Five finalists for the National Book Awards are from here, including Mark Z. Danielewski, whose nonlinear novel Only Revolutions is called in today's LAT "perhaps the most surprising finalist." For the first time in 57 years the contenders were announced in California, at City Lights bookstore in San Francisco's North Beach.

Galen Center opens its doors tonight for volleyball. Basketball begins next month. (SoCal Sports Observed)

A symbiotic relationship is taking root, Cara Mia DiMassa reports in the Times.

AFTER THE JUMP: Candidate and the Repo Man, Zahniser on Leland Wong, Schwarzenegger's Jay Leno advantage, Nikki Finke on Dean Baquet, and Harold Meyerson begins saying goodbye. Plus much more.

The Times' state politics blog has some fun history on Claude Parrish, the Republican Board of Equalization member from Southern California who is running for Treasurer. Seems he didn't want to give back the Mercedes-Benz SL380 Roadster he leased.

Mayor Villaraigosa's schedule in Shanghai for today includes keynote remarks at a USC Alumni Association breakfast at the Portman Ritz-Carlton.

The LA Weekly reporter covered the politics of the port for the Daily Breeze in his previous job and analyzes where Wong got his power — and who got screwed. The Weekly also has a Jeffrey Anderson piece on more Richard Meruelo trouble downtown.

Gov. Schwarzenegger goes on again while Angelides fumes.

The Daily News continues to beat the drum on Proposition R, the measure to let city council members run for a third term, headlining that interests that have donated $144,000 to the campaign have also given $129,000 to city council members.

Controller Laura Chick hosts a live one-hour program at 7:00 pm on LA Cityview Channel 35. Her guests are Patty DeDominic (founder, CEO and chairman of the PDQ Careers Group of Companies), Genethia Hudley-Hayes (former Board of Education president), Sandra Tsing Loh (performer and contributor to Atlantic Monthly) and Bea Olvera Stotzer (founder and president of New Economics for Women.)

The LA Weekly columnist writes that the Times editor should go and that his support should clam up.

KCET's Life & Times has a featured scheduled on Curbed LA co-editor Carey Kadlecek tonight at 6:30 pm.

He says goodbye in his penultimate column for the LA Weekly, promises the final piece will look at the future of Los Angeles.

About 200 current and former employees sued the Wendy McCaw newspaper, alleging it failed to keep accurate time records and stiffed them out of overtime pay.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" will raze her Redondo Beach home this week and build a new one that accommodates her paralysis from a shooting earlier this year.

The California Chicano News Media Association and CSUN's Center for Ethnic and Alternative Media, College of Art, Media, and Communication will present a panel on Oct. 24 at Cal State Northridge. Dennis Romero of Tu Ciudad moderates. Panelists include Luis Rodriguez, author of "Always Running"; Tony Moreno, gang expert and editor/owner of www.gangcop.com; Alex Alonso, editor/owner of www.streetgangs.com; Pilar Marrero, La Opinion columnist; Josh Sides, CSUN professor of history and author of "L.A City Limits: African - American Los Angeles from the Great Depression to the Present"; Oscar De La Torre, founder of the Pico Youth and Family Center; Stan Muhammad, director of Venice 2000.

What is Philip Anschutz up to with his sale of $540 million in Qwest stock? LA Biz Observed