Los Angeles Business Journal

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

Workers' comp rates may climb on back of budget plan: dismantling State Fund could bump premiums.(INSURANCE)
Construction companies and similar businesses be warned: Workers' compensation rates could soar if the state's plan to sell part of the State Compensation Insurance Fund comes to fruition. The bud . . .

Rogue rage: licensed cabbies lose business to 'bandits.'.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] OUTSIDE the Greyhound bus station at Seventh and Alameda streets in downtown Los Angeles last week, a few licensed taxis waited in the afternoon for travelers departing the . . .

Alternative power firms losing juice: financing declines as oil, natural gas prices fall.(ENERGY)
Calum Chisholm is frustrated. The founder of alternative power startup Superprotonic Inc., Chisholm believes his company can revolutionize the power business with its improved fuel cells for homes . . .

Museum feeling bonds that bind: LACMA sues insurer over increase in rates.(NON-PROFIT)(Los Angeles County Museum of Art)
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art came under fire recently because it decided to halt its weekend film program, which the museum said was losing money and an audience. However, the film program . . .

Sales in the bag for eateries: L.A. restaurants offer cut-price sack lunches to boost business.(UP FRONT)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Think brown bag, and the associations are immediate: construction worker, mom's peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or perhaps yesterday's best-forgotten greasy takeout. Ce . . .

Just desserts for student: Cheesecake Factory adds contest winner's creation to menu.(UP FRONT)(Brief article)
Stefanie Gaxiola has found fame. Though, if truth be told, it's a bit cheesy. The 24-year-old Redondo Beach student is the first person to have an item on the Cheesecake Factory menu named after h . . .

That's a lot of change: hotel vending machine will suit up swimmers for 85 bucks.(UP FRONT)(Brief article)
If you find yourself sans swimsuit at the Standard, one of downtown's hippest hotels, there's no need to worry. Sure the hotel is known for its popular rooftop pool and bar, packed with partiers e . . .

Dialed into twitter.(PAGE 3)(Brief article)
IV personality and new businesswoman Brooke Burke may have more than 1 million people "following" her on Twitter, the popular blogging service, but Burke, co-chief executive of online startup Modern . . .

Diplomatic ties.(PAGE 3)(Brief article)
When former British Consul-General Bob Peirce invited Patrick Soon-Shiong to a reception for then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair three years ago this month, little did he know he would one day wo . . .

Something to chew on.(PAGE 3)(Brief article)
When 25-year-old Matt Davidson decided to make chewing gum, he also made a decision to get into business with his parents While an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley a few years back, Davidson c . . .

Cirque loan: the Los Angeles City Council approved a $30 million loan to L.A. developer CIM Group to partially fund renovation o
CIRQUE LOAN: The Los Angeles City Council approved a $30 million loan to L.A. developer CIM Group to partially fund renovation of the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood for a 10-year Cirque du Soleil show d . . .

Cashing out: the L.A. operator of the World Poker Tour said that it is selling most of its assets to private equity group Gamyni
CASHING OUT: The L.A. operator of the World Poker Tour said that it is selling most of its assets to private equity group Gamynia Ltd., which will move the company into online gaming. WPT Enterprise . . .

Going public: Great American Group Inc.(NEWS OF THE WEEK)(Brief article)
GOING PUBLIC: Great American Group Inc.'s purchase by a special-purpose acquisition company has closed in a $175 million deal that will enable the Woodland Hills liquidation firm to be publicly trad . . .

Suit dropped.(NEWS OF THE WEEK)(Brief article)
SUIT DROPPED: The Federal Maritime Commission filed a motion with a Washington, D.C., administrative law judge stating that it planned to drop all opposition to the Clean Truck Program at the ports . . .

For sale: the Cal Neva Resort hotel and casino in Lake Tahoe, until recently owned by bankrupt businessman Ezri Namvar, has been
FOR SALE: The Cal Neva Resort hotel and casino in Lake Tahoe, until recently owned by bankrupt businessman Ezri Namvar, has been put up for sale by its new Century City owner, Canyon Capital Realty . . .

Decision upheld.(NEWS OF THE WEEK)(Brief article)
DECISION UPHELD: A state appellate panel upheld a lower court ruling overturning an L.A. ordinance requiring new owners of grocery stores to retain existing workers for 90 days. In a major victory f . . .

Spaced out: the California Market Center showroom goes in search of tenants as home furnishing, gift companies close.(REAL ESTAT
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BRETT Marz has plenty of elbow room these days--probably too much. As owner of Bamko, a manufacturing and marketing consulting firm, he and several employees have been occup . . .

