This map, found on page 82 of the plan, shows some of the project areas Today, the Mayor and the four councilmembers who represent the South LA region will be presenting a 96-page common agenda called the South Los Angeles Initiatives (.pdf). They are "intended to facilitate the eventual completion of targeted economic development projects in the area," a brief press release states. "The strategic plan defines, sets targets for, and measures the progress......

After a 9:00 a.m. press conference on a five-year strategic plan to improve South LA socioeconomic conditions, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is hitting the campaign trail for the day in Texas. No, it's not for Obama, it's for his own re-election campaign for the ballot in 2009. Villaraigosa raised $1.64 million in the first half the year (tomorrow he will file third quarter results) and the candidate with the second highest amount raised--Walter Moore--is still well......

Fans arrive outside Wrigley Field before the National League divisional series baseball game between the LA Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs this afternoon in Chicago (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) So, get this. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley just made a friendly fun bet. If the Dodgers win the playoff series against the Chicago Cubs (the first game is going on right now), Chicago will hand over their 2016 Olympic bid that......

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa speaks at news conference where he unveiled his new housing plan (AP Photo/Nick Ut) Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced today an ambitious $5 billion plan, called Housing that Works, to build 20,000 affordable units. “This City’s economic success and vitality depend on our ability to plan for a future of sustainability and stability in our housing market,” Villaraigosa said. “This plan lays the building blocks of housing our middle class......

The House rejected the bailout plan earlier today sending stocks down and worrying people across the nation. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is not happy with the idea of bailing out the "failed lenders and investors," is not satisfied with congress doing nothing. He tells Congress to get back to work in a statement released this afternoon. While it's obvious Congress still has a lot of work to do, Villaraigosa's statement emphasizes how all of this......

Today at 2:00 p.m., Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will unveil a 5-year, $5 billion plan to double affordable housing units built in the city and will be announcing a $700 million housing investment from the Enterprise Community Partners. The plan called Housing That Works will "promote mixed-income housing, invest in new neighborhoods along public transit corridors, provide relief to families facing foreclosure and shift LA’s strategy from managing homelessness to moving people out of it." The......

Water Moore, who is up against Antonio Villaraigosa for Mayor in the March 3 election has made a big announcement today. He says he's raised over $150,000 which qualifies him for the city's Public Matching Funds Program that begins in November. As of June 30, Moore had raised $113,734.90, still significantly less than Mayor Villaraigosa who claimed $1.6 million in contributions. The latest numbers will be posted after October 10, which marks the end of......

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa quickly replaced appointees to the Metrolink board after the Sept. 12 crash that killed 25 people. At tomorrow's Metro Board meeting (where they will also be discussing late-night subway service), he'll be introducing motions to "add a second engineer to each locomotive cab, install video cameras and digital video recorders in the cab, implement 'automatic train stop' technology as an interim solution while positive train control is being developed, and establish an......

A conceptual site illustration of the land east of downtown Attracting business to (or keeping it within) Los Angeles is a good thing for the economy. Having them be green is hip and great for the future. So that's why the Community Redevelopment Agency of the city claimed one million square feet of downtown industrial land for green research, development and industrial manufacturing at the new Los Angles Clean Technology Manufacturing Center that was......

Not only will there tens of thousands of volunteers participating in Heal The Bay's Coastal Cleanup Day tomorrow morning, but thousands more will be tree planting, painting our graffiti, taking a workshop and picking up trash at 40 or so sites around South LA for the Mayor's Day of Service. These city volunteer events take place about every two months in different parts of the city. If you remember last month, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa visited......

Update: The death toll is now 25.Yesterday's horrific train crash claimed 24 lives, authorities confirmed this afternoon. That number is expected to rise as bodies of some victims have yet to be recovered from the twisted remnants of the first car of the Metrolink commuter train. "There is zero chance anyone survived being crushed by a locomotive,'' said Metrolink spokesperson Denise Tyrell. "I wish I could say there was...." There was no official update on......

Mayor Villaraigosa released this statement late this morning while ordering all flags in the city to be lowered for the second time in three days: "Less than 24 hours after the crash, our number one priority remains rescuing victims, caring for the injured and connecting with the families still missing their loved ones. Our brave firefighters and police officers will work tirelessly until every person is found. Today, the thoughts and prayers of the people......

During a live press conference around 11:08 p.m. tonight, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa updated the injury count saying some 135 people were injured at this afternoon's Metrolink/Freight Train crash in Chatsworth. An estimated 222 people were on board with around 20 fatalities suspected. Update, 12:50 a.m.: 45 people were critically injured, according to KNBC.......

Marking the seventh anniversary of 9/11, Mayor Villaraigosa ordered all city flags lowered to half staff today. During a ceremony early this morning, he issued this statement: "In the shadow of the twin towers, 9/11 will forever stand tall as the mark of America at its most devastated and yet at its most resilient. "We saw heroism then in every firefighter who ascended into unknown danger and every police officer, paramedic and volunteer who dug......

Tomorrow the National Fair Housing Commission will hold a hearing on the foreclosure crisis here in LA. LA Weekly taps into the story wondering what it means for Mayor Villaraigosa. From the press release for the hearing: "Forty years after the enactment of the Fair Housing Act in 1968, significant housing discrimination still exists in Los Angeles and across the country... Los Angeles is among the hardest hit cities in the current foreclosure crisis, and......

