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It's Pulitzer day in newsrooms, UTLA day on the school reform front, and rehearse for the big speech day in the mayor's office. Today's Morning Buzz also touches MediaNews Group, Ron Burkle, Jeff Kent, Alexi Lalas and a whole bunch of local blogs. Click on the Buzz...
♦ Second choice: Mayor Villaraigosa wanted to hold tomorrow's State of the City speech at Crenshaw High, but school officials complained it would disrupt classes, Rick Orlov says in his Daily News column. So the disruption moves south to the Accelerated Learning Academy.
♦ Day ahead: Hoping to get out ahead of the mayor, UTLA and progressive groups release their own school reform plan today.
♦ Newspaper awards: Pulitzer prizes are announced in New York beginning at noon Pacific time. Winners and finalists will be listed on the Pulitzer website.
♦ Rising taxes: Bond issue-happy voters have added 10% to the average property tax bill in L.A. since 1989, the Daily News calculates in a Sunday story.
Throughout the county, voters have approved approximately 300 to 400 city, county, school district and special district bonds in recent years, according to county officials. Some of those include bonds that were refinanced. Since 1989, Los Angeles has gotten voter approval for nine bonds totalling $2.5 billion for a variety of improvements. Voters have approved four bonds totaling $13.6 billion for the Los Angeles Unified School District, along with community college and state bonds as well.
♦ Getting close: MediaNews Group, parent of the Los Angeles News Group papers, is in "advanced talks" to buy the San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times and Monterey County Herald from McClatchy, says Reuters.
♦ Changing force: LAPD ranks are now less than half white, with a third of officers Latino and a fifth women. Today's Times looks at the newly diverse department.
♦ Flu could get ugly: "No one, and I repeat no one, is prepared for a pandemic that starts tomorrow," said Dr. Howard Backer, an official with the California Department of Health Services.
♦ One fewer LAT blogs: The Times has dropped The Daily Traveler after six months. Writer James Gilden gets the rights to the name and posts that he'll resume blogging independently soon at TheDailyTraveler.com.
♦ Sad but true: Gawker turned over the weekend keys to the alleged Page Six extortionist Jared Paul Stern and he used the forum to level charges at Ron Burkle, the victim who cooperated in the police sting that led to Stern's unmasking. (via Deadline Hollywood)
♦ Blog Sampler: Brady Westwater compares the NYT and LAT stories on last week's homeless ruling and finds the East Coast report superior...Carolyn Kellogg of LAist wrote, produced and narrated a "Marketplace Money" story on whether algebra is useful after school...Eating L.A. samples the Thai New Year party...Kidney Stone Gazette.
♦ How many fingers am I holding up?: Jeff Kent suffered a concussion when he was beaned yesterday, adding to the Dodgers' injury hex.
♦ They're in: The Lakers join the Clippers in the NBA playoffs.
♦ Goal scored: Retired soccer star Alexi Lalas will be named president and general manager of the Galaxy today, the LAT says.