Business-poaching commercials turn off local television station: KABC rejects Las Vegas-touting ads as harmful to L.A. economy.(
Sharp declines in advertising revenue amid the recession have forced layoffs and program cutbacks at TV stations across the nation. Yet one local television station has turned down a series of adv . . .

L.A. peers get the chills as dot-com heads North: Yammer's move to Bay Area a blow to local community.(RELOCATION)
TALK about unfortunate timing. At a recent tech conference in Los Angeles, organizers scheduled a panel discussion on the advantages the L.A. tech community has over Silicon Valley. But minutes afte . . .

Win for ExpenseBay.(TECHNOLOGY)(Brief article)
Of the 10 startups selected to exhibit at Twiistup, a Santa Monica company won the conferences' best of the show award. ExpenseBay.com, which that helps businesses streamline their expense reports . . .

Juice up.(TECHNOLOGY)(Brief article)
CFX Battery Inc., an Azusa company that builds rechargeable lithium ion batteries for vehicles and electronic devices, recently raised $4.2 million, according to a Web site that tracks venture fundi . . .

Coalition says state missing big picture on TVs: set makers, retailers fear new power standards will hurt sales.(ENERGY)
A NEW business coalition formed last week to fight an impending California Energy Commission regulation restricting the sale of big-screen TVs. The regulation, due to be considered within the next . . .

Fee increase.(REGULATORY WATCH)(Brief article)
Due to the state budget deficit, California employers will soon be paying an additional $70 million through their workers' compensation premiums to fund two programs at the California Department of . . .

Gas station relief.(REGULATORY WATCH)(Brief article)
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last week signed into law a measure allocating $8 million in additional financing for gas station owners struggling to comply with an Air Resources Board regulation to ins . . .

Plan for battery plant zapped by funding loss: Quallion sees delays for new facility in Palmdale.(CONSTRUCTION)(Brief article)
THE future of a planned $220 million battery manufacturing plant in Palmdale has been thrown into doubt after the federal government last week rejected funding for the project. Quallion LLC, a hig . . .

Hot springs.(MANUFACTURING)(Brief article)
Those that say manufacturing is dying in California might want to sit down for this, or better yet, lay down: A Venice company that designs high-end mattresses has brought its manufacturing to South . . .

An instrumental development.(MANUFACTURING)(Brief article)
An instrument designed by the Redondo Beach branch of Northrop Grumman Corp. for a satellite that will provide weather and climate information has been given the green light for production. The de . . .

Insurance service firm grows presence in Valley: One Call moves to bigger office while planning to hire more staff.(EXPANSION)
DESPITE the region's trained work force, employers with extensive call center operations have increasingly fled for the South and Midwest where business costs are lower. But specialty health insur . . .

Implant maker lightens up.(HEALTH CARE & BIOTECH)(Brief article)
In the hotly competitive cochlear implant market, engineers at Advanced Bionics have mostly focused on improving the technology of its high-tech hearing aids for the profoundly deaf. Now, after li . . .

Market opportunity.(HEALTH CARE & BIOTECH)(Brief article)
PC Mall Inc., known for selling computers and other technology to homeowners and businesses, plans to target the health care industry. The Torrance company said last week that its PC Mall Gov subs . . .

Mediawatch.(NEW & ANALYSIS)(Statistical table)
MEDIAWATCH MOVIE BOX OFFICE Weekend Gross Total Gross Rank Title (millions) (millions) Distributor 1 Funny People $22.7 . . .

'Here we go'.(OUTTAKE OF THE WEEK)(Brief article)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Add Demi Lovato to the list of child actresses with ties to Disney who have launched successful music careers. Lovato's second album, "Here We Go Again," debuted at the top . . .

Parked in Garage.(ADVERTISING & PR)(Garage Public Relations )(Brief article)
Garage Public Relations has assumed marketing duties for Multeepurpose, a combination cafe and clothing store in Little Tokyo. Multeepurpose is a concept store for what could become a chain. The c . . .

Butterfinger video blog.(ADVERTISING & PR)(Brief article)
Nestle USA in Glendale has launched a contest to find the next great director of TV commercials. The contest asks would-be directors to submit a one-minute video about a Butterfinger candy bar, ba . . .

Two West.(Agencies & Accounts)(appointment of Kris Flint )(Brief article)
Retail marketing consultancy Two West has transferred Kris Flint to lead its Hollywood office. Flint, who comes from Two West headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., co-founded the company in 1997. He wil . . .

