Los Angeles Business Journal back issues from July 2005:
Cities, L.A. County looking to raise fees to fill budget gaps.
Jul 04, 2005; ... Local officials throughout L.A. County are putting out the word that higher fees or taxes could be in the offing, the result of increases in government pensions and health care costs. The fees under consideration would hit a variety of businesses, including those with county ...
China arrives: Unocal bid sign of more to come.
Jul 04, 2005; ... The Chinese are coming. That's the consensus among investment bankers and private equity players who are closely watching China National Offshore Oil Corp.'s $18.5 billion takeover bid for Los Angeles-based Unocal Corp. So far, there's been just a trickle of Chinese ...
At the Getty, the board makes excuses when it should be making reforms.(J. Paul Getty Trust)
Jul 04, 2005; ... JOHN Biggs is in a bit of a fix. As chairman of the J. Paul Getty Trust, he must defend the extravagant compensation and perks that the board has bestowed upon its president and chief executive, Barry Munitz. This is the same Biggs who several years ago was praised for his reformist views ...
Coldplay album's success proves a point and iPod's dominance.
Jul 04, 2005; ... When British alternative rock band Coldplay released the album "X&Y" exclusively on iTunes, with two extra songs not available anywhere else, the great clatter heard around the world was the sound of records being broken. The first single, "Speed of Sound," is the best-selling ...
Builders planning to raze St. Regis.(Up Front)
Jul 04, 2005; ... Just how much will the market bear for a luxury condominium in Century City? Try $4 million. Reversing its earlier plans to convert the St. Regis hotel into condominiums, Related Cos. of California is now proposing to raze the 32-story tower and make way for even larger units. ...
Officials targeting companies in unemployment tax fraud.(Up Front)
Jul 04, 2005; ... The state of California is cracking down on companies that evade or underpay unemployment taxes. Tax officials are using new state and federal laws to assess $159 million in unpaid unemployment taxes from 40 employers in the past two years. So far, the state has collected more ...
Yes, donors are giving, but gifts are coming with more strings attached.(Up Front)(negotiationd between University of California, Los Angeles and L.B. Research & Education Foundation)
Jul 04, 2005; ... When the UCLA Foundation received a $1 million gift to establish a chaired position at its medical center, the school had a tall order on its hands. The donor not only wanted a cardiothoracic surgeon but one who would support basic science research activities that may have the ...
Gas prices.(Review & Preview)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Gas Prices: High oil prices raised the cost of filling up in L.A. The average gallon of self-serve regular in the Los Angeles area was $2.419 for the week ended June 27, up from $2.369 the previous week, according to the Energy ...
Tech sale.(sun Microsystems Inc purchases SeeBeyond Technology Corp)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Tech Sale: sun Microsystems Inc. will purchase SeeBeyond Technology Corp. for $387 million in cash. Under the agreement, Santa Clara-based Sun will pay $4.25 a share, a 30 percent premium. The deal includes the assumption of employee stock options. The acquisition of ...
Mortgage buy.(Countrywide Financial Corp acquires KB Home Mortgage Co)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Mortgage Buy: Countrywide Financial Corp. has agreed to buy almost all of the assets of KB Home's mortgage business, KB Home Mortgage Co. The Calabases-based mortgage lender and the L.A.-based homebuilder ...
Freeway opening.(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Freeway Opening: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger expressed support for funding a northbound carpool lane on the San Diego (405) Freeway. Rep. Howard Berman, D-North Hollywood, had complained that the governor was not giving strong support to a ...
Free stock.(Sport Chalet Inc gives free shares to Craig Levra and Howard Kaminsky)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Free Stock: Sporting goods retailer Sport Chalet Inc. proposed a recapitalization plan that would shift most of founder Norbert Olberz's 65 percent stake to the top two officers for free. The value of the shares given to ...
Housing projections.(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Housing Projections: Sales of existing single-family homes in California will reach a record 633,490 units in 2005, a 1.4 percent increase from the previous year's record pace, driven by lower-than-expected ...
Mag trade.(CurtCo Publishing acquires San Diego Magazine Publishing Co)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Mug Trade: Luxury market magazine company CurtCo Publishing has purchased the assets of the 53,000-circulation San Diego Magazine for undisclosed terms ....
Bootlegging case.(Review & Preview)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Bootlegging Case: A Los Angeles jury convicted a man known as "Hollywood's Prince of Piracy," in what was billed as a landmark prosecution. Johnny Ray Gasca was ...
Airport audit.(Review & Preview)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Airport Audit: The operator of Los Angeles International Airport has improved its contracting procedures but continues to permit "ambiguity," according to an audit released by City Controller Laura Chick. The audit was a follow-up ...
