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'Jewish cabal': That's the phrase Judith Regan apparently used in her conversation with the HarperCollins attorney - the conversation that led to her firing. The comment was related to Regan's claims that HarperCollins hadn't supported her during the O.J. Simpson uproar last month. News Corp., which is the parent of HarperCollins, released what it says are notes of the conversation. Bert Fields, Regan's lawyer, denies any suggestion that her comments were anti-Semitic. NYT, LAT
Sunset Strip sale: The old Playboy building and an adjoining shopping center, are being bought by a Pal Alto investment firm for $100 million. The buyer, Broadreach Capital Partners, purchased the 14-story CNN building earlier this year - as well as the Sunset Millennium complex in West Hollywood. Property values in that part of town have been climbing because there's little new office construction and rents are rising. LAT
LAX to buy Radisson?: The Daily Breeze reports that airport negotiators met behind closed doors on Monday with the hotel's owners. There's talk that the Radisson could be turned into LAX's administrative headquarters. From the Breeze:
The Radisson dominates one of the most visible corners in the airport neighborhood, rising 12 stories above the traffic of Sepulveda and Century boulevards. Property records list its assessed value at around $21 million, but a representative of the San Diego-based company that owns it has said those are old estimates, and low. The purchase of the Radisson property would push the boundaries of LAX one block east and could reignite questions about airport expansion. It also would fall outside of the airport agency's previously approved plans for LAX, none of which appear to have seriously contemplated buying the Radisson.
LAX hikes rent: The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners unanimously approved increases in terminal fees that would, among other things, nearly quadruple rents and other fees for low-cost carriers in Terminals 1 and 3. That's led to speculation about some of those carriers pulling out. The airlines say that the increases are not justified. Airport officials argue that rate hikes are necessary to cover the costs of airport improvements. LAT
L.A. landmark shuttered: Well, some would consider it a landmark: Frederick's of Hollywood's Celebrity Lingerie Hall of Fame, home to Madonna's black and gold bustier and Mae West's marabou-bedecked negligee. There's not enough room at Frdederick's new Hollywood location - even though guidebooks and Web sites still advertise the tourist attraction. The old location is being turned into a dining and entertainment center that could open late next year. LAT
Pacoima gets relief: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expanding the Hollywood Enterprise Zone to include the northeast San Fernando Valley. The move provides the area with tax breaks and other development incentives. Pacoima was deinied enterprise zone status just six weeks ago, but city and state officials lobbied hard to make it happen. DN reports that businesses in a designated enterprise zone get more than $31,000 in tax credits per qualified employee hired.
Huffington Post addition: Former AOL ad executive Jim Smith has been hired as chief revenue officer, another indication that the popular site is turning into an actual business. Smith's hiring follows a $5 million cash infusion from venture capital firm Softbank and Silicon Valley investor Alan Patricof. Smith will oversee advertising sales, business development and marketing. NY Post
Who's buying American Apparel?: While most of the attention has focused on AA CEO Dov Charney, the folks acquiring the L.A.-based apparel company have their own baggage. NY Post reports that Endeavor Acquisition's Eric Watson settled with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2001 over insider-trading allegations related to an acquisition made by U.S. Office Products. The other Endeavor player, Jon Ledecky, was chairman of several companies that eventually went bankrupt under heavy debt loads, evaporating millions in investor cash.
Greene and Greene sale: An 11-piece dining room set has sold for $2.1 million at a Sotheby's auction in NY. The set was designed in about 1908 for the Freeman House at 215 S. Grand Ave. The pre-auction estimate was $400,000 to $600,000 for the round, expandable dining table, two armchairs and eight side chairs. Pasadena Star-News
Lacter on radio: This morning's business chat with KPCC's Steve Julian (6:55 and 9:55) covers the holiday shopping outlook, the sale of American Apparel and the what the Daily Breeze purchase means for Dean Singleton's newspaper empire.
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted
until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.