LAist

A Rainbow Double Double

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-09T18:08:31-08:00

]]>

"I just saw two gigantic rainbows right next to each other. Now waiting for the four My Little Ponies of the Apocalypse to reign death and destruction upon us all." ~ Seen on Facebook in reaction to this afternoon's rainbows.

Three South Bay Streets Get Synchronized

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-09T17:55:45-08:00

View South Bay Traffic Syncs in a larger map

A $2.1 million program to synchronize lights in Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Torrance has been completed, L.A. County Supervisor Don Knabe announced today.

As part of the County's Traffic Signal Synchronization Program to enhance traffic flow, long-swaths of three streets should have better coordinated timing of signals. Those streets are Anita Street/190th Street/Victoria Avenue from Pacific Coast Highway to Wilmington Avenue; Normandie Avenue from El Segundo Boulevard to 170th Street; and on Torrance Boulevard from Pacific Coast Highway to Main Street.

In all, the county's Traffic Signal Synchronization Program has synchronized over 2,300 intersections on 81 routes to date, which officials say has reduced travel times by as much as 29 percent (if true, that's a good chunk of time!)

Taking a Look at L.A.'s Community Supported Agriculture Programs

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-09T17:00:25-08:00

]]>

In light of First Lady Michelle Obama's new childhood obesity campaign, it's a good time to look beyond the plethora of farmers markets and check out some CSAs, otherwise known as Community Supported Agriculture. The basic concept goes like this, as explained by Local Harvest, a Santa Cruz-based website:

a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

There is, however, a lot of variation. Some CSAs are home-delivery based while others have a weekly location for pick-up. Some are strict on what you get and others have flexibility if there is a vegetable you absolutely hate. Some are focused on just one farmer and family and others are a mix of farmers from across the region. Some even offer other products like eggs and bread.

For example, Silver Lake farms offers you a box of their food for $20 a week. For $15 a week, you can get box of vegetables at a handful of farmers markets grown by one of the South Central Farmers, who now work out of the Bakersfield area. For $25 a week, CSA California offers an array of vegetables from a group of farms for varieties sake (your rosemary may come from Topanga and your grapefruit from Rancho Cucamonga).

Above are photos from this afternoon at CSA California, which sells out of a handful of L.A.-area locations, including a couple schools where a portion of the weekly membership fee goes toward the students' gardening and nutrition programs. In the Valley, about 100 members pick up their produce at Rio Vista Elementary School, which just happens to be on a street called Satsuma.

If you have any experience or questions about CSAs, let it be known in the comments section as we'll be looking more into these over the next few months.

It's Raining, but City Sprinklers Are in Full Force

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-09T16:10:52-08:00

Nevermind the city budget crisis, let's remember the city's law that was enacted last Summer: no use of sprinklers except for Mondays and Thursdays and not between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The LA Times today notes sprinklers on "full blast" on the 5100 block of Venice Boulevard in Mid-City. Someone must have be on furlough today.

TV Junkie: ABC's 'Modern Family' A Hit; Who's Ready for Another Round of 'Lost'?

Thomas Attila Lewis — 2010-02-09T15:00:40-08:00

Sam Lloyd from "Scrubs" with a message for the readers of LAist from Thomas Attila Lewis on Vimeo.

We ran into Sam Lloyd (whom we interviewed last year) at the Griffith Park train line where he gave us an update on what's going on with him and "Ted the Lawyer's Band" from "Scrubs", aka The Blanks. Unfortunately you won't be seeing Sam or The Blanks on ABC's "Scrubs" anytime soon but The Blanks are on tour and will be back in LA soon enough. They play in Boston this Friday so tell your friends out there - more info on The Blanks available at their website.
---
The AP did a profile on ABC's "Modern Family" which has seen a surge in 18-45 viewers over the last few weeks, officially becoming a hit for the network. Don't forget to check out our interviews with cast members Ty Burrell, Rico Rodriguez, and Eric Stonestreet.
---
The TV Junkie Plan: @aots, "Nova: Extreme Cave Diving", "Lost", "White Collar", "The Daily Show" (Newt Gingrich), "The Colbert Report" (George Stephanopoulos), Letterman (Sade performs), Fallon (Bill Paxton)

6:00pm Attack of the Show! G4 - Gaming with troops; new DVD releases.

8:00pm NOVA: Extreme Cave Diving PBS/KCET - Dr. Kenny Broad dives into blue holes, underwater caves formed during the last ice age.

8:00pm The Biggest Loser NBC - The contestants head to Colorado to train at an Olympic training facility, where they learn the game is going from teams to singles; Olympic skiers help train the contestants; a biathlon challenge; two more players are sent home.

8:00pm American Idol FOX - Part one of the Hollywood round.

9:00pm Lost ABC - Kate finds herself on the run; Jack must do something that may endanger a friend's life.

9:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles CBS - An NCIS agent is shot during a hostage situation at a bank.

9:00pm Frontline: Flying Cheap PBS/KCET - The airline industry has changed dramatically just a year after the crash of Continental 3407 in Buffalo, N.Y.

9:00pm Past Life FOX - Series Premiere

9:00pm Dirty Jobs Discovery - Mike travels to Michigan where he works at a bone black plant.

10:00pm White Collar USA - An elusive thief is stealing pieces of a valuable collection; Peter and Neal must find the thief before an international conflict erupts.

10:00pm Howe & Howe Tech Discovery - Season Finale

11:00pm Shatner's Raw Nerve Biography - Season Finale

11:00pm The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Comedy Central - Newt Gingrich

11:00pm Lopez Tonight TBS - Actor Topher Grace; performance by Jewel.

11:00pm Chelsea Lately E! - Actress Amanda Seyfried; round-table participants include John Caparulo and Natasha Leggero.

11:30pm The Colbert Report Comedy Central - George Stephanopoulos

11:35pm Late Show With David Letterman CBS - Actress Jennifer Garner; the cover model from the 2010 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue; Sade performs.

12:35am Late Night With Jimmy Fallon NBC - Actor Bill Paxton; actor James Van Der Beek; animal handler Jeff Musial; Regina Spektor performs.

The season finale of "Shatner's Raw Nerve" on A&E at 10pm tonight!

]]>

City May Ask Voters to Approve Taxing, Not the Sale of Medical Marijuana, but the Cultivation

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-09T14:32:18-08:00

Photo by mares8 via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr

Along with her proposal to tax oil drilling in Los Angeles, Councilmember Janice Hahn last week submitted a motion to tax the cultivation of medical marijuana. It's in an effort to help bring in revenue to the city, which currently is facing a budget crisis.

"During this time of economic distress where the City of Los Angles is facing a fiscal deficit of hundreds of millions of dollars and the City is preparing multi-year budget documents, there need to be creative ways of capturing revenues generated from certain services provided within our City borders," she wrote in the motion. "We need to concentrate these efforts on building permanent revenue streams that will help the City provide services to the public."

Her motion is two-fold: prepare a city ballot initiative for a 2011 election and for budget officials to evaluate the impact of the tax, if the public approves it, on the budget.

Although the State Board of Equalization allows dispensaries to obtain seller's permits and for California to collect sales tax on medical marijuana sales, some "concerns have been raised about the legality of sales and business activity as the basis for a tax," says Hahn. "Similar concerns have been raised about taxing membership and operations."

Her solution? Cultivation. "A tax on the cultivation of medical marijuana does not trigger concerns associated with sales activity, confidentiality of members, or the ability to audit the taxpayer," Hahn explains. "A cultivation tax does not involve analysis or measure of sales activity, but rather the activity of the grower."

