BROKER Jeff Pion
If Jeff Pion could live his life over again, he would be a Google Inc. executive.
Turning on Tech Clients By Design
An ocean wave crafted out of wood separates work stations from communal space in Google Inc.’s Venice office.
ARCHITECT Michael White
Michael White is among the go-to designers for local tech, media and entertainment firms.
Scoring More Space
Video game company Riot Games Inc. is growing so fast that within months of leasing more than 47,000 square feet of space last year for a new headquarters, co-founders Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill needed to double the size before moving in.
DEVELOPER Jeffrey E. Palmer
Jeff Palmer began building properties for creative and tech tenants during the first dot-com boom in the mid-’90s.
Honda Car Designers Draw Up Downtown Plan
Elite studio behind exotic Acura NSX moving near L.A. Live.
Honda R&D Americas Inc. is moving one of its design studios to downtown Los Angeles, only steps from L.A. Live and the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Hotel Room At a Premium
DEVELOPMENT: Another project eyed near L.A. Live.
Buyer of carwash near LA Live hopes to clean up by building mixed-use hotel on the site.
Sprucing Up, Goosing Up L.A. Landmarks
If Wayne Ratkovich isn’t the godfather of rehabbing L.A.’s old iconic buildings, he’s at least its uncle.
Honda Car Designer Heading Downtown
Honda R&D Americas Inc., the elite studio behind exotic Acura NSX, moving downtown near L.A. Live, sources told the Business Journal.
Sun Sets on San Fernando Valley Investor Group
SALE: Samuel Rand unloads eight buildings in separate deals for $25.5 million.
An eight-property multifamily portfolio in the San Fernando Valley has sold to four different buyers for a total $25.5 million.
Investor Group Likes Fit Of Former Brown Derby
CMC Asset buys L.A. city historic monument property for $9.25 million.
The historic Brown Derby building in Los Feliz traded hands for $9.25 million last week.
Time Now on Side of Downtown Property Owner
Possible portfolio sale of MPG properties boosts shares.
Prospect of selling off downtown L.A. portfolio next year pumps up MPG stock.
Beverly Hills Too Taxing for Architecture Firm
L.A. city’s levy holiday draws HKS to Westwood office.
Beverly Hills has lost another tenant to the city of L.A.’s three-year tax holiday.
El Segundo Sees Creative Ways to Lure Business
Move over, Silicon Beach: El Segundo wants in on the tech boom action.
CRA Properties Back in Limbo
State holds up deals by successor agencies.
New state law puts a hold on successor agencies’ sales of former CRA properties.
MPG May Consider Selling Itself
Financially strapped MPG Office Trust Inc. may look to sell its entire 8.2 million-square-foot office portfolio as soon as next year.
West Hollywood Deal in Rare Neighborhood
ACQUISITION: Partners pick up office property for estimated $40 million.
An 85,000-square-foot West Hollywood office building traded hands last week for an estimated $40 million.
Testing Service Business Looks to Make Its Marks
EDUCATION: Kite’s online marketplace to provide questions to teachers.
EDUCATION: Kite co-founders hope their website moves to the head of the class in the testing services industry
Historic Hancock Park Apartments on the Market
Hancock Park’s iconic El Royale Apartments, once home to Hollywood elites such as Clark Gable, is for sale for the first time in 50 years.
NBCUniversal Abandons Residential Development at Studio
NBCUniversal is abandoning controversial plans to build thousands of residences on its Universal City backlot.
Range War
The battle over Newhall Ranch and its planned 21,000 homes is almost over. The developer looks to have won.
The bucolic Santa Clara River valley features scenic rolling grasslands, oak trees and other habitat typical of Southern California chaparral.
Park Mile Miraculously Outperforms More Bustling Neighbors
The Wilshire Corridor mustered a slight improvement last quarter with some unusual help from the Park Mile.
Panavision Facility Sells for Record $8.12 Million
A building fully occupied by film equipment maker Panavision Inc. has traded hands for $8.12 million in Hollywood’s largest office sale this year, sources told the Business Journal.
Developer Exits Another Downtown L.A. Project
Sonny Astani sells entitled development in $63 million deal.
Developer Sonny Astani had spent the last couple of years in a heated and high-profile legal battle with hedge fund Starwood Capital Group.
Toymaker May Have Stoked Play for Takeover
Jakks stock buyback reduces number of shares, cuts price.
Toymaker Jakks’ moves to stave off a takeover may have drawn acquisition cross hairs.
Pier Pressure
Redondo Beach tourism ebbs at faded waterfront
Redondo Beach looks to buoy business with a major facelift for city’s pier and waterfront.
Kadisha Company Makes Big Buy in Long Beach
Omninet affiliate pays $69 million for Freeway Business Center.
