Among the 44 communities to receive health program funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is Los Angeles County. A pair of $16 million grants will go towards programs addressing obesity, physical activity, nutrition, tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke, public health officials announced today. more ›

At a L.A. City Council committee meeting last Friday, city budget officials announced that Los Angeles has received around $591 million from 84 grants in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. That's out of 150 applications put forth so far, asking for a total of $1.5 billion in the three-year federal program. And applications aren't over yet. A low-income weatherization grant was submitted by LADWP last week and two more are expected to be turned in this week. Those two are both tech-related. One program would allow people without computer and internet access to checkout laptops for a couple weeks at a time and another would upgrade the city's website to become a customer service powerhouse and social network. more ›

Another round of American Recovery and Investment Act of grants awards were announced today with a handful of Southern California cities on the list, the White House announced this morning. Included is $69,776 for the Metro Blue Line traction power substation, $500,000 for the Orange County Transportation Authority to purchase three alternative fuel buses as replacements for the City of Laguna Beach and a whopping $4.7 million to Metrolink to fund track rehabilitation, Positive Train Control, some facilities and insurance. more ›

To date, Caltech has earned themselves 82 awards from the year-old American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, totaling more than $33 million and supporting 93 jobs, the school announced today. The money has gone towards studies on how to reduce jet noise, an upgrade to the Southern California Seismic Network, a catalog of jellyfish DNA and the California High School Cosmic Ray Observatory (CHICOS) program, which provides high school students access to cosmic ray research, among other programs. "We're grateful to have this opportunity to advance research designed to benefit the entire country," said says Caltech president Jean-Lou Chameau in a statement. more ›

Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger went on the defense for the president yesterday, calling out Republican's hypocrisy when it came to the stimulus package. more ›

This morning the federal government announced funding (.pdf) for recovery act transportation projects around the country, including one in the Los Angeles region. It's not sexy like the funding Tucson, New Orleans, Dallas and Portland got for streetcars, but one it's important for the local economy. more ›

Here's a little factoid update: Over the last year, Los Angeles has submitted 148 applications to the federal government, seeking a total of $1.5 billion in stimulus money. Of that, they've seen $591 million come in from 81 different grants, it was announced at a city council committee meeting last week. No grants are being submitted this week, but officials are awaiting a big announcement about some transportation grants, in which the city applied for $81 million. The city has a website dedicated to recovery money, but it's not very helpful. more ›

Hyperbole or not, Councilman Richard Alarcon was on a tear in today's city council meeting going after city staff (and perhaps himself in a round-a-bout way) for, what he says, was the easy way out of the budget mess: by proposing to layoff 1,000 employees. more ›

Los Angeles has earned $586 million dollars from the American Recovery Investment Act (you know, the Stimulus Package?), according to city officials speaking at a city council committee meeting last Friday. more ›

As mentioned yesterday, Los Angeles was awarded $7.5 million in stimulus money to increase broadband access in the city. Now here are more details: via L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti's blog: "The funds will allow us to install more than 2,600 public computer workstations, provide broadband connection at 72 computer center sites, expand WiFi networks at places such as parks and community centers, deploy portable wireless training stations, and upgrade networks used to connect thousands of computers to the Internet." more ›

Obama's Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locke, is in town today to help announce a $7.5 million Recovery act investment to increase broadband access in the city. "The investment will help bridge the technological divide and improve access to job and computer training and educational opportunities," an advisory explained. Details of how the money will be used should be announced later today. U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will all be present at the press conference, which is taking place this afternoon at the South Los Angeles WorkSource Center. more ›

An in-depth look into stimulus money (or the lack thereof) coming into Los Angeles reveals that the nation's 2nd biggest city is losing out. For example, the graph to the right shows transportation and infrastructure funding via grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). New York City is the big win and San Diego is slightly edging out Los Angeles. more ›

Last week, after a few rallies throughout the state, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger handed in a grant to the feds, asking for $4.8 billion in stimulus money for California's high speed rail project, which would take passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco in a few hours. Today, that grant drew support from both of California's U.S. Senators and 21 other congressional leaders, including many from Los Angeeles. more ›

Last week the California High-Speed Rail Authority voted to submit a grant application to the federal government, asking for $4.8 billion in stimulus money for a high speed rail line that would connect Los Angeles and San Francisco with a few hours trip. On Friday, that application will be submitted after few rallies across the state, including one in Los Angeles. more ›

With the feds yearning to give away $8 billion in Recovery Act money to states for high-speed train development, California officials today prepared to submit an application asking for more than half of that. more ›

But don't get too excited, the money from the feds going to the transit line is not for extending it northbound towards Burbank airport or anything close to that. Today's announcement from is about reducing energy consumption. The White Explains in a press release: more ›

It probably wasn't very hard for former City Controller Laura Chick to leave her Los Angeles post early to join Schwarzenegger as his Inspector General overseeing how stimulus money was being spent in California. In Los Angeles, she was a bulldog over anything wasteful. more ›

