Stories for March 1998
Monday, March 30
Compcol
America Online, the Bill Clinton of the Internet, continues to dominate the market for online services, despite developments that its critics were certain would reverse its fortunes. With 11 million subscribers, AOL enjoys a substantial lead over its comp
Struggle
Menswear designer Warren Rice Jr. knows all about the frustration of a start-up business dealing with conventional lenders.
Rideshare
Hundreds of L.A.-area companies that thought they had seen the end of the South Coast Air Quality Management District's mandatory carpool program may be in for a rude awakening:
Asklorraine
QUESTION: I recently started my own business after working for a Fortune 500 company for 20 years. I love working for myself, but I really miss the staffing help. Do you have any tips to cut the time I have to spend on chores like travel plans?
Entnotebook
Customer loyalty is at an all-time low. Companies offering both products and services have focused on acquiring new customers at the expense of the ones they already have despite the fact that it is more costly to replace customers than it is to keep th
Digestadd
While Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls Al Checchi and Rep. Jane Harmon spend their own money on TV advertising, other candidates took advantage of the lifting of fund-raising limits and pulled in millions of dollars in campaign donations.
OPED
The signs are unmistakable. The economy is booming. Jobs are being created at a steady clip. The American economy is on the move. Or is it?
record add
In the March 16 list of property management firms, the name of the top local executive of Morlin Management Corp. was misprinted. The correct name is Randall Moore
History
20 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK: Appearing before a Congressional subcommittee in Los Angeles, recording artists urged passage of a law requiring radio stations to pay royalties to singers and musicians and not just composers each time a recording of their wor
MRI
A Tucson, Ariz.-based technology development firm is betting millions that a Caltech chemist's invention will revoultionize magnetic resonance imaging and turn a profit.
Title
The surge in home sales and low interest rates has created a bull market for title companies in Los Angeles County, which saw the value of refinance and sales mortgages jump 21 percent last year over 1996 levels.
Record
A headline in the March 23 Business Journal incorrectly stated that the Gas Co. was laying off workers. The Gas Co. is eliminating jobs through attrition and voluntary severance packages.
Inmargin
With the company's merger to Lockheed Martin Corp. now in serious jeopardy, officials at Northrop Grumman Corp. were being forced last week to seriously consider the question: Can they survive as an independent company against the industry giants.
Boots
John Lobb Ltd., the venerable London shoemaker that has created custom-made footwear for kings, queens, potentates and high-rollers since it was founded in 1849, has opened a store in inside the Hermes shop on Rodeo Drive.
Overview
On paper, the small-business lending environment in inner-city Los Angeles has never looked better.
Letter McAndrews
I want to thank writer Jane Bryant Quinn and the Los Angeles Business Journal for running the Feb. 9 column, "Names can be deceiving."
Lacdb
Few financial institutions were created with as much fanfare as the Los Angeles Community Development Bank.
WSW
When you think of investment bankers, you probably aren't likely to envision them scrutinizing the economics of dancing Vegas showgirls, Elvis impersonators and Florida dinner theaters.
Success
In hindsight, September 1991 may not have been the most auspicious time to set up shop near the corner of Florence and Compton avenues. But that's when Dr. Francisco J. Recalde opened up his family medical practice just a few months before the area was e
Power
Ever since he opened his Metro Caf & #233; diner, Sam Amad has wondered why no national retailer has moved into his Mid-Wilshire neighborhood.
Corpfocus
In its 148-year history, Pinkerton's Inc. has handled some pretty rough business.
Retail
Until recently, residents of L.A.'s poorest neighborhoods had only a handful of choices for their consumer banking.
Letter Rosenthal
You write that "when considering development, today's realities must be considered, not yesterday's." How true. Today, Los Angeles is faced with a severe shortage of open space and parkland. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to preserve a significa
Letter Antonovich
Expansion of Palmdale Airport is the rational solution to the growing transportation needs of the 3.5 million residents of the Antelope, Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys, and our neighboring San Bernardino, Kern, and Ventura counties ("LAX Turbulenc
Panel
How are the inner-city communities of Los Angeles faring? The Business Journal interviewed four local leaders about the state of inner-city L.A. today. They represent a mainstream commercial bank, an African American-owned bank, a Korean American communit
Trump
Whether or not the Ambassador Hotel site becomes a power retail center may depend on the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Boeing
Boeing Co.'s announcement that it plans to cut nearly 6,000 jobs in Los Angeles County may just be the first round of local downsizing, analysts warned last week.
