The Kings are the first Stanley Cup champion to reach the second round of the NHL playoffs in three years. Get this: if the Ducks win on Sunday, LA and Anaheim will finally meet in the playoffs for the first time.

There has never been an LA mayor who grew up on the San Fernando Valley side of the city's geographic and cultural divide. Good story in the Times on Greuel and Garcetti — but look what Austin Beutner says.

UCLA staffer Annelie Rugg bicycles to her job from West Hills, over the Santa Monica Mountains via Sepulveda Pass. Her route takes her two and a half hours -- or three minutes on video. Check it out.

City Controller hopefuls Dennis Zine and Ron Galperin sat down with Warren Olney on "Which Way, LA?" to debate issues in the race. They are both trying to persuade voters they will continue the role of controller as watchdog of city spending, even though that is kind of an exaggerated image.

In the latest financial reports filed by the mayoral candidates, Eric Garcetti has a big edge in cash left to finish the final eleven days of campaigning. But in the end, more money may be spent on Greuel's behalf.

405 overruns. New SEIU ad for Greuel. Trutanich endorsed by Delgadillo. Why so few women or Asians get elected to the City Council. Bud Ovrom to run the Convention Center. Village Voice editors quit rather than cut. LACMA officials move into Variety tower. An editorial on Meghan O'Rourke. Plus Muerto Mouse from Lalo Alcaraz.

The New York Times weighs in today on the fear and loathing among some in Southern California over the possibility that the libertarian Koch brothers might buy the Tribune company's newspapers, gaining control of the Los Angeles Times. "No formal bids have been submitted," the story notes.

KCRW producer Matt Holzman embedded with cops in the LAPD Air Support unit to see what it's like in the helicopters that patrol Los Angeles skies. Listen inside.

A milestone of spring in California — the opening of the Tioga Pass road through the backcountry of Yosemite National Park — will take place on the fourth earliest date since 1980.

Dutch journalist and maker of LA-centric videos Joris Debeij has posted a four-minute exploration of the rivalry between Philippe and Cole's over the origin story of the French Dip sandwich. Animation included.

if you were hoping for an uplifting message about why you should vote for Wendy Greuel to be your mayor, you will be disappointed. At least she is on TV again. Clip inside.

In making my choice, says publisher David Abel, "I hope to prod many of my friends, who, like me, have remained uncommitted to date, to again engage in electoral politics and to vote."

Jeffries was one of Los Angeles car culture's "preeminent automotive sculptors and engineers." He began pinstriping with Von Dutch in the early 1950s and settled into the Valley.

Greuel suspends TV ads. DWP coughs up the salary data and it's revealing. City Council blinks on LAFD staffing. Dorner reward goes four ways. Hillary Clinton in town. Possible ambassadorships for Hollywood Obama backers. Disney drops bid to trademark Dia de los Muertos. And yes, you did see an elevated train over DTLA in a TV ad.

Rosalind Wyman will throw out the first pitch before tonight's game with the Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Roz Wyman was the youngest member of the Los Angeles City Council in 1957 when she joined with Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley and county Supervisor Kenneth Hahn to bring the team to LA.

In an era before CGI, Harryhausen used clay monsters and mythical creatures to bring life to live-action adventure films like 'Clash of the Titans,' 'Valley of the Gwangi' and 'Jason and the Argonauts. He was one of the sci-fi club members who patronized Clifton's with Ray Bradbury in the 1930s.

Villaraigosa going back to China. LAPD vs USC students. California Supremes uphold cities on pot dispensaries. Greucetti to debate on KCRW. Joe Mathews rooting for the Koch brothers to get LA Times. Twitter hiring a head of news. And more, including the LAT says Spanish pronunciations are making a comeback.

The weekly's editorial hopes that Garcetti "would grow in the job," and says it's "a pity" that Greuel is too close to unions. It's the LABJ's first endorsement for mayor.

Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis has been in trouble with the law before, but this time could hurt. An LA jury convicted Francis of false imprisonment, dissuading a witness from reporting and assault causing great bodily injury — involving an encounter with three women in 2011.

The National Hockey League made it official and announced that Dodger Stadium will host an outdoor, night game between the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks next January 25. But in the 1940s, there was hockey at the Tropical Ice Gardens in Westwood Village — including at least two matches involving the Montreal Canadiens.

Subway turnstiles. LA's rough streets. Rick Caruso on 10,000 cops. Mary Melton of Los Angeles finally gets that Emmis promotion. Get ready for YouTube subscriptions. Howard Kurtz does the mea culpa. The movie academy opens up voting. Magic Johnson swatted, converting the LA River and more. Links inside.

After Sunday, there are only two more weekends before the next mayor is chosen. I still don't detect much bubbling interest among the populace, but Garcetti did get about 150 people to come out to the Tapia Brothers farm in Encino on Sunday. Inside: The latest news and coverage.

Jenny Price's posts revealing the secrets of how to get onto Malibu beaches despite the efforts of residents to keep you out have been some of the most popular entries ever at LA Observed's Native Intelligence blog. Now she's turning Malibu's hidden beaches into an iPhone app.

"This is one of the most horrific things I've seen in 21 years with this office," San Mateo County's medical examiner said Sunday.

The easy trail hike to Eaton Canyon's lower falls above Pasadena isn't the problem. It's the climb off-trail up to the upper falls where people slip and fall.

Since it looks as if the SoCal fire season is going to be long and mean, scientist-blogger Grace Peng offers a primer on the physics of flames and wind here. Plus: Reuters photographer Jonathan Alcorn on an eerie night at the Camarillo Springs fire.

Mario Machado was a familiar presence on Los Angeles TV and radio for a few decades starting in 1967, when he joined Channel 9 (then KHJ-TV) as the city's first Chinese-American TV news reporter. He was a soccer booster in LA before the sport was cool and a founder of AYSO. Girls play soccer today because of Mario Machado, a friend posted on Facebook.