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San Bernardino County authorities positively identified the remains of Christopher Dorner, amid questions about the use of seven incendiary devices, or burners, to light the cabin on fire. LAT
As of May 2012, some 341 people had been issued concealed-weapon permits by the LA County Sheriff's Department — with friends and campaign contributors to Sheriff Lee Baca disproportionately represented on the list obtained by the LA Weekly. LAW
A stifling bureaucracy and inept workforce have crippled Los Angeles County's child protective agency, resulting in a system that allowed children to remain in unsafe homes, sometimes to die at the hands of their caretakers, according to a confidential county report. LAT
Wendy Greuel's ties to DWP union boss Brian D'Arcy, and whether they help or hurt her campaign, are examined by the LA Weekly's Gene Maddaus in the cover story.
Brian D'Arcy has a lot riding on the race for L.A. mayor, which may be why he's staying out of sight. The last time he campaigned openly for something — a solar initiative — it failed, which is sort of amazing, given that solar energy polls at 80 percent. But that's Brian D'Arcy. He can make sunshine controversial....
in D'Arcy's eyes, there's no comparison. Greuel can be trusted. Garcetti cannot. D'Arcy's union has already put $250,000 behind Greuel's campaign, with more to come, maybe as much as $2 million.Greuel has to hope it helps more than it hurts. Since the solar measure was defeated in 2009, D'Arcy has racked up an unblemished record of failure in council elections. Chris Essel. Forescee Hogan-Rowles. Pat McOsker. Thanks to him, all were tagged as City Hall insiders, and all lost.
A new independent TV ad supporting mayoral candidate Kevin James goes up today, contending the city faces possible bankruptcy and that the three City Hall veterans in the race -- Wendy Greuel, Eric Garcetti, and Jan Perry -- cannot fix the budget crisis because they created it. LA Weekly, LAT
A so-called independent PAC has formed supporting Garcetti, who previously railed against the influence of outside money in the race. This one is focused on the runoff and was started by Mary Jane Stevenson, the California director of President Obama's 2012 campaign, and Rick Jacobs, chair of the Courage Campaign. LA Weekly, LAT
Jan Perry's campaign has sent out mailers both embracing and slamming Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. LAT
The City Ethics Commission on Thursday fined Peter Barker, president of Orange County-based Barker Management, $170,000 for laundering dozens of campaign contributions, including into the mayoral campaigns of Wendy Greuel, Eric Garcetti and Jan Perry. LAT
Former mayoral candidate Austin Beutner writes that "It's time for an honest conversation about what the city can afford and what effective government looks like." DN opinion
The next mayor will inherit an $85 million bill in police overtime, according to the City Administrative Office’s latest figures. That tab was created by deferring costs of police overtime to a “bank.” DN
KCRW has posted stories on the mayoral campaigns of Jan Perry and Emanuel Pleitez.
Councilman Paul Krekorian, the City Council’s budget chairman, took on the fiscal arguments of the candidates for mayor, describing some of them as “pure nonsense” – particularly the idea that the city can balance its budget without passing a sales tax increase next month. DN
Los Angeles is the nation's second largest city, "but in political terms it's more like a kindergarten sandbox than a grown-up municipality," says Dan Walters. "A campaign is under way to choose Villaraigosa's successor, but the aspirants exhibit no vision for the troubled city and are busily trashing each other in hopes of surviving the first round of voting on March 5 and making it into the runoff." Sacto Bee
The Times endorsed in school board races. LAT editorial
Patt Morrison says the mayoral race needs more debates, not fewer. LAT op-ed
Magic Johnson appears in a campaign commercial for City Attorney candidate Mike Feuer. KPCC
An estimated 10,000 shoppers mobbed The Grove for the opening of Top Shop. LAT
Lakers owner Jerry Buss is in the ICU at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with complications of an unspecified cancer. LAT, DN
To quote Yogi Berra, it is deja-vu all over again with Metrolink and its financial management issues, says Dana Gabbard. LA Streetsblog
Stuart Levine is leaving Variety after 15 years to be VP of editorial and media relations for NBC Entertainment. Fishbowl LA
A lawyer for former San Diego Mayor Maureen O'Connor said that a brain tumor may have contributed to her addiction to video poker, at which she wagered more than $1 billion. No nearly destitute, O'Connor admitted skimming more than $2 million from the charity of her late husband and took a plea deal. LAT
