Unions give most of the money to Prop. S

The measure to continue the city of Los Angeles telephone utility tax has collected $1.9 million of its $2.6 million from labor, much of the rest from interests who want to stay on the mayor's good side. LAPD chief Bratton and LAFD chief Douglas Barry are doing TV spots for the measure. The tax brings in about 6% of the city's general fund, but was invalidated in court recently. LAT

16-year-old tries to hijack flight

The Californian was pulled off a Southwest flight from LAX to Nashville and is being held there. AP

Vanessa Beecroft at Sundance

William Booth in the Washington Post profiles the performance artist whose exhibits often feature nude women. She is the subject of a documentary "The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins" at Sundance. Beecroft and her husband, Warner Bros VP of Research Greg Durkin, now live in Los Angeles. WashPost

McClintock leans toward Ron Paul

State Sen. Tom McClintock had backed Fred Thompson as the Republican he likes for president, but he's searching for a new bus to board. "If I were to vote today, I probably would be casting a vote for Ron Paul. I’m not voting today." Top of the Ticket

Serving in Israel

Los Angeles writer Robert David Jaffee didn't join a kibbutz, he joined the Army. Jewish Journal
Also: A Q-&-A with Joy Horowitz about her new book, "Parts Per Million: The Poisoning of Beverly Hills High School."

Blog about living on Skid Row

Walter Melton grew up in Leimert Park but writes about being on the streets Downtown. Leimert Park Beat

Story Corps now at MacArthur Park

The oral history project uses Spanish-speaking volunteers found via KCRW. LAT

Youth journalism conference in L.A.

Naomi Klein, Robert Scheer and Tom Hayden are among the speakers at the Saturday conference sponsored by Campus Progress and The Nation and held at UCLA. Info

Noted: No LA Observed segment on KCRW this afternoon (or next) due to the pledge drive.