The motion was sent to a City Council committee.

]]>

DVD Tuesday: A Seriously Good Film!

Josh Tate — 2010-02-09T14:00:00-08:00

]]>

We can all agree that the Coen Brothers are the finest filmmakers working in America right now, can't we? A Serious Man is further proof of their complete mastery of the medium. Aside from numerous other wonderful scenes, the bar mitzvah and the closing shot at the school are beyond brilliant. I watched The Time Traveler's Wife expecting a good, solid cry. Sadly, it did not deliver (though, Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams were their usual solid selves). How did a movie with as much talent as Couples Retreat turn out to be such a dud? Bronson was uneven as a film, but Tom Hardy delivered an Oscar-worthy performance. It's so searing and violent that, frankly, I'd be worried to be in the same room as Tom Hardy. That couldn't all have been acting. 19 films by David Lean and Charlie Chaplin for under $75. That's called a 'buy', folks! Boobs! Boobs! Boobs!

A Serious Man [Blu-Ray]
Emma
The Time Traveler's Wife
Couples Retreat
Bronson
The Stepfather
Serious Moonlight
David Lean Collection (9 DVD Set)
Charlie Chaplin Collection (10 DVD Set)
Dare
The Guild: Season Three
How Weed Won the West
Celebrity Nude Revue, The Saucy 70's Volume 2
Sex: How to Do Everything
Boobs: An American Obsession

Palin Calls Global Warming a 'Bunch of Snake Oil Science'

Brock Keeling — 2010-02-09T13:45:56-08:00

During a campaign rally for Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Feb 7, Palin displays a fondness for her mother and for turquoise jewelry. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

During a rare Northern California appearance on Monday, the increasingly bizarre and camera-whorish Sarah Palin opened her mouth, with self-consciously controversial results. It all happened at a media-banned logging conference in Redding, a town of 90,000 north of Sacramento, the former VP candidate "called studies supporting global climate change a 'bunch of snake oil science,'" reported Associated Press, who forked over $74 to attend the spectacle.

Palin's comment stemmed from something or other about protection for polar bears under the Endangered Species Act, which she sued to overturn in Alaska, because protecting the bears, it seems, impeded the state from "examining offshore drilling for oil and natural gas reserves."

Palin did, however, mention that "California's heavy regulatory environment makes it difficult for businesses to succeed," which, fine, sure. She has a point; an idiotic one, but a point. Still, Palin speaking out on science is just frightening. Behold:

"We knew the bottom line ... was ultimately to shut down a lot of our development ... And it didn't make any sense because it was based on these global warming studies that now we're seeing (is) a bunch of snake oil science."

She also went on to wonder if California was "just a little behind the times."

Oh, Sarah.

But fear not, Palin fans, for we have some love for your teabagging leader. How could we hate a woman who writes crib notes on her hand, calls her developmentally-disabled baby "retarded," and cracks the occasional bit of actual humor? While proclaiming to the audience that she was, in fact, a conservationist, she quipped, "We [the state of Alaska] really do love our trees," Palin said. "I named my daughter Willow. Isn't that granola enough for them?"

[via CBS 5]

Related: Speaking of oil, Schwarzenegger wants to fund state parks by allowing oil drilling off the coast of Santa Barbara.

]]>

Pencil This In: A New 'Moth,' Stinkers Auction and Cause on the Rocks

Christine N. Ziemba — 2010-02-09T13:00:54-08:00

Strawberries + booze for a good cause at the Viceroy all month. | Photo by Robbie via LAist's flickr pool.

TALK
Last year, Lori Gottlieb's wrote a controversial Atlantic article, "Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough." Being with Mr. Alright is better than alone, she posits. In another Atlantic article, radio commentator Sandra Tsing Loh concluded that marriage was overrated. The two NPR correspondents will discuss modern love and marriage with Sinai Temple's Rabbi David Wolpe. It should be a lively conversation, to say the least. The Writers Bloc event begins at 7:30 pm at Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills. Tickets are $20.

STINKERS AUCTION*
Stinker’s Truck Stop in Silver Lake is closing because owner Bobby Green's bored with the theme, so he’s auctioning off all the custom-designed skunk, truck stop and 70's themed paraphernalia from the bar. “Items to be sold include the memorable skunk butts, a late 70's Trans Am hood, skunk dioramas, actual CB radios and of course more Burt Reynolds items than anyone needs.” Part of the night's proceeds will go to support the local animal rescue and adoption organization the Santé D'Or Foundation www.santedor.com . Viewing for the auction items begins at 8 pm, and the live auction begins at 9 pm. There will be plenty of Colt 45, giveaways and music.

NEW MOTH
The Moth storytelling evenings have gotten so popular that they’ve added a third night each month. Tonight marks the debut of The Moth at Busby’s East. Storytellers--not readers--are asked to present a five-minute story about “winter.” Doors at 6:30 pm and stories begin 7:30 pm. $7 at the door.

CAUSE
The monthly mixer Cause on the Rocks is at the Viceroy Santa Monica tonight from 7-10pm for a mix of cocktails and causes. Causecast has partnered with the Viceroy to support International Medical Corps: Haiti Fund for the entire month of February. 100% of the proceeds from the Cause On The Rocks' Drink Of The Month will support the critical work of International Medical Corps. February's drink is The Strawberry, a sweet cocktail of 42 below vodka, fresh strawberry, gran marnier, agave nectar and pineapple juice. RSVP to Causeontherocks@causecast.org.

BOOKS
Local author Marisa Matarazzo reads from her debut collection of short stories Drenched: Stories of Love and Other Deliriums at Book Soup tonight at 7 pm. The book is book about love--kind of. The interconnected stories are sexy, sometimes weird and sometimes fantastical.

*Pencil pick of the day

Want more events? Follow me on Twitter.

A Plan for Food Trucks in Downtown

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-09T12:55:26-08:00

On Thursday, a new food truck lot will open in downtown's Arts District, the first attempt at a lot since one was shut down last month in Santa Monica. Like Santa Monica, there's no telling how successful or not it will be. "I don't know if this is going to be a prime location. It's all just sort of wild-eyed guessing at this point," said Matt Geller of SoCal Mobile Food Vendors Association to Eric Richardson at blogdowntown. Geller also says his group is working with the Downtown Art Walk to address food truck issues that have arisen between them and businesses and the LAPD. By March, food trucks might be found in private truck spaces on the outskirts of the event.

Tonight In Rock: Loudon Wainwright III, Nouvelle Vague, St. Vincent, Ferraby Lionheart

Joshua Pressman — 2010-02-09T12:00:00-08:00

St. Vincent will be performing tonight at the Henry Fonda Music Box | Photo by Tod Seelie via St. Vincent's Myspace

Our Pick: St. Vincent, Wildbirds and Peacedrums @ El Rey Theatre

Tonight recent Grammy Award-winner, Chapel Hill-bred folk singer-songwriter and father of Rufus, Martha and Lucy, Loudon Wainwright III will be headlining the Largo at the Coronet. French musical collective Nouvelle Vague are poised to grace the Henry Fonda Music Box. And, lastly, local folk troubadour Ferraby Lionheart (LAist Interview, Review) is poised to take on the Bootleg Theater again—this time around with LA-bred electro pop singer-songwriter Evan Voytas in tow. But we strongly suggest doing whatever it takes to get into the El Rey Theatre to catch Tulsa-based indie pop songstress St. Vincent (LAist Interview, Review). Sweden's own husband-and-wife duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums are slated to kick things off.

You can find these listings as well as the rest of the week's in our weekly Week In Rock post, which generally goes up every Sunday.

