Results tagged “economy”

With runaway production affecting the local economy, Los Angeles wants filming to come back home. Last month, the city council adopted a motion that brought 19 ideas to the table that would hopefully entice more local filming. One of those tasks was to identify the ten hardest places to film in. And in record time--less than a month, that's saying something for a city report--that list was just released.

Times might be tough, but at LAX, making good use of the aging Tom Bradley International Terminal is proving to be tougher. Today, the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners are "expected to approve $1.13 billion in construction contracts to revitalize facilities for international travelers at Los Angeles International Airport and build new gates to accommodate the next generation of large commercial planes," according to LA Now.

Although there were some gains in features and commercial shoots, overall film-production dropped in the third quarter of 2009 compared to 2008, according to statistics released yesterday. In all, there were 9,680 permitted production days from July to September compared to 11,300 recorded in the same time period last year--that's a 14.3 percent drop.

Some L.A. City Councilmembers are considering freezing the police department's budget in light of the economy and a downtrend in the city's crime statistics. Specifically, it would affect the goal of hiring 10,000 officers, a Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa campaign promise that is nearing completion. Proponents of the hiring freeze say it doesn't make sense to hire officers and then furlough them.

On-location shoots for advertisements may be on the rise, but filming in Los Angeles has been on the downtrend for some years now, thanks to incentives that lured shoots to Alabama, New York City, Canada and elsewhere. That might be good for complaining neighbors, but it's not for the larger picture that is Los Angeles' economy.

With movie tickets going for $10-$14 a shot depending on the show time and cinema, is it that much of a stretch to the concept or budget to double that to see a film in a comfortable, intimate, "restaurant-like" setting? Gold Class Cinemas is banking on it, actually. The Aussie company is working on the renovation of the former Laemmle Theatres (which were AMC Theatres back in the day) at One Colorado in Old Pasadena, and is scheduled to open their 6-screen high-end movie venue "in time for the holiday season," according to the Star-News.

Independent business research and analysis organization The Conference Board has released their data for the ratio of job seekers to jobs posted online for the month of September. They found that there "were 5.66 people in the Los Angeles-Orange County metro area looking for jobs in September for every online help-wanted ad," explains the OC Register.

State Parks are not closing after all, but at least six domestic violence shelters around the state have closed due to a small, but devastating budget cut by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger over the summer. That's according to the Domestic Violence Center of the Santa Clarita Valley, which came close to being the seventh such closure.

Although officials don't know for sure, the drowning of a 3-year-old boy last week might have been prevented if rolling cuts were not in effect. To close a $54 million gap in the department's budget, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa cut non-emergency overtime in lieu of furloughs or layoffs. The cut meant shutting down 15 engines and 9 ambulances at rotating locations around the city daily.

If you happen to be in Sacramento tomorrow and Saturday, do the state a favor and give them some money in exchange for some official government crap. Back in July, Governor Schwarzenegger announced that they would be selling government stuff--cars, computers, other crap--to help offset the billion dollar deficit. Then someone on Twitter suggested that he sign some of the items to raise the value and he went, paraphrased, "OMG, such a g00d idea! Keep the ideas coming, Twitter pals!"

The weekend left five dead in separate shootings, but one in particular caught the attention of civil rights leaders in the Hyde Park neighborhood of South LA. 17 year-old Brandon Jamal Perry was shot in the face after an occupant stepped out of a vehicle with a rifle and began shooting at him and others standing in front of a house late Saturday night. Three others were injured, but Perry died at the hospital.

The popular lunch truck row in Mid-Wilshire has the scores of office workers in the area thrilled. Echoing the sentiments of Michael Schneider who calls the area a "vast wasteland of lunchtime eateries," the lack of diverse choices has workers bored or worse yet, some places just seem like horrid choices to them. But since the food truck craze has hit Los Angeles, the lunch time options have changed.

Getting a taco from a truck isn't new by a longshot--it's been a way of life here in Los Angeles for hundreds of thousands of people for years and years. Lunch trucks, push carts, and street vendors are old hat for many residents and longstanding threads in many neighborhoods' fabrics. And yet "food trucks" are a buzzword--a trendy buzzword at that--and the people behind the buzz are often thought to be, well, a little "bougie."

State Controller John Chiang today said the issuance of IOUs instead of paying bills can stop on September 4th. His suggestion still must be approved by the Pooled Money Investment Board, which controls the state's cash flow, according to the Sacramento Bee. In July, California began issuing IOUs because a revised budget was not in effect. So far, 327,000 totaling $1.95 billion have been sent out. "The State of California owes a debt of gratitude to the thousands of individuals and businesses that were forced to bear the brunt of the State's chronic fiscal mismanagement," Chiang said.

In order to keep some--not all--state parks open, California State Parks will be increasing fees beginning next Monday. The move comes after Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger slashed nearly $39 million from parks last month in the state budget. Officials say that it is likely some parks will close, but are seeking to partner with communities and corporations to keep some open.

A state legislator is suing the Governor over budget cuts and so is everyone else, it seems. Today, you can add AIDS Project Los Angeles to the list. They contend that Schwarzenegger went beyond his authority by cutting $85 million from HIV/AIDS programs. Citing the state's Legislative Counsel Bureau, the APLA says Schwarzenegger was only allowed to make budget cuts to original budget appropriations, not to a bill passed last February. “In exceeding his power, the governor has singlehandedly dismantled a critical array of programs that protect the health of all Californians -- programs that ultimately save the state from far more catastrophic spending,” APLA Director Craig E. Thompson said. “The effects will be nothing short of devastating.” Los Angeles County has the second largest AIDS epidemic in the country and 7,000 people statewide are estimated to become HIV positive. A rally will be held at Pershing Square in downtown tonight at 7 p.m. followed by a short march to the Reagan State Office Building on Spring Street. 2,000 demonstrators are expected.

