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Despite the high jobless rate many employers are targeting those still working. Their reasoning? Surviving employees are deemed the top performers.
LA Biz Observed archive
Mark Lacter covered business, the economy and more here from 2006 until his death on Nov. 13, 2013.
The entire LA Biz Observed archive — more than 10,000 blog posts by Mark —
remains online and available.
June 2009
The studio is in advanced talks with Sony and Fox about somehow merging its home entertainment division.
The urban-music magazine founded by Quincy Jones becomes another victim of the media recession.
Those gas station mini-markets that sell non-packaged items - hot dogs, coffee, fountain drinks - must pass the health codes just like a restaurant
The over-the-top jail term seems more vindictive than purposeful. I mean, the guy is going to die in prison, no matter what. But I seem to be in the minority.
L.A.-based Munger Tolles tops American Lawyer's annual list of best law firms - not necessarily the ones that bill the most hours or generate the most profits per partner.
Drop in home prices slowing down, more charges could be pending in Madoff case, state IOUs ready to be issued, and Hong Kong Disneyland to expand.
Not to question in the slightest Madoff deserving life in prison, but I have to wonder what good is served by such an over-the-top sentence.
Fewer folks from Socal will be getting away, but air travel is expected to be up almost 2 percent from 2008.
''May God spare you no mercy,'' one victim of the Ponzi swindler said during this morning's sentencing hearing in NY.
Budget stalemate continues, new talk about adjusting Prop 13, audit blasts Olvera Street operator, and Zucker unhappy with Universal performance.
Federal inspectors were not given access to records at the Danville, Va. plant that's at the center of the E. coli outbreak involving Toll House cookie dough.
The L.A.-based concert promoter is out tens of millions of dollars, and it's not at all clear how much of that will be covered by insurance.
Retailers starting to cut back on their selection of products, quite a contrast to the marketing strategies of the 80s and 90s.
KB loses more money, Jackson's finances to be sorted out, AEG loses big time on London concerts, and C-17 gets reprieve.
There's a lot to sort out about the death of Michael Jackson, though one of the first questions will center on his preparations for what would have been a 50-concert series.
The Dow gains 172 points. Better-than-expected earnings at Bed, Bath and Beyond and a successful auction of Treasury notes were among the positive developments.
The industry's largest trade group has hired a bunch of makeover artists to come up with ways in which the financial community can be seen as wearing the white hats.
Trust me, it's waaay more than you want to know, but the transaction does point to how Bev Hills-based Platinum Equity loves to bottom feed for deals.
No more discounting - the average price for markets tracked on Bing Travel is $281, up from $259 three week ago.
City officials are close to an agreement with city unions that would cover nearly half of the $530 million deficit that L.A. faces this year.
New concerns about state economy, more talks to break budget deadlock, tourism becomes L.A. biggest industry, and Ruth Madoff riding the subway.
State Controller John Chiang says he'll have to start issuing them on next week if lawmakers and the governor don't settle on a solution to the $24-billion deficit.
The Federal Reserve says it will keep interest rates low for "an extended period." The Fed's benchmark overnight interest rate is at virtually zero.
The Best Picture category will have 10 nominees instead of five. It's a dramatic change that will upend the award process and probably generate a bit more excitement.
Online newsrooms might not be the industry's salvation after all - not if one business model making the rounds gains any traction.
He tells CNBC this morning that there's been little progress over the past few months, and that the economy is a "shambles."
Budget gimmicks in Dems' deficit-cutting plan, Cerritos registers an extra-high cancer risk, Korean Air thinks big, and new spat over Mozilo.
Of course confusion is what often happens just prior to an actual turnaround, so perhaps the mixed signals are really encouraging. Then again, perhaps they're not.
The company's long-term strategizing is exactly what the LAT and the newspaper industry in general did not do in preparing for the online age.
Boeing delays Dreamliner (again), onerous regulations and high taxes are pushing businesses elsewhere, more cuts at MySpace, and Madoff asks for only 12 years.
The company has been practically silent about the CEO's condition for months - despite ongoing speculation that he was seriously ill.
L.A. investment adviser Stanley Chais oversaw three funds that invested with Bernie Madoff - and didn't tell clients that Madoff was the one making the decisions.
Stocks are way down, large percentage of voters not enchanted with the city, City Hall bracing for layoffs, and Ralphs pushing bargains.
Moody's is warning that California faces a "multi-notch downgrade" if it doesn't get its financial act in order. In other words, agree on a budget.
