Lametro

A widely anticipated federal trial over the constitutionality of California's ban on same-sex marriage opened Monday, with lawyers and witnesses debating the meaning of marriage and sexual orientation and gay and lesbian couples testifying about the humiliation of being denied matrimony. While supporters of same-sex marriage demonstrated in the fog outside the San Francisco courthouse and the U.S. Supreme Court wrangled with whether to allow video coverage of the trial, the case moved along briskly, with sometimes tearful testimony from the two same-sex couples who brought the lawsuit and an explanation of the roots of marriage by a Harvard historian.

This week's predawn earthquake in Pico Rivera woke up people around Southern California, but the magnitude 4.4 temblor didn't cause major damage. But scientists said the quake should serve as a warning about a fault that runs through a large swath of densely populated Los Angeles County and is capable of producing a devastating, magnitude 7.5 quake. The Puente Hills thrust fault is less well-known than other faults such as the San Andreas and Newport-Inglewood. But there is growing scientific evidence that it is particularly dangerous.

This week's predawn earthquake in Pico Rivera woke up people around Southern California, but the magnitude 4.4 temblor didn't cause major damage. But scientists said the quake should serve as a warning about a fault that runs through a large swath of densely populated Los Angeles County and is capable of producing a devastating, magnitude 7.5 quake. The Puente Hills thrust fault is less well-known than other faults such as the San Andreas and Newport-Inglewood. But there is growing scientific evidence that it is particularly dangerous.

A predawn earthquake sent a sharp jolt across the Los Angeles area Tuesday, but the magnitude 4.4 temblor was barely strong enough to knock items off shelves. It was, however, sharp enough to frazzle residents, many of whom felt a "strong bang." The epicenter was 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles in Pico Rivera, and the quake was felt as far away as San Diego and Ventura County. Los Angeles County fire official Ed Pickett, who was in East Los Angeles, said the jolt at 4:04 a.m. felt "like the building dropped."

The first time Jacquelyn Carr decided to take a bus in Los Angeles, she felt as if she were navigating a new world. As she arrived at the bus stop at Wilshire Boulevard and Barrington Avenue, the 26-year-old wondered if she was on the right side of the street. She could not help but fixate on what her friends would think if they saw her. She grabbed a seat on the bus and immediately noticed the garish multicolored upholstery of the seats. She couldn't help but wonder what fabric they used.

State Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown said Friday that he is investigating an alleged scam that forced more than 30 African American churches in Southern California to pay thousands of dollars for substandard computer equipment that was supposed to be free. The computer kiosks were pitched as high-tech devices that could serve as electronic message boards, print retail coupons from local businesses and generate advertising revenue, Brown said at a news conference attended by several clergy whose churches were targeted.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced Thursday the creation of a city anti-gang academy to train and license intervention workers. The crucial component of L.A.'s anti-gang strategy was delayed for months because of conflicting visions for the school. The academy will be run by the Advancement Project, a legal advocacy, civil rights and public policy group, and funded in its inaugural year with $200,000 in federal grants. The city-sponsored academy will train all anti-gang workers involved with Villaraigosa's Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development, which oversees $20 million in annual intervention and prevention contracts.

The 6-year-old boy was known for playing in the driveway of his Azusa home, where behind a tall, ornate fence it seemed nothing could bring him harm. "That's all he ever did," said his father, Jesus Valencia. "Play and play, inside and outside." On Friday, as Jessie Valencia chased around a remote-control car, his mother, who stood nearby, was startled by what she thought was an explosion at 3:47 p.m. A patrol officer driving a few hundred feet away at Azusa Avenue and Roland Street knew immediately what that explosive sound was: a gunshot.

Carson's mayor has a tool that almost any politician would love to have: a mute button. If someone talks too much at a City Council meeting, with a flick of the finger, the microphone goes dead. But after receiving a complaint that Mayor Jim Dear was shutting people down because he didn't like what they were saying, rather than waiting until they had used up their allotted three minutes of free speech time, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office is looking into whether he has violated the state's open meetings law. "It's a very unique complaint," said David Demerjian, who heads the district attorney's Public Integrity Division.

My grandmother never liked my name. Her eldest son, my father, had given me his name, though everyone knew that was taboo in Chinese tradition. So my grandmother insisted on calling me by the name she had given me: Lin Da. Last name first, in the Chinese way. Loudly, in her way. I called her Ah-Ma -- Taiwanese for grandma. When I didn't understand what she was saying, which was often, she would utter a few sentences in Taiwanese that I knew from years of repetition: "Why don't you understand Taiwanese?

