Los Angeles Business Journal back issues from February 2003:
Hollywood bracing for dramatic change as properties shuffle.(Industry Overview)
Feb 03, 2003; ... A massive reshuffling of the decks by far-flung media and entertainment giants is expected to hit home over the next year or two, in some cases sooner. Through years of empire building, media conglomerates such as Vivendi-Universal SA and AOL Time Warner Inc. ran up mountains of ...
Medical imaging boom spurs cost debate.
Feb 03, 2003; ... L.A.'s major medical centers are undergoing a building boom in expanded and enhanced imaging facilities amid a continuing debate in health care circles about whether MRIs and other scanning equipment have been overused. Tens of millions of dollars are being invested in the new ...
Pending land swap may give developer 10 acres of VA site.(Watt Commercial Properties wants to develop parcel of land on Los Angeles Veterans Administration campus)
Feb 03, 2003; ... Watt Commercial Properties is in discussions with the U.S. Army to develop a 10.1-acre parcel at the southwest corner of the Veterans Administration campus -- a prime piece of Los Angeles real estate that could be worth upwards of $55 million. The Santa Monica-based development ...
Job freeze adds to workers' comp ills.(hiring freeze causes problems in workers compensation claims processing)
Feb 03, 2003; ... As if there weren't enough problems with the state's workers' compensation system, a hiring freeze imposed last year by Gov. Gray Davis at the state's largest workers' compensation insurer has resulted in costly delays for both employers and injured workers. The freeze, which ...
Advertising likely to wane against a backdrop of battle. (Up Front).(war to impact television advertising and broadcasting)
Feb 03, 2003; ... The prospect of war in Iraq is threatening to hit local television and radio stations with a financial double whammy: stretching budgets for news coverage while dashing expectations for a long-awaited advertising recovery in 2003. With armed conflict in Iraq becoming more ...
Military deployment has San Diego businesses bracing for leaner times. (Up Front).
Feb 03, 2003; ... As local sailors and Marines continue to leave San Diego County, Katherine Mapes has two reasons to worry. A server at Cafe 1134, a coffee shop in Coronado that sits within walking distance of North Island Naval Air Station to the north and the Navy's Amphibious Base to the ...
Reserve call-ups hit businesses in the pocketbook. (Up Front).(airlines, security firms, police departments hit hard by military call-ups )
Feb 03, 2003; ... Local businesses are scrambling to replace military reservists being called to duty as the U.S. mobilizes for a possible war with Iraq. But employers must be careful in filling the positions held by members of the California National Guard and federal reserves so they stay ...
Review & Preview.(includes multiple news briefs )
Feb 03, 2003 ... JANUARY 24 - 30 Barbie Law: Mattel Inc. lost a Supreme Court bid to revive a lawsuit over a song called "Barbie Doll" that pokes fun at the iconic doll. The justices, without comment, refused to review a federal appeals court decision that the MCA Records Inc. song title was ...
Buy that car now! (The LABJ's L.A. Stories).(vehicle license fee is expected to increase in California )(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... If you're in the market for a new or newer -- car, now is the time to buy. At least that's the opinion of a Republican strategist and, grudgingly, of a Democratic state law maker. A recent airing of Adelphia cable s local public affairs show "Week in Review focused on the ...
Big problem. (The LABJ's L.A. Stories).(dietary supplement promotion at Beverly Wilshire Hotel features present, former athletes )(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... A host of present and former athletes recently gathered at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel to preach physical fitness and plug an herbal dietary supplement. Olympic gold medallists Bruce Jenner (decathlon) and Mitch Gaylord (gymnastics) as well as bronze medallist Amanda Beard ...
Boogie with Ethel. (The LABJ's L.A. Stories).(Fynsworth Alley rereleases "The Ethel Merman Disco Album" )(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... Consider it a double bonus for those nostalgic for Ethel Merman and musical stylings of the 1970s. Last week, Fynsworth Alley, a New York record label that specializes in theatrical recordings, re-released what it calls a "notorious cult classic," "The Ethel Merman Disco ...
Chill out. (The LABJ's L.A. Stories).(Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and radio station KFWB-AM (980) are looking for L.A.'s "ugliest" working refrigerator)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... Give us your rusted, your corroded, your decrepit ... refrigerators. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and radio station KFWB-AM (980) are looking for L.A.'s "ugliest" working refrigerator as part of a newly launched "Coolest Loser" contest. Owners of old ...
