Weighty Contribution
Sonny Astani knew a run-down gym with little more than some rusted free weights was no place for National Football League hopefuls.
Long-Distance Kosher
Nir Weinblut, one of the premier local kosher chefs, recently returned from a trip to Dubai, where he cooked meals for some of the region’s pre-eminent dignitaries.
How to Build Schools and Prisons
Charles Crumpley sees agreement: Public-private partnerships are good for both sides, and for Los Angeles, too.
Quit Whining About Gas Prices
Stop complaining about high gasoline prices, Charles Crumpley writes. Californians wanted it that way.
Capital Idea
When Mike Zhang was a teenager, he never made it to Washington, D.C., to visit the White House and the national monuments as many students do.
Debit Card Deduction
Prepaid debit cards have moved so far into the mainstream that Charles Crumpley wonders if the industry will move out of Los Angeles.
Mustang Detour
When KJ Jones scooped up a 1991 Ford Mustang for just $1,000 earlier this year, he figured he was merely getting a daily commuter car to take him from the San Fernando Valley to El Segundo, where he works as a technical editor at a magazine for enthusiasts, 5.0 Mustangs & Super Fords. But he got far more than that from his cheap ride.
A Case Where Justice Was Blind
Whew, that was close.
A Moving Experience
Charles Crumpley is moved by a new report that says U-Hauls full of Californians are relocating to other states.
Done with Demand Letters
Charles Crumpley writes that business owners actually got something good from Sacramento last week.
Stomp Out the Toms Shoes Model
Charles Crumpley would like to stamp out the business model started by Toms Shoes.
Shoot First, Start Photo Business Later
By day, George T. Brandon is an executive with the downtown L.A. law firm Morris Polich & Purdy LLP. But at night, you might catch him among the throngs of photographers on the red carpet shooting Oprah Winfrey or Tom Cruise.
High Time to Rethink Privatizing
Lancaster’s inexpensive aerial surveillance plan has Charles Crumpley thinking lofty thoughts about how other cities can save money.
Real Estate Rock
Most people let loose on the weekends, but Peter Kay parties like a rock star.
No Reservations on Century Plaza
Charles Crumpley has high praise for the new plans to redevelop the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza.
Long Way Down
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A few weeks ago, Fasha Mahjoor looked down from the top of an eight-story building and had quite a fright.
From Property to Pageantry and Back
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For as long as Karen Baldwin can remember, the real estate business has played a supporting role in her life.
UCLA Hotel Reservations
Many businesses in Westwood have reservations about UCLA’s planned hotel, but Charles Crumpley thinks there’s a compromise.
Major League Error for Dodgers?
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley is starting to wonder if the new Dodgers owners have a couple of strikes on them already
Shoe-Ins for Downtown L.A. Condos
An NBA ban may have been the best thing that ever happened to Ryan and Adam Goldston.
Soda Tax Idea Goes Flat
Charles Crumpley thinks soda taxes could just go pop.
Vote for the Queen
The London Olympic Games’ opening ceremony drew countless viewers, but there probably weren’t many in Los Angeles more enthusiastic than Dame Barbara Hay.
Back on the Freeway Again
For 22 years, attorney Michael Jenkins, 59, worked at downtown L.A. law firm Richards Watson & Gershon. In fact, that’s where he met his attorney wife, Christi Hogin, 50. But because he lived in Manhattan Beach, he endured a tedious daily commute
Channel the Latino Audience
The explosion of Latino media is putting an accent on L.A.’s business scene, Charles Crumpley notes.
Today’s Special: Interruptions
COMMENT: Charles Crumpley wants a permanent break from wait staff interruptions
Doing Some Fancy Footwork
In January of last year, attorney Sanford H. Perliss felt a sudden urge to start telling his old stories again – much to the chagrin of his 15-year-old son.
Living the Cowboy Dream
Ever since he was a child, Tom McDonald wanted to be a cowboy.
L.A. Gets Break on Broken Meters
You’ve just about arrived at the restaurant where you’re going to have a business lunch, and suddenly it looks as if this is your lucky day.
North Korean Missed Opportunity
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North Korea may not sound like a dream destination for most people, but then globe hopper Mickey Kantor isn’t most people.
Leveraging Game-Changing Cliches
Commentary: As a business news journalist, I read lots of press releases from companies.
Making Beautiful Music at Mattel
Mattel Inc. Chief Executive Bryan Stockton was what he calls a 'basement musician.'
Honor Us With Your Opinion
Charles Crumpley prizes your opinion on how to improve the award-winning Business Journal.
Hollywood Clicks With Microsoft
Charles Crumpley sees Microsoft’s recent moves as the curtain-raiser for the tech-giant’s deeper relationship with Hollywood.
Lawyer Still Game for Olympics
When Santa Monica-born Maidie Oliveau was a student at Georgetown University, she and some other California girls wanted to play volleyball competitively. But the Washington, D.C., school didn’t have a team in 1970, so she had to help start one, getting school approval and even overcoming some sartorial complications.
Street Vendors Lack Curb Appeal
You may have seen the article in the Los Angeles Times last week about the unusual audition in New York.
Burying Hatchet With Trump
Almost six years ago, when Richard “Skip” Bronson, 67, began writing about his development war with Donald Trump, he was looking for catharsis rather than a book deal – though he ended up with both.
Father and Son Take Stock
Louis Perry, who built a reputation as one of the top security providers in Southern California and runs his own company, seems to have an innate feel for the business world. And that apparently runs in the family.
Is IPO Market Hot or Cold?
Recent public pain may stop companies from pursuing IPO gain, writes Charles Crumpley.
Sounds and Sights With the Beatles
Not many people achieve their childhood dream just a week after entering the work force. But that’s exactly what British ex-pat and local resident Ken Scott did.
Another Rank Survey
Another survey says L.A. is not a good place for business, but Charles Crumpley wonders if anyone is listening.
Fortunate L.A.
Los Angeles County is pretty fortunate to still have 14 companies on the Fortune 500 list, Charles Crumpley opines.
Learning From the Books
Parham Nabatian last year read Keith Ferrazzi’s book “Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time.” He was struck by a story in the book about a business support group created by Henry Ford, Roy Firestone and Thomas Edison.
Council Redefines ‘Responsible’
Commentary:
The Los Angeles City Council last week passed a “Responsible Banking” ordinance. Banks will now be required to disclose lending and foreclosure activity in the city if they want to get city business.
Patently Elite Group
With more than 45 inventions to his credit, Kumar Patel joined an exclusive club this month when he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Only the Good Drop Out
COMMENT – Charles Crumpley worries about the shortage of business-friendly mayoral candidates now that Austin Beutner’s dropped out.
Still Making Waves
Few people publish their autobiographies when they’re 90. But that’s exactly what John B. Kilroy Sr. is doing.
P-Word Hangs Over Herbalife
COMMENT – Charles Crumpley doesn’t think it’s healthy for Herbalife to stay with its multilevel marketing arrangement
Recasting View of Asians at Film Festival
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Remember that firsthand parenting book named “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” from the uber-strict, Chinese-American mom that made the rounds last year?
Lay of Land Undoes British Invasion
Charles Crumpley believes the Fresh & Easy chain’s poor reception here is of historic proportions.
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