Bob Hertzberg ran for Mayor of Los Angeles in 2005. The former California Assembly Speaker and adviser to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger lost and moved on away from politics to working on solar power in Wales where the Guardian newspaper named him one of the "50 people who could save the planet." In a way, Hertzberg is like Los Angeles' version of Al Gore. The guy who almost made it but is now well known......

On Saturday morning, hundreds of Northeast LA residents marched for Peace in the Northeast. Crime, drugs and gangs have all been spotlighted in the community this past year and it was time to take back the streets. "It was amazing to see the people who came out and to have hundreds of folks standing for peace in their own community," explained Councilman Eric Garcetti, who represents part of the region, over the phone on Monday.......

It's amazing that it's so hard to allow the people of Los Angeles County to choose their own fate when it comes to taxes and public transportation. Two locally elected bodies have already given the go ahead (albeit a fight with one of them) to put a measure on November's ballot that will ask us residents if the sales tax should be kicked up a half-penny to raise $30 to $40 billion worth of......

County Supervisor Michael Antonovich responded early this evening to Mayor Villaraigosa's letter from yesterday that urged a reverse vote to put a sales tax increase for transit funding on the November ballot. The increase could raise $30 to $40 billion for the county in 30 years, all dedicated to transit, but mostly public transit (and it could still make the ballot if state politicians pass a bill allowing voters to authorize a tax, albeit......

Photo by Ensie via Flickr The LA County Board of Supervisors voted not to put Metro's proposed half-cent sales tax increase that would raise $30 to $40 billion towards mostly public transit projects on the ballot in November. It could still be voted on, just via a separate (and confusing) ballot process (as Steve Hymon notes, remember Super Tuesday's "double bubble" trouble?). And it would cost millions. "Either the taxpayers will be stuck with......

That's what the Sacramento Bee is asking today after a private poll came out showing that the U.S. Senator would beat Governor contender Attorney General Jerry Brown by 26%. In other polls, Brown is shown beating San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, LA Mayor Villaraigosa and Lt. Gov. John Garamendi. "If she does get in, it's over, at least on the Democratic side. Everybody, and I mean everybody, else steps out," former San Francisco Mayor Willie......

Lt. Gov. John Garamendi announced today that he is running for governor in 2010, according to the Sacramento Bee, who lists his more than three decade career. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has already announced his interest in running as well as Attorney General Jerry Brown. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was rumored to have his eyes set on running for Governor, but so far, all signs point towards him re-running for Mayor.......

Air Traffic Controller Stuart Smith adjusts a runway traffic monitor from the tower at Los Angeles International Airport, in Los Angeles | AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File Acting Mayor Wendy Greuel (Mayor Villaraigosa is on vacation in London) spoke to the press at 1:50 p.m. today updating what was happening within the city limits of Los Angeles after this morning's earthquake. At the same time, the LA Fire Department reported, in an e-mail alert,......

Photo by crichton91 via Flickr Last night, gay friendly Laguna Beach became one of the first cities in California to officially oppose Proposition 8, which will appear on November's election ballot and asks voters to ban same-sex marriage in the state. Bob Gentry, the city's former mayor and a previous councilman was one of the first openly gay mayors in the country. "I mean this is just who we are," said Councilmember Elizabeth Pearson.......

The LA Times profiles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's relationship with the black community leading off with his rallying support and work with presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama. "The mayor's ascension as an Obama pitchman, while intriguing because of Villaraigosa's support of rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton during the Democratic primary, is a move that promises to work to the political advantage of both men." Even with that, the results still seem very mixed.......

Mayor Villaraigosa speaks at a press conference with Councilman Bill Rosendahl and LADOT General Manager behind him | Photo by Tyrone D. Washington, Mayor's Office Have you seen these signs attached to signal poles around the city? It's part of the city's synchronized traffic light system and today, the latest one, the $6.9 million Westchester/LAX Signal Sync System, was put into operation. “Today, we are giving commuters here on the Westside the green light,”......

Photo by Tom Andrews/LAist via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr It's always interesting to see public officials speak on the same subject and then put their words back to back. Last week LA Weekly published an article by David Ferrell taking aim at Villaraigosa's garbage tax. At issue, the garbage tax that sold to the public was on the premise that it was purely going to building the LAPD's force. That ended up not......

Submitted and authored by Michael Zampelli The Los Angeles Derby Dolls hosted their own contribution to the Mayor's Day of Service with a banked-track skating demonstration for inner-city kids, seminars on self-improvement, a neighborhood clean-up, Thi Chi classes, Yoga, Self Defense instruction and even a hazardous materials disposal unit and oil recycling center. Mayor Villaraigosa and Los Angeles Laker Jordan Farmar along with other local celebrities arrived in the morning to address the crowd and......

The Mayor has been running these CommUNITY Days of Service since he got into office. Basically, a region is chosen and thousands of volunteers pour into that sector of the city to clean and beautify the neighborhoods. From tree plantings to picking up litter to free community workshops, there's lots going on. Tomorrow's area is in what the Mayor calls the "Heart of the City," aka Koreatown, Thai Town, Historic Filipinotown, MacArthur Park, Hollywood,......

Watch out Mayor Villaraigosa. After yesterday's rumors about Ashley Alexandra Dupre setting her sights on MTV reality TV fame, the New York Post found the high-class hooker who serviced former Governor Eliot Spitzer at the Jersey Shore. While she only offered a "coy giggle" and a "no comment" when asked about reality show plans, her mom said, "You'll have to follow her out to LA." (Originally reported on Gothamist)......