Flash forward. (The Roving Eye).(Asahi Breweries accomplishes objective with successful billboard advertisement )(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... You know a billboard is successful when the building under it assumes the brand's identity. Until a recent sponsorship shift, the mid-Wilshire edifice commonly known as the Asahi building fit this mold. Asahi Beer's recent displacement by a neon billboard for South Korea-based ...
County mulls tougher porn regulations to stem disease. (Up Front).(Los Angeles County)
Feb 03, 2003; ... Los Angeles County officials are considering tougher regulations to stem sexually transmitted diseases in the porn industry. The Department of Health Services is studying the legality of requiring production companies to only use actors who have passed screening tests for HIV, ...
Corrections.(Correction Notice)
Feb 03, 2003 ... The Jan. 13 story "SAG, AFTRA Plan More Talks to Work Out Differences" misstated SAG Treasurer Kent McCord's position on the proposed 1999 merger between the two unions. McCord voted against the merger. In the Jan. 27 story, "Some Not Sticking Around for Santa Monica Remake," ...
City mulling expanded zoning rules for senior housing. (Up Front).
Feb 03, 2003; ... Faced with an aging population and rising demand for senior housing, L.A.'s planning department is developing zoning code guidelines for assisted living units and similar specialty developments. The guidelines would create consistent specifications for floor-to-area ratios, ...
White House holds up county health unit bailout. (Up Front).(Los Angeles County Health Department waits to see how much funding it will receive from federal government)
Feb 03, 2003; ... A limited two-year deal that could have netted the financially troubled Los Angeles County health department $250 million in federal funds -- far less than county officials had once hoped -- has been held up by White House officials concerned over its fiscal impact. The Office ...
Veteran writers to press on with age discrimination suit. (Up Front).(television writers file suit)
Feb 03, 2003; ... Austin Kalish wrote for 1970s television shows "All in the Family," "The Bob Newhart Show" and "Good Times." Today, he directs plays and writes speeches. And though he almost never gets calls returned from talent agents, in many ways he counts himself lucky. Most of his close ...
Consultants claim bills go unpaid at Sunset Millennium. (Up Front).(Apollo Real Estate Partners, Maefield Development Corp. offer no comment )
Feb 03, 2003; ... Fallout from West Hollywood's trouble-plagued Sunset Millennium development now has several firms claiming that their bills have gone unpaid by the developer who took control of the project. A partnership of Bloomington, Ind.-based Maefield Development Corp. and Apollo Real ...
Market soars for top restaurant locals despite slow economy. (Up Front).(restaurant real estate prices in Los Angeles )
Feb 03, 2003; ... Shallom Berkman barely flinched when he heard the sale price for a tiny restaurant on one of Beverly Hills' more popular streets. He and his wife, Jilla, who also is his business partner, paid $650,000 in January for the compact 2,500-square-foot space that used to house ...
Upscale diner will be restaurateurs' new mistress in San Fernando Valley. (Retail).(Marilyn Lewis and Harry Lewis to open new restaurant)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... WELL-KNOWN restaurateurs Marilyn and Harry Lewis are expanding their Kate Mantilini restaurant idea to the San Fernando Valley. The founders of the Hamburger Hamlet chain -- since sold -- have taken over the former Houston's restaurant location in Warner Center and hired San ...
Republic disarray hindering attempts to widen appeal. (Politics).(Duf Sundheim and Bill Back on republican ballot)
Feb 03, 2003; ... THE California Republican Party is in desperate need of leadership that can broaden the party's narrow base while not turning off the party faithful. But looking at the two candidates on the ballot for this month's party leadership election shows how difficult -- if not impossible -- that ...
Family, business led Broadcom chief to step down. (Up Front).(Henry Nicholas)
Feb 03, 2003; ... Two forces -- one personal, one professional -- brought billionaire Henry Nicholas' career as Broadcom Corp.'s cocksure chief executive to a startling conclusion. One was Nicholas' quest to save his broken marriage. The other: leadership tactics that made him famous, and made ...
Local classified advertising boosting newspaper sites. (Media & Technology).(Tribune Co.)
Feb 03, 2003; ... Tribune Co.'s announcement last week that revenues at its interactive division rose 17 percent in the fourth quarter from the previous three months was another signal that the strength in online advertising lies in the newspaper classified market. Earnings at the Internet unit ...
Santa Monica 'micro-daily' is turning page in its second year. (Media & Technology).
