GOVERNMENT & INFRASTRUCTURE
California Cartage to Shutter Wilmington Operations in July
One of the region’s biggest players in logistics will shutter its sprawling Wilmington warehouse in July.
L.A. County Unemployment Rate Rose to 4.8 Percent in December As More People Looked for Work
L.A. County’s unemployment rate rose to 4.8 percent in December from 4.7 percent in November as more people entered the workforce looking for work, according to state figures released Jan. 18.
U.S. Sues Tetra Tech for Alleged Mishandling of Bay Area Nuclear Cleanup Contract
The U.S. Justice Department on Jan. 14 filed a lawsuit against an operating unit of Pasadena contractor Tetra Tech Inc., alleging the company filed false invoices for work on a cleanup contract involving radioactive waste at a Bay Area former shipyard and seeking damages that one published report said could be up to $800 million.
Hollywood BID Names Kristopher Larson as New Chief
The Hollywood Business Improvement District board has named Kristopher Larson, a business leader from Raleigh, N.C., as chief executive of the Hollywood Property Owners Alliance, the nonprofit organization that manages the Hollywood Business Improvement District. He will replace longtime executive director Kerry Morrison, who announced last summer she was stepping down at the end of this month to focus on improving mental health programs in the region.
SoCal Gas Names New President, New COO
Southern California Gas Co.’s new chief executive Bret Lane on Jan. 7 announced two members of his leadership team: Maryam Brown as president and Jimmie Cho as chief operating officer.
Celerity Chief Executive Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy Charge
The former chief executive of Celerity Educational Group pleaded guilty Dec. 21 to a federal conspiracy charge nine months after federal agents raided the charter school network’s Koreatown office, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for California’s Central District.
Tutor Perini Lands $104M U.S. Air Force Contract to Build Saudi Air Force Base
A subsidiary of Tutor Perini Corp. has won a contract worth $104 million from the U.S. Air Force to design and construct facilities for the Royal Saudi Air Force, the company announced Tuesday.
Centennial Planned Community Project at Tejon Ranch Approved
By a 4-to-1 vote, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday morning to approve the massive Centennial master-planned community project at Tejon Ranch and bring 19,000 new dwellings to the Southern California region.
Metro’s Purple Line Extension Gets $100M in Fed Transit Funds
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation has received $100 million from the Federal Transit Administration to fund the last section of the Metro Purple Line Extension Project, which will run from Century City to Westwood.
Los Angeles City Council Approves Sidewalk Vending Regulations
After a nearly decade-long campaign by street vendors for legalization and facing a deadline to act before a state law limiting the ability of cities to regulate sidewalk vending, the Los Angeles City Council on Nov. 28 voted unanimously to approve regulations for sidewalk vending.
Tetra Tech Wins Portion of $100M Federal Contract
Five firms tapped to provide engineering services in Republic of Korea
Pasadena engineering firm Tetra Tech Inc. has won a portion of a contract potentially worth $100 million over five years from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide architectural and engineering services to the Corps and other U.S. government agencies in the Republic of Korea.
L.A. County Unemployment Rate Held Steady at 4.6 Percent in October Despite Job Gains
L.A. County’s unemployment rate held steady at 4.6 percent in October even as the county added more than 43,000 jobs to reach a record high employment level, according to state figures released Nov. 16.
Gov. Brown Nominates Former L.A. Attorney Joshua Groban for State Supreme Court Seat
Gov. Jerry Brown on Nov. 14 nominated his longtime judicial appointments advisor and former L.A. attorney Joshua Groban for a seat on the state Supreme Court, the governor’s office announced.
LA Region Loses Out in Amazon HQ Derby, But LAEDC Sees a Silver Lining
Los Angeles may have lost out on its bid for Amazon’s second headquarters, but the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. said there was a silver lining for the city in the tech giant’s decision: The partnerships and cooperation among the county’s many jurisdictions during the Amazon bid process should boost future business attraction and retention efforts.
Edison Shares Plunge After Utility Announced Grid Incident Occurred Prior to Start of Woolsey Fire
State Regulators Launch Probe into Cause of Woolsey Fire
Shares of Rosemead-based Edison International fell 12 percent on Nov. 12 after its utility subsidiary Southern California Edison announced that a problem with its transmission grid occurred near the point of origin of the massive Woolsey Fire now burning in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.