He's the next mayor
I left LA for Chicago why?
Stocks take a pause: To be expected after last week's rally. Dow is down about 30 points.
Latinos scoring jobs: They're the only demographic group whose employment numbers have returned to pre-recession levels, though the jobless rate of 10.5 percent remains higher than the 8.3 percent national rate. From the LAT:
The construction industry remains weak, but other sectors in which Latinos have a relatively large share of jobs -- hotels, food services, healthcare and manufacturing, for example -- are seeing more robust job growth. Mining support services, where Latinos make up about a fifth of the workers, are expanding employment significantly. And, because Latinos account for a relatively small share of workers in the public sector, they aren't bearing the brunt of deep cuts in government jobs.
California reenters mortgage talks: Attorney General Kamala Harris is back negotiating with the major banks on a settlement. From the NYT:
The potential support from California and New York comes in exchange for tightening provisions of the settlement to preserve the right to investigate past misdeeds by banks, and stepping up oversight to ensure that the financial institutions live up to the deal and distribute the money to the hardest-hit homeowners. The settlement would require banks to provide billions of dollars in aid to homeowners who have lost their homes to foreclosure or who are still at risk, after years of failed attempts by the White House and other government officials to alter the behavior of the biggest banks.
Super Bowl ratings down a notch: The big game posted a 47.8 overnight rating/71 share, down a tenth from last year's game on Fox. It was the third-highest Super Bowl rating ever. (deadline)
Encouraging turn on bullet train: The high-speed rail idea is being recalibrated by state officials, and LAT columnist George Skelton likes what he sees.
Construction still would start next fall in the rural San Joaquin Valley, the thinking goes. But simultaneously there'd be major upgrades to conventional lines in the Los Angeles and San Francisco regions. Those upgrades would amount to initial blending of the Southern California Metrolink and Bay Area Caltrain systems into the ultimate 500-mile high-speed rail line from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
Caruso on running for mayor: The billionaire developer tells Daily News reporter Rick Orlov that for now he's focusing on a bid for the Dodgers. "After that decision is made, Caruso said, "I will make a decision on mayor."
Seattle eyes Sacramento Kings: City officials are working with an SF-based hedge fund manager to bring the team to Seattle - as well as build a new arena, the Seattle Times is reporting. The Maloof family, which owns the team, has repeatedly said it has no interest in selling.
Southwest to carry sports: Well, sort of. The airline will soon offer baseball and pro football for passengers traveling with Wi-Fi-enabled laptops or other portable devices. (LAT)