Morning Buzz: Wednesday 2.11.09

• Mayor Villaraigosa is back in Washington again to lobby with other California mayors and pick up an award from the League of United Latin American Citizens. DN/Sausage Factory
• The Times takes a crack at speculating how much public assistance might find its way to the octuplets family. LAT
• Officials say that trash and homeless encampments have been removed from the Orange Line bikeway across the Valley. DN
• Costumed characters who pose for pictures outside Grauman's Chinese are asking for protection from CD vendors that may have gang ties. LAT
• Controller Laura Chick and some city council members who didn't endorse Jack Weiss for city attorney criticized his campaign claims of credit for leading the fight over the LAPD's backlog of unprocessed rape kits. LAT
• Controller candidate Wendy Greuel debuts a 30-second TV spot highlighting examples of waste in government, and is way out-raising rival Nick Patsaouras. Campaign site, Sausage Factory
• Two juvenile gang members were arrested in the string of Echo Park and Silver Lake street muggings, and The Eastsider LA posted audio of the LAPD news conference. TELA
• Steve Lopez columnizes that a county program to help the 50 most down and out Skid Row denizens to get off the streets has been a rousing and cost-effective success. LAT
• Council President Eric Garcetti, who has revamped his non-city website and put up a campaign blog, will further woo the bloggers by including some in a 5:30 p.m. conference call "to discuss the local impact of the Senate version of the stimulus bill."
• AMC is flacking to bloggers too, inviting several in LA and around the country to view all five Oscar best picture nominees in one day and blog about it: "And we encourage the use of all livestreaming social media tools such as Twitter, Twitpic, etc."
• The Times discusses its decision to name Rihanna as the victim of possible domestic violence. Readers' Rep blog
• I'm told everyone at Southland Publishing — that's CityBeat et al — just got a 10% pay cut.
• The Foodinista, an anonymous food blog by a Los Angeles food magazine editor, plans to support Nancy Silverton by eating at Pizzeria Mozza. Blog
• The Kavli Foundation in Oxnard has provided a $2 million endowment for the Science Journalism Awards program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Release
• Actor Patrick Swayze's memoir, written with his wife Lisa Niemi, was sold to Atria for fall publication and reportedly will cover his life and career as well as his fight against pancreatic cancer, says Publisher's Lunch.
• LA Observed contributor Phil Wallace has launched AwardsPicks.com to, among other things Oscar-related, help manage people's awards pools.

Mark Lacter headlines | Native Intelligence