A deliberative roundup of one city’s local politics. Send your tips, releases, stories, events, etc. to lips@washingtoncitypaper.com. And get LL Daily sent straight to your inbox every morning!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

No Chance Moten: Dems To Blame For Everything

Good morning sweet readers! Phew, LL’s house didn’t make it on the this list. LL likes to keep a low profile. News time:

How’s This For Symbolism?: LL’s favorite Nebraskan Tim Carman reports that Ray’s: The Steaks, the sit-down Ward 7 restaurant that opened with a lot of “hope and good cheer” as well as political speechifying last year has closed its doors. “Yes, there was a lot of hope and good cheer about what the restaurant meant to Ward 7, both in terms of providing good-quality meals to a D.C. food desert and offering good-quality jobs to a neighborhood with sky-high unemployment. But today — on Food Day, of all possible dates — Ray’s: The Steaks at East River is closed.” Officially, the restaurant is closed pending a “reformat,” according to a note attached to a window. But these farewell notes are “often just a knuckle sandwich delivered in a velvet glove — a way to soften the blow of closing a struggling restaurant,” says Carmen. Meanwhile, yesterday Mayor Vince Gray‘s big event yesterday was a special job fair where 7-Eleven was looking to hire 26 new residents to work at, well, 7-Eleven.

AFTER THE JUMP: No More Land Banking, Say Officials; Board of Ethics, only Ethics?; Another DYRS Ward Accused of Murder…

Party’s Over: District officials had some tough talk yesterday about the practice of land banking, whereby developers sit on D.C. property without building anything for years and years. The bluster comes via TWT, which reported yesterday on lobbyist David Wilmot and co.’s 20 year land banking of the property where the new Ward 6 Wal-Mart is slated to be built. Fun line: “In responding to questions about the Ward 6 parcel, government officials have displayed a shaky grasp of its history, raising questions about their ability to ensure fair deals for the District when negotiating with developers who acquired land from previous administrations.”

Board of Elections; Board of Ethics: Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser told Fox5 this morning that one of her ethics plans is to spin off a separate government body dedicated to enforcing city ethics laws from the Board of Elections and Ethics. Bowser also says all the councilmembers, all of ’em, have been supportive of ethics reform efforts. That sounds like a red flag right there.

Names Change, Story Remains the Same: More bad news for the District’s juvenile justice agency: the 20-year-old accused of killing a cab driver over pocket change had escaped the Department of Youth Rehabilitative Services’ custody last month, according to the Examiner. Meanwhile, Jaffe notes that the streets are still dangerous and there aren’t enough cops.

In Other News:

• Georgia Ave. car barn not worth saving, says city.
• Georgetown residents do not appreciate the Post editorial board’s opinion on GU’s expansion, thankyouverymuch.
• Why does Apple even need stores; anyone ever heard of the Internet?
• Sulaimon due in court this morning on traffic charges.
• Ward 6 Councilmartyr Saint Tommy Wells is kind of a big deal in Austin, Texas.
• From counting checks to counting how many teachers are cheating on standardized tests.
• Gray’s PSC nominee in limbo.

Gray sked: 8:40 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: “Putting Our Veterans Back to Work” Employment Fair; 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: So Others Might Eat Bedford Falls Opening Ceremony; 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.: Celebrity Guest Bagger at Safeway; 6:00 p.m. – 6:20 p.m.: Brookland Artspace Lofts Grand Opening Celebration; 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.: Mayor’s African Town Hall Meeting; 8:10 p.m. – 8:25 p.m.: Mary’s Center Noche Tropical Gala and Fundraiser; 8:35 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.: Annual 17^th Street High Heel Race.

Council sked: Judiciary at 10 a.m. to talk police and fire boards; Parks and Rec at 11 a.m. to talk programming; COW at 1 p.m. to talk confirmation of D.C. auditor.