The former longtime basketball writer for the LA Times joins T.J. Simers on the Orange County Register sports pages.

The federal government shutdown means no information has come out about whether this was one of the lions the National Park Service is tracking in the Santa Monica Mountains.

The current Los Angeles Fire Chief, Brian Cummings, will retire in February, Mayor Eric Garcetti just announced. An acting chief has been named.

Of the 84 people chosen by Garcetti to serve on boards and commissions, at least three-fourths are friends, former staffers, campaign backers or relatives of campaign backers.

Who John Perez dates and running for controller. The City Council wants an NFL team and may want rail to LAX. Alice Munro wins Nobel in literature. Film critic Stanley Kauffmann dies. Why the LA Times won't publish climate change denier letters. Capparela and Svejda together on KUSC today. David Ulin on the tug of New York. An interview with Banksy? Plus more.

Nahai alleges that USC and the head of the Master of Professional Writing program have “derailed [her] career, livelihood, and spirit” and that she has been “systematically discriminated against because she is an Iranian Jew.” USC says the case is "wholly without merit."

For the rest of the post-season, parking will be free for carpools with four or people in a vehicle. I don't recall the Dodgers ever doing that before.

USC professor wins Nobel for chemistry. School board president admits he does have civility issues. Garcetti met with CAA about rebranding Los Angeles. More on the mayor's first 100 days. Deadline's Mike Fleming moving half-time to Hollywood. A new hire at the LA Times. Stephen King has the SoCal bestseller of the week and Jon Christensen interviewed by Patt Morrison. Plus more.

Dowie is the former Daily News managing editor who went to federal prison in 2011 on charges arising from the overcharging of the DWP for PR work during the Hahn Administration. Dowie ran the LA office of Fleishman-Hillard.

First President Obama dropped his plans to come to Los Angeles when the Syria crisis heated up last month. Now the pinch hitter, First Lady Michelle Obama, has also cancelled....

KCAL's weathercaster is almost five months pregnant, she announced on the air tonight. They pretty much had to say something.

All three are expected to be OK. The church built in the 1890s is located within the 27th Street Historic District in South Los Angeles.

Firefighter falls through burning church roof in South LA. LAX chief to stay. Garcetti profile in NYT. Villaraigosa signs on with DC think tank. Brown vetoes non-citiens on juries. Vladovic denies allegations of sexual harassment. New green on the Spring Street bike lane. Buyouts at the LA Times. Tom Hanks announces diabetes. And more.

Failing on two bunt tries, Juan Uribe instead clubbed a two-run home run to give the Dodgers a 4-3 lead and the series. Next up is the Cardinals or the Pirates.

Gray Davis ten years after being recalled. Garcetti after 100 days. A new try at transit tax brewing. Nielsen will try to measure Twitter chatter about TV shows. Riordan and Broad revisit Disney Hall. Why Bob Hope was a dumb name for an airport. Hollywood loves the Biltmore. Plus much more.

Jon Christensen and Mark Gold are both respected observers of the environmental activism and policy scene. They will be writing together as Christensen & Gold — and like all LAO columnists, with no interference from a pushy editor.

Shopping center developer Rick Caruso told Los Angeles magazine that he was all set to run for mayor last year until his family hesitated. No longer a Republican, he says he still may run someday and he hopes that Eric Garcetti is bold enough to risk his job every day.

UCLA Hammer Museum director Ann Philbin announced at her annual Saturday night gala that the the Westwood galleries will switch to free admission in February. Hammer donors Erika Glazer and Brenda Potter are making the change possible.

I like Santa Ana conditions, especially these kind with little wind, but I recognize that many don't. For you, the National Weather Service warns breathlessly that it's going to cool to the 70s — maybe even the 60s — with less than half an inch of rain on the way by midweek.

The La Tijera Boulevard standby had been around since 1949.

Sunday's "heart of LA" CicLAvia route drew a good crowd. The Metro trains in and out of downtown were certainly hopping.

The Dodgers lead the series 2 to 1 and could clinch tomorrow at the stadium.

The eighth CicLAvia on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. covers 7.5 miles of mostly Downtown streets. The ends of the route are MacArthur Park on 7th Street,...