Morning Buzz: Thursday 3.8.07

Admits understaffing. Breeze

Michael Krikorian of the LA Weekly takes the list out on the streets and finds cops, gang members and community members who think it's a crock motivated by politics. A news story by Luke Y. Thompson also casts doubt on claims that gang crime is rising. The cover story at CityBeat, meanwhile, looks into whether the Mexican Mafia is behind killings of African Americans in South L.A.

That's how much it cost Villaraigosa's political action committee to get prosecutor Tamar Galatzan into a runoff in the Valley school board seat. LA Weekly The LAT's election folo says the Valley race is where the runoff action will be. Daily News folo.

Councilman Jack Weiss will announce his bid for City Attorney with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as campaign chairman and former Mayor Richard Riordan as an honorary chair — "two major and unusually early endorsements," the Times reports. Weiss also claims a new identity: "I'm a prosecutor, not a politician." LAT

Remember back in 2004 when Juan Catalan was cleared of murder suspicions — after five months in jail — when he showed up in outtakes from the stadium shot for HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm?" Well, he got lucky again. The city council has approved a $320,000 settlement. LAT

First single-digit Los Angeles election in quite awhile. DN Councilwoman Janice Hahn wasn't on the list at her polling place. Breeze

New councilman-elect Richard Alarcon dropped in on the council chambers and received hugs. DN

With a relative unknown getting the most votes, the Iranian-born councilman who was the focus of a Wall Street Journal story has only a 7-vote lead over a challenger with several hundred provisional votes still to be checked. LAT

The Daily News tells LA Observed that the paper's taste-test of fast-food hamburgers was pegged to the new McDonald's third-pounder and planned last week — so not a reaction to the Times' big Campanile dinner. Explanation accepted.

Brian Doherty of Reason magazine boasts about having two former staffers inside the tent at the Times' opinion section. LAist

Our Weekly's cover has a piece on black women and the popularity of "a round big butt."

Local photojournalist Gary Leonard hosts the opening of his new Open Studio from 6:30-9 pm at 740 S. Olive St. That's downtown.

NBC4's Conan Nolan will moderate a panel on immigration and media coverage tonight at 7 pm. Panelists are Jon Fleischman of FlashReport.org, Stephen Gregory of KFI and Daniel Hernandez of the LA Weekly. Info.

The actress will be on the second floor of Nordstrom in The Grove from 7-9 pm to celebrate the release of her athletic-inspired sportswear line. Styles & Scenes