New City Hall journalism site debuts

The City Maven website — "turning Los Angeles City Hall inside out" — officially launched today, by Alice M. Walton. She is the former City News Service reporter in City Hall who's just back from graduating at the top of her class with a master's at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. She also is a past president of the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Walton has been reporting on City Hall meetings on Twitter for a couple of weeks, fine-tuning the site. It looks like it will provide a much-needed boost in coverage of local politics, with an emphasis on reporting at City Hall and posting of documents. From the about page:

We believe in facts, transparency and truth.

We believe in getting our hands dirty from newsprint and that third cup of coffee.

We believe that our reporting should go beyond sound bites and press releases.

The Maven would elaborate, but she’s late for a City Council meeting. She’ll meet you for a drink at the end of her shift.

The name was inspired by Malcolm Gladwell's book, "The Tipping Point." Walton's top post today is the naming of Heather Holt as executive director of the city ethics commission.