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most stressful cities
insurance fraud
Los Angeles Hospitals Accused Of Using Homeless 'Patients' In Insurance Fraud Scams
Earlier this year we noted a story about an LA hospital caught dumping a paraplegic homeless patient on the sidewalk without a wheelchair. At the time, everyone assumed the hospital was stuck in a bad situation—they couldn't keep a patient forever after treating him, and he had no physical address, so what were they supposed to do? It turns out incidents like this, which one LA-based reader said "happens all the time," may not be so 'innocent' after all:Hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange counties submitted phony Medicare and Medi-Cal bills for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of homeless patients—including drug addicts and the mentally ill—recruited from downtown's Skid Row, state and federal authorities allege.More »
lawsuits
Los Angeles To Sue Time Warner Cable For Sucking
Today, the city of Los Angeles plans to give a little gift to Time Warner Cable—a lawsuit! From the LA Times:
More »The 25-page lawsuit, a copy of which was reviewed by The Times, claims the company violated its franchise agreement with the city by having subscribers spend hours on hold with customer service representatives and allowing excessive repair work delays.
"Hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles residents were ripped off," Delgadillo said in a statement. "Time Warner must be held accountable for its promises."
urban blight
In 2002, LA banned any new billboards from going up in the city. Since then, an estimated four thousand have been put up by advertising companies who have ignored the law, which obviously the city's billboard inspectors—"a tiny, and some say incredibly inept, group"—have never bothered to enforce.
More »
LA Has 4,000 Illegal Billboards, But City Looks On Helplessly
In 2002, LA banned any new billboards from going up in the city. Since then, an estimated four thousand have been put up by advertising companies who have ignored the law, which obviously the city's billboard inspectors—"a tiny, and some say incredibly inept, group"—have never bothered to enforce.
More »
law
Charges Filed Against Importers Of Toxic Toothpaste
On Tuesday, the city of Los Angeles and the FDA charged the heads of two U.S. importing companies with 14 counts each of "receiving, selling and delivering an adulterated drug," for their roles in importing and distributing over 70,000 tubes of toothpaste containing diethylene glycol (DEG) instead of glycerin. "Each count carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine." More »
success stories
Local Franchise Authorities Keep Cable Operators In Line
Cable companies must constantly prove their worth to local franchise authorities. The authorities grant the cable providers permission to operate, and can whip them into action for failing to meet basic customer service standards, as reader Darren shows. More »
badvertising
This Road Side Sign For Roses Is Not At All Misleading
According to LAist, this small roadside sandwich board type sign is visible "as you drive down Sunset Blvd. eastbound toward Vermont." As you can see, it's extremely honest.More »
obesity epidemic
L.A. Considers Temporarily Banning New Fast Food Restaurants In South L.A.
NYC isn't the only big city picking fights with fast food restaurants these days. Citing high obesity rates in her mostly working-class district, Los Angeles councilwoman Jan Perry has proposed a 2-year ban on new fast food restaurants in parts of South L.A., in the hope that it will make room for healthier restaurants to compete. More »
videos
Landlord: Quick, The 90-Year-Old Kicked The Bucket, Lock Up Her Stuff So We Can Rent Her Apartment!
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