California Dolphin

These are unsettling times in my Venice neighborhood. Strange behavior and violent crime are nothing new here, where a population of locals, tourists and transients mix in this urban beach setting. Lately, though, things have been weirder than usual. Last month, a woman who must have been out of her mind led the California Highway Patrol on a chase that ended around the corner from me when she drove her BMW SUV to the west end of Washington Boulevard and across the beach parking lot at the Venice Pier, before plowing across the sand into the surf. She leaped out of the car, abandoning a Boston terrier, and tried to swim away before being fished out of the water by an L.A. County Sheriff’s Department boat. The misadventure was caught on multiple cameras. Miraculously, no one was injured. Opinion Columnist Robin Abcarian On Saturday night, half a mile away, a man who has been described as a 41-year-old self-employed chef allegedly livestreamed himself firing rounds from the roof of his apartment building, the Pearl in Marina del Rey. Terrified neighbors got it on video. Again

Disneyland’s new plan for it’s world-famous theme park, including an investment of up to $2.5 billion with new rides, hotels and shops, goes up for a vote to the Anaheim City Council on Tuesday. Exactly what Disneyland plans to build in the coming years is unclear, but the entertainment giant as asking the city to relax zoning rules so the park can have more flexibility. The park would not expand outside its current 100-acre footprint in Anaheim, according to the plan, but Disney is looking to reimagine the resort by squeezing additional attractions, hotels and shops next to or embedded in one another. Known as DisneylandForward, the plan would give Disney flexibility to redesign the resort, including Disneyland, California Adventure Park and the Downtown Disney business district into what Disney Global Development Vice President Rachel Alde described as a more “immersive” experience. The City Council meeting is set to begin at 4 p.m. The proposal would include a new 17,000-space parking garage, as well as three pedestrian bridges over Harbor Boulevard and two bridges over Disneyland Drive. The plan also asks the city to give

In the market for senior police officials, Los Angeles is hiring. As of this week, the city faces an unprecedented three vacancies in key LAPD leadership and oversight positions: chief, inspector general and executive director of the Board of Police Commissioners. The current inspector general, Mark Smith, was named Monday as an independent monitor to oversee police reforms in Portland, Ore. Another top oversight official, Richard Tefank, who served as executive director for the Board of Police Commissioners for nearly two decades, retired at the end of last month. The department is already without a permanent police chief after Michel Moore unexpectedly announced his retirement in January after 5½ years as chief. Last month, the Police Commission appointed Assistant Chief Dominic Choi to take over on an interim basis. A Northern California headhunting firm was hired last month conduct a nationwide search for the city’s next top cop, a process that is expected to last through August. The all-civilian Police Commission, which functions much like a board of directors for the department, will now be tasked with picking replacements for Tefank and Smith — while

When he joined the Los Angeles Times in 2005, investigative reporter Kim Christensen had already notched two Pulitzer Prizes working on teams that uncovered fraudulent fertility practices at a leading research university and abuse of foreign nationals by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. Seventeen years later, when Christensen retired, many of his Times colleagues still did not know that. “Most people had no idea he had won two Pulitzer Prizes,” said former Times investigations editor Julie Marquis. “He didn’t talk about it.” But Marquis said she knew his reporting prowess firsthand from competing with him on the fertility story. “He trounced us day after day after day,” she said. “It wasn’t until later I found out what a great human being he was.” Christensen, a dogged reporter beloved by colleagues for his wry humor, collegiality, graceful writing and incisive mind, but above all his humility, died of cancer Monday at his home in Long Beach. He was 71. At The Times, Christensen worked both solo and with other reporters to expose abuses in the hospice industry, the failure of the Medical Board of California

Want to make comfortable, highly functional clothing pop? Gage Crismond has answers April 16, 2024 12:40 PM PT A bag becomes a different thing entirely when worn by different personalities — similar to how no one perfume smells the same on two different people. To test out this idea, we invited four different artists to style the same bag into their personal look and lifestyle for one day, dreaming up places across L.A. where they would wear it. The bag? The Acne Studios rivet wine box bag from the brand’s spring/summer ’24 collection. It felt like a bag tough enough to withstand a long day in L.A. and lightweight enough to not drag you down. In the fourth installment of the series, multidisciplinary artist Gage Crismond recognizes something in the bag that’s always been present in his personal style: utility. For Crismond, picking out an outfit everyday is driven by the goal of being “highly functional and comfortable,” especially when he’s switching from his various creative practices that include choreography, creative direction, tattooing, designing, making music and acting. He takes us on a walk around

