Southern California

In Southern California -- where the posting of wait times has yet to be adopted -- wait times are even longer than they are nationally. An unpublished survey of Los Angeles County hospitals by the Hospital Assn. of Southern California found that wait times for non-emergency patients averages seven hours. At county facilities, the wait time is 12 hours, said association spokesman Jim Lott, noting that those statistics aren't exactly something most hospitals want to brag about. One area hospital, San Gabriel Valley Medical Center, launched a billboard campaign last year promising no more than 30-minute waits.

Southern California includes San Diego. Reader Wayne Jacobs wanted to make that point to The Times, which he feels uses the term to refer only to the Los Angeles area. “You regularly refer to the five counties of Southern California (Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino),” wrote Jacobs, who called himself a loyal subscriber from San Diego. “Where do you think San Diego and Imperial counties are? “Southern California is a geographic term. The northern boundary of it is a matter of judgment.

In the absence of statewide regulations for hydraulic fracturing, Southern California air-quality officials have enacted their own reporting rules for the controversial extraction process driving the country's oil and gas boom. On Friday, the governing board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District adopted a rule that requires oil companies to notify the air agency 10 days to 24 hours before beginning drilling operations, including "fracking," which involves injecting large volumes of chemical-laced water and sand deep into the ground to break apart rock and release oil. That notice, including the location of the well, will then be posted on the agency's website . Under the new rule, companies are also required to disclose all the chemicals they use, a provision that sparked opposition from oil industry trade groups and Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil field service companies and a pioneer of hydraulic fracturing.

Well, it's official now: Southern California stinks. This, of course, qualifies as old news to Americans of the Republican persuasion, and to residents of Northern California, San Franciscans in particular. (Who says bipartisanship is dead in America?!) But it comes as somewhat of a rude awakening to those of us who live in what we modestly like to call “heaven on Earth.” The trouble started Monday when residents from Ventura County to Palm Springs reported a foul stench.

Just in time for your summer vacation, the Los Angeles Times unveils two new digital projects, each designed to help locals and visitors alike get the best of Southern California. “SoCal Close-ups: Your Vacation Guide,” an e-book for Kindle, Nook and iPad (via the iBookstore) by Christopher Reynolds, is available for $4.99 starting Wednesday (today). You can find details at www.latimes.com/bookstore . It includes about 40,000 words of expert advice on exploring, eating and sleeping in Los Angeles and Orange counties, all from Los Angeles Times writer Christopher Reynolds, who has sampled more than 300 hotels, museums, parks, piers, trails, restaurants, bars and shops.

Thomas V. McKernan, chief executive of the Automobile Club of Southern California, has retired after serving 46 years with the organization, including 21 in the top post. He was succeeded by Robert Bouttier, who previously was the club's president and chief operating officer. McKernan started out as a customer service representative in the Pasadena branch in 1966 and worked his way up the corporate ladder, serving as a computer programmer and chief financial officer before his appointment as CEO in 1991.

Imitation may be flattering, but not to Clay Harding, owner of a popular craft beer bar and restaurant in Alhambra called 38 Degrees Ale House & Grill. Harding recently learned that a new pub had opened in Carlsbad with the 38 Degrees name -- and he's not happy about it, reports the blog thefullpint.com . "I will be making some phone calls, and seeing what I can do to protect my property," Harding told the blog. "I have and will always support those who spread the word, educate, brew and sell real, live craft beers," Harding said.

With the field in the Los Angeles mayor's race now whittled down to two, more state legislators from Southern California are taking sides. Councilman Eric Garcetti announced a trio of endorsements Monday from state Sens. Kevin De Leon (D-Los Angeles) and Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) as well as former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. “These three legislative leaders will be powerful voices in this election and will help me build support in neighborhoods throughout our city," Garcetti said in a statement.

Strong winds are expected tonight through Monday across much of Southern California, picking up again through the week, according to forecasters. A low pressure system from the Gulf of Alaska is expected to move inland across Northern California and throughout the Basin on Monday, according to meteorologists with the National Weather Service. A high wind warning will remain in effect from 6 p.m. Sunday until 9 p.m. Monday. Gusts could reach up to 70 mph. Strong offshore winds are expected to develop again late Monday night and continue through Wednesday in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, according to forecasters.

No immediate damage was reported Wednesday after a magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck about two miles from Yorba Linda, authorities said. The quake, which hit at 1:31 p.m., was felt in Laguna Beach, Riverside and parts of Los Angeles, according to U.S. Geological Survey's " Did you feel it?" website. According to the USGS, the epicenter was five miles from Placentia, six miles from Chino Hills, eight miles from Anaheim and 29 miles from downtown Los Angeles. “It felt pretty big,” said Tawnya Villanueva, a stylist at the Jabez hair salon on Yorba Linda Boulevard.