Lead stories
Stories
Los Angeles Hires a Jobs Chief
OTHER NEWS
Facing a widening budget deficit and regional unemployment stuck above 12 percent, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is placing a vast swath of city government under a former private-sector executive charged with making Los Angeles more business friendly.
AeroVironment Wins Nissan Contract
AeroVironment Inc. said Nissan North America will use the Monrovia company’s electric vehicle home-charging stations and installation services for the all-electric Nissan Leaf.
Northrop Wins $577 Million Army Contract
Northrop Grumman Corp. said that a team of contractors it led has won a U.S. Army contract to develop an integrated air- and missile-defense battle command system.
CalPERS to Disclose Details About Intermediaries
California's giant public pension fund, racked by criticism for the way it has managed a $205-billion portfolio, is preparing to disclose new details about the financial middlemen who play a little-understood and lucrative role in pension investing.
Ex-TCW Manager Gundlach Fires Back
Star bond fund manager Jeffrey Gundlach fired back at former employer TCW, saying the firm had smeared him in a lawsuit it filed last week.
Images Closes Stock Sale
Image Entertainment Inc. said that it closed the sale of $22 million in preferred shares to affiliates of a San Francisco private equity firm that is acquiring control of the Chatsworth home entertainment distributor.
Easton-Bell Sports Acquires Lacrosse Company
Easton-Bell Sports said that it is expanding into the sport of lacrosse with the acquisition of privately held lacrosse equipment manufacturer Talon Lacrosse.
SEC Sues NewPoint Financial Services
The Securities and Exchange Commission has accused a Beverly Hills firm of defrauding investors of some $20 million in a scheme that allegedly targeted Iranian-Americans through a local Farsi-language radio program.
American Apparel Goes G-Rated
Firm shelves racy image for kids’ clothing line.
American Apparel isn’t kidding about a new clothing line geared toward children.
Truck Dump
Thousands of port rejects swamp salvagers
Local scrap yards are feasting on trucks scuttled by the ports’ clean air standards.
Northrop Flew Under the Radar
L.A. leaders left at a loss over company’s exit.
Northrop’s decision to leave L.A. surprised many charged with keeping companies here.
SoCal’s Aerospace Sector Still Has Lots of Lift
Sidebar
L.A.’s aerospace industry is now populated by newer and smaller companies.
Consolidation In Koreatown?
Nara, Wilshire see acquisition opportunities.
Business could pick up for Koreatown institutions looking at acquisition opportunities.
Busting Out The Brand
Sexy lingerie maker Frederick’s to license name to other products.
Frederick’s of Hollywood is looking to dress up other products with its sexy brand name and image.
Still Leader Of the Pack
Galpin Ford revved up the dealmaking to keep volume sales title.
Van Nuys’ Galpin Ford held on to the pole position as the No. 1 dealership in volume sales – barely.
Developer’s Left Turn May Signal Mayoral Run
Rick Caruso sparks talk by backing Jerry Brown for governor.
Is Rick Caruso’s fundraiser for Jerry Brown the first step of Caruso’s campaign for mayor?
Local Institutions Move to Shore Up Capital Levels
BANKING & FINANCE: Stock issue boosts Center Financial; Hanmi future looks shaky.
As loan losses pile up at banks across Los Angeles, a number of institutions have recently signed agreements with regulators to shore up capital and overhaul management.
Analysts Expect Wave of Business to Hit Ports
TRADE & TRANSPORT: Improved consumer confidence helps fuel optimism.
After almost two and a half years of slumping imports, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are poised for a slight recovery within the next few months, according to local economists and industry analysts.
Century City Firm’s Partners Go It Alone Together
LAW: Six attorneys leave Jeffer Mangels to run their own operation.
The new year started off rocky for Jeffer Mangels Butler & Marmaro LLP, which saw the departure of six longtime partners.
