Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
Microsoft to convene in L.A., no Times endorsements for Whitman, Ponzer, Brown or Boxer, the return of Al Checchi and more bankruptcy talk from Dick Riordan.
- Mayor Villaraigosa will officially announce today that Los Angeles will host its largest convention ever, the 2011 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference. LAT, DN
- The L.A. Times explains why it will not endorse Jerry Brown, Meg Whitman, Steve Poizner or Barbara Boxer in the primary, saying of the latter "she displays less intellectual firepower or leadership than she could." Of Poizner, who the paper endorsed for insurance commissioner in 2006, the editorial board writes: "Poizner has become an adept baiter of illegal immigrants, state employees, human service recipients and all the rest of the right's imagined evildoers. If he truly believes his new talking points, we're unable to support him now. If he has latched onto them as part of a cynical bid for political advancement, we can't support him now." LAT
- "Gavin and I are both progressive Democrats," lieutenant governor candidate Janice Hahn said in an interview. "But all things being considered," she said, it makes sense to have "a geographically and gender-balanced ticket in November." Sacto Bee
- Al Checchi, the wealthy former Democratic gubernatorial candidate who spent $40 milion of his own money running in 1998, talks about that campaign and his views on Meg Whitman's campaign — and says he almost ran this year as an independent. SF Chronicle blog
- Former mayor Richard Riordan discussed his position on city bankruptcy and insolvency in Patt Morrison's column. LAT
- Councilman Paul Krekorian says he's still thinking about his position on the appointment of his former campaign rival, Christine Essel, to run the Community Redevelopment Agency. She had previously served on the CRA board. DN/Orlov
- Manatt Phelps & Phillips parner George Kieffer was confirmed as a member of the UC Board of Regents. Sherry Lansing was also confirmed for a new term. LABJ
- Councilman Herb Wesson proposed a city excise tax on advertising and other steps to raise money for the budget. LAT
- Mayor Vilaraigosa and LAPD chief Charlie Beck will give an update on the city's gun buyback program at a 1 p.m. presser on the lawn of the Police Administration Building.
- The LAPD posted on its blog a letter signed by Beck asking Channel 2/9 to stop its reporters from doing ambush interviews with department officials, and responding to a report that an assistant chief has amassed unpaid parking tickets. LAPD
- Jon Regardie imagines a few other jobs that First Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner could fill. Downtown News
- William Elkins Jr., the childhood friend of Tom Bradley who served was one of the mayor's most influential advisors for his entire 20 years in the office, died last week at age 90. Services are 11 a.m. Friday at Second Baptist Church. LAT
- Julie Wong has gone on leave from the staff of Council President Eric Garcetti to work for the reelection campaign of her former boss, Sen. Barbara Boxer.
- NBC says it will sell KWHY-22, one of its three Los Angeles TV stations, before closing the merger deal with Comcast. Hispanic Media Moves
- "As a lifetime inhabitant of this city, and the husband of a Frenchwoman to boot, I think I'm qualified to say that Los Angeles does not have and never will have a Champs-Elysees," the Times' Doug Smith writes. "Nor should it want one." LAT Op-Ed
- For many years, Amy Alkon has been looking for a local outlet to pick up her weekly column The Advice Goddess. It's now in the LA Weekly.
- The Huffington Post turned five years old. MediaWeek
- Fullerton resident Alex Bernal's 1943 battle against housing discrimination helped change the course of American civil rights, but even his children were unaware of his past until after he died, says Gustavo Arellano. OC Weekly