The twin-engine craft also might have had water in its fuel tanks, according to the NTSB. Five died, including a descendant of one of Long Beach's founding families.A twin-engine plane that crashed shortly after takeoff in Long Beach last year, killing several prominent community members, was 653 pounds overweight and might have had water in its fuel tanks, according to National Transportation Saf...

He and another man are accused of selling thousands of dollars of city fuel on the black market. A tipster saw sales being made from a city vehicle.A gardener for the city of Los Angeles has been arrested on suspicion of embezzlement for allegedly selling thousands of dollars of city-owned gasoline on the black market.

The commuter rail service faces a $13-million deficit that it attributes to a 78% increase in fuel prices, a labor agreement that increased costs for the railroad's contractors and other factors.The Metrolink commuter rail service plans to increase fares as early as July to help reduce a $13-million budget deficit largely caused by rising fuel and labor costs, railroad officials said Thursday. ...

Because not enough was done after the audit three years ago, more than $7 million in gasoline and other fuels are unaccounted for, a new audit says.Los Angeles city officials were warned by auditors three years ago about gaps in the way the city tracks millions of gallons of taxpayer-purchased fuel.

Controller's audit finds that millions of gallons of taxpayer-funded city fuel was pumped in recent years with no record of where it went.Despite a concerted effort at Los Angeles City Hall to track the use of taxpayer-purchased fuel, more than $7 million in gasoline and other fuel has gone missing in recent years, according to an audit to be released Thursday.

An obstacle to greening L.A.'s energy portfolio is the DWP's contract with a Utah plant, which requires the city to buy coal power until 2027. The gritty fuel is now stoking controversy over energy policy, environmental damage and how much consumers should pay to kick the habit.It was the simple beauty of the sagebrush hills and the first-rate fishing that drew Vince Salvato here 15 years ago. "Al...

A federal judge finds that the state Air Resources Board's regulations discriminate against crude oil and biofuel makers outside the state.A federal judge on Thursday temporarily halted California's ability to enforce rules to reduce the carbon footprint of transportation fuels, effectively taking the regulatory teeth out of the state's year-old program.

The fuel oil that discharged into San Francisco Bay from the cargo ship Cosco Busan devastated the herring population that feeds seabirds, whales and the bay's last commercial fishery, study says.Thick, tarry fuel oil disgorged into San Francisco Bay from a damaged cargo ship in 2007 was surprisingly toxic to fish embryos, devastating the herring population that feeds seabirds, whales and the bay...

Inmates pay to get narcotics and other contraband through deputies. Baca says guards' financial hardships are usually involved.Los Angeles County jail inmates have used corrupt guards to penetrate tight security at lockups, helping fuel a lucrative drug trade behind bars, according to interviews and documents reviewed by The Times.

Ronald Lederkramer, Los Angeles Coliseum finance director, has submitted $7,600 in fuel bills since 2008. Other officials have racked up similar bills, though their jobs required only occasional car trips, typically to nearby destinations.As finance director for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Ronald Lederkramer didn't need to do much driving to keep an eye on the stadium's books.

Beginning Friday, drivers of the fuel-efficient cars were kicked out of the carpool lanes and forced to crawl to work with the rest of the solo motorists.The elites of California freeways — carpoolers and hybrid owners — were adjusting to diverging fortunes as new rules of the road brought better commutes for some and worse commutes for others.

After the Navy complained that cargo ships were traveling through its testing area to avoid pollution regulations closer to shore, the California Air Resources Board votes to extend the clean-fuel zone.More than half of oceangoing vessels serving the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have been skirting traditional shipping lanes to avoid air pollution curbs, prompting California officials Thursd...

The pilot 'heard a loud thump outside the aircraft and took evasive action,' says the chief pilot for the police Air Support Division. 'He knew the fuel tank had been hit — he could smell the fuel and some of it got on the windshield.'Jet fuel was pouring from the bullet hole when the Los Angeles Police Department helicopter struck by sniper fire Sunday in Van Nuys made an emergency landing,...

The LAPD copter was fired on after the pilot responded to a report of gunshots in Van Nuys, a detective says. Danny Lopez, 18, is arrested after family members tackle him. A tipster's report of a second gunman sets off a search, but no suspect is found.An 18-year-old man was booked on suspicion of attempted murder Sunday after he allegedly shot at a police helicopter in Van Nuys, rupturing its fue...

As protests in Egypt underscore the hazards of relying on imported oil, a bus and bike-riding scientist at UCLA is working on clean fusion energy that could wean us from foreign fuel.The story of how I ended up in the basement of a UCLA physics building, getting a tour of a plasma facility with a young scientist working on the development of clean fusion energy, begins with the uprisings in the Mi...

Rodolfo Acuña's Mexican American history book, first published four decades ago, has become fuel for Arizona politicians targeting ethnic studies programs.Rodolfo "Rudy" Acuña is an amiable, white-haired professor from Los Angeles who's having his named dragged through the mud by certain Arizona politicians.

Metro will become the only major transit agency in the U.S. with a fleet run entirely on alternative fuels. Officials say the shift has sharply cut emissions of cancer-causing pollution.After almost two decades of effort to reduce vehicle emissions, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will retire its last diesel bus Wednesday and become the only major transit agency in the...

The World War II general's holiday greeting to troops in Europe that winter included a prayer entreating God to end the rains that were bogging down the United States' Third Army.In early December 1944, Gen. George S. Patton Jr., commander of the United States' Third Army, stood with his troops at Germany's doorstep. He'd pushed his men across France toward Germany with furious speed during summer...

Investigators are testing wells to determine how high levels of perchlorate, a chemical used in rocket fuel, got into the region's water supply. The crisis response has cost about $100,000 so far.State water officials launched an investigation Tuesday into how a chemical used in rocket fuel and munitions found its way into Barstow's residential water supply, as costs to address the crisis mounted....

After five days of surfing in Baja California, three friends died when their small plane crashed on the way home. The pilot notified John Wayne Airport that he was diverting there to land.After five days of surfing and Mexican food, the three buddies were flying home to the South Bay from Scorpion Bay, the world-class surf break on the Baja Peninsula.

Golden State Water Co. is flushing city pipes after one well is found to have 15 times the accepted level of perchlorate. Residents report mixed messages on whether it's safe to bathe in the water.Health officials lifted a ban on water use in half of Barstow on Sunday afternoon as the local utility continued to flush its system of perchlorate, a chemical used in rocket fuel and munitions that auth...

High levels of perchlorate were found in the Mojave Desert city's water supply. Residents have been flocking to grocery stores to buy water, and the school district is prepared to provide students with bottled water when classes resume Monday.Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Saturday for San Bernardino County, where the water supply for the city of Barstow was found to be c...

State and congressional lawmakers will introduce legislation in the wake of the blaze that could not be stopped easily because workers could not reach manual shutoff valves.State and congressional lawmakers moved Tuesday to impose new requirements for automatic or remote-controlled shutoff valves on pipelines after last week's San Bruno natural gas conflagration raged for nearly two hours before t...

Authorities are wary of groups that hand out food and clothing, claiming they may leave a mess behind or fuel drug sales.Los Angeles police officer Deon Joseph followed a trail of discarded paper plates and half-eaten macaroni down 6th Street and around the corner into San Pedro Street.

Nationwide rules will raise the average fuel economy of new cars and trucks to 34.1 mpg, in the federal government's first action to curb greenhouse gases under the Clear Air Act. Eight years ago, Fran Pavley, an obscure California assemblywoman and former civics teacher, proposed something that no governmen...