Campaign 2013

Times-USC version of race tightens to Garcetti by 7

greucetti-jj.jpg The ten-point Garcetti lead over Greuel that only the USC-LAT poll found last month has shrunk a bit. But it's better for Garcetti than the dead heat that the last major poll in the race found.
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Real estate

L.A. assessed valuations projected to jump in 2013

homesales3.jpg Here's another explanation for the improving fiscal outlook: Property is gaining in value. This is good news for local governments, as well as for homeowners who are seeing the value of their properties creep back up after several down years
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Here in Malibu

How about an update?

And some after pictures of a really really bad before.
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Economy

Whatever happened to those dastardly budget deficits?

deficit3.jpg Government is needed a lot more in bad times than in good times. With the economy getting better, albeit slowly, that reliance is not only starting to recede, but it's being replaced by more money coming in.
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Economy

Average retirement age is creeping up... to 61

retire3.jpg That's still up from 1991 when it was just 57, according to a Gallup survey, and much of the increase came after the recession. Those still in the workforce expect to retire well past 61.
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Morning Buzz

Morning Buzz: Friday 5.17.13

beckham-hair-panel.jpg Mayoral votes could take weeks to count despite low turnout. (Only in LA...) Why Angelenos don't vote. Villaraigosa versus the ads. Greuel's job at DreamWorks gave her a Rolodex. Some Garcetti endorsements. Plus the LAPD consent decree, subway noise and Disney Hall, and David Beckham's retirement is a big story in Europe. Kings win 4-3.
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Employment

Big drop in California jobless rate*

April's unemployment rate was 9 percent, down from 9.4 percent the previous month and the lowest level since late 2008.
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Native Intelligence

Ricky Jay's tricks and treats

Ricky Jay-Kino Lorber.jpg Ricky Jay could conjure a taxi in the rain in the middle of a cornfield. A documentary film about the renowned illusionist doesn't explain how, and, really, would you want it any other way?
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Here in Malibu

Postcard from the edge

oh-malibu-vdt.jpg Blue and gold at the end of the earth.
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Television
office-location-grab.jpg A little taste of Scranton (and Dunder Mifflin) on Saticoy Street.
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Magazines

Los Angeles Magazine snags Carlos Slim for new video series*

giselle-carlos.jpg Former news anchor Giselle Fernandez kicks off "Big Shots" on the magazine's CityThink website with the Mexican mogul. The series will feature influential business people and leaders.
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Native Intelligence: Valley girls
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"This film...is about our cultural history," director Martha Coolidge told a crowd at LACMA to see "Valley Girl," 30 years after its release. More
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Gary
LAO__Bill_Rosendahl copy.jpgTake My Picture Gary Leonard appears every Thursday at LA Observed. See bigger.
Native Intelligence
familycourtprotester-crop.jpgIf his message isn't clear, if his manner isn't inviting, if he is nothing more than a whack job, at least give him props for perseverance. An encounter at the Santa Monica courthouse. Ellen Alperstein
Koch brothers protest
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About 200 people came out for a downtown Los Angeles rally against the conservative Koch brothers possibly buying the Los Angeles Times. Iris Schneider photo; see bigger.
Hollywood Park
hollywood-park-gates.jpgIconic race track will close after 75 years. Read more
A. Quincy Jones
aqj-Tyre-House.jpgThe first major museum retrospective of Jones' work comes later this month to the Hammer Museum. Read more
Streetscape: Palm weed
palm-herex-bldg-(1).jpgMexican fan palms are the ultimate weeds of Los Angeles. This one was spotted growing beside the Herald Examiner building on 11th Street in downtown Los Angeles. Bigger
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Sunshine ice rink
tropical-ice-gardens-village.jpgWhen the Kings and Ducks play next year at Dodger Stadium, it won't be the first outdoor hockey game in LA. Story
Desert waterpark
water-park-slide-egreen.jpgEmily Green took pictures at the defunct Rock-a-Hoola Waterpark in the eastern Mojave Desert. More
Rob and Laura, 1963
dvd-mtm-shorpy.jpgDick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore in front of a studio audience doing "The Dick Van Dyke Show" in 1963. Jerry Paris can be seen directing. Photograph by Earl Thiesen for Look magazine. Bigger | Shorpy Historical Photo Archive
Not everyone loves LA
adios ellay.jpg
A less-than-fond farewell to Los Angeles spotted in Paso Robles. Steve Harvey's Only in LA column.
Trains and bridges
trains-and-bridges-kevinmcc.jpgNight photo along the Los Angeles River by Kevin McCollister. Bigger at East of West LA.
Quinceanera
quinceanera-sony-awards.jpgTwin Argentine girls ride in a 1972 Ford Fairlane "limousine" while celebrating their 15th birthdays. Photo by Myriam Meloni. Sony World Photography Awards.
June Mountain
june-mountain-run.jpgEastern Sierra ski area to reopen next season. Story
Alternate route
ballona-creek-cicalvia-day.jpgThe Ballona Creek bike path was wide open during the April 21 Ciclavia, as a few savvy riders discovered. Photo: Joel Sappell.
JPL suspends open house
jpl-open-house-2012.jpgFederal budget concerns, meaning the sequestration cuts, are blamed for cancellation of the popular spring public event. Story
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