Persfi
Home values are definitely looking up. Rising prices are the rule almost everywhere. Home sales jumped a big 10.3 percent in January. Owners are daring to dream that homes might be a good investment again.
Players
An inner-city entrepreneur has a variety of sources to turn to for expansion capital.
Newmakeradd
Kristin Witzenburg has been named vice president of marketing at Hughes Aircraft Employees Federal Credit Union in Manhattan Beach. She will be responsible for organizing public relations for the company's position regarding "The Credit Union Membership A
Briefing
Sandy Gray was operations manager of a struggling manufacturing company in Gardena when he received an offer he couldn't refuse. The firm's chief executive had abruptly retired and the owners tapped the 26-year-old Princeton graduate to turn the firm arou
Edit
Skeptics have every right to question just how far L.A.'s charter reform effort eventually will go, and yet the early indications are encouraging. Both commissions the panel appointed by the City Council and the one voters elected in 1997 show an impr
RE Column
After every corporate merger and cutback announcement, the first thing people want to know is, What happens to the employees? Then they want to know about the real estate.
DVD
All across the entertainment industry, executives are choosing sides in what might be called the "Battle of the Machines."
LABJ325
Tables based on data from March 19 - March 25. Abbreviations: (H) stock hit new 52 week high; (L) stock hit new 52 week low; (S) stock split during week.
Hot Sauce
A bright-yellow roadster is broken down on a desert highway. A curvaceous blond in an evening gown stands next to it, hiking her dress up to reveal thigh-high stockings, her thumb stuck out to attract a ride. A similarly clad redhead sits on the car's tru
Options2
Jacyra Biven was turned down for a loan by three commercial banks before eventually accepting her then-boyfriend's offer to lend her $12,000 for her business.
Agile
In the wake of her divorce, Maralyn Facey went from being an interior designer to a software designer.
record 2
A headline in the March 23 Business Journal incorrectly stated that the Gas Co. was laying off workers. The Gas Co. is eliminating jobs through attrition and voluntary severance packages.
CRA
Congress passed the Community Reinvestment Act in 1977 to encourage lending in low-income areas, but it has been difficult, if not impossible, to determine how much has been lent and to whom.
Small Biz
When an employee at Universal Studios Inc. was diagnosed with Legionnaire's Disease a little more than two years ago, fear spread through the workplace that the office air ducts might be responsible. Universal's safety manager Paul Jordan turned to the in
Lastories
Party crashers are hardly unusual at Tinseltown's most exclusive post-Oscar bashes. But the crashers at the Elton John AIDS Foundation gala at Spago in Beverly Hills last week were not the usual variety.
Options
Jacyra Biven was turned down for a loan by three commercial banks before eventually accepting her then-boyfriend's offer to lend her $12,000 for her business.
Telemundo
Sony Pictures Entertainment's takeover of Telemundo Group Inc. is still months from being finalized, but the Culver City studio is already launching a major effort to overhaul the Miami-based Spanish-language network.
Letter Cohon
Just when it seemed that everything had been said about Village Center Westwood, I had an experience which I thought should be shared.
Letter Calko
As a long-time follower of the gaming industry, I am completely befuddled as to what Larry Flynt's game is ("Flynt Seeking Card Club Action," March 9).
Newsmaker
Mary Lou Dudas used to enjoy strolling along Hollywood Boulevard until the night she found herself in the middle of a shootout.
Digest
Downtown L.A.-based Atlantic Richfield Co. has agreed to sell its domestic coal operations to Arch Coal Inc. for $1.14 billion. The deal, if consummated, would make St. Louis-based Arch Coal the nation's second-largest coal producer and the dominant produ
Monday, March 16
Apperson
When Perky Apperson arranged the sale of a 162-unit apartment building in the Mid-Wilshire district for $5.3 million, it was far from her biggest deal. But it told her a lot about how the market has changed.
Strategies
When they sit down to write the last chapter of their success stories the one about where their money goes when they're gone some of very rich seem to be taking a cue from Andrew Carnegie. The industrialist and champion of philanthropy didn't believe
For record
A March 2 story on Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles' filing for bankruptcy incorrectly identified the IRS, Franchise Tax Board and the L.A. County Tax Collector as creditors; information from those agencies was simply submitted to the U.S. Trustee's Of
Oscars
March Madness is now upon us except it's the Academy Awards, not basketball, that is on the minds of many Los Angeles businesses this month.
