August 26 - September 1, 2012
Friday, Aug. 31
Not much doubt about this one - a 49-8 vote in the Assembly and 38-1 in the Senate. This is not the package that Gov. Brown was proposing last year, but it was the best he was going to get.
The boorish New Jersey governor called California's governor a "retread" the other day, and as you might guess the 74-year-old Brown wasn't going to take that lying down
Three weeks ahead of schedule and just in time for the back-to-work crush next week.
You'll be paying more than usual at the pump this holiday weekend, but there appears to be little, if any, pushback from motorists.
"Daily Show" correspondent John Oliver doesn't see what this accuracy fuss is all about - just "change facts, reality, and the meaning of words in order to make a much larger point." Don't know whether to laugh or cry.
Bernanke strongly suggests Federal Reserve action, consumer sentiment picks up in August, Trutanich receives contributions from Live Nation executives, and marijuana dispensaries get reprieve.
Thursday, Aug. 30
The new majority owner of the Dodgers is close to acquiring the Santa Monica-based production company for nearly $400 million, says the LAT.
Add it to paradigm, organic, dynamic, metric, off-line, and all the other perfectly fine words that have been recycled in ways that their definitions never intended.
They were in violation of licensing requirements in a way that was "likely to cause, serious injury or death to patients."
Retailers report solid sales in August, L.A. hotels set occupancy record, no plans for another council vote on pot shops, and lawsuit to be filed over downtown stadium plan.
Wednesday, Aug. 29
If most of the savings aren't realized for 20 or 30 years down the road, how does this plan address the current shortfall faced by state and local governments?
A Rancho Cucamonga man is being charged by federal authorities with fraudulently soliciting and accepting at least $670,000 from at least 17 people. He reached Investors through a video phone system that enables communication through sign language.
You don't have to be the next Mark Zuckerberg to find success (judging by Facebook's stock price, you probably don't even want to be the next Mark Zuckerberg).
Sales and prices have been coming back, but if history is any indication it could be many years before the recovery truly takes hold.
Economic growth is revised upward, L.A.'s pot ordinance could be put off, ESPN extends deal with Major League Baseball, and report of a snag in the Variety sale.
Tuesday, Aug. 28
Tonight's convention speeches will focus on how President Obama has added huge amounts of red ink to the nation's debt. The reality is quite different.
In the first day of head-to-head competition, it's "The Amazing Spider-Man." But the numbers are underwhelming.
Another shamless plug - my wife Laura Levine is out with her 12th book in the Austen series, "Death of a Neighborhood Witch" (Amazon, Levine website). It's the tale of one-time TV character Cryptessa Muldoon (she's become a bitter old dame), her beloved parrot Van Helsing, Jane's feisty cat Prozac, and a bunch of really wacky neighbors. Or as one reviewer put it: "If good fences made good neighbors, ad writer Jaine Austen would need...
The governor calls it "radical change," though it appears as if current workers won't see much difference. New hires, however, will have the salaries used to calculate their pensions capped and the minimum retirement age extended.
"All politicians flip-flop from time to time," the Economist editorializes, "but Mr Romney could win an Olympic medal in it. And that is a pity..."
I'm betting that this is the start of a frustrating month. I'm also betting that the addition of so many high-profile players so quickly might be counterproductive.
L.A. home prices nudging higher, airlines cancel flights to New Orleans in preparation for storm, shareholder pressure to oust CEO of major health insurer, and state's vehicle fleet is reduced.
Monday, Aug. 27
The proposed changes do nothing to address pension obligations for current and retired state workers - what's really at the core of the crisis.
Park Jaesang's huge K-Pop hit "Gangnam Style" contains cultural references that are a lot more intriguing than this idiotic music video would suggest.
It's the combination of low vacancy rates, rising rents, and a flood of institutional investors.
Over the years, Americans generally have predicted the winner of a presidential race, though Gallup says the implications of this "expectation" measure on voter behavior are not clear.
Hertz buys Dollar Thrifty, state lawmakers have a large agenda in last week of legislative session, Dodgers in preliminary talks with Fox on extending TV deal, and Barry Diller's IAC acquiring About.com.
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The funeral for Mark Lacter will be held Sunday, Nov. 24 at 12 noon at Hillside Memorial Park, 6001 W. Centinela Avenue, Los Angeles 90045. Reception to follow.
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