Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
Selected items from the media, our in box and other LA Observed sources. Posted occasionally.
Four months after the abduction of 43 rural college students shook Mexico, the nation's attorney general officially declared the students dead, saying confessions and forensic evidence supported the theory that their bodies were incinerated near a garbage dump. NYT
The race between Jose Huizar and Gloria Molina discussed, by Fernando Guerra and Jon Regardie, on "Which Way, LA?" KCRW
DA Jackie Lacey and City Council President Herb Wesson have declared their support for Kamala Harris for U.S. Senate, in advance of Villaraigosa deciding if he will run. PolitiCal
Rep. Loretta Sanchez said Tuesday that she will take several months to decide on a run for U.S. Senate. Bee
The billionaire Koch brothers’ intention to spend nearly $900 million on conservative candidates and causes in the 2016 election cycle will unleash a tidal wave of cash that will swamp the political landscape even in solidly blue California. SF Chronicle
For the first time, historic sites and buildings in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County will be eligible for legal protections under a measure that won initial approval at the Board of Supervisors. LAT
Keep sending the mayor to Asia, argues Jock O'Connell. Zocalo
Chris Cillizza of The Fix posts his "2015 list of best state political reporters." In California the group includes Mark Z. Barabak, Seema Mehta and George Skelton of the LA Times, Joe Garofoli and Carla Marinucci of the San Francisco Chronicle, John Myers of KQED, Josh Richman of the Bay Area News Group and David Siders of the Sacramento Bee. Washington Post
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck wants Waze to stop mapping users' reports of where cop cars are spotted. LAT, Larry Mantle/AirTalk
A former California Highway Patrol officer was sentenced to probation for sharing racy photographs he took from the cellphones of women who were in custody. LAT
In a Q&A with Spiegel Online, NYT editor Dean Baquet discusses the Charlie Hebdo cartoons, getting scooped by Edward Snowden, the digital future and how it would be ridiculous for him to tweet all the time. Spiegel
Laura Gabbert's "accessible and informative close-up documentary 'City of Gold'...puts the man [Jonathan Gold] in context as it accompanies him around the city while he offers a running commentary on his enviable job." Hollywood Reporter
LA Times reporter Jill Leovy on last night's "Daily Show" talking about her book with Jon Stewart. Video
Meet "Reveal," the radio show from the Center for Investigative Reporting that Ken Doctor says could be the ‘60 Minutes’ for our century. Capital
"The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins leads the fiction bestseller list in SoCal independent bookstores. "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo is #1 in nonfiction. IndieBound
Lisbeth Salander, the tough protagonist of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and its sequels, will return in a fourth book in August, "That Which Does Not Kill." Jacket Copy
The British Library National Newspaper Building has opened West Yorkshire. See photos: Art Daily
It's time to take Sarah Silverman's acting career very seriously, says Sasha Bronner. Huffington Post LA
Griffith Park leads the list of most popular filming sites in the Los Angeles area in 2014, behind the Herald-Examiner building and the 6th Street Bridge, according to a survey of permit data. LAT
Opposition from the community has pushed the L.A. County Metropolitan Transit to rethink a proposed development at Mariachi Plaza, the iconic Boyle Heights gathering spot. Now what? KPCC
Unusual "megapods" of migrating gray whales have been spotted passing the coast of Southern California. Pete Thomas
Steve Lopez wonders which will be running first, Angels Flight or high-speed rail. LAT column
The 10 most expensive places to buy a house in the Los Angeles area, starting north of Montana in Santa Monica. Curbed LA
Aaron Paley, creator of CicLAvia, does not just produce festivals. He aims to reshape LA. Los Angeles Magazine
Kobe Bryant will have surgery today on his torn right rotator cuff, likely ending his season with the Lakers. AP
Facebook is down, but reddit is up, which is kinda like all the best stuff in your fb feed -- a day earlier. http://t.co/dgOTScTPw3
— reddit (@reddit) January 27, 2015People look more interesting in train stations.
— Saul Gonzalez (@SaulKCRW) January 28, 2015