On the Waterfront A Special Report

OVERVIEW A battle is brewing on the docks between the nation’s most powerful union and the giant international shipping companies. 1

EMPLOYERS’ BIDDER Joseph Miniace, representative of the waterfront employers, has alienated many dockworkers with his tough talk. 10

UNION’S BIDDER James Spinosa, a leader of the dockworkers’ union, will do whatever it takes to prevent machines from taking away union jobs. 10

SCENE It’s a different world on the waterfront. 11

COMMUNITY San Pedro is a small, tight-knit community seemingly a million miles from Los Angeles. 12

TECHNOLOGY An automated port terminal in Rotterdam may be a glimpse of a future in which machines play a bigger role than people. 14

PROJECTS Three major projects will help accommodate growth at the bustling local ports. 15

INTERVIEW Richard Steinke, executive director of the Port of Long Beach. 16

On the Cover

MUSIC DreamWorks Records has broken ranks with the other music labels by allowing people to download songs from its Web site.

GOVERNMENT L.A.’s City Council is feeling intense pressure as it prepares to decide weighty issues that will have a major impact on the city for years to come.

Up Front

HOLLYWOOD Wolfgang Puck is said to have the inside track for a key catering contract at the Hollywood and Highland project. 3

PETS When Fido needs an X-ray, he has to go to one of L.A.’s hottest specialists: a veterinary radiologist. 3

NETWORK CBS is trying to convince advertisers that the older audience it attracts is worth reaching. 3

TAXES It’s one thing to pass a business tax reform proposal, but how well will it be enforced? 4

EXODUS TWA’s departure marks only the latest blow to a struggling district just west of downtown. 5

MALL The CRA may be forced to step in to redevelop the decrepit Valley Plaza mall, whose owners are split by disagreements. 6

GOLF A Westlake Village company is entering the crowded golf equipment market just as the business is contracting. 7

Media & Technology

MOVIES China is sending a delegation to this week’s American Film Market in Santa Monica for the first time. 17

INTERNET Stamps.com, a provider of postage over the Web, is attracting lots of interest from venture capitalists. 19

Columns & features Tech Talk 17, Advertising & P.R. 21, Computers 21

Small Business

TRAVEL Nature Encounters Ltd. specializes in taking people on adventures through the wilds of Africa. 22

Columns & features Weekly Briefing 22, Jane Applegate 24, At Home 25, Entrepreneur’s Notebook 26

People

Columns & features Newsmakers 28

Investments & Finance

CORPORATE FOCUS CB Richard Ellis Inc. 29

Columns & features Wall Street West 30, Econowatch 30, LABJ 100 31, Kenneth Harney 32

Real Estate

Columns & features Real Estate 66