Fourth of July.(Review & Preview)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Fourth of July: Monday is a holiday for most businesses. Government offices will be closed and mail will not be ...
Fireworks.(Review & Preview)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Fireworks: One of L.A.'s most spectacular pyrotechnical displays will be at the Hollywood Bowl. Other locations around the city featuring fireworks include the Starlight Bowl in Burbank, the Rose Bowl in ...
Musical interludes.(Review & Preview)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Musical Interludes: The LA. Philharmonic performs "Video Games Live" at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday (6th), featuring the melodies and harmonies from games such as ...
Economic reports.
Jul 04, 2005 ... Economic Reports: Tuesday (5th): May factory orders. Wednesday (6th): June non-manufacturing business ...
Sports beat.(Review & Preview)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Sports Beat: The Angels are at home against Minnesota on Monday through Wednesday (4th-6th), and Seattle on Thursday through Sunday ...
World beat.
Jul 04, 2005 ... World Beat: The Skirball Cultural Center presents free live music on Saturday afternoons. The ...
Zoo news.(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Zoo News: The L.A. Zoo presents "Sea Lion Summer," including a sand sculpture, surf music on weekends, sea lion keeper talks, crafts and other kids' ...
Radio days.
Jul 04, 2005 ... Radio Days: Talk radio host Tavis Smiley of Public Radio International and National Public Radio will speak at Wells Fargo Home ...
Not seeing it.(Opaque u Dining in the Dark)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... Ben Uphues has come from Germany to bring the European trend of dining blind--literally--to Los Angeles. His venture, Opaque--Dining in the Dark, duplicates a restaurant experience that has swept Germany and France in recent years: Blind hosts guide diners to their tables in ...
Strike it rich.(Wealth TV and Champion Broadband starting services)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... Wealth TV, a luxury lifestyle cable channel, is expanding its reach in the L.A. area. The San Diego-based programming will be available to residents of Pasadena, Arcadia and Monrovia with Champion Broadband cable service beginning July 18. The channel, launched about a year ago, ...
Eating LACMA.(Los Angeles County Museum of Art)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... The King Tut exhibit is making people hungry, and not just for their turn to view Egyptian treasures at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. LACMA and its food service partner, the Patina Group, stand ready to please with menu items like mummy wraps. Staff from ...
Canoga pride.(THE LABJ'S: L.A. Stories)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... You've come a long way, Canoga Park. The West Valley community celebrated its 2005 All America City Award at the Madrid Theatre--formerly the home of the Pussycat Theater, a longtime landmark porn house. The location led to some confusion. "Someone said somewhere that it was a ...
Hot tickets.(THE LABJ'S: L.A. Stories)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... If you do it on the street, it's a crime. But if you do it in an office, it's fine. That's reselling tickets, which is perfectly legal if a broker does it from a storefront or over the Internet. As such, online ticket vendor RazorGator has raised $26 million in ...
Buyers bet the house with risky interest-only loans.
Jul 04, 2005; ... Increasing numbers of L.A. homeowners are taking out mortgage loans with low initial payments and high back-end payments, making a huge bet that housing prices will keep rising sharply. If they are wrong and the housing market slows, not only could they be wiped out financially, ...
Manager leaves as Akin exodus continues.(Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld L.L.P.)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... AKIN Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP has suffered another key departure this time, its local director of administration. Michael Palmer, who managed the Washington-based firm's Los Angeles, San Francisco and Pale Alto offices for three and a half years, has become executive ...
Roll call.(law firms' revenue rankings)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... Five Los Angeles-based law firms made the Top 100 in the United States, according to American Lawyer magazine's annual report. In total 2004 revenue, No. 3 Latham & Watkins LLP was the highest-ranked L.A. firm, with S1.2 billion in revenues, up 16.7 percent from 2003. No. 1 on ...
Funeral lawyer.(Susan Rule Sandier appointed chief legal counsel for Forest Lawn Memorial Parks & Mortuaries)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... Susan Rule Sandier has become chief legal counsel for Forest Lawn Memorial Parks & Mortuaries, building on her background in regulatory work. Sandler was most recently general counsel at Western Dental Services Inc. after serving as associate general counsel at Herbalife ...
Meal break.(Orchard Commercial Inc)(labor Commissioner rules that employees must file case within one year)(employers not giving meal-and-rest-period will be charged)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... California employers got a break in their attempts to reduce meal-and-rest-period lawsuits after California Labor Commissioner Donna Dell recently determined that employees must file complaints within a year. Previously, employees had up to three years to file a lawsuit after ...
