Morning Buzz: Wednesday 4.22.09

Rep. Jane Harman denied any wrongdoing in the quid pro quo allegations involving suspected Israeli spies, and in a letter to the AG called her wiretapping an abuse of power. LAT, Breeze, KPCC
Also: Tim Rutten calls it an an ersatz scandal with "all sorts of things about this that don't make sense." LAT Op-Ed
And: Who's Haim Saban. LAT/Cause Celebre
Mayor Villaraigosa is backing Judy Chu for Congress in CD 32 over his childhood friend Gil Cedillo. Sausage Factory, Leftovers from City Hall
Councilman Richard Alarcon proposed naming the new LAPD headquarters building after the late mayor (and officer) Tom Bradley, while the police commission voted to oppose keeping the Parker Center name. LAT, KPCC
Gavin Newsom, already out campaigning for governor, will visit the Westside design firm Marmol Radziner and Associates at noon for an Earth Day media op. Via release
Outgoing City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo talks up his latest bid for state Attorney General. California's Capitol
Variety ceded its grip on Hollywood coverage to blogs and other rivals, "and now the Hollywood press corps is in a state of revolution," says John Koblin in a piece that includes crossfire between Nikki Finke and Sharon Waxman. NY Observer
Faculty and students who support biomedical research that uses animals will rally today at UCLA near anti-animal protesters. UCLA Newsroom
Los Angeles Daily Journal legal editor Sara Libby reveals a personal side to the debate over strip searches of students in an op-ed piece at the Christian Science Monitor. CSM
A Papua New Guinea tribe has sued The New Yorker over a lengthy article by UCLA scholar Jared Diamond. Forbes
Rick Garcia signed off as a sports guy at Fox 11 and has already been scrubbed from the website. Media Moves, Franklin Avenue
That Stevenson Ranch oak tree saved from developers five years ago is now in better shape than the developers. DN
Steve Lopez and David Ulin of the Times are featured on a Festival of Books preview with Jon Wiener today on KPFK (90.7 FM) from 4 to 5 p.m. Jon Wiener
Truthdig is offering journalists half off the $50 donation at a fundraiser party and panel with Amy Goodman, Chris Hedges and Robert Scheer called Media Meltdown in a Time of Crisis, Saturday 4:30 to 9 p.m. at Bunker Hill Tower downtown. Info
Aloud has last-minute seats available for Thursday’s event with Jane Smiley discussing “The Novel! Why There's Nothing Quite Like it!” Info

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