Amy Levy PR.(Agencies & Accounts)(Brief article)
Amy Levy PR is promoting the new book "Beyond the Brochure: An Insider's Guide to Private Elementary Schools in Los Angeles." The $40 self-help tome. set for release in September, has three local au . . .

Blaine Group in Beverly Hills has been retained by Gerber & Co. a Century City accounting firm, for ongoing marketing and public
Blaine Group in Beverly Hills has been retained by Gerber & Co.. a Century City accounting firm, for ongoing marketing and public relations. Using Gerber's trademarked slogan of "Beyond Bean Countin . . .

Health Club Media Network, a marketing firm that puts national ads in health clubs, has announced that Tom Gosney is the company
Health Club Media Network, a marketing Finn that puts national ads in health clubs, has announced that Tom Gosney is the company's new chief financial officer. Gosney joined the Woodland Hills compa . . .

Military orders: Aura Systems Inc.(SOUTH BAY: EL SEGUNDO)(Brief article)
Military Orders: Aura Systems Inc., an El Segundo maker of mobile power generators and electric motors, has received more than $1.1 million in military orders. The orders are from the U.S. Coast Gua . . .

Firm launch: the former Marina del Rey office of law firm Berger Khan has relaunched as Gladstone Michel Weisberg Wilner & Sloan
Firm Launch: The former Marina del Rey office of law firm Berger Khan has relaunched as Gladstone Michel Weisberg Wilner & Sloane ALC. The final will be located at the same address, 4551 Glencoe Ave . . .

Love connection: UniversityLoveConnection.com.(WESTSIDE: SANTA MONICA)(acquisitions of CollegeDatingFomm.com and CollegeDatingAd
Love Connection: UniversityLoveConnection.com, a Santa Monica-headquartered online college dating and advice forum, has expanded with the acquisitions of CollegeDatingFomm.com and CollegeDatingAdvic . . .

West Coast expansion.(WESTSIDE: WEST HOLLYWOOD.)(Jeff Peck Productions Inc.)(Brief article)
West Coast Expansion: Jeff Peck Productions, an Atlanta-based producer of corporate meetings and events, has opened an office in West Hollywood to pursue West Coast business. The new office is at 84 . . .

City pickup.(CENTRAL AREA: DOWNTOWN L.A.)(Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency has acquired industrial property from Ocean
City Pickup: The Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency has acquired a downtown industrial property for $3.17 million from Ocean Queen 87 Inc. The property, at 1300-1308 E. First St., will be de . . .

Summit scheduled: Variety Group.(CENTRAL AREA: LOS ANGELES)(partnership with Digital Hollywood Inc.)(Brief article)
Summit Scheduled: Variety Group, an L.A. show business trade publisher, has partnered with Digital Hollywood Inc., a New York-based producer of business conferences and other events, to produce the . . .

Mixed-use makeover.(SAN FERNANDO VALLEY: RESEDA)(Decron Properties Corp.)(Brief article)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mixed-Use Makeover: Real estate investment company Decron Properties Corp. has completed a $10 million renovation adapting Victory-Tampa Medical Square, at 19231 Victory Blv . . .

Healthy debut: Studio City search engine and marketing company MD Search Engine has launched Web site MDSearchEngine.com.(SAN FE
Healthy Debut: Studio City search engine and marketing company MD Search Engine has launched Web site MDSearchEngine.com. The site is designed to allow health care professionals to create, build and . . .

New Studio: co-founders Juan Suarez and Phil Alterman have opened Burbank recording studio Stone Heavy Sound to specialize in ro
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] New Studio: Co-founders Juan Suarez and Phil Alterman have opened Burbank recording studio Stone Heavy Sound to specialize in rock and metal recordings. The studio, at 517 S . . .

Office concentration: interior design and architecture firm Shlemmer+Algaze +Associates has shuttered its Encino office and has
Office Concentration: Interior design and architecture firm Shlemmer+Algaze +Associates has shuttered its Encino office and has merged staff into its Pasadena location, which formerly housed commerc . . .

Shoe sales with soul: sisters who founded Aldabella Scarpa credit charitable giveaways with boosting business.(This Week: ALTERN
IT was one of those classic moments of entrepreneurial inspiration. Two years ago, Monica Gonzales was shopping for shoes for her 2-year-old daughter when nothing fit quite right. So Gonzalez real . . .

Stuck on Web: Jason McCabe Calacanis has jumped from running Internet trade publications to overseeing search engine Mahalo.com.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HIS orange Tesla Roadster and his two bulldogs set Jason McCabe Calacanis apart on the L.A. tech scene. A fast-talking and energetic entrepreneur, Calacanis is respected for . . .