Friday morning headlines

Stock market closed for Good Friday: The Dow finished the week up 1.3 percent, at 12,505.

Gas price increase slows down: An average gallon of regular in the L.A. area rose a little more than 2 cents in the past week, to $4.218, according to the Auto Club. Some California locations have seen slight declines in the last day or two.

Gloomy nation: NYT/CBS poll finds that 39 percent of Americans think the economy is getting worse, up 13 points in just one month (higher gas prices and a gridlocked Congress might explain why). From the NYT:

After the first 100 days of divided government, and a new Republican leadership controlling the House of Representatives, 75 percent of respondents disapproved of the way Congress is handling its job. Disapproval of Mr. Obama's handling of the economy has never been broader -- at 57 percent of Americans -- a warning sign as he begins to set his sights on re-election in 2012. And a similar percentage disapprove of how Mr. Obama is handling the federal budget deficit, though more disapprove of the way Republicans in Congress are.

California coffers filling up: The state is bringing in more tax money than expected, and that could cut into the $15.4 billion deficit by a few billion. From the Sacramento Bee:

California's three largest general fund tax sources were running $2 billion above expectations entering April, almost entirely due to income taxes. Deadline-driven income tax figures have been robust this week, putting the state on track to at least meet its April target. Higher revenue would help the bottom line not only as additional money in the bank, but also as a basis for increasing projections in the next fiscal year.

What next in Dodger saga: Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig has to appoint a trustee to oversee the club, and owner Frank McCourt apparently has his lawyers preparing a legal challenge to Wednesday's takeover.

American Apparel dodges another bullet: A group of Canadian investors will inject $15 million into the struggling L.A.-based manufacturer/retailer, with the option of adding $28 million in the coming months. The group is also expressing confidence in CEO Dov Charney. From the NY Post:

"Dov is an eccentric, and he's being butchered by investors and the press," said Roy Sebag of Essentia Equity, one of several lenders in the rescue package, which was led by Michael Serruya, a deep-pocketed Canadian financier who led a bailout of Jamba Juice in 2009. Indeed, the Canadian investors believe it was a 2009 immigration crackdown at American Apparel's Los Angeles factory that is largely to blame for its crippled finances, sources said.

Rebate for charging electric cars: The DWP's pilot program will offer up to $2,000 towards the cost of a 240-volt Level 2 charger. The utility also plans to upgrade the 86 existing city-owned public chargers and will then invest in new installations. (LAT)

SCI-Arc buys property: The Southern California Institute of Architecture has purchased a century-old rail freight depot that will serve as its school building. Purchase price is $23.1 million. From blogdowntown:

The 1907 structure--which is 1,250 feet long--was renovated in 2000 and 2001, with the first SCI-Arc classes meeting inside in September of 2001. It was only six years ago that there were fears the school would be forced to relocate. SCI-Arc fought an unsuccessful legal battle to complete a 2004 purchase of the site, which instead went to Meruelo. In a release sent out Thursday evening, the school said that the purchase now allows it to become "a permanent player with a significant stake and role in the long-term revitalization of the [Arts District] area."