Morning Buzz: Monday 9.12.11

There's a groundbreaking ceremony this morning at the Sears store at 4th and Colorado in Santa Monica for the next 6.6-mile phase of the Expo Line light rail. The phase that opens soon to Culver City swelled in cost from $640 million to $932 million. LAT

The L.A. County Democratic Party says it has lost about $200,000 and Rep. Loretta Sanchez has had her campaign fund "nearly wiped out" as more Democrats look into the toll of doing business with accused fraudster Kinde Durkee. LA Weekly

The ghost of Howard Jarvis was the most powerful force in Sacramento last week, says George Skelton. LAT column

Dan Walters looks at the Board of Supervisors district remapping situation and chuckles that "the possibilities, and the angst, are endless." Sacramento Bee column

Rick Orlov's Monday Tipoff: Garcetti's good and bad day, activist Cary Brazeman running for Controller, Police Protective League endorses LAPD officer Joe Buscaino in the 15th council district race. DN

The 21-member Los Angeles Redistricting Commission began work Friday to draw new voting boundaries for the City Council and school district. "Politics at its most raw," said Council President Eric Garcetti. DN

Deputy Mayor Guillermo Cespedes is the Villaraigosa administration's go-to gangs guy, says Jim Newton. LAT op-ed

Phone calls may soon cost less for inmates at the L.A. County jail. ZevWeb

Opponents of the new congressional district maps in California may begin a petition drive for a referendum effort, the secretary of state's office announced. PolitiCal

Beverly Hills officials are arguing among themselves again over the Westside subway. LA Weekly

Tim Pawlenty endorsed Mitt Romney in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. NYT

A new book shows that conservatives originally embraced the entertainment industry --- and have used Hollywood to the greatest effect. Wilshire & Washington

Anderson Cooper debuts today on syndicated daytime TV. NYT, HuffPost

Public radio veteran Lisa Napoli is joining KCRW as local host of "All Things Considered."

Nikki Finke has an f-word hissy fit at Deadline.com in response to a lawyer letter from The Hollywood Reporter. The Wrap

Hugh Hefner is slashing the cost of Playboy's October retro issue to 60 cents. Reuters

Scott Rosenberg, the former managing editor of Salon.com, was named executive editor of Grist. Romenesko

If there were artists such as Dorothea Lange or Woody Guthrie chronicling the current economic trouble, people would realize it's akin to a Depression out there, argues writer Jaime O'Neill. LAT op-ed

Richard Montoya of Culture Clash emceed a community memorial ceremony in East Los Angeles for artist Gilbert Magu Lujan. LA Eastside

LAFD investigators are looking into a weekend fire that destroyed a home owned by Jack Nicholson on Woodrow Wilson Drive in the Hollywood Hills. LAT

A German travel article takes in Los Angeles by bicycle. Der Spiegel

Officials are thinking of trapping a pack of coyotes that has taken over the shell of a burned out home in the city of Glendale. LAT

A new taverna has signed a lease for the former Papadakis Taverna space in san Pedro. Daily Breeze

Matt Kemp of the Dodgers may be the best player in the majors, Tyler Kepner says. NYT

Andy Whitfield, the lead of Starz Entertainment's original drama "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," died Sunday in Sydney, Australia of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was 39. NYT, AP