L.A. Times - L. A. News

East L.A. getting a long-overdue face-lift

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Millions are being spent in the area along Whittier Boulevard that in its heyday was a center of Latino pride and activism.

The padlock swinging from the gate suggested that there was once something special in this place, something to keep, something to guard. But whatever magic there might have been was long gone by the time Frankie Firme arrived this week, stepping through a hole in the fence into weeds so dense they muffled the bustle of his beloved East L.A.

L.A. files 'cyber bully' charges against Missouri mother in connection with girl's suicide

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Lori Drew is accused of creating a fraudulent MySpace persona whose comments may be linked to the teen's death.

Invoking a criminal statute more commonly used to go after computer hackers or crooked government employees, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles on Thursday charged a Missouri mother with fraudulently creating a MySpace account and using it to "cyber-bully" a 13-year-old girl who later committed suicide.

California school districts deciding how to cope with state budget cuts

Thu, 15 May 2008 23:18:00 -0700

L.A. Unified and others consider spending reductions amid uncertainty about their funding. Balanced budgets must be submitted by June 30.

Like many school systems throughout the state, Los Angeles Unified School District officials spent Thursday reviewing financial projections that will include cutting programs and services because Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's revised budget does not provide enough funding.

L.A. agency plans low-income homes, new offices for Hollywood

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

CRA commissioners approve a five-year revitalization plan for the area.

Denser, taller and less-pricey neighborhoods are ahead for Hollywood under a revitalization plan approved Thursday by the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency.

Plot twist for cops on film sets

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Concerned about the retired officers' cozy ties to studios, the LAPD considers using active-duty personnel.

The star-struck gawkers, paparazzi and businessmen walking by a big-budget film set on Broadway in downtown Thursday could be forgiven for thinking that Bill Todd was a real Los Angeles police officer.

Smugglers sexually assaulted immigrants, officials say

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

One of the 60 immigrants found at a South L.A. drop house told authorities she had been impregnated by her attacker. Agents seek evidence tying it to a human-smuggling ring busted in February.

An immigrant discovered in a South Los Angeles drop house this week told authorities that she had been impregnated by one of the smugglers, and witnesses reported that several other women had been sexually assaulted, immigration officials said Thursday.

Winds could fan Mt. Baldy fire

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Firefighters battle the 340-acre blaze as it heads southwest toward Los Angeles. Winds are expected to rise, but 'if we can hold it today, then I think we're safe,' a Forest Service spokesman says.

As of this morning, the wildfire that started earlier this week on Mt. Baldy in the Angeles National Forest east of Los Angeles had consumed 340 acres, and authorities said that, with winds expected to pick up, it could grow later today.

Americans' money worries are growing, L.A. Times/Bloomberg poll finds

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

For the first time since 1993, the percentage of people who say their finances are very or fairly secure falls below 60%, the survey shows.

Donald Fleckenstein lives comfortably in retirement, but higher food and energy costs still prompted him to trade down from a big American car to a small Honda, to cancel plans for a European vacation and to worry more about how the next generations of his family will fare.

L.A. prepares massive water-conservation plan

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The initiative would punish water wasters and limit such activities as watering lawns and washing vehicles. And it would revive a controversial effort to recycle sewage water.

With vital and often-distant water sources shrinking, Los Angeles officials today will revive a controversial proposal to recycle wastewater as part of a plan to curb usage and move the city toward greater water independence.

L.A. City Council gives preliminary approval to fines for patient dumping

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Hospitals that leave vulnerable patients on skid row would have to pay $25,000. Final vote is expected next week.

Hospitals that discharge homeless patients on the streets of Los Angeles without their consent could be charged with misdemeanors and fined up to $25,000 under a proposed ordinance that received preliminary approval Wednesday from the City Council.