Life in California

L.A. mayor’s State of City address skips economic woes

In January 2014, a blue-ribbon commission created at the behest of Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson presented the council with a report titled “A Time for Truth” — a hugely downbeat account of the economic decline of the

UCLA Study: 35% water reduction order in Palm Springs may backfire

Wayne Lusvardi April 15, 2015

Gov. Jerry Brown’s recently announced Executive Order B-29-15, mandating statewide water use reductions will hit the Palm Springs area of California the hardest with 35 percent cuts in water usage. But a new UCLA study of outdoor watering restrictions in

Tech giant provides twist in San Diego stadium saga

Chris Reed April 8, 2015

A San Diego task force continues to prepare a report on how a $1 billion-plus stadium could be built without direct public funding in Mission Valley in the space now occupied by Qualcomm Stadium, the Chargers’ home under various names

Climate change should be top issue despite public apathy, Steyer and Cisneros say

Wayne Lusvardi April 7, 2015

Despite a recent Gallup poll showing climate changing ranking last among a number of environmental priorities, including polluted drinking water, air pollution and the loss of tropical rain forests, billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer and former Secretary of Housing and

Why “June gloom” is now less common in Socal

Chris Reed March 25, 2015

Foggy conditions from late spring to late summer used to be so common in coastal Southern California that they had their own sobriquet: “June gloom.” Fog-related traffic accidents and deaths were fairly common on the Pacific Coast Highway. The weather

Brown’s drought battle heats up Sacramento

James Poulos March 25, 2015

Running out of water, California officials have decided to open the taps on another resource: money. Joined by leading legislators, Gov. Jerry Brown has announced a fresh round of relief proposals totaling some $1 billion. Not all the funding was targeted to short-term relief, however,

NFL heavy hitters meet in AZ; continue momentum toward L.A. franchise

James Poulos March 24, 2015

At a high-profile Phoenix, Ariz., gathering this week, NFL heavyweights sat down to smooth out the road toward a two-franchise deal in Los Angeles. Numerous competing and conflicting agendas have made life more difficult for the teams, owners, cities and league officials involved

Love for CA rooted in climate, not politics

James Poulos March 4, 2015

Californians like it hot. In polling conducted by USC Dornsife and the Los Angeles Times, respondents confirmed some eye-opening facts about California’s appeal to its own residents — such as the primary importance of its largely snow-free climate. Although good weather

Skid Row shooting appears to be complicated, unclear case

James Poulos March 4, 2015

The police shooting of a homeless Skid Row resident put the LAPD back on the defensive — a posture it has found hard to change for months on end. Struggling to maintain good civic relations after a string of scandals and incidents, the

AEG employs terrorist threat study in L.A. stadium battle

James Poulos March 3, 2015

AEG, the sports and entertainment firm trying to bring the NFL to downtown Los Angeles, has escalated the war over who wins the city’s increasingly contentious stadium race. In a surprise move, AEG published a study slamming St. Louis Rams