Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was speaking in his office Friday to a delegation from the California Chicano News Media Association: Latino Journalists of California. At one point, per notes sent to me, he told them: "I'm not afraid of the press. When they push hard I push back ... (But) I respect the right of the press to be tough." Then the talk turned to the state of the news media that covers him.

It scares me....I almost think that newspapers should be owned by nonprofit institutions....

If you're not asking the tough questions of the rich and the powerful, then you have power corrupting....The real exhaustive examinations that take place take place in newspapers....

I have press conferences where reporters don't show up anymore - it's just (TV) cameras. It's scary....A regular day would be six, seven cameras ... (Now) you get five on a great day ... I'm actually concerned....

I've been around some really, really, really top [news] people and a lot of them are leaving.

The mayor is on his reelection bus today, stopping at churches and a Little League ceremony in the Valley — plus a walk-through at Art's Deli in Studio City, just as he did in 2005 — then ending at burrito mecca El Tepeyac on the Eastside at 5:20 p.m. Campaign blog

Walter Moore: The chief challenger doesn't list anything on his calendar for today, but says that on Monday he'll attend the "Pitchforks and Torches" rally hosted by KABC talker Doug McIntyre at the Four Points Sheraton at LAX. Moore's election night party, he posts, will be at Du-Par's in Farmers Market. Campaign site

Meanwhile: Moore and a couple of the others taste French dip sandwiches with Steve Lopez. Plus, NeonTommy covers a debate at USC.