The two top editors of the Los Angeles Times sent the staff a memo on Friday afternoon giving kudos to the team that scurried late Thursday to cover the late-breaking release of sexual abuse files by the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Reporter Harriet Ryan is their star of story.

Local and national layoffs, shifts in the morning radio lineup and more.

For some reason, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa sent out a statement on Friday trying to quash once and for all any talk that he will be taking a job with the Obama Administration before his term ends June 30. Which likely means he wasn't going to get an appointment.

Sometime this summer, the turnstile gates will close at Metro's train stations and riders really will be forced to pay the fare. But before that can happen, the agency is remaking the TAP card system that discouraged honest riders from paying up.

There are a couple of things that I think will be remembered about the open letter to Archbishop Jose Gomez that Cardinal Roger Mahony posted Friday on his personal blog. Neither will help Mahony regain his reputation, I suspect. Meanwhile, Gomez clarifies that Mahony remains a bishop in good standing with the right to celebrate Mass.

KCRW plans to devote an hour-long broadcast of "Which Way, LA?" on February 6 to the rivalry (if any) between partisans of east and west in Los Angeles. They want your input on that and also want to hear from the people who are "neither Eastside nor Westside and don’t know what the fuss is all about."

Pelosi briefs Hollywood Democrats at Norman Lear's house, Greuel and Garcetti get feistier, Survey USA shows Garcetti ahead a little, Downtown News endorses, Jackie Goldberg endorses in the 13th, the state says Latinos will pass whites in the California population shortly, a movie on Gary Webb and Zocalo's photographer becomes a city official (sort of.) Plus more.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles moved Thursday to take back the sexual abuse scandal, releasing thousands of pages of unredacted files and expressing sorrow for the victims. In the most dramatic event of the day, Archbishop José H. Gomez posted a letter to the church community that called the sexual abuse "terribly sad and evil." He informed the area's Catholics that he has stripped Cardinal Roger Mahony of any further duties with the church, "administrative or public," and accepted the resignation of Mahony's former aide who oversaw the response to years of sexual abuse allegations.

Archdiocese gives up on blacking out names, Greuel's claims still in dispute, Greuel and Garcetti get endorsements, Boxer urges Villaraigosa to go for Transportation secretary, Cornfield plan a winner, Tuiasosopo says he fell in love with Te'o and burglars targeted LAT subscribers who went on vacation.

Longtime Orange County Register editor Chris Smith tries to make sense of the Aaron Kushner phenomenon that is making over the OC newspaper and giving hope to unemployed journalists across the LA area. Smith writes in the new issue of Orange Coast magazine.

No SEIU endorsement for mayor candidates, they bore Steve Lopez, celebrities such as Zooey Deschanel take sides, analyzing the chiefs of staff, ex-governors talk about immigration, KCET partners with Writers Bloc, the Sierra snow pack is below average and La Cienega reopens. Plus more.

Ex-mayor Jim Hahn is handling small claims cases in the Santa Monica courthouse, living nearby with his wife and enjoying not being in the spotlight. "It's a pretty great thing to be mayor of Los Angeles," Hahn tells KCRW's Saul Gonzalez. But, "I have to say this is the happiest time of my life."

Salma Hayek endorses Eric Garcetti for mayor: "He has the heart of a hero. He's romantic..." She also cites that he plays piano, gardens, cooks and speaks Spanish and French as well as English. Watch the video.

Wendy Greuel's platform to run for mayor is that, as city controller, the audits by her office found $160 million "in waste and fraud." It's the theme of her first 30-second spot going on the air today. Watch here.

Eddie Lazarus has a been a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, as well as a some-time book reviewer and op-ed contributor to the Los Angeles Times. He also went to Yale with new Tribune CEO Peter Liguori, and perhaps most important he is deeply connected at the Federal Communications Commission.

Not every single story story out of Washington on Ray LaHood leaving the Obama Cabinet mentions Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as a possible successor. Just most of them.

Watch video of the International Bird Rescue Center releasing a healthy Laysan Albatross outside the breakwater at San Pedro.

Reportage on last night's mayoral debate, Greuel hits the airwaves, going for the women and Jewish vote, more Campaign 2013 coverage, admitting an error in the Sepulveda Dam wildlife area, earthquake warnings and more.

Tyrone Ricky Freeman, the former president of Service Employees International Union locals 6434 and 434-B, was convicted Monday on federal charges of embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from the union that represents home healthcare workers. "This was a case about abuse and betrayal,” said U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr. of Los Angeles.

You may remember the hungry mountain lion cubs that were collected from under a parked car in Burbank in late 2011. They are now big cats living in a facility in Paso Robles and being trained to educate school kids.

The LA Times hires Daniel Miller from the Hollywood Reporter, per today's memo to the staff from the assistant managing editor for entertainment coverage.

Justice Sotomayor packs them in, the day Zev Yaroslavsky posed as "Bob Price" to talk to Stan Musial, Mahony's legacy tarnished, high speed rail questions, American Apparel's mannequin warehouse and more.

Fred Davis posts his first hit video on Garcetti, Greuel and Perry, plus barreling across the Valley with Dennis Zine at the wheel and Monday is TV debate night.

Dan Evans, the editor of the Times Community News papers, moved downtown from the Burbank area about six months ago to try living in the Arts District. Sounds like he mostly liked it until last Sunday night, when he was mugged about midnight near Sci-Arc. Now he caries a socket wrench.

USC law professor Elyn R. Saks, author of the memoir, “The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness,” writes in Sunday's New York Times from her perspective that "the seeds of creative thinking may sometimes be found in mental illness." Her experience as a sufferer of schizophrenia is that while she needs medication and professional care, she also needs to work. "My mind, I have come to say, is both my worst enemy and my best friend."

Tonight at the Screen Actors Guild awards, "Argo" delivered another warning that, yes, it well could take the best picture Oscar next month. Lawrence bested Jessica Chastain and Naomi Watts.

Vose Street in North Hollywood is a workaday LA industrial street under the final approach path for jets landing at Bob Hope Airport. Valleywood shops and services, the Doc Johnson factory for rubber sex toys, and a mysterious driveway marked Faux Library.

They actually played together on offense and defense and defeated the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder 105-96.