Morning Buzz: USC shooting, Prop. 30, LA taxes

Four people were wounded in a shooting outside a Halloween party near the center of the USC campus. Two suspects were taken into custody. None of the victims or suspects are USC students, campus officials said. Classes will go on as normal today. LAT, Neon Tommy, Daily Trojan, CNS

An LAPD press release about officers shooting a suspect in South Los Angeles left out a relevant fact: the man was handcuffed and face down at the time he was shot. LAT

A Sacramento Superior Court judge confirmed her ruling against Americans for Responsible Leadership, the obscure Arizona campaign group that is pumping money into California ballot measure campaigns, saying the failure to investigate the source of its funds would cause irreparable harm to California voters. Rough & Tumble, LAT, KPCC

Public support for Prop. 30 remains below 50 percent, but the measure no longer appears to be on a downward trajectory, leaving Brown within striking distance one week before Election Day, according to a new Field Poll. Sacto Bee

The City Council instructed its lawyers to draw up language for ballot measures that would raise property, real estate, parking and sales taxes, but Council President Herb Wesson said he hopes only the sales tax increase gets on the March ballot. LAT, DN

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich and City Council members agreed to keep talking before acting on a proposed ballot measure to take some powers away from the office of City Attorney. LAT, DN

Not having to cast votes on the City Council lets Controller and mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel be vague about her positions on hot issues — an advantage not shared by Council members Eric Garcetti and Jan Perry. LA Weekly

The LAUSD is bracing for severe cuts if Prop. 30 loses. DN

The number of Californians registered to vote has passed 18 million for the first time. LAT

The Sacramento Bee announced the hiring of editorial cartoonist Jack Ohman, recently of The Oregonian in Portland. Bee

In his first historical novel, former Los Angeles journalist J.R. Moehringer writes from the perspective of long-ago bank robber Willie Sutton. Fresh Air

Joe Francis wants the LA Weekly to use a better photo of him. LAW

How the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 changed Los Angeles and its relationship to the suburbs. KCET

There's a press conference this morning at the Central Library to talk about the economic impact of last year's Pacific Standard Time: Art in LA 1945-1980 exhibitions.

Long cover story in the New York Times food section on the newly reopened Spago (now 30 years old) and on the empire of founder Wolfgang Puck: "With his relentless merchandising, self-branding and kitchen globe-trotting, with his ease in moving from the highbrow to the lower-brow, Mr. Puck has often seemed in danger of sliding into culinary parody, more Barry Becher pitching Ginsu knives on late-night television ('Wait, there’s more!') than the avatar of California cuisine." NYT