In another year of covering Southern California, KPCC's journalists have reported on everything from minimum wage to bottled water, crime to Maroon 5. Here are the top 10 most popular stories on KPCC's website from this past year.
1. Maroon 5 called out for faking 'Sugar' wedding crashing
Our most popular story this year was one that maintained readers' interests most of the year, as many who saw Maroon 5's "Sugar" video questioned exactly how real the wedding crashing allegedly going on in the video was. After looking into it, we found that it appeared that all but one of the weddings in the music video was likely staged.
2. LA residents need to make $33 an hour to afford the average apartment
Ben Bergman took a look this year at how much someone would have to make to afford the average apartment in Los Angeles County, compared with what people in different fields make. The answer: $33 an hour, more than double the highest minimum wage being proposed by L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti.
3. Nestlé Waters CEO isn't stopping bottling in California
The CEO of Nestlé Waters North America made news when asked if he would consider moving the company's bottling operations out of California given the state's ongoing drought. The answer: "Absolutely not. In fact, if I could increase it, I would."
4. Police in California can seize guns without prior notice starting Jan. 1
Already topping the list for the year despite coming out just days ago, people took interest in a new law that would allow police to seize people's guns for 21 days with a "gun violence" restraining order. The law was passed in the wake of 2014's UC Santa Barbara mass shooting, allowing for guns to be seized if someone is believed to be a threat.
5. Supermoon eclipse: What is it and where can you watch it around Los Angeles?
Why the moon is red during a lunar eclipse
Stargazers were excited to see a supermoon eclipse, a rare event where the moon isn't only totally eclipsed, but that it also appears larger in the sky due to being closer in the moon's elliptical orbit, as well as being full. Sanden Totten broke down how to view the moon that was also in a state often referred to as a "blood moon."
6. Video from inside San Bernardino shooting location: 'I'll take a bullet before you do'
People were captivated by this video, where an officer was leading people to safety following the San Bernardino shooting that left 14 dead. His words: "Try to relax, try to relax. I'll take a bullet before you do, that's for damn sure."
7. San Bernardino shooting coverage, day 1
People followed the ongoing coverage of the San Bernardino shooting, which started in the morning with reports of an active shooter and continued late into the evening with the suspects being identified by authorities. The story was reported by numerous members of the KPCC team, from reporters to producers to digital staff, and this is the only story to have two spots in the top 10.
8. The real 'True Detective,' season 2: What the heck is Vinci?
Season 2 of "True Detective" was largely critically panned, but KPCC's Kevin Ferguson brought out the real-life stories that inspired the show online and through the podcast "Welcome To Vinci." The season was largely based on the real-life Southern California city of Vernon, and this post kicked off the week-by-week look, starting with real-life death and corruption.
9. Kurt Sutter bids a public farewell to 'The Bastard Executioner'
Showrunner Kurt Sutter, the creator of "Sons of Anarchy" whose subsequent show, "The Bastard Executioner" failed to catch on, offered an unexpectedly gracious response to his show's cancelation. He took out an ad announcing the show's cancelation, writing, "The audience has spoken and unfortunately the word is, 'meh.'" Sutter broke down his decision and what the show meant to him with KPCC's "The Frame."
10. The 13 best Calif. native drought-tolerant plants for your garden
With beautiful photography by KPCC's Maya Sugarman, we broke down plants that make sense during California's ongoing drought. It's also one of two drought stories to make the top 10. Check out the story to see photos of all the plants you may want to take a look at.
