Curated news, notes and observations most weekdays from LA Observed.
Councilman Jose Huizar was the subject of a 2005 criminal investigation over an accusation by a Pasadena massage therapist that he groped her during a massage at Burke Williams. No prosecution ensued. LAT
What happened to $2.7 million in the Central Basin Water District's trust fund? KPCC
Water Wars: The Future of Southern California's Water? KCRW/WWLA
Drivers and homeowners are the enemy of progress in Los Angeles, architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne suggests: "A group of Angelenos who have benefited from remarkable policy largesse (hello, Prop. 13!) and are used to setting the political agenda — and who helped create the urban conditions many of the rest of us are anxious to fix." LAT
A judge tossed out a lawsuit against the Police Protective League by Brian Mulligan, the former Hollywood executive who alleges LAPD officers took him to a motel and beat him. Police say Mulligan was on a bath salts bender. LAT, DN
LA Times critic David Ulin's best books of 2013, as a slide show. Jacket Copy
Michiko Kakutani's ten favorite books of 2013 includes "Johnny Cash: The Life" by Robert Hilburn. NYT
Mark Zuckerberg this month is donating nearly $1 billion worth of Facebook stock to a Silicon Valley charity. LAT
Judy Muller started this week as a contributing correspondent for Al Jazeera America.
Doualy Xaykaothao, the former NPR and KPCC reporter, has joined KERA public radio in North Texas as a senior reporter. KERA
Huell Howser, the KCET personality who died in January, was the most searched-for person on the NBC4 website during 2013. NBC4
KDOC confirms that it won't resurrect last year's infamous "First Night 2013 with Jamie Kennedy," called "one of the most spectacular meltdowns in local TV history." Franklin Avenue