Morning Buzz

Morning Buzz: Thursday 8.17.11

LAUSD's test scores beat the mayor's, Brown backs high-speed rail, AEG wants more protection, Suzanne Marques gets a promotion and photogs in Long Beach watch out. Plus of course, Bratton won't run Scotland Yard.

Top of the news

Test scores in English and math improved more at LAUSD schools than at schools run by reform efforts or Mayor Villaraigosa's program, a Times analysis found. LAT, DN


Politics and politicos

Gov. Jerry Brown turned down a challenge from the mayor of Los Angeles to reform Proposition 13, saying he would prefer to focus his attention on bringing financial stability to California. AP

Mayor Villaraigosa dismembers Proposition 13 in his “grand bargain,” writes Joel Fox. Plus Fox and USC's Dowell Myers on "Which Way, L.A.?" Fox & Hounds Daily, KCRW

Brown said Wednesday that California's embattled high-speed rail project should move forward, despite growing criticism about the project's management and cost. Capitol Alert, Fresno Bee

California prison officials took a handful of reporters inside Pelican Bay State Prison, among them KPCC's Julie Small. KPCC News

The University of California announced a merit increase plan for non-unionized employees that seeks to fend off faculty hiring raids while mollifying critics of high executive salaries during the state's budget crisis. LAT, Chronicle

AEG wants a requirement that any legal challenge to its downtown NFL stadium be heard before an arbitrator. DN

Five months after Los Angeles voters approved a measure to ban campaign contributions from contractors with city business, the City Council delayed a vote on the implementing ordinance, arguing that the law is confusing, weak and may not represent the will of the people. City Maven

A spokesman says that Councilwoman Jan Perry will keep a $1,000 contribution to her mayoral campaign by controversial sign company magnate Michael McNeilly. Sausage Factory

The Los Angeles labor leader (Pat McOsker) who represents the highest-paid firefighters in the U.S. is "running for the City Council on a pledge to preserve public-safety spending even as the city faces $911 million in deficits during the next four years." Bloomberg

Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson visited a Ralphs supermarket in South Los Angeles to support union grocery workers locked in contract talks with three major supermarket chains. KPCC News

"Battle for Brooklyn" is a movie "that everyone who cares about neighborhoods should see," says activist Cary Brazeman. Dream City Blog

Media and media people

Suzanne Marques was named entertainment reporter for the CBS2 and KCAL 9. Twitter

Police Chief Jim McDonnell has confirmed that detaining photographers for taking pictures “with no apparent esthetic value” is within Long Beach Police Department policy. Long Beach Post, Cultural Weekly

When Manchester Boddy owned the old Los Angeles Daily News. Daily Bulletin

Blogger Darleene Powells is headed to bed rest at the 34th week of her second pregnancy. Darleeneisms

More

Rapper The Game apologized for a tweet causing calls to jam the Compton sheriff's office lines, and won't be prosecuted. LAT

Not that it was ever going anywhere, but Britain's prime minister dropped his move to hire William Bratton head the London police. Bratton may still offer unpaid advice. NYT

It's unlikely that the buyer of the late civil rights lawyer Ben Margolis' home in Los Feliz will understand the meeting of the minds that led to architect Gregory Ain, writes Greg Goldin. LAT op-ed


Planning ahead

The L.A. Philharmonic announced a second season of live broadcasts into theaters, starting Oct. 9. In February Gustavo Dudamel will conduct the combined L.A. Phil and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela from Caracas.


More by Kevin Roderick:
Gustavo Arellano, many others join LA Times staff
Power out Monday across Malibu
Put Jamal Khashoggi Square outside the Saudi consulate on Sawtelle
Here's who the LA Times has newly hired*
LA Observed Notes: Clippers hire big-time writer, unfunny Emmys, editor memo at the Times and more
Recent Morning Buzz stories on LA Observed:
Thursday news and notes
A little bit of mid-week reading
A few links from a few different places
Let's talk about anything but the weather
A few links from here and there
A couple of links from a couple of places
A bit of news from a few places
Morning Buzz: Wednesday 4.16.14


 

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