Feb 03, 2003; ... It launched one month after Sept. 11, 2001 in what was already a difficult media market. It was also a daily newspaper, which is notoriously difficult -- and expensive -- to launch and sustain. All told, the odds were against the Santa Monica Daily Press, which began publishing ...
Lions Gate reacquires old titles in bid to build library revenues. (Media & Technology).(Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. bought back home video distribution rights from Universal Pictures)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... Looking to bolster its film library, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. has signed two home video and DVD distribution deals, reacquiring the rights to previous theatrical releases in addition to buying new rights as a third-party distributor. Lions Gate bought back home video ...
Incorrigible Monkey is subject of $1 million licensing rights suit. (Media & Technology).("Curious George")
Feb 03, 2003; ... Curious George goes to court? Hanna-Barbera Productions Inc. and Jon Shapiro, who acquired the rights to "Curious George" in 1989, have sued Universal City Studios Inc. and Imagine Entertainment for breaching a contract to pay them more than 1 percent of merchandising fees ...
DVD rush doesn't alter rental habit. (Media & Technology).
Feb 03, 2003; ... The explosion of DVD sales has done little to alter the basic question of movie consumers: To rent or to buy? While rentals remain a significant revenue stream, rental outlets are increasingly adding DVD product to their for-sale shelves. The U.S. top rental titles in ...
Digital newsletter seeks buyer amid online ad slump. (Media & Technology).(Rising Tide Studios LLC)
Feb 03, 2003; ... Rising Tide Studios LLC, the New York-based research and business information company that publishes the Southern California focused Digital Coast Reporter newsletter, is seeking a buyer. Jason McCabe Calacanis, the company's founder, said the business had been saddled with debt ...
Righteous indignation: plaintiff's attorney Ray Boucher is in the midst of two of the state's major legal tussles--sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and misuse of the business code. (People).(Interview)
Feb 03, 2003; ... RAYMOND Boucher's work in extending California's statute of limitations on sexual abuse cases brought him a new set of clients: 180 Southern Californians who claim to have been abused by Catholic priests. The new law, effective Jan. 1, suspends the statute of limitations to file a sexual ...
Accounting. (Newsmakers).(Dawn E. Schmitz, new tax manager of Rothstein Kass & Co.)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003 ... Dawn E. Schmitz has joined Rothstein Kass & Co. as tax manager for the national real estate group. Schmitz will be based in the firm's Beverly Hills office, and will be ...
Banking. (Newsmakers).(Casey Cecala, new executive vice president, Foothill Independent Bancorp)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003 ... Foothill Independent Bancorp announced the appointment of Casey Cecala to executive vice president at Foothill Independent Bank, the ...
Architecture. (Newsmakers).(Susan O'Connell, John Gormley and Mark McVay, new promotions at SmithGroup)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003 ... SmithGroup has promoted Susan O'Connell, John Gormley and Mark McVay. O'Connell will serve as vice president and will continue to specialize in educational and research environments. Gormley has been named a principal and will ...
Consulting. (Newsmakers).(Julia Justus McGinity, new vice president at Berkhemer Clayton Inc.; Stanton Marcus, new vice president at Sherwood Partners Inc.)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003 ... Julia Justus McGinity has been promoted to vice president at Los Angeles-based Berkhemer Clayton Inc., an executive search firm. McGinity, a former advisor to Gov. Pete Wilson, will lead the non-profit leadership practice. She has been with the company since 1999. ...
Construction. (Newsmakers).(Andrew A. Fimiano, new chief executive of Southland Industries)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003 ... Andrew A. Fimiano has been appointed chief executive of Southland Industries, a mechanical contractor and ...
Entertainment. (Newsmakers).(entertainment industry personnel briefs)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003 ... Creative Artists Agency has appointed Nick Styne as an agent in the firm's motion picture talent department. Styne, who previously was senior vice president and motion picture talent agent at International Creative Management, brings clients including Cameron Diaz, Selma Blair and Luke ...
Hospitality. (Newsmakers).(Karen Gray, new director of sales and marketing for North America at Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003 ... Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts appointed Karen Gray as director of sales and marketing for North America. Gray will be responsible for the sales, marketing and reservations activities in ...
Labor. (Newsmakers).(Todd Amorde named director of member education at the Screen Actors Guild)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003 ... Todd Amorde has been named director of member education at the Screen Actors Guild. Amorde will conduct special member meetings and contract education ...
