This cartoon by Rob Tornoe runs today under the headline "Sam Zell must be very proud" at PolitickerCA. That is the relatively new local outlet of a national chain of politics websites owned by the New York Observer and top-edited by a former Boston Globe reporter and blogger. The California version has a promising mix of reporting, comment and blind items — such as speculation that ex-Daily News editor Ron Kaye might run for City Council in the Valley and that Robin Kramer is looking to leave as Mayor Villaraigosa's chief of staff. Down side is the L.A. dish is posted under a pseudonym, and unfortunately the site justifies it with the weakest claim available: the Madison and Hamilton did it cliche. I looked and didn't see any other similarity to the Federalists. Personal accountability is good enough for every reporter and nearly all good politics bloggers in the state. But nationally the brand has a track record and seems ethical, so I'll keep reading until they give me a reason to stop. While wondering what they're hiding from their readers.
New LAT blogs:
L.A. Unleashed, about pets and animals by staff writers Tony Barboza, Carla Hall and Francisco Vara-Orta.
Money & Co., tracking the economic trends that affect readers' finances by staff financial columnist Tom Petruno.
Booster Shots, "oddities" from the world of health by staff health writers.