Architects
To determine the best architectural designs being created in Los Angeles, the Business Journal assembled a panel of three judges with significant design expertise. After viewing a number of noteworthy submissions, the panel selected the following three pr
Doney
Even though R. Todd Doney is a landlord representative, he listens intently to what tenants want and then tries to provide it.
Edit
One of L.A.'s longest-running soap operas otherwise known as the Playa Vista development appears back on track, thanks to new investors, a restructured financial arrangement and a string of mostly favorable court rulings.
SAG
For nearly 18 years, Hollywood's actors and producers have lived in peace. Perhaps no more.
Architects2
To determine the best architectural designs being created in Los Angeles, the Business Journal assembled a panel of three judges with significant design expertise. After viewing a number of noteworthy submissions, the panel selected the following three pr
Broad
And that's exactly what he encountered 16 months ago when he began investigating the stalled drive to build the Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.
Persfi
If you're buying or refinancing a house, and putting less than 20 percent down, the bank requires you to buy mortgage insurance. This guarantees that the lender won't take a major loss if you default.
Graham
This is about what is thought widely but discussed cautiously. When it comes to the Internet, there are no experts. There may be thousands of what might be called "microperts." They have something to contribute but only at the moment and within a narrow r
Corpfocus
Its models may turn heads on the fashion runways, but when it comes to performing in the financial arena, Guess Inc. has been a wallflower.
Margin
When the Business Journal first launched its Real Estate Awards a few years ago, it focused on commercial brokers the men and women who are in many ways the most visible members of the profession. And, given the slump in real estate, they were often the
Northop
Just two weeks ago, Northrop Grumman Corp. officials were handing out coffee mugs with their company's logo on them. When a hot drink is poured in one of the mugs, the insignia of Lockheed Martin Corp. appears in gold.
Computer
It's one of the 10 largest public companies in Los Angeles, with nearly $6 billion in revenues in a cutting-edge, high-technology industry.
WSW
It's on fire, according to Larry Post, ex-Drexelite and founder of the Westside-based Post Advisory, a junk bond money manager. Post says there are about $3 billion in new issues every week.
Arden
An acquisition spree of 31 office properties helped Beverly Hills-based Arden Realty Inc. garner the title of largest investor for 1997.
Index
A
Event
Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and Eli Broad stood together last Wednesday night and called on local business leaders to give something back to their city.
Newsmakers
Director Rene Eram has joined the staff of T Minus 30 Films in Los Angeles. Eram has worked with the company on a freelance basis for two years and has now signed an agreement for exclusive representation in commercials. His credits include campaigns for
Big Five 2
"Titanic," the film immortalized for its 14 Oscar nominations, is said to have cost a record-breaking $200 million. The movie's worldwide box office performance similarly shattered records by passing the $1 billion mark a couple of weeks ago. That leaves
Dodger
It was a telling moment at last week's Dodger Stadium press conference. Peter O'Malley had just announced he would relinquish operational control of his beloved team to longtime lieutenant Bob Graziano, and reporters wanted to know exactly what that meant
Oped #1
There may be thousands of what might be called "microperts." They have something to contribute but only at the moment, and within a narrow range of Internet activity.
Overview
Residential brokers are sorting through multiple offers almost as soon as they list their homes, architectural firms don't have enough employees to handle their new business, and lending institutions are once again returning developers' phone calls.
Interio
Architects and interior designers like to sum up their achievements in aesthetic terms. They point to the beauty of their designs, their photo spreads in magazines, and the various awards they have won.
Internet
As gray-suited chief executives jostled elbows with blue-haired young men at last week's Internet World, everyone was looking for this year's "killer app" the must-have technology that would give one's company a competitive advantage.
Cooney
Sara Fisher's article "Digital Confusion as Tech Industry Wrangles Over Name" (Feb. 9) brought an important point to those able to read between the lines. There are thousands of tech companies scattered throughout Southern California. No one moniker could
Dodgers2
It was a telling moment at last week's Dodger Stadium press conference. Peter O'Malley had just announced he would relinquish operational control of his beloved team to longtime lieutenant Bob Graziano, and reporters wanted to know exactly what that meant
How Do
Over the past 64 years, there have been leaks aplenty from the White House and even from the Pentagon, but nobody from Price Waterhouse LLP has ever leaked the winners of the Oscars.
