42+ min ago (658+ words) Have you heard about "single-stair reform," the idea sweeping the urbanist community of developers and housing-density proponents? Culver City just became the first municipality in the state of California to change its building code with an ordinance that allows buildings up to six stories high to be constructed with just one staircase, departing from the two-staircase requirement for buildings taller than three floors. "A multiunit residential building over three stories that has only one stairway and one exit is not safe," wrote the California Professional Firefighters in a September 15 letter to Los Angeles City Council president Marqueece Harris-Dawson. CPF is the labor organization that represents "over 35,000 career firefighting and emergency medical service personnel statewide." But what do they know about firefighting? The city council of Culver City, on the other hand, can point to a study by Pew Charitable Trusts,…...

2+ hour, 15+ min ago (727+ words) Almost a year and a half after Billy Lee Hill absorbed 16 baton strikes from a San Bernardino police officer, he says his shins still hurt too much for him to stand for long, and his work is limited to light duties at a friend's restaurant. But the 39-year-old Crestline resident achieved some measure of satisfaction when felony charges filed after the videotaped confrontation were dropped " and a misdemeanor charge added as part of a plea deal resulted in only a sentence of time already served after Hill pleaded guilty. The last of the charges was dismissed in late October. "That was a big relief, you know?" Hill said in an interview. Hill's attorney in the criminal case and a spokesperson for the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office could not be reached for comment on the plea bargain's details. The…...

2+ hour, 38+ min ago (315+ words) Simi Valley police said Tuesday, Dec. 2, that they believe that Keith E. Cordes, the son of Eric Cordes and stepson of Vicki Cordes, killed the couple in their garage on Sunday. "He's our primary suspect," Sgt. Rick Morton said. Police had not previously conclusively linked the man found dead of a gunshot wound in a Chino park to the crime. Police and the San Bernardino County Coroner's Office on Tuesday identified Keith E. Cordes, 37, as the man who shot himself at Ayala Park in Chino around 2:30 p.m. and was found lying next to his burning car. The discovery happened about two and a half hours after witnesses saw a man point a gun into an open garage and shoot Eric Cordes, a 63-year-old radiologist, and Vicki Cordes, 66. Both suffered multiple gunshot wounds, Morton said. Detectives identified a vehicle leaving the scene and spotted…...

2+ hour, 47+ min ago (401+ words) By Lydia Beyoud and Katherine Doherty | Bloomberg The nation's top securities regulator is planning to make it easier for small companies to go public by cutting mandatory disclosures and scaling back requirements based on the size of the firm. Such a move could increase the initial public offering pipeline and revive the roster of listed companies, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins said in prepared remarks for a Tuesday event at the New York Stock Exchange. "Our regulatory framework should provide companies in all stages of their growth and from all industries with the opportunity for an IPO," he said, noting that the costs of complying "may have a disproportionate impact on some companies." Other planned revisions include executive compensation rules, an issue Atkins had the SEC take up earlier this year through a listening session with pension funds,…...

3+ hour, 40+ min ago (523+ words) Six years ago, shortly after the Legislature enacted his first state budget, Gov. Gavin Newsom embarked on a celebratory tour to tout the spending plan's major provisions. Newsom's last stop was in San Francisco, where he bragged about increasing fees on telephone service to finance an upgrade of California's 911 emergency communication system, whose deficiencies had become painfully apparent during a series of destructive and deadly wildfires. "During my first week in office, I proposed making crucial updates to modernize our antiquated 911 system," Newsom said during a media event. "The idea that it's 2019, and we are using analog systems designed decades ago is astounding, and we need to make investments to make sure the technology aligns with the devices people are using in their daily lives. "California's antiquated, analog microwave network must be upgraded to a digital network to maintain safety…...

3+ hour, 46+ min ago (170+ words) Security guards heard a man yelling derogatory comments about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside the downtown building on Monday, according to a statement by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He then hurled two incendiary devices at the guards, the department said. "Fortunately, the bottles were not lit and did not catch fire and there were no injuries or damage to federal property," the DHS statement said. FBI agents arrested Jose F. Jovel, of Los Angeles, said bureau spokesperson Laura Eimiller. She said federal prosecutors were expected to file a criminal complaint on Tuesday. It wasn't known Tuesday if Jovel has an attorney. The Federal Public Defender's Office didn't immediately respond to a phone call asking if one of its attorneys is representing him. Jovel, who had four knives on him when he was arrested, has an "extensive criminal history," including an…...

4+ hour, 6+ min ago (242+ words) Diane Keaton arrives at American Film Institute's 45th Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute to Diane Keaton at Dolby Theatre on June 8, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Turner) Diane Keaton's prized dream home, inspired by her love of childhood fable "The Three Little Pigs," is back on the market after being taken down not long before her death in October. The estate in LA's Sullivan Canyon neighborhood is asking $27 million this time around, according to TMZ. The actress and home renovator had first listed it last March for $28.9 million as her health took a downward turn. In May, the price dropped to $27.5 million, where it stayed until being taken off the market just two weeks before she died of pneumonia. [Diane Keaton]Diane Keaton's prized dream home, inspired by her love of childhood fable "The Three Little…...

4+ hour, 24+ min ago (276+ words) By KATE PAYNE, Associated Press The board of the South Florida college that's giving away a valuable piece of property for Donald Trump's future presidential library revoted to transfer the land on Tuesday. The site is a developer's dream and is valued at more than $67 million, according to a 2025 assessment by the Miami-Dade County property appraiser. One real estate expert wagered that the parcel " one of the last undeveloped lots on an iconic stretch of palm tree-lined Biscayne Boulevard " could sell for hundreds of millions of dollars more. On Tuesday, the board held a new meeting at its campus in Hialeah, a predominantly Cuban American and Republican-leaning suburb of Miami. Dozens of students, professors, alumni and local officials packed the meeting to weigh in on the land transfer, an opportunity some felt they were denied when the board initially voted…...

4+ hour, 30+ min ago (329+ words) Two communities left ravaged by the Eaton fire will both be kicking off the holiday season this weekend with the return of two cherished local holiday traditions. At 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, Altadena's Christmas Tree Lane and Upper Hastings Ranch's Holiday Light Up are set to illuminate. Organizers of both events spoke this year about the added importance of making sure these traditions returned on schedule given what their respective communities have dealt with the last 11 months. Officials with the Christmas Tree Lane Association said that in the immediate aftermath of the Eaton fire, there was uncertainty about whether Christmas Tree Lane would be able to go forward in 2025. While trees on Santa Rosa Avenue survived the blaze and suffered some wind damage the community surrounding it was significantly impacted. The Eaton fire began around the time volunteers typically take down…...

5+ hour, 55+ min ago (90+ words) President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Blaming the people of "all Third World countries" for the crime of one individual (who appears to have mental health problems) is irrational and unethical. What a sad, bland, hollowed-out country this would be if Trump succeeded in getting rid of all the people he considers undesirable. The hatred and intolerance expressed by'this president and his administration horrifies me and makes me ashamed of my country....