San Diego Padres defeat LA Dodgers 3-2. After being positive about George Sherrill’s two previous outings, Sherrill (L, 1-2) rained on my optimism in the ninth inning today. With Scott Hairston on second base, Oscar Salazar fought Sherrill through eight pitches which ended up being a single up the middle that brought Hairston home for the walk-off win. The Dodger offense continued to struggle with the only offense coming off of James Loney’s solo homer in the second inning that tied the game 1-1 and a Garret Anderson single that drove Jamey Carroll home in the fifth inning to tie the game 2-2. Dodgers starter Vicente Padilla only went four innings while Mat Latos didn’t sneeze at all on the mound during his five innings. Padres closer Heath Bell (W, 5-0) got the win for his hitless ninth inning.

NOTABLE NOTES

Oswalt a Philly. As mentioned here yesterday, the Phillies were the favorite in bagging Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt and did indeed get him. They sent pitcher J.A. Happ and a slew of minor leaguers to Houston for Oswalt and cash. In addition Oswalt agreed not to force the Phillies to guarantee the 2012 option as a requirement to waive his no-trade clause. As for the other Astros pitcher Brett Myers, since Oswalt is gone it is highly unlike the Astros will move Myers.

As for the Dodgers, as of yesterday the rumbles have been that the Dodgers, Minnesota Twins and New York Mets were talking to the Chicago Cubs about Ted Lilly. Fox Sports Jon Paul Morosi reported that the Twins are an outside shot, and Newday’s Ken Davidoff is saying the deal with the Mets is unlikely. So does that mean the Dodgers are now the front runners for Lilly? And even if the Dodgers get Lilly, what exactly does that accomplish?

Meanwhile the San Diego Padres in need of some pop on offense have gotten Miguel Tejada from the Baltimore Orioles.

EXTENDED CHOW. UCLA offensive coordinator Norm Chow agreed to a two-year extension with the Bruins that will reportedly pay him $400,000 to $500,000 per season making him the highest paid assistant coach in Bruins history. The contract does not include a buyout for the 54-year old. The Bruins are predicted by the media to finish eighth in the Pac-10 with Oregon to win the conference and embattled USC second.

TONIGHT’S ACTION

LA Dodgers (54-48) at San Francisco Giants (58-45). Carlos Monasterios (3-2, 3.30 ERA) vs. Tim Lincecum (10-4, 3.12 ERA). 7:15 pm FS Prime Ticket, AM 790 KABC.

Texas Rangers (60-42) at LA Angels (52-52). Scott Feldman (5-9, 5.46 ERA) vs. Ervin Santana (9-7, 3.55 ERA). 7:05 pm FSWest, AM 830 KLAA.

• Do you have an iPad? "People Who Own iPads Are Tiresome Hipsters With Awful Personalities," according to some sort of "study."
• On CNN this afternoon about Arizona's immigration law, L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa today said, “We’re here because the federal government has failed to act... The fact of the matter is that they just failed in that responsibility.”
• This week's LA Weekly cover story is all about Playboy's Hugh Hefner.
• PR War: the group that wants to put an art center next to Walt Disney Concert Hall held a press conference this morning. They and Eli Broad, who wants to put a museum there, want the same spot.
• A worker trying to install a drainage ditch in Pacific Palisades died after he became trapped under 11 feet of dirt.
• "Researchers at UCLA have identified a 'cell of origin'' for human prostate cancer, a discovery they said could lead to better treatments and improved ability to predict and diagnose the disease, the university announced today."
• Former adult actress Jennifer Ketcham talks about finding a job that's not porn-related in L.A: "As an adult performer, it's never too hard to find work... due to a ten year absence from the real world work force, and a somewhat questionable work history, I'm finding it quite difficult to land a steady job."
• And... some housekeeping. There are a few ways to stay connected with us. Consider following us on Twitter, Facebook and via your RSS reader.

A man suspected of impersonating a police officer has robbed at least five people in neighborhoods surrounding downtown L.A., the LAPD said today. Pretending to be a plainsclothes cop, the man would approach victims, flash a fake badge and sometimes handcuff them before patting down their body and searching their vehicle. He would remove money and escape in a 2000-2006 gray or dark blue Chevy Suburban with a luggage rack on top.

Known robberies have taken place between mid-June and mid-July, three of them on Bonnie Brae Street. They've taken place between the noon hour and 5:30 p.m. (see the below map for locations and times)

The 40-something man is described as Hispanic, black hair, brown hair and with tattoos of female faces on his arms. He's 200 to 250 pounds and is around 6 feet tall.

View Police Impersonator Robbery Locations in a larger map

Pie-Making Workshop
On Saturday, join KCRW Good Food host and Angeli Caffe owner Evan Kleiman and Master Food Preserver Delilah Snell for a pie-making workshop. The course starts with a mouth-watering tutorial on the perfect pie crust, then a hands-on canning session of summer stone-fruits pie filling. Students will learn the art of home-food preservation and take home their own pie filling. Recipes and samples will be included. $100 per person; Register via email.

Saturday, July 31st, 11-1:30PM @Angeli Caffe

Make Your Own Jam
Sunday is another chance to learn how to turn the ripe fruit of summer into tastes to savor later. As part of their EATLACMA exhibit and ongoing series of events, the museum is hosting a Public Fruit Jam. Attendees can "bring homegrown or street-picked fruit and participate in a collective jam making session. Participants work together without recipes to come up with unique flavors that reflect the collaborative nature of this public performance." At the end of the lesson, you can take home your own jar of jam. Free, space is limited. Tickets will be handed out the day of the event with a limit of 150 per hour from 12 noon to 3 pm. Tickets are on a first-come, first-served basis; no reservations.

Sunday, August 1st, Noon-3PM @LACMA (outside, behind the museum near the amphitheater)

Eat Sweets for a Cause
Now, before you get to the serious work of learning and making and doing, there's the chance to have fun Friday night at a sweet event we've already mentioned: Savor Los Angeles. We've just found out they've listed the event on Goldstar, so you can score tickets for just $21 (reg. $35). Of course, if you can afford the $35--please do! It goes towards a great organization, CoachArt, that makes life sweeter for kids with illnesses through arts and sports programs.

Friday, July 30th, 7-10PM @Miahaus Studios

David Caron of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies has identified the source of the greenish-yellow foamy patches as "blooms of tiny algae belonging to the Tetraselmis genus," according to a statement from the university. "Such algae, which according to Caron have also been spotted off the coast for at least the past two summers, pose no known threat to humans or other animals." And there you have it.

Jeers and shouts broke out in reply from the crowd, many of which were carrying signs or musical instruments. They were protesting a business located at that busy Hancock Park intersection, and neighbor-state Arizona's controversial SB 10170. Ten protesters lay on the hot pavement, chained to each other in a circle formation.

Smith gave the protesters five minutes to clear the intersection otherwise those remaining would be arrested. Two other LAPD officers read the same message in Spanish, then Korean. As the five minutes waned, an organizer asked the protesters if they wanted to speak out before those who did not wish to be arrested left as ordered. One of the chained protesters spoke about her willingness to put her body through the rigors of this protest for what she and many others gathered believed was right.

Cmdr. Smith announced that the LAPD would now begin making arrests, and the teams moved in to begin the lengthy process to safely extract each protester from their chains and to maintain order.

As the first protester, a young woman, was cut from her chains and taken into custody, she slumped forward and dropped to her knees as supporters cheered for her resistance. Officers hoisted her up and carried her to a waiting bus where she would soon be joined by her nine fellow protesters.

We took the opportunity to ask LL Cool J about if he was aware that way back in the day, we're talking 1990, about Sonic Youth's song "Kool Thing" which was inspired by an interview that bassist Kim Gordon did with LL Cool J for Spin magazine. The song is all about her artistic obsession with him despite not mentioning him by name. An intrigued LL Cool J said he didn't know about it but that he would grab it when the next time he boots up iTunes.

We also had a great conversation with Madeline Zima, aka Mia Lewis from Showtime's "Californication". She told us that Mia will be in the season in a couple ways this season, played both by herself and then a movie version of the character will be played by another actress since Mia has sold the movie rights to her book that was a plagiarization of Hank Moody's manuscript. Zima will be appearing in a play in Los Angeles sometime later this year - we're looking forward to getting details on that soon.
---
Tonight: You saw clips of it in the last season of "Mad Men", watch the entire movie tonight: Bye Bye Birdie at 8pm on TCM. Paul Lynde is awesome as usual.

