Morning Buzz

Morning Buzz: Thursday 3.8.12

Koreatown vs Wesson, Shimon Peres in town, a local media figure stays busy after retirement, who's playing Cesar Chavez in the movie and palm tree rustlers on the freeway.

Politics and poiticos

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said during his Politico interview on Wednesday that he favors having a gay marriage legalization plank in the Democratic Party platform. Politico

Koreatown neighborhood leaders, civic groups and activists are engaging in a rare display of open political insurrection against City Council president Herb Wesson over redistricting. LAT
Plus: Redistricting was the topic on last night's Which Way, L.A.? on KCRW.

In another effort to ban mobile billboards from city streets, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday gave preliminary approval to a new rule banning signs attached to cars, mopeds and scooters. DN

Los Angeles County spent $390,000 last year to send a million pieces of mail essentially to itself — mail the feds say must be sent to homeless recipients of food stamps. LAT

Mayor Villaraigosa will take part in the 11 a.m. groundbreaking of a new Hollywood satellite campus of Emerson College, with architect Thom Mayne, at 5960 W. Sunset Boulevard.

There's also a groundbreaking event scheduled or 8:30 a.m. at the Headwaters underground reservoir project on Forest Lawn Drive. DN

Israeli President Shimon Peres arrives today for four days of meetings and events in Southern California, including a visit to DreamWorks. LAT, DN wires


Media and media people

Fox Sports analyst Chris Myers tweeted that "In the midst of all peyton manning had going on..he mailed a hand written note of sympathy to my home last week when my son lost his life.."

Since retiring from KCRW, longtime producer Sarah Spitz is reviewing theater for LA Opening Nights, writing a weekly Culture Watch column for the Santa Monica Daily Press, and posting to the LA County Master Food Preservers blog. She also did a post on judging a 4-H contest for LAist.

LA writer Tony Peyser has started a blog for his political verse.


More

A local nonprofit group slapped with a $450,000 lawsuit for removing palm trees from an LA freeway won’t have to pay a cent in damages, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for repairs needed after the removal, NBC4 reports.

Actor Michael Pena has landed an "ambitiously juicy role" as the César Chávez in an upcoming English-language biopic directed by Mexican actor-filmmaker Diego Luna. IndieWire

Maxwell S. Keith, a court-appointed defense attorney for Manson family members Leslie Van Houten and Tex Watson at their 1970 trial, died of natural causes in the San Luis Obispo County town of Templeton, his family said. He was 87. LAT


More by Kevin Roderick:
'In on merit' at USC
Read the memo: LA Times hires again
Read the memo: LA Times losing big on search traffic
Google taking over LA's deadest shopping mall
Gustavo Arellano, many others join LA Times staff
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