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Curated news, notes and observations most weekdays from LA Observed.
State Sen. Ron Calderon was removed from all of his committee assignments and from the executive board of the California Latino Legislative Caucus. AP, LAT
The investigation into Ron Calderon isn’t happening in a vacuum, says columnist Dan Morain. Sacto Bee
State Sen. Kevin de Leon defended himself Tuesday against allegations he helped transfer $25,000 to a non-profit controlled by Sen. Ron Calderon’s brother. DN
Anne Gust is Gov. Jerry Brown's top aide, not his first lady. NYT
AIDS Healthcare Foundation is backtracking after realizing its call for creating a city health department in Los Angeles is not going to fly. LAT
A public memorial service was held at the Sports Arena for slain TSA agent Gerardo I. Hernandez. Daily Breeze, LAT
A cutting-edge brain research center at UC Irvine quietly ceased human experiments in 2012 when government inspectors uncovered multiple quality problems, including poor sanitation practices and tainted drugs, according to officials and records. Voice of OC
Lindsey Horvath joined NationBuilder as Vice President of Communication. Website
Connie Llanos, the former Daily News reporter, is moving from the office of Councilman Felipe Fuentes to be communications director and strategic advisor for Curren Price.
PaidContent, founded by Rafat Ali, is being swallowed by Gigaom and shut down. Fishbowl NY
Lalo Alcaraz says he will be a writer and consultant on a new Fox animated show called "Bordertown," created by the show runner of "Family Guy," Mark Hentemann. "This will be the first animated prime time network TV show with a significant number of Latino characters. Over half the cast will Mexican or Mexican-Americans or Chicanos. It will be historic." Pocho.com
KCRW's Lisa Napoli wrote an early piece on 18-year-old college student-TV blogger Brian Stelter in 2004, for the New York Times tech section. NYT
Hidden LA's Lynn Garrett and Los Angeles Magazine have settled her lawsuit alleging misuse of the "Hidden LA" name by the magazine. No terms were included in the court filing dismissing the case.
"The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt is the SoCal bestseller in hardcover fiction again this week. "Double Down: Game Change 2012" by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann is the new bestseller in nonfiction. SCIBA
Peter Dreier blasts the LA Times for non-coverage of the recent Walmart protests and labor issues in general. Huffington Post
The Hollywood Reporter has launched Pret-a-Reporter, "a multiplatform fashion and beauty content brand."
Dennis McCarthy's Veterans Day column on Ernie Napper, the 63-year-old retired Marine who conducts the nightly flag retreat at Disneyland, has been the most popular story on the Daily News News website.
Tom Waldman's new column on rock music has the history of local band The Standells, which are more famous these days in Boston. NoHoArtsDistrict.com
Some kind of error led to all jurors for the week -- not just for the day -- being summoned Tuesday to the Stanley Mosk courthouse. A long line of jurors waited outside to clear security before officials realized the mistake and sent people home. LAist
Eli and Edythe Broad named a new president of the Broad Foundation: Bruce Reed, assistant to President Obama and chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden. Eli Broad will remain as chairman.
For the past 14 years, we have focused full-time on philanthropy in the areas of K-12 education reform, scientific and medical research and the arts. During that time, we have been struck by the extraordinary needs in our country. We continue to be challenged and invigorated by our philanthropic work, and we want to continue our giving and investing well into the future.
USC announced that a team led by Ph.D. student Jack Tseng discovered the oldest big cat fossil ever found on a paleontological dig in Tibet. USC
A Flickr set of photos of the airplanes at the Proud Bird, the LAX-area restaurnt we told you a couple of months ago is closing.
Zach's Cafe in Studio City will close its doors around or on Nov. 25. Patch
Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies is donating $1 million to Cal State Long Beach, his alma mater, to help with the renovation of Blair Field. OC Register
Fantastic photos of Griffith Observatory under construction. http://t.co/bQsgk8hO0i @NEHgov via @USCdiglib pic.twitter.com/7SnZXm4GWA
— USC Digital Library (@USCdiglib) November 12, 2013
