Author: Anthony Pesce

LAist blogger Elise Thompson has created a map of several popular dim sum eateries in Chinatown.

Thompson discusses what’s good about each place, offers options for parking or other transportation and asks readers to comment on (or add to) the map:

"One of the best ways to enjoy dim sum is on the move. It is ideal street food. Walking around shopping for paper lanterns, Snap Pops and Chinese herbs as you wander from one dim sum deli to the next makes for a perfect late morning or early afternoon."

Artist explains Koreatown statue: Curbed LA has posted a great e-mail from artist Bobbie Carlyle explaining the purpose of a bronze statue on Wilshire Boulevard in Koreatown:

"It is not known who was the original sculptor, and we have only a few dark postcards and snapshots showing a female nude with billowing cape standing atop a wave… I was commissioned by LAUSD to recreate the sculpture."

Grand Prix preparations: The Long Beach Press-Telegram has a photo and video gallery of preparations for the Grand Prix.

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce.

There were 16 killings last week in Los Angeles County, bringing the year-to-date total to 186 as of Sunday, according to the Times Homicide Report database. Countywide homicide rates are still behind those of previous years: There were 262 killings during the same period in 2007, and 214 last year.

Among last week’s killings was Donglei Shi, 31, who was found asphyxiated Saturday, April 10, in the 200 block of Chapel Avenue in Alhambra, according to sheriff’s investigators. Shi’s body was discovered about 4:30 a.m. by a passerby near a flood control channel in Story Park, authorities said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ricardo Alcarez, 27, was killed Saturday, April 10, in the 700 block of North Burris Avenue in Compton, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records. Alcarez was shot while intervening in an argument between the mother of his child and her brother, who was arrested in connection with the killing.

Brian De Loach, 37, was shot and killed Saturday, April 10, in the 2300 block of West 54th Street in Hyde Park, according to coroner’s records. De Loach was shot in the "right flank" and pronounced dead at 2:35 a.m.

The Times’ Homicide Report provides an interactive map and database of all homicides in Los Angeles County reported by the coroner since Jan. 1, 2007.

— Anthony Pesce and Sarah Ardalani

Drama has unfolded lately between Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz and food trucks. Now, someone has created @NotPaulKoretz, a fake Twitter account for the councilman, and has begun tweeting about the mobile food vendors.

The account is still new, with 38 followers, but it has already been mentioned on LAist:

A new and humorous Twitter account appeared this week mocking a city council member for his apparent lack of consistency and conviction in the way he does business. Based on last week’s drama, @NotPaulKoretz was probably created by a food truck vendor, or at least a die-hard advocate.

How to kill a bear?
The Pasadena Star News is reporting on the difficulty foothill cities face when they want to kill a dangerous bear:

Turns out, a lot of red tape is involved in putting down a bear that has become an imminent threat to residents’ safety. Before a dangerous bear can be killed, residents must take out a depredation permit from the state Department of Fish and Game.

L.A. River exhibition:
Good Magazine reports on an exhibition on the L.A. River at the Pasadena Museum of California Art:

The current exhibition at the PMCA, "The Ulysses Guide to the Los Angeles River," explores the river’s continual evolution as a suffering ecosystem and as a canvas for artists. We highly recommend that you pay a visit.

Where to get 24-hour coffee:
LAist reports on the surprising lack of late-night coffeehouses in the city:

After some *ahem* extensive research, only the L.A. Cafe downtown and Crave Cafe in Sherman Oaks popped up as scrumptious 24-hour suitors for our common late night more-than-just-caffeine fix. A small but hearty group chooses to stay open until 2 a.m. (including Franklin Village’s Bourgeois Pig and the Starbucks at L.A. Live), but shouldn’t there be more?

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce.

