Which Way, L.A.?
Is LA or San Francisco Leading the Way to the Future?
Los Angeles was once America's economic success story, but its economy is now just 25th in the nation, while the San Francisco Bay Area is Number One. Why as San Francisco boomed while LA has bottomed out? We get several viewpoints.
By Warren Olney • • 22m ListenFrom 1910 to 1970, Los Angeles was America's economic success story, becoming the nation's center of manufacturing, aerospace, and the movies. It was roughly comparable to San Francisco, which had also been booming for decades. Now, LA's economy is just 25th in the nation, while the Bay Area is Number One. One economist says LA stayed with the old way of doing business, while San Francisco embraced the New Economy. Others say the price for the City by the Bay was the loss of its heart and soul. We hear both sides.
We also hear from KCRW followers (Kurt Isensee, David Wajsfelner, Navid Nakhaee and Renee Green) on their views about Los Angeles as compared to San Francisco.
Photos: (L) Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles (Jon Sullivan) and (R) Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco (Ricardo Villar)
