Dorner case. Burned human remains found in a San Bernardino Mountain cabin after a wild shootout have been positively identified as those of fugitive ex-cop Christopher Dorner, but the investigation into his alleged murder spree continues. Court documents suggest Dorner gathered information on his first two victims – Monica Quan and Keith Lawrence – before he shot them to death in Irvine last week. Meanwhile, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is facing questions about its use of incendiary smoke bombs in the siege at the cabin where Dorner made his last stand. O.C. Register
Campaign of error. An Orange County businessman has been fined $170,000 for laundering campaign contributions in L.A. city races. Peter Barker, president of Barker Management, was fined by the L.A. Ethics Commission after admitting that he improperly reimbursed employees or their spouses for dozens of campaign contributions – about $42,000 in all. Mayoral candidates Eric Garcetti, Jan Perry and Wendy Greuel all received money from Barker, but they are not accused of wrongdoing. L.A. Times
Ailing Buss. L.A. Lakers owner Jerry Buss is battling an undisclosed form of cancer and is hospitalized in intensive care at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Buss, 79, has not attended any Lakers games this season. His visitor’s list at Cedars includes some of the Lakers’ all-time greats: including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and current stars Kobe Bryant and Pao Gasol. ESPN
Call for condoms. Will an idea started in L.A. County to make the pornographic film industry safer go statewide? State Assemblyman Isadore Hall, a Democrat from Compton, has introduced legislation to require the use of condoms in adult movies shot anywhere in California. Condoms reduce the risk of spreading sexually transmitted diseases, but mandating their use is opposed by many producers. In November, L.A. County voters approved a measure requiring adult filmmakers to obtain public health permits before cameras roll. Getting those permits is contingent on the use of condoms. L.A. Daily News
Blacklist victim. A screenwriter who was one of the “Hollywood 19” has died. Richard Collins was among a group of left-leaning Hollywood writers and directors who were blacklisted for refusing to testify before the House Un-American Activities Commission in the late 1940s and early ‘50s. Collins eventually gave in, identifying nearly two dozen colleagues who belonged to or sympathized with the Communist Party. He was 98. L.A. Times