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Click on the Buzz for a fix of news and links. And if you're a little behind, here are some of the best posts from the very busy past week of LA Observed:
Is there a serial killer loose in L.A.?
Stephanie Edwards wants a bigger umbrella
John Kerry meets with L.A. bloggers
Sue Carpenter has the coolest beat at LAT
Maxine Waters buys in Hancock Park
New televison editor at LAT
Topless at Venice Beach
Election at a glance
Kellogg and Brodesser take their leaves
Jacaranda of the year
Stephanie Edwards wants a bigger umbrella
John Kerry meets with L.A. bloggers
Sue Carpenter has the coolest beat at LAT
Maxine Waters buys in Hancock Park
New televison editor at LAT
Topless at Venice Beach
Election at a glance
Kellogg and Brodesser take their leaves
Jacaranda of the year
♦ Missing journalist: Michael Arthur Dornheim, West Coast editor of Aviation Week and Space Technology, has been missing since he left Saddle Peak Lodge the night of June3. He told friends he would drive a back road home to Hollywood.
♦ Reax on Gita: Animal activists protest in Times and Daily News. Villaraigosa's office emailed a Saturday afternoon statement about the death of the Los Angeles Zoo's elephant:
I join with Angelenos of all generations in expressing my sadness for the loss of Gita, the 48-year-old Asian elephant who has been part of
the Los Angeles Zoo family for decades. Along with millions of zoo visitors, I had the great pleasure of meeting Gita and was amazed by her
majesty, gentleness and friendliness.
Being the largest land animal alive today, elephants hold a special place in the animal kingdom and in the imagination of children of all ages.
I am concerned about the precise cause of death and have asked the City of Los Angeles Zoo Department for an independent, timely and exhaustive necropsy of Gita to determine the cause of Gita's death and I will release the results for public review and consideration.
♦ Carrick back in the game?: Bill Carrick, who directed Jim Hahn's losing reelection effort last year, is in talks to join the Phil Angelides campaign.
♦ Los Angeles Business Journal: Women are buying Harleys in Glendale and an interview with architect Stephen Kanner.
♦ YearlyKos: Joe Scott has a take.
♦ More Bradley years: Former aide Bob Kholos blogs about Tom Bradley's first day as mayor in 1973 and recalls that ousted scumbag Sam Yorty left town rather than attend the swearing-in.
♦ Tale of 2 cities: Life on the L.A.-West Hollywood line isn't pretty if you have a business.
♦ Pollyana politics: Sheriff Lee Baca wants to eliminate gangs and stop releasing jail inmates early, he tells the Times. DA Steve Cooley reacts:
"I can't criticize these goals. I'd like to solve poverty and hunger and bring about peace in the Middle East as well."
♦ Steve Hymon column: Excerpt from the Times' City Hall reporter's Q-and-A with himself:
Q: What is the MTA board doing to make the city's light rail system more convenient?
A: Nothing.
♦ Sandy Wells fallout: The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists called on LAPD chief William Bratton "to work with AFTRA members to help provide safety and security for journalists." Michael Linder of KNX blogs it.
♦ Cupid's anniversary: Sixty-cent hot dogs next Saturday at the last remaining original Cupid's stands in the Valley.
♦ Retire the name: Chouinard is a legendary name in the annals of Los Angeles art schools, but the latest incarnation is closing. The original became CalArts.
♦ Dodgers in first: Matt Kemp slugs two more home runs.