Which Way, L.A.?

If you've never heard of Haggen Grocery stores, it could be the lack of advertising, which combined with increased prices to force Haggen into bankruptcy right after it bought up 83 supermarkets in California early this year. The bungled expansion plan means big trouble for thousands workers in a hyper-competitive market.

Glendale is one of seven suburban communities with a statue memorializing the so-called "comfort women" abducted for use by Japanese soldiers during World War II. Now San Francisco may become the first major American city with a similar monument. But the proposal is creating international controversy.

The opportunity is ripe for doubling the number of charter schools in LA Unified--according to a strategy plan that’s leaked out of a powerful private foundation. It’s all about raising big money and influencing politics without revealing much detail about the expansion plan.

Governor Brown isn't the only one dreaming about high-speed rail in California. China has come up with $100 million in seed money for a bullet train from LA to Palmdale to Victorville — and, finally, to Las Vegas. The technology is already there and there's plenty of traffic to Sin City — with tens of thousands of drivers who would rather be passengers.

Volkswagen admits that it cheated on smog tests for almost a half-million diesel engines in the US, with 50,000 to 60,000 in California alone. Company stock is already falling, fines could amount to $18 billion and all those vehicles will have to be retrofitted. That's if customers bring them in. Are they likely to do that when the whole point of the cheating was making the cars fun to drive?

Two men who refused to evacuate are among the casualties in several counties…so far. Escorts are being provided for others who want to return home — some hoping that animals, including pets, will still be alive.

The "Free Speech" movement of the 1960's started at the University of California. Tomorrow, UC's Board of Regents will hear arguments about how much free speech should be limited to protect students from what's labeled "intolerance." There are passionate differences over just what that means — especially when it comes to strongly held views on campus about the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

The Presidents of the US and China have agreed to fight against climate change. Now, Los Angeles is one of 10 American cities signing up with 10 cities in China — all promising the "intent" to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. We ask Mayor Eric Garcetti if "intent" is enough to make a real difference.

Violent crime, including murder, is on the increase in South Los Angeles after almost a decade of steady decline. Yesterday, an "emergency meeting" was packed with elected officials, cops, activists and residents -- including survivors and victims' relatives. What new resources are required, compared to what's available?

Governor Brown took it on the chin last night when some fellow Democrats failed to support his initiative to cut gasoline consumption by 50%. It's still not clear if he'll get the money to fix the state's dilapidated roads and freeways. With this year's legislative session ending tomorrow, we update the so-called "right to die" measure and look ahead to next year — when both the Assembly and Senate will be led by Latinos for the first time.