Stories for August 2002
Monday, August 26
First American Revisits Web Strategy to Increase Margins
First American Corp. is betting more than $50 million and its future growth, profitability and market share on a new software system that it calls the biggest initiative in its recent history.
Views on Corporate Scrutiny: Where Things Go Wrong
Inside The Books - Banking & Finance Special Report
Physician to Appeal Setback in Insurance Trust Suit
Stymied by a 2nd District Appellate court decision that found he could not directly sue fellow doctors in a failed L.A. insurance cooperative, a Northern California surgeon is considering an appeal to the state Supreme Court.
It's Time to Hear From Those Other CEOs
Opinion by Ron Hartwig, executive vice president and U.S. corporate practice director at Hill and Knowlton Inc.
Quellos Sets Year's Price Record in Center West Deal
Real Estate by Danny King
Get Set For Fall Follies
Comment by Mark Lacter
Ad Picture Mixed as TV, Radio Get Most From Spending Rise
A prolonged media recession that has wracked print and broadcast outlets for almost two years shows some signs of easing, although there's little agreement on what's fueling the improvement or how long lasting it might be.
Lt. Governor Trips on Business Journal List
Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante's attempts to commend businesses and organizations through the pages of the Los Angeles Business Journal have backfired a bit.
LABJ FORUM: Taking Note of the Unthinkable
With the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks at the Pentagon and the World Trade Center fast approaching, elected officials, business owners, educators and others have been reflecting on how best to commemorate the event. Much will depend on whe
WellPoint May Be Rethinking Union With Latest Move
Health Care by Laurence Darmiento
NEWSMAKERS
Brief profiles of people and businesses making news, on the move.
Shareholders Find Little to Fear With Recalled Desserts
Retail by Deborah Belgum
Baseball Strike Would Leave Costly Void on Airwaves
Media by Claudia Peschiutta
My Favorite Sites
Favorite websites of Alison Locke, executive vice president of North American Publishing THQ Inc.
L.A. Stories / The Roving Eye
Stories from around Town: Safety Chutes; Soundtrack to the Stars; Sweet Truths; Go-Going Back; Movable Books;
LAX to Test System To Cut Checkpoints
Los Angeles International Airport will be used as a testing facility for a federal program designed to reduce the wait for passengers at security checkpoints.
Executive Summary / The Pacesetter
Summaries of this week's List - largest cities in Los Angeles County, Ranked by Population
Only Thing There Is to Fear Is More Unchecked News
Commentary by Leonard Pitts, columnist for the Miami Herald.
Dispute Over Community Newspapers Going to Trial
Unable to resolve a dispute with the buyer of five community newspapers, National Media Inc. is set to go to trial in Los Angeles Superior Court on Aug. 26.
The Real Toy Story
Inside The Books - Banking & Finance Special Report
Houston Corporation Buys Out Miller Auto Business in L.A. Area
Miller Automotive Group, with six Los Angeles locations, has been sold to Group 1 Automotive Inc., a Fortune 500 car retailer based in Houston.
Review & Preview
Summaries of this week's other news; preview of upcoming stories
Leave Laptop Behind and Take a Real Vacation
Opinion by Ana Veciana-Suarez, columnist for the Miami Herald.
"Man Show" Sued By Unwitting Butt Of Off-Color Joke
LAW by Amanda Bronstad
As Simon Campaign Hits Skids, Candidate Keeps His Wallet Shut
POLITICS By Howard Fine
Wall Street Relationship Has Been Rocky for Company
Inside The Books - Banking & Finance Special Report
Corporate Vigilance Equally Prudent for Private Investors
Wall Street West by Benjamin Mark Cole
Prospect of News Corp. Flexing Its Muscle Raises Gemstar Expectations
With management of Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc. expected to come under the sway of former News Corp. executive Jeff Shell, expectations of better performance and a re-energized business strategy are running high among Gemstar partners, investors an
Monday, August 19
Condos: Market for Low-End Properties Pushes Ahead
When L.A.'s housing prices go through the roof, condos are sure to follow. But even by the usual measurements, June's $207,500 median price of a condominium stands out.
Comment by Mark Lacter
Comment by Mark Lacter
Investment Banker Bucking Troubles in Merger Business
Wall Street West by Benjamin Mark Cole
Businesses Balk At Paying High Liability Prices
The explosion in general liability insurance costs now hitting several industries in L.A. and throughout the state has caught nearly everyone off guard.
