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Does Jerry Brown actually have any clout, Whitman reappears, Garcetti on mayoral run, moving Bon Appetit's test kitchen, Heidi & Frank, and much more.
As Gov. Jerry Brown pushes for his budget of cuts and tax increases and a June special election, what leverage does he have over the legislature to get what he wants? Does he have a hammer? Joe Mathews/Fox & Hounds
Meg Whitman gave a short interview in the Bay Area and said "I will weigh in over time on policy and things. But my view is Jerry Brown deserves a chance to be successful and if I had won, I'd probably want a chance, too." SF Chronicle
Mayor Villaraigosa, in Washington with other mayors, pitched Congress on his transit funding needs and met in a group with President Obama. LAT, DN
CRA commissioners moved quickly to spend up to $52 million to build parking and other improvements around billionaire Eli Broad's planned downtown art museum. LAT
Councilman Bill Rosendahl's office said he was doing fine after surgery to implant a device in his heart.
City Council President Eric Garcetti acknowledged he is "seriously leaning" towards running for mayor and will announce a decision in the next six to eight months. "The earlier I say yes, the harder it will be for me to govern in my current role," he said. Hollywood Patch
Moving Bon Appetit's test kitchen from Los Angeles to New York, with pictures. BA blog
The "Heidi and Frank Show" podcast is making it happen with a pretty unique business model that could be of interest to a traditional radio business rapidly shrinking due to the industry’s nationwide consolidation. PaidContent
Longtime state of California spokesman William Rukeyser is retiring. Capitol Weekly
Dodger Talk co-host Ken Levine and ex-Dodger Ron Fairly will be part of a rotating radio team for the Seattle Mariners that will replace the team's late broadcaster Dave Niehaus. Dodger Thoughts
Bill MacDonald, the Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket host, leads Tom Hoffarth's list of top local TV sports anchor, reporter or personality. Jaime Maggio of KCBS and KCAL is featured. DN
Graffiti spray painted on two Santa Ana walls threatening to kill Gov. Jerry Brown on Feb. 14 has prompted an investigation by the California Highway Patrol and Santa Ana Police Department. OC Register, LAT
Kobe Bryant will become the first athlete to have a hand and foot print ceremony at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, as part of the NBA's All-Star Weekend festivities on Feb. 19. AP
"SoCalConnected" took on the subject of red light cameras, whether they aid safety and why they lose money. KCET
A new study shows that motorists in the greater Los Angeles area in 2009 experienced fewer delays from traffic congestion than other parts of the country — a change in reputation that could be short-lived as the region recovers from the worst recession since World War II. Plus: what's wrong with the rankings. LAT, Streetsblog
A Cal Poly Pomona biology graduate student and an instructor are the caretakers of 71 exotic turtles, tortoises and frogs confiscated at LAX earlier this month. SGV Tribune
The events at a Hawthorne hit-and-run scene on Wednesday night "shocked even the most seasoned investigators." Daily Breeze
The family of a student who had a sexual affair with Burbank Unified middle school teacher Amy Beck has filed a lawsuit against her husband, a Los Angeles police officer, claiming he threatened to kill the teenager. The 818 Now