Weekly Brief
David Ufberg left a career in the garment industry to start his own business making salsa. After trying to sell the product under his own label, he discovered that the costs of marketing were too overwhelming. Now he runs Alto Rey Foods, which develops re
Letter-Westwood
Those who support the Village Center Westwood project demonstrate the only view that one can conclude with complete objectivity. Many of us have outlined both the pros and the cons (there are always cons: "there ain't no free lunch") and we can see that t
Art Corps
By all accounts, Patricia Maureen Bayes was a smooth-talking art dealer who victimized galleries, antique shops and private dealers throughout the Los Angeles area in a series of scams.
Postley
Those who support the Village Center Westwood project demonstrate the only view that one can reach with complete objectivity. Many of us have outlined both the pros and the cons (there are always cons: "there ain't no free lunch") and we can see that the
Ronka
George B. Newhouse, a prosecutor in the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney's Office, is about to stop putting high-profile criminals in prison. In fact, he'll be fighting to keep his clients free.
Barreto
Hector V. Barreto, the new chairman of the Los Angeles-based Latin Business Association, has some big shoes to fill.
Ent Note
I'm from California. I believe that "information wants to be free." I also believe that if wishes were horses, poor men would ride.
Letter
Sara Fisher's article Digital Confusion as Tech Industry Wrangles Over Name (LABJ 3-9-98) brought an important. point to those able to read between the lines. There are thousands of tech companies scattered throughout Southern California. No one moniker c
WSW2
Just how hot is the high-yield bond market?It's on fire, according to Larry Post, ex-Drexelite and founder of the Westside-based Post Advisory, a junk bond money manager. Post says there are about $3 billion in new issues every week.
Digest
Home Shopping Network owner Barry Diller last week upped his bid for the remaining 50 percent of Los Angeles-based Ticketmaster Group Inc. that he didn't already own, and this time Ticketmaster's board was satisfied with the offer.
Wilson
His term may be coming to an end, but Gov. Pete Wilson is making it clear he won't go quietly.
Designers
In a city that attracts some of the world's hottest fashion designers, architects and other design professionals, it's very easy to get lost in the crowd, no matter how talented one may be.
Gas
Few Angelenos have enjoyed the recent drop in gas prices more than Marc Granovitz, owner of Boulevard Florist Wholesale Flower Market in Lawndale.
Big Five
"Titanic," the film immortalized for its 14 Oscar nominations, is said to have cost a record-breaking $200 million. The movie's worldwide box office performance similarly shattered records by passing the $1 billion mark a couple of weeks ago. That leaves
Market Column
As if it weren't hard enough trying to sell Hyundais in the land of Ford pickups and Unabombers, the dealers at Missoula Nissan-Hyundai of Missoula, Montana have David Letterman to contend with.
WorkComp
It looks like the long-awaited shakeout in the workers compensation insurance market has arrived, three years after the market was opened to competition.
ResBlderintro
Two awards were handed out to residential brokers for the highest sales volume in dollars in 1997, and for selling the most units last year.
DigestAdd
In a major victory for Burbank Airport, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that a federal environmental impact statement on the expansion was adequate.
Combuliders
Perhaps nowhere is the real estate recovery more apparent than in the Builders category. The cranes did indeed return in 1997, and awards were handed out in three categories: largest office project, largest industrial project and most active developer.
Desalvo
No one in Los Angeles last year sold more homes, based on total value of sales, than Ron de Salvo, the No. 1 real estate broker in Coldwell Banker's nationwide army of 67,000 brokers.
Cushman
John C. Cushman III reaffirmed his position as L.A.'s preeminent office tenant representative as he relocated a major part of Princess Cruises' operations from its pricey digs in Century City to the up-and-coming Valencia market.
Hotel
With a deadline only weeks away, contract negotiations between the local hotel workers union and a number of L.A.-area hotels have reached an impasse, according to union officials, raising the possibility of a strike by hundreds of maids, bellhops, cooks
Monday, March 9
Digest
The jobless rate in Los Angeles County plunged to just 6.0 percent in January, down from December's 6.7 percent. The drop puts L.A.'s out-of-work population just higher than the statewide average, which is 5.9 percent.
