Afternoon news and notes

Because it's been that kind of day:

The consulting company belonging to the Screen Actors Guild�s new national executive director, David White, shut down shortly before he was hired because of his ties to New York lawyer Marc Dreier, who is under house arrest accused of a $380 million fraud scheme. The Wrap
Gov. Schwarzenegger discussed a few months ago whether he should leave the Republican Party, but rejected the idea after concluding with his advisers that Californians already saw him as independent of the party, says biographer Joe Mathews. Daily Beast
Troy Senik, the former Daily Journal legal editor who joined the Bush White House as a speechwriter last year, argues in a commentary that California Republicans can rise in popularity again in part because the state "is headed towards the kind of public-sector meltdown usually reserved for third-world banana republics." Guardian.co.uk
Dan Morain, who left the L.A. Times last week, was named today as communications director in Sacramento for Consumer Attorneys of California.
Former Times reporter Mark Arax's new collection of essays, "West of the West: Dreamers, Believers, Builders and Killers in the Golden State," received a starred review in Publishers Weekly: "...deservedly taking its place alongside Didion�s and Saroyan�s great social portraits." The book comes out in April.
The L.A. Times' reorganization of entertainment and arts coverage announced earlier today includes the return of the Company Town column and an upcoming blog charged with breaking Hollywood news. LAT
The Times says "researchers" have decided that a cold snap led to those mysterious deaths of brown pelicans, but it appears to be a one-researcher blog item. L.A. Now
USC Annenberg's David Westphal is on "Marketplace" today talking about the future of newspapers. Also, Ken Doctor of the blog Content Bridges talks about the future of the San Francisco Chronicle on KCRW's Which Way, L.A.? Marketplace
Also on WWLA, David Zahniser of the Times and Rick Orlov of the Daily News on the race for City Controller. It airs at 7:30 p.m. on 89.9 FM.
La Opini�n today endorsed Measure B on the March 3 ballot. English version
Former mayor Richard Riordan endorsed Adeena Bleich in the 5th district race for the City Council, says a campaign release.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn became a grandmother for the fourth time, the first child for her son Mark and his wife Jaclyn. Release
There's an invitation-only reception at LACMA this evening for Lynda Resnick's new book, "Rubies in the Orchard: The Pom Queen's Secrets to Marketing Just About Anything."
And on the Manny Ramirez front: Dodgers brass flew back to Los Angeles to meet with Manny's agent, reportedly at the stadium, amid signs that something is happening after yesterday's ticket-seller boomlet and Bill Plaschke's column today predicting the Dodgers would cave now that spring games have started. Ken Gurnick/MLB, Tony Jackson/DN

LA Biz Observed