He's the next mayor
I left LA for Chicago why?Heat wave in the valleys, Cardenas claims an endorsement, de Leon bails on Vernon, Arbitron's impact on L.A. radio, and Nikki Finke to do voiceovers.
The Valley heat wave is expected to intensify a bit today and continue through Sunday. DN
City Councilman Tony Cardenas's campaign for Congress in the 29th district in the Valley announced the endorsement of Mayor Villaraigisa.
State Sen. Kevin de Leon has flopped from co-authoring a bill to strip Vernon of its city status into a supporter of letting it remain a city. County supervisors also don't want Vernon as their headache. AP, LAT, KPCC News
Gay Republican presidential candidate Fred Karger says he's being shut out of GOP events, including the upcoming California convention. SF Chronicle
Arbitron's switch to Portable People Meters has led to numerous changes in Los Angeles radio station practices and formats, but the ratings system still suffers from small sample size. LAT
Nikki Finke will do voiceovers for her parent company's new news segments in elevators, taxis and other platforms. Romenesko
Those stop sign cameras in Franklin Canyon are "a sneaky fundraising scheme," says editorial writer Dan Turner, who was caught by one. LAT/Out Here
The Dodgers sent season ticket holders a survey asking them to rate Vin Scully and other team announcers on "1. Knowledge of baseball; 2. Knowledge of Dodgers organization; 3. Objectivity; 4. Accuracy of calls; 5. Storytelling ability; 6. Focus on the game; 7. Style; 8. Overall performance." T.J. Simers/LAT
An ex-pat living in Virginia writes "there have been few times I’ve ever felt more attached to California than during Tuesday’s rumble in the Mid-Atlantic." Zocalo
Match.com settled a lawsuit brought by a screenwriter and sexual assault victim by agreeing to conduct background checks on all members to screen out known sex offenders. LAT
UCLA professor Lynn Stout is objecting to plans by the law school to accept a $10-million gift from alumnus Lowell Milken and name an institute for the former financier, who was linked to Wall Street's junk bond scandal two decades ago. LAT