Late night TV is pretty good tonight - we're placing our bet on seeing what looks like a great Letterman with Paul Rudd, the incredible comedian Bill Burr, and then Interpol plays their brand new single.
---
The TV Junkie Plan: Bye Bye Birdie, "Boston Med", "Chelsea Lately" (Ron Livingston), Letterman (Paul Rudd, Bill Burr, Interpol!!), Ferguson (Neil Patrick Harris)

8:00pm Bye Bye Birdie TCM - (1963) An Iowa songwriter (Dick Van Dyke) sees his big chance when rock 'n' roll idol Conrad Birdie comes to Sweet Apple for a show

8:00pm Big Brother CBS - One houseguest is evicted; the head-of-household competition takes place.

9:00pm Rookie Blue ABC - The investigation into a fatal traffic accident leads to the discovery of a darker crime; Andy objects to how Luke handles a young murder wit

9:00pm So You Think You Can Dance Fox - Two contestants are eliminated; Christian TV performs; a performance by dancers from the upcoming movie "Step Up 3D"

10:00pm Boston Med ABC - A newborn's heart defect requires immediate surgery; a trauma surgeon treats an injured man who is bleeding to death

10:00pm Penn & Teller: Bulls...! Showtime - The duo dispel myths about old people

10:00pm Futurama Comedy Central - New episode: The Late Philip J. Fry

10:00pm Jersey Shore MTV - Season Premiere.

10:00pm Royal Pains USA - Hank must treat his junior high nemesis; Evan throws Raj a bachelor party.

11:00pm Chelsea Lately E! - Ron Livingston.

11:00pm Lopez Tonight TBS - Actor Zac Efron.

11:35pm Late Show With David Letterman CBS - Actor Paul Rudd; comic Bill Burr; Interpol performs.

11:35pm The Tonight Show With Jay Leno NBC - Actress Jennifer Aniston; actor Jason Schwartzman; Stone Temple Pilots perform.

12:05am Jimmy Kimmel Live ABC - Actor Matthew Fox; actor Josh Hutcherson; the Swell Season performs.

12:35am The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson CBS - Actor Neil Patrick Harris; Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

12:35am Late Night With Jimmy Fallon NBC - Actor 50 Cent; actress Lucy Punch; Of Montreal performs.

A controversial segment of the Expo Line today was put to rest when a state commission officially approved an at-grade crossing near Dorsey High School. Fierce opposition led to much discussion over the years about the street level crossing at Farmdale Avenue, which would have put trains running through the area at speeds that could have been dangerous for students.

The California Public Utilities Commission's decision (and compromise) allows for the desired at-grade crossing, but with a station that was not originally planned for. "The station will have near-side platforms on both sides of Farmdale Ave," explained a commission news release. "All trains approaching the crossing will stop at the station before entering the crossing, and upon leaving the station all trains will proceed through the crossing at speeds of no more than 15 mph."

Bart Reed of The Transit Coalition was happy with outcome. "I think that all told, even with the concerns of the opposition, the crossing became safer because of the varying parties working to get a safer approach," he said. "This crossing and the solution that came up was actually better to some of the prior decisions or suggestions."

Reed said a proposed pedestrian bridge would have also put students in danger, isolating them in a space ideal for crimes. Additionally, crossing guards will be posted at the crossing during school hours and the new station will be helpful for a pedestrian community that is home to many residents that live car-free.

[Update: But those leading the Fix Expo Rail Campaign were not happy with the idea last month. "It's the exact same proposal that was rejected by the CPUC last year, they just added a station," said the campaign's coordinator, Damien Goodmon in June. Reached by phone today, Goodmon said a statement about today's final decision would be released later. The campaign wanted tracks to either go underground or above the crossing.]

The Expo Line is a light rail train that will eventually go between downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica. The first phase, which might open in 2011, will go between downtown and Culver City. Farmdale is between Crenshaw and La Brea.

Recently on LAist
- Video: Take a Partial Tour of the Expo Line's Route between Culver City & Santa Monica

The city of Bell is the story that keeps on giving. However, that's unfortunate news. Today's development is that residents have been paying the second highest property taxes in Los Angeles County as part-time elected officials and top city staff we're paid some of the highest salaries for the type of job in the country, finds the LA Times and Bloomberg News.

On top the of 1% general property tax levied, property owners also pay other assessments by the local municipality. Countywide, the average is $11.60 -- that's 1.16% -- for every $1,000 of assessed value. In Bell, the rate is 1.55%. The Times notes that's "nearly half again as much as those in such affluent enclaves as Beverly Hills and Palos Verdes Estates and Manhattan Beach, and significantly higher than just about everywhere else in Los Angeles County, according to records provided by the county Auditor-Controller's Office."

With a whole 21 residential parcels, the city of Industry is the only municipality with a higher property tax. Bell is a small 2.5 square-mile town of 39,000 people, who are mostly immigrants. In 2008, the per-capita income was $24,800, with more than 25% of residents living below poverty level.

Bell's high tax rate is thanks to a combination of factors, including bond debt, a 1944 voter-approved "retirement tax" to pay city staff pensions and recent hikes to local taxes and direct assessments for trash collection and other services.

Most city councimembers were being paid $100,000 for their part-time work, the majority of it for various commission and board meetings that rarely occurred, and when they did, lasted only a few minutes. On Monday, they significantly cut their salaries and last week, three highly paid employees agreed to resign. The city manager was paid nearly $800,000 a year.

ART
Rivera & Rivera unveils a new floor-to-ceiling installation piece by graffiti artist RETNA. For one-night-only, guests will be able to view the piece, which 25-foot high wall, carpets the floor and envelops viewers in a black and white web of text. It’s the gallery’s last evening in its present Hope Street location before moving to the heart of the Gallery District in the fall. 8-11 pm tonight. Free with RSVP.

PERFORMANCE*
It’s week two of REDCAT’s NOW Festival. Artists push the boundaries in dance, theater, music and multimedia performance works. On the program tonight: live performance and projections by Christine Marie & Ensemble in Ground to Cloud; dance by Rae Shao-Lan Blum in Systems of Us; and the hip-hop dance theater of Raphael Xavier in Black Canvas.

MUSIC
It's time for a Sunset Concert at the Skirball tonight at 8 pm, featuring the music of Natacha Atlas, who blends North African and Arabic music with western electronic beats, French chansons and UK pop. It's free and no reservations are needed. But seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Parking: $5 per car carrying three or more people, otherwise $10 per car (cash only).

DANCE
The Twilight Dance series takes over the Santa Monica Pier tonight at 7 pm, with a free evening of music and dance. The evening’s performer is Indian pop star Kailash Kher, who’ll be doing a mix of Indian pop/rock/Bollywood tunes. Also on the bill is GlobeSonic DJ Fabian Alsultany.

ROCK’N’ROLL CABARET
Head over to King King for a titillating party with the "Luscious Ladies of Cherry Boom Boom." 9 pm. Tickets: $20-$35.

WORDS
Head over to the Pasadena Museum of California Art as Danzy Senna, reads from her memoir Where Did You Sleep Last Night? A Personal History. In addition to her fiction, Sennais also an essayist on gender, identity and race. The readings is free, and co-sponsored by Vromans Bookstore. Galleries are open from 6-7pm, and tomorrow’s a great time to catch the exhibition, California Design Biennial: Action/Reaction, Desire: Six Los Angeles Artists and Megan Geckler: Every move you make, every step you take.

*Pencil pick of the day

Want more events? Follow me on Twitter.

A bid from SSP America was recently ranked first by LAX staff and management to shakeup the culinary landscape of several of the airport's terminals. Representing 14 of the city's top and most cherished food and beverage enterprises, the potential chefs and restaurateurs of the near-future at LAX gathered at Patina in Downtown to showcase samples of what the food options at LAX could, should, and will be--once the food and beverage contract is given the final go-ahead by City officials.

"We're very excited to be a part of seeing LAX change and become a place where people will be able to experience and know that we're a city that's full of passion and innovation and excited about food," said Border Grill's celebri-chef Susan Feniger, who was on hand with business partner Mary Sue Milliken to share samples of their Yucatan Pork Tacos.

