by jpitney | Sep 4, 2024 | Business, California Politics, Local Government
From Kosmont-Rose Institute 2024 Cost of Doing Business Survey: Our analysis indicates that cities in Los Angeles County are collectively more expensive places to do business than cities in other parts of the region and also more expensive than the top destination...
by jpitney | Sep 2, 2024 | California Politics, Infrastruture, Local Government
At LAT, Steve Lopez on the failure of Los Angeles to fix its dilapidated sidewalks: The city still does handle sidewalk repairs if the service request is by or for someone who is disabled, but that program is nothing to cheer about. In 2016, under terms of a federal...
by jpitney | Aug 31, 2024 | California Politics, Journalism, Journalists, Local Government
Ryan Fonesca at LAT: A state bill with bipartisan support that aimed to throw a lifeline to California’s struggling news industry is no more. In place of the proposed “journalism usage fee” levied on Google and Meta annually to help fund local newsrooms, state...
by jpitney | Aug 25, 2024 | California Politics, Crime, Drugs
Steve Lopez at LAT: When he was a boy of 12 or so, and his parents were busy running the family restaurant, Norm Langer spent hours across the street in MacArthur Park. It was, at the time, an elegant urban oasis, with lollipop palms standing over a lake fed by...
by jpitney | Aug 24, 2024 | California Politics, Housing, Regulation
From the Council of Economic Advisers [emphasis added]: While some permitting requirements serve an important purpose, such as ensuring structural, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical safety and environmental protection, the rise of unnecessary and onerous permitting...
by jpitney | Aug 20, 2024 | California Politics, Journalism, Journalists, Newspapers, Nonprofit
Eli Tan at NYT: A city of roughly 800,000 residents, San Francisco now boasts 27 news organizations, ranging from hyperlocal nonprofits and radio stations to billionaire-backed outlets like The San Francisco Standard vying to become the city’s paper of record. Unusual...
