Yes, he is. Yesterday, the Los Angeles Fire Department received a call that someone was in the riverbed at Laurel Canyon Blvd. and Valleyheart Dr; (just north of Ventura) in Studio City. An LAist reader sent in these photos saying he was either pushed or that he jumped and that it didn't look like he made it. According to d"Lisa Davies of the LAFD, it appeared that the 45-year-old jumped and was conscious when they......

MUSIC JAM*: The Ford Amphitheatre’s J.A.M. Sessions series continues tonight with “String Along to Bluegrass.” Audience members can bring along their acoustic string instruments for an evening of bluegrass jamming. The event’s hosted by the Bluegrass Association of Southern California and begins at 7 pm. And make an evening by bringing your own food and drink (or buy it there) for a picnic. The Ford opens two hours prior to evening performances for picnicking......

3.85 miles of beach were closed yesterday after 20,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the LA River via the Compton Creek in the Watts area. Long Beach's Health Officer, Dr. Helene Calvet, issued a beach closure specific to Long Beach’s open coastal beaches from Alamitos Avenue to 72nd Place, according to a release issued by the city. This is the 31st sewage spill since January causing the fourth beach closure. This time last year, there......

Tonight is ride number two for Councilman Tom LaBonge's cutely name "Tour LaBonge" bicycle ride series where constituents are invited to come along. At 6:15 p.m., riders will meet at the Mulholland Fountain (Riverside Dr./Los Feliz Blvd.) and embark on a 10-mile ride along the LA River and in Griffith Park. Half way through, it's ice cream time at Travel Town, which is near where a brush fire ignited on Sunday afternoon, and then back......

They did it. Geroge Wolfe and the gang kayaked, from end to end, the LA River, proving that claims by the Army Corps of Engineers that the river was not navigable, thus not a river, were wrong. Looking at all of these photos says something to us. It says "we need this river for the people!" The journey began on Friday afternoon (photos), continued through Saturday (photos) and finished yesterday (photos below). LAist Photographer Tom......

Continuing their journey down the 52-mile long Los Angeles River, proving that it is navigable by boat, George Wolfe and a group of kayakers completed their second day. Starting at the Sepulveda dam, they boated down through Sherman Oaks, Studio City Toluca Lake, Burbank and down into Atwater Village and Los Feliz. Today, the group finishes their journey in Long Beach. See photos from day one by LAist Photographer Tom Andrews and background on this......

Yesterday afternoon was day one of George Wolfe's LA River expedition where he and a group of twelve kayakers intended to prove that the LA River is a river that is navigable, something that is contrary to what the Army Corps of Engineers concluded last month. The three-day mission started yesterday at the headwaters of the river in Canoga Park. It was more ceremonial with champagne because the river at this part of the year--height......

There's a launch party for a new skate exhibit tonight in Silver Lake. / Photo by C-Monster via LAist's flickr pool. KAYAKING + LA River: Supporters are welcome to watch a group of fearless kayakers navigate the LA River – from the Valley to Long Beach. At 3 pm today, there’s a kick-off ceremony/"launch" at the LA River Headwaters on the overpass @ Owensmouth in Canoga Park. The kayakers will demonstrate to developers and......

A father and son kayak in the LA River in August, 2007, in Sherman Oaks (story and photos here) | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist This afternoon in Canoga Park, 12 kayakers are going to begin a 51-mile, three-day journey down the LA River to Long Beach. They have no permit to enter the river, but that's part of the point. The Army Corps of Engineers caused a stir in the community last month when......

The political battle to keep the Los Angeles River officially a river after is heating up. Earlier this month, the U.S. Army Corps issued a finding stating that only two small portions of the Los Angeles River constitute as "traditional navigable waters" under the Clean Water Act. If the decision is allowed to stand, "it would greatly undermine federal protections both for the LA River and the ephemeral streams and tributaries that feed into it,"......

On the heels of the annual Great LA River CleanUp comes another large do-gooding river activity tomorrow morning. 2,000 people from Heal the Bay, the NAACP, PAVA and ANAHUAK will be cleaning the Glendale Narrows section of the LA River along with Councilman Eric Garcetti and other neighborhood and organization leaders. "The L.A. River is something we all have in common. Only if all communities work together will we be able to restore and revitalize......

Kayaking the LA River in Sherman Oaks (more photos here) | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has found the Los Angeles River unnavigable, therefore it is not a river. Critics say it will weaken rules that protect the watershed under the Clean Water Act. "They believe the ripple effect of the decision will make is easier to develop large areas of the Santa Susana, Santa Monica and San Gabriel......

Can you re-imagine the LA Riverfront? Then checkout tonight's lecture at SCI-Arc. / Photo by Lush.i.ous via LAist's flickr pool. FILM* A classic Japanese double feature plays at the New Beverly tonight and tomorrow. While these films were made more than 50 years ago, the themes are timeless: Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice (1952) focuses on a housewife who’s sick and tired of her boring life with her business-minded husband as her niece......

To have a continuous bike path along the LA River, it must pass next to Universal Studios. The maroon line marks the disputed path. Back in an October 2006 interview with the mysterious LA City Nerd, we asked a question of hope: when can we realistically bike commute via the LA River Trail from the Valley to Downtown LA? The nerd was not optimistic saying that "the LA River trail may never connect completely......

People gripe about the rain and its effects, especially on traffic. It's easy to forget that we're living desert-adjacent; being a part-time Hi-Desert dweller, I'm grateful for every inch of rain we get, especially after the devastating fires of 2006. Along with nourishing our parched land and turning that empty concrete wash into an actual "LA River", the rain brings an abundance of wildflowers, transforming the desert floor into a multicolored carpet for miles. Peak......

