Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
Curated news, notes and observations most weekdays from LA Observed.
Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano was confirmed as the first woman to be president of the University of California. LAT, Oakland Tribune
Mayor Garcetti will spend the weekend on Navy Reserve duty in LA County. LAT
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is seeking to block Los Angeles County from launching an audit of its finances. DN, KPCC
In South Los Angeles, some groups are using "integrated voter engagement" to increase turnout in elections. KPCC
CBS websites are carrying an ad campaign designed to pressure Time Warner Cable in their dispute over fees, "with the implied threat that Time Warner subscribers in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas will otherwise lose access to CBS shows, starting next week." NYT
The LA Review of Books "feuds with the N.Y. Review of Books," over a review of Rachel Kushner’s novel "The Flamethrowers." Says LARB editor Tom Lutz of the story: "This is pretty ginned up on Marc Tracy's part, but no press is bad press?" New Republic
Tess Vigeland on leaving Marketplace, in a speech to the World Domination Summit: "I left a sure thing for the vast unknown. And it was easily the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done." She announced a book deal based on the speech. Full speech
Can Photojournalism Survive in the Instagram Era? Mother Jones
Former Time Inc. CEO Jack Griffin is suing Orange County Register publisher Aaron Kushner for up to $10 million over their failed bid to buy the Boston Globe. Boston Herald
Longtime sports writer Bob Keisser has joined the migration from the Press-Telegram to the upcoming Long Beach Register. He will be sports editor. Paul Eakins, Kelly Puente, Jeff Gritchen and Greg Mellon have already made the move, Keisser says. Via Facebook
Tom Hoffarth On the Media: Can Keith Olbermann get back to building bridges at ESPN? DN
Whither Cultural Critics? With access to books, movies, and television more open than ever, and research showing that crowdsourcing leads to biases, cultural criticism needs to change. Pacific Standard
Frank Stoltze fills in for Larry Mantle as guest host of today's "Airtalk" on KPCC.
KCET's Departures is "gearing up for production on the story of Leimert Park." Info
FilmLA is relocated from the Los Angeles Center Studios downtown to the Sunset Media Tower in Hollywood.
News Geezers, a group of about 150 veterans of TV news in LA started by Bob Tarlau, lunched at Victorios in North Hollywood. Photos
One arrest was made at last night's protest run in Westwood. DN
Federal prosecutors examining abuse in the Los Angeles County jail and others problems in the sheriff's department are slated to interview Sheriff Lee Baca's chief spokesman, Steve Whitmore, next week. LAT
The city of Malibu is now allowing trained volunteers to write real parking tickets. KPCC
Predictive policing is making it easier to foresee crime and spot those who commit it. With stats from Los Angeles. The Economist
Los Angeles after Trayvon, by Dana Goodyear online for the New Yorker.
Ye Meng Yuan, the 16-year-old Chinese traveler who was run over by a vehicle after the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214, was alive when she was hit, two sources close to the investigation into her death told the San Francisco Chronicle.
There’s nothing wrong with upgrading a museum collection through well-considered sales. But the Petersen isn’t doing that. William Poundstone/Blouin ArtInfo
What the hell's actually going on at America's top car museum? Jalopnik
The Gibbon Conservation Center in Saugus is fundraising for misters and other upgrades to improve the habitats for its dozens of apes. Info
Elephants on parade: a DTLA map from 1960. CityThink
Gunther Freehill, a longtime AIDS activist, died July 15 in Washington, D.C. of complications from a heart attack. FrontiersLA
Happy Birthday to one of our most inspiring leaders. #MandelaDay
— Eric Garcetti (@ericgarcetti) July 18, 2013
