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Selected items from the media, our in box and other LA Observed sources. Posted occasionally — often in the morning.
New USC Dornsife/LAT Poll finds that Kamala Harris is unknown by more than half of the state's registered voters and six in 10 have no impression of her. Seema Mehta/LAT
For Kamala Harris, being the prohibitive favorite for Senate in 2016 has drawbacks. A significant faction of the state Democratic Party is still yearning for a Latino to get in the race. Michael Finnegan and Patrick McGreevy/LAT
Mayor Eric Garcetti's silence on L.A. issues helps no one, the LA Times editorial board says: "On too many...significant decisions facing local lawmakers and voters, Garcetti is still mum." LAT editorial
Garcetti praises FCC vote for 'open Internet.' KPCC
Garcetti finally got to talk about his choice of "Airplane" as his favorite movie. Zocalo
Rough week for Citizens for Increased Voter Participation, the committee behind Charter Amendments 1 and 2 to change the dates of city elections. First, the committee had to retract a claim that Mayor Eric Garcetti supports the measures. Now the campaign is taking heat for an inaccurate turnout figure in one of its mailers. Gene Maddaus/LA Weekly
Voter turnout for local elections in LA has gotten so bad that officials are proposing having city and school board elections on the same day as presidential and statewide elections. Dave Bryan/CBS LA
A political action committee partly backed by an affiliate of tobacco giant Phillip Morris USA is helping to promote the reelection bid of Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nury Martinez and two measures to change L.A.’s election date. David Zahniser/LAT
High-density development on voters' radar in council district 6. Catherine Saillant & Maloy Moore/LAT
City Council president Herb Wesson blasts 'smear' mailers by Fresno grower. Emily Alpert Reyes & Zahniser/LAT
Charter school advocacy groups and UTLA have poured more than a million dollars into the District 5 school board race where union supporter Bennett Kayser faces charter school founder Ref Rodriguez. Annie Gilbertson/KPCC
Teachers union rally in downtown L.A. draws thousands in call for contract demands. (It's the first Times story, I believe, for former Denver Post reporter Zahira Torres.) LAT, DN
It's time the NFL and Inglewood be more transparent, so the people of Inglewood and Southern California know what they are really getting. Liz Habib/Fox 11
Californians are sharply divided over whether to raise the state gas tax to pay for upkeep of roads, a new Field Poll finds. Christopher Cadelago/Bee
Unknown to state officials, Kern County oil producers have been disposing of chemical-laden wastewater in hundreds of unlined trenches in the ground without proper permits. LAT
Buzzfeed set new traffic records Thursday with posts about whether that dress is blue and black or gold and white. Romenesko
The facts of Bill O'Reilly's story of being bombarded with thrown concrete and being saved by the police during the LA riots in 1992 are being challenged by colleagues who were at his live hot for "Inside Edition." The Guardian
The LA Times goes deep on the superbug outbreak at UCLA medical center. Columbia Journalism Review
TMZ managing editor Harvey Levin's house in the Hollywood Hills is for rent at $20,000 a month — and he bills it as "paparazzi-proofed." Curbed LA
Google won't ban adult content on Blogger after all. Endgadget
The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle has roundly panned a plan to require a minimum wage of $9 an hour for actors who perform in dozens of small theaters in Los Angeles, saying it isn’t just a mess, but a menace. LAT
The open-air 626 Night Market, modeled after evening bazaars in Asia, recently announced dates in July, August and September at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia. LA Weekly
The final three miles of Pacific Coast Highway north of Malibu will open this afternoon after being closed for two months due to a mud and rockslide. AP
I'm new to #LA and I'm looking to meet educators and parents at #LAUSD & other districts. Email me at zahira.torres@latimes.com #latimes
— Zahira Torres (@zahiratorres) February 11, 2015