Admiral Villaraigosa and Mayor Brewer — or maybe it's the other way around — finally meet today. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, as we told you yesterday, is also in L.A. for a Town Hall lunch. There are a bunch more items where those came from in the Morning Buzz, after you click to go inside.
Politics
Photo op time
Mayor Villaraigosa and Vice Admiral Brewer, 9 am, Antonio's office. Advanced in
LAT.
Santa Monica pols in action
They ban most public smoking last night, and wake up to a
Steve Lopez column about their $400,000 legal crusade to undo a law that forbade officials from accepting jobs, gifts or campaign donations from contractors or others who had benefited from the politician's vote.
Antonio sits down with The Advocate
John Caldwell
interviews the mayor in the Nov. 7 issue. Sample:
Sitting in a plush armchair inside his stately city office, Villaraigosa seems more like a casual acquaintance at a cocktail party than an imposing national figure. Looking characteristically dapper in a stylish dark suit with a purple tie, he sips from a large cup of coffee and makes small talk about home life. He speaks slowly, giving thought to each word, but there is a tension about him, as if he is coiled and ready to strike at the mere mention of the country’s toughest political issues, including ours.
“Antonio is a rock star,” says longtime gay rights leader Torie Osborn, who serves as special adviser to Villaraigosa. “When you’re a rock star you carry a lot of influence. That goes a long way on the more controversial issues, and he’s taking us with him.”
Media
Sounds familiar
Marc Cooper notes the flattery at his blog:
Marc Cooper on October 22:
"Things have turned so undeniably grim in Iraq that even the President is distancing himself from the President -- and he's not even running for re-election!"
Maureen Dowd on October 25:
"Things have become so dire for the Republicans now even Bush is distancing himself from Bush."
Talent agency for web stars
UTA Online
gets ink in the New York Times.
Noted
Coastal Commission versus the Jews of Venice
The Pacific Jewish Center in Venice wants to string fishing line around parts of Venice, Santa Monica and Marina del Rey to create an
eruv, the religious boundary that lets observant Jews be considered "home" while out and around on the Sabbath. Some complain the line might be so invisible as to trip up flying birds, others say it might harm, the ocean view. The state Coastal Commission has its own bureaucratic
objections, despite approvals by all the other governmental levels.
