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“Downton Abbey" is going to look quite different when it returns for a fourth season. On Friday Siobhan Finneran -- better known to fans as O'Brien, Lady Grantham's constantly scheming, severely coiffed maid -- confirmed that she is leaving the beloved costume drama. Finneran follows co-stars Dan Stevens and Jessica Brown Findlay out the door, though it seems likely her character will do so under less tragic circumstances than theirs: In the Season 3 finale, O'Brien was jockeying hard for a new job that would allow her to see more of the world.

The two apparent front-runners to replace Los Angeles City Councilman Tony Cardenas are veteran public officials with strong connections to the east San Fernando Valley Democratic machine that has sent candidates to City Hall since the mid-1990s. Both also are women, which means the race gives voters the best shot in the city of putting a woman on the overwhelmingly male council. Nury Martinez, a Los Angeles Unified School District board member, and Cindy Montañez, a former state assemblywoman and executive at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, are among six candidates competing in the special election Tuesday to replace Cardenas, who was elected to Congress.

Auto leasing deals abound these days, with offers that often seem too good to be true. How about a well-equipped Honda Accord for $250 a month with no down payment or any other drive-off fees? Or better yet, $199 a month for a Chevrolet Malibu? So, what's the catch? There isn't any if you know what you're getting into. There are always details. You need top-tier credit to qualify. You pay a penalty if you turn that Honda in with more than 36,000 miles. And the payment is not $250 a month because of that little matter of tax. It is more like $275, depending on where you live.

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Jerry Brown is taking another stab at largely eliminating a state $700-million tax break for "enterprise zones" aimed at creating jobs in economically strapped localities. The governor failed in his efforts in 2011 to eliminate these politically popular quarter-century-old zones, located in the legislative districts of about three out of every four lawmakers. In his revised budget Tuesday, Brown proposed that 40 enterprise zones be replaced by a sales tax credit for companies that purchase manufacturing or biotech research and development equipment.

I have a budget-cutting suggestion for the Angels. Instead of having Gene Mauch manage in 1988, replace him with a personal computer. Program it with predictable Mauchian "percentage moves," feed it every statistic imaginable, and make it capable of producing 162 different lineups. Who'd notice the difference? The savings in salary, uniforms, and per diem alone might inspire Mike Port to give Wally Joyner a cost-of-living raise next year, or Port could use the money toward the signing of a free agent (whom the computer could then platoon)

The Port of Long Beach moved forward Thursday with its plan to replace the deteriorating Gerald Desmond Bridge, releasing a draft of its revised environmental impact report on the proposed project. Port officials say the current bridge -- which was built in 1968 and crosses a key shipping channel in Long Beach -- is too low to the water, rendering that part of the Cerritos Channel impassable to the world's biggest cargo ships, which can hold more than 14,000 containers. The bridge's other main problem, port officials say, is that it wasn't built to carry the traffic it does now, adding stress to the structure.

Remember Dodger players saying they didn't want former replacement player Mike Busch to share their World Series money? Well, the Big Dodger in the Sky sure solved that problem for them. DICK PRESTON Yucaipa

Radio station KGIL-AM (1260) on Monday is replacing veteran talk-show host Michael Jackson with Laura Ingraham. Ingraham will be heard on KGIL weekdays from 6-9 a.m. The British-born Jackson began on L.A. airwaves in 1963 and was heard on KABC-AM (790) for three decades. He came out of retirement last October after five years to take the gig on KGIL. The conservative Ingraham, the most listened-to woman in political talk radio, is currently heard in 23 of the top 25 metropolitan markets.

Hey, all you NFL referees! Gather round and repeat after me: Richie Phillips ... Richie Phillips ... Richie Phillips! There. Now, if that little hint isn't enough, let me cut to the chase. No one comes to see you toss your hankies, so you don't have much leverage. Take that 50% raise and run with it before you find out just how replaceable you all are. Eric Monson Temecula

Federal officials are giving Southwest Airlines Co. until Dec. 24 to replace unapproved parts on about 50 airplanes. The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that the parts did not prevent safe operation of the planes. The jets' manufacturer, Boeing Co., had reached the same conclusion. The FAA will let Southwest fly the planes as long as they are inspected every seven days and the unapproved wing part is replaced by Christmas Eve. The planes make up about 10% of Southwest's fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft.

An upside-down American flag is considered a signal of distress. And that's the feeling Robert Rosebrock had when he looked up and noticed the red, white and blue street-lamp banners outside the Department of Veterans Affairs' West Los Angeles Medical Center were in disarray - tattered, tangled around the poles or flapping upside-down in the breeze. "It was disgraceful," said Rosebrock, a 71-year-old U.S. Army veteran who arranged for the flags' installation 11 months ago using $12,000 donated by Metabolic Studio, a charitable arm of the Annenberg Foundation.

L.A.'s 9th City Council District is among the poorest in the city, taking in a stretch of South Los Angeles where the median household income is less than $30,000 per year. Yet despite persistent economic woes, the district has become a hot spot for expensive campaign contributions in this year's election, with special interests from across the state spending big in the race to replace termed-out Councilwoman Jan Perry. Labor unions, businesses, billboard companies, healthcare interests and others have spent $900,000 on unlimited "independent expenditures" for state Sen. Curren Price (D-Los Angeles)

Chris Tellez sat in class, his stomach grinding. The 15-year-old felt fine in his first class two weeks ago at Animo Locke Charter High School 2 in Watts, but by second period he could wait no longer. "I had to use the restroom," he said. "But the toilets are there in the open. There are no stalls or anything. " He went to the office and asked if he could go home. His mother was called and gave the go-ahead. As he hurried to his home, which is behind the school, two older boys beat him up and stole his cellphone.

Since Mike Trout returned to center field, he has resembled the dominant offensive force he was last year. However, when center fielder Peter Bourjos returns from the disabled list, the Angels plan to return Trout to left field. Trout began play Monday batting .354 in 12 games since Bourjos' injury, with four home runs, 13 runs batted in, and nine runs. In his first 25 games this season, Trout batted .252, with 12 RBIs and 14 runs. "Whether Mike plays center or left, it's not connected with his offensive performance," Manager Mike Scioscia said.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck has reassigned three of his deputies, including the head of the department's internal affairs division, in a shake-up the chief said is meant to usher in "fresh perspectives. " The most notable of the moves will see Deputy Chief Mark Perez, who has run internal affairs for several years and oversaw a dramatic shift in how the department handles discipline, be replaced by another deputy chief, Debra McCarthy. McCarthy, 52, currently commands the department's West Bureau, which includes police stations in Venice, West L.A. and Hollywood.

Goodbye, David Kahn. Hello, Flip Saunders. Again. The Minnesota Timberwolves announced Thursday that owner Glen Taylor will not pick up the option for next season on Kahn's contract as president of basketball operations. Three people with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press that Taylor has agreed on a deal to hire Saunders as Kahn's replacement. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Saunders will be a part-owner of the team. Saunders coached the Timberwolves from 1995 to 2005, and his reputation in the Twin Cities only grew when the team cratered after his exit.

Replace Congress and allow the lobbyists to pass laws. Eliminate the middle persons. RUDY TREITLER Bellflower

Bob Harlan, the Green Bay Packers' executive vice president of administration, is expected to replace Robert Parins as president when stockholders meet today.

CAIRO - President Mohamed Morsi casts himself as a leader navigating a landscape bristling with conspiracies by corrupt businessmen and shadowy figures plotting from inside a vast bureaucracy his Islamist inner circle has been unable to tame. While protesters march, workers strike, students rally and the economy is in a scary tailspin, the president's more serious nemesis may lie behind the scenes in what is known as the "deep state. " The courts, police, army and intelligence agencies were shaped over decades by the secular rule of deposed autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

NEW YORK - Chad Billingsley will sit out the remainder of this season, as well as part of the next, as he is scheduled to undergo surgery Wednesday for a partially torn ligament in his throwing elbow. The Dodgers expect Billingsley to return to competition in 12 months. "Obviously, we're disappointed, knowing it's not a start, it's the year," Manager Don Mattingly said. BOX SCORE: Dodgers 7, New York Mets 2 Before the Dodgers' 7-2 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday at Citi Field, the 28-year-old right-hander was examined by team physician Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles.