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Just as I'm sure we've run out of "I am Malibu" license plates, a new one pops up....
I'd pretty much lost track of which Malibu vanity plates had already been posted to the blog and which hadn't...
About a year ago the city took down the '27 miles of scenic beauty' signs here in town and,...
With so many out-of-towners insisting on using the closed trails and parks and beaches, it really is a zoo...
When your car registration says Nevada, but your heart still says Malibu....
Today we get a two-fer, a pair of Puppy Wednesday golden retrievers AND a 'Bu Plate Special. I ❤️...
The Times also named the editor who will oversee presidential campaign coverage and hired LZ Granderson, formerly of ESPN, as a hybrid sports and culture columnist.
Yes, ZUMAMA holds its own in the Malibu vanity plate genre but really, all I can see is that...
Regular readers of this blog know we've been tracking iterations of the Malibu vanity plate for several years. Now, the...
The restaurant critic, cultural anthropologist and voice of Los Angeles found out this month that he had pancreatic cancer.
OK, official vanity plate envy here. Well done, fellow 90265-er....
Between the summer traffic and the most recent political antics, it's hard to argue with this one....
A shooting on camera. A local news paywall. Media notes, media people, selected tweets and more.
From the industrial end of Malibu, where the deep fryers never sleep, the enigmatic 'bu muse makes her way...
OK, so technically it's not in the Bu plate genre, but it's very Malibu nonetheless....
Frank, the KCRW legend, died at 79. LA Times heads for another big disruption and loses a reporter. Layoffs coming in LA media.
You probably have heard of David Fahrenthold by now. Ex-LAT journalists re-uniting at CNN. Octavia Butler, Bob Miller, politics notes.
Media and politics notes from all over, plus media people news, some place notes and selected tweets.
'Bu plate specials, parked within a few feet of each other. These fall into the 'self-identify' subcategory of the genre....
Seriously -- who knew there were so many of these out there in the world?...
Everywhere else the election is the main story, but here it's also about Vin Scully.
Our occasional roundup on media, politics and place.
My favorite part of this photo is realizing there's a beautiful dog in the back seat....
Zuma. Malibu. Zumba?? A little bit of everything in this one....
The Semidi segment of the subduction zone in the Aleutian Islands points right at us and is "too quiet."
Another in our continuing series of "I am Malibu" vanity plates....
Politics, media and place with a little news thrown in. Catching up from the weekend.
The Times breaks another advertising standards convention in bid to get movie ads back in the paper. Publisher Austin Beutner made the call.
Parks and LaBonge check out of the City Council. SCOTUS to take on labor union fees. Gravel yards. Much more politics, media and place.
There were some good times, but he's 36 and heading to free agency, while the younger guys have to play. Uribe "choked up when asked what he would miss about the Dodgers and walked away."
"Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada" says the sign placed on the road into Vegas from LA in 1959. "A luminous diamond stretched like Silly Putty, each letter of 'Welcome' encircled by silver dollars."
Catching up with a full day's worth of news and notes on politics, media and this crazy place we call LA.
"He was the finest media reporter of his generation," executive editor Dean Baquet said in his email to the staff. Carr was 58.
Serros is the author of "Chicana Falsa," "How to be a Chicana Role Model" and "Honey Blonde Chica," among other works.
Baylor was taking part in what was supposed to be a special moment for Angels fans: the retirement on the field of former star slugger Vladimir Guerrero.
Will SoCal lead the state Legislature? Plan for Grand Avenue gets Supes' OK. No charges for cop who shot at phantom Dorner. Lucy Jones to work with City Hall. Film and TV production has really fallen since 1996. That odd Eagle Rock meme. The Velaslavasay Panorama, two tweets of the day and more.
The Daily News package includes a dramatic shot of what the newsroom in Woodland Hills looked like when staffers tried to get in. The paper's executive editor recalls the day.
"Moments like these — emotional, contemplative, complicated — are why we watch the Academy Awards, or used to," writes Mark Harris about Saturday night's Governors Awards. "It's certainly not to see a 10th-anniversary tribute to Chicago or to watch Mark Wahlberg banter awkwardly with a teddy bear."
BART strike on. Garcetti considers "concrete steps" for quake safety and names an ex-aide as protocol officer. Special Order 7 back on for now. Baca hit with punitive damages. Q&As with Larry Levine and Damian Newton. Designs for Union Station. Southwest Museum reopens. How to piss off LA in 47 seconds. And World Series tix go on sale.
