Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
Mayor Villaraigosa has dumped Department of Transportation chief Gloria Jeff and replaced her with longtime City Hall hand Rita Robinson. Jeff lasted a year and a half, after being presented by Villaraigosa as the prize of a big national search for the expert who would solve L.A's transportation problems. No such hype with Robinson. She's currently in charge of the Bureau of Sanitation but spent some months as interim GM of Transportation awhile back.
Also:
- Councilwoman Janice Hahn is a victim of a weird identity theft scam. Thieves have been withdrawing money from bank accounts across the country and fraudulently using her name as the payee. Daily Breeze
- Josh Kamensky, longtime communications deputy to Council President Eric Garcetti, announced he's leaving City Hall to work in the private sector. "I'm planning to try my hand at the creative written word in its various forms, including our local industrial flavors," he writes.