Passing the measure known as "Cash for Clunkers" looms before lawmakers--and their summer recess--and has been met in the media with its fair share of critics and cheerleaders. Categorizing himself as the latter, Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti published a post today on his website declaring his support--"love," actually--of the program that "gives car-buyers vouchers worth up to $4,500 for trading in their low-mileage vehicle for one that’s significantly more fuel-efficient."

San Francisco Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom is once again back in Los Angeles on the campaign trail. Today he sits down with Los Angeles' business community at the L.A. Chamber of Commerce as part of their California Candidates Series. Newsom will discuss public and private-sector jobs and how they could revitalize the economy to the group who could offer a powerful endorsement later in the race. According to his campaign, Newsom "was a business-owner who created more than 1,000 jobs before entering public service." Newsom has been traveling around the state presenting a program called "Conversations About California's Future," which hit San Bernardino yesterday and will soon arrive in Long Beach, Orange County, and Riverside.

You want to eat fresh seasonal produce that's grown by area farmers. You want to help your local economy and not line the coffers of corporate America. You appreciate that an Oxnard-grown strawberry--one that's softer, smaller, redder, riper, and sweeter--is about a thousand times tastier, better for you, better for the environment, and better for your fellow Californians than the one that's bigger, harder, paler, less flavorful and found in a big plastic box inside the store that feels like a big plastic box.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger finally signed California's budget today, making additional cuts to fill a $1.1 billion gap left by legislators in their approved package. An additional $6.2 million was cut from state parks after an $8 million cut was proposed last week. That makes a total of $14.2 million, a number the Schwarzenegger's office predicts "will result in the closure of probably more than 100 parks."

We all know that Schwarzenegger loves Twittering and yesterday he uploaded a short TwitVid that began with him holding a very large knife, apparently a metaphor for his budget cuts. Har, har! As of 11 a.m., it's received over 100,000 views.

In addition to the $70 million Los Angeles could lose via raided redevelopment funds, another $166 million could be lost if $120 million in property tax revenue and $66 million in gas tax revenue are taken to fix the state budget, which will be voted on later this week by state legislators. The County of Los Angeles also stands to lose major funding, which could have long term effects in the billions. The county says they would lose $313.4 million in redevelopment, $109 million in gas taxes, $53.3 million from CalWorks (welfare program), $22.1 million in substance abuse crime prevention, $21 million for mental health managed care and $5.7 million in AIDS/HIV treatment and prevention, according to the LA Times.

A budget deal was agreed on last night between top legislators and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Part of that deal was cutting $8 million from the state parks system, saving the majority of parks from the original proposal to cut around $70 million forcing the closure of 80% of them.

Estimates peg yesterday's massive memorial service for Michael Jackson costing the city at around $4 million, but "one economist says Los Angeles may end up breaking even," according to abc7. "Jack Kyser says the event costs may be offset by the money spent on food and lodging from all the fans and media who came to L.A." To help cover the unexpected expense, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office established a website yesterday to collect donations. However, "newly-elected city attorney Carmen Trutanich says his staff is investigating how to make sure the city is not put in this position again."

So California is issuing IOUs for the first time since 1992. They carry an interest rate of 3.75%, but that's apparently on an annual basis only earning about ten bucks for every thousand you're owed. But that's not stopping people from trying to buy them on Craigslist! Unlikely it's for profit, it's probably just for the kitsch souvenir factor.

A state board voted today to hand out IOUs that will be repaid on October 2nd at the earliest. Although Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's staff wanted a repayment date to be set for as last as next year June with an 1.5% interest rate, staff with Controller John Chiang said people need their money and next year would be too late. Ultimately, the Pooled Money Investment Board sided with Chiang and put the interest rate at 3.75%. "In 1992, CA IOUs were at 5% interest," twittered John Myers from KQED, noting that it will be interesting to see if people buy and sell IOUs hoping to make a profit. Wells Fargo and Bank of America have said they're willing to accept IOUs before July 10th. $140 million in IOUs will be sent to people expecting income tax returns. A full list of where IOUs will be going is here.

t that cow tails are not important, but Gov. Schwarzenegger has a good point. Early in the afternoon, he tweeted, "Instead of working on budget, the Legislature is about to debate whether cows can keep their tails while we're in a fiscal crisis." We just thought he was being Mr. Sassy Pants. Then a few hours later, he proved it with this video.

Happy New Fiscal Year! To no surprise of anyone, the state once again failed to pass the budget revision before today, the beginning of the 2009/2010 fiscal year. That means 28,742 payments, many of them tax refunds, totalling $53.3 million will be sent out tomorrow as IOUs, costing the state $3.4 billion over the next 30 years due to higher interest rates.

With the new fiscal year looming on Wednesday and Democrats refusing to cut programs in their entirety, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday presented his budget Plan B. In it, he backed off from eliminating "welfare assistance, health care for poor children, and financial aid for college students," according to John Myers of KQED.

In a late Sunday night Session, the state's Assembly passed a budget with $2 billion in tax and fee increases that included a $15 annual vehicle registration fee that would pay for state parks, among other taxes and fees like a $1.50 tax on cigarettes. The Democratic budget solution is headed to the state Senate for consideration this morning.