With the power and passion of a great preacher, Rod White of Bertha's Soul Food, a restaurant that has been serving up customers for over 45 years, took an opportunity to point out all of the unsung heroes of the city's food culture, who have been serving their communities for many years, and who now will have a place at LAX. "Perhaps after today, my exquisitely talented chefs, along with African-American cuisine, finally--finally I tell you, after all this time--will be represented at LAX, and will receive a little more much-deserved recognition," said White, finishing with a musical plea that we "give 'em something to talk about."

Outside Patina, a small group of protesters carrying signs calling for "Family Flavor in Food" chanted a cry for affordable food at LAX. Their cries were not ignored inside Patina, as Feniger and several others spoke to the myriad of options the new food plan reflects, including more locally relevant and thoughtfully prepared items at the same price point as the current crop of fast food giants, like Burger King, who are tenants in the terminals.

Pat Murray, Senior VP of SSP America says they have been working on this project for over two years, and that it reflected a perfect answer to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's wish to improve the food choices at the city's airport. Murray calls the shift in the food program at LAX a "cultural expression" of Los Angeles, and a reflection of society's wish to move away from fast food, as well as a result of the restaurant industry responding to the will of the customer, who now wants something different when they want food at the airport.

"[The SSP America Project] makes L.A. a world-class dining experience," says Murray.

The L.A. City Board of Referred Powers is expected to conduct a hearing on the SSP America LAX food project next week. Murray said construction of the new dining venues could begin as soon as January 2011.

Previously
- Dining Choices at LAX Could Soon Reach New Heights

The suspect is described as a 20-year-old stocky Hispanic male, about 5 feet and 8 inches tall, weighing about 200 pounds. The suspect fled wearing black shorts, a blue shirt and a baseball cap turned backward with the word "northern" in lowercase. Councilmember Paul Krekorian secured a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect. Anyone with relevant information is urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department in North Hollywood, (818) 634-4016.

Our Pick: Nite Jewel, Memoryhouse, Baths, Kisses (DJ set) @ Echoplex

Tonight Seattle's most promising talent, folk singer-songwriter Zach Tillman, otherwise known as Pearly Gate Music, or the younger brother of Fleet Foxes drummer J. Tillman, will be warming up the stage at the Echo for Denver's own folk troubadour Nathaniel Rateliff. Brooklyn-based lo-fi indie rockers Beach Fossils are poised to perform for free, in-store at Origami Vinyl early on in the afternoon, and then take on the Troubadour; They'll be opening up for fellow Brooklynites Here We Go Magic. And, lastly, Walking Sleep, the venerable local indie rock outfit formerly known as the Flying Tourbillon Orchestra (LAist Review, #2, #3), will be performing in Pershing Square for free. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Echoplex to catch local electronic chanteuse Nite Jewel, who recently released a new EP entitled Am I Real?, which features collaborations with Cole M.G.N. of the Samps/Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti and Daniel/Andrew of Teen Inc. LAist favorites, Chatsworth's own producer/electronic mastermind Will Wiesenfeld, otherwise known as Baths, and Canadian duo Memoryhouse are slated to perform as well.

Nite Jewel - "Am I Real?"

Baths - "Lovely Bloodflow"

Memoryhouse - "Lately (Deuxième)"

Beach Fossils - "Vacation"

Pearly Gate Music - "Bad Nostalgia"

Walking Sleep - "Let It Go On"

Here We Go Magic, Beach Fossils @ Troubadour
Nite Jewel, Memoryhouse, Baths, Kisses (DJ set) @ Echoplex
Nathaniel Rateliff, Pearly Gate Music, Infantree @ The Echo
Walking Sleep, Spirit Vine @ Pershing Square (FREE! 8 PM)
Susan Hedges, Heavy Young Heathens, Paula Kelley Orchestra, King Washington, Evil Maria, The New Fidelity, Eugene & The 1914 @ Spaceland
Benji Hughes and friends @ Largo at the Coronet
Vanity Theft, The Broken Column @ Silver Lake Lounge
Learning Music, David Dominique Combo, Christian Cummings @ Echo Curio
Adam West the Bat, Cobra Venom, Chop Suzy, The Harold Honey @ Mr. T's Bowl
Silian Rail @ Origami Vinyl (FREE! 7 PM)
Beach Fossils @ Origami Vinyl (FREE! 5 PM)
Aunt Dracula @ Space 15 Twenty (FREE! 7 PM)
Civil Twilight, Garrison Starr, Vanish Valley's record release, Rachael Cantu, Donovan Lyman @ The Hotel Café
Transfer @ The Viper Room
Brother Clyde @ The Roxy
Kailash Kher's Kailasa @ Santa Monica Pier
Level 42 @ Grove of Anaheim
Scorpions @ Citizens Business Bank Arena
Julianne Hough @ Pacific Amphitheatre
Eddi Money @ Fox Performing Arts Center
Aerosmith, Cheap Trick @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

Traffic is being diverted in the area and the LAPD has responded, but it is unclear if any arrests will be made at this point.

Although SB 1070 became law today, a federal judge yesterday blocked controversial portions of it. Despite that, protests continue and the L.A. City Council's boycott of the state remains in effect.

Update, 11:40 a.m: ABC7 camera footage shows a number of people in the intersection surrounding 10 protestors linked together by metal pipes lying in the street. Activists chose this location because of a security company's office that provides services for deportation facilities. Drivers, even those who oppose SB 1070, are angry at traffic being shut down. "They're pissing us off," driver Joey Farewell told ABC7, "I'm mad and I support them, I don't get it."

Update, 11:48 a.m: An unlawful assembly has been declared by the LAPD. Police are reportedly in riot gear.

Update, 1:20 p.m:: An official dispersal notice to the crowd was made in English, Spanish and Korean. Anyone on the street after five minutes will be arrested. The 10 people chained together using the sleeping dragon technique will be arrested after firefighters safely saw their chains.

Lindsay William-Ross contributed to this report.

Integrating art into the everyday landscape, while honoring the city's history and giving visitors and residents intriguing--and sometimes interactive--pieces to enjoy is something Culver City takes to heart. To that end, they have designed a free, fun, and accessible way to explore the area and find all the pieces of public art.

A downloadable and printable map breaks down the general Downtown area into three walking tours and uses a numbered guide to point out where you'll find different pieces of art. If you've passed through Culver City you may have passed many of these by. What was almost surprising was how enjoyable it was to take a closer look at the environment, and to "discover" the various artistic treasures stashed here and there.

Joshua Callaghan's "Almost Invisible Boxes" were a delight to stumble upon. Utility boxes have been wrapped with vinyl prints showing the same scene in which you're standing, making you take pause to think about the quirky juxtaposition between image and reality.

Equally as fun are the zoetropes by Wick Alexander and Robin Brailsford, which blend into the urban landscape--so much so that as I leaned into each one to spin the top to see the figures inside take motion, I noticed that people around me were surprised to see someone interact with what looks like a simple statuary or a more utilitarian part of the environment.

Other fun discoveries include the peaceful City Hall plaza, where you'll find Barbara McCarren's "Quotation Courtyard," among many more pieces of art, searching the rooftops for "Plato's Cup" b Jim Heimann, and watching people play in Douglas Olmsted Freeman's "The Lion's Fountain." The guide tells you what to look out for, and what each piece means, and really urges you to examine the art and take a closer look at what you may not have otherwise given a passing thought.

Besides the public art tours, which break into two shorter and close-by segments, and a third longer, more farther flung option, there are interesting buildings, like the historic Culver Hotel, tons of great restaurants (many with lovely patio seating), and a lot of history to absorb. Print out the map, head to Culver City, and have fun!

Like the Field Polls released earlier this month, the environmental polls released today by the Pubic Policy Institute of California (PPIC), also show that races for top ticket seats on the November Ballot are close.

In the gubernatorial race, Democrat and Attorney General Jerry Brown leads Republican and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman by three points (37% to her 34%). "Of those saying that a candidate’s environmental positions are very important in determining their vote, 50 percent would vote for Brown and 16 percent would vote for Whitman," noted the poll. "Among those who say a candidate’s environmental positions are somewhat important, Whitman is favored (42% to 33%)."

In a much more random poll, per LAObserved, iPhone users are more likely to vote for Brown while Blackberry users lean more towards Whitman.