In his earlier role as enforcer of Roman Catholic Church doctrine, Pope Benedict XVI, when asked to defrock a California priest accused of child sexual abuse in 1985, said he needed more time to consider the impact of the case on “the good of the Universal Church,” according to records released Friday. Following is the text of a November 1985 letter in Latin signed by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to Oakland Bishop John S. Cummins. It was translated for The Associated Press by Thomas Habinek, chairman of the University of Southern California Classics Department.

Most Excellent Bishop Having received your letter of September 13 of this year, regarding the matter of the removal from all priestly burdens pertaining to Rev. Stephen Miller Kiesle in your diocese, it is my duty to share with you the following:

This court, although it regards the arguments presented in favor of removal in this case to be of grave significance, nevertheless deems it necessary to consider the good of the Universal Church together with that of the petitioner, and it is also unable to make light of the detriment that granting the dispensation can provoke with the community of Christ’s faithful, particularly regarding the young age of the petitioner.

It is necessary for this Congregation to submit incidents of this sort to very careful consideration, which necessitates a longer period of time. In the meantime your Excellency must not fail to provide the petitioner with as much paternal care as possible and in addition to explain to same the rationale of this court, which is accustomed to proceed keeping the common good especially before its eyes.

Let me take this occasion to convey sentiments of the highest regard always to you.

Your most Reverend Excellency Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

RELATED:

Future pope had concerns about defrocking California priest accused of molestation, letter shows

DOCUMENTS:

 The letter | Records released Friday

Photo: The signature of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger at the bottom of the letter. Credit: Kim Johnson / Associated Press

Comic convention wooed: The Times blog Money & Company reports on efforts to bring the popular comic book convention Comic-Con to Los Angeles:

"Since organizers of Comic-Con said they have outgrown the San Diego Convention Center — the festival’s home since the 1970s — L.A. and the city of Anaheim have launched campaigns to lure the celebration of comic books and pop culture."

Customer unleashes pit bull on cable technician: The Eastsider LA is reporting on a Time Warner Cable customer who unleashed his put bull on a technician sent to disconnect him:

After confronting the technician, the angry cable customer fetched his pit bull and sent the dog charging at the cable installer, who fled to the roof of his van parked in the 500 block of North Heliotrope Avenue, reports Lt. Wes Buhrmester with the Rampart Division.

Street shrine grows in Brentwood: Tabloid baby is reporting on a growing street memorial for a 13-year-old girl who was killed in February crossing Sunset Boulevard in Brentwood (via LAist):

More than a month later, the memorial to Julia has become a living shrine, with flowers arrangements replaced by a tended nursery of live potted flowers, new teddy bears, candles, messages and signs arranged, and visitors in the small triangle at that dangerous corner into the dark hours of the night.

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce.

Illustration: An image from L.A.’s Comic-Con Facebook page. Credit: Doug Davis

Silver Lake condo battle: The Eastsider LA is reporting on a battle between a developer and environmentalists:

The developers have refused to set aside land for a walking and wildlife trail as called for in a community plan that guides development in the area, [Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy planning chief Paul] Edelman said. The conservancy would also like the trail extend north of the undeveloped Menlo Property behind the large apartment complexes that line Riverside Drive.

Bacon and chocolate funnel cake: The Orange County Register reports that Knott’s Berry Farm has brought back its bacon and chocolate funnel cake:

The souped-up funnel cakes started out as an online joke from Jeff Tucker, one of the park’s entertainment chiefs… The treats were popular enough during the Bash that Knott’s kitchens brought them back for another weekend. Now, they will be available for the masses to enjoy.

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce.

Downtown ‘ghost building’ for sale:
Blogdowntown has an interesting story about a building that’s been uninhabited for more than 75 years and is now up for sale:

The seven-story structure at 216 W. 5th was built in 1906 as a 55-room addition to the hotel next door, but hasn’t seen any customers since the Alexandria closed during the Great Depression in 1934.

