The Department of Justice and AT&T settled a lawsuit claiming DirecTV — which AT&T purchased in 2015 — colluded unlawfully with other carriers about their negotiations to carry SportsNet LA, the only cable channel in Los Angeles to air most Dodgers games. But that doesn’t mean the cable provider will be adding the channel to its lineup anytime soon. [More]
l.a.
![Café Reduces Waste, Serves Espresso Drinks In Ice Cream Cones](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/espresso_pastries.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
Café Reduces Waste, Serves Espresso Drinks In Ice Cream Cones
If you went out for your morning coffee today, whether you paid for it or got a freebie from McDonald’s, did you think to yourself, “this disposable paper cup is nice, but it’s so wasteful”? That is probably a common thought, but other than re-using a mug, what can you do about it? One cafe owner is blazing a path forward…with chocolate-dipped ice cream cones. [More]
![LA Cracks Down On Medical Marijuana Dispensaries](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/061009-002-medical-marijuana-sign.png?w=158&h=158&crop=1)
LA Cracks Down On Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
Los Angeles seems to have a lot of trouble policing commerce-related things. Advertisers put up $100,000 illegal billboards overnight and never have to take them down, and now apparently medical marijuana stores are running rampant. The Los Angeles times says that since the city enacted a moratorium on new dispensaries in 2007, the number has grown from 186 to more than 600.
![America's 10 Most Stressful Cities](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/homesweetskyline.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
America's 10 Most Stressful Cities
Forbes magazine has put together a list of America’s most stressful cities and as a product of Chicago, the winner of the dubious distinction of being America’s most stressful city, I have this to say: “Yeah, so? Shut up and let me eat my hot dog in peace for once, goddamn it. No, I’m not yelling. Why are you always saying that I’m yelling? It’s not like you never yell! Pass the sport peppers before this gets ugly.”
![Los Angeles Hospitals Accused Of Using Homeless 'Patients' In Insurance Fraud Scams](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/080708-001-homeless158.jpg?w=158&h=106&crop=1)
Los Angeles Hospitals Accused Of Using Homeless 'Patients' In Insurance Fraud Scams
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.
![Los Angeles To Sue Time Warner Cable For Sucking](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/060508-001-wrappedgift158.jpg?w=158&h=119&crop=1)
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:
![L.A. County Tells Taco Trucks To Keep Moving](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/050408-002-tacotruck.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
L.A. County Tells Taco Trucks To Keep Moving
Peter writes to let us know that taco trucks in Los Angeles county now have to move to a new position every hour: “The county of Los Angeles has enacted some new legislation to prevent taco truck owners from staying in one spot, with penalties of a fine of up to $1000 or jail for failures to comply.” Why such a weird law? Because area restaurants say they’re stealing away customers. If you like your carne asada from the side of a truck, be prepared to start chasing them down as they circle through L.A. county in a weird Mexican-food carousel.
![LA Has 4,000 Illegal Billboards, But City Looks On Helplessly](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/con_illegalbillboardsinla49.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
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.
![Charges Filed Against Importers Of Toxic Toothpaste](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/con_squozentoothpaste.jpg?w=300&h=198&crop=1)
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.”
![L.A. Considers Temporarily Banning New Fast Food Restaurants In South L.A.](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/con_keepoutsign.jpg?w=178&h=119&crop=1)
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.
Landlord: Quick, The 90-Year-Old Kicked The Bucket, Lock Up Her Stuff So We Can Rent Her Apartment!
“>Metroblogging Los Angeles]
What’s LA’s Craziest Black Friday Place?
Reader Daniel plans on shooting some Black Friday coverage and he wants to know where LA’s the action will be most intense.