Thinking about kicking off 2009 by buying a home? It seems prices are falling month after month, but you may be interested to know where the biggest price drops are happening around Los Angeles. Real Estate website Redfin put together their monthly index of rate-drops and compiled some charts representing area cities and towns as well as L.A. neighborhoods to help potential buyers, or the just plain curious, see where things are getting cheaper. They explain that the charts "show the percent of MLS, FSBO or REO listings that were price-reduced at some point before leaving the market (either sold or removed unsold from the market) in the past 90 days," excluding areas too small to provide helpful data. (A full ranking of areas is available to download from their site, too.) more ›

This morning at the Marriott Downtown, Los Angles Development and Economic Corporation (LADEC) financial uber-guru Jack Kyser will be presenting the 2008-09 LAEDC Forecast Results, a 71-page document entailing the region's financial future. Highlighting a recession watch, the crumbling housing market, and growth opportunities such as tourism, one loosely dubbed as "Its NOT business as usual!" talks strike and its ill-economic impacts upon the city. From the Hollywood Reporter:

The figure includes lost wages from TV shows that were canceled and films that were put on hold as well as a plethora of support services, ranging from limo drivers to florists. Kyser suggested that the cancellation of the Golden Globes resulted in a $60 million shortfall for the community. more ›

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It's time we all realized something very very important about Britney Spears. Something incredible. Something -- redemptive, even. Much like Tamburlaine, she has been sent by God as a scourge to rid our fair city of its vermin-like paparazzi, one crushed foot at a time. Thank you, Britney. Thank you. Looks like the ArcLight at the Sherman Oaks Galleria might be up and running! Now us Valley kids don't have to cross the big... more ›

Volume at the Los Angeles port, the biggest in the U.S., is expected to drop for the first time in four years. Experts attributed the decline to the slumping housing market and continued loss of confidence in imported goods. I don't pretend to be an expert, but we'll cheer up when they stop putting plastic in their toys. A woman was arrested and charged with murder, stemming from an incident in which she allegedly... more ›

- LAX: After 15 years of little more than occasional face lifts, efforts to find common ground on an airport modernization plan are on hold again. - Three Years Later: Paul was one of the students standing at the bus stop in front of Taft High in Woodland Hills after school on Sept. 9, 2003 - six days in to the new school year - when three gangbangers drove by and fired a semiautomatic weapon.... more ›

Wildfire Erupts in Los Angeles Fires erupted in the hills above Los Angeles, damaging or destroying several homes, as dangerous north winds swept dry Southern California. Farther inland, a blinding sandstorm triggered a deadly highway pileup. Wind speeds of more than 50 mph were propelling a 15-acre blaze in grass near expensive homes above the city of Beverly Hills, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Ron Myers said. Emmy-winning actor Roscoe Lee Browne dies at 81... more ›

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Hollywood hills residents have teamed up with preservationists to try to stop luxury homes from being built on the hillside above the Hollywood sign. The LA Times reports that the property was bought for $1.7 million by Chicago developers in 2002; activists are halfway to raising $6 million to buy the land back and turn it into a park. more ›

Good news for homeowners: the housing bubble won't burst anytime soon. more ›

As if you didn't already know that. more ›

Those of us who live here know that finding a place to live in LA is a headache of unreasonable proportions. Something is always compromised in the quest for affordable living space, be it adequate plumbing or a patio. Unfortunately, the demands on the housing market are not letting up any time soon. In fact, according to today's LA Times, builders will have obtained permits to build 200,000 new homes by the end of this year—and even that isn't enough! more ›