Food-truck lot opens: LAist reports on a lot near LAX that will host food trucks on Tuesdays:

The Century Lot is located at the Crowne Plaza near LAX… (On Tuesday it) hosted nine of the city’s mobile eateries: Worldfare, Don Chow’s Tacos, The Buttermilk Truck, Kabob N Roll, Komodo Food, India Jones, The Nom Nom Truck, South Philly Experience, and Reggae Jerk Chicken.

WeHo apartment building opens:
Curbed LA reports on a new, green, low-income apartment building that opened on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood:

The 42-unit building will provide low-income affordable housing for those with special needs. Many of the residents, who were chosen via a lottery system, have already moved in…

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce.

BikesideLA has launched a map to "submit, track, and study near misses, collisions, harassment and bike theft" in Los Angeles.

The map is based in part on collision data provided by Los Angeles police, but also allows users to submit their own reports. Here’s an excerpt from the post:

Remember that driver who cut you off in slow motion, you tapped the breaks and missed their bumper by inches, and then rode off into the sunset? The only difference in the world was that you knew you nearly bought it, and your heart leapt out of your chest for an instant.

Some other interesting L.A.-area items around the Web:

Easter parking in Long Beach: The Long Beach Press-Telegram is reporting the city has decided to void parking tickets from Easter Sunday:

The void is only for vehicles that were parked at meters and does not include vehicles cited for safety reasons such as parking too close to a fire hydrant or driveway, said city spokesman Ed Kamlan.

Echo Park parking: The Eastsider LA reports that parking rates in Echo Park have been lowered:

Without much fanfare, the rates were recently dropped to 25 cents for 30 minutes; 10 hours of parking now costs $2.50 instead of $4 in all but one lot…

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce.

Photo: The LA Bike Map

There were 25 killings last week in Los Angeles County — the highest number in any week since December 2008, according to The Times’ Homicide Report database.

Despite the surge, killings countywide continue to decline compared with recent years. The year-to-date number of killings as of Sunday was 170, compared with 196 for the same period in 2009 and 245 in 2008.

Among those killed last week was Jose Castillo, 20. Castillo was shot several times and stabbed in the face in the 2600 block of Sichel Street in Lincoln Heights, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records. He was pronounced dead at 9:03 p.m. on March 29.

Emanual Dorsey, 30, was shot twice in the head, three times in the torso and twice in the left arm, according to coroner’s records. Dorsey was shot in the 1400 block of West 83rd Street in Manchester Square and died at 5:05 p.m. March 29.

Jose Hernandez, 24, was shot in the chest in the 200 block of Rampart Boulevard in Westlake, according to coroner’s records. Hernandez died at 9:15 p.m. on March 30.

The Times’ Homicide Report provides an interactive map and database of all homicides in Los Angeles County reported by the coroner since Jan. 1, 2007.

— Anthony Pesce

The Eastsider LA is reporting that after last year’s cancellation of the Echo Park Lotus Festival, the event will return in July to Echo Park Lake.

The event may be smaller than residents remember because of budget constraints; organizers need to raise $80,000 to cover the costs of the festival, the Eastsider reports. Here’s an excerpt from the story:

There are plans for live entertainment, food and craft sales, Dragon Boat races and a large section for community booths. But [Leo] Pandac, [head of Los Angeles Lotus Festival Inc.], said his group must find volunteers or [a] low-cost alternative to perform the work once conducted by city employees.

Some other interesting L.A.-area items around the Web:

L.A. bike race: Good Magazine reports on a bike race along the Los Angeles Marathon route:

Wolfpack Hustle, Los Angeles’ "fastest and most notorious bicycle crew," organizes a yearly bike race along the route of the L.A. Marathon the night before the race.

Food truck drama: LAist reports City Councilman Paul Koretz thinks food trucks belong only at construction sites:

The dark side to the food truck craze isn’t the fact that patrons have to stand in long lines, it’s the opposition they collectively face from business owners and elected officials who believe they are eating up profits and over-asserting their place in the city’s workings.