Brown signs anti-paparazzi law. Hundreds of pro athletes file worker's comp claims in California. LA County to send some inmates to Kern County. Pressure mounts on DWP non-profits. The city ignored an earthquake fault under a Century City tower too. "Bleeding Edge" is the new local bestseller. And more.
For LA fans, Brian Wilson used to be the despised symbol of the San Francisco Giants. Now he wears blue.
Garcetti backer switches over Kevin James. LAT weighs in on City Attorney race. 9th district as focus of special interests. Planning director Michael LoGrande on merging with Building and Safety. Mellowing of Maxine Waters. "Marketplace" parts with Robert Reich. Variety's dealings with Commerce Casino. Plus no Kings-Ducks series.
He must be getting a good chuckle over how his interest in the Tribune papers - especially the LAT - is being all but ignored.
The staff at Pacifica-owned radio station KPFK in Cahunega Pass opened their emails on Wednesday morning to find a message from Bernard Duncan, the general manager. He informed everyone that a colleague at the station had been treated for scabies, a condition caused by tiny mites that burrow into the skin.
Taking a local operation nationwide is fraught with risk, whether it's finding the right location or maintaining quality control. We'll see what happens here.
That's to be expected - combining legacy carriers rarely amounts to a great deal for travelers. Actually, it could turn out to be downright terrible for certain routes and certain fares (though probably not for L.A.).
Starting this month, museum visitors who take a guided tour on weekends and pay an extra $25 will get to see the special cars kept out view in the garage.
Proposition 30 expected to dampen growth, Hurricane Sandy slowed hiring in November, majority of L.A. voters favor medical marijuana use, and Starbucks to add 1,500 stores.
As port activity shuts down, labor talks resume, Socal Edison electricity rates to go up, consumer spending dips in October, and L.A. Auto Show opens to the public.
November was weakish month for retailers, third-quarter growth revised upward, walkout spreads at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and Jeff Zucker officially gets CNN job.
Stock market taking a dive, Bernanke tells friends he probably won't seek another term, Apple to introduce smaller iPad, and brothers behind GET THIN ad campaign under investigation.
President Obama arrived at LAX a little after 1 p.m. and went right to a private gathering of donors in Trousdale Estates before tonight's concert and exclusive dinner downtown.
Here's the job description for a full-time associate producer for Patt Morrison in her new role as special correspondent at KPCC. Pays $41,672 to $62,508.
Subdued holiday shopping forecast, council considers action on pot dispensaries (again), Brown vetoes labor-related legislation, and pedestrians accounted for about a third of all traffic fatalities in L.A.
Sahakian oversees special traffic operations for the city’s Department of Transportation. This makes him the official responsible for planning and executing street closures for all the big traffic-snarling events in Los Angeles — from the Oscars and the LA Marathon to next month's move of the space shuttle Endeavour.
More trees to be planted after Endeavour passes, no more picketing at funerals, more naming of street corners in LA, a power temple in LA, a new book of photos by Elliott Erwitt, and more media and politics notes.
Gas prices boost inflation, consumer sentiment is at highest level in four months, last non-tax day on Amazon, and Planning Commission approves stadium plan.
Encouraging news out of Europe (though recession is still possible by the end of the year), better-than-expected increase in private payroll jobs, questions about the way teachers' pensions are handled, and Amazon to announce Kindle updates.
Billionaire unloads Facebook stock, "Fifty Shades of Grey" helps Barnes & Noble earnings, DreamWorks Animation cuts distribution deal with Fox, and West Hollywood bans plastic bags.
Gas prices rising sharply, solid July for retail sales, final tally on NBC's coverage of the Olympics, and Disney worker alleges that she was harassed for her religious beliefs.
Gas price increase slows down in L.A., more hot weather to puts strain on state power grid, BP sells its Carson refinery, and L.A.'s inability to draw major conventions.
Sluggish economic growth as Americans reduce spending, Facebook stock continues to tank, Spain's jobless rate nears 25 percent, and downtown landlord might put portfolio up for sale.
Big drop in jobless claims, NBC books $1 billion in Olympic ads, underwater mortgages flooding downtown L.A., and business and labor support for separating LAX runways.
Manufacturing index tumbles in June, several thousand people protest against Walmart, British retailer weighs the future of Fresh & Easy, and Facebook executives decide to stay on Nasdaq exchange.
Skepticism over bailout deal for Spain, Commerce Secretary Bryson involved in hit-and-run accidents that are being blamed on a seizure, deadline looms on state budget, and Rose Bowl renovations are delayed.
JPMorgan executives ignored red flags, gas price increases slowing down, reasons why state deficit projections were so wrong, and half of Americans say Facebook is a passing fad.
