Will anyone listen to new controller?
What won what whereHere's some stuff that piled up while I was off. Updated a couple of times:
• Gary Webb, the investigative reporter whose suicide has been partly blamed on his treatment in the Times and other media, is profiled by LAT style writer Tina Daunt. The precision with which he planned his death is chilling. Webb suffered from clinical depression.
• James B. Stewart will talk about his book on Disney (suddenly more timely than ever) at 11 a.m. today on "Larry Mantle's Airtalk" on KPCC.
• Mayor Hahn called for a debate with Antonio Villaraigosa about the schools. In the primary, Hahn chided Bob Hertzberg for making breakup of the LAUSD his top campaign issue. One of the angles being punditized (on KCAL) is that Hahn's kids go to public schools and Villaraigosa's attend Catholic school.
• Ex-mayor Riordan said on KNX this week that he will endorse in the runoff. He said Hahn is in the running despite a weak staff and other problems, and he questions if Villaraigosa is conservative enough to win the Valley. Riordan backed Villaraigosa last time.
• In the race for mayor of Redondo Beach, a vote recount upped the final margin from one to two. It means councilman Gerard Bisignano is in a May 17 runoff with Mike Gin.
• On his blog, Oakland mayor Jerry Brown praised Times' writer Louis Sahagun's Column One on the "sideshows" ritual in the Bay Area city.
• LAVoice has an ad on Craigslist looking for more writers: "Dedicated bloggers who are willing to post something fast, funny and real at least twice a week in exchange for joining our masthead."
• Reporter and USC Annenberg instructor Rebecca Fairley Raney takes to the web.
• ResedaWeb.blog has re-launched to cover everything "Reseda-esque." It's written by former Variety blogger James Hames.
• The Book LA is all over Fashion Week, which is taking place right here right now.
• Brady Westwater blogs that the N.Y. Times did a better job than the L.A. Times on the stories about arrests of Mara Salvatrucha members.
• Onanism Today is an L.A. blog that mostly monitors and skewers the writings of Cathy Seipp. It's motto: "Because there aren't enough soon-to-be-abandoned blogs already on the internet."