Street art: Hand-painted signs that first appeared in L.A. are popping up in New York, reports Curbed LA: 

They’re the work of anonymous street artist (are there any other kind anymore?) TrustoCorp, and he’s gotten around, most recently to New York’s Chinatown and your local supermarket.

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times staff writer Anthony Pesce.

Photo: The 2008 Echo Park Lotus Festival. Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

There were 17 killings last week in Los Angeles County, bringing the monthly tally to 59 and the year-to-date total to 145 as of March 28, according to The Times’ Homicide Report database.

Countywide killings continue to decline compared with recent years. Between Jan. 1 and March 28, there were 211 killings in 2007, 227 in 2008 and 182 in 2009, according to the Homicide Report.

Kendahl Williams, an 18-year-old woman, was shot and killed Saturday, March 27, in the 900 block of West 68th Street in Vermont-Slauson, in an incident witnessed by police officers, authorities said.

Williams and a group of friends, including a 22-year-old man, were walking on the sidewalk shortly after 10 p.m. when a black 1998 Nissan Maxima with four doors and tinted windows stopped near them, according to an LAPD news release. The front passenger of the car fired multiple times at the group, striking Williams and her 22-year-old friend, police said.

Frederico Paz-Contreras, 45, was shot several times and died Saturday, March 25, in Lynwood, according to coroner’s records. Paz-Contreras was shot in the 4600 block of McMillan Street and pronounced dead at 2:02 p.m.

Vanessa Rankins, 21, was shot in the head on Wednesday, March 24, in Pacoima, according to coroner’s records. Rankins was shot in the 13200 block of Pinney Street and pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m.

New this week on the Homicide Report is a curated map of 54 children whose families came to the attention of Los Angeles County’s Department of Children and Family Services prior to their deaths. Read more about the project – Innocents Betrayed: A Times Investigation.

The Times’ Homicide Report provides an interactive map and database of all homicides in Los Angeles County reported by the coroner since Jan. 1, 2007.

— Anthony Pesce and Sarah Ardalani

Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian is launching an iPhone app.

This effort comes after he launched Google Maps to show which streets in his district had been repaved. Is City Hall going Web 2.0? ABC News has more:

Krekorian said his coming app — available only on iPhones at first — will also be used as a news alert system to communicate with citizens in the event of emergencies, road closures or other situations.

Some other interesting L.A.-area items around the Web:

Westwood theaters saved: Regency Theaters is taking over operations for the Mann Bruin and Mann Village Theaters in Westwood. Curbed LA has more:

Mann said last August it would end its leases at the theaters, and those are up Wednesday, so Regency is in on Thursday. Both of the houses date from the 1930s — the Village opened in 1931 and has more than 1,300 seats, the Bruin opened in 1937 and has just under 700.

Echo Park landmark? An Echo Park bungalow housing complex could be considered for landmark status. The Eastsider LA has the story:

On Thursday, a proposal to designate one of these hillside courtyards, the Lento Brick Court on the 1200 block of Sunset Boulevard, a city historic landmark will come up for the first time before the Cultural Heritage Commission.

Thousand Oaks sailor: The Daily News reports on 16-year-old Abby Sunderland’s effort to sail around the world. Here’s an excerpt:

The 16-year-old Thousand Oaks girl trying to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, is expected today to clear the first major hurdle of her voyage as she sails around the treacherous Cape Horn at the tip of South America.

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce.

Cities all over the country have been battling for a shot at Google Fiber – the company’s foray into the broadband Internet market. In an effort to win Google’s attention, Santa Monica has produced a goofy video (above).

Google is rolling out its broadband service – which it claims will be up to 100 times faster than what people typically have access to – in a very small group of communities. The company has solicited applications from interested cities and has received a variety of attention-grabbing responses. Curbed LA has more on Santa Monica’s video:

And in Santa Monica, where Google has an office, they made this video of what The Atlantic calls "a kind of city-wide musical replete with smiling old ladies, local police officers and plenty of ‘ra ra ra’s.’" It’s catchy, but is it "dogs dressed as The Wizard of Oz characters" catchy?

