Good morning, readers. Welcome to the Maven's Morning Coffee -- a listing of the important headlines, news conferences, public meetings and announcements you need to know to fuel up and tackle your day.

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Today is Tuesday, Jan. 22, and here is what's happening in Los Angeles:

Headlines

In Rick Orlov's Tipoff column, Rep. Brad Sherman feels the sting of former Rep. Howard Berman's friends, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa pushes for an Economic Development Department, and Catherine Mulholland gives her great-grandfather's thoughts on running for mayor.

CapitolAlert checks out where California's politicians sat at the inauguration. "If proximity to power is a gauge of clout in Washington, only a few California politicians made it to the inner circle. That would be the rarefied space on stage, close to the president as he delivered his inauguration address," according to the piece.

The Downtown News imagines L.A. City Councilman Herb Wesson's night on the town. "Is this the real Herb Wesson, or is he just showing a fierce face in public, knowing that displaying weakness can erode a power base?"

County officials failed to create a competitive process when it awarded a $1.75 million car-leasing contract to Enterprise, reports the Los Angeles Times. "Investigators also found that the agency violated its own policy by not advertising the contract on the commission's or the county's websites, and that the contract should have gone through a full bidding process," according to the piece.

Los Angeles Times writer Jim Newton hears back from Dennis Zine on his recent story about the controller's race. "What does a cop know? He knows right from wrong," Zine says of his qualification for the job.

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich is painting himself as an outsider in his reelection bid, reports the Los Angeles Times. "I'm not a career politician. I got into this game at 57, not 27," he says.

The Daily News looks at the neighborhood council member running against Councilman Paul Koretz in the Fifth District. "I think in a democracy we need to stimulate the conversation and no one should run unopposed," says Mark Herd.

The Los Angeles Times does video interviews with the top mayoral candidates.

Where to Find the Politicians

Mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti will participate in a fireside chat at Shutters Hotel in Santa Monica at 8:30 p.m.

Meetings

9:30 a.m. Board of Police Commissioners, LAPD Headquarters, board room

• Update on backlog of latent fingerprints

10 a.m. Los Angeles City Council, City Hall, Council Chamber

• Recommendation to support an assault weapons ban
• Discussion on whether to place two medical marijuana initiatives on the May ballot

1 p.m. Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Hall of Administration, board room

• Update on impact of prison realignment
• Recommendation to increase golf course fees

2 p.m. Audits and Governmental Efficiency Committee, City Hall, room 1010

• Report on fringe benefits and comp time

2:30 p.m. Planning and Land Use Management, City Hall, room 350

• Update on billboard regulations

Announcements

To have an event or announcement listed, please email the Maven here.