Jobless claims still worrisome, state deficit could be getting bigger, Gov. Brown's plan to raise taxes receives lukewarm support, and Wilshire Grand holds liquidation sale.
Report says feds investigating Walmart, L.A. home prices keep dropping, lawsuit could delay downtown stadium, and Mexican immigration at standstill.
Strong retail sales help the market, disappointing Barbie sales hurting Mattel, top lawyers raise their average hourly rates to $873, and how decision-making by L.A. officials worsened the budget picture.
Limited support for NFL stadium, county faces property tax shortfall, LAX costs head upward, and Fresh & Easy faces new pressure.
On the night the Dodgers sale was announced, I noted how it was unfortunate that the LA Times website was a little behind the news after baseball writer Bill Shaikin...
David Haldane, a former reporter for the Los Angeles Times, doesn't blame you for wondering: he's a 63-year-old divorcee who had an affair, and she's 33.
The latest round of so-called stress tests worked out well for 15 of 19 banks.
Pickup in private employment, gas prices stop climbing, Apple announces new iPad, and new budget woes for L.A.
Republican surprise on payroll tax cut, more downgrades for Europe, nonprofit money vanishes, and the cost of Valentine's Day.
Mortgage settlement reached, Greeks reach debt deal, Kodak to stop making cameras, and Californians more upbeat about economy.
Jobless claims fall, California's Facebook payday, supes oppose Universal's housing plan, and Honda loses small claims suit.
That includes a mandate to have 1.4 million electric and hybrid vehicles on state roads by 2025.
Previewing Brown's address, Calpers downsizes portfolio, new councilman for 15th district, and Sundance gets underway.
Carnival takes hit from cruise accident, "VIP" loans linked to local congressmen, and L.A. office market picking up.
Possible break in payroll tax impasse, good news on jobs, worrisome news about 2012, and Long Beach rejects high-end development.
Jobless claims hit 3-year low, NFL's Goodell rules out L.A. team next year, Lakers not happy about Paul going to Clippers, and Golden Globe nominations announced.
Retail sales disappoint, Best Buy profits tumble, support for Brown's tax plan, and champagne business pops.
Retailers generally strong in November, LAX back in operation, Brown pushes for ballot initiative on tax increases, and Harry Potter coming to Hollywood.
Turns out that Black Friday doesn't even get you the best deals.
Holiday travel getting started, mayor wants protesters out by Monday, council considers banning all pot shops, and big year for visitors.
Good news on jobs, big jump in foreclosure filings, Villaraigosa proposes plan to fix roads, and speedier security checks at LAX.
California voters sour on Obama, planes to remain crowded, McCourt attorneys argue over spousal support, and solar executives back out of hearing.
Low expectations for Obama speech, Amazon cuts deal with Sacramento, more stadium exemptions may be in the offing, and ESPN renews MNF contract.
Fitch affirms AAA rating, more care with credit cards, settlement over port emissions, and convertible sales slip.
The market bloodbath, interrupted briefly on Tuesday, resumed throughout the session.
Americans cut spending, debt deal means trouble for California, Fox is ticked off at McCourt, and Ryan Kavanaugh to sell stake in his movie company.
More on Japanese radiation, state budget cuts, Smear arrested, Villaraigosa and Carlos Fuentes on the radio and SPJ cancels tonight's event.
L.A. paying out more in pensions, higher health coverage in California, most HOWS markets are closing, and airport commission president resigns.
Child fatality failures, big fundraising week in Sacramento, Batman and Yoda coming to the City Council and not for laughs, and more inside.
Peter Hong worked with and admired Eric Malnic, the reporter and editor who worked at the Los Angeles Times for 47 years, bridging the Otis Chander and Sam Zell era.
Schorr joined NPR as senior news analyst after being let go by CNN in 1985.
Riordan op-eds again, Schwarzenegger lifestyle reined in, the DWP writes a big check, the City Attorney notifies pot clinics and Julia Louis-Dreyfus gets a misspelled star.
Mandalit del Barco of NPR's Los Angeles bureau has the latest story, airing today on "All Things Considered," on the mixed bag you get with red light cameras.
Jobless benefits blocked, more Toyota deaths claimed, DWP's pricey power, and latest plan to stem foreclosures.
A welcome step toward cutting traffic and emissions -- and parking costs for fans.
Here's an inside look at how those deadly packages of bad real estate loans are now being bought and sold in the private market.
Noel Greenwood, the LATs retired Senior Editor, says the suggestion that earlier deadlines are an improvement is nonsense.
