September 13 - September 19, 2009
Saturday, Sep. 19
Conventional wisdom has the recovery being protracted, but a minority view expects a much stronger rebound. It's worth paying attention to.
Friday, Sep. 18
The chairman of Walt Disney Studios, who steps down effectively immediately, reportedly told staff that he felt he was a square peg in a round hole.
The executive producer of "ER" and "The West Wing" takes over as president of the guild, defeating former "MASH" and "Frasier" writer Elias Davis,
Kind of a misery loves company thing when it comes to the August jobs picture.
This makes the county and state one of the nation's bleaker areas for employment - not nearly as bad as poor Michigan but still pretty bad.
LAT reports that city officials are scrambling this morning to salvage an early retirement program that would take a nibble...
FHA's cash squeeze, CA regulators may pull the TV plug, update on Danny Pang's death, and Steve McQueen's ranch is for sale.
Thursday, Sep. 17
Only modest upgrades are planned for the outdated World Cruise Center, and there's ongoing opposition to a larger Outer Harbor terminal.
CA's Attorney General is looking into whether Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch violated state law when they gave high ratings to shaky assets.
White House decision to focus on ship-board missiles could be good news for defense contractor Raytheon and its many local suppliers.
Investors fret over stock rally, Council signs off on job cuts (sort of), more passengers get bumped from planes, and fuel tanker battle is renewed.
Wednesday, Sep. 16
Ronald Sugar, who is 61, leaves his post before the company's mandatory retirement age of 65 (a little unusual but not totally out of the box).
The precious metal is now trading for $1,018.90 an ounce, another record closing high. A drop in the dollar is to blame.
I'll be on KCRW's "Which Way, L.A." tonight, talking with Warren Olney about the latest report from UCLA's Anderson Forecast....
Senate Finance Committee Chairman has managed to come up with a 10-year, $856 billion bill that all sides are finding fault with.
The cost of washing soot-stained clothes is 1,914 pounds on a single day, at a cost of $1 a pound, plus $2,150 a day for washers and dryers.
Health care plan already bashed, L.A. council ponders shortfall, white collar cases faltering in SF, and hooray for chicken feet.
There's this nagging concern that the government's tax credit and highly attractive terms for FHA financing are propping up the housing sector.
UCLA's Anderson Forecast points to an improving housing picture, as well as a pickup in manufacturing. But the big downside is employment.
Tuesday, Sep. 15
The import situation remains pretty awful - in L.A., down 19.3 percent from August 2008 and in Long Beach, down 11.7 percent.
We speak of the now-infamous home in the Malibu Colony that was being used by a now-former Wells Fargo executive.
The unusual sales dip from July to August could be the result of fewer foreclosed homes on the market.
But Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said it would be many months before unemployment rates would drop significantly.
L.A. in budget trouble, mayor's pal beats out DWP in land deal, hospital files Chapter 11, and lukewarm reviews for Jay's debut.
Monday, Sep. 14
This is the one who was spending weekends in a Malibu beach house that the owners had to give up because of losses incurred in the Bernie Madoff fraud.
Local organizations that provide food, shelter and health care and that have come to rely on foundation money are now scrambling.
Look back on anniversary of Lehman's collapse, no word on cause of Pang's death, and Mercury News columnist asks readers for help.
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The funeral for Mark Lacter will be held Sunday, Nov. 24 at 12 noon at Hillside Memorial Park, 6001 W. Centinela Avenue, Los Angeles 90045. Reception to follow.
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