St. Vincent - "Save Me From What I Want"

Loudon Wainwright III @ Largo at the Coronet
St. Vincent, Wildbirds and Peacedrums @ El Rey Theatre
Nouvelle Vague, Soko, Findley Brown @ Henry Fonda Music Box
Mia Doi Todd, Ariana Delawari, Correatown, DJ Nobody @ Spaceland
Ferraby Lionheart, Buddy, Josh Ottum, Evan Voytas @ Bootleg Theater
Mumford and Sons @ Troubadour (Sold-Out)
Jay Nash, Katie Costello, Nikki Jean, special guest @ The Hotel Café
Roll The Tanks, Gooby Goo & Peekers, Bomb Your Face @ Silver Lake Lounge
Laco$te, Michael Nhat, Fawn as Women, Fantastica Bastidas @ The Echo
Red Tide, River Avenue, Flying Machine @ El Cid
Shakey Graves, Cave Country, Hod Hulphers @ Echo Curio
Sinden @ Arena
Electrolightz, Jen Lasher, Hyphy Crunk @ Cinespace
Lucy Schwartz, Letron, Jennifer Singer @ Saint Rocke
The Thermals, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down @ Detroit Bar

]]>

Let's Move! Michelle Obama Launches Campaign Against Childhood Obesity

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-09T11:55:22-08:00

President Barack Obama signs a memorandum on childhood obesity this morning (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

As thousands of people flocked to Denny's for free, yet not ideally healthy, meals this morning, First Lady Michelle Obama launched LetsMove.gov, a campaign to change the way we raise our children.

"Childhood obesity or excess weight threatens the healthy future of one third of American children," the website states on the homepage. "We spend $150 billion every year to treat obesity-related conditions, and that number is growing. Obesity rates tripled in the past 30 years, a trend that means, for the first time in our history, American children may face a shorter expected lifespan than their parents."

It's a big campaign, but here are few highlights that caught our eye, via a White House press release:

Next Generation Food Pyramid: To help people make healthier food and physical activity choices, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will revamp the famous food pyramid. MyPyramid.gov is one of the most popular websites in the federal government, and a 2.0 version of the Web site will offer consumers a host of tools to help them put the Dietary Guidelines into practice.

Reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act: The Administration is requesting an historic investment of an additional $10 billion over ten years starting in 2011 to improve the quality of the National School Lunch and Breakfast program, increase the number of kids participating, and ensure schools have the resources they need to make program changes, including training for school food service workers, upgraded kitchen equipment, and additional funding for meal reimbursements. With this investment, additional fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products will be served in our school cafeterias and an additional one million students will be served in the next five years.

Eliminate Food Deserts: As part of the President’s proposed FY 2011 budget, the Administration announced the new Healthy Food Financing Initiative - a partnership between the U.S. Departments of Treasury, Agriculture and Health and Human Services that will invest $400 million a year to help bring grocery stores to underserved areas and help places such as convenience stores and bodegas carry healthier food options. Through these initiatives and private sector engagement, the Administration will work to eliminate food deserts across the country within seven years.

Increase Farmers Markets: The President’s 2011 Budget proposes an additional $5 million investment in the Farmers Market Promotion Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture which provides grants to establish, and improve access to, farmers markets.

The latter two, especially, can be related to Los Angeles where many neighborhoods suffer from a lack of healthy food. Luckily, living in Southern California offers a year-round bounty of good fresh food and farmers markets, which are both close to Obama's heart.

]]>

Gang Member Turned Gang Interventionist Killed After Confronting Tagger

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-09T11:14:13-08:00

Photo by CarbonNYC via Flickr

We've seen it time after time. Someone approaches a tagger in action and they get shot, usually fatally. The LAPD recommends getting out of harms way and calling 911, but when former Crips gang member Ronald L. Barron saw a tagger spray painting on Sunday evening on Pico Boulevard, he approached him. There was good reason for that, however, as Barron had transformed his life, becoming a gang outreach and intervention worker.

"The confrontation and shooting occurred in front of numerous witnesses, in the middle of a busy Boulevard," the LAPD explained in a news release (to be exact, it happened on the 5000 block of Pico). "Witnesses described the suspect as calmly walking away after shooting Barron point blank, and then disappearing into a nearby residential area."

It didn't take long for police to catch up with the suspected killer. A 16-year-old was identified with a surveillance tape and with the help of the Los Angeles Unified School police, according to the LA Times. "He's a tagger, not a gang member," emphasized LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith.

Initially, the suspect was described as a male Hispanic, 20-25 years, dark short hair, approximately 6’00” tall, 180 lbs., thin build, by police.

Lines Build for Free Breakfast Across the City

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-09T11:04:08-08:00

Taken this morning at Wilshire and Vermont | Photo by Charity Tran/ExperienceLA

Denny's does the free breakfast thing every once in awhile and today's that day. Of course, the lines are expected to be long at any Dennys location. Kingsley Anyanwu compared it to a "Hollywood club" on Twitter after he passed by one. You've got until 2 p.m. to take advantage.

Loudon Wainwright III Begins California Mini-Tour tonight at Largo

Julie Wolfson — 2010-02-09T10:30:00-08:00

Tonight Loudon Wainwright III will take the Largo at the Coronet stage to play songs that reflect his unique vision of the world. From heartbreaking to hilarious, Wainwright's songs always entertain. The show marks the beginning of a mini California tour that will take him to Santa Cruz, Petaluma, and Berkeley in the next few days.

LAist spoke to Wainwright in 2007 (LAist interview) when he has just completed work with Joe Henry for the soundtrack for "Knocked Up". With his many collaborators and famous family members there is no telling who may show up at Largo tonight. We hope that songs like "Choppers", "Grey in L.A.", and "I.D.T.T.Y.W.L.M. (I Don't think That Your Wife Likes Me)" are all on tonight's set list.

Some tickets are still available at Largo.

Presented By:

2010-02-09T10:30:00-08:00

1,000 City Hall Layoffs: The List

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-09T10:04:22-08:00

As the L.A. City Council tried to save 1,000 jobs by planning to spend 30 days to find alternatives, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa put his foot down and said now is the time, citing that everyday without a solvent budget means four more threatened jobs. The list includes 60 sworn firefighters, 15 custodians, 15 IT systems analysts, 26 tree surgeon assistants (and 16 of their supervisors), 60 library messenger clerks, 20 librarians and 59 child care associates, to name a few. You can see the whole list here (.pdf), which was posted by CityWatchLA. The Mayor is scheduled to testify about the budget cuts and other measures at today's City Council meeting at 11:15 a.m.

Should the City Council Give Up Their Pet Project Funds to Help Save the City Budget Deficit?

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-09T09:46:37-08:00

Photo by Alan Heitz via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr

When Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa last week announced 1,000 layoffs, he ruffled some City Councilmembers' feathers when he added a request for some $40 million in off-budget pet project accounts. While he doesn't have power to force the Council to hand over the money, it was last week's press conference that pushed the issue into the media spotlight.

"Over the years some members have zealously guarded their district's share of the more flexible funds," reported the LA Times in an in-depth look at the special accounts. "Even though they are scouring other city departments for places to trim, council members are reluctant to part with resources that pay for neighborhood-friendly initiatives and, on occasion, the salaries of their own staff."

Certain accounts, like the Street Furniture Revenue Fund, cannot be transferred to the general budget or reserve fund. That's how they were set up in the City Charter, meaning it's law. However, Villaraigosa says the law can be changed. "Most of these funds were set up by ordinances and, as such, Council has the power to amend the ordinances so that the uncommitted funds may be transferred to the Reserve Fund," explained Villaraigosa spokesperson Sarah Hamilton to LAist.

