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Our occasional roundup of news and notes. Between posts, keep up with LA Observed on Twitter along with 24,367 followers.
At the top
Dishonest President instant book: The Los Angeles Times' series of editorials blasting Donald Trump as dishonest and incompetent will be published as a quickie book by the Bay Area's Heyday Books. Former LAT books editor Steve Wasserman runs Heyday. "Our Dishonest President," out July 4, will update the paper's April editorials and run with forewords by editor-publisher Davan Maharaj and editor of the editorial pages Nick Goldberg.
CD34: The race between Democrats Jimmy Gomez and Robert Lee Ahn to succeed Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra in Congress finally comes to a vote on Tuesday. Alas, hundreds of newly registered voters have not received their mail ballots, the county says. Here are the LA Times set-up and KPCC's primer. Also, Latino and Korean politics and dreams in the central and Eastside district.
Had to be asked: Is Highway 1 worth saving?
He's back: Perhaps he never fully went away, but unseated LA Apparel founder Dov Charney has a new venture — Los Angeles Apparel, see what he did there? — and he is advertising for a bunch of young interns to work for free. What could go wrong?
Sports milestone: Albert Pujols, the Angels' designated hitter, slugged his 600th career home run. In the history of baseball, he's only the ninth hitter to get that many. He hit most of them for the St. Louis Cardinals. Only one former Dodger ever reached 600: Jim Thome, who played in just 17 games for LA at the end of 2009 and hit zero homers.
Noted: Jimmy Piersall, a former Angel who played 17 seasons in the big leagues, died at age 87. He wrote in his 1955 book, “Fear Strikes Out,” about playing with mental illness. He was portrayed by Anthony Perkins in a 1957 movie of the same name. "Probably the best thing that happened to me was going nuts," Piersall wrote in a second book. He once circled the bases backward after a home run. Kinda freaked people out. New York Times obituary, Boston Globe, Red Sox release
Media notes
New NBC host Megyn Kelly kicked off her new Sunday night show with an interview of Vladimir Putin. "Theatrical enough but largely news-free," says CNN's Brian Lowry, who watched. Kelly got outmaneuvered, says the LAT's Lorraine Ali. Here’s the Fox News commentary Megyn Kelly wants you to forget, per the liberals at Media Matters.
Jennifer Rubin, conservative columnist for the Washington Post, tweets: "With his London tweets, Trump embarrasses himself — and America — once again."... Breitbart employees infuriated by colleagues' 'appalling' comments after London terror attack, says a story at CNN... New father Brian Stelter passes along an email from a self-described Proud Trump Supporter: Most viewer emails are really heartwarming. Aaaaaaand then there's this one... Jewish Journal editor Rob Eshman on Twitter: "Who could have predicted Trump would go back on his promise to move the US embassy to #Jerusalem? I mean, other than everyone."
The Rev. Al Sharpton keeps up the pressure on Bill Maher for casually dropping the n-word into a televised joke. "There are no exceptions that make this acceptable,” Sharpton said Sunday on MSNBC... Powerful piece in California Sunday Magazine on what happened to four under-age American siblings when their mother was deported to Mexico. Losing Gloria... The Hollywood Reporter blows the lid off fake sushi at restaurants patronized by Hollywood. "THR tested samples of five common fish species from eight highly rated spots (including Sugarfish, Hamasaku and Katsuya) and found that 60 percent of specimens didn't match what was listed on the menu."... Lawrence O'Donnell confirmed that he is staying on the air at MSNBC.
The New York Times last week announced yet another round of buyouts and said it would reduce the traditional separation of copy editors and line editors. The NYT also eliminated the position and role of public editor. Liz Spayd's final column. Much hand-wringing: Nieman Lab, National Review, BuzzFeed... Bill Cosby's sexual assault trial in Philadelphia begins on Monday - NYT, CNN
La Opinión last week broke the news that Dearden's furniture stores might close. English-language media chased.