The Foothill Transit agency approved $259,141 of federal transit money for two automated wheel polishers from Australia, the Pasadena Star News found. Watchdogs are obviously not happy, but the agency said no U.S. companies placed a bid, that the polishers will "dramatically" reduce time spent on prepping buses, therefore streamlining operations, and $72,000 a year will be spent on polisher supplies from the U.S. "If we were to look at the highest-priorities for FTA, I don't know that this would fit," said Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, to the paper. Foothill said most of the money they received went towards expanding programs. more ›

Who knew our little freeway that could was the largest and most stimulated project in all of the state. Ripped from a White House press release about California meeting Recovery Act goals ahead of schedule: "As of today, California’s largest ARRA-funded project is the I-405 in Los Angeles County that will be widened and include several interchange upgrades along a 10-mile stretch of HOV lanes. This project is located in an economically distressed area and relies on $190 million in ARRA funding to go toward the total cost of $739 million for the project." The only 10-mile 405 freeway HOV widening project listed on Metro's website is located in the "economically distressed" areas between the 10 Freeway and Ventura Blvd... you know, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Brentwood, Westwood Village, etc. Still, once completed, it should be happier days for many. more ›

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced that $400 million from the economic recovery package is headed to make capital investments in transit throughout California. It's not going to build us the Subway to the Sea or anything sexy like that, but is headed to more functional improvements, such as seen in the above photo: more ›

Speaking from South LA today, Vice President Joe Biden announced that affordable-housing development Esperanza Community Housing Corporation will receive $875,000 for the removal of toxic paint from 225 homes. more ›

The Obama Administration certainly likes Los Angeles a lot more than the Bush one. President Barack Obama has already done a Los Angeles visit, now it's his counterpart's turn. Vice President Joe Biden will be in town tomorrow to highlight the progress of the Recovery Act, according to the White House today. He'll be touring the Esperanza Community Housing Corporation in South LA with Mayor Villaraigosa, Rep. Xavier Becerra and Ron Simms of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Then he and others will discuss with the press how stimulus funds are supporting HUD's "programs to eliminate dangerous lead-based paint from low-income homes and protect young children from lead poisoning." more ›

$20.3 million of stimulus money from the federal government will go towards Hire LA, the city's program to place 16- to 24-year-olds in summer and permanent full time jobs around the city. “Hire LA will create over 16,000 jobs for Los Angeles youth and set them on-course toward a steady paycheck and a better life,” Mayor Villaraigosa said in a statement. “Today, Los Angeles becomes the first city in the nation to create jobs for young people using federal stimulus dollars dedicated towards youth employment.” In all, 7,388 positions will come from stimulus money. The remaining 8,500 positions will be funded through the annual programs from the city, school and community college district and private sector. more ›

Did you like Heidi and Spencer’s Q&A yesterday? Then tonight’s your night because the Paley Fest brings the cast of The Hills to the Cinerama Dome at 7 pm tonight. Though Spence isn’t on the bill, Heidi, Lauren Conrad, Audrina Patridge, Whitney Port, Brody Jenner and Lo Bosworth are. And you never know what may happen with this crew anyway. Tickets are $45-$60. If you have a question for them, post it here. more ›

It was as close to a split as a panel of 7 can get: In a 4-3 vote, the LAUSD Board of Education voted late yesterday afternoon to approve layoffs that will affect thousands of teachers and other district staff. more ›

LA City Council's new ad hoc Committee on Economic Recovery and Reinvestment met last week for the first time carefully deciding how stimulus will be handled. "At that meeting, we established a set of 9 guiding priorities by which we intend not only to fulfill the president’s vision for efficient allocation of the stimulus funds, but also to make Los Angeles the most accountable, transparent, and effective city in moving economic recovery programs forward," Council President Eric Garcetti wrote on his personal blog on his campaign website. With this transparency, he believes the city will get up to $1 billion. more ›

Watch out, Sacramento and local governments statewide! City Controller Laura Chick announced today she is leaving her Los Angeles post a few months early to become the "first-in-the-nation" Inspector General to oversee the use of federal economic stimulus funds given to the state and local municipalities. "I am coming to Sacramento to deter, detect and disclose any waste, fraud and abuse of these precious taxpayer dollars," she said in a prepared statement. She begins her new $175,000-a-year job on April 27th. Between then and July 1st when Controller-Elect Wendy Greuel takes office, Chick's top deputy, Rushmore Cervantes, will assume duties. more ›

This morning the state announced higher income taxes and more cuts in programs because stimulus money earmarked for the state budget was not enough. Basically, last month's budget plan said if the state doesn't receive at least $10 billion from the feds, more taxes and cuts were going to happen. Well, it happened, California got $8.17 billion. more ›

Federal stimulus funds are bound for Santa Monica, where their Big Blue Bus has plans for the $12.8 million, according to Yahoo!Business. The funds come with the stipulation they be "used for capital expenditures and not for operating costs or service enhancements." more ›

"I would suggest the first thing that would make me feel a little bit better toward them if they'd follow the Japanese example and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say, I'm sorry, and then either do one of two things: resign or go commit suicide." That was Sen. Charles Grassley yesterday on AIG's $165 million in bonuses after receiving federal bailout. Locally, protests have been taking place outside AIG's office in downtown. Another one is scheduled for 4 p.m. this afternoon, reports blogdowntown. more ›