City Controller Wendy Greuel "whole heartedly" agrees that not only the council should use transfer their special account money to aid the budget criss, but the Mayor, too. A $750,000 transfer of "unappropriated balance" in Villaraigosa's office was made last week.

City Councilmembers often use the money for community projects, special events and sometimes even their own staffing. Bill Rosendahl is spending some of his special account money for homeless services, Eric Garcetti believes spending the money on economic development projects and drivers, such as Christmas lights in Atwater Village or a pedestrian alley in Hollywood, Tom LaBonge is adding a traffic signal to Hillhurst and Finley and Tony Cardenas is using it for sidewalk repair.

"In a budget year like this they should be used toward critical economic development projects or be used to help balance the budget," Garcetti said, agreeing with Villaraigosa that some of the money should be transferred over.

]]>

Will L.A. Collect $72 Million from its Top Debtor? 'It's Questionable'

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-09T09:09:17-08:00

Photo by Here in Van Nuys via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr

At a meeting of the L.A. City Council Budget panel on Monday, Councilman Bill Rosendahl enquired about the reality of ever seeing the $72 million in taxes owed from the city's top debtor, Prestige Parking. What he heard back was not ideal.

In response, a city attorney was cautious in releasing too much optimism. "As to whether or not we can really look forward to any kind of significant compensation, it's questionable," he said, noting that Sohrab Sahab, owner of Prestige Parking, was charged in criminal court last August. "We can pursue [it] as best we can... Part of his restitution is that he had to turn over his records that we are auditing currently."

Rosendahl then asked if the city can take his parking lots to sell off as real estate. "We don't have that ability at this time," responded the attorney, who added they attempted to put a lien, but it's not working as Sahab is claiming poverty.

Hollywood Sign Expected to Read 'Save the Peak' on Thursday

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-09T03:41:55-08:00

]]>

There are two choices for the 138 acres of private land sitting to the left of the Hollywood Sign: develop it into a site for luxury living or leave it as open space. What happens next is up to the community, or perhaps, the world at large.

When the LAPD on Monday sent out a mysterious community e-mail alert stating that the sign would be "covered up for an international campaign [...] until further notice," a surprise meant for Thursday began to unravel. The world's most famous sign, which originally read "HOLLYWOODLAND"--and thanks to pranks, "CALTECH," "HOLLYWeeD" and other phrases throughout the years--is expected to read "Save the Peak" on Thursday.

Call it activism, if you will, to save one of the most famous pieces of open space in Los Angeles. When the Cahuenga Peak and surrounding land was sold to a Chicago-based investment firm in 2002 for a cheap $1.675 million and later put on the market for $22 million, it concerned environmentalists (preserve the open space) and preservationists (don't ruin the backdrop of the world's most famous sign) alike. Touted as "the last private, undeveloped promontory ridge in Los Angeles," the property was divvied up in five parcels and marketed to those seeking the ultimate luxury home.

At 1,821 feet, the Peak sits nearly 150-foot above Mount Lee, where the Hollywood Sign rests, and offers a 360-degree view over the city to Catalina Island and across the expansive San Fernando Valley. Hikers and even some city officials assumed the land was part of the city's 4,210-acre Griffith Park, but when it was sold, some local history spilled out.

Billionaire Howard Hughes bought the land in 1940 with the idea to build a romantic hilltop home for his love, actress Ginger Rogers. "We'll live up here by ourselves with the world far below," he told her. The gesture, however, didn't sit too well with Rogers who feared he would lock her up and never let her see anyone. The two broke up and the land was put in Hughes' trust for 62 years until it was sold.

As the market began to crash, so did the new owner's bloated $22-million asking price. Last year, the San Francisco-based Trust for Public Land entered into a one-year due diligence period with Fox River Financial Resources for a total of $12.5 million. The goal is to purchase the land and deed it over to the city's Griffith Park, but to date, only $6.3 million has been secured. By April 14th, the rest of the money is due or the property risks being sold to other buyers.

For L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge, whose district includes Griffith Park--he hikes atop Mount Hollywood daily--this issue is close to his heart. "It's absolutely critical that we acquire this piece of land. I've been working for 10 years on this and the moment is now." he said in a statement to LAist.

Now LaBonge, the Trust and other organizations have teamed up to ask for help. "Although donations are coming in, we have a long way to go in a very short time," an appeal reads on the Save Cahuenga Peak website. "Protection of Cahuenga Peak will prevent development from scarring one of Los Angeles' iconic views--the Hollywood Sign backed by the peak's sweeping natural landscape."

Come Thursday, it will be hard for Los Angeles and the rest of the world to not notice that appeal. "Save The Peak" will be seen loud and clear and that's what fundraisers are hoping for.

Over 500 Homes Under Mandatory Evacuation Orders Tuesday

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-08T22:15:10-08:00

A home is shown damaged by mudslides and flooding on Ocean View Blvd. last weekend (more photos here and here) | AP Photo/Los Angeles Daily News, John McCoy

Citing the incoming storm and risk of mudslides, county officials tonight warned foothill residents in Station Fire burn areas that mandatory evacuation orders will go into effect tomorrow morning. By 10 a.m., residents of over 500 homes (.pdf) must vacate their La Crescenta, La Canada Flintridge, and Acton neighborhoods, according to an alert stated.

In addition to text message alerts, Sheriff's deputies will be going door-to-door to notify residents, who have been told not to leave vehicles or trash bins in the street. "The evacuations have been ordered as a safety precaution following predictions of rainfall Tuesday and Wednesday," an alert stated (.pdf). "Residents are strongly urged to comply with the evacuation orders."

The storm last weekend was less intense than rainfall in January, but due to the cumulative effect of water buildup in the mudslide prone Station Fire area, 43 homes were damaged.

American Red Cross shelters will be set up at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 2411 Montrose Avenue, Montrose, CA 91020 for La Canada and La Cresenta residents and at Acton Community Center, 3748 Nichols St., Acton, CA 93510 for Acton residents.

Extra, Extra

Lindsay William-Ross — 2010-02-08T18:00:00-08:00

Photo by Anthony Bevilacqua via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr

A small experimental plane crashed today in San Bernardino County, killing a man and woman.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be one of the last few torchbearers on the relay leading up to the opening of the Vancouver Olympics.
Actor Charlie Sheen (whose car mysteriously tumbled down a hillside last week) was charged in Colorado with 3 felonies in relation to an alleged assault on his wife on Christmas in Aspen.
The LA Weekly points out that the head of LA Live seems to think he's done the city a big ol' favor.
Police are investigating a shooting that took place last night around 9 at Pico and La Brea.
Want to snuggle up with a pillow and blanket on your next American Airlines flight? That'll be $8, please.
California's animal laws are the most "animal-friendly" of all the states, says the Humane Society.

100,000 Gallons of Sewage Spill in Palos Verdes Estates

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-08T17:59:44-08:00

L.A. County health officials have closed the area around Lunada Bay off the coast of Palos Verdes Estates due to a sewage spill that occurred this afternoon. 100,000 gallons spilled onto the streets at Via Rivera and Paseo Lunado around 3:30 p.m. after a sewage pipe collapsed, resulting in effluence flowing into the Bay. The flow of sewage has been stopped by sanitation officials and cleanup is in progress. The advisory to stay away from nearby waters will be in effect for at least 72 hours, pending test results that measure the bacteria level in the ocean water.

