Playoffs Traffic Alert in Downtown Los Angeles

The L.A. County Sheriff's Department and Metro are asking residents to either stay away from the area or take public transportation.

Having both Kings hockey and Clippers basketball play in their respective playoffs Sunday at the Staples Center will likely cause traffic in downtown Los Angeles. Plus, Dodgers baseball is playing Saturday and Sunday at Dodger Stadium, "Roger Waters: The Wall Live" is performing Saturday at the Coliseum, and the final stage of the Amgen Tour of California bike race is Sunday with a finish line at L.A. Live (after passing through Beverly Hills). The L.A. County Sheriff's Department and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are asking residents to avoid the area altogether or take public transportation to get there. The new Expo Line will take you within two blocks of the Staples Center. There is free parking at the garage near the La …

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Photos: May Day in Los Angeles

Do you have May Day photos? If so, please consider adding them to our gallery.

Service workers at Los Angeles International Airport went on strike Tuesday in conjunction with other May Day labor celebrations and protests and busloads of union workers joined a rally inside the airport and march onto Century Boulevard. More than 1,000 union workers belonging to SEIU 1877 - United Service Workers West protested inside the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX and then marched onto Century Boulevard where a planned act of "civil disobedience" occurred. There was a heavy police presence on Century Boulevard as several men and women sat in the middle of the intersection in a protest of civil disobedience. Four men and six women were taken into custody about 2:15 p.m. and most of the protesters dispersed afterward. Did …

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shane

3:45 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Wheres the photos of protesters attacking police officers? (etc)   more ›

G2 Gallery Presents Poetry of Ice

Ira Meyer is just one of five exhibits at the G2 Gallery.

Ira Meyer's photography show "Poetry of Ice" is currently on display at G2 Gallery, just in time for chilly skies over Southern California. The exhibit features massive ice castles and the surrounding arctic wildlife in some of Antarctica's hard-to-find places. It will make Venice's "wintry" weather seems warm. The exhibit highlights the ice formations of a very still Antarctica. The photographs are crystal-clear images, which perfectly balance the bright white snow with the contrasting blue of the water. Meyer also captures local wildlife in several playful action shots. Meyer was a business owner and competing cyclist until a near-fatal cycling accident in 1986, which influenced his decision to turn towards a life of photography. Since …

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Silicon Beach

Google Opens New Campus in Venice

In the latest installment of the Silicon Beach series, Patch looks at the arrival of Google Los Angeles to Venice. The tech giant is preparing to expand its presence in Southern California with a new campus at the famed Binoculars Building.

Forget Jim Morrison or Jean-Michel Basquiat or even Lindsay Lohan. Venice's new most famous resident is Google. The company opened the doors of its Binoculars Building campus on Thursday evening to applause from Los Angeles politicians and cautious optimism from local residents. About 500 Google employees – Googlers – will start work Monday in the Frank Gehry-designed building at 340 Main St. and in two adjacent buildings. Three  previous locations in Santa Monica will be closed, so the area's teams, including about 375 engineers, working on products such as YouTube, Google Chrome and Google+, and 125 sales people will be united in one campus, similar to the company's Mountain View location. Attracting Google to Venice is seen as a win for…

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Google Venice to Open Thursday Evening

The tech giant will open the Binoculars Building for a private reception Thursday evening.

Venice will soon be feeling the effects of its biggest, newest tenant. On Thursday evening, Google opens its offices in Frank Gehry's Binoculars Building at 340 Main St., where the company has leased 100,000 square feet in three buildings. The company leased the new space primarily to create a "campus-like feel" for its Los Angeles offices, Google spokesperson Jordan Newman. "But, obviously, this building is pretty cool." The new location will consolidate three Google offices that were previously located in Santa Monica and is expected to house more than 500 employees.  About 3/4 of the employees will be in engineering, with the remaining people in sales, Newman told Patch.  A solid presence in the Los Angeles area is important to the …

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Pic' of the Week

Betty Gold's 'Past/Present' Due to Arrive at the Gebert Gallery

Betty Gold will show her sculptures, both old and new, beginning this Saturday.

