What's behind Villaraigosa's staff shake-up

David Zahniser and Maeve Reston get their hands on an internal memo from Villaraigosa chief of staff Jeff Carr and through interviews piece together how and why some top players on the mayor's team have been pushed out or reassigned in recent months. The moves, by Carr and Chief Deputy Mayor Jay Carson, "were designed to correct an acknowledged weakness of Villaraigosa's first term: a lack of follow-through on certain policy goals," the reporters write. David Nahai was "forced out as chief executive of the Department of Water and Power, according to two knowledgeable sources who spoke on the condition that they not be identified." Cecilia Estolano was asked for her resignation as head of the Community Redevelopment Agency for resisting a decision to move the the department's headquarters, a conclusion she disputes. The team that interacts with the City Council has also been changed over.

New hires: Joan Sullivan was recently added as deputy mayor for education, Eileen Decker as deputy mayor for homeland security and Brian Currey as the mayor's legal counsel.