Phonies Flocking to L.A.
Although most people don’t know it, Los Angeles is the counterfeit capital of the U.S., the Los Angeles Daily News reports. In 2005, more than $6 million in counterfeit money was successfully passed in the Los Angeles area, and the Secret Service seized an additional $2 million before it was ever used. Nationwide, $56.2 million in counterfeit bills were passed in 2005, with $14.6 million more seized before it entered circulation.
Life in Fast Lane Long Before Crash
Before he shattered a red Ferrari in Malibu and became grist for Internet legend, Bo Stefan Eriksson ran a criminal gang in Sweden, raced cars in Europe, skippered a yacht called Snow White and helped run a video game company with dreams of taking on Sony and Nintendo, according to police and bankruptcy investigators, the Los Angeles Times reports. Eriksson had a rap sheet and the fading charisma of an athlete past his prime, but one who was skilled at creating the aura of money and sinister chic. The arc of his triumphs and travails intersected with the ambitions of his partner, Carl Freer, a fellow Swede with a keen mind for technology and a confidence that captivated investors.
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‘Green Port’ Moving Forward
The Port of Long Beach last week released a report card on its efforts to be more environmentally compatible, saying efforts to turn the complex into a “Green Port” so far have reduced air pollution and improved water quality, the Long Beach Press Telegram reports. Reductions in air emissions, improvements in water quality, increased treatment of contaminated soil and other sustainability projects are among the highlights in the 16-page annual report. Among the accomplishments in 2005: Reduced emissions from terminal equipment by nearly 600 tons of nitrous oxide and 70 tons of diesel particular matter compared with 2002 as part of an emission reduction program that retrofitted cargo-handling equipment with the ability to use clean diesel fuel.
Bustos Media plans Spanish TV
Sacramento-based Bustos Media LLC, owner of 25 radio stations, plans to launch its first Spanish-language television station. Amador Bustos, president and chief executive officer, said the Federal Communications Commission has approved the company’s request to purchase a TV station construction permit from Los Angeles-based MS Communications LLC and transfer it to Milwaukee, where the station will air.
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A Highway to Heaven?
Imagine cruising at 70 mph in a tunnel underneath South Pasadena, stopping for coffee and a newspaper, and then parking your car and taking a relaxing rail ride to your new job in Montclair. To those familiar with the area’s commute, such a scenario seems about as likely as traveling in flying cars. But with the recent approval by the Legislature to put a $20 billion transportation-system building bond on the November ballot, transit experts say commuters’ dreams could come closer to reality, the Pasadena Star-News reports. About $5 billion may end up coming straight to Los Angeles County. That’s if voters approve the bond, of course.
