Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

Supporters of the Los Angeles Zoo's efforts to keep on track the multi-million dollar effort to construct a controversial elephant exhibit thought that they had lost the battle and the votes needed on the City Council to keep the elephant pen from being shut down.  Then a white knight in the form of Global Crossing founder and Wall Street rainmaker Gary Winnick came to their rescue.  Winnick hired crisis management guru Mike Sitrick to turn it around for them.  Sitrick who handled PR for Paris Hilton during her county jail days and Rush Limbaugh during his pill popping phase got right to work and, according to insiders, managed to turn Bill Rosendahl to the dark side bringing along Jose Huizar and Ed Reyes and securing the Zoo a win.  The bill: tipsters say $250,000.


Mayoral Candidate David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg will be interviewed by KABC Talkradio AM 790 host Doug McIntyre Monday at 9:30 a.m.  By the way if any other Mayoral candidates want to send us over their media appearances we'll be glad to post them.

Lots of hand wringing by paperweight winners over the LA Times decision to axe it's "California" section and move local news to the main section.  However Ron Kaye, a blogger who's actually run daily metropolitan papers, says that's not a bad thing.  Kaye opines "The Times becoming a Los Angeles newspaper could be the best thing for the city. The community needs a powerful, credible voice to stand up for the common good, the greater good, to passionately tell the stories of who we are and how we could do better."  In his hand wringing our favorite paperweight winner keeps making the claim that by getting rid of the California section, the Times can print its Calendar entertainment section at night, hence keeping it more newsy.  However, Ed Padgett, a blogger who has actually printed a newspaper explains how the paper is actually printed.  Folks this is the kind of reportage that wins Pulitzers. 


The LA Weekly reports that Mayor Villaraigosa and Southern California Congressman Xavier Becerra apparently didn't rate invitations to President Obama's Superbowl party at the White House.  But guess who did: Senator John McCain, but apparently the former Republican Presidential candidate was not able to make it.

From the weekend:

• Jasmyne Cannick on Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Missing Councilmembers 
• Candidate Adeena Bleich Stumps in CD5