Only two years ago, California enjoyed an unparalleled budget surplus of $97.5 billion, the result of soaring revenues and an influx of federal coronavirus funds. This editorial board advised Gov. Gavin Newsom to use that opportunity to make substantive changes to the budgeting process, invest in long-neglected infrastructure and prepare for the inevitable downturn. Any…
Read more
An ambitious plan to completely transform a popular day-use area in the Angeles National Forest, heavily damaged by hordes of visitors and offering woefully insufficient amenities, has sat on the shelf for eight years. But when the 2016 concept plan for the East Fork/Cattle Canyon Project located on a bend in the San Gabriel River…
Read more
A Lebanese born Top Chef is bringing Middle Eastern food to Hollywood in a new restaurant with a massive patio set to open this summer. “Top Chef Middle East & North Africa” season 5 winner Charbel Hayek will be behind the kitchen at the upcoming Laya restaurant, which is set to open at 1430 N.…
Read more
The University of California Board of Regents is meeting in a special session in Westwood Wednesday to consider the appointment of a new chancellor to oversee the campus that has been roiled in recent weeks by pro-Palestine protests. Current Chancellor Gene Block, who has come under fire both on campus and from as far away…
Read more
“Welcome to paradise!” Experience should tell well-traveled warm-weather wanderlusters that when offered this greeting at a tropical resort, it’s best to take it with a grain of sea salt. Too many times has this heat-seeking holiday maker been burned, not by the sun’s rays, but that seemingly hospitable phrase. At the five-star GoldenEye resort in…
Read more
Many moons ago, when I was still young and considered myself a hipster, I went to a party in the Hollywood Hills. This party was thrown by a good looking young architect who also considered himself hip, although in his case it was probably true. In my mind, I started calling him Mr. Cutie Pie.…
Read more
Despite being fraud central, we’ve never seen California do anything like this. Wow, Delaware. “SCAM ALERT!” screams Delaware’s social media post. “The Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health’s Overdose Response Center is warning of a scam in our area involving individuals claiming to be part of residential rehabilitation programs in California, such as Santa…
Read more
“How expensive?” tracks measurements of California’s totally unaffordable housing market. The pain: Even California workers making more than 75% of all jobs will struggle to buy a home. The source: My trusty spreadsheet created an “affordability” index comparing the 75th percentile income in 50 states as of May 2023 – that’s the median of the…
Read more
By TIM REYNOLDS Jerry West, who was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive and whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo, died Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Clippers announced. He was 86. West, nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” for his…
Read more
LOS ANGELES — Last weekend’s series at Yankee Stadium featured a playoff atmosphere, and the Dodgers responded with playoff intensity and won two out of three from the team with baseball’s best record. And I’m sure, Dodger fans, that plenty of you watched that series and asked yourselves, “Where was that the last couple of…
Read more