Media people doing stuff
Comedian Patton Oswalt, whose wife died unexpectedly a little more than a year ago, will tape a Netflix special with material he developed while grieving. Then he’ll never use any of it again.Peter Hecht, the former Los Angeles bureau reporter for the Sacramento Bee, announced on Facebook that he is taking the buyout and leaving the Bee. "I wish the newspaper and my talented colleagues, whom I revere, the best of fortunes." Last week: Dan Walters leaving the Sacramento Bee, but not retiring. Here's Dan final Bee column: "I can attest that whoever first said that time flies when you are having fun was absolutely correct."
Nigel Duara, the LA Times correspondent in Phoenix, is reportedly leaving to join Vice News as an on-air correspondent in Los Angeles. From Facebook.
LA Times reporter Matt Hamilton on colleague Angel Jennings, who covered the police shootings in Inglewood:
Unsaid in this report: Angel is 9+ months pregnant and still calling sources, badgering city officials for more info. https://t.co/Iao9jGGJke
— Matt Hamilton (@MattHjourno) May 31, 2017
Regina R. Robertson, the west coast editor for Essence, has a book coming this month from Agate Bolden: "He Never Came Home: Interviews, Stories, and Essays from Daughters on Life Without Their Fathers."... Ron Brownstein, senior editor of The Atlantic and CNN political analyst, in the Zocalo green room. Also UCLA political scientist and NYT blogger Lynn Vavreck. Her contribution to the Zocalo summer reading recommendation list is Michael Lewis' "The Undoing Project."... Tim Kawakami, former LA Times sports scribe now a columnist at the San Jose Mercury, on Twitter: "No, I'm not entirely sure why so many sports fans are so angry all the time. But I know I'm never going to be afraid of them."... The LA Kings hired Alex Faust, 28, to be the team's new TV announcer, succeeding Bob Miller... The job posting for senior producer of Marketplace.
As we said last week: Rodney Bingenheimer's final show on KROQ aired Sunday night. He's not finished, he insists.
Media obit: Ron Funk, former editor of his family's Santa Monica Outlook newspaper and later co-owner of the Inyo Register, died May 12 at home in Santa Barbara. He was 90.
Politics
Los Angeles Magazine's Gabriel Kahn Q&A's local Rep. Adam Schiff, whose profile is rising as the front man for the House Democrats' push back against Trump: "I can accept different conclusions, but I can’t accept people who operate on a fundamentally different set of facts. For our investigation [into allegations of Russian meddling in the election], the goal is not to presume any conclusion but to do our oversight and follow the facts wherever they lead." Read it all. Schiff after Trump announced he will pull the U.S. out of the global climate agreement, on Twitter: "Woke up and a US President was no longer leader of free world. After only 132 days, Trump will go down as worst President in modern history."
Gov. Jerry Brown had a strong reaction too before heading off to China to talk climate (as did ex-governor Schwarzenegger).
My statement on @realDonaldTrump’s #ParisAgreement announcement #ActOnClimate https://t.co/XrIpW5d6k7 pic.twitter.com/TYiPIy5CaO
— Jerry Brown (@JerryBrownGov) June 1, 2017
Mayor Eric Garcetti has taken to issuing a statement or press release on just about every national or big world news event. He's also speaking more outside Los Angeles: Last week he addressed the Democratic Party of Wisconsin's state convention. Elizabeth Chou at the Daily News asks, Garcetti is getting more face time out of state. Is he trying to tell us something? Also last week: Garcetti fears immigration arrests in L.A. could spark riots
Antonio Villaraigosa's former ally at City Hall, Councilman Jose Huizar, will endorse rival John Chiang for governor at an event slated for Tuesday at Mariachi Plaza, Seema Mehta posts for the LA Times. Remember, Villaraigosa backed Gloria Molina when she challenged Huizar for reelection in 2015. Their alliance is frayed. "John Chiang is the candidate for Governor with the experience and proven track record to fight for a better future for all Californians,” says Huizar, who supported Wendy Greuel for mayor over Garcetti.
