Top 5 Westside Stories: Plastic Bag Ban, Kobe Bryant, Pico Shooting

Close out your weekend with a recap of the newsiest and most popular Patch articles from last week. Here are the five stories that topped the headlines on Westside Patch sites:

• Culver City is moving towards a ban on plastic bags, following on the heels of Los Angeles (upcoming) and Santa Monica (already in place). After a unanimous vote Monday, Culver City Mayor Andy Weissman said he expects to vote on a city ordinance as early as March.

• Join the conversation: Friday's deadly shooting in Connecticut probably made you think about the best ways to talk to your kids about the tough stuff. We talked to experts at Children's Hospital and UCLA to bring you some tips. Tell us what you think.

• Gov. Jerry Brown announced this week he is beginning treatment for prostate cancer, his second diagnosis since returning to office. L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who represents Venice, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades and other Westside neighborhoods, wished the governor well in a statement.
• Kobe Bryant made an appearance at Venice Beach last weekend. The Lakers shooting guard was there to promote his new Nike shoes.
• A Colton man faces two counts of attempted murder after allegedly opening fire last weekend from a Pico Boulevard sidewalk in Santa Monica, near 18th Street. Multiple rounds struck an 18-year-old woman who had run into the intersection from a nearby memorial car wash to flag down a car, saying she needed help leaving the area.

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