Category: Los Angeles

I knew little about the music industry before becoming editor in chief of Honey, a young magazine for urban women, right after the somewhat anticlimactic shift from the 20th to the 21st century. Within a week of offering me the job, my new boss invited me to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ notorious White Party in the Hamptons. It seemed as if every major urban entertainment heavy hitter were milling around the conspicuously luxurious modern house and vast grounds. These were the elite who decided what sound was hot and which artist would get radio play, which designers were in and what style was next, what were the coolest restaurants, nightclubs, luxury cars, vacation destinations and liquor brands. It was immediately and abundantly clear that hip-hop was primarily a male preserve in which men discussed how they were going to handle other men they considered allies or adversaries — and what they were going to do to women they considered props or property. It was nearly impossible to tell which fabulous woman was a model and which was an executive. The hierarchy was a clearly defined caste

Based on the conflicting pre-sentencing reports submitted to the judge who will sentence Sam Bankman-Fried Thursday on seven fraud counts, you might think this is a complicated case. After all, the submissions paint drastically different pictures of Bankman-Fried. His lawyers say, in effect, that there are no victims in the case, because no one lost any money in the collapse of his FTX cryptocurrency exchange. If there’s a victim here, they say, it’s Sam. The federal prosecutors cast him “as a depraved super-villain” in order to promote “a medieval view of punishment to reach what amounts to a death-in-prison sentencing recommendation.” Prison has afforded Sam few opportunities to do good in the world. — Barbara Fried, Sam Bankman-Fried’s mother, asks that he be given a lenient sentence The prosecutors, indeed, describe Bankman-Fried as anything but an innocent. “He stole money from customers who entrusted it to him,” they write; “he lied to investors; he sent fabricated documents to lenders; he pumped millions of dollars in illegal donations into our political system; and he bribed foreign officials.” Federal sentencing guidelines would warrant a maximum sentence of

A 16-year-old girl who died more than a week after a violent fight at her high school in South Los Angeles suffered “accidental” blunt force trauma to her head, a medical official said Tuesday. Cellphone video of the fight at Manual Arts High School on March 5 shows Shaylee Mejia hitting her head against a bathroom stall and falling. The girl’s mother, Maria Juarez, said her daughter complained of a headache for several days after the fight but continued to attend school.  Shaylee Mejia, 16, is seen dressed up on the day she attended a party and later became hospitalized on March 9, 2024. (Maria Juarez) Shaylee Mejia and another girl seen fighting in a school bathroom at Manual Arts High School. Photo is blurred to protect minors’ identities. (Maria Juarez) Shaylee Mejia and another girl seen fighting in a school bathroom at Manual Arts High School. Photo is blurred to protect minors’ identities. (Maria Juarez) Shaylee Mejia seen in a personal photo. Maria Juarez and her daughter Shaylee Mejia seen in a family photo. Later that week, Shaylee fainted at a party and was

A woman working at the Fox Studio Lot in Century City in Los Angeles was taken into custody by police Wednesday after she allegedly acted aggressively with security while armed with a knife. The incident was reported around 9:30 a.m. in the 10200 block of Pico Boulevard, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Officers responded to reports that the woman was armed with a knife and involved in an altercation with security. Eventually, the woman dropped the knife and was taken into custody. No injuries were reported. Sam Bader contributed to this report.

A new beverage option is expected to hit 7-Eleven shelves soon, but some fans are taking the announcement with a grain of salt. The convenience store chain announced Wednesday that customers can try a new collection of 7-Select sparkling waters. The collection includes new flavors like Lemon Lime, Green Apple, Sweet Orange and Hot Dog. Star Wars fans can soon enjoy Blue Milk at home The convenience store chain announced Wednesday that customers can try a new collection of 7-Select sparkling waters. The collection includes new flavors like Lemon Lime, Green Apple, Sweet Orange and Hot Dog. (7-Eleven) “The Big Bite Hot Dog Sparkling Water combines the delicious and mouthwatering experience of 7-Eleven’s iconic Big Bite Hot Dog into one refreshing beverage – ketchup and mustard included. Gone are the days of alternating bites of a hot dog with sips of a beverage; now those on the go can swap the bun for bubbles,” a news release said. While guests can try the Lemon-lime, Green Apple, and Sweet Orange sparkling waters at select 7-Eleven stores, the hot dog-flavored drink is expected to hit shelves on

