Category Archives: News

Rick Garcia of CBS News

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To be a great news anchor you need to know how to really tell a story. It’s so much more than just reading out news.  This is even more the case today when new technologies and mobile devices are storming the news reporting world.  Experts agree that journalists and reporters ultimately need to know how to really tell a story. One example of this is Rick Garcia CBS (as he’s been called).  He has been recognized for his ability to tell a story as a news anchor through Emmy awards and other channels. 

Sometimes the storyteller themselves need to have a story. “Rick Garcia CBS” was a perfect example of this with how he managed to upsurge rankings through his anchoring.  In particular, he did this  with KCAL9.

The Rick Garcia CBS experience began in 2011. This was at a time when it was found that local TV was “the most popular source for the two topics that almost everyone is interested in—weather and breaking news.” Garcia began hosting the 6pm News show at CBS and also working at KCAL9, causing their ratings to jump so high that the station’s prime time news show became the most-watched for Southern California in 2010-11. Rick Garcia’s CBS news career took place at CBS2 News at three time slots: 5, 6 and 11. 

Rick Garcia’s CBS career spanned over two decades. He was also the host for FOX Overtime at KTTV’s NFL post-game show.

Representing Women in LA

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Los Angeles has been – and continues to be – criticized for its lack of representation of women in various industries.  Indeed, just yesterday an article came out in The LA Times entitled UCLA diversity report finds women and minorities still underrepresented in film and TV.

Despite this finding, we are simultaneously seeing these groups thrive in the region.  One example was seen in Top Chef’s Season 16 whereby four of the five spots in the final competition were held by women.  And that shouldn’t really be a surprise since over the last few years, LA has become home to many of Top Chef female contestants who have substantially contributed to the region’s culinary scene.  Examples include Brooke Williamson, Betty Fraser and Kuniko Yagi of Pikunico.

Meanwhile over in Hollywood it’s not all doom and gloom.  Thanks to the show Queer Eye, women will be recognized with a special Circle of Empowerment video clip as a tribute to International Women’s Day.  In this clip, Karamo Brown introduces Jody to a group of diverse women who “want to share how they view themselves and how they show themselves love.”

Forgotten to Shop? Try Something Different

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Christmas cards are making a comeback

It might not be the most environmentally-friendly way of saying ‘Merry Christmas,’ but it seems (vintage) Christmas card giving is making a comeback.  For those who have completely forgotten to go gift shopping and are perhaps at a loss as to what to get the friend/partner who has everything just use the old “it’s lost in the mail” excuse and run out to pick up a card.

According to a recent article by Lauren Zumbach in The Chicago Tribune:

“…old-fashioned paper greeting cards, delivered via snail mail, remain a holiday staple…. the idea of taking the time to exchange tangible tokens of holiday cheer is more appealing than ever at a time when buzzing and pinging digital devices never seem to cease demanding our attention. That’s true even if finding the perfect card now involves sitting at a laptop, editing digital photos and clicking through dozens of template designs.”

The numbers speak for themselves.  Executive director of the Greeting Card Association, Peter Doherty found that every year, consumers purchase approximately 6.5 billion greeting cards and 1.6 billion cards. Plus, over the last five to six years, greeting card sales throughout the nation have remained pretty stable.

With the feel of e-cards being “too fleeting,” many are returning to the old-fashioned way to send meaningful holiday cheer.

Silver Lake Business News

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Five new businesses have recently opened their doors in LA’s Silver Lake.  These are: chef Charles Olalia’s Filipino restaurant Ma’am Sir; modern Mexican restaurant XoK; Indigo Fitness infamous for its Spindigo class; Yolo Foot Spa and consignment store Golden Age Hollywood.

In addition, a complete refurbishment has resulted in the transformation of a local LA 1930s warehouse.  Silverlake Conservatory of Music has taken the Bestor Architects building on Hollywood Boulevard and transformed it into a modern music village, featuring acoustic pods.  All pods have top acoustic materials; light fixtures comprise wood (instead of metal, etc.).

Californian Employment Stats: A Snapshot

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While unemployment figures in California might not lookterrible, on closer investigation the stats are not showing the whole picture. For example, there is something known as “stranded workers” – those individuals who are not able to advance in their position – and in LA, over three quarters of a million of those are 34 years old or under

Discussions have taken place through Future of Work MeetUp forums over the last few months to come up with ways on how to address this.  As well, a couple of years ago the One Million Worker Challenge was launched by the California Economic Summit in an effort to “increase the pool of middle skills workers by that number over the next decade.”

Recently, industry leaders in tech, international trade, logistics, SMEs and healthcare attended an LA MeetUp to figure out what “future ready skills” are most likely to be beneficial.  According to the California Community Colleges Executive Vice Chancellor, Van Ton Quinlivan:

“There’s a need for future ready skills… [but] the quality of a fully-supported online education is improving [which need to] offer a high-support student experience that makes sure stranded workers—about half of whom are Spanish-language dominant—can enroll and participate in a way that can make them successful.”

This could be in line with Governor Brown’s proposal to establish a statewide online community college, resulting in increased opportunities for these “stranded workers,” who often are unable to access further education through traditional methods.

