A semi-regular bite at the day's news and observations. Follow LA Observed on Twitter between posts.
1. Mayor Garcetti is heading to (yes) New Hampshire
Garcetti has plans to campaign in New Hampshire later this month for Joyce Craig, a Democrat running to become mayor of Manchester. Of course, New Hampshire will be the first state to hold a presidential primary in 2020, the Democrats nationally are in disarray, so local TV station WMUR framed Garcetti's visit this way: "Amid speculation that he may run for president in 2020..."
The LA Times' Dakota Smith picked up the theme later on Wednesday. "Garcetti’s visit to New Hampshire will 'do little or nothing' to help Craig, said Andrew Smith, a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire. 'But it’s a good first step for Garcetti to come to New Hampshire and introduce himself,' [Andrew] Smith said."
Garcetti will be out of the city for two weeks starting Thursday, per his official schedule: "Mayor Garcetti will travel out of state on Thursday morning and return Tuesday, August 29."
2. Two conservatives discuss Trump and beyond
Los Angeles-based Republican consultant Mike Murphy, who has been highly critical of Donald Trump as presidential material, discusses the 2016 election and divided America with Bill Kristol, founder and editor-at-large of The Weekly Standard. They agree that Trump uses racial stereotypes to suck in voters and that they underestimated the celebrity power of Trump to serve as the hammer for angry voters. They also worry that Republicans could lose the House in 2018 because of Trump and look ahead to the 2020.
3. Some things never change
At the 1973 inauguration of Tom Bradley as the first African-American mayor of Los Angeles, Gary Leonard photographed some of the local American Nazis who came to show how upset they were at the world changing. Then, as now, angry white guys dressed as Nazis always fail to see the irony in sending the worst of America to claim white superiority.
Bradley was elected with 56.3 percent over Sam Yorty, the white incumbent. The 1973 contest was a repeat of the bitter 1969 showdown that Yorty had won by blatantly appealing to white fears about blacks just four years after the Watts riots — attracting a huge turnout. Yorty tried playing the race card again in 1973, but this time Angelenos had tired of Yorty's act. Bradley would serve 20 years, the longest of any Los Angeles mayor.
This week, by the way, City Attorney Mike Feuer sued to declare a home where white supremacists gather in Canoga Park as a public nuisance.
5. New Financial Times tech reporter in Los Angeles
Tim Bradshaw has moved from the tech beat in San Francisco to Los Angeles, where he will try to cover — as many have before him — the convergence of tech and media. Disney's new streaming deal, Apple's plans to start producing original content and the growing clout of Netflix in the entertainment business are all reasons to pick up the pace on the beat. The FT's media editor in London, Matthew Garrahan, used to work out of Los Angeles and knows the challenges well. Bradshaw, for his part, tells Poynter there is less competition for tech scoops in LA (that will go over well with his local media colleagues.) For now, the FT has no bureau here — "It's entirely possible I'll be working out of a coworking space or coffeeshop-hopping or just working from the kitchen table," Bradshaw says.
Bradshaw's move to Los Angeles is the latest example of a growing convergence on the tech and media beats, which increasingly is taking technology reporters into the realms of publishing and entertainment and putting media reporters on the phone with sources at Silicon Valley giants like Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google. In the last two weeks alone, Disney has announced a streaming deal, Facebook has declared its intent to make shows with news and entertainment companies and Vice teamed up with Airbnb for a series of travel "experiences."
In Los Angeles, Bradshaw will be covering that convergence: Interactions between major tech companies (think Apple, Amazon, Snapchat and Facebook) and Hollywood producers, who are creating content together. It reflects something of a maturation among those tech companies, which are all infusing their platforms with content and muscling in on the businesses of cable television, filmmaking and news...
"We're picking a slightly different battle here by going after a slice of the Silicon Valley story that's not as saturated by reporters in San Francisco," Bradshaw said.
6. Transitions
Tommy Hawkins, the former Lakers forward (in Minneapolis and Los Angeles) and broadcaster here, died at home in Malibu on Wednesday. He was 80. Hawkins did sports at KNBC, had a talk show on KABC radio and KHJ-TV, and became vice president of communications for the Dodgers. He also was a jazz deejay on radio. The Dodgers paused for a moment of silence in honor of Tommy Hawkins before tonight's game. LA Times, Register, Lakers statement
Longtime Angels pitcher Jered Weaver up and lost his fastball a couple of years ago. He kept playing without one for awhile, but today, at age 34, he retired from baseball. Close the book: 12 seasons, 150-98, 3.63 ERA.
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