Bloomberg LP

Porn's HIV Shut-Down is Bad For L.A. Economy?

A 6 percent drop in the number of folks working in the entertainment industry (motion pictures and sound recording) had business journalists wondering if the porn industry's HIV-related shut-down in August caused the plunge. There were 22,000 fewer jobs in Hollywood and beyond last month, according ... More >>

Can Aja Brown, Compton's Hip, Refreshing Reform Mayor, Turn This Woeful City Around?

Barbarians in the Ivory Tower

America's for-profit colleges use students in their greedy quest for federal bucks -- then leave them holding the debt.

DWP Supervisor Arrested for DUI After Allegedly Swigging Vodka in City Truck, Crashing Into Parked Cars

Isaac Chavez, a supervisor at the L.A. Department of Water and Power, was arrested on April 25 in Van Nuys for drinking and driving on the job. But unlike those other DWP deadbeats famously arrested for drinking, driving and strip-clubbing two years ago, Chavez didn't bother to wrap his beer in pap ... More >>

ROC Diners' Guide on Restaurant Working Conditions: The 2012 Edition

​In this age of food we're bombarded by facts and opinions on how, what and where to eat. We Angelenos especially like our fine restaurants and casual eateries. But where to go? There are more than 20,000 restaurants in greater L.A., according to the Weekly's Voiceplaces.com. There seem to be ... More >>

L.A. Press Club's National Entertainment Journalism Awards Names 14 Finalists From LA Weekly, More Than All Other Publications

Photo from Gustavo Turner's interview with Insane Clown Posse, a finalist for L.A. Pres Club's National Entertainment Journalism Awards

The 5 Highest-Paid California State Employees All Work in the Prison System, Make Over $500,000 Per Year

Employer of the year​Updated after the jump: California Controller John Chiang won't list the names of state employees along with their salaries. When should privacy trump transparency? Originally posted July 5 at 3:05 p.m. While California's health and education budgets continue to landslid ... More >>

Rightbloggers Claim New California Voting Districts Were Rigged by 'La Raza Democrats'

Jeanne Raya, a Latina Democrat on the commission​Uh oh: La Raza is rising! California's voting districts are getting browner/bluer by the second. Before we know it, this'll be the goddamn Nation of Aztlán, are we right? The state's historic vote to let a group of 14 guys and gals with no pol ... More >>

Frank McCourt Aims His Appeal At Other Baseball Owners, Not At Dodger Fans

Frank McCourt doesn't care what you think​Since his remarkable press conference on Wednesday, alleged Dodger owner Frank McCourt has been on a media barnstorming tour.Why, after 18 months of silence, is he finally going public? What does he hope to gain? Well, consider who he's talking to.He has n ... More >>

Starbucks And Marijuana: Lawsuit That Says Starbucks Asked For Job Applicants' Pot Use Records Might Go Up in Smoke

Keila Ribeiro​If ever there was a retail heaven for day trippers, it's Starbucks. Wi-fi, air-con and a cozy armchair to sit in with your shades on: Stoners really couldn't ask for much more when it comes to time-sucks. But as it turns out the Seattle-based chain once asked job applicants in t ... More >>

NFL Stadium Proposed For Downtown L.A. Gets YouTube Mash-Up Treatment

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa supports a downtown stadium.​Yeah, this was bound to happen. The proposal to build an NFL stadium downtown now has its own YouTube video mash-up, courtesy of someone named MrNachoTax. We spotted the video (after the jump) after it was posted earlier this month. ... More >>

Boing: Valentine's Day Inspires Spike in Viagra Prescriptions

NBCJustin Timberlake demonstrates the steps for a proper Valentine's Day gift.​What's the American guy's popular choice for a super-awesome Valentine's Day gift? Chose one: A) Chocolate B) Roses or C) Dick in a box? The modern man is so sensitive, romantic, and tuned into the feminine psyche ... More >>

Barry Minkow 2.0

L.A.'s fraud king is back — and taking the media for another ride

Verizon iPhone Service In January? Yes: Hipsters Rejoice

Gizmodo​Woo-hoo. Echo Park hipsters rejoice. Verizon is said to be breaking AT&T's lock on iPhone service starting in January, when it will start selling the devices with its own service attached, according to Bloomberg News. Forget the improving economy, a win by your favorite World Cup team ... More >>

L.A. Art Fabricator Known For Jeff Koons Work Goes Under

jeffkoons.com'Balloon Dog.'​Los Angeles area art fabricator Carlson & Co., perhaps best known for its work giving life to some of Jeff Koons' visions, announced it is going out of business, according to Bloomberg News.

Howard Hughes' 'Spruce Goose' Hangar, Other Playa Vista Area Property Sold

The Spruce Goose.​Land adjacent to Playa Vista that once belonged to Howard Hughes has been sold in a deal with three buyers worth an estimated total of about $85 million, Bloomberg News reports. The deal includes the hangar-cum-soundstage where Hughes built the record-setting Spruce Goose ai ... More >>

Weed mags sprout across LOS ANGELES

Publications reap windfall from pot ads

Michelin Stars: Not In Los Angeles, But They're Getting Scattered Around Germany

Michelinhistorical Michelin tire ad​Michelin may have declined to hand out stars in Los Angeles this year (and Las Vegas too), but they're scattering them around Europe. Yesterday the Michelin Guide to Germany awarded 24 new stars, giving out one new 2-star rating, and 1-star awards to 23 prev ... More >>

Wall Street Journal Eying L.A. Times' Turf

The Wall Street Journal is reported to be pondering a Los Angeles edition as part of its expansion into cities that could be perceived to have weak local news dailies. Last week the paper moved into the Bay Area with a weekly edition following the threatened closure of the San Francisco Chronicle. T ... More >>

Wheels of Fortune: Italian Bank Accepts Parmesan as Collateral

Photo credit: abbyladybugWheels of Parmesan cheese​With the economy questionable and no one exactly sure when the markets will rebound, it's a good time to invest in solid, verifiable assets. Banks in Italy take an even more pragmatic approach, accepting as collateral for loans something not o ... More >>

"Sunset Junction": One-Sided?

LA Weekly best in Southern California Journalism Awards in news, investigative, column, feature and political reporting

It was a huge, huge night for LA Weekly at the Los Angeles Press Club's awards gala in Universal City a few hours ago. Staff writer Christine Pelisek triple-swept in the Hard News, Investigative and News Feature categories for major newspapers with more than 100,000 circulation, beating the Los Ang ... More >>

Bend It (A Contract) Like Beckham

Bye-Bye Beckham! Or, make that, Arrivadercci,  Los Angeles! as an Associated Press story reveals that Italian soccer -- whoops, we mean, football -- team AC Milan is exploring ways to get the former Manchester United captain to wiggle out of his contract with the L.A. Galaxy. The Los Angeles t ... More >>

Billionaire Burkle Buys into Barnes & Noble

Beverly Hills billionaire Ron Burkle (according to Forbes,  America's 105th richest man)  recently bought a 8.3 percent stake in Barnes & Noble, according to Bloomberg News. Burkle may also reportedly seek further "talks" with the faltering company. Judging from the way Burkle usually ... More >>

Villaraigosa Helps Obama on the Economy

An LA Weekly man-in-the-street instant poll says "huh"?

The Boras Factor

Is super agent Scott Boras destroying the game of baseball? And what does he want now?

The Crisco Kid

Brian Friedman wants you to fill 'er up with veggie oil

About That Money

The caravan moves on, but someone forgot to pay the bill