Their decision to sit on their hands as Obama was proposing bank taxes may turn out to be a questionable strategy.
He drew more than 3,800 caricatures and other pieces for the New York Review of Books.
The prospect of no NFL games, no "American Idol," - in short, no nothing - could finally be getting to Time Warner.
Despite losing talent, the Dodgers and Angels still have the best teams in their respective divisions.
Not sure how this scathing review will affect business - some folks will want to check it out just because it's Fabio's place.
Mixed messages for retailers, inside Madoff's cell, Paramount thinking small, and yet more press for Bazaar.
Here's a list of dos and don'ts for restaurant owners and staffers that seems so basic and yet is so often ignored.
Ted Kennedy's letter about Sirhan — plus more politics, fires and books — in the news and notes hidden below the jump. Also see Mark Lacter's morning headlines at LA...
The chief has accepted a job at Altegrity Inc., which has a subsidiary focusing on law enforcement and criminal justice issues.
Those of us dutifully waiting to see who would become "The Next Food Network Star" received a much-unwanted clue over the weekend.
More questions about whether Democratic Sens. Kent Conrad and Chris Dodd knew they were getting preferential treatment from Countrywide Financial.
L.A. County is taking a potentially huge hit from all the cutbacks being contemplated by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky is ticked off about it.
Mary Anne Dolan was hired at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner by Jim Bellows and followed him as editor. Below are her remarks at last Friday's memorial service for Bellows,...
New concerns about credit markets, Buffett says economy has "fallen off a cliff," and lawmakers wine and dine during fiscal emergency.
Camille Johnston, who left as the Dodgers' director of communications in 2007, lands with the Obama Administration as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the...
My KCRW segment on Friday nominated Jane Ellison Usher's resignation as president of the city planning commission as the recent L.A. story that will reverberate the most in local politics....
Heavy snow (by SoCal standards) has closed highways in and out of the Antelope Valley, San Gabriel Mountains and San Bernardino Mountains and of course over the Grapevine on...
Financier Bernard L. Madoff's alleged $50-billion Ponzi scheme reaches deeply into Southern California's Jewish community. Extensive coverage in the Jewish Journal, cited in today's LAT story. Plus: Variety, Day...
Today's piece talks about the Carleton Watkins photographs at the Getty, kind of a companion to my post last night and Judy's recent piece at Native Intelligence. The four-minute commentary...
Being reminded of folks leading gold-plated lives doesnt go down well at a time when so many others are trying to save their houses.
Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson needs to offer assurance that he has the crisis under control, but he really doesnt.
Foreclosures are trimmed, lottery sales down, Redstone says he's not selling CBS or Viacom, and actors talks to resume.
The 18th victim, possibly the Union Pacific freight train engineer, was pulled from the scene about 8:45 am. Authorities say that more bodies remain in the wreckage of Metrolink train...
What can I write about Bernie Brillstein that hasn’t already been written in obituaries and remembrances too numerous to count?
Auto doldrums depress economy, Longs sale may spur closings, new fraud claims against broker, and Chris Albrecht's early exit.
The Lakers are in the finals, the Dodgers are inconsistent, and John Ireland is back at 710 KSPN.
Jimmy Fallon to take over for Conan O'Brien The SNL alum will slide in when O'Brien comes out here to take over for Jay Leno, Kim Masters says in a...
Big LAX deal for DMJM questioned Art Marroquin at the Daily Breeze has been reporting that the L.A.-based firm was selected to run the LAX modernization project, even though Bechtel...
How many private cars, trucks and other vehicles would you guess are registered confidentially in California, able to escape parking tickets, toll road fees and those red light cameras? Would...
One of the best ways to cover city hall is to get out of city hall. Instead, wander through the many fund raising dinners where the real clout is on display.
They'll begin formal contract talks with the studios and networks tomorrow. But they won't be starting from scratch - members of the Directors Guild and the media companies have been holding informal discussions over the past two weeks in order to lay out a framework for the negotiations. The hope is not only to expedite a deal, but to use any new contract as a template for both the Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild...
Our booth was the best place to hide from the vultures hovering outside. Lunch was ruined anyway, so the course of action was obvious. "Why don't you guys take our table," I offered. Katherine Heigl accepted with a smile.
It's been six months since Joe Hutchinson left the L.A. Times for Rolling Stone. Today his replacement was named. It's apparently a somewhat controversial decision within the newsroom, judging by...
Now here's one that might make you gag. When celebrity chef Tom Colicchio began receiving complaints about service at Craft, his new fancy-pants joint in Century City, one of the things that came up was "soign treatment." Soigner means "to care for" in French, but at a certain kind of L.A. restaurant what it really means is VIP treatment. When an "important" person makes a reservation at Craft, the manager fills out a slip that's...
Let's say Charles Bukowski is still shaking LA's literary landscape. Then what in God's name are poetic giants like Maya Angelou doing to it, and when is the literary arm of FEMA going to get here?
The Chrysler giveaway: And we thought Bev Hills billionaire Kirk Kerkorian was low-balling in his $4.5 billion offer for the automaker - an offer that wasn't even considered by Daimler-Chrysler. The so-called $7.4 billion sale to private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, just announced this morning, is looking like a close-out sale. The WSJ's Dennis Berman, writing in Deal Journal, figures that the sale is actually going to cost Daimler about $650 million, which is...
I can think of at least ten reasons I should be excited to pay $1022/month for health insurance
Click for the whole big rich cup of Monday news and observations. It's a good one....
L.A.'s Latino vs. black gang violence lands on the front page of the NYT, with a web slide show of photos. The county's choice for CAO bolts, Steve Lopez embraces...
They got their man. Jorge Arroyo-Garcia, better known as Armando Chato Garcia, was extradited from Mexico and turned over to Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department investigators before dawn at the...
Auto show opens: The 10-day extravaganza at the Los Angeles Convention Center is a month earlier this year (it was conflicting too much with the more prominent Detroit Auto Show) and will feature 47 manufacturers and 21 world debuts, including seven concept cars. GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner is expected to make a big splash by talking about hybrid engines, batteries and other advanced fuel-saving technologies. GM will be introducing a battery-powered car at...
The Daily News' new columnist, writer of the weekend piece about Mayor Villaraigosa's childhood and personal exaggerations, has been around Los Angeles journalism since he landed a column at the...
Just when it looked like the Dodgers would be stuck with three more years of right fielder J.D. Drew, he opts out.
I live in "Faircrest Heights" We're the neighborhood you see out your car window on the way to the 10 freeway. It's not much to look at, I know, but we're growing good crops here.
Going after Bert Fields Prosecutors engaged in a "last-ditch effort" to tie the Hollywood superlawyer to the Anthony Pellicano case have summoned ten members of Greenberg, Glusker, Fields, Claman...
Here in Music City, much of the conversation around this past week revolved around a baseball player from Los Angeles who pitched for a team in New York and who never made it to supper in Nashville.
L.A. drop modest: The Moody's Economy.com study on a projected decline in home prices has gotten lots of play, but little noticed is the relatively minimal drop - 4.8 percent - that's expected in Los Angeles. By comparison, Cape Coral, Fla. is tops on the list of price decliners, at 18.6 percent. Reno is at 17.2 percent, Washington, D.C. at 12 percent, Vegas 12.9 percent, Phoenix 9.3 percent and San Diego 8.5 percent. The research...
Morning Buzz Unfriendly fire Over the past two decades, 90 LAPD officers were shot by bad guys while 68 either shot themselves or were shot by other officers. The...
Duke Helfand of the LAT's city-county bureau got his hands on a fascinating instruction sheet given to staffers who accompany Mayor Villaraigosa in his travels around the city. The two-page...
There's one federal judge in town who's mighty ticked off today, the mayor isn't shying away from immigrants, and a second day of complaining that LAX won't be any fun...
Newest adds at the bottom... ⇒ KNX 1070 reporter Michael Linder's website details his background as a KTLA reporter, creator of "America's Most Wanted" and "The Jesse Jackson Show" and...
In 1990, L.A. Times reporters Joel Sappell and Robert Welkos ran a six-part series on Scientology that took them most of five years to report, vet, re-report, write, re-write, lawyer...
That was the average weekday circulation for the six months that ended September 30, according to Editor and Publisher. The report from the Audit Bureau of Circulation says it reflects...
Kim Day got the offer she couldn't refuse to leave as head of LAX personally from Mayor Villaraigosa's in-house counsel Thomas Saenz and deputy chief of staff Marcus Allen, according...
US Weekly's WORLDWIDE EXCLUSIVE NEWS BULLETIN on the wedding of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher runs three paragraphs and carries eight credit lines for "exclusive reporting." People confirms the news...
I confess I haven't been monitoring all of the media buzz, so the first name I've seen given to the Menace of Machado Lake comes from Dan Glaister, L.A. correspondent...
Long but terser-than-usual roundup, due to a books-filled weekend away from the computer. It was great to chat with old friends, new readers, media people and bloggers and to hear...