Bye, Bye Hollywood Sign... at Least Temporarily [Updated]

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-08T16:33:59-08:00

Photo by work the angles via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr

[Update: Hollywood Sign Expected to Read 'Save the Peak' on Thursday. Read about it here.]

The LAPD this afternoon sent the most unusual non-chalant e-mail to the community today. "On February 11, 2010 the Hollywood sign will be covered up for an international campaign," an e-mail read. "The sign will be covered until further notice. Do not be alarmed, the sign will remain in place and there will be no changes done to the sign. This is just an informational e-mail so we do not receive phone calls from worried citizens."

That got David Markland at Metblogs curious enough to call Councilman Tom LaBonge’s office [Added: The LAPD is referring all calls to Ramsay]. But the answers he received from them only raised more questions. “You’ll have to wait til Thursday," LaBonge's public information officer Carolyn Ramsay said.

Wow, so secretive, which makes think this will be either really lame or really cool (let's hope for the latter).

Ramsay, however, did emphasize this has nothiing to do with Ke$ha's latest music video hoax. We would hope not, considering this is for an "international campaign." It's probably not for PETA's vegetarian Hollywood Sign dream (see photo here), but maybe it's for Unite for Human Rights in Iran Day? Los Angeles and Tehran are sister cities, after all, and LaBonge is the city's cheerleader on that particular issue. And Storycorps comes to town on Thursday.

But that's all guessing at this point. Anyone know what this is about?

Update: We're hearing that a formal announcement will be made soon and that it will be "all good stuff."

Update #2: The LA Times says it's a project of the Trust for Public Land. No details yet on what it is.

Update #3: Hollywood Sign Expected to Read 'Save the Peak' on Thursday. Read about it here

LAst Laugh: This Week in Comedy

Farley Elliott — 2010-02-08T16:00:00-08:00

It's funnier if you pretend that blob is a fupa. Photo courtesy vintagesonfoto via LAist Flickr.

This week has a bunch of good stand ups, including two special Bill Maher shows that are selling like things that sell well. Hotcakes? Not hardly. There's also a large amount of fantastic indie improv, be it at the iO West Loft, Room 101, Crashbar or out at Westside Comedy. Simply put, there's just no reason for you not to be pumped about this week in comedy.

You know the drill: hit me up if you'd like to get listed here.

MONDAY 2/8

Bill Maher, 8p Irvine Improv. Head south to catch some stand up by the one and only. Tickets may even be sold out now, but it’s worth calling to see about some last minute deals.

Two For The Show, 10:30p iO West Loft. Around back of the mainstage is the iO Loft, where you can catch some great two-person improv for FREE.

TUESDAY 2/9

The C-Word, 7p Comedy Store Belly Room. Deep inside the Comedy Store, Iliza Shlesinger and Jodi Miller bring up some great new comics.

BILL MAHER AGAIN!, 8p Comedy & Magic Club. This is for those of you who couldn’t get in at the Improv in Irvine. Now you’ve got no excuse to miss seeing the man himself.

WEDNESDAY 2/10

Tokin’ Trash, 8p Comedy Central Stage. A panel of partakers talks about whatever comes to their smoke-addled minds.

Room 101, 9:30p The Complex (Flight Theater). A weekly indie improv showcase. This week features some great teams, including Boomtown.

THURSDAY 2/11

Crashbar Valentine’s Battle, 8p Tres Stage. Ten great improv teams compete for the love and affection of one showcase show. Pay particular attention to Moose Boots and Fiasco!

craigsLOST, 8p UCB. A Craigslist rideshare to Los Angeles brings four strangers together in ways they never imagined. Oh, and you know they get into some LOST shit.

FRIDAY 2/12

U.S.S. Rock N Roll, 8p Westside Comedy. The iO house team and 2009 Harold Team of the Year are moving west for the night, and you should join them.

Harland Williams, 10:30p Ice House. The Dirty ‘Dena has Harland on tap all weekend, so why not head on out to laugh at all that weirdness.

SATURDAY 2/13

Songs for Haiti, 8:30p Largo. The Haiti benefits are starting to wind down, but that shouldn’t stop you from getting out and check Paul F. Tompkins help host this great night of music and (at least some) comedy. After all, the man does a little singing himself.

Beer Shark Mice, 9p iO West. Do not sleep on one of the best improv shows in Los Angeles.

SUNDAY 2/14

Improv Backspin, 9p Westside Comedy. Once you’re done with that fancy dinner in Santa Monica, roll over to Westside off the Promenade for three great improv teams.

Dirty Laundry, 9:30p UCB. This amazing story show is going ‘Bros Before Hos’ for Valentines Day, and you simply won’t be able to comprehend the horrifying stories that get told. With Brian Finkelstein and Charlie Sanders, among others.

]]>

Photos: Here's to the Bookworms!

Lindsay William-Ross — 2010-02-08T15:30:00-08:00

]]>

A study released late least year ranked Los Angeles as a paltry #62 out of 75 when it came to the city's literacy. And when each year seems to bring word that more and more small independent bookshops are closing down, like this weekend's end of Equator Books in Venice, it seems the good old fashioned printed word is having a hard time staying afloat. But we are readers, right? We still love books, don't we? And while you're looking at our words on some sort of screen, we wanted to pay tribute to books and the act of reading; what better way than to skim the virtual pages of our LAist Featured Photos pool...

TV Junkie: Super Bowl Ads Flop; Winter Olympics YES/Treacly Profiles NO

Thomas Attila Lewis — 2010-02-08T15:00:20-08:00

Anthony Bourdain hangs out with Bill Murray tonight in the Hudson Valley in "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" on the Travel Channel at 10pm

The news is out that the Super Bowl was the most watched program ever and that the remnants of The Who are the most embarrassing senior citizens ever. Viewers were also generally very unimpressed with the commercials that ran during the show and while a lot of people think "so what" let's not let them get away with that.

These commercials sucked and yet they are supposed to be la creme-de-la-creme of overpaid Don Draper wanna-bes. Your toilet paper, cell phone bill, and cars cost more because of the ads that are run on their behalf and this was the best that Madison Avenue could come up with? We know some people in the industry and saw them giving supportive shout-outs to their buddies on Twitter as their ads were broadcast yesterday: Dear Friends, come up with some better shit because if there's another industry that needs an overhaul, it's yours.
---
A colleague of ours, Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle, had a great write-up about the Winter Olympics yesterday but we take issue with a couple points he raises. Should viewers get really excited about the Winter Olympics? Yes, absolutely. Should they take what they get from NBC and like it? Absolutely not. Goodman mentions "treacly [athlete] profiles" (we call it "Jim McCayification) and the need to get vital information about unknown Team USA members. We don't need to get those profiles because virtually none of the "information" in them is vital. We didn't need to know Michael Phelps' dog Herman, and we're not going to need to know Lindsey Vonn's favorite yogurt flavor. Let the athlete's perform without the hype.

Goodman also states that biathlon might not be TV gold. For some reason those insane Europeans have made biathlon the most televised winter sport on their continent so let's think that they are smart enough to be on to something. Since we're going to Vancouver to follow a biathlete that we know, we are only slightly biased. Speaking of Olympian profiles, if NBC could come up with video pieces like this one on American biathlete Tim Burke by Time Magazine (yeah, magazine), viewers would be both informed and enthused about events they have (so far) had little exposure to. C'mon Tim, drink some biathlon Kool-Aid!
---
Tonight: The 10pm slot is super congested with some really good programming. You've got "Damages", "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations", "Secret Diary of a Call Girl", "Ultimate Cake Off", and the premiere of "NFL Full Contact" on truTV. Thankfully all of these shows with the exception of "NFL Full Contact", are repeated again at least once before 1am so you can watch/Tivo to your heart's content. We've seen a screener of "NFL Full Contact" and it's very good so if you are more sports inclined, that show will be your bet tonight. What we really want to see is Bourdain hanging out in the Hudson Valley of New York with Bill Murray so that will take precedence over hot hookers, angry lawyers, and sweet cakes.
---
The TV Junkie Plan: @aots, "How I Met Your Mother", "The Black List, Vol. 3", "24", "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" (in Hudson Valley with Bill Murray!), "La La Land", Letterman (Sandra Bullock - see our great pics of her at the SAG Awards), Fallon (Stephen Colbert)

7:00pm Attack of the Show! G4 - Lethal D; motocross; sneakerheads.

