Two Los Angeles County Supervisors represent the San Fernando Valley area. One of them understands the challenges of business operators. The other doesn’t seem to get it. That became clear recently when the supervisors voted 3-2 to allow the shutdown of outdoor dining for at least three weeks at Los Angeles County restaurants in response […]

Shortly after the coronavirus pandemic hit nearly eight months ago, businesses started questioning whether they would need as much office space going forward. But now, some are going further. They’re wondering if they need a headquarters office at all. In the Wall Street Journal last week, the chief executive of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. said the company […]

As if we needed it, the rift between the Walt Disney Co. and the California state government widened last week, with one exasperated Disney executive blasting the state’s new restrictions that will prevent Disneyland from reopening probably until next summer – and then at 25 percent capacity. Disney has safely reopened its famous theme parks […]

It’s outrageous that the average cost to build a city-subsidized apartment for the homeless in Los Angeles has climbed to $559,000 with highest per-unit cost now at $746,000. I just looked at a listing for a two-bedroom condo in Malibu for $659,000. But those are the costs that Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin disclosed […]

We’ve all been sitting in our homes for five months now. We’re waiting for a vaccine. Many businesses are operating at a low level or not operating at all, waiting for a vaccine. Movie theaters are closed, in-person meetings aren’t being held, dine-in sections at restaurants are roped off, and air travel has been squeezed […]

Local governments have been trying to help their residents through the coronavirus pandemic, and that’s great. But the city of Los Angeles has been particularly lax in helping its businesses. Here’s something meaningful the city of Los Angeles could do: declare a gross receipts tax holiday. In case you’re not familiar with it, the gross […]

The unfolding corruption scandal involving Los Angeles City Hall denizens and real estate developers is absolutely shocking. On the other hand, it’s not at all surprising. It’s almost to be expected. Huh? I mean this: It’s shocking to read the details of the pay-for-play charges, including allegations of $1.5 million forked over to City Councilman […]

Weren’t we told we needed to go into an economic lockdown so that the hospitals wouldn’t be overwhelmed? And didn’t we all agree and obey? And haven’t we accomplished that goal spectacularly well? According the news coverage lately, hospitals are not being overrun. In fact, they’re seeing fewer patients than normal. The chief executive at […]

Here’s a question for you: What was the worst quarter economically in modern U.S. history? The gross domestic product plunged 10 percent in a steep but brief recession in the first three months of 1958, making that the worst quarter. The second worst came in the Great Recession when GDP fell 8.4 percent in the […]

The death rate from those who get the coronavirus is projected by some experts to be about 1 percent, although no one really knows yet. In any case, it is a bad one. Still, it is shaping up to be far less disastrous than the Spanish flu of 1918. According to some estimates, the death […]