Morning Buzz

Morning Buzz: Wednesday 10.9.13

Curated news, notes and observations most weekdays from LA Observed.

Top of the news

warshel-usc.jpgUSC professor Arieh Warshel shared today's Nobel Prize in chemistry for laying the foundation for computer models used to understand and predict chemical processes. AP, NPR


Politics and government

School board President Richard Vladovic admitted Tuesday that he’d violated the district’s “civility policy” and apologized to employees who’d felt intimidated by him. Vladovic also said he’d sought “professional help” for anger issues. DN

In late August, Mayor Eric Garcetti sat down with several of the principals of the Creative Artists Agency to pitch his plans for “rebranding” Los Angeles following the model Michael Bloomberg used in New York. LA Currents

Mayor adds departments' performance data to his website. LAT, DN

LA's New Mayor Doesn't Rush Into Things. KCRW/Which way, LA?

Garcetti's first 100 days portend a shift in governing. FrontiersLA

The price of many tickets to see the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl will increase for the 2014 season, according to a pricing plan approved Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. LAT

Assembly Speaker John Pérez addresses Town Hall Los Angeles at noon today at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. Info

An attorney for the county of Los Angeles said it won't defend its the condoms-in-porn law in court. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation objects. LA Weekly


Media and books

Longtime New Yorker Mike Fleming says he will now spend half his time in Los Angeles helping manage Deadline, leading to speculation he's the replacement editor for Nikki Finke. He says: "More face time will do me good, as will the motivation to shed the 40 or so pounds I’ve gained since I joined Deadline and started filing up to 15 stories per day." Deadline, Defamer

Javier Zarracina of the Boston Globe is joining the Los Angeles Times in the new position of graphics and data editor, reporting to Len De Groot, Director of Data Visualization: "Javier is an international leader in information graphics and brings with him an aesthetic that will help elevate our graphics and advance our visual journalism." Via memo

"Doctor Sleep" by Stephen King is the Southern California bestseller in hardcover fiction. "David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants" by Malcolm Gladwell in the nonfiction bestseller this week, just ahead of Bill O'Reilly. SCIBA

The Daily Beast laid off two dozen staffers including all but one in the Los Angeles office. THR

Jon Christensen, the editor of Boom (and new columnist at LA Observed), talks to Patt Morrison about the UC Press-published magazine. LAT Op-ed


Courts and cops

Paul Tanaka supporters to sue LA County Sheriff’s Department for retaliation. Witness LA

The Police Commission approved $8 million for dashboard cameras in LAPD cruisers. DN

Tyrone Freeman, the former president of California's biggest union local, was sentenced Monday to 33 months in federal prison for stealing from his low-income members to finance an expensive lifestyle that included being married to two women at the same time. LAT

A West L.A. man who police said had more than a dozen pipe bombs in his home was sentenced to eight years in prison Tuesday. LAT


More news, notes and observations

To understand how ugly the battle over Hollywood sign tourism has become, just look at the fliers that have been popping up recently in the hillside neighborhoods below the landmark. LAT

The Wallace Neff house in Beverly Hills where Howard Hughes crashed his plane is set to be demolished. Curbed LA

Women tend to be unhappier about long commutes than men, even after controlling for any improvement in income, job satisfaction or housing quality—perhaps because women tend to shoulder more housework at home. WSJ

Singer Fiona Apple launched a four-letter slur at film critic Rex Reed (who wasn't there) during her concert at Disney Hall. THR

Ed Pearl, founder and manager of the famed Ash Grove, venue, will be honored on Saturday at the 10th Anniversary FAR-West Festival and Conference held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Irvine. Info

5 Mexican foods that should've never been sold in a can...but were (or are). OC Weekly

The Angels said they will retain general manager Jerry DiPoto and manager Mike Scioscia.

The Boston Red Sox eliminated the Tampa Bay Rays to move to the American League Championship Series. Detroit stayed alive in its series with Oakland.


Tweet of the day

ABC 7's Darsha Philips, Fox 11's Hal Eisner and CBS 2/KCAL's Amber Lee.


More by Kevin Roderick:
'In on merit' at USC
Read the memo: LA Times hires again
Read the memo: LA Times losing big on search traffic
Google taking over LA's deadest shopping mall
Gustavo Arellano, many others join LA Times staff
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Morning Buzz: Wednesday 4.16.14