Let's Go Fly a Kite
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For the last decade, Shree Kothari has attended the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles as a way to reconnect with his home country.
Is This a Horror Movie? No, It’s L.A.
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley is afraid that local landlords are in a real horror show.
Gas Price Drives Off Subsidy Talk
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley is happy to see prices – not subsidies – driving company decisions to buy natural gas-fueled trucks.
A Wealth of Lost and Found
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Laurence and Sally Martin of El Segundo gave up careers in aerospace and cable television, respectively, to run an antique shop.
Keeper of the Einstein Rights
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When attorney Steven E. Bledsoe was growing up, he generally got good grades but he was no science whiz.
Are We in the Sue-age?
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley says California courts trouble by letting silly lawsuits shake down businesses.
Big Builder Not So Big Now
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley is worried because KB Home, as a company, suddenly appears a bit rickety.
Private Meeting, Public Setting
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Westfield Group Chief Executive Peter Lowy was hoping to get a little one-on-one meeting with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the American Diabetes Association’s annual Los Angeles Political Roast fundraiser.
Tax Pain at Pumps
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley sees putting the brakes on some fuel taxes as a means to slow the rise of gasoline prices.
Wife Takes Lead in Race With Iron Man
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This month’s L.A. Marathon was Roi Shleifer’s fifth 26.2-mile race, but in another way it was a first for him and his wife: They finished the marathon together.
Body Glove Guy Finds Music a Good Fit
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In work or in play, Russ Lesser just can’t seem to get away from the beach. And that’s the way he likes it.
Shining Up Hollywood’s Star
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley backs state tax credit as a means to boost Hollywood’s role in show biz production.
Fielding for Clients
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Keith Gregory spends much of his time at the downtown L.A. office of law firm Snell & Wilmer LLP representing electronic component makers in complex litigation.
Rule of Law in Cuba and L.A.
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley would be sure to enforce a business-free policy during a visit to Cuba.
Stop Discounting Wal-Mart
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley once checked out a Wal-Mart grocery like the one planned for downtown, and doesn’t see how it could be a threat to competitors.
Hip-Swaying and Foot-Stomping
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R.J. Comer is a land-use attorney by day. By night, he’s the lead singer for the Dance Hall Pimps – which will release its debut album this month.
Special Present for Jazz Singer
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Sydney Weisman is known to the L.A. business community as a publicist, but her family knows her as an avid singer who performs at the Farmer’s Market Thursday Night Jazz events and the like.
Too Small to Succeed
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley says it’s time to pucker up because we’ll be kissing many of our small banks goodbye.
Silly Laws Have Become the Rule
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley discounts the county’s ban on secondhand stores in unincorporated territory.
Slowing to a Halt
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For the past five years, Bianca Vobecky has attended the annual Irwindale Chamber of Commerce silent auction with one goal: put in the winning bid for a season pass to the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
Trash This Dirty Deal
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley calls it a big waste to regulate trash haulers like the airline industry used to be.
Supercharged for Speedy Edge
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About 20 years ago, attorney Tim Lappen fell in with a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who went on long rides together.
Conventional, Creative Boosts
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley calls on the City Council not to drop the ball on AEG’s plan for an NFL stadium and revamped Convention Center.
Disclosure’s Legal, Financial Exposure
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley warns businesses will pay a price no matter how they handle California’s new law on forced labor.
Had a Baby, Closed the Deal
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Talk about being a working mom: Kimberly Roberts Stepp signed the biggest deal of her career a few months ago, only 40 hours after giving birth by Cesarean section.
The Vision Thing
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When Stan Yoshihara left his job at commercial real estate giant CBRE Group Inc. to start his own property management firm, he wanted to create a smaller company that gave him some flexibility and creativity.
Airport Opponents Plane Wrong
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley thinks it’s kind of funny how things keep changing, often making “problems” go “poof.”
Off the Market
COMMENT
The 10th anniversary of Sarbanes-Oxley is coming up, but Charles Crumpley is in no mood to celebrate.
Meeting of the Young and Younger
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Shortly after Sandro Dazzan, a Realtor in Malibu, was featured last month as one of Forbes magazine’s 30 under 30 – which spotlights rising young business people – he got a call from a New York financial adviser named Jason Goldstein.
Give Fracking a Break
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley takes a crack at promoting compromise on oil companies’ use of fracking.
Covering Up the ‘Dfect’
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Having worked for decades as a construction attorney, Robert S. Mann thinks he knows a thing or two about minimizing errors.
Virtual Office Fails to Connect
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley rates the virtual advantages and disadvantages of online workplaces.
Dinner With Royalty? No Joke
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Fasha Mahjoor flew to England last week to dine with royalty at Buckingham Palace.
Snapshots of the Year
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley salutes Mattel for its success with the tried-and-true, and Business Journal photographer Ringo H.W. Chiu for his colors and angles.
Attorney Doesn’t Drink Here Anymore
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When retail chains or nightclub owners need to get alcohol permits in Los Angeles, they often turn to Westside land-use attorney R.J. Comer.
Give Banks Some Credit on Lending
COMMENT
Maybe many businesses have had trouble getting loans because they’re no longer such good credit risks, Charles Crumpley opines.
Retirement Would Be Too Hard
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley takes comfort in knowing that some people so love work that they just can’t stop, even when they’re over 80.
1,000 Dolls to Inspire Blood Donations
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Isaac Larian is feeling generous this year, and who could be surprised? After all, he scored $309 million against rival Mattel Inc. in April after a lengthy legal dispute over Bratz dolls.
Shuffling Back Into the TV Dance Game
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The “Dance Doctor” is taking his groove back to the small screen after sitting out of the TV development business for years.
Keeping Tech Stars in L.A.
COMMENT
Technology is L.A.’s brightest economic sector, but Charles Crumpley frets that it may seep away to a tech Mecca like Silicon Valley.
Cafe Documentary Might Unveil Seedy Side
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Stick around Hollywood long enough and you’re bound to get in to the film business. Just ask Vince Jung, owner of West Hollywood’s Formosa Café.
Auditor Marches to His Own Drum
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When Serge Louchnikov isn’t crunching numbers as an auditor, he’s been learning how to protect the country … in a crunch.
Giving Until It Hurts
COMMENT
Charles Crumpley is not real charitable toward businesses that donate a portion of sales to good causes.
Top of Havana, in Darkness and Light
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As a downtown L.A. business leader, Carol Schatz is no stranger to high-rises.
Go Cap-and-Trade Yourself
COMMENT
Cap-and-trade hot air should be harnessed to scale back state government, writes Charles Crumpley.
Cycling Keeps Him Sane
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While some Angelenos may have spent Sunday morning nursing a hangover, attorney Zia Modabber was up early orchestrating a charity bike ride for hundreds of cyclists.
Neighborhoods Mean Business
COMMENT
In an era of fewer city services, don’t be surprised to see more business improvement districts form in Los Angeles, writes Charles Crumpley.
The Cruel and the Wonderful
COMMENT
A new report that ranks L.A. City Council members by their economic results could inject a little needed competition in City Hall, Charles Crumpley writes.
What is Reality? Real Estate Sales on TV
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Valerie Fitzgerald thought reality TV was staged. Until she was put on a show herself.
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