Santa Monica

There's an unflashy clarity to the documentary "Bill W. " that suits its subject. William G. Wilson, the "stinking rotten drunk" who had an epiphany and co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935, was a Vermont Yankee whose life's work was predicated on humility and service. Today's celebrity rehab news cycle would likely displease him; a true believer in the value of anonymity, he turned down an honorary degree from Yale and a cover story in Time (which later placed him in the top 20 "Heroes and Icons" of the 20th century)

In the end, the mountain lion was probably looking for a place to call his own. Scientists believe the male mountain lion roamed his way down the Santa Monica Mountains early Tuesday, likely following a runoff channel. When daylight broke, he found himself in the middle of the city and scared. The lion was 3, and experts said that was the age to carve out his own territory. "These young guys are looking for a home of their own," said Jeff Sikich, a biologist with the National Park Service.

A suspect has been detained in the fatal shooting of a Metro bus driver Sunday morning in West Hollywood, authorities said. Shortly after 9 a.m. the 51-year old bus driver on Route 105 was leaving an MTA layover area near the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and West Knoll Drive when the shooting occurred, said MTA spokesman Rick Jager. The driver was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and died at 9:30 a.m. The name of the driver, a five-year veteran of the agency, has not been released.

STAGE Long before "Sideways" was a hit Alexander Payne movie, it was an adored novel by Rex Pickett. Now it gets a stage treatment in this adaptation of the story of two guys cruising through wine country as they confront the rest of their adulthood. Ruskin Group Theatre, 3000 Airport Ave., Santa Monica. Fri.-July 8. $25. ruskingrouptheatre.com.

Start the New Year with a preview of what's ahead at Psychic Reading Jamboree , a celebration of psychic skills, where you can get 20-minute readings on the topic of your choice, including past lives, career, love, money and more. Readers use a variety of techniques to answer your questions. Southern California Psychic Institute, 1737 21st St., Santa Monica. 1 to 4 p.m. Sat. $10 per reading or $25 for three readings. (310) 587-3536. www.socalpi.org.

Plenty of restaurants have been advertising their efforts to offer healthful choices, and it's possible to eat carefully just about anywhere. But researchers say nearly all the entrees they reviewed at 245 U.S. chains fail to meet federal guidelines. Think about it, and you can figure out some likely culprits: burgers with cheese, bacon and sauce; pastas with four cheeses and sausages; outsize servings of meat; salads covered in fatty, salty dressings. For a study published online in the journal Public Health Nutrition, researchers looked at the nutritional content of 30,923 menu items, including those from children's menus, from 245 brands of restaurants.

Compared with most of the region's white-collar office market, the less corporate environs of Santa Monica and Venice are looking sharp. Technology and entertainment companies that long ago mastered the knack of making money without dressing up are now paying top dollar to rent space in some of Southern California's most desirable neighborhoods. The office vacancy rate in downtown Santa Monica is a mere 4%, a fraction of the county average, said real estate broker Craig Kish of Jones Lang LaSalle.

With its stately colonnade and sweeping staircases, the three-story U-shaped beach mansion in Santa Monica exuded grandeur. Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst lived there in grand style with his mistress, silent-film star Marion Davies, and in the 1920s and '30s they entertained such bright lights as Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, Cary Grant and Gloria Swanson.

Writer Colleen Dunn Bates, a friendly Pasadena woman nearing 50, thought she had a good idea: to put together an upscale guidebook about her city -- a kind of travel book for people who live there. And given the intensely local focus of the project, rather than dealing with a big New York publisher, she decided to publish it herself, producing it out of her den and delivering it to stores from the back of her car.

His girlfriend once compared his face to a shipwreck. It was easy to see why: He was square of jaw and true of heart, with a single eye, a jutting chin and a corncob pipe jammed between toothless gums. But the spinach-fueled seafarer called Popeye the Sailor sailed off a Santa Monica cartoonist's drawing board and into world fame.

No one is exactly sure how a mountain lion roamed into the heart of Santa Monica on Tuesday morning, coming face to face with the janitor of an office complex not far from the city's bustling shopping district. But it turned out to be an unwelcome visitor - and that generated much debate in the city. With news choppers circling overhead, Santa Monica police managed to corner the 3-year-old lion in the courtyard of the complex. Police said they made several attempts to contain what they described as an aggressive feline using tranquilizing darts, nonlethal bullets and a fire hose.

