CITYWIDE — A bill that extends renters’ rights passed a crucial hurdle at the State Judiciary Committee last week, and will now move onto the Assembly floor.
NOMA — What if Santa Monica planted a tree, but nobody wanted it? The seemingly unlikely scenario reared its head in this tree-hugging city when officials told residents of Georgina and Marguerita avenues that dying Canary Island date palms would be replaced with California native sycamore trees.
DOWNTOWN L.A. — An imprisoned gang member will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the murder of Michael and Anthony Juarez, two brothers who were gunned down in broad daylight while visiting their cousin’s clothing store on Lincoln Boulevard.
DOWNTOWN — Heavy duty nets will be in place next month to protect pedestrians at the Santa Monica Farmers Market where 10 people were killed when an elderly motorist sped through the open-air marketplace in 2003.
LOS ANGELES — A homeless man has been indicted on charges of planting an explosive that detonated outside a synagogue in Santa Monica last month. A federal grand jury on Tuesday brought four counts against 60-year-old Ron Hirsch, including use of an explosive to damage property.
JOSLYN PARK — Former Mayor Herb Katz was more than just a public servant and an architect. He also loved dogs. On Thursday, city officials will dedicate the off-leash dog area at Joslyn Park in honor of Katz, who died in January 2009 after a long bout with cancer.
CITYWIDE — When news broke Sunday that a team of Navy Seals killed America’s most wanted, Osama bin Laden, impromptu celebrations popped up across the nation.
DOWNTOWN — Local transit officials are trying to work out a deal with Culver City’s bus company to take over their advertising arm for a cut of the profits.
Dear EarthTalk Not long ago we were reading a lot about hydrogen’s role in a clean energy future, with cars transitioning from gasoline-powered engines to hydrogen-powered fuel cells.
CITY YARDS — Residents living near the proposed Exposition Light Rail Line maintenance yard on Thursday had a rare opportunity to weigh in on what they want to see built in a roughly 2-acre buffer zone meant to shield them from noise made by trains.
SMO — Ultrafine particulates and black carbon levels in the neighborhood surrounding the Santa Monica Airport dropped significantly during a four-day period in 2010 when all airport activities were suspended for repaving, according to a new study by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
CITY HALL — City Council members voted to extend an interim ordinance that expands City Hall’s ability to oversee development projects in Downtown that are taller than 32 feet, but not without some alarm from at least one developer who threatened to sue if the approvals on existing projects changed.
