Pete Souza/The White House In the photo that has hung in the West Wing for three years, President Obama looks to be bowing to 5-year-old Jacob Philadelphia, his arm raised to touch the president’s hair — to see if it feels like his. WASHINGTON — For decades at the White House, photographs of the president at work and at play have hung throughout the West Wing, and each print soon gives way to a more recent shot. But one picture of President Obama remains after three years. In the photo, Mr. Obama looks to be bowing to a sharply dressed 5-year-old black boy, who stands erect beside the Oval Office desk, his arm raised to touch the president’s hair — to see if it feels ... Continue reading →
Los Angeles became the largest city in the nation Wednesday to adopt a ban on plastic bags at supermarket checkout lines, handing a major victory to clean-water advocates who sought to reduce the amount of trash clogging landfills, the region’s waterways and the ocean. Egged on by actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus and an array of environmental groups, the City Council voted 13 to 1 to phase out plastic bags over the next 12 months at an estimated 7,500 stores. Councilman Bernard Parks cast the lone no vote. "Let’s get the message to Sacramento that it’s time to go statewide," said Councilman Ed Reyes, who has focused on efforts to revitalize the Los Angeles River. Council members quietly backed away from a more controversial plan to also ... Continue reading →
Photo: The Great Gatsby The much-awaited trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel—The Great Gatsby—is finally here. There’s no sight of Gemma Ward, who has a small role in the film, but there’s plenty of Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby, Carey Mulligan as Daisy, and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway to be seen. Although the setting is New York in 1922, Luhrmann has set the trailer to contemporary music: Jack White’s cover of U2′s “Love is Blindness” and Kanye West’s and Jay-Z’s “No Church in the Wild.” The latter is appropriate, perhaps, considering that Luhrmann apparently blasted Jay-Z while they were filming. Enjoy the trailer after the cut—the film won’t be in theaters until December 25. Continue reading →
About L.A. Now L.A. Now is the Los Angeles Times’ breaking news section for Southern California. It is produced by more than 80 reporters and editors in The Times’ Metro section, reporting from the paper’s downtown Los Angeles headquarters as well as bureaus in Costa Mesa, Long Beach, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Riverside, Ventura and West Los Angeles. Have a story tip for L.A. Now? Can I call someone with news? Yes. The city desk number is (213) 237-7847. Continue reading →
They sat together amid the vacant seats near the front, this odd couple united by their distrust of the Glendale City Council. Emzy Veazy III and David E. Wallis Jr. have been called gadflies, and every city needs a few.These allies have distinct viewpoints, and other differences as well. Veazy is a 43-year-old unemployed African American whose business card identifies him as a "rugged individualist," among other things. On this day he was dressed casually and toted a video camera, expecting to record an abuse of civil rights. Wallis is 57, well-to-do and white, though he prefers the term "Anglo-Saxon." He's a retired Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer who has twice waged unsuccessful campaigns for elective office.They had come to challenge Mayor Eileen Givens' noble experiment ... Continue reading →