Back to the PPIC poll, the Senate race is also close, which 39% supporting Democrat incumbent Barbara Boxer and 34% supporting former Hewlett-Packard CEO and Republican Carly Fiorina. "Those who view candidates’ positions on the environment as very important are three times as likely to support Boxer (54%) as Fiorina (18%). Among those who say candidates’ views on the environment are somewhat important, support is evenly divided (37% to 37%)," said the poll.

Also, President Barack Obama's approval rating in California (56%) has dropped 9 points since last Summer and 16 points since May 2009, when it was at its highest (72%). His environmental approval rating is 49%. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's overall approval rating sits at 25% and the state legislature at a whole 15%.

“The Police Commission is hopeful that the towing company complaint hotline, in conjunction with our ongoing efforts to aggressively address towing complaints though “sting” operations and other methods, will send the clear message that we are committed to using all resources available to deter unscrupulous towing operations from engaging in illegal activity,” said Lt. Phil Hearn the Commanding Officer of the Commission Investigation Division.

While the hotline is mostly dedicated to receive reports about unlicensed bandit tow operators, complaints about any tow company will be taken, as they must also go though the licensing process with the city.

Bandit tow operators are known for illegally towing cars, either monitoring police and fire radio broadcasts for collisions and towing cars from parking lots, ignoring the fact that the driver is patronizing the business. One of the most common complaints the police receive are about tow operators who take cars parked illegally on commercial or industrial private property for only 5 to 10 minutes. By law, they must wait one hour before having the vehicle removed.

Complaints can be made to (323) 680-4-TOW (4869). The individual will be asked to state their name, phone number, name of the towing company and nature of the complaint. An investigator from Commission Investigation Division, the arm of the Police Commission that regulates permits throughout Los Angeles, will be assigned to look into the complaint.

Three months after the Gulf oil spill, a survey finds a large increase in opposition against offshore drilling, finds the latest poll (.pdf) from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), which features a variety of environmental issues. Last year, a poll found that 43% opposed, 51% were in favor of it. Now 59% oppose and 36% are in favor.

But support for California's landmark climate bill from 2006 has seen much of a change in support, which is at 67%, one point up from last year. That bill is the focus of oil-company funded Prop 23, which aims to weaken it on the November ballot. If approved, the bill would be suspended until unemployment hits 5.5% or lower for at least a year. A general poll question about the prop found that a slim majority (53%) might oppose it.

Regarding other environmental issues, Californians are split on building new nuclear plants (49% oppose, 44% favor), but overwhelmingly are in favor of increased federal funding to develop wind, solar, and hydrogen technology (83%), and requiring automakers to significantly improve the fuel efficiency of cars sold in this country (83%).

Since the city's local newspaper stopped publishing names last December -- for editorial reasons, they say -- police have proposed listing them on the city's website, plus the location of their last drink. "We have a murder once every couple of years in Huntington Beach, but we have a dozen or so people killed in alcohol-related crashes every year," a police official said. The information is a public record.

San Diego Padres defeat LA Dodgers 6-1. On this day, the Dodger pitching couldn’t mask the somnambulant offense. Coming into this game the Dodgers starters had a 0.21 ERA in their last six starts giving up only one earned run in 43 innings. Well that streak had to end at some point with starter Hiroki Kuroda (L, 8-9) giving up three runs, the first runs since Vicente Padilla gave up a homer to Ike Davis of the New York Mets on Friday night. His inexplicable inability to throw a strike in the sixth inning led to his downfall when he gave up two runs to give the Padres the 2-1 lead. After a leadoff to Scott Hairston in the seventh inning, Kuroda was lifted. Hairston eventually scored on his brother Jerry’s double off of Jeff Weaver to give the Padres the 3-1 lead and tagging Kuroda with three earned runs. Jerry Hairston would score Chris Denorfia’s single off of Weaver for the 4-1 lead.

Travis Schlichting gave up two more runs in the eighth inning. Padres starter Clayton Richard (W, 8-5) and the Padres bullpen frustrated the Dodgers hitters after Jamey Carroll hit an RBI single in the third inning retiring the last 19 batters. On a positive note for the Dodgers, beleaguered reliever George Sherrill got two outs on the two batters he faced in the seventh inning sandwiched between Kuroda and Weaver. This is the second game appearance where he did not yield a walk or a hit.

Boston Red Sox defeat LA Angels 7-3. Ten minutes before the game, scheduled Angels starter Joel Pineiro was pulled with a left oblique strain that will keep him out for six to eight weeks. Reliever Scot Shields was pressed to make his 15th start of his career and first start since 2003. While he lasted only 1 2/3 innings, the Angels bullpen had actually kept the team in the game with a 3-3 tie into the eighth inning. Then Fernando Rodney (L, 4-1) thanks to two walks and a bunt single to load the bases eliminated all of that with one pitch to Marco Scutaro that landed in the left field seats for the grand slam and the Red Sox 7-3 lead. Red Sox starter Josh Beckett (W, 2-1) and the return of his fastball kept the Angels to only three runs for his first win since April 10 in Kansas City.

NOTABLE NOTES

PODSEDNIK A DODGER. The Dodgers traded for outfielder Scott Podsednik from the Kansas City Royals for catching prospect Lucas May and pitcher Elisaul Pimentel. The 34-year old Podsednik after a .304 batting average with 30 steals in 2009 is putting up a carbon-copy season this year with a .309 batting average and 29 steals. He has about $580,000 remaining of a $1.65 million salary this season and has a team option for 2011 for $2 million that can be voided if he gets 525 plate appearances - he’s at 421 entering today.

The 25-year old May was hitting .296 at AAA Albuquerque and the 21-year old Pimentel was 9-3 with a 3.49 ERA for Class-A Great Lakes.

Colletti has yet to bring in a pitcher a main point of concern, however as of today the Dodgers and the Phillies are the only teams left in the Roy Oswalt sweepstakes with the Houston Astros although the Phillies appear to be the leaders in the clubhouse right now. However the Dodgers are continuing to talk to the Chicago Cubs about starter Ted Lilly and the Pittsburgh Pirates about Paul Maholm. As for bullpen pitchers the Dodgers are interested in the Toronto Blue Jays’ Scott Downs, however a cheaper alternative and an old friend seems to have emerged: Joe Beimel of the Colorado Rockies.

Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott at the podium adorned with the new Pac-10 logo at a news conference in New York on Tuesday. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

According to Steve Berkowitz of USA Today during the 2009 fiscal year the Pac-10 generated $96.8 million in total revenue a far cry from the Big Ten’s $222 million - $72.1 million from the Big Ten Network alone. Against the other five BCS conference, the Pac-10 came dead last in revenue. So this aggressive step is a step that has been a long time coming.

As for the name change, the Big 12 and Big Ten will not be changing names. The Big 12 will soon have ten teams and the Big Ten will soon have 12. Go figure.

THE BUTLER DID IT. Forward Rasual Butler has re-signed with the Clippers. Despite not being able to find consistency last season, he did average 11.9 points. On April 4 against the New York Knicks he broke the Clipper franchise record for three-pointers made in a season making his 140th of the season. He wound up with 145 threes made out of 432 attempted, also a Clippers record. No word yet on the terms of the deal.

WRIGHT FOUND DEAD. The body of the missing former NBA forward Lorenzen Wright was found in a wooded area about 15 miles south of Downtown Memphis. The 34-year old Wright was last seen on July 18 and was expected to fly out of town. A missing person’s report was filed on July 22. Drafted by the Clippers in 1996, he played with them for three seasons averaging 7.6 points per game and 10.3 during the Clippers playoff run in 1997. He went on to play for the Atlanta Hawks (1999-2001, 2006-2008), hometown Memphis Grizzlies (2001-2006), Sacramento Kings (2008) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2008-2009) averaging eight points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

MLS STILL CLASS-A. After the Major League Soccer All Stars got spanked by Manchester United of the English Premier League 5-2 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, MLS has proven they are still nothing more than a minor league organization compared to the other soccer leagues of the world. And to help keep US soccer in its stagnant place, MLS commissioner Don Garber refuses to entertain offers sending Landon Donovan to Europe.