8:00pm How I Met Your Mother CBS - Lily and Marshall forget to fix Ted up on a blind date for Valentine's Day; Robin's obnoxious colleague invites her to a party at his apartment.

8:00pm Chuck NBC - Chuck and Hannah unexpectedly become part of agent Shaw's latest mission

8:00pm Bank of Hollywood E! - Season Finale

8:00pm House FOX - The inner workings of the hospital are seen through the eyes of Dr. Cuddy.

8:00pm The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love ABC - Jake visits the hometowns of the final four contestants; one bachelorette, after making a surprise visit to Jake's room, makes a shocking revelation that leaves him reeling

8:30pm The Black List, Vol. 3 HBO - Special Presentation

9:00pm American Experience PBS/KCET - British and American allied forces carry out a bombing campaign over Germany's cities which claims the lives of almost half a million civilians.

9:00pm 24 FOX - Day 8: 10:00PM - 11:00PM As international delegates reconvene at the U.N., President Taylor's goodwill comes into question.

9:00pm Heroes NBC - Season Finale. Everyone bands together to try to stop Samuel from taking the lives of thousands; Peter teams with an unexpected ally to save Emm

9:00pm Celebrity Fit Club VH1- Season Premiere

9:25pm The Big Bang Theory CBS - Leonard must choose who to bring with him when he goes to see the Large Hadron Collider on Valentine's Day.

10:00pm Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Travel Channel - Anthony explores the history and foods of the Hudson Valley in New York state.

10:00pm Damages FX - Patty races to prevent a key witness in the Tobin case from fleeing the country; Ellen learns a dark family secret.

10:00pm Secret Diary of a Call Girl Showtime - Belle tries to broaden Jackie's sexual horizons; suffering writer's block, Belle seeks help from Duncan.

10:00pm NFL Full Contact TruTV - Series Premiere

10:00pm Ultimate Cake Off TLC - Three masters compete to build the most impressive cake for the American Kennel Club's Agility Invitational and take home $10,000.

10:30pm Tracey Ullman's State of the Union Showtime - Architectural commission representative; vocal coach; angry driver; environmental activist; Kate Winslet.

10:30pm Be Good Johnny Weir Sundance - Johnny struggles with the departure of Paris and a new choreographer and it seems that this show was created simply to be mocked by "The Soup"

11:00pm La La Land Showtime - LA, prepare to be mocked, subtly and not-so-subtly

11:00pm Chelsea Lately E! - Musician Ozzy Osbourne; round-table guests include Matt Braunger, Randy Sklar and Jason Sklar.

11:35pm Late Show With David Letterman CBS - Actress Sandra Bullock; the announcement of the cover model of the 2010 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue; Josh Turner performs.

12:35am The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson CBS - Actor Pierce Brosnan; Patty Griffin performs.

12:35am Late Night With Jimmy Fallon NBC - TV host Stephen Colbert; actor Willie Garson; chef Eric Ripert.

]]>

Michael Jackson's Autopsy Report Released

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-08T14:45:22-08:00

Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's doctor, is escorted by Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputies as he arrives at the Airport Courthouse to face charges of involuntary manslaughter in the singer's death (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

Now that Conrad Murray has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, Michael Jackson's autopsy report has been released, listing “acute propofol intoxication” administered by another person as the cause of death, according to the report via the LA Times. The amount of propofol used was equivalent to a major surgery, it said.

"There are NO reports of [propofol's] use for insomnia relief, to my knowledge,” an anesthesiology consultant wrote in the report. "The only reports of its use in homes are cases of fatal abuse (first reported in 1992), suicide, murder and accident... The levels of propofol found on [the] toxicology exam are similar to those found during general anesthesia for major surgery (intra-abdominal) with propofol infusions.”]

Additionally, the report noted the lack of working medical equipment (also the lack of equipment needed in the first place) and numerous other drugs found in Jackson's system.

Murray was booked on $75,000 bail.

Feds Give L.A. $581 Million in Recovery Money So Far

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-08T14:07:39-08:00

Here's a little factoid update: Over the last year, Los Angeles has submitted 148 applications to the federal government, seeking a total of $1.5 billion in stimulus money. Of that, they've seen $591 million come in from 81 different grants, it was announced at a city council committee meeting last week. No grants are being submitted this week, but officials are awaiting a big announcement about some transportation grants, in which the city applied for $81 million. The city has a website dedicated to recovery money, but it's not very helpful.

Book Review - Drenched: Stories of Love and Other Deliriums

Christine N. Ziemba — 2010-02-08T13:35:49-08:00

Marisa Matarazzo at Book Soup tomorrow.

When we were sent an early copy of Marisa Matarazzo’s first book Drenched: Stories of Love and Other Deliriums, the title, the naked woman swimming on the cover and the gimmicky Valentine’s Day release date made us a little dubious of its contents. Would it be a Harlequin-eque bodice ripper? Or another innocuous but banal attempt at chick lit?

But what the LA-based Matarazzo has given readers doesn’t fall easily into either category. While these interconnected short stories are tinged with the excitement of lust-love, the book is also permeated by heartbreak and melancholy, too. There is much bodice-ripping per se (a lot of bed hopping and shedding of clothes), but many of the characters or situations are fantastical--that’s where the “deliriums” part of the title comes in--that sometimes they’re more interesting than the sex.

In the short story, “Fisty Pinions,” we meet Ashlyn Aschenbecher, the girl with the glass ashtrays for breasts. She wasn’t born that way, she just chose to tape two ashtrays to her chests with mounting tape. Ronnie Scartoon, a girl from high school, has been in love with Ashlyn forever. They go on a date, and Ronnie isn’t bothered about her date’s enhancements one bit.

“Hotmouths” has elements of Romeo and Juliet, with a few twists. The Girlfriend is still in high school and her boyfriend Rose Quartz, 28, works on an oil rig after being discharged from the army. The Girlfriend’s mother refuses to let her daughter engage in “hanky panky,” so naturally the two keep their relationship a secret. But those twists? The Girlfriend has no hands--and Rose Quartz has pink rocks for teeth that burn hot when he’s excited, i.e., when they kiss.

The little twists and absurdities in each of these stories keep readers turning pages. These “oddities” in Matarazzo’s characters are seamlessly woven into her love stories; they’re not forced, which is a testament to Matarazzo’s voice and style. Of course, not all stories are equal, a few in the middle of the book don't work as well because the people are just a little too...normal.

We’ll take the deconstructed love stories in Drenched over the usual boy-meets-girl fairytale anyway.

Marisa Matarazzo reads from Drenched: Stories of Love and Other Deliriums
@ Book Soup
Tuesday, Feb 9 at 7 pm
Free 

]]>

Pencil This In: Rant & Rave at Rogue Machine, Tarantino in Person at the Egyptian,

Christine N. Ziemba — 2010-02-08T13:00:30-08:00

Photo by Archie Tucker via LAist's flickr pool.

