April 7 - April 13, 2013
Friday, Apr. 12
Of all the stocks they could have played with, why choose the widely watched Herbalife? You can imagine the honchos at KPMG wincing at Scott London's actions. Is this our lead auditor in L.A.?
At last a little outside-the-box thinking in this dullest of mayoral campaigns. It came during last night's hour-long debate when City Councilman Eric Garcetti suggested offering a $1 million prize to anyone who could offer the best solutions to L.A.'s traffic problems.
Thursday, Apr. 11
Assuming the city signs off on all the approvals, the storied venue will be shut down in late May for a major tech overhaul (new screen, sound system and digital projection system.)
The city claims that Los Angeles World Airports, the operating authority for LA/Ontario International Airport, has neglected and mismanaged the facility.
The reality is not many people feel the need to have an electric car, and when there's not much demand, fledgling industries are pretty much stuck.
The man who traded on information provided by former KPMG partner Scott London has been identified as Bryan Shaw, co-owner of Shaw Diamond, a small jewelry wholesaler in Encino.
Wednesday, Apr. 10
Now it turns out that the FBI photographed L.A. accountant Scott London as a friend set him up by handing him an envelope containing $5,000, the LAT is reporting. Meantime, the guy keeps talking. But why?
What some consider to be the nation's best-run movie theater chain has signed a letter of intent to open an eight-screen multiplex in downtown L.A.
Not that it means much now, being a lame duck and all, but the mayor said this morning that the biggest mistake of his eight years in office was backing a deal that gave city workers raises of as much as 25 percent.
Today's 128-point gain puts the blue-chip index at a record-high 14,802, which is up almost 13 percent year to date. The big pullback that many investors have been waiting for keeps getting put off.
This latest round, which had been telegraphed in the trades for several days, will result in about 150 job cuts at Walt Disney Studios.
The increases are so sizable - and across so many categories - that you'd have to conclude that the entertainment industry is off to a strong year.
Tuesday, Apr. 9
I'm not sure this is what white-collar defense attorneys would typically advise, but ousted KPMG partner Scott London said he regrets sharing inside information with a third party, though he stresses that the firm "had nothing to do with it."
Ah yes, the place where traffic never snarls, new businesses always flourish, schools keep getting better, and the people are .... well, gosh, darn, they're just as happy and friendly as can be.
He's a bit more visible than many accounting guys who disappear into the woodwork, but not much - certainly not nearly enough to get a slant on what's going on.
Ron Johnson was great at Target and Apple, but the circumstances at those companies were far different than what he faced at Penney. It happens.
KPMG says one of its senior partners passed on the information to a third party who traded in several West Coast companies.
One sure-fire way of telling a company is in trouble: The board issuing a statement saying the company is not in trouble.
Monday, Apr. 8
It's the media giant's saber-rattling response to the startup Aereo, which pulls over-the-air signals from local stations (including the Fox network lineup) and then streams them to its subscribers for a fraction of what cable or satellite services cost.
That's enough to get his name on the museum's theater. The $25 million is the largest commitment to date for the $300 million capital campaign (more than half the goal has been met).
The two candidates for mayor have to toot their horns about something, and if it's not how they stand on an actual issue, it might as well be a race to see who is the most popular kid in class.
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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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