Looking for a break from the hammer and tong of partisan politics in the era of Trump? Check Howard Fine’s frontpage story on the call for a ticket tax on ferry and cruise ship passengers to and from Catalina. It all seems reasonable and civilized as the little city of Avalon aims to ensure it will have a hospital in the years ahead … Does this sound reasonable? Only 17 startups owned by African-American women in the U.S. have ever raised as much as $1 million from venture capitalists. That’s according to Tracy Gray, founder and managing partner of The 22 Fund and executive-in-residence of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator in the Arts District. Gray offered the stats on African-American women to a crowd of about 400 that turned out for a Founders panel discussion that included Jane Wurwand, co-founder of Dermalogica in Carson, as part of an International Women’s Day program at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management … Speaking of entrepreneurs – anyone else notice that Will Ferrell and his posse all wore Kings’ jerseys during a recent game at Staples Center? The example makes sense for a guy with a new role as a co-owner of the expansion Los Angeles Football Club, which will no doubt have jerseys on sale when it starts play at its newly built Banc of California Stadium in Exposition Park next month. …
Can’t think of a better match of event and place than the Future of the Automobile Conference set for May 3 at the Petersen Automotive Museum at Wilshire and Fairfax, a marquee location at the epicenter of car culture … Another good match comes in the form of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council as co-sponsor for the conference at the Petersen, which will focus on an industry with an intriguingly balanced spread over North America, Europe and Asia … Also well matched: Century City-based law firm Glaser Weil’s sartorially splendid M&A specialist George Wall and Fred Hayman Way, the charming pathway that’s named for the late fashion legend and leads to the Grill on the Alley, where the sharp-dressed crowd certainly honors Hayman’s legacy … Stand by to see if it’s a good match when LA Weekly hosts The Essentials, a foodie fest set for the California Market Center on March 25. A social media campaign protesting staff cuts by the publication’s new owners was credited with forcing the cancellation of a similar event called Sips & Sweets back in December … Here’s a tip for foodies as well as marketers who want their dollars – coppa is the hot ticket when it comes to charcuterie, turning up everywhere from Monseiur Marcel’s in the Farmer’s Market to Bestia in the Arts District … Bestia has turned heads for all sorts of reasons of taste – its menu is outstanding in every way. It’s also worth a look from a business perspective, with consistent excellence of food and service that’s all the more impressive for its scale – the place is constantly packed and turns its dining room crowd of 200 or so several times a night … Sullivan Says: I didn’t figure on finding the healthiest-looking succulent in Southern California in the middle of the Nespresso store and restaurant north of Wilshire on Beverly Drive.