Four carwash workers filed suit Monday claiming that a family of carwash owners routinely withheld pay for overtime and denied them breaks during the summer. The lawsuit is one of a series filed on behalf of carwash workers since 2008 in an attempt by unions and immigrant advocates to improve conditions in an industry in which competition is fierce, profit margins are low and workers are often undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Central America. A Times report on the industry found it rife with nonpayment of overtime, false pay records and other abuses.

Never, perhaps, was there a more fitting program for Jacaranda's motto “music at the edge” than the one served up Sunday evening: two rare works by two iconoclastic Pacific Rim composers, performed almost literally on the Rim itself at Santa Monica's First Presbyterian Church during a solar eclipse. Terry Riley's ground-breaking exercise in repetition “In C” is world-famous, but hardly anyone has ever heard its followup, “Olson III” -  which, incredibly, was receiving its large-scale U.S. premiere.

The words "government efficiency" may seem like an oxymoron, but not in the case of the new Santa Monica Mountains interagency visitor center, set to open June 9 at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas. The new headquarters for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area will also house the various agencies, all in one place, that manage the sprawling mountain range. Now that's efficient. Hikers, riders, campers and other outdoor lovers of the Santa Monica Mountains will have a bigger and better visitor center smack dab in the middle of the mountains and closer to some of the Santa Monicas' prime recreation spots.

A suspect has been detained in the fatal shooting of a Metro bus driver Sunday morning in West Hollywood, authorities said. Shortly after 9 a.m. the 51-year old bus driver on Route 105 was leaving an MTA layover area near the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and West Knoll Drive when the shooting occurred, said MTA spokesman Rick Jager. The driver was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and died at 9:30 a.m. The name of the driver, a five-year veteran of the agency, has not been released.

There's an unflashy clarity to the documentary "Bill W. " that suits its subject. William G. Wilson, the "stinking rotten drunk" who had an epiphany and co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935, was a Vermont Yankee whose life's work was predicated on humility and service. Today's celebrity rehab news cycle would likely displease him; a true believer in the value of anonymity, he turned down an honorary degree from Yale and a cover story in Time (which later placed him in the top 20 "Heroes and Icons" of the 20th century)

It may be picturesque, but this upscale village of red-tile roofs and stunning seascapes is sending a huge number of lost souls to the county morgue. Bodies show up on the beach, in parks, along railroad tracks and in the heart of the business district, steps from four-star restaurants and boutique hotels. Sometimes it's murder. Usually it's a case of used-up bodies giving out under the swaying palms. "We just had another one," Santa Barbara County social worker Ken Williams told me Thursday morning.

Address: 2017 Pearl St., Santa Monica 90405 Listed for: $989,000 Size: Two bedrooms and one bathrooms in 1,074 square feet Lot size: 0.14 acres Features: Built in 1941, the redone single-family house has hardwood floors, copper plumbing and an upgraded kitchen with granite counters. MLS ID: 22151091 Address: 3043 Linda Lane, Santa Monica 90405 Listed for: $899,900 Size: Three bedrooms and two bathrooms in 1,742 square feet Lot size: 0.12 acres Features: The traditional-style house, built in 1956, sits on a corner lot. The single-story home has a fireplace and hardwood floors.

Dear SOS: I just made the kale gratin from last week's edition, and it was luscious. Thanks. My 6-year-old daughter eats like a bird but absolutely loves the brisket from La Sandia at Santa Monica Place. It is one of the only meals she asks for. We actually splurge on the non-kid menu entree for her whenever we go there. I would like to replicate it as best I can at home. Can you please get the recipe? Thanks very much. Jill Donaty Encino Dear Jill: It's a perfect dish if you're entertaining.

Imagine a well-appointed table on a stone balcony overlooking Italy's storied Lake Como. Red wine, white roses, Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford, perhaps a drop-in from Brad and Angelina — it's a possible scenario for Oscar-winner George Clooney, who will celebrate his 51st birthday Sunday and has a home there. Those Angelenos not invited to Italy can still enjoy a meal themed for the date, however, at Santa Monica's Locanda del Lago, which specializes in Italian cuisine. For the second year in a row (the 50th birthday was a big deal)