No Firings in LAPD’s May Day Brutality

Staff / Truthdig Jul 1, 2009 A Los Angeles police review panel comprised mostly of cops has refused to fire any of the officers involved in the 2007 May Day brutality in MacArthur Park. The city shelled out $13 million in settlements because of the melee, but the worst punishment handed down was a 20-day suspension for one cop. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Strapped L.A. Won’t Pay for Laker Parade

Staff / Truthdig Jun 17, 2009 Kobe Bryant and the Lakers brought the NBA championship trophy back to Los Angeles and with it cause for celebration, but how can a city struggling to make ends meet justify the traditional $2 million victory parade? By making the team and private donors pay for it. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Obama Picks Lakers in 6

Staff / Truthdig Jun 3, 2009 Dress the White House in purple and gold, the president is backing Los Angeles in the NBA finals. It's probably because of his uncommonly good taste and high basketball IQ, but it could also have something to do with the 39 percentage points by which he won Los Angeles in the presidential election. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out

Staff / Truthdig May 13, 2009 Pointing to a dramatic structural problem with schooling in Los Angeles, California's Department of Education reported Tuesday that the dropout rate of students in the L.A. Unified School District has risen to a whopping 34.9% for the 2008-09 school year. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

L.A. Film Fest Director Resigns Amid Prop. 8 Flap

Staff / Truthdig Nov 26, 2008 On Tuesday, Los Angeles Film Festival Director Richard Raddon officially resigned after being embroiled in a controversy over his support for the "Yes on 8" campaign to ban gay marriage in California. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

California in Flames

Staff / Truthdig Nov 17, 2008 If we're blogging with any added urgency this week, it could be because Truthdig's home base is surrounded by fires, one of which city officials called the worst in nearly 50 years. Firefighters caught a break in the weather Monday, but they're not taking anything for granted. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Homeland Security Report: LAX Vulnerable to Attack

Staff / Truthdig Nov 14, 2008 With nearly 62 million passengers having traveled through its terminals last year, Los Angeles International Airport is the world's fifth-busiest. Thanks to lax security practices, it's also embarrassingly vulnerable to cyber attack, according to a report from the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘No on 8’ Protesters March on Mormon Temple in L.A.

Staff / Truthdig Nov 7, 2008 Tuesday's elections are a thing of the past, but the battle over California's Proposition 8 is still going on. On Thursday, a large group of demonstrators marched in Los Angeles in protest of the ban on gay marriage, with the Westwood area's Mormon temple as their eventual destination. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Looking Back and Moving Forward

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Nov 6, 2008 This is a day to think about how far we’ve come, to think about our experiences in past times and how we are now ready to begin forging a country where all of life is no longer defined by race. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Banking Collapse Lands on America’s Schools

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Sep 30, 2008 One of the worst casualties of the Iraq war and the Wall Street failures is the U.S. public school system, which is central to the nation’s economic, intellectual and social health. With financial resources being consumed, education cuts are on the way. Thank you, John McCain and President George W. Bush. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

More Tumult in the Newspaper Business

Staff / Truthdig Jul 16, 2008 Los Angeles Times Publisher David Hiller is best known for firing people. Now Hiller himself is out of a job. The ousting was announced as the Times braced for another devastating round of staff cuts. Meantime, the editor of another Sam Zell-owned newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, announced her resignation as that paper continues its own gutting. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Failing Rape Victims

Staff / Truthdig Jul 1, 2008 The evidence collected from rape victims after they've been assaulted goes into something called a rape kit. It's the product of a lengthy and uncomfortable examination process that, according to a recent report in the Los Angeles Times, far too often leads to nothing. Some 400,000 rape kits are sitting in storage, untested, right now. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )