The City desk

The Handbook

Written once, useful for years: every guide the Handbook Desk has filed — 57 so far — grouped by what it helps with, newest first.

Cars, parking and tickets

• Sep 24, 2026Disabled Parking Placard in Los Angeles: Who Qualifies
• Sep 18, 2026Classic Car Smog Exemption in California: Jay Leno's Law
• Sep 15, 2026Red Flag Parking in L.A.: Is Your Street a Tow-Away Zone?
• Sep 10, 2026Car Accident Report in Los Angeles: How to Get a Copy
• Sep 9, 2026Residential Parking Permits in Los Angeles: Fees and Rules
• Sep 1, 2026Pothole Damage Claim in Los Angeles: How to File
• Aug 26, 2026Speed Cameras in L.A. County: the Fines, the Dates, and How to Contest OneUpdated Sep 7, 2026
• Aug 20, 2026California's Daylighting Law in L.A.: 20 Feet From Every Crosswalk, Painted or Not, $63 TicketUpdated Sep 7, 2026
• Aug 19, 2026How to Contest an L.A. Parking Ticket: The Three Deadlines
• Aug 11, 2026Car Towed in L.A.? Where It Went, What It Costs, Your Rights

Getting around

• Sep 10, 2026LAX Gate Pass: TSA Gateside Lets PreCheck Escort Flyers
• Aug 13, 2026Metro GoPass: The Free Student Pass and the 14-Day RuleUpdated Sep 7, 2026

Home and rent

• Sep 23, 2026How to Legalize an Unpermitted ADU in Los Angeles: AB 2533
• Sep 19, 2026L.A. Tree Permits: Which of the Five You Need, and When
• Sep 18, 2026L.A. Eviction Timeline: Every Deadline, Notice to Lockout
• Sep 16, 2026Landlord Won't Make Repairs in L.A.? How to File a Complaint
• Sep 4, 2026Bulky Item Pickup in Los Angeles: How to Schedule It Free
• Aug 17, 2026Getting Your Security Deposit Back in L.A.: The 21-Day Clock
• Aug 13, 2026Moving to L.A.: The First-Month Handbook, in the Order the Clocks StartUpdated Sep 7, 2026
• Aug 12, 2026L.A. Rent Increase Caps 2026: 1.919%, 3% or 8.7%? Six QuestionsUpdated Sep 7, 2026
• Aug 11, 2026L.A. County Property Tax Due Dates 2026-27: Every DeadlineUpdated Sep 7, 2026
• Aug 8, 2026Free Hazardous Waste Drop-Off in L.A.: 9 Sites, 16 RefusalsUpdated Sep 7, 2026

Fire, flood and emergencies

• Sep 20, 2026California FAIR Plan Rate Increase: What Changes Oct. 15
• Sep 10, 2026Eaton and Palisades Fire Claims: The Four Deadlines
• Sep 7, 2026Lineage Warehouse Fire Aid: Who Qualifies in Boyle Heights and East L.A.
• Sep 5, 2026Zone 0 in L.A.: What to Clear in the First Five Feet, and When Each Deadline Lands
• Aug 27, 2026Free Sandbags in Los Angeles: 241 Sites, Only 111 List SandUpdated Sep 7, 2026
• Aug 19, 2026Flood Insurance in L.A. Starts 30 Days After You Buy It. Every Date Between Now and the RainUpdated Sep 7, 2026
• Aug 8, 2026Evacuation Warning vs. Order in L.A. County: All Seven Terms, DecodedUpdated Sep 7, 2026
• Aug 7, 2026County Soil Lead Testing Ended Aug. 14. What It FoundUpdated Sep 7, 2026

Courts, police and government

• Sep 17, 2026How to File a Police Report Online in Los Angeles
• Sep 15, 2026How to Speak at an L.A. County Board of Supervisors Meeting
• Sep 5, 2026Court Self-Help Centers in Los Angeles County: All 13 Locations, Hours and What Each One Covers
• Sep 2, 2026Small Claims Court in Los Angeles: What It Costs to File, Serve and Collect
• Sep 2, 2026Vote by Mail Deadlines in L.A. County: Every Date for the Nov. 3, 2026 Election
• Aug 17, 2026Jury Duty in Los Angeles: On-Call Days, $15 Pay, DeadlinesUpdated Sep 7, 2026

Records, money and paperwork

• Sep 24, 2026New CalFresh Amounts October 1, 2026: L.A. County Limits
• Sep 3, 2026How to File a DBA in Los Angeles County: Fees, Deadlines and the Newspaper Notice
• Aug 27, 2026L.A.'s Business Tax Is Zero for Freelancers at $100,000 or Less. Missing February Creates the Bill.Updated Sep 7, 2026
• Aug 26, 2026L.A. County Birth and Death Certificates: Where, Fees, Waits
• Aug 25, 2026LADWP Bill Help: Six Programs, Two That Stop a ShutoffUpdated Sep 7, 2026
• Aug 18, 2026How to Get a Marriage License in L.A. County: The Fee, the ID, the 90-Day Clock, and the One Box You Can't Fix Later

Health, schools and family

• Sep 22, 2026Medi-Cal Work Requirement in L.A.: Who It Covers
• Sep 20, 2026L.A. Unified Choices Deadlines for 2027–28: Every Date
• Sep 19, 2026Measles Exposure at L.A.'s Union Station: What to Do
• Sep 16, 2026Flu, COVID and RSV Shots in L.A.: Where to Go This Fall
• Sep 15, 2026Dog and Cat Adoption Fees in L.A.: All 13 Public Shelters
• Sep 1, 2026LAUSD's First AI Meeting Filled Its Speaker List in 2 HoursUpdated Sep 7, 2026
• Aug 14, 2026California School Vaccine Rules and 872 Free L.A. ClinicsUpdated Sep 7, 2026
• Aug 14, 2026A Stingray Got Your Foot. Here's the Hot Water, the Barb, and the Four-Day ClockUpdated Sep 7, 2026
• Aug 12, 2026California School Phone Rules: What Your District BansUpdated Sep 7, 2026

Around town

• Sep 22, 2026Lucas Museum Tickets, Hours, Parking and Bag Rules
• Sep 6, 2026Labor Day in Los Angeles: What Closes and Where Meters Run
• Sep 4, 2026Library of Things Los Angeles: Tools, Telescopes, Hotspots

More from the Handbook

• Sep 29, 2026SAT Requirements at UCLA, USC, Caltech and Cal State
• Sep 29, 2026L.A. Vector Control: Mosquitoes, Rats, Bees
• Sep 24, 2026Santa Monica Pier Ramp Closure: Detours