The LA River in all its glory. DEBATE WATCHING Now with John Edwards out of the picture, Hillary and Barack only have eyes and one-liners for each other. Watch them duke it out during the Democratic candidates debate tonight with friends and bloggers in the comfort of CineSpace (because really, you don’t want to be anywhere near Hollywood and Highland). RSVP at RSVP@gatherinc.com. Doors open at 4:30 pm // CineSpace // 6356 Hollywood Blvd., Los......

photo of the 2003 Pasadena Freeway bike ride by Virginia Renner Occidental Professor Robert Gottlieb's latest book -- Reinventing Los Angeles: Nature and Community in the Global City -- is going to be awfully tempting to Angelenos who care about urban planning, the environment and social change. Get a taste when he reads today at Dutton's at 2pm -- and then ask the store to order a copy for you. In his book, Gottlieb......

Tomorrow is the first day California residents can apply for an absentee ballot - the 29th is the last day to submit a request. (Click here for the online absentee application). The first wave of Stormwatch 2008 has largely faded into nothingness today as sun peeked through clouds and puddles began to dry. But another storm of equal or lesser value could follow soon. Downtown received about 5.3 inches, well above its total last......

Close, but not close enough: a 3.9 earthquake hit Baja California today at 1:50 p.m. Now that we think of it, getting yourself prepared for a major earthquake is a great New Year's resolution! Those rodes are slick, stay safe! This morning's crash on the 5 near the 170 left one dead and three others injured. Who loves the politics of hair? Pam Spaulding at Pandagon writes that Essense Magazine's Top Ten Celeb Hair......

The LA Times reports that copper thieves have been stealing the wire from streetlights in areas across the city where they think they can get away with it. Scratch that, where they can get away with it. The bikepath along the LA River was such a target that the City of LA's Department of Public Works welded the boxes at the base of the streetlights shut. Didn't work. The copper thefts continued. At at......

As winds died down Sunday, firefighters gained the upper hand on the Malibu blaze that burned at least 49 homes and sent thousands fleeing. It is now 70% contained and officials expect full containment by Tuesday. The damage could run close to $100 million. Firefighters rescued a father and his 4-year-old son in a Sun Valley home that burned down this morning. The father got his wife and daughter out of the house, but,......

The wonderful folks over at Arthur Magazine not only organized, but documented the wondrous No Age LA River show Saturday (perhaps you saw the LAist photo essay concert review). This finely edited three-part documentary was conducted by Mark Frohman, Art Director of Arthur Magazine. The videos surfaced merely 24-hours after the show! I'd like to thank Jay Babcock for sending us these links. Parts 1 & 3 after the jump.........

What could have been a humdrum Saturday afternoon turned out to be the most memorable I've had this entire year. No Age and a lucky crowd of about 75 broke history. Actually, I'm not even sure if we broke history. However, I am certain that no other band has had the gall to execute a renegade show of this particular nature before. This is what happens when you combine an Arthur Magazine editor-type guy,......

" "Just because you've rolled horse manure in powdered sugar doesn't mean you have a doughnut": people aren't very happy with the Farm Bill, and yet the Senate still seems set on passing a totally inadequate "reformed" bill that continues to subsidize Big Agriculture at the expense of our nation's health. City officials are "identifying" Muslim communities across the city -- but it's not profiling, it's "community engagement"!! Those kooky kids at City Hall!......

Last December, I embarked on a mission to find a solution to a problem in my immediate neighborhood. Trying to cross Moorpark St. on foot (or left turns in a car) during rush hour is a nightmare. There is just too much constant flow and you really have to have a brave moment to cross at the unmarked crosswalk because as we all know, there is about .001% of drivers in the city who......

You remember this famous exchange from The Graduate? Mr. McGuire: I just want to say one word to you - just one word. Ben: Yes sir. Mr. McGuire: Are you listening? Ben: Yes I am. Mr. McGuire: 'Plastics.' Ben: Exactly how do you mean? Mr. McGuire: There's a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it? Ben: Yes I will. Yes, there was certainly a future in plastics -- but it......

The LA Times is reporting today that the city has a near $77.5 million unspent in Quimby fees that it has been collected from developers for park space and improvements. The fees, from the California 1975 Quimby Act (not that quimby folks), require developers to help mitigate the impacts of property improvements and new development by paying a fee that goes into a city parks department fund or set aside land on the development.The......

A woman saved a man's life after spotting 79-year-old Blain Hudson lying on a hill near train tracks in Lancaster. The man had been missing for two days and, authority's said, would not have been discovered if it wasn't for the woman. A Wilshire Blvd. Episcopal church completed a 75-year stained glass window project detailing the history of Los Angeles. The project features images of Cesar Chavez, freeways, traffic and other historically relevant panes.......

Don't forget to enter our Arcade Fire ticket giveaway contest for their Thursday appearance at the Hollywood Bowl. Lobster Festival in San Pedro continues through tomorrow, as well as WIRED Magazine's NextFest at the convention center. Immigrant experience, community and the "delirious noble dream." LAist Editor-At-Large Carolyn Kellogg reviews 'The Last Chicken in America: A Novel in Stories' by Ellen Litman for the LA Times. Long Beach is the first to begin mandatory water......

Don't forget to enter our Labor Day Weekend Contest with the prize to see AIR at the Greek Amphitheater later this month. Recent major events for the Los Angeles Fire Department include a fire last night in North Hills contained to a 12 x 12 foot room where a twenty-something male in serious condition with smoke inhalation and an air ambulance rescue for a two-year-old boy who fell from a pony, dragging him near......