Read the full story here, and find the video here.

Some other interesting L.A.-area items around the Web:

L.A. big spenders? LA Weekly is reporting that Los Angeles ranks as No. 42 among cities in U.S. household spending. Here’s an excerpt:

Why didn’t L.A. rank higher? Two words: Housing costs. While income levels in L.A. and New York are healthy, housing costs kill our disposable income in both big cities.

Census form return slow: LAist is reporting that Los Angeles residents are taking their time sending back those census forms. Here’s an excerpt:

An interactive map updated daily shows that today L.A. County and California are at 33% and 34% respectively, which is on par with the 34% national return level. But city Census organizers remain optimistic, since the forms are not due until April 1st (Census Day).

Echo Park peddlers: Apparently Venice Beach isn’t the only area having trouble with overly aggressive peddlers. The Eastsider LA reports:

The Echo Park Lake Sunday Swap Meet has continued to attract peddlers and customers despite complaints from some residents and a city "crack down" on vending on park grounds. The conditions mirror those on the Venice Beach boardwalk, where the recession and a complicated vendor ordinance has also [led] to a spike in the number of sellers, triggering tension with residents and fellow peddlers…

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce.

San Francisco International Airport has taken a not-so-subtle jab at LAX in a new YouTube marketing video "I Wanna Go Through SFO."

The video, which has gotten over 20,000 views, is an effort to attract people flying to the United States from Australia and New Zealand. Here’s more from The Daily Breeze:

While SFO officials insist the video doesn’t bash any particular facility, the "bad airport" bears striking resemblances to the dilapidated terminals at Los Angeles International — the only other California airport that offers direct flights to the Land Down Under.

Read the full story here, and see the YouTube video at right or here.

Some other interesting L.A.-area items around the Web:

• Venice Beach peddlers are battling for space along the tourist-rich walkway to sell their goods. The Daily News has the story:

In recent months, though, that freewheeling hippie circus has gotten edgy thanks to a stubbornly sour economy heightening competition for the 200 peddler spaces along the 1.5-mile-long asphalt strip bordering the beach. That has longtime store owners and artists steamed, and residents in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood clamoring for a clampdown on the increased noise and transients.

• Anderson Cooper in L.A.: Anderson Cooper paid a visit to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Hollenbeck Division for a report on gangs. Here’s a link to the video and an excerpt from Cooper’s blog:

There is a long history of gangs in Hollenbeck. Some current gang members have grandfathers who were once gangsters themselves. Since then, gang killings have dropped in Los Angeles, and we wanted to return to Hollenbeck to see what’s happening there now.

• Rent in L.A. is higher than New York: The Center for Housing Policy released a report on rental markets across the United States — and Los Angeles came in as the 10th-most expensive. New York is 13th. LAist has the full story:

The most expensive rentals in the U.S. are in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Southern California is well-represented in the upper portion of the rankings; Oxnard comes in at  No. 8, and Los Angeles No. 10. N.Y.C., often considered on par with the pricey rentals of S.F., actually ranked No. 13, with the average rent for a 2-bedroom unit coming in at $61 cheaper than L.A.’s $1420.

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce.

Three Angelenos have launched an innovative way to make L.A. greener by loading old candy dispensers with "seedbombs."

Fast Company reports that Kim Karlsrud, Daniel Phillips and David Fletcher have resurrected old dispensers and filled them with clay balls full of plant seeds. You can throw the seeds into barren lots and medians and watch as plants sprout up about a week later. Here’s an excerpt from the story:

Their first model, which is currently located in L.A.’s Chinatown, is loaded with indigenous species identified by Fletcher, who has for years advocated turning the L.A. River (presently a concrete channel) into greenspace.

Read the full story here, and check out the project site here.

