Morning Buzz

Morning Buzz: Friday 3.8.13 *

moca-sculpture-plaza.jpg

LACMA-MOCA merger talks

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art has proposed that it acquire the Museum of Contemporary Art, "a move that would combine the biggest art collection west of the Mississippi with one of the world's most prestigious troves of contemporary art." Eli Broad,
whose bailout in 2008 stipulated that MOCA could not be acquired for ten years
by "any museum located within 100 miles of MOCA's Grand Avenue facility," had no comment yet. Both MOCA locations wopuld remain. LAT

LACMA director Michael Govan's letter says MOCA approached him.

"Virtually no one today believes that the Broad rescue plan for MOCA has worked out. Fundraising lags, staff has been depleted." Christopher Knight/LAT

MOCA Mobilization, which rallied artists during the funding crisis in 2008, calls MOCA now
"a diminished institution. The Board of Trustees has failed a great Museum." ArtInfo

New Proposal to Merge Art Museums in Los Angeles NYT
What's next: LA County Museum of Art offers to merge with Museum of Contemporary Art KPCC
Winners and Losers as Museum Merger Sparks Are Reignited. CultureGrrl
Who wins, who loses? William Poundstone/ArtInfo

Campaign 2013 and government

The Valley is a key battleground for Garcetti and Greuel. DN/Orlov

For Greuel and Garcetti, fundraising essentially starts over. LAT/Reston, Mehta and Linthicum

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa endorsed school board member Nury Martinez for the vacant Tony Cardenas seat on the City Council [fixed] and said he may or may not endorse in the runoff for mayor. "I think it's important that whatever happens, I have a good relationship with the next mayor. I am going to support whoever wins." DN/Orlov

Mayor Villaraigosa said a brighter financial outlook will reduce the city's budget deficit from $216 million to possibly less than $100 million. "The economy's getting better," he said. "So I don't expect that we're going to have draconian cuts." LAT/Zahniser

Greuel announced the endorsement of former FAME pastor Chip Murray. Ron Galperin announced Rep. Henry Waxman.

An exit poll from the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University confirms what many observers expected in Tuesday’s mayoral primary. KPCC/Walton

Over the objections of environmentalists, community groups and neighboring Long Beach officials, Los Angeles harbor commissioners on Thursday approved a $500-million rail yard that could dramatically boost business but also drive more noise and dirty air into schools, parks and low-income neighborhoods. LAT, Press-Telegram, KPCC

The City Council approved a $30 million design contract for HNTB to redesign a new 6th Street Bridge over the Los Angeles River.

Glendale City Council candidate Zareh Sinanyan, "who has garnered an impressive amount of financial and political support, rather foolishly, and under his own name*, appears to have left an astonishingly filthy and vitriolic trail of vulgar, bullying, homophobic, anti-Muslim, and racist comments on youtube going back 5 years." Tropico Station

Media and more

The Jewish Journal broke the news of a private White House meeting at which President Barack Obama told a diverse group of Jewish leaders that he “was not going to deliver a grand peace plan” during his upcoming two-day trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Jewish Journal

Variety executive editor Steven Gaydos was upped to VP and will "oversee all editorial for features, events, creative partnerships, custom publishing and other special projects." Variety

The New York Times named new editors for Culture (Danielle Mattoon) and Arts and Leisure (Sia Michel.) Romenesko

Steve Clow, a deputy on the 2012 national campaign desk for the LA Times, is "temporarily joining Metro as State editor to oversee immigration coverage and regional news," per a memo.

The most influential play-by-play announcers in Southland history, from Tom Hoffarth. DN

Folk Saint Santa Muerte Is Alive and Well in L.A. — Death, Devotion, and the DEA. On Being


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
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Morning Buzz: Wednesday 4.16.14