Friday morning headlines

Stocks stay in the red: Volatile week is ending with the Dow back below the 12,000 mark, down 90 points in early trading.

Growth a shade higher: The nation's gross domestic product rose at a tepid annual rate of 1.9 percent in the first quarter, revised from the earlier 1.8 percent estimate. Anything under 3 percent indicates weak growth. (Reuters)

Still-cheaper gas: It's the seventh straight week that L.A. prices have fallen, with an average gallon of regular at $3.896, down 4.5 cents, according to the Auto Club. Oil is trading at just over $91 a barrel.

Toyota recovers in J.D. Power survey: The Japanese automaker went from 21st to seventh in the latest ranking of customer satisfaction. The improvement comes less than a year after Toyota recalled 8.5 million vehicles worldwide. Ford had a bad year. From the WSJ:

Ford, which came in fifth in last year's survey with 93 problems per 100 vehicles studied, fell to 23d position with 116 problems. Both Ford and its Lincoln luxury brand fell below the industry average of 107 problems per 100 models. Power said newly launched models generally fared worse this year than last, in part because drivers don't like some of the newer, increasingly complicated driver-interface electronics that can make operating a vehicle's basic features difficult.

Brown gets free rent from donors: They're contributing to a nonprofit that was formed specifically to cover the costs of the governor's $3,000-a-month, 1,450-square-foot apartment. From the LAT:

In the past, the practice of having private donors pay for the governor's residence has alarmed ethics watchdogs. Under former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, those who funded his Sacramento hotel penthouse had business before the state. Critics of the practice say the contributions afford those interests undue access and influence. California is one of only a handful of states that does not provide an official governor's residence.

Sears to spin off Orchard: The San Jose-based hardware superstore will become a separately traded public company. An IPO is expected to raise $82 million. From the San Jose Mercury News:

From its first warehouse on Bassett Street in San Jose, OSH converted in the 1950s to a general retailer and has gone through several ownership changes over the decades. Sears purchased the company in 1996 and the chain now has 89 stores, all in California. While other hardware stores have folded in recent years, victims of the big-box strategy of low costs and super-size selection, OSH has proven it has real staying power.

Sydney Pollack's home for sale: The award-winning director, who died in 2008, bought the Pacific Palisades property in the early 1980s with his wife, Claire, who died earlier this year. Asking price is $7.9 million. (WSJ)