Betty Gold is bringing her collection "Past/Present" to Gebert Gallery in the near future – this Saturday. The 76-year-old sculptor will display both new work and old favorites, some of which has been appreciated for than three decades. The Texas native features a Picasso-esque style, creating sophisticated geometric scupltures painted with vibrant patterns and colors. The pieces vary in size with sides anywhere from one foot to more than six feet in length. Gold says that her work, although simple in design, is rich in meaning, continually reinterpreting the significance of geometry, both in science and art. Gebert Gallery will open its doors to the public for "Past/Present" with a reception from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. Saturday. The exhibit …

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Gondos Defense Gets Picky in 42-0 Win

The Venice High football team routs Hamilton to stay undefeated in league.

The Venice High football team is rounding into form as the season progresses. On Friday night, the Gondos made their biggest statement yet, at the expense of visiting Hamilton.  The Gondos' defense was opportunistic, not only shutting out Hamilton, but returning not one, not two, but three interceptions for touchdowns in a 42-0 rout. “It was pretty impressive tonight to say the least. We just made some great plays, and we looked great,” Venice coach Angelo Gasca said. “We're getting better and it couldn’t come at a more perfect time.” Venice dominated early, forcing a quick three-and-out and getting its offense the ball at midfield. The Gondos proceeded to march methodically down the field, and star wideout Gabe Marks capped the drive off …

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Pic' of the Week

"Made in L.A." Mixes Japanese and American Aesthetics at L.A. Louver

Gajin Fujitas's latest exhibit is up now in Venice.

L.A. Louver Gallery is currently showing "Made in L.A.", Gajin Fujita's first solo Los Angeles exhibit in more than five years. The exhibit is comprisied of 12 detailed paintings, mixing mainstream Japanese images with iconic Hollywood references and graphics of popular Los Angeles street art. Fujita presents mixed-media wooden panels as well as larger paintings. Fujita has created graffiti and street art since the 1990s, so his work has known few size limitations after working on larger outdoor canvases. Some paintings are less than one square foot in size, while some larger pieces are nearly 22 feet in length.  The show is up now and will be on display through Nov. 12 at 45 N. Venice Blvd.

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Spot the Cat Needs a Home

This young kitty is up for adoption through Much Love Animal Rescue.

Meet Spot.  Spot is about one year old, and weighs only about 7 pounds.  He's very sweet and affectionate, and will immediately roll over onto his back for a belly rub when you meet him. He loves to cuddle, and he loves to play. He loves other cats and is accustomed to cat-friendly dogs.  The woman who rescued Spot said he doesn't have a lick of sense, which is why she took me home. Spot just didn’t understand that cars would hurt him, and his rescuer said it was just a matter of time before he was hit, so Much Love is looking for a home where Spot can stay indoors. You can meet Spot at one of Much Love's adoptions in Venice on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the southeast corner of Abbot Kinney and Venice boulevards. You can also …

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Pic' of the Week

Avian Dreams to Be Joined by Liquid Light at Altered Space

Altered Space is set to have two art exhibitions by week's end, but Aaron Kramer's "Avian Dreams" is in its final two weeks.

"Avian Dreams," a collection of new work from Los Angeles sculptor, Aaron Kramer will be up for another two weeks at Altered Space Gallery, where it will be joined this weekend by another exhibit.  As suggested by the title, "Avian Dreams" is bird-themed artwork, made from discarded materials. Kramer weaves and constructs using scrapped furniture and pieces of trash such as coffee stirrers, buttons, tin lids and hardwood remnants.  Kramer says that the idea of trash is a failure to be imaginative. The local sculptor sees his finished pieces as representative of nature's transcendence, beginning in one form and ending in another. The additional show, "Liquid Light" opens Saturday, and will overlap for a week with Kramer's exhibit. Tanya …

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