• David Beckham admits to the Euro press that he's considering an offer to leave the Galaxy and stay with AC Milan: "little more than a formality" says The Independent. Also Grahame Jones/LAT, Nick Green/Daily Breeze
• Scale back your expectations for the Downtown boom as the economy stutters, Mark Lacter warns in the new issue of Los Angeles Magazine.
• Council President Eric Garcetti says he was among the victims of Echo Park's Tweaker Tom car thief. The Eastsider LA
• KABC radio gets even less local, adds Joe Scarborough and shuffles some shouters around. SoCalMediaScoop
• Guild staffers at the Daily News have launched a new blog to follow contract negotiations at the financially troubled paper. Daily News [room]
• Gil Cates of the Geffen Playhouse, Reed Johnson of the L.A, Times and others discuss the cutbacks in the local arts and culture scene on KCRW's "Which Way, L.A.?" tonight at 7:30 p.m.
• UTLA says it expects thousands of teachers at tomorrow afternoon's rally and march through Downtown.
• Abel Salas has published his third issue of the Eastside news and culture mag Brooklyn & Boyle. Sorry, no website.
• Jay Carson, press secretary to Hillary Clinton during the presidential run, is now executive VP for policy and business development at Shangri-La Industries. That's the Steve Bing firm behind the famously green Hangar 25 at Bob Hope Airport.
• “Walls of Passion: The Murals of L.A.” photo show opens Jan. 31 at the Cal State L.A. Fine Arts Gallery. CSULA

Oh by the way: the U-Haul driver leading cops on a chase across Los Angeles has given it up near Somis in Ventura County. Elasped time: something over two hours.