Los Angeles Times editorial writer Robert Greene has been awarded this year's Walker Stone Award for "outstanding achievement in editorial writing," the Scripps Howard Foundation announced Friday. The award is one of several accolades presented by the foundation each year to honor "the best work in the communications industry and journalism education." Greene received the award for editorials he wrote in 2009. "I was very excited and I felt honored and humbled," Greene said after learning of the honor.

A convicted drug dealer who allegedly helped a "bling ring" sell off luxury items stolen from the homes of young celebrities, including Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, pleaded no contest Friday to several felonies, authorities said. Jonathan Ajar, known as "Johnny Dangerous," was the fence for the items stolen in at least 10 burglaries that also targeted the residences of Rachel Bilson, Orlando Bloom, Brian Austin Green, Megan Fox, Audrina Patridge and Ashley Tisdale, authorities said.

My grandmother never liked my name. Her eldest son, my father, had given me his name, though everyone knew that was taboo in Chinese tradition. So my grandmother insisted on calling me by the name she had given me: Lin Da. Last name first, in the Chinese way. Loudly, in her way. I called her Ah-Ma -- Taiwanese for grandma. When I didn't understand what she was saying, which was often, she would utter a few sentences in Taiwanese that I knew from years of repetition: "Why don't you understand Taiwanese?

A consultant who allegedly misappropriated millions of federal taxpayer dollars meant to fund programs to empower and provide jobs for low-income residents in housing projects throughout the city has been ordered to pay $1.9 million in a civil case. Dwayne E. Williams is accused of defrauding the agency in concert with top executives by improperly obtaining contracts and billing for services that his company never provided, according to the suit filed by the Housing Authority of the city of Los Angeles.

The first time Jacquelyn Carr decided to take a bus in Los Angeles, she felt as if she were navigating a new world. As she arrived at the bus stop at Wilshire Boulevard and Barrington Avenue, the 26-year-old wondered if she was on the right side of the street. She could not help but fixate on what her friends would think if they saw her. She grabbed a seat on the bus and immediately noticed the garish multicolored upholstery of the seats. She couldn't help but wonder what fabric they used.

George Laguerre was supposed to fly to Haiti on Friday. The charismatic owner of Echo Park's popular Tigeorges' Chicken restaurant had plans to visit the beleaguered nation to see his family and deliver aid through a nonprofit group he heads. Instead Laguerre spent the morning cleaning up damage from an electrical fire that tore through the roof of his restaurant Wednesday night. Nobody was injured in the blaze, and the fire did little damage to the inside of the restaurant.

Twelve years ago, the idea of a giant mudslide barreling down the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena was considered only a distant possibility. Nevertheless, the Devil's Gate Dam underwent a major enhancement that took two years to complete and enabled one of the oldest dams in Los Angeles County to withstand a potential massive debris flow. At the time, engineers thought the improvements might be overkill because conditions would never be extreme enough to test the dam's strength, at least not in their lifetimes.

George Laguerre was supposed to fly to Haiti on Friday. The charismatic owner of Echo Park's popular Tigeorges' Chicken restaurant had plans to visit the beleaguered nation to see his family and deliver aid through a nonprofit group he heads. Instead Laguerre spent the morning cleaning up damage from an electrical fire that tore through the roof of his restaurant Wednesday night. Nobody was injured in the blaze, and the fire did little damage to the inside of the restaurant.

Carson's mayor has a tool that almost any politician would love to have: a mute button. If someone talks too much at a City Council meeting, with a flick of the finger, the microphone goes dead. But after receiving a complaint that Mayor Jim Dear was shutting people down because he didn't like what they were saying, rather than waiting until they had used up their allotted three minutes of free speech time, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office is looking into whether he has violated the state's open meetings law. "It's a very unique complaint," said David Demerjian, who heads the district attorney's Public Integrity Division.

An unexpectedly powerful rainstorm unleashed a torrent of mud that inundated more than 40 houses Saturday, leaving La Cañada Flintridge's northernmost neighborhood awash in boulders, dented cars and broken homes. The force of the mudflow appeared to catch residents and officials off guard, as the forecast initially called for a light to moderate rainstorm. No evacuations had been ordered Thursday or Friday, when the rain began to fall. But before dawn on Saturday, an intense band of rain cells formed over the mountains burned in the massive Station fire.