In more nationwide news, it should be noted that today’s internet sector contributes around 6 percent of GDP – $1 trillion – to the national economy along with three million jobs and 231,000 businesses. Digital jobs seem to be thriving everywhere.

These digital economy jobs and businesses are thriving in almost every city — and in metro areas across the country.he truth is undeniable: cities are shaping the next chapter in America’s history, and the digital economy is a driving force. While venture capital in the tech industry has historically concentrated in a handful of U.S. cities, metro areas nationwide are benefiting from the internet sector.

 

LA: Sourcing Water Locally?

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More than a hundred years ago, William Mulholland was responsible for the construction of the infrastructure which provided water supply allowing LA to become one of the world’s largest cities.  Today, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti believes his city could be witnessing a “second Mulholland moment.”

This “second Mullholland” effort began a few years ago. Back in 2015, a goal was set: to reduce imported water by 50 percent within the next decade.  Further, by 2035 the goal is to locally produce at least half of the city’s water supply.

How realistic is this though?  According to Liz Carson, Director of Infrastructure at the Mayor’s Office, very.  She said: “When we set that 50 percent goal we knew it was ambitious, but we also really feel like it’s achievable.”

Indeed, the LA Sustainable Water Project: LA City Wide Overview believes the city has even more potential in this regard.

Los Angeles: Economic Performance

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There are many areas in which the LA economy is proving to be undergoing an enhanced performance than it has done in many years.  The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) has just put together a report forecasting that the GDP in the area is actually on a more escalated growth spurt than the average of the entire country.

With an unemployment rate of less than 5 percent (which is still decelerating and some say could drop to as low as 4.1 percent by as soon as next year), economists believe that the next two years will see even more solid growth. Which is quite incredible when you look back to the figure of 12.5 percent in 2010.  Even though some people might not be in the best-paying most stable jobs, economists are quick to point out that when unemployment jumps to such a low rate, employers will need to offer higher pay for workers.

Still, Somjita Mitra – an LAEDC economist and one of the report’s contributors – said wages are likely to continue growing “slowly but steadily as the labor market continues to tighten.”  Most of the job growth is however, in the low-education/wage sector with a loss of around 111,000 manufacturing jobs since 2007 that paid “a middle class annual salary of approximately $68,000.”

And then there is the increase in housing prices which complicates matters further.  Still, these statistics have to indicate a reason for optimism.

Promoting Equity Across the Region

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In this video, Propel LA Executive Director Marianne Haver Hill talks about how their latest plan is going to be implemented. The plan – which incorporates over 500 stakeholder groups and is “designed to promote greater equity across the region, as well as more prosperity for all area residents through improved education and workforce development, job creation, and livable communities” – is starting to be implemented.

Propel LA is involved in facilitating an “unprecedented economic transition is underway, and we all need to row together to navigate the changing tide.”

2018: How LA SMEs Can Grow

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The  mood among SME owners in LA has been quite positive, with a recent Reuters report finding that approximately 60% anticipating increased revenue and 40% set to expand their workforce. Various marketing strategies have thus been directed locally to the community with notable success.

In terms of real estate, there is also good news.  According to Burts and Associates realtor Cynthia Burts, much is going well, and the Washington Boulevard Corridor’s Metro Line has been a part of this growth as well as LA City Council’s community plan to revitalize the neighborhood.  Burts expanded:

“The city has new plans that seek to reward builders with incentives on the kinds of projects that residents and planners want to see more of.  Developers who build affordable housing may get away with less parking or more units to compensate for income they might have gained by building market-rate housing. [She thus advises people] to buy and take advantage of the lower pricing, lower interest rates and incentives offered to developers.”

On the job front things are looking good for California too, having added 47,400 net new jobs while watching the unemployment rate drop from 4.9% in October to 4.6%, the lowest level in more than four decades.  According to chief economist of the Fermanian Business & Economic Institute at Point Loma Nazarene University Lynn Reaser, California now seems to be “on a strong growth trend,” having bounced back from quite a wane earlier in 2017.

 

 

LA: Starting a New Enterprise

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Los Angeles might just be a great place for owners of small businesses to begin their new enterprise.  They are privy to a huge network of entrepreneurs, great talent and skill from top colleges like UCLA, USC, and a staggering 45 million of visiting consumers every single year.

Rather than being deterred by the high cost of living there, connections between the local community and budding entrepreneurs are now being formed with the help of SoCal founders. In addition, funding has been provided by IdeaLab, MuckerLab and Science Inc., as well as mentoring and establishing connections.

LA breeds a ton of creative talent.  Hollywood anyway is a meeting place for the entertainment world and thus talent in this industry is diverse with a slew of eclectic individuals.  There have been many success stories in LA including Light My Fire (boutique retailer selling over 1,000 types of hot sauce), offering locals a totally unique experience.

Another thing LA has going for it is the fact that its population is not contained in one urban cure (like NYC and Chicago).  Indeed, the City of Los Angeles spans more than 503 square miles and in this space are contained very diverse individuals, communities and lifestyles.  That makes it easier for burgeoning entrepreneurs looking to start a business too.

So entrepreneurs should start thinking about starting their next venture in sunny LA!