LABJ FORUM: First-Time Experiences at Work
A person's first paying job is always a character-building experience. Whether it was mowing the neighbor's lawns or delivering food in trucks you didn't know how to drive, the Business Journal asks: What was your first job?
Homestore's Recovery Hurt By Ongoing Legal Struggles
Corporate Focus by Anthony Palazzo
Davis to Get Bill Loosening Limits on Port Revenues
Two years after the city of Los Angeles agreed to return $62 million to the port of L.A. to settle a lawsuit alleging misuse of port-generated funds, a bill on its way to Gov. Gray Davis allows cities greater flexibility in their use of such revenue.
KUSC to Make South of Border Classical Connection
Media by Claudia Peschiutta
Suit Over Random Search Rejected as City Cites Security
LAW by Amanda Bronstad
Farmer Bros. Will Open Its Books
Just weeks after its largest institutional holder demanded its financial records, Farmer Bros. Co. has agreed to open the company books.
Review & Preview
Summary of week's news; Preview of upcoming events and stories
Frederick's Ready To Emerge Out of Long Bankruptcy
Retail by Deborah Belgum
Bond Glut May Leave Cultural Institutions Outside Looking In
POLITICS by Howard Fine
Executive Summary / The Pacesetter
Summaries of this week's List - Residential Real Estate Developers Ranked by units sold in L.A. County in 2001
Deal Near on Sale of Westwood Bullocks/Macy's Project
Real Estate by Danny King
Pressure Mounts In AFTRA Battle At NBC Stations
The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists turned up the heat on NBC executives last week in its effort to organize employees at the network's recently purchased Spanish-language television stations.
Housing: Plateau Seen, Allaying Fear of Steep Price Drop
LA's Home Buying Craze - How High, How Long?
Trizec Again Reports Poor Hollywood Sales
In another indication of the continued struggles at the Hollywood & Highland complex, developer Trizec Properties Inc. has disclosed that operating income will be sharply lower than expected this year and that the adjoining Hollywood Renaissance Hotel had
Monday, August 12
Longtime L.A. Firm Planning to Relocate Facilities to Cypress
After more than 70 years in Los Angeles, Continental Graphics Corp. is moving its headquarters and 170 of its employees to Cypress.
Apex Capital Finding Profit From Interest-Rate Climate
Corporate Focus by Anthony Palazzo
East West Ends Squabble Over Research Deal
First Union Securities has quietly settled a lawsuit accusing it of making, and then breaking, a promise to provide research coverage to East West Bancorp in exchange for receiving $10 million in investment banking business.
Earthquake Impact Still Being Felt as New Projects Start
The Northridge earthquake is turning out to be a big driver of change in the region's hospital industry.
Apartments Replace Market in Latest Beverly Hills Plan
Real Estate by Danny King
Politics Could Determine Size of Health Care Bailout
A key Bush Administration health care official says it's a straight technical policy decision on whether Los Angeles County gets another federal bailout for its beleaguered health care system.
Apparel Firms Feel Brunt of Downturn In Retailing Sector
Kids aren't the only ones ruing the back-to-school season this year. As retailers began reporting sluggish July sales last week, raising fears of a recovery petering out, two of L.A.'s biggest apparel companies felt the squeeze.
Treat Trade Shows as More Than Just a Line of Exhibits
Entrepreneur's Notebook by Sharon Berman
TV's Version of Reality Becomes New U.S. Drug
Opinion by Leonard Pitts, columnist for the Miami Herald.
People: NEWSMAKERS
Engineer Joining Airport Security Project
Executive Summary / The Pacesetter
Summaries of this week's List - Largest Technology Firms, Ranked by 2001 Revenues
Revamp, New Weekly Sections, Now Set for Fall at L.A. Times
MEDIA by Claudia Peschiutta
Review & Preview
Review of other top news; Preview of upcoming stories.
Greuel, Hahn Keep Hold of Idea Of Decentralizing Government
POLITICS by Howard Fine
For a Change, Merger Adds Firm to L.A. Corporate List
Wall Street West by Benjamin Mark Cole
L.A. Duopolies Grapple With Changes at TV Stations
Two Stories: New KVEA Manager Faces Clash of Cultures
Big 5 Weighing Buyback After Disappointing Response to IPO
Retail by Deborah Belgum
Forgetting the Simpler Times
Editorial by Mark Lacter
Delay Imperils 710 Freeway Funds
A firm hired to determine the best traffic congestion relief plan for the Long Beach (710) Freeway won't complete its work until late March, putting in jeopardy as much as $1.6 billion in federal grant money and possibly delaying project completion until
Downtown Roiled By Big Increase in Real Estate Deals
Downtown L.A.'s office market has gone through an investment churn over the past five months not seen in 15 years.
