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Can't remember the last time we posted so much on the weekend, including Mark Lacter's exclusive memo from LAT publisher David Hiller on rethinking the Times website. The menu for today is even bigger, with lots of politics and media notes, the return of Petros Papadakis to local airwaves and a correction to Friday's 'Freeway Therapy' post. Plus Maury Wills where you wouldn't expect him, and of course Stephanie Edwards. Everything's nicely organized for you after the jump, so click to go on in.
Last week's Editor's Dozen
Politics
Signing bonuses for LAPD
The mayor and Chief Bratton this morning will announce $5,000 bonuses for new graduates of the LAPD and $10,000 if they come from another California law enforcement agency. The photo-op is the 9:30 am swearing-in at the academy of the first class of 2007.
City Council returns
They've been off for three weeks two weeks plus a Friday. Surely you noticed? Rick Orlov frames the return in the context of the petitions which could force a vote on the council's living wage ordinance imposed on LAX-area hotels.
Many ifs, ands and buts
Daily News headline states there is $2 billion a year in fraud against L.A. County, but the numbers fall apart in the story. DN
Board of Supes online
Who knew? Video, audio and transcripts of Board of Supervisor meetings since January 2003 are available at this website. Hat tip to the Downtown News.
From Rocky to Maria
Kate Folmar of the San Jose Mercury caught Nick Velasquez, one-time strategist for City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, fetching coffee for Mrs. Governor in Sacramento.
Unexpected sighting in Sacramento
Blogging the mayor
Daniel Hernandez on the Times story about Antonio, the arts and "Water and Power."
Media
Power of Stephanie rolls on
Orange County blog Laura's Miscellaneous Musings had its best day in 18 months online when Jan 1 traffic came rolling in for this post on Stephanie Edwards and the Rose Parade.
Garment & Citizen adds columns
One is Ed Fuentes' "Dot Dot Dash" will offer "observations and insights on the local art scene and the various commercial and cultural communities of Downtown." More at the Garment
Nope, still not dead
Pajamas Media went with a one-source scoop claiming that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had died. Turns out the site's source wasn't that good.
Jobs go begging
The city has only two veterinarians on staff and ten openings. Of course, if you take the job you might have activists with bull horns on your front lawn.
Calls for an expert
Brett Levy, the blogger behind Dadtalk, has a review in today's LAT Calendar section of a book about a father's first year.
Two hours wasted
BoifromTroy was on board a United flight that made an unscheduled landing at LAX on the way to Burbank.
Aging porn stars
Sharon Waxman guested on CNN's "Reliable Sources" Sunday talking about her recent NYT fashion and style story on gray-haired porn stars in the Valley.
Noted
Hard to believe
My comment back in December about specious comparisons of L.A. Live to Times Square, and Eric Richardson's rant about it at blogdowntown, inspired an entire story in this week's Downtown News.
Red flag days
If you live in the hills you can find out if red flag parking restrictions are in effect at this LAFD website. Yes, today they are.
Terrell Hansen, 65
The heart transplant recipient became a friend of novelist Michael Connelly and inspired his book Blood Work.
Correction to 'Freeway therapy'
A friend of new Superior Court judge Lynn Diane Olson emails with a clarification to last week's post.
Today
Petros reappears
Petros Papadakis returns to local sports talk this afternoon at AM 570 KLAC. He will join Matt “Money” Smith 4-7 pm weekdays on the “Petros & Money” show. AM 570
On KCRW's 'The Business'
Hollywood Reporter editor Cynthia Littleton and Laura Holson of the New York Times guest with Claude Brodesser-Akner. 2:30 pm.
Art Fein presents...
The 21st annual Elvis Birthday Bash at the Henry Fonda Theater.
From the weekend
Traffic engineers turn out the lights
Two engineers working for the city were charged with shutting down four intersections as part of the EAA strike last year.
Westside jams
Steve Lopez columnizes on Westside traffic as a damper on civic life, pinning the blame on "decades of horrendous planning, including a lack of mixed-income housing near job centers and transportation....a mind-boggling lack of interagency cooperation, under-investment in public transit, overpopulation and an unshakable preference for sitting alone in our cars and fuming at all the other drivers inconsiderate enough to be on the same road. It didn't help that Westside congressman Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles) put the kibosh on Red Line tunneling two decades ago, even as more people were commuting to jobs by the beach. Or that in 1998, Yaroslavsky pushed a ban on the use of sales tax money for more subway digging." LAT
USC kicker found dead
Mario Danelo's body was recovered at the base of a cliff in San Pedro. SoCal Sports Observed
Times pressmen vote to unionize
LA Observed was there with a video camera for interviews and the celebration.