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News, notes and observations from LA Observed and selected media sources. Sometimes daily, often in the morning.
Republican candidate for governor Neel Kashkari, a millionaire who lives in Laguna Beach, says he recently spent a week living as a homeless person on the streets of Fresno to highlight poverty. LAT, Bee, his campaign video
The city's Bureau of Street Services has major operational failures that undermine its ability to repair broken city roadways, City Controller Ron Galperin said, citing evidence in his audit of the agency. DN
The New York Times will rebrand its Dining section as Food with Sam Sifton the department's editor, and with a new app called NYT Cooking. Fishbowl NY
The Ventura County Star, formerly part of E. W. Scripps, will now be owned by a new publishing company, Journal Media Group, whose flagship newspaper is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Romenesko, VC Star
The Believer is reducing to a bimonthly publishing schedule. Observer.com
Janice Min pays tribute to THR's departing culture editor Degen Pener. Fishbowl NY
Linda Ronstadt received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama in a ceremony at the White House. "I had a little crush on her back in the day," the president admitted. Billboard
This weekend's performances of "Hair" will feature the first full-frontal nudity ever on the Hollywood Bowl stage, but the scene won't include star Kristen Bell's character. LA Weekly
First person: I Was Struck by Venice Lightning. Zocalo
Noé Montes, photographer and publisher of El Aleph Books, talks about Los Angeles on the Colin Marshall podcast. Notebook on Cities and Culture