A Long Beach man has been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting on Sunday. Ahmed Mahmoud, 41, was arrested Monday and booked on five counts: Murder Assault with a deadly weapon Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon Illegal possession of ammunition Evading arrest According to the Long Beach Police Department, Mahmoud was the shooter who killed 30-year-old Long Beach resident Nelson Martinez Gonzalez in the 1600 block of Gaviota Avenue at 8:46 p.m. on Sunday. Gonzalez was found suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper body and was declared dead at a local hospital. Murder suspect flees from police in Long Beach Police indicated they arrested a suspected shooter after a pursuit early Monday morning, but it is unclear if Mahmoud is that person, as jail records show he wasn’t arrested until that evening. No motive for the attack was disclosed by police, but they believe the shooter approached on foot and interacted with the victim before the killing. Mahmoud is being held at Men’s Central Jail in lieu of $3.1 million bail. No court date information was available as of

United States Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Coachella) and Sen. Alex Padilla have introduced legislation to designate the Chuckwalla National Monument and expand Joshua Tree National Park.  The land that would be protected encompasses parts of Riverside and Imperial counties, including a portion of the Chuckwalla Valley, all of the Chuckwalla Mountains and the adjacent Mecca Hills.  California Dept. of Public Health urges residents to avoid Vietnamese hemorrhoid ointment “These landscapes are rich in biological diversity and home to desert tortoises, kit foxes, golden eagles and the proposed monument’s namesake Chuckwalla lizards,” a release from the national nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity stated. “The bills are supported by local Tribes, numerous businesses, communities and conservation groups.”  Dr. Ruiz first unveiled legislation for the proposed 660,000-acre Chuckwalla National Monument in 2023; his legislation also included a 17,000-acre expansion for Joshua Tree National Park.  Sunset in Joshua Tree National Park (Getty) After Dr. Ruiz reintroduced it this year, Sen. Padilla introduced a companion bill in the Senate.  The two lawmakers stated that they are asking the Biden administration to use the Antiquities Act to designate the monument and expand

By Jason R. Rich Updated on: April 16, 2024 / 4:09 PM EDT / Essentials CBS Essentials is created independently of the CBS News editorial staff. We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. Samsung For a limited time, you can add this smart little cleaning robot to your in-home cleaning arsenal for $300 off when you shop online at Samsung. Robot vacuums have been around for a while, but it’s only now that Samsung has added artificial intelligence to a model — the new Bespoke Jet Bot Combo . This robot is designed to vacuum and mop. Even better, it comes with an all-in-one clean station that keeps the device charged, automatically empties the vacuum bin — even cleans the mop pads between uses.  Thanks to its AI, the new Jet Bot Combo robot does a better job than previous models at mapping out the layout of your home and avoiding obstacles while cleaning. It also automatically determines the type of flooring or carpet it’s working on and adjusts its settings to provide

By Jason R. Rich Updated on: April 16, 2024 / 4:07 PM EDT / Essentials CBS Essentials is created independently of the CBS News editorial staff. We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. Samsung We’ve just taken a look at the latest line of Samsung Bespoke appliances, and they aren’t just cute to look at. Thanks to a lot of new AI-powered tech, these fridges, washers, gas ranges and robot vacuums are so smart it’s almost scary. We’re talking washers that analyze fabric types; a fridge that knows what’s inside of it — even a washer-dryer combo that does it all. All of these new appliances can be controlled remotely using a smartphone and are fully compatible with Samsung’s SmartThings. Even better, there’s a deal going on — but only until April 17. Until then, when you preorder any of these new appliances from Samsung’s website, you’ll get up to $1,140 off each appliance, and will enjoy free installation and free haul away of your old appliance. And if you want to save

By Kaia Hubbard Updated on: April 16, 2024 / 3:23 PM EDT / CBS News House Speaker Johnson says he’s not resigning House Speaker Mike Johnson says he’s not resigning as momentum grows for ouster 11:15 Washington — House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing a new call by another Republican lawmaker to step down or face removal, but he said Tuesday he’s not resigning. Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie said Tuesday that he’d co-sponsor a motion to vacate the speaker filed last month by GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. She laid the groundwork for an eventual vote to strip Johnson of his gavel after he worked with Democrats to approve a government funding package and avert a partial shutdown weeks ago. But Greene has yet to commit to a timeline on calling for a vote on the resolution to remove Johnson.   Massie said he told Johnson in the closed-door Republican conference meeting Tuesday morning that he would co-sponsor the motion to vacate, adding in a post on social media that Johnson “should pre-announce his resignation” so the conference can work on selecting his

We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. By Joshua Rodriguez Edited By Matt Richardson April 16, 2024 / 3:21 PM EDT / CBS News Gold’s price climbed approximately 13.86% from March 1 to April 16.  Anthony Bradshaw / Getty Images Gold’s price has been heading up as of late as inflationary economic conditions continue to drive demand for the precious metal. That’s great news if you own gold. After all, growing prices mean there’s a high probability that your holdings are worth more now than you paid for them. And the difference in what you paid for your gold and what it’s worth today could be significant depending on when you purchased it .  But, exactly how much has the price of gold climbed over the past month and a half (since March 1, 2024)? That’s what we will calculate below, underlining the benefit of investing in the precious metal now. Find out how the rising price of gold can benefit you now.  Here’s how much the price of gold has risen