Magic No More: The endgame for philanthropist...

Magic No More: The endgame for philanthropist and gambler Norman Gray went badly. A bankruptcy court auctioned off his Magic Ford dealerships in Valencia for about $21 million--less than needed to cover his debts. The buyer: a rental-car billionaire making his first foray into the California car-sales business (D1).

No Rest: Another sign that elections are again upon us: 3rd District Councilwoman Laura Chick will embark on the campaign trail again today in a bid for a second term. If she wins, she noted wistfully, it’ll be her last Los Angeles council race because of term limits. She represents the West Valley.

Cleaning Up: Cold, hard cash was blowing in this week’s winds for companies that rent equipment used in the cleanup (A1, A8). Even as city workers, above, swarmed over downed trees, rental firms saw a run on chain saws and electrical generators. . . . At Sam’s U-Rent in Van Nuys, the last generator went to a man who needed it to run the electrical scale at his fish market.

That Wind! There’s a reason the Valley’s winds were so strong, says meteorologist Mallory Ham of the National Weather Service. Because of the way the mountain ranges here are situated, the Valley has hundreds of canyons that run north to south or northeast to southeast. And when northerly winds blow toward the ocean, the canyons act like trenches, speeding the breezes along unimpeded.