Westside Watch
UCLA students end a day of protest over fee hikes
Vigil held for driver killed in crash with LAPD cruiser [Updated]
UC regents approve fee hike amid loud student protests [Updated]
'BMW bandits' spreading from Westside into Valley, LAPD says
FAA computer glitch fixed; few flight delays expected at West Coast airports
November 21, 2009
Saving Century Plaza Hotel takes a whole village
When the space-age planned community of Century City displaced much of 20th Century Fox's backlot in the 1960s, the centerpiece of the office, retail and residential complex was an elegantly curved luxury hotel designed by a rising architect named Minoru Yamasaki.
November 19, 2009
Anchor of another era found in Santa Monica Bay
Lifeguard Andrew Greger was making a routine training dive off the Santa Monica coast three weeks ago when something in the water caught his eye.
November 19, 2009
Malibu mobile home park receives reduced fine for sewage spills
A Malibu mobile home park that was hit with a proposed fine of $1.65 million in February for repeatedly allowing raw or partially treated sewage to spill into the ocean and local creeks will be ordered to pay a mere fraction of the penalty, an outcome that has infuriated a key environmental group.
November 19, 2009
Study finds higher air pollution near Santa Monica Airport
UCLA scientists have found that people who live and work near Santa Monica Airport are exposed to high levels of air pollution -- a significant health concern that has been largely associated with major commercial airports such as LAX.
November 18, 2009
Burglars are targeting BMW parts in West L.A., Mid-Wilshire
Professional burglars working in the Westside and Mid-Wilshire areas have targeted more than 50 BMWs in recent months, making away with expensive auto parts but leaving behind cellphones and laptop computers.
November 16, 2009
West Hollywood's medical marijuana success story
A few miles from Los Angeles City Hall, a small experiment in marijuana regulation has been underway for years. While the state's largest city passed a flawed moratorium, failed to enforce it, debated proposed rules endlessly and watched flummoxed as dispensaries multiplied, West Hollywood pressed ahead.
November 15, 2009
'Twilight' fans descend on Westwood for 'New Moon' premiere
Westwood Village has entered the "Twilight" zone.
November 9, 2009
BELIEFS
After trial by wildfire, Malibu Presbyterian Church returns
For the Rev. Greg Hughes, it was a case of a resolute community of faith rising up from the ashes.
November 8, 2009
Buzzing of Santa Monica Pier leads to questions about aviation safety
Racing at speeds of up to 350 mph, the Soviet-made military jet made several low-altitude passes at the Santa Monica Pier, seemingly keying on the popular Ferris wheel as frightened onlookers scattered, some screaming.
9:40 PM PST, November 6, 2009
Backers of Malibu septic ban rode wave of surfers' testimony
One after another, surfers young and older trooped to the microphone to recount their encounters with the polluted waves off Malibu's Surfrider Beach.
November 6, 2009
Septic tanks on their way out in Malibu
The great sewer wars of Malibu have finally drawn to a close. Sewers won.
November 6, 2009
Four arrested in fatal shooting at Santa Monica park
Four reputed gang members were booked on suspicion of murder Thursday in connection with a shooting at a Santa Monica park that left one man dead and prompted police to beef up patrols in the area, authorities said.
November 3, 2009
Water board to vote on Malibu septic moratorium
Blaming small-scale septic systems for causing much of the pollution in Malibu's watershed, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board will vote Thursday on whether to ban the systems in a large portion of central and eastern Malibu.
November 3, 2009
Physician accused of deliberately injuring two bicyclists is convicted
A physician accused of deliberately injuring two cyclists by slamming on his car's brakes on a narrow Brentwood road was convicted Monday of mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon and other serious criminal charges.
November 1, 2009
Cyclists have a lot riding on L.A. driver's trial
Like many avid cyclists, Rick Wurtz has his share of horror stories from the road.
August 28, 2009
Nonprofit seeks control of Will Rogers State Historic Park
A private, nonprofit group wants to assume management of Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades, saying the California parks department has failed to fittingly honor Rogers' legacy.
August 16, 2009
West Hollywood residents object to plans for new club
It's billed as the most exclusive new club in Los Angeles. But some neighbors in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills don't want the late-night carousing, traffic jams or paparazzi they fear will accompany the opening of the Los Angeles chapter of the decidedly British, members-only SoHo House.
August 7, 2009
New twist in battle over oceanfront land near Malibu
Two-lane Deer Creek Road is full of tortuous twists and turns as it meanders across the canyons and ridgelines above Malibu's last three-mile stretch of undeveloped coastline.
August 1, 2009
Theaters fading to black in Westwood
Moviegoers in the 1960s and '70s flocked to Westwood Village, where they had their pick of first-run films on nearly 20 screens. With parking scarce, patrons stashed their cars at the Federal Building on Wilshire Boulevard and took shuttles into the village. A-list celebrities turned out for frequent splashy openings.
July 31, 2009
Cities approve 'Stadium to the Sea' route for L.A. Marathon
Finally, the L.A. Marathon will make it to the Pacific.
July 26, 2009
L.A. THEN AND NOW
Santa Monica's pier and carousel: a long and circular tale
At the city's outer edge, on the rough-hewn pier that sways with the swell and gives up the bitter tang of creosote on a hot summer's day, sits the Santa Monica carousel.
