The morning's news includes an obituary of Ron Smith, the mostly Republican political candidate who ran big campaigns in Los Angeles, San Francisco and statewide.

Kimi Yoshino succeeds Marla Dickerson, who left the Times for the Wall Street Journal.

The new wrinkle is swipe cards for access. The Society of Professional Journalists LA chapter and the Radio-TV News Association of Southern California have scheduled an urgent meeting to make a protest.

Jim Hayes taught journalism at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and worked for many years as a part-time writing coach at the Los Angeles Times. Those two pursuits earned him a solid base of admirers and a story today in the Times.

KPFK's mess. Garcetti's budget portal. County Dems endorse (or don't.) Strip club manager elected to neighborhood council. UC campuses report strained climate. Piolin suit dismissed. Plus more.

The president introduced the new Diego Luna film but didn't stay to watch — he said he'll watch on DVD soon. He also told Luna he loved "Y Tu Mama Tambien," though acknowledged it could not be screened at the White House.

Warren Olney gets the party started at tonight's SPJ event. Next week it's the Press Club.

The prime minister of Australia, Tony Abbott, informed Parliament on Thursday morning that satellite images appear to show debris in the ocean under a likely flight path of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Felch disputes a lot of what Occidental says about him. The college makes a point with me. And this whole story is starting to be a perfect storm of interlocking acquaintances.

Inland Valley Bulletin columnist David Allen spotted the faded Sunkist logo that reappeared during demolition of a century-old packing house in Upland. "This sign was like an apparition, the Ghost of Citrus Past."

Phil Jackson. LAX shooting response. City Hall wants a street and sidewalk repair tax. Maureen Dowd and Garcetti on Garcetti. Steve :Lopez on earthquake preparedness. Walter Kirn, Catherine Opie and more. Plus Soboroff acquires another typewriter.

"This is probably one of the coolest videos you’ll see all week: ridiculously attractive people jumping from ridiculously dangerous heights," says website.

The heart of old Van Nuys is lousy with mature fan palms. Indiscriminate placement is the rule.

Oxy statement disputes claims made by fired LAT reporter. Plus: A Washington Post blogger weighs in.

Al Jerome is the longtime head of public television station KCET — only the third in its history — who will be known chiefly now for being the architect of the decision to leave PBS and become independent.

The freeway building boom that began with the Arroyo Seco Parkway in the late 1930s and continued for three decades made the city of four million people possible, but the damage done to neighborhoods and whole communities across Los Angeles was painful and, as we now know, permanent and scarring.

An unmarked LAPD car reportedly racing to a crime scene with lights and siren on went through a red light at Fletcher Drive and San Fernando Road and collided with another vehicle. In all seven people were hurt.

A new week of political and media notes plus other observations and a tweet of the day from this morning's little earthquake.

The earthquake that woke up a lot of Los Angeles at 6:25 a.m. was located near Encino and measured 4.4. Now with video of the KTLA Morning News folks performing the Shocknek Maneuver.

Christine Pelisek has a new piece in LA Weekly on the 23-year murder spree she essentially uncovered, plus she's in a Lifetime documentary on the case and played by Dreama Walker in a movie. Meanwhile, suspect Lonnie Franklin is still awaiting trial.

Actor Wayne Knight did not die Sunday in upstate New York or anywhere else.

Chronicle columnist Carl Nolte really knows his city, and he explains how the local sound of San Francisco is going away.