♦ Today is Mayor Villaraigosa's 53rd birthday. No public schedule, his staff says. He'll be in Washington Wednesday to speak at the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

♦ Monday Orlov: the Feinstein race, the Padilla-Montanez race and Schwarzenegger speaking Deutsch to Antonio.

♦ KPCC was off the air during some, if not all, of the 7 to 8 pm hour Sunday night. At least on all of my radios.

♦ The Breeze says that new Port of L.A. chief Geraldine Knatz, who starts today, "is about to enter a different world, one where her management skills will be tested by vocal community activists, legally savvy environmentalists, 18 ambitious city politicians and a harbor commission president not known for his patience."

♦ The construction industry is complaining about getting too much work, if you can believe it. Also in the L.A. Business Journal: An interview with former U.S. Attorney and judge Robert Bonner, now back at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher.

♦ Defamer Mark Lisanti graces the new Vanity Fair (the Lindsay Lohan freckles cover), along with the Gawkers Jessica Coen and Jesse Oxfeld and Wonkette Emeritus Anna Marie Cox. And you thought blogs were a passing fad.

♦ A Cathy Seipp blog post alleging that New York Times reporter Sharon Waxman is bullying a PR guy Seipp knows has turned into a long comments fest there about NYT staffer David Cay Johnston (mistakenly labeled a blogging newbie) and the issue of whether it's cool to tell the public what a reporter tells you he/she is working on. Good time as any to repeat my practice: If someone volunteers what they are working on thinking it's in confidence, I'll treat it as confidential no matter how juicy it is or whether I dislike the institution where they work. If I learn some information through my own initiative, then other rules may apply.

♦ A New York Times article on the value of blog comments quotes Boing Boing's Xeni Jardin on why they shut theirs down and Mickey Kaus saying "the world is crying out for the jerk-zapper" that will save us all from time-wasters who deliver more noise than signal.

♦ Clark Stevens, the Times' Chief of Copy Desks, has put out the word in the industry that he's hiring: "We are looking for the best in the business. Applicants should have substantial daily newspaper experience and should be able to demonstrate mastery of the language, solid news judgment, superb headline-writing skills and a collegial working attitude."

♦ Author Jim Ruland has a photo tribute to Manchester Boulevard (you know, Randy's Donuts, The Forum, etc) in issue #5 of the literary journal Hobart. The photos are on the website. (via LAist)