Security heightened in run up to L.A. Marathon

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Security will be tighter than it has been in the past for Sunday’s Los Angeles Marathon. That’s a direct result of last year’s Boston Marathon, where two bombs exploded near the finish line, killing three people and injuring more than 250 others. The heightened security begins with the runners themselves: all 25,000 racers must pick up registration packets in person today and tomorrow. In the past, friends or family members could do that. Runners and spectators alike will have to pass through security checkpoints. The heaviest security will be at Dodger Stadium, where the race begins just after 7 a.m. – and at the finish line, at Ocean and California avenues in Santa Monica.

teslaTesla Motors is based in California and sells more than a third of its cars here. But the automaker has ruled out California as the site of a planned $4 billion battery factory that is expected to employ more than 6,000 workers. The L.A. Times reports that Tesla is considering sites in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Texas for the plant. Tesla says the planned factory will allow it to manufacture more lithium-ion batteries than the entire industry produces now. The company hasn’t said why California is no longer in the mix.

The local film industry is being devastated by runaway production, according to a new report from Film L.A. Just eight percent of big budget Hollywood films were made here last year, down from 65 percent in 1997. The report did find a bright spot in animated features. Animated films produced in California now outnumber live-action films by two to one. The report comes as California lawmakers are pushing for an overhaul of the state’s incentives program.

JOBEIt’s not often that an orthopedic surgeon becomes as famous as the pro athletes he treats. But that was Frank Jobe. In the 1970s, as the L.A. Dodgers team doctor, he pioneered a transplant procedure that has resurrected the elbows and careers of countless major league pitchers. Jobe – who’s been called “a founding father of sports medicine” – died yesterday in Santa Monica. He was 88. The procedure he invented has come to be known as Tommy John surgery after the former Dodger pitcher who was the first to have it done. John went on to pitch 15 more years in the big leagues.

gasolJust how bad are the Lakers this year? Last night the franchise suffered its worst-ever loss at the hands of its Staples Center arena-mates, the L.A. Clippers. The final score was 142 to 94. The 48-point beat down was two points worse than a drubbing the team suffered at Portland 20 years ago. At 21-41, the Lakers have the worst record in the Western Conference. The Clippers are in first place in the Pacific Division and fighting for home-court advantage in the playoffs.