Miguel Contreras and the L.A. labor council won big in Tuesday's victory of Martin Ludlow in the 10th council district. They already helped elect Ludlow's former boss Antonio Villaraigosa on the Eastside. Ludlow's win may also be a sign of something more surprising: in modern L.A. a newspaper columnist has clout. Steve Lopez in the Times ran a mini-crusade against rival Deron Williams, citing his cocaine bust and status as a protege of longtime council hack Nate Holden. Williams came out of the primary in the lead but stalled after Lopez began hitting him on the front page of the California section. Headline on the last column: Voters Face 2 Choices: Old Way or a New Day.

Update: Lopez, Sonia Nazario and Jill Stewart are up for L.A. Press Club "Journalist of the Year." Hmm, Nazario won a Pulitzer and scored a large book deal...think it will be close?