Morning Buzz: Friday 1.19.07

Eli Broad and Ron Burkle flew to Chicago to pitch their deal and assure Tribune that its top execs would stay and the headquarters would remain in Chicago, even though Broad and Burkle would come on as "unpaid non-executive co-chairmen." They also "reached out to former Times Editor Dean Baquet, although they stopped short of offering a job, people familiar with the discussions said," the LAT reports in a story that carries the Michael Hiltzik byline. The proposal would not require deep cuts, the LAT reports. Meanwhile, the WSJ said the third private equity bidder (for TV stations) was the Carlyle Group.

The LAT follows yesterday's news about the Beverly Hills hotel project and says the plans for a Waldorf-Astoria and big changes at the Beverly Hilton have some neighborhood opposition and still need to go through the city's approval machinery. I suspect the other BH hotels will fight this one as they usually do. LAT

Once again, the teachers union lines up in opposition to Mayor Villaraigosa by going with Incumbent Board of Education member Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte. The mayor is likely to support Jonathan Williams, who runs The Accelerated School in South Los Angeles. LAT

Michael Waxman, son of Rep. Henry Waxman, will resign as president of the Los Angeles Community College District board to join a public relations firm in Washington. LAT

But will Hollywood follow? Tina Daunt's Cause Celebre column in LAT.

Will be open 24/7 for reporting of bureaucratic waste, fraud and abuse at City Hall. DN

Departing City Administrative Officer Bill Fujioka will be feted by the mayor and City Council at 10:15 am in the council chambers.

Larry Mantle does "Airtalk" live from Utah this morning on KPCC.

While the bureau is closing, Time magazine plans to keep an editor, a photographer and entertainment correspondent Rebecca Winters Keegan working out of their homes. The bureau has seven people now. Variety, NYT

Renovations might cost $100 million that has not yet been raised. LAT, Variety