5 things to know about former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's plans for California, per KPCC Airtalk... California's 2018 governor's race is going to be big. Find out who's in and what's next - LAT... Compton Mayor Aja Brown is up for reelection on Tuesday, and she is opposed by the former mayor, Omar Bradley... Steve Lopez column: L.A.'s crisis: High rents, low pay, homelessness rising and $2,000 doesn't buy much... Democratic consultant Dave Jacobson and Republican consultant/talk show host John Thomas were formally named political commentators for CNN's late-night show out of Los Angeles... The Legislature is closer to putting a measure on the ballot to end Daylight Saving Time in the state. SF Gate
One of 2 new gas leaks discovered at Aliso Canyon still leaking more than a week later - Daily News
City Council backs proposed settlement that could reduce DWP rate hikes - LA Times
At 28, Kelly Gonez "has gone from being an education policy adviser for the Obama administration to middle school math teacher to the youngest member of the LA Unified school board." LA School Report
Place
California's Hmong refugees may have found a comfortable new niche: marijuana farming - New York TimesA large racial slur was painted on the front gate at LeBron James' Brentwood mansion. Asked for his reaction, he said with what seemed to be sadness that racism never dies in America - NBC 4
The retail block in Bellflower that was transformed into old-timey Los Angeles for the movie "Gangster Squad" is going to be demolished - Chris Nichols on Facebook
Mike Muir was once banned from every club in LA. Now the city is giving him a mural. - LA Weekly
The Woodland Hills Post Office is up and running at the Promenade mall’s defunct Macy’s - Daily News
The Wilshire Grand tower is set to open this summer, but how will it fill its 17 floors of office space? - Downtown News
Fresh Renderings for DTLA's 2nd & Vignes Development - Urbanize LA
LAX American Airlines terminals getting a big update - Curbed LA
Transit construction crew digs up ancient bones from bison, giant sloth - KPCC, Metro
Tunnel boring machine has breakthrough in downtown LA - LA Times photo gallery
Angelina Jolie buys Cecil B. DeMille’s Los Feliz mansion - Curbed LA
Can’t get enough of that Silver Lake milkweed nectar - The Eastsider LA
Demolition Begins on WeHo’s Iconic House of Blues - WEHOVille
Jimi Hendrix covers “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” for the Beatles, just three days after the album’s release - Open Culture Also: When "Sgt. Pepper" could be heard all across Laurel Canyon.
Selected tweets
A man who witnessed the London attack returned today to pay his restaurant bill and tip the staff https://t.co/JkL4zLcocg
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) June 4, 2017
I commend the strong leadership of the @MayorofLondon as he leads the city forward after this heinous attack. – LLukens 3/3 https://t.co/p4dDZuCpyO
— U.S. Embassy London (@USAinUK) June 4, 2017
Tonight @KCRW at mid we'll pay tribute to a radio legend & a personal hero: @RodneyOnTheRoq closes out his KROQ show after over 40 years!!!
— ericjlawrence (@ericjlawrence) June 5, 2017
I got the sub-headline "Making the Sizzler Great Again" into this story about a pro-Trump activist in California https://t.co/XNrT44ikjk
— Hailey Branson-Potts (@haileybranson) June 4, 2017
If you see anyone walking around with a cello in the Melrose shopping area, please call us. A cello was stolen from a vehicle tonight.
— LAPD Wilshire (@LAPDWilshire) June 1, 2017
I've just realized that when I watch the game with the sound off, I can still hear the crack of the bat! I love that. . .Try it.
— Bill James Online (@billjamesonline) June 4, 2017
Ask your doctor if Covfefe is right for you. pic.twitter.com/XcDAXMNw1m
— Travon Free (@Travon) May 31, 2017
