Which Way, L.A.?

There's supposed to be an unbreachable wall between news stories and advertising, but more and more advertising is designed to look like news. The LA Times is among the financially strapped publications that take money to produce articles that promote special interest groups. They're not written by news reporters, but how's a reader to know? Even if there's clear labeling, will doubts be raised about credibility?

It's one of the biggest contracts in Pentagon history. Northrup-Grumman has won the right to build 100 new stealth bombers in Palmdale, which is celebrating predictions of thousands of new jobs after years of economic decline.Does that mean a return to the halcyon days of 25 years ago? Does the Air Force really need 100 new bombers?

For 30 years, Exide was allowed to recycle lead batteries in Vernon without a full permit. Thousands of children in surrounding neighborhoods appear to have been exposed to lead poison. Now the state agency that stood by while environmental crimes were committed is accused of being lax about making sure there’s a cleanup. We get an update.

Since California voters passed Prop 47 less than a year ago, some crimes are on the increase while arrests are on the decline. Is that a consequence of reducing some non-violent felonies to misdemeanors in order to curb the high cost of over-crowded prisons? Cops and prosecutors are divided. Should Prop 47 be amended or is it too early to tell?

LA's super-high cost of housing is driving low-income families onto the streets -- a major reason that homelessness is on the rise. Tomorrow, LA Supervisors will decide whether low-cost housing should be subsidized to get some people off the streets and protect others from going there. 

Instead of requiring students to buy a book for $180, a math professor at Cal State Fullerton assigned one that goes for $76 and another that's free. But the expensive text was written by two senior department officials, and the professor's in trouble. We preview a faculty hearing set for tomorrow.

The LA City Council has banned ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. The Police Protective League has demanded exemptions for retired cops and reservists. Even some gun rights advocates don't buy that idea, but the Council is showing signs of going along. How many bullets are too many?

Drought has turned local forests into a massive tinderbox of dead trees, and the predicted El Niño is unlikely to bring them back to life. We hear about a high-tech aerial investigation that's turned up new challenges for fire control, erosion and water quality. 

California voters will likely face two initiatives next year dealing with plastic bags. Both measures are creatures of the plastic bag industry in its fight with another special interest: grocery stores.  We hear how voters might be caught in the middle.

The LAPD admits that it misreported serious offenses for at least eight years -- which made it appear that the rate of crime was declining faster than it really was. And LA’s not the only place where misreporting goes on. It was good PR at the time, but what has the revelation done to public confidence now and for the future? 

Medical marijuana's been legal in California for 20 years — without any statewide rules and regulations. A law signed by Governor Brown on Friday is supposed to bring order to chaos and provide a framework for recreational marijuana — just in case voters legalize that, too. What's in store for growers, sellers, buyers, patients and possible new users? 

Los Angeles was once America's economic success story, but its economy is now just 25th in the nation, while the San Francisco Bay Area is Number One. Why as San Francisco boomed while LA has bottomed out? We get several viewpoints.

The Coastal Commission has approved bigger tanks for 11 killer whales at a cost of $100 million. That sounds like a victory for Sea World in San Diego -- but the Commission rejected both a captive breeding program and the introduction of any new orcas. Does Sea World have a future?

The year is only nine months over, but officers of the LAPD have already killed 18 people — as many as in all of 2014. Last Saturday night an unarmed man was killed by officers after the back window of their patrol car was broken out by a beer bottle. Did the dead man throw the bottle? What was the role of a video that led to an official warning that officers on patrol might be in danger?

When the Sylmar Earthquake brought down concrete apartment houses, 52 people were killed.  Sixteen lost their lives when wooden, “soft story” buildings collapsed during the Northridge quake.  Today, LA City Council members are looking at earthquake retrofitting proposals tough enough to make history.  We hear what’s at stake for landlords and tenants.