Doug
Fax Bahr has worked on some of TVs biggest recent comedy hits, including "In Living Color" and "Mad TV," the latter of which he co-developed. But comedy sketch writing was hardly where Bahr envisioned himself when he set out to become a writer. His first
Scheimann
The California Mart has long been considered the gateway to Southern California's apparel market. But industry insiders sometimes complain that it has served as merely a stopover point for the global fashion industry on its way to New York.
Young
Some 40 hospitals have closed in Southern California in the past decade. Jim Young thinks it's a good time to reopen some of them.
BID
It's the largest business improvement district in Southern California and has been up and running for two months, yet few people know of its existence.
Anderson
Don't think that just because Colleen Anderson-Caballero is a banking executive, she's a stick in the mud. On the contrary, the once-aspiring comedian sometimes uses wit to her advantage in her banking career.
New Sum
GAMBLING "Vegas in L.A." takes hold as local card clubs move from the margins to the mainstream. 1
Weiss
Though just 38, Richard Weiss, is in charge of investing more than $2 billion for Sanwa Bank California, a job usually reserved for those with a lot more gray on their temples.
Gambling
But looming over the busy, six-lane industrial thoroughfare, the large, flashing sign for the Normandie Casino promises just that "Vegas in L.A."
Bankrupt
Faced with a doubling in the number of bankruptcy filings and a resulting rise in related fraud, Attorney General Janet Reno last week appointed Maureen Tighe as United States Trustee for the Central District of California.
ID
Shakespeare once asked, "What's in a name?" For the Los Angeles technology industry, the answer appears to be a headache.
Shell
Jeff Shell recently sat across from Peter O'Malley, listening to the owner of the Dodgers reminisce about his years with the baseball team. For a lifelong Dodger fan like Shell, it was a very emotional experience. But the 32-year-old executive vice presid
LA Stories
In Hollywood, Elvis Presley ain't nothin' but a hound dog. Or at least that's how he's being treated, according to a group of Hollywood activists.
List Story
The women-owned businesses on this week's list are 100 of more than 350,000 local companies that make Los Angeles the nation's second-biggest market for women-owned firms. Second only to New York, L.A.'s population of women-owned companies generates more
Shelley
When Washington Mutual acquired Great Western Financial Corp. last year, Gail Shelly and her quality-service management group were not laid off like many of their colleagues but quickly incorporated into the new company. The reason: the group has a cr
Freedman
Upon graduating from UCLA law school in 1993, Jeffrey Freedman, an aspiring entertainment lawyer, had doors slammed in his face by each of the major studios.
Neuauser
Her job as president and chief financial officer of bankrupt Carolco Pictures is about to be terminated, but that hasn't stopped Alice Neuhauser from getting her soon-to-be defunct employer the most bang for its buck.
Whale
The Pacific Design Center's strikingly original building, known as "The Blue Whale," may be up for sale.
LA Forum
Rivals of Microsoft and even some lawmakers have long alleged that the company is a dangerous monopoly. With Bill Gates' appearance before Congress last week, it looks like the government is taking a closer look at the issue. The Business Journal Forum as
Strategie
Question: I am a graphic designer with a specialty in developing Web sites for my corporate clients. Like many small-business women, I work from home, and spend at least 75 percent of my time on the computer. In order to be more efficient, I try and retri
This Week
Architects Albert Martin and Edward Martin helped shape L.A.'s skyline and have strong views on local landmarks.
Rosten
I am proud to have a city councilman who cares enough about this community and its future to go door-to-door, explaining facts about Village Center Westwood to his constituents. Few of our representatives today are so committed to the people they represen
Persfi
Is your credit-union membership in danger? Not likely, despite a recent Supreme Court ruling.
Schwartz
Robert Schwartz of O'Melveny & Myers is considered a top-gun litigator for motion picture studios when they face threats from those wanting a bigger "fraction of the action" actors, writers and others who think they are getting short-changed on their co
martins
When it comes to shaping Los Angeles, few architectural firms have had as much of an impact as AC Martin Partners.
Alums
The past 12 months have been a busy time for many of the 30 "Class of '97" up-and-comers profiled in the Business Journal last year.
Up & comier
Who are the hottest prospects to attain business greatness in the months and years ahead? The Business Journal identifies 25 Angelenos who fit the bill in this week's Special Report, Up & Comers.
Brant
In L.A.'s banking industry, where downsizing and consolidation are the order of the day, Bob Brant has managed not only to survive but to thrive.
WSW
"When you are in the auto repair industry, and you have a name like Hunt Ramsbottom, you gotta' be tough. That's why I backed him."