U.S. By Caitlin O’Kane Updated on: March 27, 2024 / 3:04 PM EDT / CBS News The Taylor Swift effect is very real The Taylor Swift effect is very real 02:26 Taylor Swift’s father, Scott Swift, will not face charges for allegedly punching a photographer in Australia, New South Wales Police Force confirmed to CBS News. The incident occurred in February when Swift was in Melbourne for her Eras Tour . The pop star and her father, then 71, were coming off a yacht at the Neutral Bay Wharf, where veteran paparazzi photographer Ben McDonald was taking photos of them, the Associated Press reported at the time.  In a statement to CBS News at the time, a representative for  Taylor Swift  told CBS News that “two individuals were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water.”  McDonald told police Swift assaulted him. “There were about four or five security there and at one point, one of the American security started shoving his umbrella into me and my camera and then Taylor

We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. MoneyWatch: Managing Your Money By Matt Richardson Edited By Angelica Leicht March 27, 2024 / 2:51 PM EDT / CBS News A HELOC could be beneficial for borrowers who anticipate a rate cut later this spring. Getty Images With the next Federal Reserve meeting scheduled for April 30 — and the next inflation report slated for release on April 10 — many will be hopeful for some economic relief next month. If the inflation report shows a reduction in growth, the Fed may elect to keep interest rates unchanged  or even reduce them if they feel confident that inflation is finally cooling.  However, if there is another disappointing inflation report , as there was this month, the Fed’s response may differ.  Against this backdrop, borrowers have limited options. Interest rate hikes have caused the cost of borrowing with mortgages, personal loans and other products to surge in recent years. One cost-effective alternative, however, has been home equity loans and home equity lines of credit (HELOCs)

U.S. By Caitlin O’Kane March 27, 2024 / 2:44 PM EDT / CBS News Timeline of Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse Timeline of Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore 01:49 Around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed when a cargo ship lost power and crashed into it. Officials were able to prevent cars from driving onto the bridge just before the accident, but eight construction workers remained on the structure and plummeted into the river below. Here’s how the events unfolded.  About 12:45 a.m. The Dali, a Singaporean-flagged cargo ship, leaves the dock in Baltimore, moving through the Patapsco River. Tug boats, which are routinely used at the Port of Baltimore to help get vehicles out of the docking station, were already cut loose when the Dali’s pilots and crew lost control of the ship. Ships are not required to have escorts through the bridge. About 12:56 a.m. The boat begins to make a big arc, turning toward the Francis Scott Key Bridge.   About 1:25 a.m. The ship reaches its max speed and then loses power one minute later

Update: The CHP has released more information about the fatal crash in Nipomo. Officials said CHP officers responded to a solo vehicle rollover crash near Orchard Road and Faith Drive Wednesday morning around 7:22 a.m. A witness saw a 2003 Honda Accord on the field with no occupants inside the car. Officials said the witness later found a man who appeared to have been ejected from the car. The 37-year-old driver from Nipomo was pronounced dead at the scene. CHP officers said the crash happened during the unknown early morning hours and the driver was making an unsafe turn and was speeding when the crash happened. According to the press release, the man was also not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision. Officials said it is unknown if alcohol or drugs were a factor in the collision. A man was found dead following a single-vehicle collision in Nipomo Wednesday. According to the CHP, a witness came upon the vehicle collision on Orchard Road near Faith Drive and contacted CHP about the incident. CHP officers at the scene found a man ejected from

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts wore a grim expression while talking to reporters in Seoul last Wednesday. The team had just fired interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, who had been accused by representatives of Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani of engaging in a “massive theft” of the Dodgers two-way player’s funds to allegedly pay off at least $4.5 million in debt to an illegal Orange County bookmaker. After politely declining to answer several questions around the circumstances of the firing and then responding to one about Ohtani’s state of mind, Roberts was asked who would be taking over as the star player’s interpreter. Roberts gave a three-word answer that was accompanied by a genuine smile. “Will the Thrill,” he said. Will Ireton has been the Dodgers’ performance operations manager since 2020, but many fans probably know him better by the nickname Roberts mentioned. It was emblazoned on the back of the Dodgers jersey he wore as the team’s interpreter for Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda from 2016 to 2019. Ireton has found himself thrust back into a similar role, at least temporarily, serving as Ohtani’s personal interpreter as well as

