News

Monday news and notes: July 27

Selected items from the media, our in box and other LA Observed sources. Posted occasionally — often in the morning.

In the news

Bobby Kristina Brown, the daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, died Sunday at age 22. She was found unconscious since in a bathtub on Jan. 31 and never recovered. NYT

The murder in Hollywood of 30-year-old Carrie Melvin was not random but over a financial dispute, police say. The suspect is scheduled for arraignment Tuesday. City News Service

Former (briefly) Dodgers pitcher Pedro Martinez was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame and paid tribute to another brief Dodger, Juan Marichal, the only other Dominican player admitted. Former USC star Randy Johnson was also inducted. NYT


Politics, cops and courts

Mike Feuer "is fast on his way to being Los Angeles' best city attorney in decades," and he gets a B+ from the LA Times editorial board. LAT editorial

One of the most divisive issues that Los Angeles City Council members expect to confront when they return this week from a summer recess will be a proposal by labor leaders to exempt unionized workers from the city's new minimum wage. LAT

Councilman Joe Buscaino fixes the sidewalk outside his home. YouTube

Proposition 47, which lowered some felonies to misdemeanors, has played “a significant role” in the rising crime rate, Sheriff Jim McDonnell says. AP

Bell Gardens mayor Daniel Crespo beat his wife for 28 years before she shot him. LA Weekly

Republican candidates are no longer playing catch-up to Hillary Clinton on tech outreach. SF Chronicle

State Sen. Fran Pavley has been a quiet force in the legislature's climate debate. Cal Matters

A pilot state program will park 100 electric vehicles in "disadvantaged" parts of LA for use as share cars. LA Weekly

The tiny Asian citrus psyllid has turned up in the San Gabriel Valley and authorities are plotting a strategy to contain it. The insect is known to be carrier of the deadly disease HLB, or Huanglongbing, also known as citrus greening. The disease kills citrus trees and there is no known cure. Capitol Weekly

Former LAPD official Mike Bostic is now the chief of police in Calexico, and he says Christianity is one reason he took the job. LAT

Nearly 9 out of 10 students at California's unaccredited law schools dropped out, according to an LA Times investigation based on recent state bar data. LAT


Media and media people

Following up last week's news about Kaj Goldberg leaving CBS2/KCAL for KTLA 5: Amber Lee has been promoted to fill the meteorologist slot on CBS 2 and KCAL 9’s weekend evening newscasts: 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts on Saturdays and Sundays. She will continue as a weekday general assignment reporter.

KeyPeele.jpg"Key & Peele" on Comedy Central will end with this season after five years on the air. Stars Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele want to do other things. The Wrap

The singular mind of UCLA math genius Terence Tao. New York Times Magazine

Variety film editor Ramin Setoodeh changes into Jake Gyllenhaal's workout clothes and gets in the sparring ring with him. Variety

Steve Chiotakis chats with author Molly Knight about the Dodgers and "The Best Team Money Can Buy." KCRW

Business reporter Tiffany Hsu left the LA Times staff on Friday. Her exit email to the newsroom did not indicate a reason or next stop.

LA journalist Jason Leopold is back in the news as "a wizard at prying government secrets from the government" for Vice. NYT, LA Observed archives

Retired Beverly Hills Chief of Police Dave Snowden has joined LA communications firm Englander Knabe & Allen as a senior advisor.

Photographs from the LAPL's Valley Times collection have been turned into a book by Valley PR consultant Marty Cooper, "Read All About It: The Valley Times 1946-70." DN

Monday bonus: Early 1980s bumper from KCOP Channel 13 in Los Angeles.


Place

Why is no one shopping at Southern California’s new Haggen supermarkets? SGV Tribune

Reactions to the closing of a Ralphs and replacing it with a 99 Ranch market points up the demographic changes in Alhambra. LAT

Carolina Miranda chats with D.J. Waldie, Lynell George and Josh Kun about Los Angeles. LAT

When the llegendary Soviet bard Vladimir Vysotsky hit Hollywood. Radio Free Europe

The price has dropped to $12 million on the Bob Hope estate in Toluca Lake, from an original asking price of over $27 million. LAT

If you think LA is a difficult place to negotiate by wheelchair now, think back to before the Americans with Disabilities Act. LAT

Gary Vitti, the Lakers' longtime trainer, is making plans to retire. LAT


Tweets


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