L.A. Times - California | Local News

An elegy for summertime

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

At a small resort in the Sierra, the cabins are boarded up for winter. It's a ritual of time and memory.

The lake is deserted, and the forest is quiet at the far end of Huntington Lodge Road. A breeze combs through the pines and the firs. It strips a ready leaf or two from the willows that grow by the water.

New L.A. Marathon route unveiled

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The new 'Stadium to Sea' course, taking in several city landmarks, is designed to be more inspiring for runners. Its generally downhill direction could also make for faster times.

When Dodgers owner Frank McCourt bought the Los Angeles Marathon last year, he gave management a new goal: Create a route that shows off the best of Los Angeles. That new "Stadium to Sea" route will be unveiled today, and it will start -- where else? -- at Dodger Stadium.

Taxing our credulity

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Spelling out the state's new 'interest-free loan': T-A-X

The state of California began withholding more taxes from paychecks last week. And don't believe it if you hear this isn't a tax increase.

A princely link to fame

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Few dispute that surfing was introduced to California by Hawaiian royalty. Now there's evidence that their boards were homegrown.

At a reception in the mountains above Santa Cruz, dozens of surfers of a certain age, balancing wine glasses and pizza slices, basked in their closeness to a little piece of their sport's history.

Poll: Voters skeptical of state reform proposals

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Of those surveyed, 54% want to keep the two-thirds majority required to pass a budget, 65% reject a new sales tax for service providers and 62% oppose changing Prop. 13's property-tax restrictions.

Backers of an overhaul of California's government, who hope to leverage disgust with Sacramento into support for changing how the state raises taxes and spends money, have a difficult path ahead, according to a new poll of California voters.

Metrolink officials consider rate hike to counter revenue shortfall

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The five-county rail agency's board is scheduled to decide this week whether to increase fares by as much as 6%. Some worry that the move would exacerbate a drop in ridership.

Faced with falling ridership, deepening budget woes and increased expenses for safety reforms, officials at Southern California's commuter rail service are considering raising fares for the second time in less than six months.

Compton schools' weighty competition

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Staff members team up to lose pounds and gain cash prizes. The district hopes their successes will inspire students to make better food choices too.

Diahanne McKinley stepped off the scale and shook her head in disbelief. She tried again, this time removing a head wrap -- every ounce counts, she said. But again, the number was not good. So she shifted her weight from side to side and stepped on the scale one more time, observing the digital numbers aglow below her.

After trial by wildfire, Malibu Presbyterian Church returns

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Worshipers celebrate services in an interim sanctuary on the site where, two years ago, their church burned to the ground. 'It feels like home again,' a deacon says.

For the Rev. Greg Hughes, it was a case of a resolute community of faith rising up from the ashes.

L.A. Unified magnet school application deadline is Dec. 18

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

This year's earlier due date is tied to the district's effort to improve its own forecasting of enrollment for the following school year, an official says.

The application deadline for the popular local magnet-school program is three weeks earlier this school year. Parents will have until Dec. 18 to turn in applications for their choice among 173 magnet programs in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

California lottery results

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800