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[ * Correction inside: Newsonomics is Ken Doctor's site, not Alan Mutter's. ]
More than $2.5 million in cash was paid under the table to union hands who worked concerts, mostly controversial raves, at the L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena, according to sources and documents obtained by the LA Weekly. LAT
Inland Empire Republican Rep. Jerry Lewis has been making phone calls to supporters indicating that he is not running for re-election, says Jon Fleischman. Flash Report
The L.A. Times launched its new Top of the Ticket political commentary blog with cartoonist David Horsey. ToT
The Daily News sent editorial writer Kevin Modesti to New Hampshire to cover the primaries there. DN
Twelve California news organizations pooled resources to send Fresno Bee reporter Tim Sheehan to Spain to look into the bullet train experience. The first story runs Sunday. California Watch
Times columnist Meghan Daum talks about her Haterade column for The Believer with Patt Morrison at 2:30 p.m. on KPCC.
Among the media questions for 2012 from Ken Doctor is this: "If AOL crumbles in one direction or another, what’s the future for smart cookie Arianna Huffington?" Newsonomics
[ * Fixed I had my news media observers switched on this. It's Ken Doctor, not Alan Mutter. ]
Los Angeles cracks down on street vendors. NYT
A new weekly web feature called The Laws That Shaped L.A. will be posted on the KCET website by Jeremy Rosenberg. The first one looks at the Law of the Indies and its role in the siting of Los Angeles.
Former LAPD Chief William Bratton has a new book coming January 17 from Crown Business: "COLLABORATE OR PERISH! Reaching Across Boundaries in a Networked World."
How to drive to improve traffic for others. Lifehacker
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas' 20th annual Empowerment Congress Summit is at 9 a.m. Saturday at the USC Bovard Auditorium. Al Sharpton is the keynote speaker.