Morning Buzz: Tuesday 1.3.12

Villaraigosa's fiscal health game, LAWA looking for PR help, Dukakis jumps into Sherman-Berman, the Union-Tribune rebrands in San Diego and an L.A. journalist writes about the death of his brother over the holidays. Plus it's caucus day in Iowa.

Top of the news

Today's the day Iowa Republicans don't choose any convention delegates, but get a lot of attention for their caucuses anyway. Politico

Politics and politicos

Mayor Villaraigosa has created a false sense of financial health for the city by "postponing at least $100 million in personnel costs until after he leaves office," David Zahniser reports to start the new year. Villaraigosa's former top deputy, Austin Beutner, likens it to Enron. LAT

At a press conference in Hollywood, there was an obvious disconnect between the mayor and residents. Jim Newton column/LAT op-ed

Los Angeles World Airports has a useful and decent-sized PR staff, headed now by former LAPD communications chief Mary Grady. But still, they have an RFP out for more help. Echoes of the DWP and Fleishman-Hillard?

Inviting all interested public relations, communications, and media firms to comment on a draft Request for Proposals to develop and coordinate a public relations campaign that highlights the construction and capital improvement projects underway at LAX, as well as LAX customer service improvements and initiatives.

Should the Valley have six fully contained City council districts? The Sherman Oaks homeowners group thinks so. Orlov column/DN

What to do about neighborhood council elections: delay or transfer? DN

Former Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis will appear at a Valley fundraiser for Rep. Brad Sherman. PolitiCal

Sherry Bebitch Jeffe offers ten things Californians should watch for in 2012. Prop. Zero

Advocates of mandatory condoms in porn films made in Los Angeles plan to announce a bid for a county-wide ballot measure, at 10:30 a.m. in front of Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's office in Van Nuys.

Media and media people

The San Diego Union-Tribune is now U-T San Diego and the website, formerly known as SignOnSanDiego, is utsandiego.com. Romenesko
Also: Union-Tribune employees now have a dress code and longer hours.

Yahoo baseball columnist Tim Brown discusses, sadly, the death of a brother. Yahoo Sports

OC author-journo Scott Martelle on Facebook: "They were looking for a balding white guy with a ponytail and a 'creepy' smile in Hollywood, and they only found ONE?"
The producer and director of Bill Cunningham New York talk about the documentary on video with David Poland. DP/30.

The Wrap film critic Alonso Duralde was a victim of the carport arsonist. Fishbowl LA

Hollywood journalism refugee Hillary Louise Johnson has written and published "Shooting Stars," a Hollywood mystery satire on Amazon Kindle. Anne Thompson

Playboy magazine's local editorial offices have now moved from the Glassell Park area back to Beverly Hills, at 335 N. Maple Drive.

More

Los Angeles doctor Ken Murray's piece for Zocalo Public Square in November about how doctors sometimes choose to die continues to reverberate around the Web.

When some kids at Pomona College borrowed South Pasadena's Rose Parade float, back in the day. Orange Coast


More by Kevin Roderick:
Ralph Lawler of the Clippers and the age of Aquarius
Riding the Expo Line to USC 'just magical'
Last bastion of free parking? Loyola Marymount to charge students
Matt Kemp, Dodgers and Kings start big weekend the right way
LA Times writers revisit their '92 riots observations
Recent Morning Buzz stories on LA Observed:
Morning Buzz: Friday 4.27.12
Morning Buzz: Thursday 4.26.12
Morning Buzz: Wednesday 4.25.12
Morning Buzz: Tuesday 4.24.12
Morning Buzz: Monday 4.23.12

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