Loss of Wrestling Line Fails to Floor Toymaker
Malibu’s Jakks looks to other sports, TV to offset WWE breakup.
A bevy of hot deals has cushioned Malibu toymaker Jakks’ loss of its WWE pro wrestling dolls.
Illegal Downloads Shoot Holes in ‘Warfare’ Sales
Pirates could have cost Activision as much as $300 million.
‘‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,” the blockbuster video game from Santa Monica-based Activision Blizzard Inc., has set sales records and garnered industry awards since its November release.
REGIONAL REPORT
Burbank-based media giant Walt Disney Co. has paid $2.5 million for a 10 percent stake in comic book icon Stan Lee’s L.A.-based Pow Entertainment.
Border Trade
PROFILE: Custom Framing in Van Nuys weathered the decline in high-end art purchases by reducing staff and scoring emergency financing.
Van Nuys’ Custom Framing cut staff and secured emergency financing to cope with a slowdown in sales.
Raising the Bar
INTERVIEW: Rande Gerber transformed New York nightlife with his upscale lounge concept Whiskey, where he then met his wife, model Cindy Crawford.
Rande Gerber can thank his nightspot lounge business for introducing him to wife Cindy Crawford.
TV Exec Hopes to Channel Programs Toward Women
FEATURED NEWSMAKER
‘‘Reality” didn’t hit for TV development executive Emily Mayer until she was out of college and working in the mailroom at Beverly Hills’ United Talent Agency
NEWSMAKERS
NEWSMAKERS
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has named Robert “Bud” Ovrom general manager of the Department of Building and Safety. Ovrom is deputy mayor of economic development.
December Delivers Higher Home, Condo Prices
Sales volume drops, stoking concern over strength of rebound.
The median price of homes and condos in Los Angeles County rose year over year in December.
Downtown Namvar Deal May Usher In Many More
An industrial property near downtown Los Angeles owned by Namco Capital Group Inc., the bankrupt West L.A. investment company of beleaguered businessman Ezri Namvar, is being sold for $3.1 million, according to U.S. Bankruptcy Court documents.
Why Northrop’s Exit Matters
COMMENT
In and of itself, Northrop’s departure means little, writes Charles Crumpley. But the move is a symbol of a big problem.
Star-Crossed by the Paparazzi
OP-ED: New state legislation would protect celebs, but ignores small businesses and neighbors caught in the fray.
Daniel A. Rozansky thinks businesses and neighbors should get top billing in new anti-paparazzi legislation.
Helping Southern California Take Wing
OP-ED: Boeing’s C-17 cargo plane works to stabilize the region’s economy and manufacturing base.
Boeing’s C-17 provides jobs, and economic character and culture to the region, according to Maria Elena Durazo and Bill Allen.
CALENDAR & EVENTS
Events of interest to Los Angeles business community.
Power Grab at Center of Environmentalist Water Package
OP-ED
Wayne Lusvardi sees an environmentalist power grab in a proposed package of water bills.
Dining Option’s Off the Wall
House of Blues plans to serve produce from club’s vertical garden.
House of Blues hopes produce from its vertical garden will grow on customers.
You Shouldn’t Bank on It
PAGE 3
The local Korean-American media came out in force last week, eager to get a few minutes with Nara Bank’s elusive 81-year-old chairman, Chong-Moon Lee.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
Walt Disney Co. completed its $4.3 billion cash-and-stock acquisition of Marvel Entertainment.
Reality Checks In
Recession woes undercut developer’s plan for hip Hollywood hotel.
Developer Avi Brosh hopes his hip Hollywood hotel will someday open, even if he no longer owns it.
Investors’ Interest in Oil Companies Heating Up
Local firms BreitBurn, BNK reap double-digit stock gains.
Investors have lit a fire under the stocks of local oil and gas companies.
Helping Men Weather the Storms
OP-ED
Ted Lux sits up and “salutes” local TV stations’ bevy of beautiful meteorologists.