Gavin Newsom gets engaged

The San Francisco mayor popped the question over the weekend to actress Jennifer Siebel, and she reportedly accepted. That leaves one eligible big-city mayor in California. AP

Mark Lisanti ready to ditch Defamer?

Nikki Finke seems to think so. It has been a lonnnng run for a Nick Denton-owned website.

Neighborhood councils lack land use power

Well of course they do. LAT

Magic's Hillary connection

Huffington Post political editor Thomas Edsall says a business deal with Ron Burkle could explain Magic Johnson endorsing Hillary Clinton, but spokespeople for the principals say balderdash.

21,000 more homes coming to Newhall Ranch

And you thought traffic was bad already. DN

News-Mess will appeal labor ruling

"The matter as a whole is in its infancy," say Wendy McCaw's lawyers up in Santa Barbara. LAT

Year of 'Urban Scrawl'

The best of Doug Davis' cartoons for the Downtown News in 2007 are collected at this link.

Yes, no more Stephanie Edwards

After chronicling the saga of Stephanie, Bob and Michaela in more than a dozen posts through two Rose Parade cycles (three, really), I'm sitting this one out. Many readers truly cared, and they were good for traffic, but that page has turned. Edwards has left the building.

Parade blog

Star-News politics reporter Todd Ruiz blogged from street level along the Rose Parade route.

A house divided

I found myself in a pew at First AME on New Year's Eve, enjoying the music and the spirit. During the reciting of the 2007 memorials, pretty much everyone from Dennis Johnson to Hal Fishman got respectful applause. But when Ike Turner's face flashed on the screen, there was — shall we say — a decidedly mixed reaction. Just saying.