L.A. Plans To Scrap Its Genuinely Good Outdoor Dining Program and Replace It With Rules, Fees, and Paperwork
The L.A. City Council saw a good thing happening and decided government wasn't involved enough.
Los Angeles
LAPD Officers Tased a Confused, Terrified Man Who Then Died, All Over a Minor Car Collision
Body camera footage shows precisely why some people don’t trust police to respond appropriately to nonviolent incidents.
No, Recycling Will Not Save the Environment
Despite what you may have heard, many "recyclables" sent to recycling plants are never recycled at all.
Los Angeles Public Schools Are Increasingly Passing Students Who Don't Meet Grade-Level Standards
The issue is the result of a districtwide policy of de facto grade inflation.
Los Angeles County Extends Its Eviction Moratorium Again, Citing Rising COVID, Flu, RSV Cases
Landlords say that nearly three years of eviction moratoriums is forcing some property owners out of the rental business entirely.
By Abolishing Fares, Big Cities Embrace Transit's Death Spiral
Transit officials and transit-boosting politicians in D.C., L.A., and New York City are warming to the idea of being totally dependent on taxpayer subsidies.
Politics Is Getting in the Way of What Makes Cities Great
Healthy cities are a boon not just for those who live in them, but for our entire society.
Some Loudmouth Politicians Are Finally Wearing Out Their Welcome
Voters gave a cold shoulder to candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump, and Los Angeles County voters gave the heave-ho to Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
Los Angeles Sheriff's Department
L.A. Sheriff Who Fought Against Oversight and Transparency Concedes Election Defeat
Alex Villanueva was ousted after a single combative, troubled term. Voters also approved giving county leaders the power to remove future sheriffs.
Los Angeles City Council Scandal Highlights Ugly Influence of Big Labor
Having a city council secretly dominated by people with racist views is troubling, but having an entire political system controlled by one special interest group is also scandalous.
L.A.'s Leaked City Council Tape Reminds Us Why 'Smoke-Filled Rooms' Are Bad
A lack of transparency doesn't make politicians better people.
Union Group Tries To Bully L.A. Times Into Burying Racist Remarks
Plus: Copyright versus the internet, roofer helping rebuild hurricane-damaged Florida houses arrested for lack of Florida license, and more...
Biden Is Still Seeking Potential Life Sentences for Distributing Weed, Even As He Pardons for Possession
Pardoning possession offenders is nice. Taking his boot off the necks of cannabis sellers would be even better.
LAPD Officer Killed During Training Exercise Was Reportedly Investigating Cops Accused of Gang Rape
Plus: The Onion weighs in on qualified immunity case, Supreme Court rejects challenges to bump stock ban, and more...
L.A. Times Investigates California's Marijuana Legalization Disaster
An emphasis on corruption and enforcement downplays the very real influence of regulation and taxes on California's booming black market.
Elementary School Calls Cops on 4-Year-Old for Violating Mask Mandate
In the Bay Area and in Los Angeles County, authorities are quickly learning there's little public will to follow their mandates.
FBI Misled Judge in Obtaining Warrant To Seize Hundreds of Safe Deposit Boxes
New court documents show that the FBI planned for months to seize and forfeit property found inside safe deposit boxes in an L.A. raid under the pretext of doing an inventory.
COVID Taught More Than 1 Million Parents the Value of School Choice
Educational freedom is good for everybody but unions, bureaucrats, and the education establishment.
Ineffective Mask Mandates Could Be Returning in L.A. and Seattle
Evidence from the past two years suggests they won't make a difference.
LAPD's Militarized Response to Peaceful Abortion Protests Makes the Case for Police Reform—Again
Reforms promised after Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 are not being followed by Los Angeles police.
Los Angeles Sheriff's Department
Embattled L.A. County Sheriff Villanueva Will Have To Fight To Stay in Office
He’s been dismissive of fears of gang activity in the LASD and on the attack against critics and investigators. Voters have noticed.
Bad Candidates Threaten Criminal Justice Reform in California
In Los Angeles and San Francisco, voters face candidates who promised criminal justice reforms but whose records have been disappointing.
L.A.'s Eternal Eviction Moratorium
Now that the pandemic is fading and much of the available rent relief has been spent, L.A.'s eviction moratorium seems like pure regulatory inertia.
California Cities Sue Law Firm Accused of Abusing the ADA To Target Small Minority Businesses
San Francisco and Los Angeles insist in suit that likely tens of millions have been illegitimately squeezed from small businesses by ADA plaintiffs without proper legal standing.
L.A. Considers Honoring Civil Rights-Era Housing Activist by Making It Harder To Build Housing
Preservationists hope to make the one-time home of Loren Miller a historic landmark. That it would make it nearly impossible to redevelop the $1.4 million two-bedroom home.
Audit: L.A. Spending as Much as $837,000 per Unit of Housing for Homeless
Despite apportioning over $1 billion for homeless housing, cost overruns and sluggish pacing threaten to jeopardize the city project.
The Super Bowl Will Be Played in the Most Expensive Stadium Ever Built. Taxpayers Didn't Pay a Dime.
Meanwhile, Virginia and Washington, D.C., are in a bidding war to decide which taxpayers will have the chance to pay for the Washington Commanders' new stadium. It shouldn't be this way.
California Citizens Get State's Blessing To Start Unmasking Soon
But not so fast, Angelenos. No return to normal for you.
L.A.'s Vaccination Mandate Has Not Increased Compliance. A New Petition Would Force Its Repeal.
Los Angeles Libertarians to start gathering signatures to overturn the four-month-old ordinance.
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti Says His Mask Mandate Violation Was OK Because He Held His Breath
If California politicians think the mask mandate is stupid, they should lead the charge to get rid of it.
This L.A. School Called the Cops on Unvaccinated Teens Who Showed Up for Class
The students' negative COVID tests weren't good enough for school administrators.
L.A. Schools Will Require Non-Cloth Masks (Even for Sports) and Vaccination Next Year
School choice is the best alternative for parents who are reasonably frustrated with this insanity.
Before Promising To Solve the World's Big Problems, Politicians Should Aim To Fix Potholes
The lonely crusade against government hubris.
California Promised Street Vendors More Freedom. Instead They Got More Rules.
The state’s “reforms” have saddled merchants with oppressively expensive permitting demands.
To Fight Climate Change, Los Angeles Bans Restaurants From Giving Out Unsolicited Ketchup Packets
Businesses that give customers condiments without them first asking for them could receive fines totaling $300.
Los Angeles Orders Local Businesses To Serve as Vaccination Enforcers
The fines for failure fall not on the unvaccinated, but the people serving them.
California Is Clueless About Homelessness
Both Los Angeles and San Francisco struggle with restrictive land use regulations that raise the costs and completion times of housing projects. That same red tape is now hobbling projects aimed at helping alleviate homelessness.
Two More California Cities Preparing To Ban Flavored Tobacco and Vape Products
After San Francisco approved a similar ban, teen smoking rates increased.
L.A. Finally Lets People Eat In Parking Lots
Los Angeles temporarily eased parking requirements during the pandemic, offering a glimpse of how much a less restrictive zoning code improves urban life.