Morning Buzz

Morning Buzz: Monday 3.21.11

Jerry Brown takes to YouTube, Republican convention aftermath, a bigger city council, GLAAD awards and more media and politics notes — plus more for a Monday.

Politics and politicos

Gov. Jerry Brown "checks in with the people of California" on the budget in a video on YouTube.

Today is Tom Del Beccaro's first full day as chair of the beleaguered California Republican Party - and he freely says the next two years will be the most challenging the party ever experiences. SF Chronicle

California Republicans voted Sunday to enact a sweeping end-run around the spirit of the "top-two primary" system adopted by voters, deciding to conduct a mail-in nominating process with all registered GOP voters before the primary election. LAT

Tim Rutten suggests dropping the nonpartisan rule to increase interest in city elections. LAT Op-Ed

Developer Ed Roski Jr.'s NFL stadium project has dropped its team of lobbyists and public relations consultants, among them John Ek and Maureen Kindel. DN

DA Steve Cooley showed up to support radio talker Kevin James' announcement of a run for mayor, Eric Garcetti to again for Council president, and Assemblyman Jeff Gorell, (R-Westlake Village) heads off for a year in Afghanistan with the Naval Reserve. Orlov Tipoffs/DN

Leimert Park activist Damien Goodman calls for tripling the size of the City Council from 15 to 45 to "drastically reduce the cost of running formidable city council campaigns and increase the value of on-the-ground hand-to-hand campaigning." CityWatch

Metro has detailed how much it intends to cut bus service and lines now that a consent decree has been lifted and the agency is shifting more toward rail. LAT

With the popular Orange Line busway now being extended from Woodland Hills to Chatsworth, Metro is launching a $2 million study of mass-transit options for the congested north-south corridor through Van Nuys. DN

No sound wall is planned on the 405 widening project alongside Los Angeles National Cemetery, but some Westwood residents want one. LAT

Vernon is the county's only rotten borough that has been targeted for disincorporation by the speaker of the state Assembly, John A. PĂ©rez. Dan Walters/Bee


Media and media people

GLAAD Media Awards were given to "True Blood," Ricky Martin, Frank Rich, The Advocate and other winners. "Something Happened" by L. Trey Wilson won for Outstanding Los Angeles Theater. List

NBC's "Law & Order: Los Angeles" is filming an episode called "Benedict Canyon" based loosely on the murder of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen. Show Tracker

The Los Angeles Times has launched a California Public Records guide and clearinghouse where readers can find tips on how to obtain refords from government agencies and send records for the Times to post. LAT

Writer Hilary MacGregor attempted her first marathon on Sunday. LAT Op-Ed

Jack Hawn, retired boxing columnist at the Los Angeles Times, has written his memoir: "Blind Journey: A Journalist's Memoirs," from StrategicBookClub.com.


More

Former sumo wrestler Kelly Gneiting finished Sunday's Los Angeles Marathon in nine hours, 48 minutes and 52 seconds. "I did it, but it was hell," Gneiting, 40, said, shortly after crossing the finish line in Santa Monica. "Pure hell." LAT

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Los Angeles Conservancy are at odds over 1949 murals painted by Charles Alston and Hale Woodruff in the lobby of Paul R. Williams' Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company building. NYT

Santa Monica is making it more expensive for restaurants to have sidewalk seating. LABJ

Author Michael Walker sees parallels between Steve Jobs and Owsley Stanley, the '60s counterculture figure and purveyor of LSD. NYT Opinion, L A Observed Visiting Blogger

Self Help Graphics & Art is moving from East Los Angeles to Boyle Heights. LAT

The Barry Bonds trial on charges that the baseball slugger lied to the feds investigating the steroids scandal begins today in San Francisco with an all-star cast of lawyers. NYT

In preparation for a year-long $6.7-million restoration, the Huntington Library's historic Japanese Garden will close to the public on April 4 and reopen to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012. SGV Tribune

The rigors & reality of the stand-up comedy business on "The Treatment" at 2:30 p.m. on KCRW.

Patt Morrison will talk about those Family Radio billboards around Los Angeles predicting the apocalypse. KPCC at 2:40 p.m.


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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