Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
The recent passage of the federal transportation bill is "a perfect microcosm of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's tenure," writes Jim Newton. "The program is good for the city and a credit to the mayor's efforts, but it also falls short of the goals he set for it. That, in a nutshell, is the Villaraigosa record." LAT op-ed
Last week was a bad one for the image of Sheriff Lee Baca. "We could call for his resignation daily, but it's not going to do any good," said Peter Eliasberg, the ACLU Southern California legal director. "If he stays on, he's got to fix these problems. There are some glimmers of hope, but it's far from what we'd like to see." AP
A former deputy district attorney said a 2001 investigation into possible corruption in Cudahy stalled after the city hired a law firm with ties to District Attorney Steve Cooley. SGV Tribune
Rick Orlov wonders if we're about to see an exodus of top staffers from Mayor Villaraigosa's office now that he's in his final year. DN
Columnist George Skelton says the maneuver by Gov. Brown and the Legislature to cause Brown's tax measure to be listed first on the November ballot is "bad politics — sleazy and smelly." LAT
Fewer than a third of California voters participated in the June primary election, and the majority of those voted by mail, the secretary of state's office said. LAT
Superior Court Judges Marsha Revel and Elden Fox at the Beverly Hills courthouse were both reproached by the state's Commission on Judicial Performance for their handling of Lindsay Lohan's DUI case, spurred by a complaint from fired court spokesman (and ex-journalist) Alan Parachini. LAT
David Roberts, former associate director of local government relations for USC, and Jan Perry's appointee to the city redistricting panel, announced plans to run for her seat in the 9th council district. Downtown News
A Pew Research study says that YouTube is a fast-growing and important source of news. Romenesko
LA Times columnist Sandy Banks is not impressed by the all the research showing that spanking can be bad for children. LAT
Kayaking has opened (for a minimum $25 an hour) on the short stretch of Los Angeles River in the Valley's Sepulveda Basin where there is a sandy bottom, trees and enough water. Clean and natural it is not. LAT
The replanted City Hall park damaged by Occupy LA's protest last year will finally reopen this week. Downtown News
Authorities tranquilized and removed a wild bear that has repeatedly has come into Glendale residential areas and become a target of media fascination (and cute names.)
Broadway star and Oscar winner (best supporting actress for 1947's "Gentleman's Agreement") Celeste Holm died in New York at age 95. NYT
