Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
Yeah, LAPD won't map where Muslims live
Who didn't see this coming? The department dropped the plan, but will still do outreach. "Muslim Americans were very disturbed and concerned about the ramifications of the plan and having their privacy invaded," said Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. LAT, DN
Ellen without writers
It's not a pretty sight — or very funny. HuffPost
Journalist joins Villaraigosa
Jazmin Ortega, who covered City Hall and politics for La Opinión, resigned to become press secretary and Spanish-language media coordinator in the mayor's office. She also will "serve as a key strategic advisor," said the release. Her start date is December 11.
City official salaries going up
Villaraigosa says he'll reject the automatic 4.16% bump, citing the tight budget. Members of the City Council — already the best-paid in the country, now raised to $178,789 a year — scrambled to figure out how to act about it. Witness Jack Weiss, per the Times:
Councilman Jack Weiss, Villaraigosa's staunchest City Hall ally, said through a spokeswoman that he would take it, because "it's the law." More than an hour later, after the mayor said he would turn down the raise, the spokeswoman called back to say that Weiss wanted to consult with the mayor before deciding whether to accept it.
Oh come on!
The intersection of Melrose Avenue and Plymouth Boulevard near Paramount Studios will be renamed I Love Lucy Square, in honor of Lucille Ball — who started Desilu Studios near there in 1951 — and Lucy Casado, the proprietor of Lucy's El Adobe cantina. DN
'Bookworm' turns 20
Host Michael Silverblatt chats with CityBeat about two decades on KCRW.
San Diego City Attorney flips out
Because the local PBS station cancelled a public affairs program that he often guested on, Michael Aguirre has opened an investigation and asked for internal e-mails, financial statements and other documents, including information about recent contacts between the station's journalists and the San Diego mayor's office. SignOnSanDiego
MediaNews lost money last quarter
The owner of the Daily News and Los Angeles Newspaper Group posted a $1.01 million on revenues of $334.7 million, compared to a profit of $13.3 million on revenues of $295.7 million a year ago. Denver Post
I-5 truck tunnel to open at 5 pm
The Newhall Pass truck route was closed since the big inferno on Oct. 12. The contractor gets $2.9 million for opening two weeks early. LAT, DN