Morning Buzz

Morning Buzz: Tuesday 6.4.13

Politics and government

State treasurer Bill Lockyer, 72, said he will retire at the end of his term in 2015. The former attorney general and state lawmaker has been in office somewhere since 1968. "One of the most driven, flawed and incredibly talented politicians of our time," writes Dan Morain. Sacramento Bee "A career that stretched from the Disco Era to the Digital Age, bridged the terms of Gov. Jerry Brown 1 and 2.0 and rewarded him with two pensions totaling upwards of $200,000 a year." CalBuzz

A trustee of the California Science Center's foundation Monday called on Gov. Jerry Brown to stop a pending lease that would give USC millions of dollars worth of parking owned by the state museum as part of a deal to grant the private school control of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. LAT

The annual Celebrate LA cultural heritage event set for Friday featuring former President Clinton and serving as a send-off for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as well as a welcome to Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti continues to draw controversy over its cost. DN

LA city parking meters took in $4.46 million in March, and for the first time more than half was via credit or debit cards. The city pays a 12% fee to card companies. LAT

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will host dinner at Getty House Tuesday night for the crown prince of Belgium, Philippe, who is in Los Angeles on an economic mission. CNS

Newark Mayor Cory Booker comes to town June 10 for a fundraiser with young Hollywood at the London West Hollywood. President Obama will be here Friday for a funder at Peter Chernin's home. Deadline

Rick Caruso wants to see the trolley line that runs through The Grove extended into a two-mile loop down Third Street to the Beverly Center, and down Fairfax to LACMA and the Miracle Mile. Curbed LA

A sobriety checkpoint in Burbank on Saturday stopped and screened 1,021 drivers — with no arrests for DUI or anything else. LAT

The Twitter account for county CEO William Fujioka sent out a very non-official tweet the other day: "In other news, #GameofThrones last night? WTF? And I don't mean William T Fujioka" Twitter

Media and books

The LA Times put a story about Nikki Finke's future with Deadline and Penske Media on the front page of this morning's print edition. Finke "has a window in her contract opening this week that allows her to leave Penske Media, and she is giving serious thought to exercising it, said people familiar with the situation who declined to speak publicly because of the sensitive nature of the subject." LAT

jorge-ramos-obama-wh.jpgUnivision anchor Jorge Ramos and his personal story about immigration reform are today's Column One in the LA Times: "Ramos' march for immigrants began 30 years ago when, clutching his guitar and a student visa, he took a nervous walk through Los Angeles International Airport. He had just quit his first reporting job after his bosses at a Mexico City TV station demanded he soften a segment critical of Mexico's government. Ramos had refused. He sold his Volkswagen Beetle and used the money to buy a plane ticket to Los Angeles and enroll in UCLA Extension journalism classes. Within months, the 25-year-old had landed an on-air job with Los Angeles' Spanish-language station KMEX-TV..." LAT

Former mayor Richard Riordan says that the campaign to stop any sale of the LA Times to the Koch brothers should enlist the LAT staff. “The vast majority of reporters, I call them ‘70s liberals,” Riordan said. “The last people they want to see own this are the Koch brothers. And if I were the reporters, I would be trying to appeal to the Koch brothers and say, ‘Look, you are not welcome in this town.’” Daily Beast

Sean Parker will pay a $2.5 million fine for building unpermitted structures for his wedding at Big Sur.


More news, notes and observations

The Powerhouse fire in northern Los Angeles County is 60% contained and evacuations were lifted. DN/CNS

They ought to call this the Mulholland Blaze. Santa Clarita.com

Yes, oral sex and HPV are linked to throat cancer. But Michael Douglas did not attribute his cancer to cunnilingus. That's just a bad headline in the Guardian and an irresistible SEO-rich line for millions of media outlets.

A bear cut across the golf course Monday morning at Knollwood Country Club in Granada Hills. It was tranquilized and removed after jumping into a nearby yard. DN

Yasiel Puig, the 22-year-old Cuban defector called up by the Dodgers, had two hits in his major debut and threw from deep right field to first base to double up a Padre runner, end the game and electrify the Dodger Stadium crowd. The throw was off line, and I'm not sure the runner was really out, but the story line is set. LAT, MLB.com, DN

Milton Bradley, the former Dodgers outfielder whose baseball career flamed out over temper issues, was convicted Monday of spousal battery, assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats. He faces more than seven years in prison. AP, DN

Deacon Jones, the former LA Rams defensive end, part of the team's Fearsome Foursome and an NFL Hall of Fame member, died Monday at home in Anaheim Hills. He was 74. LAT, AP

The lights on Broadway will dim at 8 p.m. Wednesday for actress Jean Stapleton, who died at 90 last week.


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