How NYT got the Spitzer story

And kept it quiet. NY Observer

Three Cal State Northridge dorms evacuated

Report of a gunman last night morning spurs alert. No suspect was found. DN

Mayor says LAPD growth will continue

Villaraigosa says he is halfway to goal to expand the LAPD by 1,000 officers and will keep hiring despite the city's budget crunch. By November the department should pass 9,842 officers, the size it was in 1998. LAT, DN

Columnists do gangs

Both Steve Lopez and Tim Rutten columnize about gangs and City Hall in today's Times. Also, Rick Orlov story in DN.

L.A.s annual tree slaughter

Freelancer and blogger Sara Catania writes in a Times Op-Ed that "I love spring as much as anyone, but I can't bear to witness the annual Los Angeles sacrifice I call the Slaughter of the Trees."

Like the Running of the Bulls in Pamploma, no special training is required. Anyone with access to a chain saw and a cherry picker is welcome to join in. And so the tree hackers emerge from the woodwork, sawing the limbs and branches of L.A.'s urban canopy and leaving us with thousands of hideously maimed trees.

LACMA jumps Wilshire

The museum buys an office building across the boulevard from the new Broad, at the southwest corner of Wilshire and Ogden, and the construction site behind where Lennar Corp had tried build a loft complex. Wasn't there a problem of underground water that stopped the construction? LAT

Barker makes a deal

Longtime television host Bob Barker's autobiography, written with Digby Diehl, has been sold to Center Street for summer 2009 publication. It promises to share "stories and anecdotes from his personal and public life, including his childhood, marriage, early career and experiences on "Truth or Consequences" and "The Price is Right." Publishers Lunch

MWD raises its water rates 14%

Hike goes into effect in 2009 and will contribute to rises in bills that will vary depending on how much imported water your utility buys from the agency. LAT

Tribune hires XM Satellite Radio exec

The company that owns the Times and KTLA hired Lee Abrams as its first-ever chief innovation officer, "responsible for innovation across Tribune's publishing, broadcasting and interactive divisions." LAT