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Curated news, notes and observations most weekdays from LA Observed.
Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilman Mike Bonin authored an op-ed pushing the LAX Connect option to bring rail service to the airport. DN Op-ed
LA's City Council salaries, already the highest in the U.S., went up on Dec. 1 to $181,292 annually. That's a 1.4% increase and gives the county Board of Supervisors the same salary. LAT Opinion
Rick Orlov's Tipoff: the cost of special elections, Garcetti chief of staff possibly looking at CD14 run, Villaraigosa's merger of Planning and Building and Safety. DN
In what could be the final act in a long-running drama, ex-Mayor Bob Filner is set to appear in court Monday to be sentenced on three counts of mistreating women, the kind of accusations that drove him to resign. LAT, AP
The next step in latching gates on the Metro Rail system begins Wednesday at five Blue Line stations: Slauson, Firestone, Compton, Artesia and Del Amo. The Source
Robert Sam Anson writes about his short tenure in 1995 as editor of Los Angeles Magazine. About editing and writing
Why Are Upworthy Headlines Suddenly Everywhere? Their success isn't just about click bait. It goes to the heart of our largest tech companies. The Atlantic
A bicyclist, entertainment attorney Milton Everett Olin Jr., was killed in a collision with an LA County sheriff's radio car in Calabasas on Sunday afternoon. Calabasas Patch, LAT
The LA Times is revisiting the Christopher Dorner manhunt as one of its year-end projects. LAT
Ten male and 10 female LA County sheriff's deputies lost a combined 640 pounds in 10 weeks. Pasadena Star-News
Thousands of fans crowded into a commercial neighborhood in Valencia Sunday to pay their respecrs to actor and auto sport enthusiast Paul Walker and his friend Roger Rodas, who died in a fiery Porsche crash late last month. DN/photo by DN's David Crane.
This year's Kennedy Center honorees were Carlos Santana, Martina Arroyo, Herbie Hancock, Billy Joel and Shirley MacLaine. LAT
Wild parrots on an overhead line caused a power outage that knocked out service to 6,109 Southern California Edison customers in Hermosa and Redondo Beach. Redondo Beach Patch
Appreciating the former Atomic Cafe before the Little Tokyo corner is razed for a new Metro station. KPCC
Kobe Bryant looked so rusty and old in his return to the Lakers on Sunday night that Vincent Bonsignore of the Daily News writes, "Maybe it’s time to lower our expectations for Kobe Bryant." DN