Wkly Brief
For years, Aki Watanabe enjoyed good reviews and a steady following at his popular West L.A. Japanese restaurant, Asakuma. But after a dozen years in business, Asakuma's growth was flattening.
Nissan
The car company that has spent the last year telling consumers that life is an adventure and to "Enjoy the Ride" is traveling down some bumpy roads of its own.
Clay & Chuck
When Clay Williams and Chuck Bennett were eating soft-shell tacos at their favorite Mexican food place in Venice several months ago, a chihuahua streaked by the window hell-bent on some mission. As the two creative directors at TBWA Chiat/Day laughed at t
Newsmaker
Stephen Randall, the newly appointed executive editor of Playboy magazine and a part-time magazine-writing instructor at the University of Southern California, says his job isn't quite as sexy as it sounds.
Corp Focus
It may not be glamorous, but the self-adhesive business has been paying big rewards for Pasadena-based Avery Dennison Corp.
Ent Note
40 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK: Universal Pictures suspended feature film production "to take stock" of the company's future, in light of quarterly losses of up to $450,000, President Milton R. Rackmil told shareholders at the annual meeting in New York. But Rack
Kayyem
Technology developed by Jon Faiz Kayyem and his Pasadena-based start-up, Clinical Micro Sensors, could wind up doing for DNA tests what Crown did for books.
Oped
The Pacific Design Center's strikingly original building, known as "The Blue Whale," is quietly being put up for sale.
rosecran
When Redondo Beach resident Marcy Rodriguez headed to the beach along Rosecrans Avenue last summer, she hardly noticed the once sleepy industrial district in El Segundo known as Continental Park.
Manufacturing
For the first time since losing the title to Chicago four years ago, Los Angeles has once again captured the crown as the nation's No. 1 manufacturing center.
Cedillo
Newly elected state Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, says he is not just an FOA, or Friend of Antonio, but rather an OFOA an original Friend of Antonio.
Reynolds
Audrey Collins did not aspire to be a federal court judge, finding satisfaction in being a good lawyer and working diligently for many years in the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office.
Computer Col
It's an old cliche, but generally true: There's no such thing as a free lunch. And now this sad rule applies to the Internet.
Hobin
Molly Hobin has been an up-and-comer since her 18th birthday, the legal age at which one can conduct a real estate transaction in California and the day she closed escrow on her grandmother's house.
Roth
I am writing to voice my opposition to Ira Smedra's Village Center Project as currently designed. I am a licensed architect and member of the American Institute of Architects, and I have studied both the original and more recent project plans.
Flynt
Strip club operator, pornographer, magazine magnate, First Amendment standard bearer Larry Flynt has quite a resume. Now, the controversial publisher of Hustler magazine is adding yet another colorful job title to the list casino impresario.
Credit
The U.S. Supreme Court ruling limiting the type of customers that credit unions can accept is expected to have a big impact in Los Angeles, where some of the nation's biggest credit unions are located.
Smith2
That's how many subscribers his company's DirecTV subsidiary needs to leverage exclusive distribution deals with Hollywood studios deals that Smith believes hold the key to DirecTV's future.
For Record
The Feb. 16 Business Journal incorrectly reported that Green Mountain Energy Resources is working with Amway Corp. to establish a retail energy program. In fact, Amway has entered an agreement with Enron Energy Services to market electricity to residentia
Re Column
It could happen. Now that the nearly decade-long legal battle over the Ambassador Hotel site finally has been settled, its owners are revisiting their original designs to redevelop the 23-acre Mid-Wilshire property.
Robinson
In fact, it wasn't until she was getting her MBA in marketing at UCLA's Anderson School where everything from taking tests to conducting research is done on laptops that she realized how computers can make some tasks a lot easier.
Market Colum
A husband and wife are in their front yard, watching cars go by. He gets more excited with each passing vehicle, practically sniffing the air as they go by until he can stand it no longer he sprints after one, only to be tripped up when his "leash" (a h
Smith
That's how many subscribers his company's DirecTV subsidiary needs to leverage exclusive distribution deals with Hollywood studios deals that Smith believes hold the key to DirecTV's future.
Newman
Eugene Volakh is a UCLA law professor who has become well known not only for his strongly opinionated articles in law journals and newspapers, but for his active presence in Internet discussion groups.