In the largest office sale in Long Beach this year, a 490,000-square-foot building was purchased by billionaire Neil Kadisha’s investment vehicle for $69 million in an all-cash transaction.
Mall Owner Sold On Century City
Westfield plans expansion, new HQ.
Developer Westfield homes in on its expanding Century City mall for its new U.S. headquarters.
Developer to Raise Curtain on Hollywood Offices
J.H. Snyder plans $120 million, two-building project.
Developer Jerry Snyder is preparing to break ground on Hollywood’s first new office building since the Great Recession.
Disk Business Slips Into More Space in Burbank
Deluxe Digital takes over entire building in $60 million deal.
In one of the largest lease deals in Burbank this year, a division of Hollywood postproduction house Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. will expand into an entire 130,000-square-foot building at Burbank Empire Center.
Sunset Strip Has Room for Marriott
Hotelier loses reservations about luxury brand.
Marriott looks to check into the hot Westside market with hip, upscale hotel named Edition.
Road to Victory
Local company steers veteran trucker into competing and winning state driving competition.
State Breathes Life Into CRA Projects
City of L.A. scores $318 million in funding.
State Department of Finance to pay $318 million to projects marooned by loss of CRA funding.
Clippers Owner Plays Pickup Game in Koreatown
Donald Sterling pays $16.2 million for apartment property.
Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling is expanding his already colossal apartment portfolio.
Endangered CRA Projects Get Some Funding
Several hundred projects in the city of Los Angeles halted by the death of redevelopment agencies will move forward anyway, apparently giving them a reprieve, at least for now.
Downtown Neighborhood Homes In on High End
Luxury residences make comeback in L.A.’s South Park.
The first new luxury apartment development since 2008 in downtown L.A.’s South Park neighborhood broke ground last week.
Santa Monica Developers Rush to Get Line on Expo Stations
Mixed-use and residential projects targeted at stops.
Developers are making tracks to build projects around future Expo Line stops in Santa Monica.
Price for Downtown L.A. High-Rise Scrapes Sky
Real Estate: Deal for $240 million by CBRE unit is area’s biggest since 2008.
In what would be the largest sale of a downtown L.A. office building since 2008, CBRE Global Investors, an affiliate of CBRE Group Inc., is under contract to buy a property at 400 S. Hope St. for $240 million, sources told the Business Journal.
Gaining Ground
CEO Bill McMorrow looks to expand Kennedy-Wilson’s real estate holdings with moves into the United Kingdom.
Kennedy-Wilson’s Bill McMorrow credits the structure that comes with being raised in a large family for his work ethic and discipline.
Investment Firm Sold on San Pedro Retail Center
ACQUISITION: Park Plaza taken by First Washington in $62 million deal.
A 200,000-square-foot San Pedro retail complex known as Park Plaza was the first shopping center to trade hands this year when it sold for $62 million last month.
Dodgers Neighbors Beginning to Score
Team’s new ownership inspires developers.
New Dodgers ownership a hit with stadium neighbors looking to swing sales and development deals.
Talent Agency Scores Callback in Beverly Hills
INCENTIVES: UTA strikes
As Beverly Hills and Los Angeles fight over keeping businesses within their city limits, United Talent Agency Inc. has struck a clever deal.
Developer Homes In On West Hollywood
Monarch’s two projects add to apartment boom.
Developer Monarch doubles down on West Hollywood bet with two mixed-use projects. It’s the latest in an ongoing boomlet in that area.
St. Louis Real Estate Brokerage Opens Office Downtown
Commercial real estate investment and services company Cassidy Turley Inc. is opening its first Los Angeles office, and has hired away four brokers from Transwestern’s downtown office to do so.
Owner Aims Sky High With Pasadena Property
REAL ESTATE: Square-foot price would be highest paid in city since deal in 2009.
The Pasadena office building at 385 E. Colorado Blvd. has been put on the market only weeks after its largest tenant, Western Asset Management Co., renewed its lease.
Developer Tosses Dump Blueprint
LNR scales back mixed-use at closed landfill.
LNR looks to salvage its mixed-use project on a former dump by scaling back retail and residential elements.
Maguire, AEG Think Big Downtown
Office tower would be area’s first in 20 years.
Developer Robert Maguire looks to build on his downtown roots by teaming with AEG on a creative office high-rise.
Los Angeles County Home Sales March 2012
Sales heated up in March with arrival of the summer home-buying season.
Dallas Firm Rustles Up Downtown L.A. Property
Real Estate: Lincoln’s deal for Wedbush Center valued at $130 million.
Downtown L.A.’s Wedbush Center is about to trade hands.
Let's Go Fly a Kite
PAGE 3
For the last decade, Shree Kothari has attended the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles as a way to reconnect with his home country.
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