Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
Over his long career in the assessor's office, "John Noguez received political contributions from many property owners whose buildings he personally appraised. And politics continued to play a significant role in the office after Noguez was sworn into the top job," says Gene Maddaus. LA Weekly
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's bid to indefinitely extend the Measure R sales tax "marks perhaps a last chance to jump-start what he hopes will be the cornerstone of his legacy: dramatically expanding rail service in L.A." LAT, DN
Plus: State of the City photo gallery
The Police Protective League board voted to sue the city and the LAPD over the department's new policy on impounding vehicles of unlicensed drivers. The union alleges the policy could expose officers to legal liability.
Candidates in the DA's race are sharpening their attacks on Carmen Trutanich, fearing he may win it all in the primary. LA Weekly
Ian Calderon is the latest family hopeful in California's longest-running legislative dynasty – and fundraising fliers hammer that point home. Bee
Dick Clark's final blog post. OC Register
Arianna Huffington appeared on "The Colbert Report" Wednesday night to have a little fun over the Pulitzer won by the Huffington Post. "Who needs a Peabody when you have a Pulitzer?" Poynter
Sharon Bernstein, a former business and Metro reporter at the LA Times, joins the NBC 4 digital new staff as an editor on May 7.
The Oxnard Unified School District fired a science teacher who appeared in a porn video in her time off. LAT
Regarding Kim Kardashian as the mayor of Glendale, "Would the reality TV celebrity start City Council meetings with naked yoga workouts? Would she abdicate the post after 72 days, the amount of time her marriage to Kris Humphries lasted?" DN
A memorial was held at the Shrine Auditorium Wednesday evening to remember Ying Wu and Ming Qu, the electrical engineering graduate students at USC who were shot near campus last week. Neon Tommy, LAT
An 18-year-old bicyclist from Azusa was busted for allegedly staging accidents with cars and then demanding money from the drivers she said hit her. LA Weekly
West San Fernando Valley motorists are urged to be careful Monday as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority begins testing buses on the Orange Line north-south extension near Canoga Avenue between Victory Boulevard and Devonshire Street. DN