Lenk
Internet start-up companies have been described as having the same chance of succeeding as restaurants slim to none. But Toby Lenk's brainchild has attracted the attention of both the new media and venture capital communities.
Wurtzel
Newhall Land and Farming Co. is gearing up for the final build-out of its vast Santa Clarita Valley landholdings.
Overview
There is a new kind of up and comer in the business world very bright, very ambitious and eager to use his or her information-based knowledge to make a fortune.
Smallbiz
In 1991, when he was still a sophomore at UCLA, Maurice Vanegas used his credit card to finance the purchase of a second-hand bus. Today, Vanegas is president and owner of Transit Systems Unlimited Inc., a charter bus service, and American Fleet Services,
Corp Focus 2
It may not be glamorous, but the self-adhesive business has been paying big rewards for Pasadena-based Avery Dennison Corp.
Newsmakers
Through most of her career, Margaret O'Brien specialized in commercial office design. Among top corporate clients she was highly regarded, having worked on offices for new executives who came to Walt Disney Co. in the mid-1980s including those of Michae
Davis
Despite his relatively young age, Jim Brooks is a seasoned real estate professional and he's getting plenty more seasoning as manager of Kearny Real Estate Co.
ID2
Shakespeare once asked, "What's in a name?" For the Los Angeles technology industry, the answer appears to be a headache.
Lacter
Of all the up-and-comers in all of L.A., how did we happen to settle on the 25 who are profiled in this week's issue? First off, we recognize that our selections reflect more of a sampling than a declarative statement. Let's face it, there are more than 2
BizSculs
Each day in Los Angeles, roughly 1,000 new offenders enter the county jail system a system that includes seven separate jails spanning 4,000 square miles and housing a total of 22,000 inmates. For the vast majority of inmates, it's a dehumanizing and of
Scene
Pacing nervously outside the front doors of the Commerce Casino, Rick Martinez inhaled deeply on his Marlboro Light and pondered his luck. The day, he acknowledged, was not going well.
Monday, March 2
Digest
The hostile takeover battle between El Segundo-based Computer Sciences Corp. and Computer Associates International Inc. heated up last week, with Computer Sciences filing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against its would-be acquirer, alleging bribery and ex
Indez
A
DNC
The city of Los Angeles is preparing to submit bids to host both the Democratic and Republican national political conventions at the planned Staples Arena in the year 2000.
BandPart
For years, the directors of TV commercials yearned to make their mark on a big-screen canvas, but now superstar movie directors like John Woo, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are turning the tables. They're jumping to make 30-second commercials.
Ent Note
Jim, a rising sales star at a company we'll call Leading Technologies Inc., has just closed his biggest deal yet ? a contract to design, build and install computer circuit boards for an up-and-coming commercial alarm systems company we'll call Safe Securi
UCLA
Local business schools received a big boost in bragging rights last week when U.S. News & World Report released its annual graduate school rankings.
Bankrupt
With an estimated 10 percent of all bankruptcy filings nationwide, the six-county region anchored by L.A. County long ago gained a reputation as the nation's bankruptcy capital.
Edit
No sooner had Mayor Richard Riordan announced that the Los Angeles technology community would be henceforth referred to as "Digital Coast" than the L.A. bashers took aim.
News Maker
Dr. Arthur I. Johnson takes his personal credo from the 1950s television series "Davy Crockett:" "Be sure you're right, then go ahead."
Compol
Our flight for Shanghai was scheduled to leave at 8:30 a.m., so we got up at the crack of dawn to make sure everything was ready. We particularly reviewed the stuff we needed for an entry visa upon arrival. Valid passport: check. Official invitation from
Car Scrap
Major L.A.-area refineries and aerospace plants could be forced to install costly pollution control equipment if a controversial car-scrapping program is eliminated by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Hildy
Ask most any 14-year-old what the coolest sneakers are, and he or she will probably be able to rattle off two or three brands. Ask an old-timer past the age of 30, and you're likely to get a blank expression.
Santa Anita
The owners of Santa Anita Park in Arcadia are reviving plans to build a major entertainment project adjacent to their horse racing track.
Joe
"Only a surgical nuclear strike could suitably destroy what has to be one of the most enervating comedies ever made," the Los Angeles Times declares about "An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn," a satire on Hollywood.
Trustee
The only adornments in Steven Earl Smith's Spartan downtown office are a batch of family pictures and a collection of statues of Don Quixote.
Digest Add
Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan met with Japanese and South Korean officials last week as part of his Asian trade mission.
