Business Writer, LA Observed
Writer on business at LA Observed, contributing writer at Los Angeles magazine and business analyst for public radio station KPCC in Pasadena, California; former editor of Los Angeles Business Journal
PROFILE
Mark Lacter
Guest
FROM Mark Lacter
Which Way, L.A.?
Encino Residents Fight to Save Local Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble is one of the big chains that have pushed independent bookstores out of many neighborhoods. But Barnes & Noble tries to be different, with author readings and other events that provide a similar sense of community. It may be hard to escape the irony, but now Barnes & Noble is being pushed out of the San Fernando Valley community of Encino. Recently, a group of angry readers formed Save Our Encino Barnes & Noble .
Which Way, L.A.?
California Economy Improving, but Still Waiting for Jobs Ben Bernanke says the recession is finally over, at least from what he calls "a technical perspective." The UCLA Anderson quarterly forecast says a turnaround has begun in Southern California, even though the state's unemployment rate will rise to more than 12% by the end of this year. Mark Lacter writes about business for the website LA Observed.
Which Way, L.A.?
California Legislators Split over Bailout Package After Congress failed to pass the much-compromised Wall Street rescue today, the Dow took its biggest single point-drop in history—777 points. Speaker Nancy Pelosi blamed Republicans for the bill's failure, but no less than half of California's Democratic Caucus also voted "no."
Which Way, L.A.?
IndyMac Kneecapped by the Mortgage Crisis Because of the sub prime lending crisis, Countrywide , the big lender in Calabassas, is now owned by Bank of America . Now another national powerhouse— IndyMac Bancorp of Pasadena —is in big trouble. New York’s Democratic Senator Charles Schumer —chair of the Joint Economic Committee —set off a minor panic when he warned that IndyMac “could face a failure if prescriptive measures are not taken quickly.”
Which Way, L.A.?
Sam Zell Says He Wants to Sell LAT Building But Does Anybody Want It? “Let’s be honest here. This is a crummy property being put on the market at a lousy time.” That’s from yesterday’s blog LA Biz Observed by Mark Lacter, contributor to Los Angeles Magazine , Fast Company and…that other radio station . The “crummy property” was the LA Times Building, which Sam Zell says just might be up for sale …
Which Way, L.A.?
LA's Shrinking Middle Class "Forget about LA's middle class. It's dead and buried... Los Angeles has boiled down to an economy of the well-off and the far-from-well-off... And here's the weird, almost perverse part: it seems to be working." That's from an article in this month's Los Angeles magazine. It's well known that LA is becoming a two-tiered society, composed of the pretty rich and the very poor, with fewer and fewer people in between. Yet, contrary to ominous predictions, the economy is thriving--despite a shrinking middle class. We get two views on how long that will last.
Recommended
To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.