Gottohaveamoviewebsite.com; Digital Hollywood - Picking Up The Pieces
The Internet can make a small movie, like "The Blair Witch Project," a hit and help propel the success of blockbusters, such as the "Star Wars" films. But Hollywood studios might not be making the most of what is a cheaper and, sometimes, extremely effec
Tax Windfall for L.A. Businesses Fails to Materialize
Hopes have dimmed for an across-the-board tax cut for L.A. businesses funded by a state law that makes it easier to track down tax scofflaws because funds being collected are lower than earlier projected.
LABJ FORUM: High Speed vs. Dial Up
The percentage of Web users who have high-speed Internet access in their homes has risen to 24 percent, up from 17 percent a year earlier. While most companies provide their employees with high-speed connections in their offices, the Business Journal asks
LETTERS
Letters to the editor
Attorneys Scramble as Failed Merger Spells End for 101-Year-Old Law Firm
LAW by Amanda Bronstad
Monday, August 5
Hahn Courts Black Support by Pushing Transit Line
At a time when L.A. Mayor James Hahn is looking to repair frayed relations with the city's African-American community, his administration is pushing a long-stalled proposal for a light rail line or dedicated bus lanes along Crenshaw Boulevard
Corporate Accounting Woes Weigh on Firm's Bond Pool
Wall Street West by Benjamin Mark Cole
Federal Official Signals County Health Support
Los Angeles County's financially ailing public health system will have to be downsized, but the federal government won't allow it to collapse when its current bailout expires in three years
Immigration Law Changes Add Pressure to Employers
Entrepreneur's Notebook: The federal government's effort to tighten up the Immigration and Naturalization Service promises to make it more difficult than it already is for employers to hire foreign workers.
Lease Woes Stall Reynolds' Museum
The developer of Hollywood & Highland, seeking to shake the stalled Hollywood Motion Picture Collection museum from its 18,000-square-foot lease, has sued the project's organizers.
LABJ FORUM: Not Such Friendly Skies
Airport security is a mess, flights have been canceled and people are still just plain nervous about getting on a plane. Add to that corporate belt-tightening, and you have a recipe for business travel turmoil. In light of the environment, the Business Jo
Reforms Have Lawyers Running for Liability Coverage
A few months ago, Latham & Watkins began laying the groundwork for the conversion from a general to a limited liability partnership.
Highly Leveraged, Imaging Company Ekes Out a Profit
By most measures, Primedex Health Systems Inc. has had a rotten year. Earnings are off and the stock price has fallen nearly 50 percent since February, to around $1 recently.
Peeved at Valet Parking Policy, Past Guest Sues Beverly Hilton
Plus: Regulated Firms Pay House Counsel Best
Riordan Paper's Debut Delayed, Slow Summer Cited
Former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan is backing off on his plans to launch a local newspaper this summer.
LETTERS
Letters to the editor
Nurses' Dispute With Tenet Over Queen of Angels Is Heating Up
Plus: Pharmaceutical Buyback
Shareholders Push for Sale of Ethnic Chinese Bank
Institutional shareholders of GBC Bancorp., unhappy over the refusal of several board members to sell the bank holding company despite offers that value the company at twice its current market value, are mounting a campaign to push for a sale.
My Favorite Sites
Favorite Websites of Michael Vallente, Executive Director, Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse
Executive Summary / The Pacesetter
Summaries of this week's List - Travel agencies/vendors, Ranked by number of full-time L.A. County employees
Industrial Developer Adds to Portfolio in Tight Market
Real Estate by Danny King
Time to Say You're Sorry
Comment by Mark Lacter
Farmer Bros. Asked to Open Books
The largest institutional investor in Farmer Bros. Co. has demanded that the company open its financial records to determine how it is managing its investment funds.
Cost of Workers' Comp Rising for State Employers
Employers in L.A. and throughout the state, already reeling from double-digit increases in workers' comp premiums over the last two years, are bracing for a triple dose of rate hikes likely to drive up premium rates at least another 20 percent over the ne
No Happy Ending Expected in Hollywood's Bid for Secession
POLITICS by Howard Fine
Review & Preview
Summaries of other news, upcoming stories