MOCA moves. Washington D.C’s National Gallery of Art is the latest institution to make a pitch for a partnership with the L.A. Museum of Contemporary Art. The National Gallery’s proposed five-year deal follows a bid by the L.A. County of Museum of Art to take over the critically acclaimed but financially strapped downtown museum. The talks with the National Gallery were initiated by L.A. philanthropist and MOCA board member Eli Broad, who’s constructing his own contemporary art museum across the street from MOCA. New York Times
Miramonte fallout. L.A. Unified will reportedly pay $30 million to settle almost five dozen sexual abuse claims filed by the families of Miramonte Elementary School students. District attorneys say LAUSD has agreed to an out-of-court settlement resolving 58 of the 191 lawsuits and legal claims filed since allegations surfaced last year of long-standing sexual abuse by former Miramonte teacher Mark Berndt. L.A. Times
Online education. A bill that would allow students who have been shut out of classes in California’s public universities to get credit for online classes will be introduced today in the state Senate. Passage would mark the first time that California’s public colleges and universities would be required to give credit for classes that are not their own, including some from private vendors. New York Times
Dueling Democrats. The L.A. County Democratic Party won’t be making an endorsement in the L.A. Mayor’s race, at least for now. The two finalists – City Controller Wendy Greuel and City Councilman Eric Garcetti – are both Democrats. A vote last night failed to deliver 60 percent approval to either candidate, a requirement for the party’s official endorsement. Gruel, meanwhile, appears to be on the verge of receiving the endorsement of the 600,000-member L.A. County Federation of Labor. She’s secured the backing of the group’s political committee. L.A. Times, L.A. Daily News
Bright forecast. UCLA economists are bullish on the U.S. economy, and their optimism is even higher when it comes to California. A new UCLA Anderson Forecast says the national recovery is being fueled by an increase in home building and car sales. It predicts that California will reap a disproportionate share of the benefits of the recovery due to the state’s strength in manufacturing and business investment. Anderson Forecast