By week's end, Los Angeles is regularly littered with a handful of free rags. Combined, these publications put the Tribune Company's Spring Street operation to shame as far as reporting on the dozens of municipalities that make up this metropolis of more than 12 million people. LAist reads the weeklies so you don't have to. If there's anything we missed, pretty please let us know, or better yet, drop it in the comments section below.
LA Weekly: Mayor Tony's Top 11 Gangs List is a Joke -- Pressured by city pols, LAPD issued a list of the 11 most dangerous gangs in LA last month. Although LA is the "second-safest big city" in the country, this much-publicized release did absolutely no good for our rep nationwide and did little more than spread fear-of-gangs proportionately around LA and the Valley(s).
This week, LA Weekly followed up with what seems to be the first legitimate reporting regarding the question of LA's most dangerous gangs circa 2007. Academics, cops, detectives, and gang members all laughed off the Mayor and Chief Bratton's "list." Weekly reporters, on the other hand had little trouble getting a more realistic picture of the gangs of greatest concern by hitting the street and talking to gang members and questioning city experts. There's even a second column (worth reading) debunking the imagined LA gang uprising.
Fear not, LA. The PD is is fully aware the gang situation, as evidenced by the real list as marked on this map of gang injunctions (.pdf).
LA CityBeat takes a different tack on the city's new gang initiative. There have been an increase in race-related gang killings. "Many now say it’s a racial campaign spearheaded by the Mexican Mafia," writes Annette Stark. Also, Changes at KTLK.
More TWiW, and the plays of the week, after the jump.
Pasadena Weekly: Joe Piasecki asks, Whatever became of our beloved politcal cartoonists?" (Raise your hand, Mr. Fish.)
Downtown News: Eli Broad takes a step down -- becomes co-chair of Grand Ave. Project. The editors are happy with the switch, which makes developer Nelson Rising the chairman.
Howard Leff says: forget about Grand Ave. and LA Live -- we need more Derby Dolls in Mega Malls.
Also in DT News, How generation MySpace is affecting Downtown LA (or vice versa).
OC Weekly: Steve Lowery is convinced that new Angel Gary Matthews is guilty of ordering HGH -- I mean, he did go from a 180 lb. centerfielder to a 230 lb. question mark.... What up, son of Sarge?
Malibu Times: Rehab and Malibu Go Hand in Hand and it ain't cheap.
The Acorn: Celebrate Arbor Day, today in Calabasas; Kids Read to Dogs in Oak Park.
The Argonaut: Judge Delays 'Living Wage' Law for LAX-area hotel workers; 26-Year Old Crashes Lamborghini into Parked Cars in Santa Monica.
The Onion: Captain America Killed; Zach Galifianakis on why he's so funny.
Top L.A. News of the Week (in no particular order):
1. LAX Terror Scare -- good ol' magnet in rectum.
3. LA's Top 25 Urban Myths (blogging.la)
4. LA Times Attacks 'Lunatic Right'
5. Spielberg Hooks Up With Nintendo
6. LA man Convicted of Desertion gets 7 year sentence.
7. Mother and Daughter Return to LA After Being Poisoned in Moscow
8. Saved By Larry David -- a man won a $320,000 settlement after being cleared in murder case -- alibi proven by his appearance at Dodger game featured in Curb Your Enthusiasm.
9. LA Times Cuts Comics; "La Cucaracha" axed, then reinstated; Ronald Brownstein Joins Op-Ed Roster, Erin Aubry Kaplan, Jonathan Chait and Max Boot lose their weekly op-ed columns, and can somebody tell me why Jonah Goldberg is still there?
10. Most Interesting Photos of the Week, as decided by flickr users.
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