• City Council President Alex Padilla was "near tears" during an intense closed-session fight over hiring a new legislative analyst for the council, the Times' Steve Hymon reports. There are two (unnamed) finalists, but Padilla said later the council wants to open up the search to others. Also: Times City Hall reporter Noam Levey is heading to Iraq on temporary assignment.

• Mayor Villaraigosa will order a ban today on road work at rush hour, the Daily News says.

• Mayor Sam's Sister City posted photos of a city car parked in a handicapped spot. The bloggers say it belongs to Councilwoman Janice Hahn. The Skunks of Los Feliz blogs on Villaraigosa's "Ask the Mayor" appearance on KCAL-9 this week.

• The LAT follows up on the L.A. Conservancy's alert about demolition of the George Gershwin home on Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills.

• The head of the Tribune Company's newspapers says the L.A. Times is not for sale but needs to tweak its content to bring in more diverse readers. (Via Romenesko)

• KCBS-2 reported that Santa Monica has stepped up anti-terrorism patrols after three "suspicious middle eastern men" were seen shooting video of the pier. Blogger Independent Sources is skeptical. Also, Channel 2's Kent Schocknek blogs snidely about a Border Patrol agent caught helping smugglers.