LABJ Insider: Biden Goes Green — and LA Businesses Win

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LABJ Insider: Biden Goes Green — and LA Businesses Win
Los Angeles Business Journal Editor Scott Robson

There are plenty of questions about how President-elect Joe Biden’s administration will impact companies in Los Angeles, but some answers seem to be emerging as the new president takes office.

In a pair of page 1 stories this week, the Business Journal finds a high level of optimism in several industries around town.


Elijah Chiland’s look at the electric vehicle business — as you know well, L.A. is a stronghold for EV makers — details big expectations among execs and companies.


Their view is that Biden’s arrival and his focus on green initiatives after four years of federal climate abuse will provide a strong boost for EV manufacturers like Canoo and Fisker and the industry as a whole.


Meanwhile, James Cutchin takes a deep dive into the tax credits and incentives that are likely to emerge from the new administration and would appear to favor many local businesses.


It’s a smartly reported piece that shows how companies ranging from Southern California Edison to SpaceX figure to benefit from the city’s focus on developing sustainable and innovative businesses.
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Speaking of things from Washington, President Donald Trump’s posts have disappeared from Snapchat, and not in the way most Snaps disappear.


Santa Monica-based Snap Inc. has given Trump a lifetime ban following his role for inciting the deadly Capitol riot. The move follows Twitter’s permanent block on the former Tweeter-in-Chief and surpasses the indefinite ban by Facebook and a one-week (and possibly longer) expulsion by YouTube.
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Congratulations to Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero, who was appointed to the board of directors for the Los Angeles branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.


Cordero, fortunately, will remain in his role leading the Long Beach port as he adds the Fed role to his list of duties.


We had the pleasure of meeting Cordero a couple of years ago at an event honoring LA500 members — back when we were able to stage in-person soirees — and thoroughly enjoyed a bright and engaging conversation.
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Longtime Long Beach auto dealer Jim Willingham, who began selling cars in the city in 1950, has died at the age of 92.


Willingham, a Southern California fixture for decades, was involved in numerous city organizations including the Long Beach Grand Prix. He was named America’s most reliable auto dealer by Time magazine in 1972.
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UCLA Film and Television Archive has named May Hong HaDuong as its director. She’s the first woman and the first person of color to lead the organization in its 55-year history.


A UCLA alum who currently works at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, HaDuong starts her new position in February.
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Kenneth Kim has been picked to lead the Gynecologic Oncology division at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Institute. Kim is also chair of the cancer center’s Committee for Oversight of Training and Education.

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