Health officials linked the dough to infections from E. coli in as many as 66 people in 28 states. Glendale-based Nestlé USA is telling consumers to return the dough products.
Lots of folks aren't event included in the unemployment numbers - many of them poor and little-educated. They're the ones who are most vulnerable.
May unemployment increased to 11.6 percent in Los Angeles, a shade higher than the state's 11.5 percent level. The jobless rate is up from 10.9 percent in April.
Jump in state unemployment, gas tops $3 a gallon, Broad takes NY co-op off the market, and new lines for iPhones.
California isn't all that different from the other states struggling to cope with a huge revenue loss from personal income taxes. Nearly every state took a big hit.
Gulliver's Restaurant in Irvine held a "Scarf, but don't Barf" prime rib eating contest last night, and after 30 minutes the winner managed to keep down six pounds.
The "If you've got it, flaunt it" lifestyle of Persians living in Bev Hills may seem like an old story, but a new generation of Iranian-Americans isn't so easy to categorize.
Governor opposes Democratic proposal, Obama financial plan gets mixed reviews, feds blamed in collapse of Downey, and new questions for OC financier Danny Pang.
A state judge laid out the false claims made against Dole by plaintiffs' attorneys as part of a case involving the company's treatment of banana plantation workers.
With all respect to the Lakers, that's the unvarnished message behind a new book in which the notion of working with people is challenged.
Most vulnerable are the merchants who had been struggling well in advance of the tougher times - as well as those that were heavily in debt.
As part of the bankruptcy filing, the company will be acquired by private-equity firm CCMP Capital Advisors, though other parties might try to make higher bids.
Home prices could be heading upward - and more of the action is starting to come from the $500,000-plus range, which has been practically dead for the past year or so.
Socal inflation hits 59-year low, still more acrimony in Sacramento, Lockyer dismisses talk of state defaulting, and Lakers fans snap up championship junk.
Looking at April numbers, the inventory levels for $1 million-plus properties shot up from a year earlier, but the $750,000-$1 million bracket showed a slight decline.
Dow falls 107 points. Maybe the hopes for an economic rebound were a bit misplaced.
The cuts had been expected, what with new management in place and the recent decision not to move into a large office complex at Playa Vista.
Why have the celebration along a not-so-wonderful stretch of Figueroa between Staples Center and the Coliseum?
Tonight's "Frontline" examines the circumstances behind the Bank of America-Merrill Lynch merger and why it went so bad.
Another jump in gas prices, White House wavers on helping CA, Hanmi bank gets help, and GM finds buyer for Saab.
The big concern continues to be a reluctance on the part of American consumers to spend at anywhere near the levels they were spending a few years ago.
The basic problems remain the same: limited consumer spending in the U.S. and a severe global downturn that is impacting all traffic.
Actually, that's an improvement from earlier in the day. High anxiety returns to Wall Street....
Cut-rate offers are being made for top-grade talent - among them Scarlett Johansson, Julia Roberts and Mickey Rourke.
Stocks sharply lower, downtown hotels take big hit, state won't meet deadline for budget plan, and Maguire sells building on the cheap.
The owner of Magic Mountain in Valencia has the typical problems: Too much debt ($2.4 billion) and little interest among the creditors to refinance.
Two main areas of concern: that the number of active users is inflated, and that Google wants to significantly downscale its massive ad deal.
Sluggish cargo numbers for May is a reflection of how retailers view the climate for consumer spending going out the next few months.
If you want to know why we're better off now than during the Great Depression, this film is a good reminder.
Goodbye to analog TV , plunge in videogame biz, airlines cutting more workers and flights, and new resort in Rancho Palos Verdes.
The Auto Club's weekly survey finds that the average gallon of regular in the L.A. area is now $2.938 per gallon, up 11.3 cents from last week and 52 cents from last month.
It took a while, but DreamWorks has gotten verbal commitments for $325 million in financing, enough to cover at least three years of film production.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request by MGA Entertainment to halt the transfer of the popular doll to rival Mattel.
The latest WSJ survey of economists shows that the group, on average, is looking for U.S. unemployment to remain above 9 percent through the end of 2010.
Arnold takes aim at unions, lots of green jobs in CA, Honda's 50th anniversary in the U.S., and strip clubs are paring down.
Many on Wall Street have been expecting a pullback for several weeks, what with concerns over high unemployment and escalating oil prices.
