Morning Buzz: Friday 4.20.12

After the LAPD routinely impounded the car of the husband of Randi Levin, general manager of the city's IT Department, due to expired tags and lack of registration after a traffic stop, calls to and from Chief Beck's office led to the costly impound being reversed. David Goldstein at Channel 2 investigated.

Mayor Villaraigosa's budget today will call for a rollback in the retirement benefits offered to newly hired civilian city employees. LAT
Plus: Audio of yesterday's exchange between Villaraigosa and Supervisor Mike Antonovich over Measure R, and the mayor's comments on "Which Way, LA?" City Maven, DN

Another revelation out of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department by Times reporter Robert Faturechi: detectives are probing a secret clique within the department's elite gang unit "triggered by the discovery of a document suggesting the group embraces shootings as a badge of honor." LAT

A former county appraiser, Scott Schenter, improperly slashed tens of millions of dollars from the taxable values of Westside properties in late 2010 and tells the Times he did it in the hope that wealthy homeowners receiving the reductions would contribute money to Assessor John Noguez. LAT

Ann Ravel, head of the state Fair Political Practices Commission, wants blogs that tout for candidates to disclose any payments from the candidate. LAT

UCLA LIbrary acquired the papers of Justice for Janitors.

The San Francisco Examiner could be close to buying the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Romenesko

David Allen, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin columnist, reflects on 25 years in the news business.

The Calder foundation at LACMA as pacifier for a journalist's young child. Zocalo

Jeffrey Chandler, the last person with the Chandler name to play a significant role in Los Angeles Times ownership, died at age 70. LAT