Another cold, wet storm is brewing off the California coast, likely bringing more rain and snow across the Southland this weekend — and officials are warning it could be enough to spur minor flooding and mudslides. The low-pressure system is expected to first bring rain to the Central Coast on Friday, expanding south over the next 72 hours and bringing rain, snow and gusty southerly winds across Southern California. “We are expecting some heavy rain at times and quite a bit of snow in the mountains,” said Mike Wofford, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard. “It’s going to be a stormy period.” For Los Angeles County, rain is expected to begin Friday evening, kicking off what forecasters say will be a pretty steady downfall through Saturday night. “For the most part, it should be raining all Friday night and all of Saturday,” Wofford said. The rain could linger through Easter Sunday, when showers and thunderstorms are possible, Wofford said. By Monday, most of the rain should have moved out of the area. This graphic shows the timing and intensity of rainfall expected between Friday

A federal judge in Los Angeles on Wednesday will consider Hunter Biden’s bid to throw out nine tax-related charges, with the president’s son arguing that he’s being vindictively prosecuted by the Justice Department and had his rights trampled by two IRS agents who publicly revealed his confidential tax records. Biden’s legal team and federal prosecutors under special counsel David Weiss are expected to square off at an afternoon hearing before U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi, who was appointed to the bench by Donald Trump, at the 1st Street U.S. courthouse in downtown L.A. Biden is not expected to appear in court. Biden’s defense, led by prominent Washington, D.C., attorney Abbe Lowell, filed eight separate motions to throw out all or part of the case, with arguments ranging from the technical — such as whether Biden resided in L.A. when some of the alleged tax violations occurred — to the contractual — like whether an immunity agreement signed by prosecutors is valid. (Biden insists that it is.) Weiss’ office accuses Biden of failing to timely pay his taxes on $7 million of income from 2016

A Fox Studio Lot employee who was allegedly armed with a knife was taken into custody Wednesday after she became involved in a confrontation with a security guard at the studio’s Century City compound, police said. Officers were sent to the 10200 block of West Pico Boulevard about 9:30 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The woman, in her mid-30s, was taken into custody, and no injuries were reported, police said. The exact nature of the confrontation was unclear. Her name was not immediately released.

Riverside University Health System’s first One Life, One Heart Poisoning and Overdose Awareness Walk got underway Wednesday in Palm Desert, with two more scheduled to take place in Riverside County next month. “Addressing substance use and overdoses is not just an individual health issue, it’s a community health issue,” County Supervisor Chuck Washington said in a statement. “We stand together to raise awareness, provide support, and remember those we’ve lost to this epidemic.” Participants began walking at 7 a.m. Wednesday at Palm Desert Civic Center Park, 43900 San Pablo Ave., according to county officials. The next walks scheduled are at Riverside’s Fairmount Park, 2601 Fairmount Blvd. on April 13 and at Murrieta Town Square Park, 1 Town Square on April 27. Attendees hear from guest speakers who offer perspectives on recovery, prevention and the importance of community support. Fentanyl overdose fatalities in Riverside County reached 428 in 2023 — 38 of which were among individuals between the ages of 15 and 24. “Recognizing the signs of poisoning and overdose is crucial in our fight against this growing crisis,” RUHS Behavioral Health Director Dr. Matthew Chang

A 16-year-old girl who died more than a week after a violent fight at her high school in South Los Angeles suffered “accidental” blunt force trauma to her head, a medical official said Tuesday. Cellphone video of the fight at Manual Arts High School on March 5 shows Shaylee Mejia hitting her head against a bathroom stall and falling. The girl’s mother, Maria Juarez, said her daughter complained of a headache for several days after the fight but continued to attend school.  Shaylee Mejia, 16, is seen dressed up on the day she attended a party and later became hospitalized on March 9, 2024. (Maria Juarez) Shaylee Mejia and another girl seen fighting in a school bathroom at Manual Arts High School. Photo is blurred to protect minors’ identities. (Maria Juarez) Shaylee Mejia and another girl seen fighting in a school bathroom at Manual Arts High School. Photo is blurred to protect minors’ identities. (Maria Juarez) Shaylee Mejia seen in a personal photo. Maria Juarez and her daughter Shaylee Mejia seen in a family photo. Later that week, Shaylee fainted at a party and was

An woman working at the Fox Studio Lot in Century City in Los Angeles was taken into custody by police Wednesday after she allegedly acted aggressively with security while armed with a knife. The incident was reported around 9:30 a.m. in the 10200 block of Pico Boulevard, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Officers responded to reports that the woman was armed with a knife and involved in an altercation with security. Eventually, the woman dropped the knife and was taken into custdoy. No injuries were reported. Sam Bader contributed to this report.

