Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
Gov. Brown leaves Tuesday on a weeklong visit to China "in a bid to reclaim the state's reputation as a global economic powerhouse and innovator." LAT
Brown sits for a wide-ranging pre-trip interview with Matthew Garrahan of the Financial Times LA bureau that includes a son's observation on his father's speeches: "I wasn’t too impressed with his rhetoric. There was a certain bombast. But it was not elegant rhetoric. It was not Demosthenes.” FT
KPCC surveyed the California delegation in Congress on its members' personal gun ownership — many refused to answer. KPCC
Organized labor's lopsided support for Wendy Greuel in the mayoral has started shifting as unions begin pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into an independent campaign backing Eric Garcetti. LAT
The New York Times also looks at union involvement in the race: Union Views Loom Large as Los Angeles Picks a Mayor. NYT
Garcetti added endorsements by Council President Herb Wesson and former South LA councilmembers Nate Holden and Rita Walters. Greuel added Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker.
Greuel and Garcetti try to assure San Pedro it won't be forgotten. LAT
The list of top names not backing the reelection of City Attorney Carmen Trutanich might be more revealing than those who are. LAT
Four polls in the mayoral race, all for political campaigns or with other reasons to disregard them. LA Weekly
Damien Carrol, an aide to Councilman Paul Krekorian, and former congressional candidate Susan Shelley say they will run for the Valley assembly seat to be vacated by new Councilman Bob Blumenfield. Orlov's Tipoff/DN
The Los Angeles County Local Agency Formation Commission is taking another look at whether there is a better way to govern the southeast cities. LAT
Stephanie Saporito is the new communications director for Councilman Mitchell Englander. She was previously the assistant communications deputy for county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.
Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his new institute at USC will host a public forum this afternoon on "findings on dramatic impact of climate change on the U.S." Info
Plus: The flackage includes an op-ed in the LA Times.
The Times picked up on the ongoing dispute, reported widely already, between merchants in St. Vincent's Court and the owner of the Los Angeles Theatre on Broadway. LAT
Homicides and other crimes are down again in Los Angeles so far in 2013. LAT
9 facts Paul Krugman left out of his California Comeback column. Washington Examiner
The funeral for film critic Roger Ebert will begin at 10 a.m. Central Time at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. Sun-Times
Nikki Finke calls out Variety for inviting studios and others around Hollywood to buy Ebert tribute ads. Deadline
Columnist David Allen reflects on the late rock writer Paul Williams as a personal friend. Daily Bulletin
Steve Lopez lights into the city for the landscaping mess at the Police Administration Building downtown. LAT column
KCRW producer Evan George tries to keep up with extreme stair climbers inside the AON tower downtown. KCRW
Sandra Tsing Loh has soft-launched a new website for her radio series, The Loh Down on Science. Site
Teri Buhl, a Connecticut journalist who threatened to sue Jim Romenesko for using her Twitter photo with a post she asked him to put up, has been sentenced to 30 days in jail in an unrelated case for harassing her former boyfriend’s teen daughter by posting parts of the girl’s journals on Facebook. Romenesko
"Shelter Me: Let's Go Home," the second in a PBS series on shelter pets, airs Tuesday night with a focus on Los Angeles: an innovative spay and neuter program in Watts, a cat adoption from a shelter and the healing power of shelter dogs that visit patients at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Shelter Me
"10 Buildings That Changed America," a new PBS special premiering May 12, includes LA's Walt Disney Concert Hall.
A former San Marino couple, Judy Yin Shih and Joel Axelrod, has donated $2 million for the second-phase construction of the Chinese Garden at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens. LAT
The West Hollywood Historic Preservation Commission would like to acknowledge the significance of the Sunset Strip's former Tower Records store. But how? LAT
Dodger Stadium, Major League Baseball money, and the endurance of beautiful relics. Grantland
Tips from Heal the Bay on what to do (and mostly not do) if you encounter a young, apparently ill sea lion on shore. HTB
