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NOW says it never demanded a "whore" firing, why so many restaurants don't post letter grades, Barry Minkow in the news, and Carmen Trutanich too. Plus much more after the jump.
- NOW never actually demanded that Jerry Brown fire the staffer who privately referred to Meg Whitman as a political whore. Witness LA, Politico
- Bill Clinton will headline a Democratic Party rally with Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom on campus at UCLA Friday afternoon..
- Here's why the restaurants in eight cities in Los Angeles County, including Pasadena and Long Beach, don't post the county health department's inspection letter grades. ZevWeb
- The state AG's office says it will go to court to force an outside overseer on the city of Bell after negotiations broke down. LAT
- Barry Minkow is again manipulating the media with his venture to investigate public companies: "Tens of thousands of pages of court records going back nearly two years show that Minkow is again not to be trusted. He is leveling unproven allegations against major companies, driving their stock prices down and profiting by doing so," says the LA Weekly.
- City Attorney Carmen Trutanich has a son, Nicholas, who will ship out to Iraq before the end of the year. Neon Tommy
Plus: Trutanich was stuck in the traffic jam caused by the band that parked its truck across the Hollywood Freeway. LA Weekly
And: Trutanich announced a series of reforms to his office's workers' compensation unit after an audit by Controller Wendy Greuel. LAT, DN - The DWP says it can no longer cover much of the retirement cost for the 1,600 employees it hired away from other city agencies to help out the mayor's budget cutting plans. LAT
- Two more porn production houses announced they shut down temporarily due to a positive HIV test in the industry. LAT
- The trial in Rome of former Getty Museum antiquities curator Marion True ended Wednesday when a three-judge panel ruled that the statute of limitations had expired on criminal charges that she had conspired to traffic in looted art. LAT
- Former KPFK commentator Marc Cooper calls BS on the station's plans to stream Spanish language programming and broadcast it on a low-power AM signal. Blog
- Lawrence Hurley has left the Daily Journal's U.S. Supreme Court beat for Greenwire, where he will cover an enivro legal beat in Washington. The DJ's SCOTUS beat is going to Robert Iafolla, formerly the congressional reporter.
- Columnist David Allen was thrilled that he got to introduce Ray Bradbury at an event in Pomona, where "Fahrenheit 451" is the Big Read. Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
- AOL Patch has now launched a site in Altadena.
- Folks trying to save the Encino Barnes and Noble store are planning a Sunday morning protest aimed at Rick Caruso . Facebook page
- Today would have been John Wooden's 100th birthday. UCLA Newsroom
- KPCC might be getting a large surge in reporter staffing in the near future. Gary Scott
- KPCC's "Off-Ramp" explores the legacy of the late Silver Lake Walking Man, Saturday at noon.