really cold in Lancaster this morning. Plus the Clippers win again." /> Morning Buzz: Thursday 12.20.12 - LA Observed
Morning Buzz

Morning Buzz: Thursday 12.20.12

Politics and government

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, and other senators sent a letter to Sony calling "Zero Dark Thirty" a "dangerous combination" of fact and fiction on the U.S. use of torture. KPCC

City Council President Herb Wesson is drawing criticism for naming Erin Pak, wife of prominent campaign fundraiser and land use consultant Chris Pak, to the campaign watchdog Ethics Commission. LAT

The LA Times' Catherine Saillant pulls together the disparate threads of previous coverage to say the 2013 mayoral race looks wide open — and is only the third time in 75 years that there is no incumbent to dominate the race. LAT

A new private poll in the race shows 44 percent of likely voters undecided, and among those who have taken a position Eric Garcetti looks to have a 3-point lead over Wendy Greuel that is within the margin of error. LA Weekly
Plus: Garcetti fundraiser at the Hollywood Hills home of Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. LAW

Mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti talks about taking foster children into his home, and about having Jewish and Latino heritage. Bill Boyarsky/Jewish Journal

City Attorney candidate Mike Feuer on gun violence and Newtown. Huffington Post

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to allow sea otters to roam freely down the Southern California coastline, abandoning a 1980s program to relocate the voracious shellfish eaters from waters reserved for fishermen. LAT

How injured bicyclist Don Ward discovered that the driver who hit in 2009 and failed to stop was City Hall lobbyist and downtown nightlife blogger Glenn Gritzner. LA Weekly


Media and media people

Former LAT and NYT reporter David Cay Johnston was on KPCC to talk about his new book, " "The Fine Print: How companies use 'plain English' and other tricks to rob you blind." Take Two

Actor-comedian Joy Mohr will take over Jim Rome's three-hour time slot on Fox Sports Radi on Jan 2., airing 9 a.m. to noon in Los Angeles on AM 570. Fishbowl LA


More

A cold air mass over the Southland sent temperatures plummeting this morning — and a record low of 14 degrees for a December 20th was recorded in Lancaster. CNS

What other short-listed designs looked like for the Downtown LA federal courthouse to be planned by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Curbed LA

Work begins Friday on a 19-story luxury apartment tower just south of the Broad art museum rising on Bunker Hill. Downtown News

clippers-win-11th-grab.jpgThe Clippers won their 11th game in a row, 93-77 over New Orleans. ESPN LA

Don Haidl, the former assistant sheriff in Orange County who was convicted of tax crimes and then cooperated with federal investigators in their case against convicted Sheriff Mike Carona, died at age 61. Register

UCLA China expert Richard Baum died at 72 of cancer. LAT


More by Kevin Roderick:
'In on merit' at USC
Read the memo: LA Times hires again
Read the memo: LA Times losing big on search traffic
Google taking over LA's deadest shopping mall
Gustavo Arellano, many others join LA Times staff
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