BASTERDS
Quentin Tarantino is in person tonight at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood for a double-feature of his films: Pulp Fiction at 6 pm, followed by Inglorious Basterds. There’s a moderated discussion following each film with director Tarantino. Tickets are $11 and student/senior are $9.

READING*
It’s the latest installment of Rant & Rave at Rogue Machine tonight at 8 pm. A group of writers are given a topic--this time it’s love--and a time limits. Writers-performers include: Ralph Bruneau, Katherine Cortez, Douglas Kearney, Julio Martinez, Michael O’Keefe, Debora Puette, Michael Redfield and Betsy Zajko. Tickets: $15.

BOOKS
Andrew Porter, winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, signs his book The Theory of Light and Matter tonight at Vroman’s at 7 pm. The collection of stories “takes familiar characters and puts them into surprising and difficult situations.” 7 pm. Free.

MUSIC+ART
For two weeks this month, the Heard of Elephants art and music collective takes over the Synchronicity Space for the show c'est l'amour. The show features artwork from Liza Epps, Lynde Low, Adam Stamp, Erina Digby, Peter Van Dyke, Billy Franevsky, Alex Pfender, Andrew Huang, Lauren Lim, Michal Carman, Alicia Papanek, Will Canzoneri, Jonathan Smith and others. Performances tonight from Ohioan, Ah Holly Fam'ly, M Geddis Gengras, Bow+Arrow, Moment Trigger

PERFORMANCE
Sacred Fools Theatre Company presents Ten Tops! An Eclectic Open Performance Event tonight. Hosted by Pogo Saito & Carla Jo Bailey, 10 performers get seven minutes apiece to do anything they want—sketch comedy to dramatic readings, rock & roll to interpretive dance to spoken word poetry. Tonight’s featured performer is The Roman Catholic Mime Collective. Optional theme: Love. Tickets $10, Ten Tops Collective members $5, free for performers. Sign up to perform at 7:30 pm. Show starts at 8.

*Pencil pick of the day

Want more events? Follow me on Twitter.

]]>

3rd & Final Map of L.A.'s Bicycle Backbone Map Released: South L.A./Harbor Gateway

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-08T12:30:41-08:00

]]>

Over the last week, the L.A. Bike Working Group has been releasing their vision of how the city should be connected for cyclists. It's a plan in opposition of the Los Angeles' current and official draft master plan for biking, which since the beginning has been steeped in controversy.

"The Backbone simply establishes a basic framework of priority corridors and a strategy for supporting a cyclist's freedom to move," notes bicycle community organizer Stephen Box. "[It] requires little, if any, funding in order to become a significant improvement over the status quo. The City of Los Angeles already provides many services that are key to making the Backbone the foundation for cross-town cycling, including law enforcement, routine maintenance, and prioritized repairs. Now is the time to focus them on the removal of obstacles so that the Backbone flows."

Without community support, plans like the city's bicycle master plan will have a tough time receiving funding from outside sources. If today's LA Times' traffic talkback comments section is any indicator of support, perhaps it's time for the city to listen up.

Presented By:

2010-02-08T12:30:41-08:00

Tonight In Rock: Princeton, Rumspringa, Useless Keys, Guy Fantastico

Joshua Pressman — 2010-02-08T12:00:00-08:00

Princeton will be performing tonight at Spaceland | Photo by Laura Heffington via Princeton's

Our Pick: Princeton, Casxio, Rafter, The Jubilee Singers @ Spaceland (FREE!)

Tonight local blues-infused indie rock duo Rumspringa (LAist Review, #2) will be opening up the second night of Red Arrow Messenger's free residency at the Bootleg Theater. LA-based alternative rockers the Useless Keys will be gracing the Echo once more. And, lastly, bicoastal electro-pop singer-songwriter Guy Fantastico will be performing at the Silver Lake Lounge with LA-based indie pop outfit HAIM. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch the second night of Eagle Rock-bred indie rock outfit Princeton's (LAist Interview) month-long residency.

You can find these listings as well as the rest of the week's in our weekly Week In Rock post, which generally goes up every Sunday.

Princeton - "Calypso Gold"

Princeton, Casxio, Rafter, The Jubilee Singers @ Spaceland (FREE!)
Red Arrow Messenger, Jenny O., Rumspringa @ Bootleg Theater (FREE!)
Useless Keys, The Black Apples, Light FM, L.E.F. @ The Echo (FREE!)
Gamble House, Guy Fantastico, Haim, Damn Sons @ Silver Lake Lounge (FREE!)
Spirit Animal, Des Roar, Imagine Dragons, All Wrong and The Plans Change @ The Roxy
Laura Jansen, Sweet Talk Radio, Jodi King, Alex Vargas of Vagabond @ The Hotel Café
Slanty Shanty Band, Elijah Crampton, TBA @ Pehrspace
Joe Jack Talcum, American Sheriff, Lord Grunge, Bassturd + DJ Jester and the Filipino Fist @ Echo Curio

]]>

Murray Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter in Jackson's Death

Lindsay William-Ross — 2010-02-08T11:55:00-08:00

Murray this morning/TMZ

As expected, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office has formally filed charges in Superior Court against 56-year-old Conrad Murray, the doctor who administered a fatal dose of propofol to popstar Michael Jackson last summer, reports LA Now. The complaint implicates Murray for acting “without due caution and circumspection," thereby playing a key role in the singer's death. The charges are the result of a 7-month homicide investigation that focused intently on the role the Nevada and Texas-based cardiologist with financial woes played in Jackson's care and ultimate demise. Murray, who turned himself in as pre-arranged this morning, was spotted by TMZ photographers leisurely reading the morning paper in an L.A. cafe prior to his arrest.

Hugo's Introduces Vegan Mac & Cheese

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-08T11:37:45-08:00

Hugo's Vegan Mac & Cheese ($7.50) | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist

There's no question about it. Hugo's Restaurant (you may know them for their taco stands) has some of the best mac and cheese in town (fusilli in a creamy combination of Cheddar, Gorgonzola, and Parmesan cheese baked crispy for $12.95). So when they introduced a vegan mac and cheese special ($7.50) for the month of February, it had to be tried.

The dish is made of fusilli pasta is mixed with diced onions, garlic, sliced mushrooms and sweet peas in a homemade cashew cheese cause, topped with a crispy potato crumb crust. Vegan blogger Quarrygirl was "floored" by it and others seem to agree.

From a non-vegan standpoint, however, it was decent. And as one Quarrygirl commenter noted, it was "more like a casserole than mac & cheese." The cheese sauce, which needed to be thicker, lacked the essence of cheese and felt more like a light cream. The vegetables are a nice gesture, but are more distracting than anything. This is a good step in the interminable quest to master vegan cheese and Hugo's should hold on to the menu item, both for their vegan customers and in an effort to perfect the recipe (we have faith they can).

Hugo's boasts a number of high quality meat and vegan dishes alike (try their veggie burger). You can find them in Studio City and West Hollywood. Their taco stands are in Sherman Oaks and Atwater Village.

Sweets For Your Sweet: Valentine's Day Candy

Lindsay William-Ross — 2010-02-08T11:07:00-08:00

Gentlemen (and ladies) you've got less than a week now to shop for something sweet for your sweetheart. Perhaps your beloved is all about cupcakes; in that case, hie thee to Crumbs to get their Valentine's Day flavors. But if you're thinking chocolate, for crying out loud, skip the drugstore aisles (we've warned you!) and consider some of these local confections to help you pour some sugar on this Hallmark holiday.

