LA Observed

Michael Hastings, 33, journalist dies in LA crash

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:58:16 -0800

Kevin Roderick: "We are shocked and devastated by the news that Michael Hastings is gone," says Ben Smith, the editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed. "Michael was a great, fearless journalist with an incredible instinct for the story, and a gift for finding ways to make his readers care about anything he covered from wars to politicians."

Deadline adds Lisa De Moraes, formerly of the Washington Post

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:42:32 -0800

Kevin Roderick: Nikki Finke certainly doesn't sound fired. Today she announced the hiring of new television columnist Lisa De Moraes, who spent about 15 years covering TV at the Washington Post.

Villaraigosa: I plan to run for governor and live in Venice

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:42:43 -0800

Kevin Roderick: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa made his most direct comment yet about his future political plans in a conversation with "Airtalk" host Larry Mantle on KPCC. He doesn't say when he would run for governor, which is kind of crucial. More inside.

KPCC adds six shows to nights and weekends, shifts others

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:11:12 -0800

Kevin Roderick: The revised lineup, brought about in part by the demise of NPR's "Talk of the Nation," will include a one-hour repackaging of that day's two-hour morning show, "Take Two." There will also be the NPR interview show, "Tell Me More," hosted by Michel Martin, on weeknights.

Is merging Planning and Building and Safety the best idea?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:02:18 -0800

Mark Lacter: Here's a proposal that's hugely important for local businesses and developers, and yet it's barely gotten noticed.

Fishbowl LA going dark after all these years

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:57:05 -0800

Kevin Roderick: Mediabistro is calling it a hiatus but says that "within the next few weeks, all existing FishbowlLA content will be folded into the FishbowlNY archives." Current editor Richard Horgan will move over to FishbowlNY "to cover the Hollywood trades, awards season and a broad range of national media stories."

Council moving towards ban on plastic bags

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:24:51 -0800

Mark Lacter: Final approval is expected next week, but today's 13-1 vote pretty much assures that L.A. will be the nation's largest city to prohibit stores from using plastic bags.

The Cove

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:26:57 -0800

Veronique de Turenne: Back when a cove was all that was here.

Morning Buzz: Tuesday 6.18.13

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:28:19 -0800

Kevin Roderick: LA to ban plastic bags in markets. Garcetti heads to NYC. A new parklet on Spring Street. IRS goes after Sam Zell's Tribune deal. New LAT bureau chief in Sacramento. Jake Jacoby and the Hillside Strangler et al. Indiewire's Hollywood influencers. When Vin Scully almost became a Yankee. And more.

UCLA starting to make Omaha a regular destination

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:28:07 -0800

Bob Timmermann: UCLA's baseball team is in Omaha for the College World Series for the third time in the last four years.

15-year-old girl told by TSA at LAX to 'cover yourself'

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:11:33 -0800

Kevin Roderick: The daughter of BoingBoing editor Mark Frauenfelder was going through security with a school group at LAX on Sunday when a male TSA officer hissed at her, "You're only 15, COVER YOURSELF!" Not cool.

JJ Yore leaving 'Marketplace,' show he helped start *

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:04:48 -0800

Kevin Roderick: JJ Yore was a journalist on the creative team that created Marketplace in 1988, and was the executive producer until moving upstairs to VP/General Manager in 2011. Today the word got out in the Downtown Los Angeles offices that Yore will be leaving.

Garcetti names Ana Guerrero as chief of staff

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:46:22 -0800

Kevin Roderick: Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti just announced that the chief of staff in his City Council office, Ana Guerrero, will fill the same role when Garcetti moves down to the mayor's third floor suite. "Ana was the key player in my work to cut budget costs and revitalize neighborhoods," Garcetti said in a statement. "Together, we're going to build on this foundation with new solutions to fix City Hall and strengthen communities citywide."

Favorite things

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:18:47 -0800

Veronique de Turenne: Again with the only-in-SoCal preferences.

Morning Buzz: Monday 6.17.13

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:17:54 -0800

Kevin Roderick: Murder suspect from the Valley arrested in Joshua Tree, an Obama ambassador from HBO, Metro bus drivers sickened by pesticides, LA grapples with digital billboards, Garcetti breakfasts with Greuel, LAPD buys 188 cars, LA may be part of Rupert Murdoch's soccer plans, Dodger dollars don't add up, plus media moves, Zoey Tur and the 19th anniversary of OJ's slow-speed chase.

Ciclavia route for Wilshire this Sunday (map)

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:56:31 -0800

Kevin Roderick: Wilshire Boulevard will be closed two extra hours for this Ciclavia. On Thursday evening, I will take part in a panel put on by Ciclavia and Hidden LA for the Getty's Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in LA.

James Turrell show at LACMA almost didn't make it

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:40:28 -0800

Kevin Roderick: This weekend's New York Times Magazine had a long feature on how artist James Turrell has "knocked the art world off its feet," partly by opening three major shows in different cities inside a month. One of those cities is Los Angeles, as we have posted already. What hasn't been covered in LA is just how close the intricate LACMA show came to not being ready on time.

The garden, before and after

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 09:25:17 -0800

Veronique de Turenne: Another slide show. Also, Happy Father's Day!

Only in LA: It's that season

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 21:10:47 -0800

Steve Harvey: Steve Harvey's latest column of observations from around Southern California. Including Satan in a Dodgers jacket.

Signs of Saturday: Woof

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 11:33:32 -0800

Veronique de Turenne: The golden rule, as Maisie sees it.