Ben Golombek, the communications deputy to Controller Wendy Greuel, is marrying Meghan Loper, Public Policy Director at Majestic Realty, on Saturday out in La Quinta. Thus, he will be out of the office until Nov. 23. Both were Coro fellows a few years back.

This month's Angeleno is the magazine's tenth anniversary issue. The mag relives a decade of celebrity photography, highlights some fashionistas who elevated L.A.'s style in the 2000s and anoints as new "streetscape landmarks" Chris Burden's Urban Light outside LACMA, Paul Smith's pink store on Melrose, Santa Monica's Civic Center garage, the tower looming over the arts high school downtown, and more. Some locals also say what's on their bucket list. For Mayor Villaraigosa it's bringing an NFL team to L.A. and winning the Super Bowl. For Council President Eric Garcetti, it's to jam with the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Hollywood Bowl.

Actually, Santa Monica. The Santa Monica Daily Press is hiring a GA reporter. Full-time there means 10 to 12 stories a week, some holidays and weekends, and "if there’s a gang shooting at midnight, you have to be there."

The Santa Monica Daily Press, the Westside’s leading daily newspaper serving the more than 89,000 residents of this beautiful beach-side community that boasts its own municipal airport, award-winning bus company, a robust tourism industry, a world-famous pier and a vibrant arts community, is looking for a full-time, general assignment reporter.

This is a position for someone who is hungry and not afraid of pounding the pavement or working long hours to find the diamond in the rough. Reporters are expected to write at least two stories a day and occasionally take photos. Covering City Council and school board meetings is crucial, along with community events. We pride ourselves on providing a product that captures the city’s essence, a product that is impartial and accessible. We have high standards and take pride in our work and you should too.

Manny Ramirez has decided to take the $20 million and stay with the Dodgers next season, rather than opt out of his contract and look for work as a drug-tainted, weak-armed 37-year-old designated hitter in waiting. LAT, MLB

The first L.A. Times/USC poll will run in Sunday's and Monday's papers and will cover a bunch of topics. Some of the findings the Times is teasing:

• 51% of Calfornia registered voters polled favored marriage rights for same-sex couples (43% opposed.) That's more support than shown in previous elections.
• Almost 60% don't want to be asked to vote on the issue again next year.
• 70% consider the H1N1 flu vaccine safe, but 52% said they did not plan to get vaccinated.

Under the LAT's new arrangement with USC, the polling is conducted by the Democratic firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner and the Republican firm Public Opinion Strategies. A media call to analyze the poll with Dan Schnur, director of Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, USC professor Jane Junn and Times AME David Lauter is scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday.

Q: What's more bizarre than the Los Angeles Times having a blog for the paper's most inveterate staff animal lovers to talk about pets, animal causes and, of course, dogs that need adoption?

A: That the Times let Mayor Villaraigosa's animal-loving girlfriend, Lu Parker, blog on its website about a Halloween dog costume contest she emceed and that the mayor took part in. And without ever mentioning Parker's special relationship to the mayor.

Parker is described thusly: "...not just an animal lover, but also an Emmy-winning journalist who can be seen anchoring and reporting the news at The Times' sister station, KTLA. She's a former Miss USA, an author, an actress and a former teacher, and (best of all, in our opinion) she shares her home with Monkey, a rescue dog from the South L.A. shelter." Even KTLA has thought wiser of having Parker report on things relating to Villaraigosa. For reasons such as this and this.

Here's a link at Parker's own blog to another dog event where she went recently with the mayor.

Journalist Joe Mathews uses an Op-Ed piece in the Times to propose that Gov. Schwarzenegger appoint him for the vacant job of lieutenant governor.

I know you're considering smart politicians of both parties. But selecting a proven leader would be a terrible mistake. Someone with real experience in government would be frustrated by the utter powerlessness and insignificance of the lieutenant governor's office.

I, on the other hand, would be untroubled by that, since I've never worked in government and have no real interest in doing so. The lieutenant governor doesn't run much of anything, and neither have I.

Goes on to make some good points, amusingly.

My take on the Charlie Beck selection — I hope he's the guy to finish off the old, unprofessional LAPD culture once and for all — airs at 4:44 p.m. on the FM dial at KCRW. It's on the web at KCRW.com, on iTunes, and the text is after the jump.

Other new takes:

• Beck tells L.A. Times editors and reporters how he'll be different than Bratton.
• "Jack Dunphy" endorses the Beck selection at Pajamas Media, and dumps on finalist Michel Moore at Patterico.

Plus Bratton on "The Colbert Report:"

No time for the Morning Buzz today, but you should check out the new unemployment figures — worst since 1983 — at LA Biz Observed, plus Mark's morning headlines. Also here recently:

• Bill Boyarsky looks at the investigative work being done for the SEIU by former L.A. Times reporter Ted Rohrlich.
• Erika Schickel remembers her carefree days as a server at Swingers, even if a girl there today was disbelieving.
• Indie 103.1's Steve Jones, the self-proclaimed Sire of Wilshire, is on the air again and TJ Sullivan celebrates.
• Veronique de Turenne watches more open space vanish in Malibu.
• Jenny Burman gets ready for Saturday's frugality forum at the Edendale branch library.

Plus the latest LA Sketchbook by Steve Greenberg.

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As Lifetime's "Project Runway" nears the end of its season in Los Angeles, tonight's final challenge was held at the Getty. The surprise guest greeting the contestants on the terrace was Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who welcomed them to the city of the future or something like that.

Blowback: Robin Kramer, Villaraigosa's former chief of staff, takes exception to a weekend opinion piece in the L.A. Times that argued there is little difference between her ex-boss and the previous mayor, Jim Hahn.

The students at USC's Neon Tommy looked into the Los Angeles County deaths attributed to the H1N1 flu and mapped the cases — 57 since April, when it was known as the swine flu. Included in Faces of a Health Crisis are stories on the victims, interviews with families and health officials, and a Google map of the cases. (I couldn't find the difference between green and red.)

* Noted: I neglected to mention that the students broke new ground by getting death certificates on dozens of swine flu victims.

US Airways pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger was named the grand marshal of the 2010 Rose Parade. Star-News