The ratings of the recent World Cup in South Africa has proven that Americans are willing to get into soccer low scores, offsides and all. And with games available on cable and satellite from the top soccer leagues in the world, Americans can watch great soccer on a weekly basis. However the problem with MLS is the often sloppy play that is the equivalent of watching the Inland Empire 66ers play Class-A baseball. Americans know who the great stars are and by deliberately keeping the best stars in America Garber and the MLS are intentionally sabotaging any credibility the Americans get in international play.

It is admirable that the MLS aspires to be a soccer league on par with EPL, Serie A, La Liga and Bundesliga. But right now they need to face the reality what they are: just a minor league operation trying to graduate from the kiddie table.

IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD. A fan wearing a Miami Heat jersey of LeBron James to the Cleveland Indians game against the New York Yankees at Progressive Field in Cleveland had to be escorted out of the ballpark by security. With the Indians trailing the Yankees 8-0 in the sixth inning, the Indians’ fans in the left field bleachers decided to direct their ire at him. As he was being escorted, he goaded the jeers from the crowd as he stuck out his jersey with a smirk on his face.

TONIGHT’S ACTION

LA Dodgers (54-47) at San Diego Padres (59-40). Vicente Padilla (4-3, 3.41 ERA) vs. Mat Latos (11-4, 2.48 ERA). 3:35 pm KCAL9, AM 790 KABC.

• LA County's Board of Supervisors may ask for an independent audit of the Department of Children and Family Services after an 11-year-old boy committed suicide following a social worker's visit.
• Authorities in Burbank are investigating a fire that tore through a warehouse full of scented oils last night.
• Campus police at UC San Diego are looking into an incident involving a noose left in a stairwell in a performance arts building.
• Mickey Ross, an Emmy Award-winning television writer who died last year, left $10M and half his residuals to the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles.
• Another woman has come forward and alleged she was raped by exiled director Roman Polanski in 1974.
• Yikes! Rabid bats have been found living in Orange County.
• Any guesses as to what the top crop in Ventura County is?

For the past few weeks, Metro has been "unscientifically gauging" the public on where a few key stations should be located for the Westside Subway. The latest poll focuses on a Westwood Station, which will likely be the busiest station in the system with some 14,300 boardings a day.

As discussed last month on LAist, there are a few options within Westwood to place a station, but some come with challenges. Metro further examines the issues on its blog, citing potential new development and examining how far a station would be from UCLA campus.

"Depending on where the stations are actually located, it’s about a three-quarter mile walk to Ackerman Plaza on the UCLA campus and about a mile to Royce Hall and other buildings on the northern part of campus," wrote Steve Hymon. "For the sake of comparison, the BART station in Berkeley is not located on the campus of UC Berkeley. It’s about an .8-mile walk to Sproul Plaza on that campus and just a bit more to the Campanile. It’s an uphill walk, similar to the walk from Wilshire to UCLA’s campus."

And if a station is built at Wilshire and Westwood, the pedestrian activity it creates could spur a second coming for the sleepy Westwood Village, which was once the hippest place in town.

After the opening week of performances at REDCAT’s 7th annual New Original Works Festival, I get the picture more clearly. Articulately described by curators as “a vibrant performance laboratory,” I now see that as a “heads up.” Be prepared for just what that means. Though the artists selected from the throng of applicants come with good credentials and great ideas—on paper—not everything always works on the stage. In the tradition of true artistic progress, however, the performers, composers, writers, multi-media-ists and dancers/choreographers are diving into new waters. It’s the way all things move forward, push the envelope and aspire for bigger, newer and better. And, I think it’s part of the REDCAT mission.

This week’s show, which opens for three nights on Thursday, sounds dancerly daring and visually provocative! Starting off with Christine Marie & Ensemble’s optical feast Ground to Cloud, the program moves to a collaboration from choreographer Rae Shao-Lan Blum and composer Tashi Wada entitled Systems of Us and on to hip hop dance theater with Raphael Xavier’s Black Canvas.

Christine Marie and her collaborators investigate the history of electric light using live actors, an innovative sound score and large-scale imagery created by simple handheld lights and props. Self-described as “an incandescent work of expressionist theater,” Marie and her colleagues blend projected shadows, religious folklore and magical trickery to create what the LA Times calls “a literal ocean of surprise.” Click here for a preview.

Follow that with Blum/Wada’s interdependent movement and musical scores for three dancers and five musicians. Systems of Us presents a structure of “spontaneous elegance” as the performers delve into the complexities of what their promotional materials call “intimacy interrupted.” Choreographer and composer “weave repetition, disruption and transformation into a vigorous exploration of the nuanced negotiations that keep relationships alive.” Click here for the teaser.

Oh, and there’s more.

Master break dancer Raphael Xavier propels a narrative into conventional breaking as he continues to lead the vanguard of hip-hop dance theater in Black Canvas. Previously a member of Rennie Harris Puremovement and now a co-founder of olive Dance Theatre, his new work draws parallels between the performer's body and the stage itself. Click here for a preview.

Let’s see how this all turns out and back those artists as they open the gates!

Richardson was arrested last year September after she could not pay her $89 bill at Geoffrey's Malibu. Officers found a small amount of marijuana in her car, impounded it and booked her at the Lost Hills station in Agoura Hills. Hours later at approximately 1:25 a.m. she was released, walking out with no car and no cell phone. Other than a few apparent sightings in the Santa Monica Mountains that morning, she was never heard from again.

Richardson's parents contended something was wrong with her and that sheriff's deputies shouldn't have let her go on her own, citing the bizarre appearance in her booking photo and the way reportedly spoke at the restaurant. Staff from the restaurant said "said she was from Mars and started speaking in a made-up language," reported the Times last year. "She did tell my valet at one point that she was here to avenge Michael Jackson's death."

The Sheriff's Department said she acted normally while in custody and that there were no signs of mental trouble. But at the request of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, the investigation into her missing status continued, which included some massive searches in the mountain range. Her parents have filed lawsuits that claim the department was negligent.

There's no guarantee that Richardson is in Las Vegas, but a press conference will be held tomorrow with local police. "Please let us know you're OK," Whitmore said. "You're not in trouble. You've done nothing wrong. You are not the subject of a criminal investigation. You will not be arrested."

"It was bananas," exclaimed Juliet Mothershed who snapped these photos while going for a run this morning. She seemed perplexed, even with the free sandwich deal in play. "It's just chicken and pickles!"

The Chick-fil-A opens tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. It can be found on Magic Mountain.

When you start writing for LAist, you sign a pact in soy chorizo to promote the sacred order of the food truck whenever possible. But so many theaters prohibit bringing in outside food! What to do? If you're the Outdoor Cinema Food Fest, you bring the film outside to the food! LAist's own Farley Elliot posted an overview of the fest a few weeks back, and here's this week's delectable details: in celebration of International Dance Day, Moulin Rouge! screens downtown at Grand Hope Park, accompanied by local piano-rock quartet The Quiet, free coffee from Don Francisco's and The Buttermilk Truck, Calbi BBQ, Lake Street Creamery and Uncle Lau's BBQ! Follow Outdoor Cinema Food Fest on Twitter for late breaking updates!

Pay tribute to the man who saved the Hollywood sign AND your dad's lonely weekend nights, when Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel screens at the Nuart all week. The doc's director and sensational subject will appear at the 7:15 showing on Saturday. Should you require a classy dame to go with the gent, the Egyptian hosts Kim Novak on Friday as part of their "Platinum Career" tribute series with brand-spankin'-new restorations of Bell Book & Candle, Pal Joey, Picnic, Middle of the Night, and a gorgeous 70MM print of Vertigo. Ms. Novak's cinematic costars for the weekend include Jimmy Stewart, Jack Lemmon and Ol' Blue Eyes. Or indulge in the classic that never was, when Laemmle's Sunset plays the unfinished psychedelic thriller Henri-Georges Clouzot's "Inferno".

Full list appears below. Note the asterisks before each title - hopefully this makes the listing easier to read on mobile phones. If so (or if not) let me know. See you at the movies!

