Among the many accomplishments of Mark Lacter, the respected journalist who died last week, was his mastery of a now-essential journalism skill---an ability to move seamlessly from long, deeply reported pieces to punchy blog items. That’s a talent editors value and young journalists find hard to learn.

In her moving and witty tribute to Mark, his wife, Laura Levine, the novelist and comedy writer, talked at his funeral about his many talents, including his ability to write and think fast and creatively.

His mastery of the short items needed for Internet journalism was on display here on LA Observed’s LA Biz Observed. Each morning, he offered his analysis and opinions, and had links to items in other publications. He saw the connection between business and politics-- absolutely essential to understanding what happens in Los Angeles—and hammered away at it, helping make this long-neglected issue part of the L.A. story.

Mark’s longer pieces, appearing in Los Angeles magazine, where he was a regular contributor, and other publications, often made the same point. He attacked the myth, promulgated by Mayor Eric Garcetti and other politicians, that Los Angeles is hostile to business and ought to provide more giveaways to companies to lure them here. He wrote in Los Angeles, “Rather than engage in any full-scale reengineering, city officials might want to focus on getting the basics right, which means police, fire, parks, libraries, and roads. If that ever happens, L.A.’s business climate will take care of itself.“

Yet, “Even when he was systematically dismantling a shibboleth, Mark had a way of steering clear of rancor or cheap shots,” Los Angeles magazine executive editor Matt Segal wrote in a tribute to the journalist.

At a reception after the funeral, I talked to Segal and Los Angeles’ editor, Mary Melton, about Mark’s ability to shift from the short to the long. Both of them, like me, were in awe of it because the feat is so hard to master. Blog items must be catchy and short, a style that encourages superficiality, a sin Mark avoided. Long pieces require interviews, research, organization and writing ability. Journalism schools try to teach this now-essential combination of skills. Mark came by them naturally.

On personal note, Nancy, my wife, and I have been friends with Laura and Mark since we met years ago at an LA Observed brunch for contributors. We had dinner with them the weekend before he died. After dinner, the four of us stood on a sidewalk on Westwood Boulevard, continuing our conversation. We said they should join us when we go to London next year. They said they might. We said goodbye and watched the devoted couple walk away toward their nearby home.

The announcement that Tribune Co., owner of the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers, is planning to lay off almost 700 employees and centralize important business operations is bad news not only to the workers but to Times readers.

For readers, advertising is the most important aspect of the centralization. It means that one central advertising department will control relations with advertisers.

This is a bad development in view of current trends in the media business. The wall that once separated advertising from editorial has all but disappeared. The Los Angeles Times’ staff fight to keep that wall up during the Staples-Times magazine controversy of more than a decade ago is ancient history from an era when many news organizations had higher standards. Today, we have “native advertising.” That’s what they call advertising that looks like news. You see this in the Times phony front-pages it runs on occasion. In other publications and web sites, it is inserted into columns and news stories.

With centralized control, advertisers have the opportunity to make deals for native advertising. Eventually, this may drift into news coverage with product plugs inserted into columns and stories, as the revenue-strapped Tribune searches for more bucks. What if the central advertising department hands down decrees to the Tribune papers on how and what to write about advertisers? With layers of bureaucracy separating them from the corporate shot callers, reporters won’t know what hit them.

In his announcement, the Tribune chief executive said the 700 layoffs wouldn’t involve many reporters. That’s hard to believe. Tribune’s main goal is not getting the news, but stripping down the company for sale.

When Mayor Eric Garcetti was interviewing department heads—deciding which ones would be dumped or retained—he noticed how they reacted when he talked about introducing new technology to stodgy old city hall.

He said he could tell who “resisted data and those who didn’t.” That, he said, “was one of the strongest measures” he used to determine “whether they would have the skills,” he thought were needed for his new administration.

Some, he said, were enthusiastic. Others seemed to think that it was just another idea from an inexperienced new mayor and could soon be forgotten.

I was interviewing him on the phone about how city government could increase use of Internet-based technology, taking advantage of computers’ great ability to engage in tasks as varied as sorting through masses of data to using a mobile phone app to fetch a cab.

Garcetti, the new mayor who had been a veteran city councilman, and Controller Ron Galperin, a newcomer to city hall, have put up information-producing web sites. Garcetti has a web site reporting on the performance of various departments while Galperin’s aims to disclose salaries and spending.

The sites are works in progress. I find them difficult to navigate, with limited information. But, as Washington has learned with Obamacare, it’s best to go slow when building a web site. “We got it going through my own staff,” Garcetti said. “We’re just getting our feet wet.”

For Angelenos, the most visible form of technology-driven service is the new alternative cab. You can now summon a cab through an app on your mobile phone. Taxi Magic gets cabs from traditional cab companies as does a similar operation, Flywheel. SideCar. Lyft, Zimride and Uber have vehicles usually driven by car owners.

City cab regulators, long close to traditional cab companies, fought the idea. But Garcetti was a strong advocate, and the plan was narrowly backed by the city council.

“Times are changing,” Garcetti said. “Many young people don’t own a car.” Protected bike lanes, ride sharing, working at home and mass transit will grow, along with alternative cabs, he said. “We won’t be double decking or widening our freeways anymore.” Technology, he said, “will be a huge part of the transition.”

Writing about city hall has always seemed an exercise in recording slightly different versions of the same thing year after year. Data hounds Garcetti and Controller Galperin are determined to change this, and it is one of the most interesting developments in Los Angeles city government in many years.