November 14 - November 20, 2010
Friday, Nov. 19
The idea is to make it much easier for businesses to receive all the necessary permits for setting up shop.
Just because runaway production isn't a big problem for the local entertainment industry doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
Here's an example of how hard it can be to sell monster properties.
All told, not a terrible report, but little to indicate any momentum shift in the employment situation.
That's based on September year-over-year price gains, though before you get too excited the increase was only 0.86 percent.
The state added 39,000 payroll positions in October, and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 12.4 percent.
California gets stung in bond market, low marks for state PPOs, Google looking at Groupon, and huge advance sales for Potter movie.
Thursday, Nov. 18
For electric cars to make sense there must be electric chargers at home, and those chargers require both permits and home inspections.
Quite a bit, according to a Pew Research study. Almost 80 percent know that the federal budget is bigger than it was in the 1990s, and two-thirds realize that the U.S. brings in more foreign goods than it sells overseas. But after that things get iffy. Only 16 percent are aware that more than half of the loans made to banks under TARP have been paid back (an identical percentage says that none has been...
Time out - this one is from Tahiti 80 and it's called "Solitary Bizness." (via Andrew Sullivan)
The parent company of the OC Register wants to unload all its television and newspaper properties.
A whole bunch of announcements during the media portion of the show.
They claimed that JPMorgan "engaged in unauthorized and unsuitable purchases" of $18 million of preferred securities.
New worries for state bonds, Californians want cuts (but not on their favorite programs), two more Madoff arrests, and Hollywood Foreign Press sues Dick Clark Productions.
Shares are up 8 percent in the first few minutes as a public company, to $36....
Wednesday, Nov. 17
Between 40 and 50 under-performing locations will be shuttered and 14 percent of the home office and field management positions will be eliminated. The City of Industry-based retailer has been facing sluggish sales, falling profits and lower margins - never a great combination (earnings plunged 93 percent in the just-reported third quarter). For a time, Hot Topic had been scoring well by featuring "Twilight"-related merchandise, but subsequent sequels haven't been nearly as lucrative. (Business Journal)...
So if film subsidies are such a bad idea, why did California of all states go after them a couple of years back?
Ralphs is bringing back the popular promotion after two years - but only through November 25.
That's at the high end of the revised price range, which means that the initial public offering will raise way more than initially expected.
Treasurer Bill Lockyer took the unusual step after a lawsuit was filed to block the sale of state office buildings to pay down debt.
One big impediment will be the cost of the charger, but there are also pluses.
My business chat looks at the improving prospects for the holiday season and Activision's big score from its latest "Call of Duty" videogame.
Inflation remains tame, GM public offering is getting bigger, state lawmakers living it up in Hawaii, and Brown may keep Schwarzenegger's people.
Tuesday, Nov. 16
Not a huge surprise considering the state of book retailing and the fact that the store was looking pretty empty in recent months.
That means roughly 30,000 people will be canceling their trips on the Splendor from Long Beach to the Mexican Riviera.
This only applies to unincorporated portions of the county, but it's an interesting development in the ongoing effort to do away with the bags.
Still more than an hour of trading to go and the Dow is down about 200 points. So much for last week's rally. *Update: Dow closes down 178 points....
Lots of people in lots of offices sign documents that they haven't examined or can't begin to understand.
Ouch - October sales in L.A. County were down 26.2 percent from a year earlier and almost 10 percent from a month earlier, according to Dataquick. Sales were way down all over Southern California (Ventura had a nearly 30 percent drop from 2009). While there's usually a slowdown from September to October, it's seldom this severe. And never mind all the hullabaloo about foreclosure filings - there wasn't much change in the percentage of foreclosure-related...
Amazon Filler Item Finder that pulls up hundreds of low-budget items that take you over $25 threshold for free shipping.
Another good month for the ports, GM offering closed to most investors, MTA considers toll lanes for the 405, and Beatles are finally on iTunes.
Monday, Nov. 15
That's what some of his employees would no doubt say - as would his neighbors.
He tells CNBC that once the company is out of bankruptcy, he will be, too.
They come from the new book that lays out the income disparities between the nation's very richest and everyone else.
AEG's Tim Leiweke has been looking at the new Dallas facilities in preparing a stadium plan in downtown L.A. with a retractable roof and 218 luxury boxes.
How many reporters at USA Today cover Congress and how many cover entertainment?
The guy wanted to draw attention to the privacy issues connected with what he calls the government's "senseless" efforts to detect terrorists.
A total of 410,695 Californians will be cut off from jobless benefits if legislators don't extend funding by Nov. 30 (a very strong possibility).
We all know that buying the insurance is usually unnecessary, but a good percentage of the customers take it nonetheless.
Strong retail sales in October, Wal-Mart to add hours on Black Friday, Thanksgiving costs edge higher, and auto show opens this week.
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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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After 22 years of loyalty, Baylor is unceremoniously shown the door.
Before I lived in Echo Park, there was a tiny 1920s bungalow-cottage-standalone house on N. Occidental in Silver Lake. I...
