Morning Buzz: Wednesday 5.2.07

Every member of the City Council except Bernard Parks (and newcomer Richard Alarcon, who was traveling with the mayor in Central America) endorsed Chief Bratton for a second term. Parks, of course, was chief until being kicked aside for Bratton — and still isn't happy about it. LAT, DN

The staff of the city Ethics Commission accused Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of 31 violations of campaign finance and disclosure laws during his 2003 campaign for the City Council. LAT, DN

The Times is shifting most remaining copy and design editors out of Orange County and into the main office in downtown Los Angeles, essentially giving up on a many-decade strategy of treating OC as a separate edition that could compete on local news with the Register. Staffers, some of whom live in northern San Diego County, are apparently not happy about being forced to suddenly commute into L.A. Also: the Times' former executive dining room, recently called The Gallery, is closing.

Today's Wall Street Journal reports that "Los Angeles billionaire Ron Burkle has stirred up controversy with his effort to take control of a big chunk of the nation's car-hauling business, with some help from former President Clinton." It's about a battle over Allied Holdings Inc. WSJ

The city of Los Angeles population surpassed four million sometime last year, according to the state Department of Finance, which doesn't actually count but estimates the population between censuses. So officially the "number" is now 4,018,080. LAT, DN

Roberto Valenzuela of Circo Hermanos Vazquez was performing at Whittier Narrows Recreation Area — without a net — when something broke and he fell. He was killed instantly. It was to be the circo's final performance in the area. LAT, DN

They're off and running to succeed Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald and why not: safe Democratic seat, lifetime tenure in Congress. Breeze

In its excitement over the proposed bullet train between Sacramento and San Diego, a Times editorial says that one little quirky train line "might someday become one of the state's best weapons for fighting gridlock and pollution." The editorial also calls it a "high-speech rail." LAT

Students at El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills who won the U.S. Academic Decathlon in Hawaii arrived at LAX to the school band playing "We Are the Champions." LAT

Chris Nichols of Los Angeles Magazine and the Southern California Historical Restaurant Society guests on KPCC at 10:30 am to talk about the demise of Trader Vic's in Beverly Hills.

A staffer emails that the prospect of the paper's Woodland Hills home being sold seems like more than a rumor: "We've had a succession of building shoppers coming through here during the past few weeks. It's humorous to see them walking the labyrinthine hallways and trying to figure out how a newsroom and other departments are behind what appear to be closet doors."

Daily Breeze covers the reunion of all the Reggie observers and hangers on.