Some other interesting L.A.-area items around the Web:

Interested in other green activities? The editors at Your Daily Thread have compiled five green things to do on any L.A. weekend. Here’s an excerpt:

Roll up your sleeves and prepare to get dirty. Whether you’re interested in beach clean-ups, forest restoration, healthy eating or planting trees, you’re sure to find an organization that will appreciate your helping hands.

Mummies on display in O.C.: KPCC reports that an exhibit of Chinese mummies opens Saturday at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. Here’s an excerpt:

In this exhibit, one dramatically-lit figure rests at the end of a long, wide corridor. It’s the white-and-gold mask and red-and-gold silk robe of a Silk Road merchant known as Yingpan Man.

Elysian Reservoir drained: The Eastsider LA reports the Elysian Reservoir has been drained in preparation for a DWP project. Here’s an excerpt:

The water is being drained so that drilling and soils tests can be conducted along the bottom and slopes of the reservoir in preparation for a major and controversial water quality improvement project proposed by the Department of Water & Power, according to a DWP spokesperson.

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce.

Boardwalk in Silver Lake: The Eastsider LA reports that a boardwalk is being constructed along Tesla Avenue to finish a path around the Ivanhoe and Silver Lake reservoirs. Here is an excerpt:

Set behind a barbed wire fence, a wooden platform that has popped up at the north end of the Ivanhoe Reservoir resembles a guard tower. But this 20-foot-long structure is not intended to help protect the water supply from Silver Lake dog walkers and joggers.

April Fools skipping: LA Weekly reports that people are organizing an "April Fools Sunset Strip Skip Down." Read more here:

The idea behind the event, a three-mile loop beginning and ending at Crescent Heights and Sunset, is to get people skipping as one big, happy group. Skipping has been shown to greatly reduce stress.

Missing dog discovered 1,700 miles from home: The Daily Breeze reports that Bonnie, a husky that went missing in North Dakota, was recently found in L.A.:

The year-old female husky was found wandering the streets in Los Angeles after she was reported missing more than four months ago from her backyard at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota.

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce.

Moving the Hollywood sign? Curbed L.A. reports that a local architecture firm has proposed a plan to constantly "migrate" the Hollywood sign to different parts of the city. Here’s an excerpt:

With televised and other media exposure, the sign’s public visibility is not necessarily a factor of its physical visibility within the landscape. It could also be said that the site has exceeded the sign, in that the real estate value of the surrounding Hollywood Hills is independently viable and relies little on the permanent presence of the big white letters.

Progress on freeway parks: The Dirt, a blog by the American Society for Landscape Architects, is reporting that plans for "freeway cap" parks are moving forward in L.A. These green spaces would be built on, or over, existing freeways. The Dirt reports:

The freeway cap parks are designed to reconnect neighborhoods cut off by freeways and create green community spaces through the city. Additionally, the cap parks will help reuse existing infrastructure and avoid the enormous costs involved in pulling down freeways.

Late on your taxes? LAist is reporting that Los Angeles is the eighth biggest tax procrastinator:

For the second year in a row, Los Angeles earns No. 8 in a poll of worst tax procrastinating cities, according to Turbo Tax, which apparently has been keeping score for the last nine years.

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce.

Photo: The Hollywood sign. Credit: Ann Johansson / For the Times

There were 18 homicides in Los Angeles from March 16 to 22, bringing the monthly tally to 46 and the yearly total to 129, according to The Times’ Homicide Report database. From Jan. 1 to March 22 of last year there were 169 homicides, and there were 216 in 2008.

Last week’s killings included Gary Alonso, 51, who according to coroner’s records was struck by either a 2-by-4 or a crowbar. He was attacked at an unknown address in the North Hollywood area and died March 16 at 3:24 a.m., according to The Times’ Homicide Report database.

Ramon Sibrian, 18, was shot several times — in the head, right hand and left arm, according to coroner’s records. Sibrian was found Saturday north of Mile Marker 13.77 on Little Tujunga Canyon Road. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department homicide detectives are investigating.

