Curated news, notes and observations most weekdays from LA Observed.
The state Legislative Analyst’s Office told a Senate panel that the projected economic benefits of a $16 billion plan to build twin water tunnels around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta could be wiped out by cost overruns or future water demands that are lower than anticipated. Ventura County Star
Amid a standoff between Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Department of Water and Power union, a group of City Council members Tuesday asked city officials to develop plans in the event of a strike. DN
Raphael Sonenshein, Rick Orlov and Warren Olney discussed the new power dynamics at City Hall and the testing of Mayor Eric Garcetti over the DWP workers' contract. Which Way, LA?
The City Council unanimously passed a measure making vegetable gardens the lone exception to a municipal law that requires urban parkways — the area between a sidewalk and curb — to be free of obstructions. DN
Steve Lopez checks out the crumbling curbs in Mar Vista and the politics of who fixes streets, sidewalks and curbs in Los Angeles. LAT
Mayor Bob Filner’s apparent strategy for political survival is to ignore the lurid allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against him and focus on the political platform he outlined to become San Diego’s first Democratic mayor in 20 years. U-T San Diego
Dr. Mark Fajardo, 49, took the oath of office Monday to become the county’s chief medical examiner-coroner. DN
Reporter Ryan Vaillancourt writes about leaving the Downtown News after five years to work at NationBuilder and help with his wife's new gelateria in the Spring Arcade Building. DTN
"The Cuckoo's Calling" by Robert Galbraith is the new bestseller in hardcover fiction in SoCal independent bookstores. "Zealot" by Reza Aslan is the bestseller in nonfiction. "Beautiful Ruins" and "Proof of Heaven" also top lists. Bookweb
"An Alphabet Journey" is a children's alphabet book about OR-7, the first wolf in California in 80 years. Kickstarter
Slide show: "Take Two" hosts Alex Cohen and A Martinez work out together. KPCC
The OC Weekly announced a reward for "anyone who can provide us with information that'll lead to the arrest of the monsters who destroyed our news box during the Huntington Beach riots. Its name was Racky. It served us for nearly 18 years. It had two days until its retirement." OC Weekly
The San Francisco Chronicle reportedly will drop its paywall on web content. SF Weekly
Political columnist Jack Germond died at home in West Virginia. He was 85. Baltimore Sun
Elaine Lopez, the wife of longtime reporter Dave Lopez, died at age 64 after a long illness, per a memo to the newsroom staff at CBS2/KCAL.
Retired LA sheriff's commander and whistleblower Robert Olmsted, 62, formally announced that he is running against Sheriff Lee Baca. Witness LA
A flash mob Tuesday night in the vicinity of the Krispy Kreme doughnut store in Burbank’s Empire Center drew as many as 3,500 people and 1,100 cars, and while no arrests were made officers did issue more than 100 citations for motor vehicle code and moving violations. City News Service
The LAPD handed out about 200 traffic citations from Jan. 1 to April 12 alone at the Palms intersection of Motor and National, where police lurk to catch drivers who turn to use the short cut through Cheviot Hills. LAT
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has misplaced one of its M-16 rifles, officials said Tuesday. LAT
Geologist Arthur G. Sylvester is enjoying one aspect of the 405 construction project: all that newly visible evidence of the past eras in Sepulveda Pass, "a temporary glimpse into the very anatomy of this mountain range that bisects Los Angeles." Zocalo
Climate change may have triggered a growth spurt in two of California's iconic tree species: coast redwoods and giant sequoias. LAT
Alma, in downtown Los Angeles, was named Bon Appetit's "Best New Restaurant in America" for 2013. Billy Vasquez visited early this year for for his Restaurant Nocturne series. YouTube
Portland's Stumptown Coffee Roasters is opening its first Los Angeles roasting plant and store on Santa Fe Avenue in the Arts District, around the corner from Bestia. LAT
Discussing the legacy of architect William Pereira as LACMA considers tearing down his museum buildings. Design and Architecture on KCRW
Sam Hall Kaplan laments LA’s turn 50 years ago to ‘plop’ architecture. The Planning Report
Tom Petty's redone Encino home is hitting the market for the first time. Curbed LA
Another one of those bogus cooked-up national lists calls Silver Lake one of the best big-city neighborhoods in America. Curbed
Sunday's episode of "Breaking Bad" was dedicated to Calabasas teenager Kevin Cordasco, who died in March after a seven-year battle with a rare cancer. Here's why. DN
Randell Makinson, a retired USC architecture professor and advocate for preservation of Greene & Greene bungalows, died at home in Pasadena. He was 81. LAT