Early bird

Earlier this week, we took note that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was going to be on vacation this week _ and questioned how long he could stand being out of the spotlight.

The answer was not long. He went to the Dodger's home opener to greet fans on Monday and his office announced that he will be holding a news conference at 5:15 a.m. today at UCLA on the city's bid to hos the 2016 Olympic Games.

A news conference at 5:15? A.M.?

Sure he needs time to catch his plane back to Washington, D.C., but that's almost too early even for local television morning news shows, which are just getting started on the day. I guess he missed us in the local press corps.

The mayor is head of the L.A delegation that includes a number of local business leaders and past Olympians.

The explanation offered by his staff is that he is going to be taping an interview with the NBC "Today" show and was making himself available to everyone else.