Pacific Time - Los Angeles Times

Entertainment reporter Amy Kaufman takes us inside the upcoming movie about the first friends of Facebook, "The Social Network." She spent time with Jesse Eisenberg, who portrays Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg.

Columnist Steve Lopez ponders how likely charges are to stick in the scandal in the city of Bell. And data team editor Megan Garvey gives listeners an audio preview to a feature coming to Latimes.com on Sept. 29

Every so often, the Los Angeles Times revisits stories that have faded like the newsprint that once heralded urgent national headlines. One such story is that of the 1984 disappearance of Laura Bradbury. Reporter Kurt Streeter connects with the Bradbury family and recaptures the heartbreaking emotion and journey the family has undergone over the last 26 years.

This edition of the Pacific Time podcast checks in with state politics editor and writer Cathleen Decker for an update on California's gubernatorial race. She gives a round-up and preview of what's to come before the November election.

As the sunny summer days give way to evenings that stretch ever longer, autumn brings a number of new titles to real and virtual bookshelves to fill them. Times Book Critic David Ulin highlights a few titles he's looking forward to leafing through. Alison Kornberg, assistant editor at LA Los Angeles Times Magazine, is planning a wedding. Actually, you're planning her wedding, from the date to the dress and everything in between. It's "nuptials by committee."

Shortly after President Obama wrapped up his speech Wednesday assailing GOP leaders and outlining the administration's economic proposals to prop up the ailing economy, Doyle McManus, The Times' Washington-based Op-Ed columnist, delivered a quick assessment of the president's remarks, focusing primarily on politics.

As the nation prepares to honor its working population on Monday, the unemployment rate continues to edge upward. Reporter Alana Semuels explores in Sunday's paper the who, why and how to make ends meet and the what next among several people who have been out of work long-term.

We hear from reporters Jason Felch and Jason Song on what data from the LAUSD revealed about teaching success and failure in Los Angeles, why they embarked on the project and how parents can use the database, which will be made public early next week. In Sacramento, there's a flurry of activity as the legislative session comes to a close early next week. Bureau chief Evan Halper talks us through some of what's going on in our state Capitol.

Sacramento bureau chief Evan Halper talks about questions being raised about CalPERS in light of its inaction on exorbitant Bell salaries when the pension system found out about them four years ago. Christopher Goffard offers his account of covering, over the last two years, a Los Angeles County program aimed at helping the 50 most vulnerable people on downtown L.A.'s skid row. And senior photo editor Alan Hagman talks about the role of photojournalism at The Times.

Times staff writer Scott Gold, who spent all of 2009 reporting on the progress, promise and peril in South Los Angeles, talks about the South L.A. of the mid-1980s, an environment so infused with economic distress, virulent drugs, rampant violence and pervasive cultural mistrust that serial killers could operate in obscurity and with impunity for about a decade.

We focus on stories behind two of our stories. We chat with Los Angeles Times reporters Jeff Gottlieb and Ruben Vives whose reporting on the pay for city officials in Bell continues to echo throughout the community. And we speak with Gargi Dave, the subject of a recent Column One on the aftermath and legal tangle 20 years after surviving a hijacking in Pakistan.

Mild-mannered reporter by day, Geoff Boucher has swooped in to San Diego this week to cover the grand gala of all things pop culture -- Comic-Con International 2010. For the rest of the week, hordes descend on the city to the south to consume, converse and kvetch about the latest and greatest in comics.

Beginning Sunday, the Los Angeles Times will explore in an occasional series the future of reading, the technologies and their effect on the culture of reading and writing. In Part 2, we speak with chief executive of the Assn. of American Publishers Tom Allen and author Jason Kelly.

Beginning Sunday, the Los Angeles Times will explore in an occasional series the future of reading, the technologies and their effect on the culture of reading and writing. In this episode, we speak with Times reporters Alex Pham and David Sarno, and L.A. Times book critic and former Book editor David Ulin.

After two decades, the LAPD says it has solved the "Grim Sleeper" serial killings, culminating in the arrest of a suspect on Wednesday. Police credit the use of a cutting-edge technology -- "familial search." Reporter Maura Dolan explains how it all works. Spies in our midst are apparently not just the thing of novels and movies. Friday afternoon, the Department of Justice confirmed that the United States and Russia exchanged 10 spies arrested in the U.S. for four convicted in Russia in a carefully crafted diplomatic maneuver. Ken Dilanian in our Washington bureau offers some context on where the real action is in espionage.

MacArthur Park's Polaroid photographers are the last of a dying breed. They've been sparring under the palm trees for nearly 40 years — and it's hard for them to admit it might be frame over. Reporter Esmeralda Bermudez talks about her childhood memories of photographers in MacArthur Park, hawking their skills, and the fading image that remains there today.

Arizona is preparing to enforce its new immigration law starting July 29. Reporter Nicholas Riccardi talks about officers' training and what they will and will not have to do under the law. The discovery that California's recipients of government assistance could access their funds in casinos and strip clubs across the state came as a surprise to many. Reporter Jack Dolan talks about how he came across the story in the first place. And finally, you think your phone is so smart, don't you. Well, reporter David Sarno explains that it might be too smart for your own good.

David Savage, a longtime reporter on and observer of the United States Supreme Court, shares a little insight and perspective on what is likely to transpire in the Senate confirmation hearings for Elena Kagan.

An international group of soccer fans in the aeronautics department at Caltech put the controversial Adidas soccer ball being used in the World Cup to the test. We hear from David Wharton about the test and their findings. Also related to the soccer fields in South Africa, reporter Hector Becerra talks about how the Mexican flag, which has taken on a rather polarizing tint over the years, is making a return to the streets of Los Angeles on the cars of soccer fans cheering on their national team. Remember the Lakers? Columnist Sandy Banks wrote about an evening's experience of wandering with fans juiced about the game with nowhere to watch. She talks about the surprising response her column garnered. And finally reporter David Savage has covered the court for more than two decades. In a two-part offering from David, we hear about Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, the person. The second part will be available on Monday.

Los Angeles Times columnist in Washington, D.C., Doyle McManus offers an assessment of President Obama's choice to relieve Gen. McChrystal of command.