Law. (Newsmakers).(personnel announcements by legal firms)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003 ... Munger Tolles & Olson LLP has appointed three partners in its Los Angeles office. They are Carl Moor, who concentrates in complex civil litigation, SEC enforcement proceedings and white collar defense, Dana Treister, a member of the firm's real estate practice and Paul Watford, a litigator ...
Manufacturing. (Newsmakers).(Skip Aldridge named Pharmavite executive vice president of sales)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003 ... Pharmavite LLC, Northridge manufacturer of dietary supplements and herbal products announced the appointment of Skip Aldridge to executive vice president of sales. He will be responsible ...
Real estate. (Newsmakers).(Lowe Enterprises Inc. shareholders named)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003 ... Lowe Enterprises Inc., a real estate management, investment and development firm, announced the election of Catherine A. Ebert and Michael Lowe as shareholders in Los Angeles. Ebert is senior vice president of Lowe Enterprises Investment Management ...
Retail. (Newsmakers).(retail industry personnel news briefs)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003 ... Knoll, an office furniture manufacturer, has named John Swanstrom director of business development in the Los Angeles region. Swanstrom has been with the company since 1998 and previously was a sales manager. Kathleen Neary has been promoted to architectural and design manager, also in the ...
Security. (Newsmakers).(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003 ... Louis Perry has joined Mainland Best Security Inc., a Los-Angeles based security services company, as ...
Making most of a tight LAUSD budget. (People).(Los Angeles Unified School District )(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... FACED with looming state budget cuts, Timothy Buresh knows he has a challenging job ahead of him as chief operating officer of The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second largest. But Buresh said he would undertake a major overhaul of the district's business ...
Crawl spaces: Fred Rhyme's longtime mealworm and cricket farm is alive with business from customers like TV's "Fear Factor," pet stores and zoos nationwide. (Small Business).
Feb 03, 2003; ... IT may make "Fear Factor" contestants cringe, but Fred Rhyme has no qualms about taking 100 worms out of a basket and watching them crawl around on his hands and arms. "It's really quite pleasant," said the 77-year-old Rhyme. For more than 50 years, he has spent ...
Pillow hobby becomes more than cushy job. (Weekly Briefing).(Sarah Stavrou has been building a business in pillow making)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... AFTER moving to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career, Sarah Stavrou inadvertently fell into the art of pillow making, turning her hobby and passion for vintage fabrics into a budding business. In 1998 she launched SaraFine, a line of one-of a-kind ring pillows for weddings and ornate ...
City again banks on cruises to assure fleet commercial gains. (Spotlight on Long Beach).
Feb 03, 2003; ... LONG Beach is again looking for ocean liners to give it an economic boost. The city is pinning its hopes on the April 3 opening of a Carnival Cruise Lines terminal adjacent to the venerable Queen Mary -- itself a tourist attraction whose surroundings having seen better days. ...
Territorial disputes over Internet may arise at franchises. (Entrepreneur's Notebook).
Feb 03, 2003; ... MANY retail franchise companies may soon find that opportunities offered by the Internet create a new source of conflict with their franchisees. This stems from the "exclusive territory" provisions in many older franchise agreements, including a number due to come up for ...
Franchisers: L.A. County-based firms, ranked by number of franchised units.
Feb 03, 2003; ... The List EXECUTIVE SUMMARY MERLE Norman Cosmetics reclaimed the top spot from Hilton Hotels Corp. among Los Angeles franchisers. Despite losing two franchised units, Merle Norman finished ahead of Hilton by 157 units. In total units, however, Hilton still dominated, ...
Conservative approach brings mixed results for Cathay Bank. (Corporate Focus).
Feb 03, 2003; ... LAST year was a good one for Cathay Bancorp, considered by many to be the dean of ethnic Asian banks in Los Angeles. Aided by lower interest rates, Cathay last year posted a 14 percent jump in net income, to a record $48.7 million, or $2.69 a share. This year, the challenge will ...
Econowatch L.A. County.(Los Angeles County economic statistics)(Illustration)
Feb 03, 2003 ... <Pre> CONOWATCH L.A. COUNTY GENERAL INDICATORS % - from Latest Previous previous period periodperiod Employment (000's) (Oct.) ...
One shareholder suit dropped, Mercury Air still faces assault. (Investments & Finance).
Feb 03, 2003; ... IT'S one down, two to go for Mercury Air Group, the Los Angeles aviation services firm that has been accused of securities fraud and racketeering. Last week, plaintiff Keith Scott voluntarily dismissed his complaint against Mercury Air, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior ...
