Escaping L.A.’s High Cost of Doing Business
The Santa Clarita Valley along with cities in the Antelope and Conejo valleys often market themselves as a kind of low-cost alternative. A business in those places can enjoy the benefits of being in the Los Angeles area but evade many of the high costs associated with the L.A. basin. In case anyone was wondering, […]
There is Integrity in That LA Initiative
Is the so-called Neighborhood Integrity Initiative really something to be feared? I think it could be a great advancement for the city of Los Angeles. But business people seem to view the possibility that it will pass in the March 7 election with much the same kind of dread that 14th century Europeans looked upon […]
LA City Attorney Fails to Make Case with Business Community
Mike Feuer had a nice chance to buff up his somewhat-tarnished relationship with the local business community a couple of weeks ago. Instead, he blew it. Feuer, the Los Angeles city attorney who seems more eager to sue businesses than help them, came out to the Van Nuys offices of the Valley Industry and Commerce […]
The Incredible Shrinking Public Co.
Congress claimed it was sticking it to the fat cats 14 years ago when it passed a raft of laws regulating public stocks. But you know how these things work: Exactly the opposite happened. The cats got fatter. The rest of us? We got scrawnier. And those laws continue to hurt us, even here in […]
Coast Not Entirely Clear at Ports
Some good news came out of the ports last week. During an on-stage meeting in Long Beach, the president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union – representing labor – and the president of the Pacific Maritime Association – representing shipping lines and terminal operators and, therefore, management – surprised the crowd when both expressed […]
Arrested Development?
When we reflect on the remarkable revival and development that’s occurred in such places as Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood and Venice in recent years, we seldom think of this: Dramatically lower crime rates made that gentrification possible. If you’re younger than, say, 35, you probably don’t remember the so-called crack epidemic. That’s when urban areas […]
Parking Up the Wrong Tree
You may have heard that Assemblyman Mike Gatto of Los Angeles recently proposed what he called a “Parking Bill of Rights” to bring some relief to long-abused motorists. When I read that, my heart started racing. I was a little unsure of what to do since it’s been more than 200 years since we last […]
Oscar ‘Race’ a Global Issue
As you probably know, a big controversy erupted in Hollywood in the last couple of weeks because no African-American actors were nominated for an Academy Award this year, for the second year in a row. A lot of the news coverage focused on the fact that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is […]
Stop the War on Drivers
Just in case you had any doubt, it’s now clear that California’s war on drivers has escalated. Three weeks ago, for example, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill that would have allowed all motorists to use the carpool lane on two L.A. freeways during off-peak times. That may have seemed to you like an easy, […]
Should’ve Left Markets Alone
Who’s to blame for the Haggen grocery disaster? Haggen last week announced it was pulling out of California, Arizona and Nevada, abandoning most of the 146 Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions groceries it bought early this year. Haggen blames Albertsons and has sued it. Plenty of others blame Haggen, saying the small chain had no business […]