Photo courtesy of Flicker Alley, LLC

All Week
* After the Last Round (2009) (Laemmle's Fallbrook 7)
* Around a Small Mountain (2009) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex) (Laemmle's Playhouse 7)
* Chen Chieh-jen: Empire's Borders II - Western Enterprises, Inc. (2010) (Free Event) (REDCAT - Roy & Edna Disney/Calarts Theater)
* The Concert (2009) (The Landmark)
* Countdown to Zero (2010) (The Landmark)
* Cyrus (2010) (Laemmle's Town Center 5)
* Dinner for Schmucks (2010) (The Landmark) (Laemmle's Claremont 5) (Laemmle's Fallbrook 7)
* The Dry Land (2010) (Laemmle's Fallbrook 7) (Laemmle's Playhouse 7) (Laemmle's Sunset 5)
* Get Low (2009) (The Landmark)
* The Girl Who Played With Fire (2009) (Laemmle's Claremont 5)
* Henri-Georges Clouzot's "Inferno" (2009) (Laemmle's Sunset 5)
* Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel (2010) (Nuart Theatre)
* I Am Love (2009) (Laemmle's Fallbrook 7) (Laemmle's Music Hall 3)
* ITV Fest (Laemmle's Sunset 5)
* Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010) (Laemmle's Music Hall 3)
* The Kids Are Alright (2010) (Art Theatre of Long Beach)
* Life During Wartime (2009) (Laemmle's Claremont 5) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex) (Laemmle's Playhouse 7) (Laemmle's Sunset 5) (Laemmle's Town Center 5)
* New Original Works Festival (REDCAT - Roy & Edna Disney/Calarts Theater)
* Spoken Word (2009) (Laemmle's Playhouse 7) (Laemmle's Sunset 5)
* Winter's Bone (2010) (Laemmle's Claremont 5)
* Wretches & Jabberers (2010) (Laemmle's Fallbrook 7)

Thursday 7/29
* Cooley High (1975) / The Last Dragon (1985) (w/ director Michael Schultz) (Egyptian Theatre)
* Dark and Stormy Night (2009) / The Lost Skeleton Returns Again (2009) (w/ cast, crew, & DVD giveaways) (New Beverly Cinema)
* Despicable Me (2010) (Arclight Pasadena) (21+ screening)
* Houston We Have a Problem (2009) (w/ filmmakers at 7pm show) (Downtown Independent)
* Inception (2010) (Arclight Sherman Oaks) (21+ screening)
* The Kids Are Alright (2010) (Arclight Hollywood) (21+ screening)
* The Player (1992) (LACMA)
* Salt (2010) (Arclight Pasadena) (Arclight Sherman Oaks) (21+ screening)
* Stones in Exile (2010) / Gimme Shelter (1970) (w/ director Stephen Kijak, producer Ron Schneider, & Mods & Rockers Festival producer Martin Lewis) (Aero Theatre) (Wild Things: A Celebration of Rock Documentaries & Mods & Rockers 2010)
* Target Video presents: SoCal Punk Rockers (Cinefamily @ Silent Movie Theatre) (Don't Knock the Rock 2010)

Friday 7/30
* Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) (Nuart Theatre) (Cine-Insomnia Midnight Movie)
* Background to Danger (1943) / Between Two Worlds (1944) (UCLA Film & Television Archive @ Hammer Museum) (Rarities from the Warner Archive Collection)
* Bell Book & Candle (1958) / Pal Joey (1957) (w/ Kim Novak & Stephen Rebello) (Egyptian Theatre) (Platinum Career: A Tribute to Kim Novak)
* The Big Lebowski (1998) (Regency Westwood Village Theater) (Insomniac Cinema Midnight Movie)
* The Big Show (1936) (Old Town Music Hall)
* Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) (midnight show) (Art Theatre of Long Beach)
* The Ghost Writer (2010) / Knife in the Water (1962) (New Beverly Cinema)
* The Harvey Girls (1946) (Autry National Center) (The Imagined West Film Series)
* Hip Hop Kung Fu: The Movie (2008) (free event w/ live performances) (Downtown Independent)
* Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel (2010) (w/ Hugh Hefner & filmmaker Brigitte Berman) (Nuart Theatre)
* The Marriage Circle (1924) / So This is Paris (1926) (LACMA) (The American Cinema of Ernst Lubitsch)
* Monterey Pop (1968) / Wattstax (1973) (Aero Theatre) (Wild Things: A Celebration of Rock Documentaries & Mods & Rockers 2010)
* Out of the Blue (1980) / White Star (1983) (w/ actress Linda Manz) (Cinefamily @ Silent Movie Theatre) (Dennis Hopper: Wasn't Born to Follow co-presented by MOCA and Cinespia)

Saturday 7/31
* Airplane! (1980) (Hollywood Forever Cemetery) (Cinespia Screenings) (Summer Series)
* The Big Show (1936) (Old Town Music Hall)
* The Dark Crystal (1982) (Regency Academy) (Insomniac Cinema Midnight Movie)
* Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) (midnight show) (Art Theatre of Long Beach)
* Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex)
* The Ghost Writer (2010) / Knife in the Water (1962) (New Beverly Cinema)
* Heaven Can Wait (1943) / Cluny Brown (1946) (LACMA) (The American Cinema of Ernst Lubitsch)
* Kisses (2008) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex)
* The Last Movie (1971) (Dennis Hopper: Wasn't Born to Follow co-presented by MOCA and Cinespia)
* Modern Girls (1986) (New Beverly Cinema) (New Beverly Midnights)
* Moulin Rouge! (2001) (Grand Hope Park) (Outdoor Cinema Food Fest)
* Picnic (1955) / Middle of the Night (1959) (Egyptian Theatre) (Platinum Career: A Tribute to Kim Novak)
* Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) (Sins O' The Flesh Midnight Show) (Nuart Theatre)
* Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) (Midnight Insanity Midnight Show) (South Coast Village Regency Theaters)
* South of the Border (2009) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Claremont 5)
* Star Trek: Generations (1994) (Laemmle's Royal Theatre)
* The Unsuspected (1947) / I Was a Communist for the FBI (1951) (UCLA Film & Television Archive @ Hammer Museum) (Rarities from the Warner Archive Collection)
* Winnebago Man (2009) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex)
* Woodstock (1970) (Aero Theatre) (Wild Things: A Celebration of Rock Documentaries & Mods & Rockers 2010)

Sunday 8/1
* 442: Live With Honor - Die With Dignity (2010) (Warner Grand Theatre)
* The Big Show (1936) (Old Town Music Hall)
* Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex)
* Fellini Satyricon (1969) / Fellini's Roma (1972) (New Beverly Cinema)
* Kisses (2008) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex
* Heavy Metal (1981) / American Pop (1981) (Aero Theatre)
* Look for the Silver Lining (1919) / Three Sailors and a Girl (1953) (UCLA Film & Television Archive @ Hammer Museum) (Rarities from the Warner Archive Collection)
* Retro Format: Midsummer Night Silent Comedy (Egyptian Theatre)
* South of the Border (2009) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Claremont 5)
* Vertigo (1958) (70MM) (Egyptian Theatre) (Platinum Career: A Tribute to Kim Novak)
* Views of Labor: A Bientot Jíespere (1968) (Egyptian Theatre) (Los Angeles Filmforum)
* Winnebago Man (2009) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex)

That's all for this week. Let's skip to the movie. Dinner's for schmucks.

Compiled, as always, by the amazing and diligent Edward Yerke-Robins (and family!)

We experienced the most incredible moments of surrealism at yesterday's "Parenthood" set visit at Universal. First off, the sets are pretty amazing and really do a more than adequate representation of Marin County architecture and setting; they're filled with plenty of real world items from the Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, and Restoration Hardware catalogs that we throw away every week, and by "filled", we mean that all the drawers and cabinets are really filled with utensils, clothing, tools, toys, etc. so the realism is more than palpable. It was weird enough to walk into the world we've seen on TV and even weirder to have been greeted by Peter Krause and Monica Potter upon walking into it. They joked that they felt like they should have had some Halloween candy to hand out to the journalists as they walked through the set and introduced their favorite rooms or set pieces. They were upstaged on the 2nd set we visited as Craig T. Nelson and Bonnie Bedelia _did_ have fresh-baked cookies and lemonade in their impressive arrts & crafts remake.