Korea
The economic crisis in South Korea is spilling over into the Koreatown district of Los Angeles.
LA Stories
Take Metrolink and beat El Ni & #324;o! That was the message being delivered in radio spots airing last week on KNX-AM 1070.
LA Magazine
It's not uncommon for Los Angeles TV stations to hype the stars of their prime-time series in their nightly newscasts, but KABC-TV Channel 7 recently offered a new twist on the thorny issue of self promotion.
Sea Launch
An international consortium led by Boeing Co. expects to complete construction early next month on the Long Beach headquarters of its Sea Launch Co.
Techsuit
It's a chicken-and-egg question: What comes first, a company's name or its Internet address?
Corp Focus
Having reported record revenues for fiscal 1998 last week, Ticketmaster Group Inc. seems even less likely to accept Barry Diller's unsolicited bid to purchase the part of the company he doesn't already own.
Sullivan
In his response to my recent Business Journal commentary ("Attack on Lawyers Misguided," Feb. 9), the Los Angeles County Bar's president in effect argues that when assessing gubernatorial candidates it is not appropriate to consider the qualities of futur
Galleria
After years of battles between developers and area residents, the new owner is putting the final touches on a redesign that would reduce the retail square footage and add office space to the mall.
Strategies
"Achievement is largely the product of steadily raising one's level of aspiration and expectation."
Persif
A federal budget surplus appears to be a sure thing. If tax revenues stay strong, it might even come as early as this year, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Lake
South Lake Avenue in Pasadena once epitomized a genteel, carriage-trade shopping destination. Classy boutiques dotted the tree-lined boulevard, while models paraded the latest fashions in the tearoom at Bullock's Pasadena.
Recol
For months, the talk around town was that developer Rob Maguire was courting super-broker Drew Planting to head leasing efforts for the mammoth Playa Vista development.
Oped #2
As speaker of the Assembly, one of my most important jobs is helping foster opportunity for the young people of California.
Tabacon
Goal: To further establish brand-name recognition and loyalty for the company's cigars
WSW
It's getting harder and harder to tell the commercial bankers from the investment bankers, as a quick look at the commercial markets group of Union Bank of California reveals.
LA Forum
The El Ni & #324;o storms hitting sunny Southern California have dampened sales and caused delays for some L.A. businesses, although a select few others are actually benefiting from the rainy weather. The Business Journal Forum asks:
Apartment
The massive Barrington Plaza, one of the largest highrise apartment complexes in Los Angeles, has been sold to Brentwood-based Douglas Emmett Realty Advisors for more than $100 million, according to sources familiar with the deal.
Rents
Sure, there's plenty of low-rent space available. But rents in the most exclusive office buildings as defined by the 10 most expensive lease rates in L.A. County start at $2.75 a square foot monthly.
Margin
After years of reporting on them, I am pleased to announce that we are finally participating in one.
Surge
Belkin Components, a computer accessory manufacturer in Compton, has found the silver lining in the storm clouds. Over the last several rainy months, the company has seen an increase of about 30 percent in its sales of surge protectors, one of its main pr
Weekly Brief
The business pages have been full of talk about "deflation," a term used to describe the process of falling prices. The phenomenon, which is being widely debated among economists for its significance, may be having an effect on business at Armite Laborato
History
25 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK: Beverly Hills-based Litton Industries came under fire from Rep. Les Aspin, D-Wisc., for cost overruns on its Tacfire battlefield computer system being developed for the U.S. Army. Aspin claimed cost overruns would hit $72 million,
Autopsy
"You could still harvest the skin, arteries and heart valves," he explained. "There's so much good you could do."
Roscoes
One of L.A.'s best-known soul food purveyors, Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Minority
There were 233,958 minority-owned businesses in L.A. County generating a combined $28 billion in annual revenues and employing 230,974 people, according to the 1992 Economic Census, the most recent numbers available.
Oped #1
For more than a decade, Los Angeles boosters have talked up the value of L.A.'s unique position on the Pacific Rim. We are a gateway, the new Rome for the global economy, North America's bridge to Asia, Latin America and Oceania. Until now, the manifest b
Sunday, March 1
Commissary
When ABC Inc. staffers begin showing up on the Walt Disney Co. campus in Burbank early next year at their new offices, they won't have to jump into their cars for a long drive to Spago. They will have their own California Deco commissary, created by a hus