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Curated news, notes and observations most weekdays from LA Observed.
The Rim Fire in the Sierra Nevada continues to burn mostly out of control and spread into more of Yosemite National Park. It has burned over 149,780 acres with 15 percent containment, as of Monday morning. Headlines calling it California's "worst" are over the top since no one has died and only 23 structures have been destroyed. As many as 4,500 structures are threatened. Incident command update, AP, LAT
Crews are clearing brush and setting sprinklers to protect the Tuolumne and Merced groves of giant sequoias inside Yosemite National Park. AP
Eric Garcetti is good at the symbolism thing. Will he know how to govern? Daily Beast
Garcetti in the DWP talks "added some noise, some low-key drama and, it's important to note, some public attention paid to a matter — a labor contract — that more typically gets wrapped up behind the scenes. It may be a hallmark of Garcetti's style, or perhaps simply of all Los Angeles politics, that the result is only partly satisfying and yet still, for now, satisfactory." LAT editorial
It was a game of political chicken for Mayor Eric Garcetti. Rick Orlov's Tipoff/DN
The W Hotel filed a lawsuit Friday against the city of Los Angeles over the Millennium Hollywood project. DN
City to consider allowing murals on single-family homes. DN
Filner was not the only San Diego mayoral candidate with alleged sex issues. Voice of OC
Under a new EPA requirement, air quality regulators will begin monitoring pollution levels near major Southern California freeways next year. LAT
Nikki Finke's lawyer delivered a letter to the Penkse folks saying they violated her contract, she wants to take Deadline back, is "eyeing a Sept. 3 exit" and has plans to launch a new NikkiFinke.com identity, says the New York Post citing unnamed sources.
The suit in the newsroom: New York Times CEO Mark Thompson is an unusual NYT executive for unusual times. New York
KPCC's Bill Davis was defeated in his bid for reelection to the board of NPR. He explains. LA Weekly
War on leaks is pitting journalist vs. journalist. NYT/David Carr
Long Beach Register deletes tweet asking readers whether vaccinating kids is a "good or bad idea." OC Weekly
Williams' Book Store in San Pedro closes at the end of the month after 104 years in business. KPCC
Celebrities are planning a Nov. 29 fundraiser at Spago to help raise medical funds for longtime red carpet photographer Bill Jones, 78. LAT
The annual non-event in which a few women take off their tops Venice Beach got the usual abundance of coverage. It was National Go Topless Day. 30 pictures at LAist
Even after starring in "Homeland," Mandy Patinkin still doesn't feel successful. NYT Magazine
On its first day, "Al Jazeera America had more coverage of climate change than the other networks have had in months." Mother Jones
Local journalism professor Warren Swil was on Al Jazeera talking about the Bradley Manning case. His blog
Reuters is dumping its North American freelance sports photographers. NPPA
Justin Pritchard is now the transportation reporter at the Los Angeles bureau of The Associated Press, covering regional and national transportation stories. Per Gorkana
A dust-up between the high-end Americana at Brand shopping center and Rite Aid drugstores has taken a new legal turn. California Apparel News
The Los Angeles Public Library recently digitized and posted a 1962 photograph of the long-vanished flying saucer ride in Tomorrowland at Disneyland. Full sized and uncropped [Link fixed]
Why the Hollywood Sign was lit up two nights last week. LAist
The collective outrage over the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman reveals not only a stunning level of hyperbole but a remarkably short memory, given how disappointed and disturbed people were when Michael Keaton landed the role back in 1989. Brian Lowry/Variety
Hindu man mistaken for Muslim refused permission to fly on JetBlue. Gawker
The NYT picks up on the stories about Maurice and Paul Marciano planning to convert the Scottish Rite Temple on Wilshire into their personal art museum. NYT
A photographic guide to The Doors locales along Sunset Boulevard. Website
The future of the hidden troll welded to the underside of the San Francisco Bay Bridge is in limbo. SF Chronicle
Susannah Breslin says she is ambivalent about requiring condoms in porn, even after Cameron Bay's positive HIV test: "Shooting porn is unforgiving, a near-Herculean task undertaken by X-rated athletes who tolerate being misunderstood by millions of Americans to deliver the sexual fantasies most viewers are too ashamed to realize in their personal lives." Forbes blog
Former Dodger announcer Ross Porter, who hasn’t been part of the franchise since the McCourt regime sent him on his way after the 2004 season, said he will be throwing the ceremonial first pitch before Saturday’s game at Dodger Stadium. Dodger Thoughts
The Dodgers lost a series for the first time since June, losing 2 of 3 to possible World Series foe the Red Sox.
