Villaraigosa sets sights on City Council's pet projects funds

To plug a shortfall, he's seeking to borrow $40 million from accounts that are used for neighborhood initiatives and to pay for staff. But some of the funds can't easily be touched, council aides say. Members of the Los Angeles City Council have more than a dozen accounts squirreled away that they dip into for pet projects. They have set aside money for security cameras around MacArthur Park ...

Former shot-caller is now spilling gang's secrets

Showing no emotion, a former leader of the Avenues clique testifies about murder, extortion and drug deals. Ailing and in custody, he is vilified by his family, which once terrified a neighborhood. Pancho Real was at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church with his wife and daughter one Sunday in October 2006 when his cellphone rang.

Suspect in San Diego firebombings arrested in Riverside County

After allegedly tossing incendiary devices at five targets, the suspect leads authorities on a freeway chase until stopped by a spike strip. No injuries were reported in the firebombings. A man who allegedly hurled firebombs at five targets in San Diego, including two police stations and a middle school, has been arrested after a high-speed chase that ended in Riverside County.

California budget crisis' teachable moment

The budget crunch at Cal State is getting so bad, it's forcing some young people to think about a future without a college education. But some students won't sit idly by. Maybe, one day, something good will come out of California's budget crisis.

Charlie Sheen charged with 3 felonies in alleged assault on wife in Aspen

Actor Charlie Sheen was charged Monday with felony menacing, third-degree assault and criminal mischief stemming from a Christmas Day incident in which he allegedly held a knife to his wife's throat in their rented Aspen home.