June 21, 2009
OBITUARIES
FrancEyE dies at 87; prolific Santa Monica poet
Frances Dean Smith, a Santa Monica poet known as FrancEyE who was inspired by Charles Bukowski, lived with him and had a child with him in the 1960s, has died. She was 87.
June 10, 2009
STEVE LOPEZ
Steve Lopez: A modest proposal for fiscal misery: Make them hurt in Brentwood and beyond
We're in a bind here in California, mates, in case you hadn't noticed. The till is tapped, the budget deficit is bigger than the great outdoors, and lately even the sun has disappeared.
April 20, 2009
Tarawa has become a different sort of battlefield
A Malibu man's personal crusade to clean up a trash-strewn beach 5,000 miles away will gain national attention this week when it is the focus of a cable television documentary.
April 17, 2009
U2 guitarist's Malibu house plans create some reverb
U2 guitarist David Evans, a.k.a. the Edge, has a dream: to build five contemporary houses on a hill high above Malibu, with expansive views of the Santa Monica Mountains, the Malibu Pier, Surfrider Beach and the Pacific Ocean.
April 16, 2009
LOCAL ELECTIONS
L.A. city attorney candidates hold spirited debate
City attorney candidate Jack Weiss accused rival Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich of representing a "moral sinkhole" of private clients Wednesday night, while the San Pedro attorney questioned what he called Weiss' "failed record," and whether he had the legal experience for the job.
April 16, 2009
In tony Malibu, $195 cargo pants aplenty, but nary a hammer or nail
To understand the changes roiling once-sleepy Malibu, check out the new $25-million shopping center that finally opens Saturday at the junction of Pacific Coast Highway and Cross Creek Road.
April 13, 2009
Backyards could become community gardens in Santa Monica
When Tim Bowler and his wife signed up to become part of the Main Street community garden in Santa Monica, they were eager to get their hands dirty and grow their own vegetables.
9:50 PM PDT, April 4, 2009
LOS ANGELES ELECTIONS
L.A. city attorney candidates spar in combative debate
The two candidates vying for the Los Angeles city attorney's job entered a combative new phase of their runoff race at a debate Saturday, attacking each other's qualifications and trading charges over conflicts of interest.
April 4, 2009
L.A. County judge rules against Malibu homeowners and two taxpayer groups
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has ruled against a group of Malibu homeowners and two taxpayer groups that had sought to prevent the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy from using studies funded by state bond money to prepare a plan to increase public access to parks.
March 30, 2009
Malibu Garden Club trowels for new members
After more than 50 years of toil in surprisingly difficult soil, the Malibu Garden Club is slowly withering on the vine.
March 26, 2009
Santa Monica rail yard idea stirs alarm at arts complex
Over its 15-year existence, Bergamot Station in Santa Monica has evolved from a ramshackle Southern Pacific rail yard turned water-heater factory into a world-class destination for art lovers.
March 25, 2009
Cook's Library's upcoming closure has chefs mourning a community loss
When Lucques and AOC chef Suzanne Goin got the news that Los Angeles landmark Cook's Library was going to close, she sounded close to tears. "Noooo," she said, "that's the most horrible thing I've heard. Oh my God, the world is coming to an end."
March 20, 2009
OUT THERE
Playa del Rey trying to make it back to the glory days
Time was when Playa del Rey lived up to its name: King's Beach. The hamlet's Toes Beach had a majestic break that lured the likes of singing surfer Dennis Wilson of Beach Boys fame.
9:53 PM PDT, March 13, 2009
Jewish Community Library may be bound for new location
Bina Weiss and her eight children have borrowed hundreds of books and videos from the Jewish Community Library, a little-known gem housed in the Wilshire Boulevard headquarters of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.
March 12, 2009
POSTCARDS FROM THE RECESSION
L.A.'s Westside -- trouble in paradise
Two years ago, I interviewed a Chinese American woman who had lost her parents during the Depression and was sent to an orphanage in China, where it would be cheaper to care for her. When Japan invaded China, Monica joined thousands of other refugees as they walked hundreds of miles inland, hoping to stay ahead of the fighting.
February 28, 2009
COLUMN ONE
Waiting for death, alone and unafraid
The silence of night never lasts long. It ends somewhere in the 5 o'clock hour with the purring of the heater and distant strains of Sam Cooke.
February 28, 2009
LOS ANGELES ELECTIONS
Weiss' style an issue in race for city attorney
When four of the candidates running for Los Angeles city attorney recently debated on the home turf of their chief opponent, City Councilman Jack Weiss, there was no question about whom they were targeting -- or the level of animosity that simmers among some of Weiss' Westside constituents.
9:39 PM PST, February 23, 2009
Venice votes to restrict overnight RV parking
A plan to restrict overnight parking won the strong support of Venice residents in a nonbinding election over the weekend. The plan still needs approval from the California Coastal Commission, which is expected to take it up in June.
January 19, 2009
Marquez descendant hopes to restore family cemetery in Santa Monica Canyon
Long before Santa Monica Canyon became prime real estate for successful Angelenos, it served as a serene resting place for some of the area's early and prominent landowners.
February 12, 2009
Malibu High School's queen palms vanish
If Nancy Drew attended Malibu High School, she'd have a doozy of a deepening mystery on her hands. Call it the Case of the Purloined Palms.
Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times
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