Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
Curated news, notes and observations most weekdays from LA Observed.
Mayor Eric Garcetti says that DWP worker salary concessions don't go far enough and he wants to change work rules that get in the way of reforms. This sets up a confrontation with both Brian D'arcy, the DWP union head who spent millions opposing Garcetti's election, and with the City Council, many of whose members took D'Arcy's money. A hearing is today. "This is the first major union deal on Garcetti's watch...His announcement on the eve of the council's hearing raised the specter of a veto and the political drama of a council override." LAT, DN
Garcetti named four new members of the fire commission and moved current commissioner Alan Skobin to an unpaid spot as special adviser to the mayor. The only holdover commissioner, Steven Fazio, backed Wendy Greuel for mayor but after the election contributed $10,000 to Garcetti's transition fund. LAT, CNS, KPCC
Sheriff Lee Baca facing tough re-election challenge from two top commanders. LA Weekly
LA officials are installing more than 19,000 continental or zebra crosswalks. CBS LA
The OC Register's creative approach to partnerships and the firewall will soon extend to "a highly unusual partnership with the city of Anaheim whereby the media company would be the city's broker as it pursues corporate sponsorships for its controversial transportation hub project." Voice of OC
Former mayor Richard Riordan has another joint op-ed piece with Daily News columnist Tim Rutten, this one about saving Detroit. Bloomberg View
John Oliver’s fill-in stint on "The Daily Show" closes as a clear success - and leaves Comedy Central with options, says Brian Lowry. Variety
Forty percent of the AOL Patch workforce will be laid off today, with 20 percent of the sites closing and 20 percent taking a partner. Romenesko
Doug Smith reminds people to temper their ebullience about the LA River with the reality that most of the water comes from the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant, and a gallery of black-and-white photos from the pre-concrete river. LAT, Curbed
"Junípero Serra and the Legacies of the California Missions" opens at the Huntington Library on Saturday. LAT, Huntington
For possibly the first time, a declassified CIA report written in 1992 mentions and locates on a map of Nevada the secret flight testing facility known as Area 51. The report is about the U-2 spy plane, which was developed at Lockheed in Burbank. NPR
More scenes from the risqué gay married life Prop8ers are so worried about: I'm in underpants folding laundry watching Kojack. Que Fabulous!
— Off-Ramp (@KPCCofframp) August 15, 2013
River view from Hyperion bridge, circa 1937. LAPL