In the panel discussion that the cast and producers had after the set tour, what became most apparent about "Parenthood" is that NBC is behind the show. The producers and several of the actors stated that they really didn't hit their stride until the 6th episode, and this was after a pilot that they thought was a little wobbly. Compare that to CBS and their treatment of "The Bridge" (and probably "Flashpoint") in that they had no problem killing the series after 3 episodes, giving the show virtually no time to find its legs, because "it wasn't giving us the numbers", not that NBC hasn't been guilty of similar behavior. Why was "Parenthood" spared? The Ron Howard connection? Whatever the mystery it's nice to see what could be a superb show catching a break and being given time to find itself.
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The TV Junkie Plan: "The Fabulous Beekman Boys", "Man Shops Globe", "Tosh.0", "Chelsea Lately", Letterman (Michael Keaton, The Flaming Lips), Ferguson (Carrie Fisher, Ron Livingston)

8:00pm Big Brother CBS - The veto competition takes place.

8:00pm So You Think You Can Dance Fox - The top six contestants perform three routines each.

9:00pm America's Got Talent NBC - Four more acts make it into the top 24; Mike Posner performs; JabbaWockeeZ perform.

9:00pm Plain Jane The CW - A shy and messy woman hopes to shed her plaid flannels and seduce a longtime crush who sees her only as a friend

9:00pm Top Chef Bravo - Chefs must prepare a power lunch at Palm restaurant.

9:00pm The Fabulous Beekman Boys Planet Green - John leaves Brent and Josh in charge of the herd of pregnant goats.

9:00pm Network TCM - (1976) A TV executive (Faye Dunaway) boosts her ratings with a mad anchorman (Peter Finch) who thinks he speaks for God.

10:00pm Psych USA - Not Even Close... Encounters

10:00pm Man Shops Globe Sundance - Keith hunts for modern ceramics in Sweden.

10:30pm Tosh.0 Comedy Central - Daniel gives the "Worst Comedian Ever" a web redemption and responds to some of your tweets

11:00pm Chelsea Lately E! - Chicken Charlie from the Orange County Fair.

11:35pm Late Show With David Letterman CBS - Actor Michael Keaton; The Flaming Lips perform

11:35pm The Tonight Show With Jay Leno NBC - Actress Eva Mendes; actor Isaiah Mustafa; Robert Cray performs.

12:05am Jimmy Kimmel Live ABC - Actor Zac Efron; author Lisa Ling; Rhymefest performs.

12:35am The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson CBS - Actress Carrie Fisher; actor Ron Livingston.

12:35am Late Night With Jimmy Fallon NBC - Actor Luke Wilson; comic Tommy Davidson; Dierks Bentley performs.

Simon Helberg from "The Big Bang Theory":

For food they've got sausages, Korean tacos (apropos for any nouveau Korean restaurant), beer-can chicken, Pabst onion rings, sliders (one comes with peanut butter, and no we didn't get it), chicken wings, and the standard Korean pub fare.

The food is reasonably priced at 5-20 dollars (the most expensive dishes are for sharing, like the beer-can chicken which is carved tableside, which doesn't mean much but our server was shocked that we didn't take pictures, so people must dig it).

However, if you go during happy hour, you have the option of adding one penny per person (as long as you order one dish per person) to your bill for a pitcher of PBR.

We'd advise you to go with the PBR first, and then work your way through some of the 25 brews they have on tap. The list includes some excellent German and Belgian beers at 6-8 dollars (even for the 16oz) drinks. Oddly enough, you can get Sapporo here (they use it for the chicken) but not Hite or OB, but with their list, you probably won't care. You can also finish the night off with beer floats, for 7 dollars. There's plenty of street parking and apparently all food during happy hour is 50% off, although we were too drunk to pay attention to our bill to confirm. They are open 7 days a week from 5 PM to Midnight, and their happy hour runs M-F from 5 PM to 8 PM. [Facebook]

On its own, West Hollywood is a small city of around 35,000 people living within 1.9 square miles. But look at it with broader eyes and the island city surrounded by Los Angeles and Beverly Hills is nothing but small. It's played a major role in rock and roll history on the Sunset Strip, is a center of gay culture and is a hot spot for celebrity life. And beyond that surface, it's a city founded upon principals that takes a progressive stance on issues and on how to produce a high quality of life.

Like every city, it's not without bureaucratic problems, scandal and controversy, or the need for its residents to be informed. For nearly five years, Weho News has been the single source for information about the city, but this year saw growth in the local media market with the addition of two more outlets: Weho Daily, which entered the scene earlier this year, and West Hollywood Patch, an AOL-owned hyperlocal news website that launched today.

Additionally, Weho News tomorrow will formally announce its partnership with Southern California's largest gay publication, Frontiers Magazine. "It's a match made in heaven," said Editor in Chief Ryan Gierach, who finds relief in the new partnership where the Frontiers publishers have the controlling interest. "I can take a deep breath and focus totally on editorial while they take over the administration and promotion and the the other publisher stuff."

Gierach started WeHo News five years ago this September. He originally started working for a short-lived throwaway bi-weekly called the West Hollywood Tribune. Although publishers Grigory Adlivankan and Agassi Topchaian guaranteed him six months of work, the paper only lasted 13 weeks, folding in April of 2005. But it was too late for Gierach, he was already hooked. "They left me with the biggest scoop," he said explaining that he never had a chance to publish his story about one of the biggest pot club raids at the time. So he threw up his story about the Yellow House, a story he's followed throughout the years, on a blog.

"Suddenly I'm getting a thousand hits a week and realizing there was a real need for news," he said. Several months later, WeHo News was launched online. Today it publishes in depth longer-format stories about the city twice a week.

The two other publications in West Hollywood should nicely complement Gierach's coverage. Darin Weeks at Weho Daily provides fast-paced real-time updates and city briefs and West Hollywood Patch intends to also cover the city daily.

"The Patch approach is to come in and cover it from the ground up, to talk to people in the community, to enlist people in the community... it's highly interactive," explained Sara Catania, the regional editor for Patch, which this year has sprouted a number of local community news websites, complete with full time editors, in the South Bay, Beverly Hills, Calabasas and other neighborhoods.

"Our whole goal is to make West Hollywood Patch a source for information and a place where people can come and be a part of the conversation about the community," she said, noting it was not just about news, but services, shopping and eating, and all in one place.

Gierach who authored a book on the history West Hollywood, also based his goals around community conversation, but with a twist: "to make [WeHo News] the public square for safe civic dialogue," as opposed to the snarky vibe many websites brand themselves with. He says West Hollywood was the "first self conscious creation of a municipal emotional safe space," focusing on renters and gay rights. "There was an explicit promise -- to protect peoples' homes and to protect them from discrimination inherent -- in cityhood. I still can't find another city that was created" to do that.

So based on that and the LA Shanti model of emotional support for HIV patients, which is having a compassionate non judgemental presence, thus creating a safe space for people to say the things, Gierach created a dialogue in West Hollywood followed by locals and city hall for years.

Also creating dialogue, but of a different sort, is Darin Weeks at Weho Daily. Armed with a number of police scanners and a background in web development, Weeks this year entered the local online news scene without any apologies. If there's a fire, police action or a celebrity with paparazzi in tow causing traffic, Weeks is on top of it and letting people know on Twitter. There has been some public back and forth squabbling between him and Gierach, but the two serve completely opposite needs in reporting. Still, Weeks style of reporting has raised eyebrows with city officials. Sheriff's deputies met with him to go over concerns such as officer safety and unintentionally aiding criminals, which could make him an accessory to a crime.

"I know the people there, I care about the people there," said Weeks, who used to volunteer at the Sheriff's Department. "The last thing I want to do is put them at risk or the public at risk. I want to see the bad guys get caught. It's one of my primary missions to increase public safety. And yes, it's been addressed with the sheriffs, I take steps to be careful about what's being twittered."

"No large organization, including the city of West Hollywood, likes to have someone monitoring them so closely, so I can understand them not being so happy about it," he added, "but my experience is that people are feeling much safer knowing what's going on. The fear of the unknown is actually worse than knowing most of the time."

Weeks originally started Weho Daily with the intention of making it an aggregator. "There is a tremendous amount of information out there being reported about West Hollywood, we're kind of the center of action in L.A. in a lot of ways," he explained, saying he wanted to find a way of pulling all the coverage from the New York Times, TMZ, local blogs and newspapers, etc. into one spot and link back to them.

At the same time, he was volunteering at the Sheriff's Department and was trying to to better understand the police scanner. Soon he noticed a pattern of pedestrians being hit by cars, which would get a lot of attention on Twitter and something that deeply concerned him personally. And from there it naturally evolved into what it is today -- real-time police monitoring with Twitter and selected stories expanded upon on the website.

