Morning Buzz

Morning Buzz: Monday 2. 28.11

Archbishop Jose Gomez takes the crooked staff, Times urges defeat of three city councilmen, print pieces on Charlie Sheen, more politics and media notes and a book on the Hollywood sign.

Top of the news

Cardinal Roger Mahony handed over the crosier to Archbishop Jose Gomez at Mass on Sunday, the transition marking "the end of a tumultuous quarter-century during which Mahony earned a reputation as a progressive prelate dedicated to immigrant rights, economic justice and an expanded role for women and the laity — and then saw that record sullied by a scandal that led to a $660-million settlement with victims of sexual abuse by priests." LAT, DN


Politics and politicos

A $5.7 billion construction program in the Los Angeles Community College District has wasted tens of millions of dollars due to poor planning, frivolous spending and shoddy workmanship, an L.A. Times investigation reported on Sunday. LAT

The Times endorsed challenger Tomas O'Grady over Councilman Tom La Bonge in the 4th district and 27-year-old Rich Goodman over Councilman Tony Cardenas in the 6th district, as well as incumbents Paul Krekorian, Bernard Parks and Herb Wesson. The paper previously endorsed Rudy Martinez over Jose Huizar. LAT editorial

The value of endorsements in the 12th district council race. DN

Rick Orlov's Tipoffs: Coffee Party candidate struggles for exposure, Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils, city of Burbank joins "Let's Move" campaign. DN

Attorneys for state Sen. Roderick Wright will try to get the Inglewood Democrat's eight-count felony indictment thrown out by arguing that prosecutors misled grand jurors weighing whether he lived in his district, in part by not telling them about relevant case law and election codes. LAT

Lance Armstrong, the retired seven-time Tour de France winner, will kick off a state ballot initiative campaign in Los Angeles today for a measure that would direct hundreds of millions of dollars toward cancer research by levying an additional $1 tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products. LAT


Media and media people

Amy Wallace, newly installed as an L.A.-based correspondent for GQ, has a timely profile on Charlie Sheen in the April issue (and rushed online) and a story on the Tucson massacre.

It's a pattern: first Mary McNamara in the LAT then David Carr in the NYT observe that abusing woman didn't get Charlie Sheen fired, but insulting his boss might have.

Variety will launch a news blog outside its pay wall, written by film editor Josh Dickey with film reporters Justin Kroll and Jeff Sneider. The Wrap

Andrew Sullivan will move from The Atlantic to the Daily Beast and also become a Newsweek contributor. The Cutline

Tom Christie became curious about a working DWP pump beside Vermont Avenue in Griffith Park and found out that it was rented, rather than purchased, costing the DWP many times what it should have cost. LAT op-ed


More

Billboards around the city warn the judgement day is coming May 21. Here's who is behind them. DN

The L.A. Times reviewed "The Hollywood Sign: Fantasy and Reality of an American Icon" by Leo Braudy, Leo S. Bing Chair in English and American Literature at USC. LAT

Law students at the Biederman Entertainment and Media Law Institute at Southwestern Law School have launched the Biederman Blog to post about issues in the field. Blog

Spring Street in the former financial district is becoming something of a Coffee Row. Downtown News


Planning ahead

The Los Angeles Kings will honor the National Hockey League's first black player, Willie O'Ree, as part of the team's second annual Black History Night tonight. CNS


More by Kevin Roderick:
Gustavo Arellano, many others join LA Times staff
Power out Monday across Malibu
Put Jamal Khashoggi Square outside the Saudi consulate on Sawtelle
Here's who the LA Times has newly hired*
LA Observed Notes: Clippers hire big-time writer, unfunny Emmys, editor memo at the Times and more
Recent Morning Buzz stories on LA Observed:
Thursday news and notes
A little bit of mid-week reading
A few links from a few different places
Let's talk about anything but the weather
A few links from here and there
A couple of links from a couple of places
A bit of news from a few places
Morning Buzz: Wednesday 4.16.14


 

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