Good and bad signs from the housing market, Home Depot raises forecast, SAG deal ratified, and Dana Point resort nears foreclosure.
The high court refuses to hear a challenge to the Chrysler bankruptcy settlement. That clears the way for the sale to a group led by Fiat.
L.A. County runs a pretty tight financial ship, but the state budget crisis has caused S&P to cut the rating on $1.1 billion in short-term notes that the county plans to sell,
It's either that or two even worse options: drastic pay reductions across the board or massive layoffs, including 200 cops.
The former Countrywide CEO, who only made a few hundred million bucks in his final years at the company, will not have to shell out one penny to defend SEC charges.
Banks to repay TARP money, Chrysler dealership switches to used cars, questions about development votes for Weiss district, and protest over gay event at Disney parks.
The one-sentence order from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg that delays the sale of assets to Fiat could be a matter of the Supremes needing more time to review briefs.
You're looking at roughly 15 cents a gallon, according to the government's weekly survey. That puts the average gallon of regular in the L.A. area at $2.891.
L.A. home prices inch up, vehicle fraud on the increase, Fox Interactive abandons Playa Vista, and paperless tickets for Miley Cyrus concerts.
The El Segundo toymaker agreed to pony up $2.3 million in civil penalties for violating a federal lead paint ban that resulted in a massive recall of its Chinese-made products.
Have those nasty speculators returned? Given still-sluggish demand, there's no market-related reason why crude prices should be increasing this much this fast.
L.A. County is taking a potentially huge hit from all the cutbacks being contemplated by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky is ticked off about it.
There's even talk, according to the WSJ, about the Apple CEO making an appearance at the annual software developers' conference next week in SF,
C'mon, it's a Friday, end of a tough week - aren't you tempted to click on 90 seconds of the old "Love Boat" theme? And then did into a fun summer read?
Economists not encouraged on jobs, Countrywide defendants deny wrongdoing, Penske to buy Saturn brand, and gas prices shoot up.
May's unemployment rate shot up to 9.4 percent, which is on the high end of what analysts had been expecting, but the pace of job losses fell sharply.
As expected, the SEC filed a civil fraud lawsuit today against Countrywide Financial CEO Angelo Mozilo. A news conference is scheduled for this afternoon in Washington.
Look who is getting the last laugh in the product-promotion game. Hint: It's not Nike, which gambled big on a Kobe-LeBron matchup.
Perhaps it's not a meltdown on the order of Citizens Band radios, but only 10 percent of users account for 90 percent of all Twitter messages. That's a problem.
Extra fares are extra fares - and more seats that an airline is able to jam into a plane mean fewer planes are needed to meet demand.
Sluggish retail sales, more layoffs at THR, high court hears arguments in Taster's Choice case, and the Palm Pre receives good notices.
The DirectTV CEO gets the nod as deputy chairman, president and COO of News Corp.
The bond market has been pretty okay with the California's budget disaster, figuring that the state would be good for its obligations. But traders may be getting antsy.
Job losses slowing, SEC charges against Mozilo are near, Starbucks wins tip dispute, and proposal to restrict health insurers.
This was way past my bedtime, but his long-distance run from NY to Universal City is now on Hulu.
The Milken Institute's list of top technology centers cites the area's still-formidable aerospace presence, along with the growing tech-related influences in Hollywood.
The governor talked about the need to transform state government, though he didn't offer many specifics other than the slash-and-burn approach now being utilized.
NYT reports that the maker of obscenely large SUVs is being purchased by Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company, based in Chengdu.
Governor to address legislature, gas prices might be close to peaking out, Americans have been saving more, and Michael Moore on GM bankruptcy.
Announcement comes tomorrow, according to the WSJ, citing sources, but buyer's name will not be released.
Right before the closing bell, the Dow was up more than 220 points, to over 8700. Boeing and United Technologies were among the manufacturers that did especially well.
When more Porsches are sold in the L.A. area than Buick and Pontiacs combined, well, you can see the problem.
Chase Carey could become No. 2 at News Corp., videogame show opens in L.A., Live Nation discounts its tickets, and head of OC Register parent heading to Playboy.
Replacing the once-powerhouse corporations on the Dow Jones Industrial Average are Travelers Cos. and Cisco Systems Inc.
Here are the basics: $82.29 billion in assets and $172.81 billion in debt. Top creditors include Wilmington Trust, which represents bondholders, and the unions.
Mark Lacter
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.The multi-talented Mark Lacter
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