's changes not enough for Latino community

It began with violence: Anaheim police firing beanbags and a police dog breaking loose and lunging into a crowd of men, women and children, some of whom had confronted the officers over their fatal shooting of a Latino man. When another fatal police...

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Pat Brown stood firm on civil rights

SACRAMENTO--This is the 50th anniversary year of arguably the biggest, bitterest brawl ever in California's Capitol. And looking back today, it seems almost inconceivable what the fracas was all about. It was waged over whether homeowners and landlords...

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Unruly crowds in Huntington Beach clash with police

A man smashes a stop sign through the window of a bicycle shop at Main and Orange streets in Huntington Beach. Unrest occurred following the conclusion of the U.S. Open of Surfing. The unruly crowd also clashed with police. (Allen J. Schaben, Los Angeles...

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Skid row bathrooms are a perennial debate

Facing a growing number of homeless people, Los Angeles housing officials agreed in 1992 to put dozens of portable toilets throughout skid row, only to have Mayor Tom Bradley cut off the funding. Alice Callaghan, an activist for the poor, then arranged...

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Jazz patrons see L.A.'s Central Avenue on the upswing

Slowly, steadily, in the shadow of downtown Los Angeles, change is coming to the history-rich but long beleaguered heart of Central Avenue. Crime is down and optimism up. There's a new cafe, a new grocery store, new shops and apartment buildings. On...

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Asiana crash focuses scrutiny on foreign pilots

The Asiana Airlines crash in San Francisco earlier this month in which three died and dozens were injured has focused attention on foreign airline safety and training procedures at a time when international air travel has boomed. Federal investigators...

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