L.A. Times - California | Local News

Officials trying to determine whether Houston drowned in bathtub

By Andrew Blankstein, Robert Faturechi and Gerrick D. Kennedy, Los Angeles Times — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:46:00 PST

It will be weeks before investigators determine an official cause of death. The 48-year-old singer was found unresponsive in her suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel shortly before she was to attend a pre-Grammy Awards gala.

When paramedics arrived at Whitney Houston's hotel suite in Beverly Hills, they found her unresponsive in the bathtub, and officials said that drowning is one of the possible causes of death being investigated.

Whitney Houston death: 'Too early' to make drug link

By Andrew Blankstein — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:30:15 PST

Los Angeles County coroner's officials said Monday they have not established a link between prescription drugs and the death of Whitney Houston, adding such a determination could only come after toxic

L.A. Coliseum Commission officials cash in on unused sick leave

By Paul Pringle and Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

Executives use sick-day stash accumulated over up to 35 years to boost their public pension benefits and to receive lump-sum payments worth thousands.

Top officials at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum have shown a knack for banking healthy chunks of unused sick leave on the public payroll — in one case, about 35 years' worth.

'Speed Freak' killer's disclosures bring both peace and turmoil

By Diana Marcum, Los Angeles Times — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

Wesley Shermantine spilled his secrets for cash. Now, as authorities look for victims near Stockton, some families get closure while the community wonders: 'How many more bodies will they find?'

The abandoned well sits off a country road in a region of open pastures and hills stamped with oak tree silhouettes.

L.A.'s trash industry gets ready to rumble

By Kate Linthicum and Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:15:00 PST

A proposal from a labor-allied group would arrange the privately run portion of L.A.'s trash industry into 11 zones with exclusive contracts — a big change from the 140-plus haulers operating now.

A war over trash is about to break out at Los Angeles City Hall. And the ensuing lobbying is expected to be long and costly, with the outcome potentially affecting residents, businesses, workers and a quarter-billion-dollar-a-year industry across the city.

Permit approved for desalination plant at Huntington Beach

By Tony Barboza, Los Angeles Times — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:28:00 PST

The bid to build a sea water-to-drinking water facility at Huntington Beach is cleared by a regional water board. But environmentalists say the plan endangers sea creatures and risks fouling the ocean with discharge.

The bid to bring a large-scale desalination plant to Southern California cleared a major hurdle Friday when water regulators approved a permit for a Huntington Beach facility to turn seawater into drinking water.

Suddenly, the pressure is off

By Larry Gordon and Angel Jennings, Los Angeles Times — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

Some college-bound teens already know where they are going next, but even if they don't, they've done all they can for now. It's time to kick back.

Among the college-bound crowd of America's high school seniors, this is the time to exhale.

Newport Beach blocks interior remodel of Richard Neutra building

By Mike Reicher, Los Angeles Times — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:52:00 PST

A real estate investor is ordered to stop gutting the inside of a Richard Neutra-designed office building in Newport Beach. The owner didn't have permits for the work.

Newport Beach officials recently ordered a real estate investor to stop gutting the interior of an office building designed by celebrated Modernist architect Richard Neutra.

Commit a crime, collect a pension

George Skelton — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:16:00 PST

Public employees — including teachers — receive retirement benefits even if they are felons.

Here's another outrage about the child abuse scandal at Miramonte Elementary School: If the teacher accused of spoon-feeding his semen to blindfolded students is convicted and sent to prison, he'll still receive a public pension.

NBCUniversal to move news operations out of Burbank

By Mark Kellam, Los Angeles Times — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:08:00 PST

Other NBC studios will remain, but the move will leave the Burbank media district with even more vacant space to fill.

The race is on to find tenants to fill the space in Burbank's media district currently occupied by NBCUniversal's news operations, which will move out in late 2013.