Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
Riordan makes L.A. bankruptcy sound like a good idea, squeezing homicide detectives, a shorter school year, Susan Estrich and Justice Stevens, Angela Markel and more catching up for a Monday.
Late programming note: My KCRW piece that aired on Friday commented on the sorry state of LAX (again) and the New York Times' selection of Los Angeles as one of the hot places in the world to visit this year.
- Former mayor Richard Riordan and others are talking up municipal bankruptcy as not necessarily a bad thing for Los Angeles. DN
- The Times says that LAPD homicide cases are falling victim to budget cuts that curtailed overtime and staffing. LAT
- Villaraigosa's April 20 state of the city speech will be delivered about 4 p.m. in the new Police Administration Building across 1st Street from City Hall, both departures from recent practice. Plus: A new DWP chief is expected to be named this week, and Dems are coming to town for the weekend. Orlov/DN
- LAUSD teachers agreed to shorten this school year by a week and to take more days from next year's calendar, in a response to budget concerns. LAT, DN
Plus: A new calendar under consideration would end summer vacation for some high schools on Aug. 16. DN - Here are set-up pieces to Tuesday's special election in the 43rd assembly district, to fill the seat vacated by City Councilman Paul Krekorian, and elections in local cities. LAT, DN
- L.A. lawyer Susan Estrich writes briefly about an episode involving the death penalty from her time as a clerk to Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens. NYT
- Another city budget cuts victim: pothole repair. DN
- The Los Angeles Film Festival announced it was leaving Westwood Village and bringing its June event to L.A. Live and other Downtown venues. LAT
- The U.S. Supreme Court has accepted the case of Richard Fine, the 70-year-old disbarred lawyer who has been jailed in L.A. for 13 months for contempt of court: his refusal to answer questions about his personal assets relating to an order to pay more than $50,000 in attorneys' fees. DN
- The trend away from unmoderated anonymous visitor comments on news sites. NYT
- Father Gregory Boyle takes questions from Patt Morrison. LAT Op-Ed
- German chancellor Angela Merkel is in town this week and meets Wednesday at Warner Bros. with CEO Barry Meyer. Wilshire & Washington
- The Los Angeles Business Journal has upgraded its website, and it looks as if they will be posting more news during the week. LABJ
- A public memorial for Jaime Escalante will be held Saturday with a 9 a.m. procession from Garfield High School to the stadium at East Los Angeles College, for an 11 a.m. pregram. LAT
- The Kings open the Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday in Vancouver. Game 3 is here on Monday, April 19.