Bull sounds. (Investments & Finance).(quantitative stock analyst recommends buying stocks now)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... Talk of war in Iraq depressed stock prices in January, but Max Darnell, newly named chief investment officer of Pasadena-based First Quadrant, sees this as the best time to buy stocks in three years. "We've been pretty bearish on equities since late 1999, and we have come back ...
M&A slump. (Investments & Finance).(in Orange County, California, in 2002)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003 ... Orange County saw 20 percent fewer mergers and acquisitions last year and the dollar value of the deals that did take place plummeted by 70 percent, according to Los Angeles-based Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin's Mergerstat LP. The number of deals involving Orange County ...
Riordan gets SMS. (Investments & Finance).(Marconi PLC sold Systems Management Specialists Inc. to Riordan Lewis and Haden )(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003 ... Private equity investor Riordan, Lewis & Haden has bought Brea's Systems Management Specialists Inc. from Britain's Marconi PLC for nearly $10 million - 10 percent of what the data services provider sold for in 2000. Los Angeles-based Riordan Lewis said it invested $9.5 million ...
The LABJ Stock Index: tracking 200 selected Los Angeles County-based companies.(Illustration)
Feb 03, 2003 ... MARKET DIARY Local stocks in the LABJ 200 Index slipped slightly in the week ended Jan. 29, as talk of war cast a broad shadow over stock prices. The LABJ 200 tell 0.6 percent for the week, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.5 percent, the S&P 500 dipped 1.6 percent, ...
Calendar.(Calendar)
Feb 03, 2003 ... Tuesday, February 4 Beverly Hills Economic Summit 2003 8:30 a.m. Milken Institute and Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce & Civic Association Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel 9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills $125 ...
Smoke signals. (Retail).(Smoke House restaurant, across from movie studio, seeks celebrity financing to exit bankruptcy)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... The owner of Burbank's venerable Smoke House restaurant said he is trying to get financial backing from an "entertainment industry person" to help pull his establishment out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Jim Lucero said he is also trying to renegotiate lease costs for ...
East Coast bound. (Retail).(Earl Jean Inc. relocating headquarters to New York as Nautica Enterprises Inc. integrates it after acquisition)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... Earl Jean Inc. is moving to New York. Nautica Enterprises Inc., the New York clothing firm that acquired Earl Jean in April 2001, announced the relocation. Earl Jean will be integrated into Nautica's headquarters. Nautica officials said they were in the process of ...
Supervising Davis. (Politics).
Feb 03, 2003; ... L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky had some harsh words for Gov. Gray Davis and state lawmakers at a recent Westside homeowners meeting. In his criticism, Yaroslavsky, a Democrat, sounded more like Republican legislators in Sacramento than his Democratic brethren. "We are ...
Airport talk. (Politics).(two committees to review community impact of proposed Los Angeles International Airport makeover)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... It worked -- after a fashion -- for charter reform, so why not have two committees to assess the community impact of L.A. Mayor James Hahn's $10 billion makeover plan for LAX? Two committees -- one formed by Hahn and the other by Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski (who represents ...
Pepperdine may move business school to Hughes Center. (Real Estate).(to larger facility )(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... PEPPERDINE University is close to a deal that would move its business school across the San Diego (405) Freeway to Howard Hughes Center, according to real estate sources. The school's Graziadio School of Business & Management would take 115,000 square feet at Arden Realty Inc.'s ...
Activity up down South. (Real Estate).(ailing El Segundo, California, real estate market reports deals)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... Two recent deals were signed in El Segundo, where office and industrial activity has been going in opposite directions for the past couple of years. Dynasty Shoes International bought an 111,000-square-foot industrial building at 202 N. Nash St. for more than $8 million. The ...
Read his lips. (Real Estate).(six-story limit on development in Wilshire-Westwood Scenic Corridor to become law, councilman says)(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... Westwood's Wilshire Corridor has seen its last approval of a high-rise development, if Jack Weiss has anything to say about it. In a Jan. 23 meeting with two Westwood homeowners groups, the District 5 councilman announced he was going to move to outlaw any developments along the ...
AON Building shopped. (Real Estate).(Brief Article)
Feb 03, 2003; ... Downtown Los Angeles' 707 Wilshire Tower is being put on the market by owner Wells Fargo & Co. The 1 million-square-foot building, often referred to as the Aon Building due to its building-top signage and largest tenant, is being marketed by Eastdil Realty. Kevin Dretzka, ...