August 29 - September 4, 2010
Friday, Sep. 3
The Paramount Chairman and CEO got $21.5 million for his six-bedroom, 11-bathroom Pacific Palisades house. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Her 16,500 square-foot penthouse in Century City is just about done, so it seems as if she's getting more serious about dumping that little joint in Holmby Hills. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Those were some of the not-so-encouraging words being tossed around in response to this morning's jobs report. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
The main reason for spending mega-billions of dollars on underground rail has been shot down. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Obama considers payroll holiday, food banks report heavy demand, state property values dip, and Miramax deal is on track. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
The economy remains extremely weak, with little sign that private employers are prepared to soon hire enough workers to jack up growth. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Thursday, Sep. 2
We can all relax - the USC game will be on tonight, as will "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy." $MTEntryExcerpt$>
The five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath Bev Hills residence, built in 1923, is listed at $12.5 million. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Putting aside the plastic bag and budget failures, the legislative session ended with 98 bills being passed on Tuesday. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Ordinary, anyone who has been in front of a live camera and blanked out might feel for the Arizona governor's stunningly bad performance. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
They happen when the economy continues to grow but not strongly enough to generate significant numbers of jobs. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Man is charged with 23 felonies for allegedly tricking five people into unknowingly granting him title to their homes.
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Decent month for retailers, McCourt appears to be leveraged out, Disney channels stay on Time Warner Cable, and Miramax sale may not be done. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Wednesday, Sep. 1
At some point both sides will really try cutting a deal, though probably not before the state starts handing out IOUs. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
California's population of illegal immigrants was 2.5 million in 2009, which is 6.9 percent of the state's population and 9.3 percent of the workforce. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
The nation's kick-me automaker reported a 7 percent increase in August. Sales at the others car companies tumbled badly. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
August turned out to be so awful that perhaps some small flicker of light should have been expected. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
What's striking about this year's list is how few locals are ranked in the top 20 or 30 positions. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Wall Street is happy (don't ask me why), Oxy CEO is stepping down, sluggish summer at the movies, and big upgrade at Del Amo. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Tuesday, Aug. 31
Senate Republicans have called a caucus, says Capitol Weekly. No telling when lawmakers will vote on a bill that would ban plastic bags. *Anthony York explains the nonsense: Lawmakers must adjourn by midnight, as required by the state constitution. That means if Democrats - or anybody else, for that matter--want their bills to get to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk, they need the Senate and Assembly to act quickly. Judging from the actions of Senate Republican... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
State lawmakers from both parties turned down each others' budget proposals, which means that California is at an impasse. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Never mind that it runs counter to the belief among budget officials that L.A. needs to scale back its services. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Dow finishes the month at 10,014, down 4.3 percent. Now come the real fun months of September and October. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
My weekly business chat with KPCC's Steve Julian looks at the fading prospects for the Grand Avenue project. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
He tops the list of actors who offer the best investment return for a Hollywood film, according to Forbes. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Unfortunately, this is a highly political, often emotional issue that will likely transcend any Ivory Tower analysis. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Home prices edge higher, heading out for Labor Day weekend, UC retirement system faces shortfall, and most Americans would still see a Mel Gibson movie. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Monday, Aug. 30
Both state houses will be voting on budget packages, but neither one is expected to get the necessary two-thirds vote. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Ah yes, the life of an office worker who is forced to sit through the unpleasant habits of the people seated nearby. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Slow volume tends to distort the market's ups and downs, and today was the slowest session of the year. Dow falls 140 points, to 10,009.
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But the L.A. billionaire says that the book retailer's management has engaged in a smear campaign concerning his upcoming proxy battle. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
The ex-girlfriend of billionaire Donald Bren got to present her (children's) case on "Good Morning America" (hey, it's August). $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Fewer than 29 percent of brokerage stock ratings are "buys," according to Bloomberg, the lowest percentage in at least 13 years. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Money-losing real estate, mulling over extension of homebuyer tax credit, vote nears on plastic bag ban, and McCourt divorce trial begins. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Sunday, Aug. 29
Things are bad, they're not likely to get better anytime soon, and there's little or nothing we can do about it. $MTEntryExcerpt$>
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