Corporate reform.(LAW)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... <Pre> Corporate Reform The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is costing more than headaches for public companies:2003 2004 * Audit fees $2.6 million $4.2 million * Executives who ...
Alschuler Grossman Stein & Kahan LLP.(Comings & Goings ...)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... Alschuler Grossman Stein & Kahan LLP has hired William Mark Levinson as chairman of its ...
Shea Stokes & Carter ALC.(comings and goings ...)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... The former lead prosecutor in the Atlanta rape case that was the setting behind the shooting deaths of a judge, court reporter and deputy has joined ...
McDermott Will & Emery.(comings and goings ...)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... McDermott Will & Emery has added two lawyers from Hogan & Hartson LLP to its 18-member intellectual property practice in the Los Angeles area. Jessica Cullen Smith, a former associate, will become a partner in McDermott's Los ...
StreamCast recasting for downloading within legal limits.(UP FRONT)(Grokster Ltd.'s copyright infringement case)
Jul 04, 2005; ... Don't count StreamCast Networks Inc. out--not yet anyway. The Woodland Hills-based firm was one of the two online file-sharing networks hit by last week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a case pitting movie studios and music labels against online startups that offer free music ...
Steakhouses seizing the sizzle as diners tire of complex fare.(MARKETPLACE)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... The low-carb frenzy may have mellowed, t steak is staying on the menu. A new crop of contemporary steakhouses is popping up in Los Angeles, including the Lodge in Beverly Hills, the Sterling in Hollywood and a yet-to-be named Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group offering at the Regent Beverly ...
Update department.(merger of Federated Department Stores Inc and Robinsons-May)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... Shoppers wondering what changes are ahead for Robinsons-May department stores with the merger of Federated Department Stores Inc. and May Department Stores Co. shouldn't hold their breath. While the boards of both companies have approved Federated's $17 billion bid for St ....
Irish are coming.(Busby's acquire Ye Olde KingEs Head)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... Grab a pint of Guinness. Ye Olde King's Head, the venerable Santa Monica British pub, is getting a touch of Irish. Irishmen Donal Tavey and Paul Boettcher, owners of the Santa Monica sports bar Busby's, have bought the King's Head from Phil and Ruth Elwell for an undisclosed ...
Casden plans luxury condos in Beverly Hills shopping district.(condominiums)
Jul 04, 2005; ... Billionaire developer Alan Casden wants to build 60 luxury condominiums in the heart of Beverly Hills' exclusive shopping district on parking lots between Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys. Plans filed by Casden Properties Inc. call for two condo projects near the corner of Wilshire ...
Wilder Theater finally set for debut at Hammer Museum; Occidental and UCLA conclude agreement.(UP FRONT)(Occidental Petroleum Corp.)
Jul 04, 2005; ... After nearly two years of on-and-off negotiations, the Armand Hammer Museum and its landlord, Occidental Petroleum Corp., have worked out an agreement for construction of the long-awaited Billy Wilder Theater. The 4,000-square-foot theater, located off to the side of the ...
Running on empty: Unocal is only a shadow of its former self.(UP FRONT)
Jul 04, 2005; ... Thousands cheered in L.A.'s newly opened Dodger Stadium as Sandy Koufax struck out one Yankee after another, leading the boys in blue to victory in the 1963 World Series. And lording over them on the top of the scoreboard was the distinctive orange and blue Union 76 sign, the ...
Flops take toll as Hollywood pulls back ads.(Media & Technology)
Jul 04, 2005; ... When Hollywood sneezes, it seems that magazines, television networks and especially newspapers catch a cold. That's the worry on the minds of media executives as studios chalk up weekend after weekend of disappointing box office grosses and begin to tighten their ad budgets. ...
Viacom adopts NeoPets and their millions of owners.(Media & Technology)
Jul 04, 2005; ... Once again, traditional media is looking to new media for a lift. Viacom Inc.'s $160 million acquisition of Glendale-based NeoPets.com will give its Nickelodeon Film and Enterprises unit a new stable of cartoon characters, as well as ownership of what by one measure is the ...
Earthlink offshoot bringing handsets into a sharp focus.(planning to innovate a new cel phone, Napster Inc. and Ericsson Radio Systems AB in wireless market)
Jul 04, 2005; ... TODD Tappin, who helped guide Pasadena's Overture Services through an initial public offering and its sale to Yahoo Inc., thinks he has discovered the next new thing. Just don't call it a phone. "I'd like to move away from calling it a cell phone," said Tappin, chief ...
