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The pot initiative makes the November ballot, support for same-sex marriage reaches 50%, DA Steve Cooley to be roasted, the Burbank teacher pleads no contest and 300 tickets written in one Downtown swoop. Plus more, after the jump.
- An initiative to legalize marijuana will be on the November ballot in California. LAT, Bee, AP
- Public support for same-sex marriage has reached 50 percent for the first time in polling by the Public Policy Institute of California. Bee
- Business leaders who were not consulted about the mayor's plan to raise DWP rates criticized the plan. LAT
- The 13th annual Los Angeles Political Roast for the American Diabetes Association is tonight at L.A. Live, roasting District Attorney Steve Cooley.
- The LAPD conducted a study that found accidents have gone down 9 percent at intersections with red-light cameras. KABC
- Police and sheriff's deputies wrote nearly 300 tickets to jaywalkers and drivers along the Blue Line tracks near Downtown, in a crackdown aimed at illegal turns, use of cellphones and other safety issues. LAT
- Amy Beck, the former Burbank middle school teacher who turned herself in earlier this month for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old student, pleaded no contest Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The 818 Now
- Remote Area Medical, the Tennessee-based nonprofit that held a mass health clininc for thousands at the Forum last summer, plans to hold a clinic at the Sports Arena from April 27 to May 3. LAT
- Dave McMenamin, who covers the NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com, wrote a character-reference letter for Gilbert Arenas, the NBA player who faces sentencing Friday following his felony gun conviction. The Big Lead
- The Getty's job description for a new director is parsed by New York arts blogger CultureGrrl.
- The Jazz Bakery still does not have a home to replace its shuttered location in Culver City. LAT
- U.S. Senate candidate Tom Campbell, and Attorney General hopeful Rocky Delgadillo will be guests on the "Off the Presses" Internet radio show at 10 a.m. Website
- SPJ and MOCA will host a panel on the future of arts criticism at 6:30 in the auditorium at MOCA.
Plus: Veronique de Turenne of Here in Malibu wrote the lead story in today's L.A. Times Food section, on the artistry of the labels on craft beers.