Anthony Freeman, 42, was shot multiple times in an attack in the 6100 block of Avalon Boulevard in Florence. He died at 9:34 p.m. Friday, according to coroner’s records.

The Times’ Homicide Report provides an interactive map and database of all homicides in Los Angeles County reported by the coroner since Jan. 1, 2007.

— Anthony Pesce

Two reporters are embedding themselves for a year with a family of undocumented immigrants from Mexico to gain a better understanding of L.A. and report on neighborhoods more accurately.

The project, called The Entryway, will be reported as a blog. LAist wrote about the project. Here is an excerpt:

The first-person narrative is only one portion of the project. Another core goal will be proper neighborhood news reporting for various outlets. [Devin] Browne, who also runs MacArthur Park Media and has reported for LA Weekly, KPCC and Marketplace, plans stories with [Kara] Mears on the fake ID economy, storefront churches, panaderias and the prostitutes who work in them and mobile dental clinics.

[Updated at 12:09 p.m.: A previous version of this post spelled Browne’s first name incorrectly.]

Some other interesting L.A.-area items around the Web:

California City – a virtual ghost town: This past weekend, a group of tourists took a trip to California City – a pretty much abandoned and undeveloped suburb in the desert about 100 miles outside Los Angeles. Good magazine reports:

In 1958, developer Nat Mendelsohn purchased 80,000 acres of land 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles. He had a dream of turning the parched parcel into the third-largest city in California, which, in a way, it is — in land area only.

San Onofre nudists in trouble: The Orange County Register reports that patrons of a traditionally nude beach are getting citations: 

(Andres) Garza, a Los Angeles resident who visits the park on occasion to sunbathe nude, appears to be the first person to receive the citation, a misdemeanor that can total up to about $500, including fees.

Downtown eyesores: Downtown News has a list of what it is calling "Downtown’s 10 Worst Eyesores." Here is an excerpt:

This shuttered, 13-story property at the southwest corner of Eighth and Olive streets occupies a key location on the border of the Fashion District and South Park. … Previous renovation plans were thwarted by infighting among partners and later, the economy, said co-owner Bruce Kianmahd.

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce.

Root Wireless and CNET are teaming up to make a crowd-sourced map of cellphone signal quality with data available in Los Angeles and several other cities.

The map displays data collected from an app you can load onto a Blackberry or Android phone, with apps for other phones coming soon. Read Write Web reports:

"The map lets us choose between what type of reported info we would like to see, whether ‘Signal,’ ‘Data’ or ‘Network,’ but there is no device category. We can also see the number of zones reporting ‘No Bars,’ ‘Access Failure’ and ‘Hot Zones’ (such as dropped calls), but no information on how many people have reported these issues."

Some other interesting L.A.-area items around the Web:

Angels Flight boosts business: Eateries at downtown’s Grand Central Market reported a surge in customers who rode the reopened Angels Flight to their stalls. Downtown News reports:

The discovery seems to go both ways. While Grand Central Market has seen more business from the corporate crowd up the hill, those who patronize shops on Broadway are also going in a different direction.

Sand dune rally: Manhattan Beach locals staged a rally protesting the closing of Sand Dune Park. The Daily Breeze reports:

Some who attended the rally wondered whether those who want to see the dune closed permanently — it was shut last summer while the city struggled to find the right balance to operate the park — were exaggerating the extent of the issues.

East L.A. church gets a facelift: The Eastsider LA is reporting that Our Lady of Solitude church is getting painted, but there isn’t enough money yet to fix the bell tower. Here is an excerpt:

It has been [some time] since the tower was demolished and the bells removed, according to some church employees. I myself can’t remember the last time I heard the bells ring. The silent bells, meanwhile, sit down near the sidewalk behind a cage under a sign that reads La Plaza Soledad.

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times staff writer Anthony Pesce.