The Los Angeles Dodgers made some major investments over the winter, committing more than $1 billion to a pair of Japanese superstars, but it appears it won’t take long for the club to recover the costs. In the ticket-selling giant’s annual Major League Baseball season preview, StubHub said the Dodgers are the most in-demand team in the league for 2024 — beating out the New York Yankees, the team that has been #1 for four years out of the last six. The Dodgers were 8th on the same list last season. The Atlanta Braves, who have similar World Series ambitions to L.A., placed third while the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs rounded out the top five. Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is greeted in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on July 4, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) The Dodgers’ home opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday is the most sought-after ticket on MLB’s Opening Day this year, according to StubHub. The cheapest pair

Parents of students at the University of California Berkeley have reportedly hired private security for their children, prompting consternation from school officials. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, the program SafeBears acted as unarmed security for the students for a 17-day period, though the ambassadors on foot and on bicycles did not coordinate with campus police. SafeBears, which ended on Saturday, paid six guards a total of about $42,000 to patrol at night near student housing and south of campus in response to increases in some types of crimes, including property crimes, the Times reported. SafeBears founder Sagar Jethani and other concerned parents hope their efforts will lead the school to start its own ambassador program. “We’re rather hoping the school will eliminate the need for us to continue doing this by just putting its own program in place as they ought to have by now,” Jethani told the Times. But in a statement to the Times, school officials indicated they’d prefer more police officers, not security ambassadors. “Parents who want to donate funds toward additional campus security can do so via

Former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan was found guilty Wednesday of racketeering, bribery, fraud and giving false statements to investigators in a sprawling corruption case targeting pay-to-play schemes at City Hall. The federal jury reached the verdict less than 24 hours after lawyers finished closing arguments. Sentencing is set for June 10. Chan’s attorney, John Hanusz, told the judge that Chan will be filing an appeal. “This case was, and always has been, about Jose Huizar,” Hanusz said. Prosecutors did not immediately comment after the verdict was read. Chan’s first trial on charges of racketeering, bribery, honest services fraud and lying to federal investigators was derailed after his lawyer, Harland Braun, was hospitalized and unable to return to work for months. A judge declared a mistrial in April. In the second trial, Assistant U.S. Atty. Brian R. Faerstein told jurors that Chan and former City Councilmember Jose Huizar used the downtown real estate boom of the prior decade to enrich themselves and their allies. Faerstein described Chan as a crucial intermediary between Chinese developers looking to build downtown high-rises and Huizar, who headed the

Walt Disney Co. has settled a lawsuit with the Gov. Ron DeSantis-appointed board that governs the area encompassing Walt Disney World in Florida, drawing to a close an acrimonious battle between the Burbank entertainment giant and the one-time presidential candidate. The feud began in 2022, when Disney criticized Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” anti-LGBTQ legislation after mounting pressure from its employees. DeSantis struck back against the company by overtaking the special district that governs land development in and around the Walt Disney World resort, replacing a board that was essentially controlled by Disney and functioned almost as its own municipal government. The entity, formerly known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, was renamed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and populated by DeSantis allies, but in the final hours of the previous board’s tenure, Disney executed an agreement that would essentially allow the new district powers over only the most basic infrastructure. The district then filed a lawsuit against Disney in state court to invalidate the deal. As part of Wednesday’s settlement agreement, Disney agreed “not to challenge” the district’s assertion that the agreement reached

One week before a highly anticipated shareholder vote, Walt Disney Co. sustained another blow as a second advisory firm recommended that investors elect billionaire Nelson Peltz to the entertainment giant’s board of directors. Peltz, the Trian Fund Management founder, has gained steam in the closing weeks of his proxy campaign against Disney’s board. On Wednesday, advisory firm Egan-Jones recommended that investors dump two longtime Disney board members — Maria Elena Lagomasino and Michael B.G. Froman — to make room for Peltz and his running mate, former Disney executive Jay Rasulo. Last week, the influential Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. recommended Disney investors elect Peltz to the board but withheld an endorsement for Rasulo. Earlier, a major proxy advisory firm, Glass Lewis, recommended that shareholders vote for Disney’s slate of 12 director nominees, rejecting both Peltz and Rasulo as well as three candidates running on a competing slate from Blackwells Capital. The contentious proxy campaign has become the latest headache for Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger. In contrast to his first tenure, Iger has rushed to contain one brush fire to the next since he returned to