The California Cancer Research Act (CCRA), a statewide June 5 ballot initiative, aims to increase the tax on cigarettes, and a recent University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) study says the initiative would create thousands of jobs and significantly boost the state's overall economy. more ›

Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau last week ranks public employees in California as some of the nation's highest paid in 2010. Some residents feel that public workers' pay rates are completely justifiable due to the state's higher cost of living, but others believe they're simply paid too much. more ›

Los Angeles, we have good economic news! The city's marketing and travel bureau announced today that tourism is up, bringing more people, thus more money to the City of Angels. more ›

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, along with at least 17 mayors from Los Angeles and Orange counties, heads to Washington, D.C. today for the 80th Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. More than 250 mayors will descend on Washington today, and they have a big fish to discuss with President Barack Obama - a transportation spending bill. more ›

Four out of ten Angelenos are more wigged out than they were five years ago. But, hey, at least we are working harder than the rest of the nation to tackle that stress! more ›

There's a new twist to the zombie economy climate, and it's actually quite sunny. As you tune in to the latest episode of "The Walking Dead," press play and watch (again) "Shaun of the Dead" and/or add the finishing touches to your zombie costume for Halloween this year, think about the masses of other consumers just like you. more ›

Los Angeles, the City of Angels... Wait, scratch that. Let's start again. Los Angeles, America's most stressful city... That sounds more like it. According to a recent Forbes study, L.A. ranks number one among fifteen U.S. cities. more ›

Today marks the beginning of the 3rd National Gathering of Slow Money. Slow what? Think slow food first. Now think of the farmer that needed the loan to fix the barn where he milked the goats. Can you picture the farmer explaining artisanal goat cheese at the local Bank of America with Blossom and Buttercup in the lobby? Yeeeeah. Not so much? more ›

Two years after the economy took a nosedive and her brother was killed, homeowner Rose Gudiel says she still hasn't gotten the help that she was looking for to make payments on her home. She, her mother and community activists have been protesting the bank's decision to evict her, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. more ›

Just how long will the one hundred or so people camped out on the streets in front of Los Angeles City Hall stick around? The Occupy LA protesters say they'll stay until December, reports ABC7. more ›

Paramount Studios, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue since 1926, is prepping one helluva production: A $700 million property upgrade that will happen over 25 years. The historic studios have called this the "Hollywood Project," according to the Hollywood Reporter. more ›

California plans to borrow a tidy $5 billion from private investors should the federal government fail to raise its debt ceiling, as reported by KABC. The current limit on U.S. borrowing is $14.3 trillion. more ›

Is this "the scariest unemployment chart ever?" the OC Register asks of Business Insider's claim. With Friday's sobering U.S. unemployment report painting an un-pretty picture, did anyone really think an actual picture would make them feel better? Cue the economists at Calculated Risk who, while looking for evidence an economic recovery, instead found all these terrible little lines. Especially the red one. more ›

Upset that Metro has cut or reduced service on several bus routes? Well, it's our fault: We weren't riding enough. Damned recession! Metro release data this week showing a decline in ridership of nearly 3% from 2009 to 2011, according to LA Now, and Metro says that's "because of high unemployment." more ›

If you live within earshot of the flight paths for Burbank's Bob Hope Airport or the Van Nuys Airport, you aren't going to find any sound relief in this news. The House of Representatives has rejected a proposed legislative amendment that would have imposed nighttime curfews on flights in and out of those two airports, according to the Daily News. more ›

Mayor Villaraigosa will join local Congressional leaders and celebrity activists in a rally opposing federal budget cuts at Federal Plaza downtown this afternoon. Organizers are expecting thousands to attend the 2:30 p.m. protest and rally against H.R.1, the House Appropriations act that would potentially cut $61 billion from the federal budget. Get your rally caps on because it's ON this afternoon -- rain... or clouds... more ›

Hey, who wants to take a cruise to a country beleaguered by violence and kidnapping and risk catching one of those ship-board illnesses that often grip cruisers on a boat that caught fire in the middle of the ocean the last time it sailed? If this sounds like you, you'll be happy to know Carnival's Splendor is arriving back home in Long Beach this weekend, and is about to resume its Mexican Riviera cruise service, according to the Daily Breeze. more ›

