"Anyone who comes to Los Angeles and thinks we do not need improvements in transportation must be living on another planet," the Times quoted him as saying.  

Mayor Villaraigosa touted his 30/10 plan as a job producer and also as an innovative way to fund projects while Washington frets over deficits, the Daily News says. No commitments were made, the Times reported, but lawmakers from both parties seemed open to the mayor’s plan.

L.A. Streetsblog bemoaned the lack of discussion on other forms of transportation, namely bikes and your own two feet.

• Councilman Richard Alarcon did not misuse his office in order to benefit his wife, the L.A. City Ethics Commission found. The Times breaks down the decision here. At the heart of the issue was a 2007 attempt to reduce traffic on a block where Alarcon’s then-fiance owned property.

• The Daily Breeze paints a picture of the Southland couple who were taken hostage and killed by Somali pirates earlier this week. 

• The Bell case is heating up. The Times reports new search warrants have been served in the investigation. Also, Rizzo’s preliminary hearing was cut short yesterday when he was rushed to the hospital with chest pains.

Reach reporter Andrew Khouri here.