Brentwood's Compartes (did you know they've been around since 1950?) has several Valentine's Day offerings, including their Valentine's Chocolate Covered Oreos Assortment (13 of their double dipped chocolate covered Oreo ™* cookies dressed up for Valentines Day in a Red Velvet Heart Shaped box; $40). You can also get 16 ($40) or 32 ($75) of their delectable handmade truffles in a heart-shaped box, or go for the 1 lb mix of everything they make ($65). If you time your shopping right and head over to the shop on Thursday from 11:30-2:30 p.m. you can grab lunch from the NomNom Truck, who'll be parked outside again, and your $20 minimum Compartes purchase gets you a free NomNom taco!

Chocolates for her and him are available at Valerie Confections, whose seasonal selection includes 9, 18, or 36 piece heart-shaped bittersweet or milk chocolate assortments presented in an ivory box with red grosgrain ribbon ($20, $40, $80), a manly Pour Homme set of 11 chocolates ($30), and a collection of chocolates featuring rose petal flavors in the Pour Elle set ($30) in addition to larger gift sets. A hint for the frugal: Valerie is giving 15% off online purchases over $30 through Thursday, February 11th. To get your discount you must enter code LOVE15 during checkout. Please note, the discount is applied before shipping and handling and does not apply to previously placed orders.

Our favorite Valentine's Day item from Switzerland's Teuscher Chocolates in Beverly Hills is their Champagne Truffle, which is their house specialty, created in 1947 that's "a delicate blend of fresh cream, butter and chocolate with a champagne cream center surrounded by a dark chocolate ganache, enrobed in milk chocolate and dusted with confectioner’s sugar." (Swoon!) Definitely an indulgent pick, you can get these in boxes of 16 ($41.50), 24 ($61.50), 36 ($89.50), 48 ($119.50), or 72 ($183.50).

San Pedro-based Happy Ending Chocolate will take your online order for their special 8-piece Valentine's Day Collection inspired by William Shakespeare, which includes a piece each of: Vanilla Truffle, Honey Saffron Bon Bon, Kir Royale Bon Bon, Passion Fruit Bon Bon, Strawberry-Balsamic Truffle, Black tea & Lemon Truffle, Lavender Caramel Bon Bon, and Hazelnut-Sage Truffle for $18.

Maybe your heart is made of English Toffee made right here in Los Angeles. If so, you might want to get someone a Toffee Heart from Littlejohns, a goody that's their famous butter crunch toffee, cooked to perfection to ensure that it melts in your mouth, cut in the shape of a heart then dipped in the finest milk chocolate and fresh roasted almonds ($11.73-$51.90 depending on size). They've got heart-shaped fudge and marshmallows, too! You'll find them, of course, at their shop and kitchen inside the Original Farmers Market at Third and Fairfax, where we like to go to watch them make their delicious treats.

LAist Lifestyle Editor Julie Wolfson contributed to this post

]]>

7 Reasons to Love L.A.

Lindsay William-Ross — 2010-02-08T10:30:00-08:00

]]>

There are thousands of stories to tell in Los Angeles, but sometimes a picture says so much more. Thanks to our LAist Featured Photos Pool on Flickr, here are 7 moments worth taking a second look at in our 7 Reasons to Love L.A. series.

Previously on LAist
7 Reasons to Love L.A.: February 1, January 25, January 18, January 11, January 4, December 28, December 21, December 14, December 7, November 25, November 17
Seven Reasons L.A. is the Best

Weather Check: Rain Expected Tomorrow, Snow Levels to Drop

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-08T10:28:48-08:00

The rain is headed back and the National Weather Service is expecting it to hit the Los Angeles area beginning tomorrow, persisting through the night. That could mean another half to one-inch in the coastal and valley areas and up to 1.5 inches in the foothills and lower elevations of the mountains, which means more concern for mudslide prone areas. At higher elevations, snow levels are expected to drop drastically between 3,500 to 4,000 feet tomorrow afternoon and then as low as 2,000 feet overnight. That means the Grapevine could be facing a possible closure in addition to some snowball fights on the Antelope Valley floor. There's also a slight chance of rain on Friday. Otherwise, expect clear skies with highs in 60s and lows in the upper 40s throughout the week.

One Way to Take Care of Business

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-08T10:00:11-08:00

Signs draw attention to dog poo left on someone's front lawn in Sherman Oaks on Dixie Cyn. Ave. | Photo by polaroid-girl via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr

One annoyed neighbor's humorous attempt to educate neighbors on letting dogs relieve themselves on their lawn makes for good camera fodder. And this isn't the first time we've seen this type of "activism" in Sherman Oaks. A few years ago, complimentary "shit bags" appeared on one side street.

Want the help of the city with this illegal activity? Good luck. There is a process, but it's a bit convoluted. If you witness it, you can write the Department of Animal Services about the violation, but you first have to know the violator's address, which means you have to be creepy and follow them home. And if you don't get it on video, the city can only write a warning letter of sorts. Perhaps these signs are the real solution?

Privatizing the City's Public Parking Garages Could be Risky

Zach Behrens — 2010-02-08T09:30:52-08:00

Leasing city parking garages may solve the budget problem, but not the asshole one | Photo by mil8 via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr

To lease 10 city parking garages for 50 years or not? That is one of the current big financial questions, which the LA Times explores today. At issue is the $212-million budget shortfall that officials want to solve mostly with money from the reserve fund, which should be kept around 5%--$230 or so--of the city's overall budget. But depleting the reserve fund can tank the city's bond ratings so, in turn, the city would have to quickly backfill the reserve and one way to do that is leasing 10 parking garages for a large sum of money upfront with some shared profit coming in over the years.

If the drastic move of taking reserve funds to save the day is done, the city absolutely needs to privatize the parking garages, which could bring in $100 to $200 million, in a record amount of time. By contrast, the plan to privatize the city's golf carts has taken seven years and still no action.

Council President Eric Garcetti says it's an extremely risky proposition, calling it "largely untested [in a] somewhat unpredictable market area." Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Deputy Chief of Staff Matt Szabo believes the opposite, citing a good amount of interest from the private market. "The risky proposition is doing nothing," he said.

Previously on LAist
- Hollywood & Highland, ArcLight & Other Public Parking Lots Could Soon be Run by Private Entities
- City Panel Recommends Moving Forward with Privatization of 10 City Parking Garages
- Parking Operators Owe the City Nearly $100 Million

Jackson's Doc Likely to Be Charged with Involuntary Manslaugter Today

Lindsay William-Ross — 2010-02-08T09:00:00-08:00

Dr. Conrad Murray in 2009 (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan, File)

Michael Jackson's physician, Conrad Murray, is expected to be charged today in L.A. in a criminal case in conjunction with the music star's sudden death last summer, according to LA Now. Initially speculation indicated Murray, 56, would be arrested and charged late last week, however the specifics of how the action would play out were uncertain.

The exact nature of the charges have not been revealed, however it's believed Murray "will be charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with administering the combination of sedatives and anesthetic blamed in the singer's June death." Murray has not denied administering propofol to Jackson, and has said in police interviews that while Jackson relied on the drug to sleep, the doctor "was trying to wean Jackson from it the week he died."

An LA Times investigation into Murray's personal and professional life reveals that the Nevada and Texas based cardiologist was welcomed at Jackson's Holmby Hills mansion and seen as a "benevolent figure" described by Jackson's chef as a "very nice man, very charming, very well-groomed, very respectful, well-spoken." However, records show that he was facing multiple financial troubles, including being behind on his mortgage, child support payments, and other professional accounts, yet could seemingly not resist taking on patients and cases where he thought he could be of medical assistance.