Experts forecasting the future of the workforce climate in Los Angeles have a prediction as grim as today's wet weather. The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation’s 2011-12 “Economic Forecast and Industry Outlook” says that while there is going to be continued economic recovery here and around the nation, L.A.'s jobless rate will likely remain at around 11.7% through 2012, according to CBS2. more ›

Despite increased crime predictions due to economic hardship, the murder rate in Los Angeles has dropped to 1967 levels and the absence of a massive drug epidemic may be a key factor. For the first time in over forty years, LA is within reach of ending the year with fewer than 300 homicides, reports the LA Times. more ›

It's a tough time to be running an upscale grocery chain in Los Angeles. Economic troubles have pushed the operators of HOWS to shut down all but one of their stores, reports the LA Times. The flagship Granada Hills location is selling off their stock, Torrance has been sold off, Malibu is gearing up to shut down, and North Hollywood closed months ago (and is still vacant). Only the Pasadena location will remain in operation. more ›

The American Psychological Association's just-completed "Stress in America" study finds that Los Angeles residents are the most stressed residents in the entire country. Not New Yorkers. Not Chicagoans. Not Bostonians. Despite our temperate climate (no long dark winters here), Angelenos report that our stress about money and the economy is higher than the national average at a time when our job satisfaction and physical health is lower than the national average. These jumps and dips along the "national average" curve equal one big pot of unhappiness. more ›

As cities age, so do their laws. Sometimes they get outdated and sometimes hardly enforced. Such is the case with this old 1920s or 30s Los Angeles law: "No person shall play ball or any game of sport with a ball or football or throw, cast, shoot or discharge any stone, pellet, bullet, arrow or any other missile, in, over, across, along or upon any street or sidewalk or in any public park, except on those portions of said park set apart for such purposes." more ›

The news isn't so surprising for a state that saw a housing boom like no other, only to see it crumble with the recession. And with the national foreclosure rate up 25% since August 2009, some are saying the worst has yet to come, according to ABC News, which today released a list of the top 10 foreclosure cities. more ›

Where you buy your fruit and veggies, books, albums, and t-shirts--really, where you buy anything--makes a huge difference in the economy. We vote with our wallets everyday, but because of our global culture and the era of convenience, we tend to spend without pausing to think where our dollars go, and what it means to how things work where we call home. more ›

2009 might have been a good year for Los Angeles-area sports teams, but when it comes to the financial side, the news isn't anything to cheer about. A study conducted in partnership with the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Los Angeles Sports Council, and the UCLA Anderson School of Management shows a decline in revenue in pro sports in the region, according to the Daily Breeze. more ›

How much of what you earn do you wind up eating? more ›

In Burbank, a lot of economic hopes are pinned on one funny, irreverent redhead. Comedian Conan O'Brien, ousted from his brief tenure as host of the Tonight Show and fresh from a wildly successful stage show tour, has announced he will film his new late-night show for TBS in Burbank at Warner Bros. Studios. more ›

Homeboy Industries, the organization that works on gang intervention through jobs and social services, has taken a large hit -- about 330 of its 429 employees were laid off yesterday. Father Gregory Boyle officially announced the news last night at Central Library in an event discussing his latest book, "Tattoos on the Heart," which has been on the LA Times best seller list for the past six weeks. more ›

A valley medical marijuana shop owner says the ordinance set to go in affect next month will eliminate a lot of jobs. As in the thousands. more ›

Forbes is at it again with their top 10 lists. This time Los Angeles ranks at #7 in their "10 Worst Big Cities For Jobs." And our neighbors aren't doing so well, either: Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine came in at #6 and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario at #4. The magazine got sourced a New America Foundation report for the list. "While California's economy has come roaring back many times before, a resurgence this time will be slowed by the state's increasing willingness to aggressively tax and regulate those who will make it happen," the report said. Last week, Forbes said Los Angeles ranked #6 in their "10 U.S. Cities In Free Fall" list. (via LAO) more ›