"I'm still trying to figure out what my voice is and what my positioning is," he said. "I'm trying hard not to be necessarily a media source... it's kind of a place that brings the information together and it just so happens that we sometimes break the news."

Like Weho Daily, Patch plans on doing its fair share of aggregating, too. "We're really excited about coming into West Hollywood, we have a great deal of respect and admiration for the media outlets already there," explained Catania, who said the West Hollywood Editor Nancy Rodriguez will be letting readers know about stories on other sites. "We know patch doesn't exist in a vacuum."

Nor does West Hollywood exist in a vacuum. Small in size and population, it's big in many other ways and the local media is giving the city its due.

The industrious food-lovers of Serious Eats are at it again, and this time they've broken down and reconstructed a SoCal classic: The In-n-Out Double Double Animal Style burger.

Using a serious of mathematical formulas, a care package shipped overnight from California, and some kitchen intuition, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt of the site's "A Hamburger Today." completely breaks down everything on the burger from spread to beef and what it means to "grill the mustard" on the patty.

The results: A labor of love for those who can't pull up to the window of their nearest In-n-Out and order up. For those of you who are willing to forsake the drive-through for some kitchen wizardry, the full recipe is here. Use the longer article to get more details about each of the steps.

Molly Ringwald presents and signs Getting the Pretty Back @Vroman's
Says Vroman's of tonight' event: "Molly Ringwald will always be remembered as the epitome of teenage angst, love, and heartbreak. But in the real world, she’s approaching another important birthday - she’s turning 40. In this vibrant collection of life stories and candid advice, Molly helps guide women of all ages through the issues that crop up long after the prom ends. Whether she's discussing sex and beauty, personal style, travel and entertaining, motherhood, or friendship, Molly embodies the spirit of being fabulous at every age, and reminds us all that prettiness is a state of mind." 7 PM.

Planetarium Superheroes show from the Marvel Universe @Aero Theatre
Tonight at 7:30 Michael Mallory, the author of X-Men: The Characters and Their Universe and The Marvel Expanding Universe Wall Chart, will present a planetarium show and talk about all the characters and their relationships and take audience questions. Followed by a showing of X-MEN (2000), Prior to the screening, new art from Marvel Comics on exhibit and book signing with Michael Mallory at Every Picture Tells a Story at 6 PM. Event info.

Julius Caesar @Brand Park
Shakespeare By the Sea heads into the hills of Glendale tonight with their free performance of Julius Caesar. 7PM, Brand Park.

Free Live Music: Hide & Seek at the West Los Angeles Bandshell
If you’ve never been to the West Los Angeles Bandshell, FMLY says it's a "magical hidden space right across the street from West LA Music." [map] Enjoy a free concert from Adam Stern and Elevaters as part of Hide and Seek Summer. Get up and dance, and eat some KogiBBQ while you're there, too.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has just released their 20th annual beachwater quality report, which shows that there were 2,904 "beach days"* last year when California's beaches were either closed or under advisory due to water pollution.

Perhaps more unsettling is the drop in the water quality testing rate, meaning that potentially there were days when swimmers, surfers, and other beachgoers were exposed to health risks. It all came down to cost:

For example, in LA County and Orange County, 4,500 fewer samples were collected in 2009 than in 2008. Beaches with known pollution problems were often sampled significantly less than in previous years. For example, only one-third as many samples were collected at Santa Monica Beach at the Santa Monica Pier, at Surfrider Beach in Malibu, and at Cabrillo Beach in 2009 compared with 2008. Samples from all three popular beaches exceed state bacteria standards as much as 40 to 50 percent of the time, but in 2009, they were sampled less often.

Statewide, 9% of beachwater samples taken last year were deemed in violation of health standards, meaning human or animal waste was present in the sample.

It's not all bad news, however. We do have some beaches ranked as "five-star," in the state, including Laguna Beach, Main Beach, Bolsa Chica State Beach, Newport Beach, and for the first time this year, Cardiff State Beach.

*Obviously there are not 2,904 days in a year. However, there are multiple beaches, and for each day any given one was closed or under advisory, that is a "beach day." So for example, if today 4 beaches were closed and 3 under advisory, that's 7 "beach days" towards the yearly tally. State-by-state reports are downloadable from the NRDC site.

Previously
- 10 Best Beaches In and Around Los Angeles
- Huntington Beach's Dog Beach Named #1 in Country
- Best Ocean Swimming? Will Rogers State Beach, Says Nature Conservancy
- Where the Boys Are: the 5 Gayest Beaches in Southern California

Our Pick: Laura Marling, Dylan LeBlanc @ El Rey Theatre

Tonight Brooklyn-based indie rock quartet Obits will be headlining the Echo. LA-based indie pop quartet Robotanists are poised to grace LaBrie's in Glendale with none other than local blues-infused indie rock duo Rumspringa (LAist Review, #2) and Vanaprasta in tow. And, lastly, Irvine-bred electro pop trio Faded Paper Figures will be performing at Spaceland, ringing in their sophomore record—2010's New Medium. But we strongly suggest heading over to the El Rey Theatre to catch English folk singer-songwriter Laura Marling, who recently released her second studio-album—2010's Mercury Prize-nominated I Speak Because I Can. LAist favorite, Shreveport-bred folk singer-songwriter Dylan Leblanc is slated to kick things off.

Laura Marling - "Blackberry Stone"

Obits - "Pine On"

Robotanists - "Close Down The Woods"

Faded Paper Figures - "The Persuaded"

Squeeze, The English Beat @ Gibson Amphitheatre
Laura Marling, Dylan LeBlanc @ El Rey Theatre
Faded Paper Figures, The Colorist, Nora Keys, Justive Yeldham, Kevin Blechdom @ Spaceland
Obits, The Night Marchers, AM @ The Echo
Rumspringa, Robotanists, Vanaprasta @ LaBrie's
He's My Brother She's My Sister, Henry Wolfe, Jenny O. @ Bootleg Theater
Kira, The Child, Rykarda Parasol, We Landed On The Moon @ Silver Lake Lounge
Dub Club 10 Year Anniversary w/ Sister Nancy, General Trees, Tippa Lee, Echodelic Soundsystem and more @ Echoplex
Awesometown w/ Acid Girls @ The Shortstop
60-Watt Kid, Organ Trail, Tan Dollar, Moon Pearl @ The Smell
Low End Theory feat. Very Special Guest @ The Airliner
LESANDS, Venus Infers, Roughed Up Folk, Your Mom/Your Dad @ Echo Curio
George Glass, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Smokers In Love @ 3 Clubs
Peter Bradley Adams, The Guggenheim Grotto, Brie Stoner @ The Hotel Café
Paul Thom @ The Mint
Imperial Stars @ The Viper Room
Paper Tongues, Neon Trees @ The Glass House

Things have hummed along for the "homey" but more high-end Mexican restaurant, but changes have been afoot, and they've now got Chef Alex Moreno in the kitchen, and some new menu items to show off. Moreno, an LA-native, is a real rock-n-roll chef; after cutting his teeth at local fine-dining bastions like Melisse, Jiraffe, Spago and Bastide, his next gig was as the road chef for Van Halen. He paused in San Francisco to help open Tres Agaves, a modern Mexican restaurant. Now he's back in Los Angeles, and shaking things up at CASA.

We recently were invited to sample some showpieces from Moreno's menu, including robust Pork Belly Sopes (to rival Red O's), fried shrimp tacos with alluring Asian hints, a lush plate of Carnitas made more rich and sumptuous thanks to a potato and pork belly hash and cheery lime crema, and a surprise on-the-fly dessert of a chocolate pot-au-creme with bananas and peanuts.

From the bar, their house Margarita can't be beat--it's smooth and light with bright citrus flavor. If you can take the heat, their spicy Margarita is some potent fire water, with a sliver of jalapeño floating atop daring you to sip. For the non-tequila drinkers, their Watermelon Fresca is a refreshing option.

If you're just looking to have a sip and a bite after work, CASA also has a couple of twists on the plain ol' Happy Hour in addition to weeknight Happy Hour Specials. You can also reserve their "casitas," (those curious white pods outside, and sections of the restaurant inside) for large parties.