March 7 - March 13, 2010
Friday, Mar. 12
February was a strong month at the Port of Los Angeles, with overall container traffic up 27 percent from a year earlier.
Guess that federal regulators, Congress and every plaintiffs attorney known to mankind are not good enough.
Willy-nilly layoffs are clearly not the answer - actually, the process of who stays and goes is already turning into a joke.
Here's an inside look at how those deadly packages of bad real estate loans are now being bought and sold in the private market.
Most of the names have changed - the network was sold by Sheinhardt Wig Co. to the Philly-based Kabletown.
iPads go on sale, Disney junks mid-budget films, civil service hinders L.A. layoffs, and workers to shell out more on health care.
Thursday, Mar. 11
Demand was so strong for California's $2-billion tax-free bond offering that Treasurer Bill Lockyer upped it to $2.5 billion.
For anyone curious after this week's raid of a Santa Monica restaurant, whale meat is a little like reindeer or moose. What, that doesn't help?
Credit the Federal Reserve for rescuing the U.S. economy from the financial crisis.
February container traffic jumped almost 30 percent at the Long Beach, with inbound cargo especially strong.
The short answer is probably not. But that doesn't mean financial disaster is not possible.
Credit market thaws out, dip in CA foreclosures, pay hikes for some state workers, and Villaraigosa pitches subway plan.
Wednesday, Mar. 10
L'Affaire Gundlach gets a pretty good going over in the new Fortune, including a blow-by-blow of his firing.
A potentially hopeful economic indicator: State revenues came in above projections for the third month in a row.
Boy, for a state that's supposedly on the verge of implosion, individual investors have been snapping up California's tax-free bond offering.
Blame it on the deep freeze down in Florida. Also look for some of the containers to get smaller.
It's easy to see how it would happen: Ad salespeople promising the moon and an editorial department that perhaps wasn't clued in.
Thirty states, including CA, saw their unemployment rates go up in January in a sobering but hardly surprising report.
Pop me a quick email (marklacter@aol.com) if you're interested in seeing Suze Orman at the Nokia Center this Sunday afternoon.
Toyota sales spike, Alarcon wants out of banks, little relief for CA policyholders, and CEO bonuses are down.
Tuesday, Mar. 9
As if the Madoff victims haven't been taken quite badly enough, along comes some characters up to no good.
Check your credit card statements if you ate or parked your car at the downtown hotel between April 2009 and December 2009.
The Congressional Budget Office finds that they can actually help pump up the economy.
The betting markets are giving the president's health care package a better-than-even chance of getting through both houses.
Another reminder that I have four free tickets to her speaking gig at Club Nokia in downtown L.A. Let me know if you're interested.
43% -- The percentage of American workers who have less than $10,000 in retirement savings.
Labor picture stabilizes, Northrop's retreat could cost locally, Karatz trial gets started, and Caruso targets LAX.
Monday, Mar. 8
A 42 percent jump in bank complaints to the Better Business Bureau is "a sign of the times."
So what would happen if the state could no longer pay its debts or borrow any more money?
... that screenwriter Mark Boal stood on street corners with his teenage nephew handing out free tickets.
So much for another showdown with Boeing for the massive contract to replace the Air Force fleet of refueling tankers.
She'll be speaking at Club Nokia in downtown L.A. this Sunday March 14. Let me know if you're interested.
More than one in four U.S. households were watching last night's telecast, which appears to be a jump from 2009.
Probably not in the theaters, but DVD sales for several of the nominated films will likely get a boost.
White House pushes short sales, women still trail in workplace, investor interest in state office buildings, and digital media beats out print.
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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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