Mediawatch.(Tv ratings and collections)(Illustration)
Jul 04, 2005 ... <Pre> MOVE BOX OFFICE Weekend Total GrossGross Rank Title (mils)(mils) Distributor1Batman Begins $27.6$122.5 Warner Bros 2Bewitched ...
Real estate ads ignite boomlet for community papers in L.A.(MEDIA)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... NOT every newspaper faces declining advertising. Several weekly and monthly community papers appear to be thriving, fattening up on real estate advertising and launching new editions. Core Media Group Inc. has launched weekly newspapers in Burbank and La Canada Flintridge, ...
Nielsen fights back.(MEDIA)
Jul 04, 2005; ... Nielsen Media Research Inc., the company that provides ratings and demographic information for television audiences, is mounting a public-relations counteroffensive to charges that its new local people meter system undercounts minority audiences. Nielsen executives recently met ...
News on the move.(Viacom Inc. broadcasting the programs from new studios.)(Main Street Publishing Group published Vetz Magazine )(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... With the flip of a switch, all-news station KFWB-AM (980) abandoned its venerable but musty headquarters in Hollywood in favor of modern digs in the Miracle Mile area. The station has signed off from its home of 30 years at Columbia Square and switched over to broadcasting the ...
Guardian angels?(MEDIA)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005; ... Did Los Angeles African-American leaders intervene to save the job of a veteran local sports broadcaster? That's the question being raised on a Web site that tracks news programs in Los Angeles. According to Ron Fineman's On the Record site, which dishes news and gossip about ...
Ad agencies scrambling to hire specialists.(MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY)
Jul 04, 2005; ... After five years in the doldrums, L.A. advertising and marketing agencies are again on the lookout for new talent, reflecting confidence in the growth of advertising, and Hollywood-related product placements in particular. The turnaround--most noticeable in midlevel positions ...
Web garb: Onestop Internet Inc. handles the online affairs of apparel companies in a sector highly resistant to cannibalizing sales from retail stores.(Small Business)
Jul 04, 2005; ... BRETT Morrison can be considered a dot-com stereotype. After launching an online photo sharing company in 1998, he and his partners were flush with venture capital funding, but not a workable business plan. As a result, Ememories.com Inc. never made any money. Morrison's takeaway: "Don't ...
Take extra steps when selling to large firms.(CASE STUDY)
Jul 04, 2005; ... FOR a small business, it's a significant moment when it comes time to sign a contract with a major player. Andrew Demetriou, head of corporate banking and business at Fulbright and Jaworski LLP, said there are a few details that entrepreneurs should keep in mind. "The number one ...
Doctor dial: disenchanted with industry trends, Dave Van Dyke left radio to open a consulting firm that provides ratings not offered by Arbitron.(Bridge Ratings LLC)(Interview)
Jul 04, 2005; ... DAVE Van Dyke's journey in radio took him from Miami to Detroit to Chicago to Dallas to Denver to Portland, back to Dallas, then to Boston and finally to Los Angeles. His broadcast career ended in 2001 at KCBS in Los Angeles, when he became disillusioned with corporate cuts and formulaic ...
Moss Adams LLP.(appointments)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Moss Adams LLP, a Seattle-based accounting and consulting firm, has appointed Jacob A. Azar to lead the not-for-profit practice in the Los Angeles office ....
HGA Architects & Engineers.(appointments)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... HGA Architects & Engineers, an architecture, engineering, and planning firm, hired Marc Davidson to its Los Angeles office as ...
K. Hovnanian.(promotions)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... K. Hovnanian, Southern California Region, a homebuilder based in Ontario, promoted Angela Wilson to land ...
First Consulting Group.(appointments)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... First Consulting Group, a provider of outsourcing, consulting, systems implementation and integration for life sciences organizations, named ...
The Greater Los Angeles/Ventura Chapter of the Building Industry Association.(appointments)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... The Greater Los Angeles/Ventura Chapter of the Building Industry Association, a professional trade organization, appointed Holly ...
Chase Design Group.(appointments)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Chase Design Group, an L.A. designer of fonts and logos, has hired Henry Rosenblit director of business ...
Level 3 Post.(appointments)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Level 3 Post, a digital post production facility service has hired post production artist O.T. Hight and colorist ...
Bunim-Murray Productions.(promotions)(Brief Article)
Jul 04, 2005 ... Gil Goldschein has been promoted to senior vice president, business and legal affairs, at the Van Nuys-based entertainment company Bunim-Murray Productions. Goldschein was vice president. Also at Bunim-Murray, Phil Castaneda was promoted to senior vice president, production finance and ...