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The mayor draws a crowd in Sherman Oaks, the UCLA controversy, bunch of reporter moves at the Times and Long Beach cops still can't find their shotguns...that and much more after the jump, plus redesign at the LA Weekly, Annie Proulx on KCRW, Steve Lopez gets an award, the Valley Young Dems have a party and a Wilshire Boulevard book signing.
Also: That thin blonde woman wielding a chainsaw and blow torch to turn logs into mermaids on Topanga Canyon Boulevard is Cherie Currie, former punk rocker with The Runaways. "I don't miss being an actress," she tells the Daily News. "I'd much rather be doing this." Her website is chainsawchick.com.
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♦ Mayor Villaraigosa turned them out to hear his take-over-the-schools stump speech at the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association.
♦ Former Rep. James Rogan formally resigned from the advisory board of the right-wing group that is offering $100 for lectures notes and tapes of UCLA professors with political views: "I am uncomfortable to say the least with this tactic."
♦ Flurry of Times reporter shuffles, all to Metro: Scott Gold moves from Houston, Ashraf Khalil from Baghdad and Myron Levin from the Business section. Also, Michael Whitley has been promoted to design director for news, overseeing design. Note from Levin's announcement: "Myron is...part owner of the Yakima Bears, a farm team of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He also teaches English as a second language in his spare time."
♦ The 23-year-old daughter of a Loyola Marymount professor called 911 to report she was in danger, then the line was cut. When police arrived, she was already dead.
♦ Long Beach police are still short thirty-five shotguns.
♦ The L.A. Independent asks (but doesn't really answer) whether Mayor Villaraigosa pulled strings to influence the selection of Latino Theater Company to manage the Los Angeles Theater Center on Spring Street.
♦ The LA Weekly has rolled out a website redesign, adding posting dates and times for many stories. As for finding anything, it seems harder--but it's still early!
♦ Metroblogging has made the leap and hired its first fulltime employee. It's Jason DeFillippo, a co-founder of the network who recently has worked for Technorati.
♦ Deputy chief of staff Lisa Hansen is back from maternity leave and on station as the media contact for Councilman Jack Weiss.
♦ Annie Proulx, author of the short story that turned into Brokeback Mountain, guests with Michael Silverblatt on KCRW's show Bookworm at 2:30 pm. Next Thursday he has Joan Didion.
♦ LAT Columnist Steve Lopez will be honored at a luncheon panel on homelessness put on by the Central City Association. Sheriff Lee Baca and Councilwoman Jan Perry, among others, are on the panel.
♦ The San Fernando Valley Young Democrats are honoring Eric Garcetti and Rob Reiner at their Robert F. Kennedy Awards, 6:30 pm at Clear Lounge in Studio City.
♦ Myself and Eric Lynxwiler will be at the Los Feliz library branch library tonight at 6:45 to talk about Wilshire Boulevard, show some pictures and sign books.