Buck up, California

Sure, it doesn't look great right now, but the Socal economy still has lots going for it, as Jim Flanigan has repeatedly pointed out in his columns for the LAT and NYT. Now he's out with a new book that lays out the particulars. His title comes off an old billboard: "Smile Los Angeles! You're the Center of the Universe." Not quite, but L.A. does play a part in many facets of the global economic world - technology, trade and entertainment, among others. Lots of real people telling their real experiences, including an Iranian immigrant who managed to reopen his Compton supermarket eight days after the riots (with the help of his customers). Stanford University Press is the publisher. Also due out from Stanford University Press is Abe Lowenthal's "Global California," which is almost a bookend to the Flanigan book. Lowenthal, a professor in international relations at USC, examines how the state could use its economic strength to the best advantage, whether it's trade, immigration or the environment. It’s the kind of examination that’s often left to the federal government or East Coast think tanks (as opposed to folks to who know what they’re talking about).