Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
The judge who ruled a mistrial in the city of Bell corruption case said "all hell has broken loose" with the jury. The Times headline is that the trial ended in "chaos." LAT
California voters support a wide range of gun control measures and find it more important to protect people from gun violence than to protect American’s right to own firearms by large margins, according to results of the largest statewide poll of registered voters. USC/LAT Poll
L.A. mayoral rivals walk fine line in dealing with labor. LAT
The head of Los Angeles Animal Services said Thursday that a controversial plan to end a city shelter graveyard shift will be put off to allow public input. DN
Beverly Hills civil rights attorney Leo Terrell sent out California Public Records Act requests to City Council president Wesson, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, each City Council member, and other government leaders over the city's redistricting. LA Weekly
Alice Walton didn't care for the jokes at the LA Political Roast, but some of them sound like pretty good lines to me. KPCC, LA Weekly
Supervisor Gloria Molina endorsed Carmen Trutanich for city attorney.
Liberty Hill will honor the husband-and-wife pair of activist Alison Morgan & political consultant Parke Skelton at the group's annual fundraising dinner on April 23.
The abrupt closing last week of the 47-year-old Boston Phoenix was a shock to the alternative weekly ecosystem," writes former LA Weekly publisher Michael Sigman. It also underscored the divide between struggling big city papers and more viable smaller-market ones. Huffington Post
How Google and Wikipedia got the wrong birth and death date for still-living Los Angeles writer Amy Wilentz. Tumblr
Amid withering criticism that HBO's movie on the Phil Spector trial is more fiction than truth, David Mamet is spinning that it's a fable. He will be on KPCC's "Airtalk" with guest host Patt Morrison at 12:40 p.m.
The Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is holding a mixer honoring Sandi Gibbons, retiring spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, on April 4 at Downtown's Redwood Bar and Grill.
Ron Holmes set out a long ago to make sure his son, UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad, made it to the NBA. Holmes confirmed that Muhammad is a year older than listed in UCLA's media guide, confirmed his own criminal record to a reporter, and offered to hire the reporter as his publicist. LAT
The Grim Sleeper trial is moving at a snail’s pace and victims’ families are furious. Daily Beast
Also: LAPD detective Dennis Kilcoyne, a 36-year veteran credited with "the dogged pursuit of a suspect in the Grim Sleeper serial killings," received a retirement sendoff at the Los Angeles City Council.
The April 21 CicLAvia event will stretch from downtown to Venice Beach using mostly Venice Boulevard. Info
Bans on beach fire rings threaten a tradition of Persian new year, or Nowruz. LAT
Starting Saturday, the Getty's $15 parking charge will let you park at both the museum and the Pacific Palisades villa on the same day.
What's behind the plaque on a building at 5300 Lankershim Boulevard that commemorates LAFD firefighter Thomas G. Taylor? North Hollywood Patch
An agent who is the father of Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is suing Major League Baseball on behalf of players in Mexico. SportsonEarth
The Kings and Galaxy will visit the White House next Tuesday to celebrate their championships.
