If you are a renter, and looking to move in the coming months, some encouraging news: Rents between now and the end of next year are expected to decline by an estimate 3.2 percent, according to the 2011 USC Casden Multifamily Forecast, a report released today by the school's Lusk Center. more ›

Breaking tradition with the mall staples of ubiquitous big-brand food vendors, Santa Monica Place's The Market will feature an "artisanal food experience" showcasing local vendors. Today The Market's opening date, May 20th, was officially announced. more ›

It seems the Los Angeles Film School and the Hollywood Farmers' Market have come to a peaceful and long-awaited temporary agreement to the parking access and street closure controversy that has rocked the community for the past few weeks. Last Thursday, a meeting held between the market and its operator, nonprofit Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA), the school and Councilman Eric Garcetti's office produced "an agreement that would keep the market open until April 12 while its organizers and the film school seek a permanent solution to the parking problem," according to an AP report published by the Huffington Post. more ›

There are some great lunches to be had in this town, and we want to celebrate the midday meal. So, let's do lunch, shall we? more ›

The ever-expanding neighborhood market that is Fresh & Easy appears to be preparing to open a store in Encino. California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control records released today indicate the market's application for a beer & wine license. more ›

Last week we took a glance inside The Mercantile's opening soiree, which inspired a post-opening visit to check out their wine bar and dinner menu last night. more ›

Evan Kleiman is well known on the local foodie scene thanks to her tasty weekly KCRW show Good Food, and her involvement in many local food endeavors and events. Of course, Kleiman is also the owner of the fabulous Angeli Caffe, where local foods, including market-fresh veggies, are celebrated with an Italian flair. This is their colorful season antipasto plate, as captured recently by LAist's Lifestyle Editor Julie Wolfson, featuring asparagus with parmesan, crisp carrots, farro with beets, mozzarella and olives. Simple, fresh, and delicious. more ›

With the market so down, some are jumping into the ownership game. Via wire reports printed in the Daily Breeze: "A total of 4,590 homes sold in February, up from 3,468 for February 2008, while the median price of a home in Los Angeles County last month was $299,000, down from $460,000 in the same month a year ago, according to La Jolla-based MDA DataQuick. In Orange County, the median home price was $375,000, down 27.9 percent from the February 2008 median of $520,000, according to DataQuick. A total of 1,879 homes were sold in the county last month, up 27.7 percent from the 1,471 home sales in February 2008." more ›

The symbol of the housing boom and bust, Pasadena based IndyMac Bank that was seized in July by the federal government, has been sold to a group of seven investors for $13.9 billion. "We have assembled a group of experienced private investors in financial services to acquire the former IndyMac and operate it under new management with extensive banking experience," Steven Mnuchin, the leader of the holding company that bought the bank, said in a statement. "We will inject significant private capital into IndyMac so that it can once again effectively serve its customers and communities." more ›

The Pasadena Symphony is citing "recent extraordinary conditions in the financial markets" as reason why they are canceling their November concert, according to Laurie Niles, a violinist who writes a blog. "What?" she writes. "A couple weeks of plummeting stocks and...kablouey? What about the sponsor that the Symphony already had lined up for the concert? Or the tickets that have been sold?" The symphony's website does not note any cancellation and a concert is also scheduled for this month. (h/t LAO) more ›

"The tragic case of the Rajaram family is at the bleakest edge of the economic turmoil that is rattling Americans' emotional well-being. Worries about home foreclosures, job losses and plunging stock prices have sparked a surge in mental health problems," says the LA Times in a report about the economy and a national surge in mental health problems. "Rates of depression and suicide tend to rise during hard economic times. A study that looked at economic shifts between 1972 and 1991 found suicides rose an average of 2% when the economy faltered." more ›

Yesterday morning police discovered a home in Porter Ranch--an LA neighborhood tucked above the 118 Freeway--with all six members of the family dead with three suicide notes from the father and killer, one of them to police citing financial problems. The story of Karthik Rajaram has unfolded quickly telling of a man who made it big in the markets, at one point earning $1.2 milion, but as the economy took a turn for the worse, so did the family's pockets. more ›

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced today an ambitious $5 billion plan, called Housing that Works, to build 20,000 affordable units. “This City’s economic success and vitality depend on our ability to plan for a future of sustainability and stability in our housing market,” Villaraigosa said. “This plan lays the building blocks of housing our middle class can afford and takes the first steps toward building ‘housing that works’ for all Angelenos.” more ›

The results are in and the House voted 205 to 228 to reject the Bailout plan which in turn sent stocks plunging. more ›

A condo near an Orange Line station dropped about $80,000 in Valley Village over the past month, but the epidemic is widespread. Property values of homes in the Valley have dipped 35 percent to leaving the median price of a previously owned house at $420,000 compared to the $650,000 seen in August 2007. more ›

The streets of Sherman Oaks recently got plastered with signs announcing a new Thursday night Farmers Market coming to the Sherman Oaks Fashion Square property starting on August 7. more ›

Fresh & Easy opened its 62nd US "neighborhood market" this morning in Manhattan Beach which began with a press conference and store tours and a ribbon cutting ceremony before the waiting crowds descended upon the grocery store to fill their carts. (More story after the jump!) more ›

Everybody should know by now that one of the secrets of lasting through a shopping trip to Ikea is making a pit stop at their cafeteria, which features whimsical Scandinavian delicacies like Swedish meatballs and lingonberry jam. The Burbank location even has a well-stocked food market where you can pick up your own frozen meatballs, cream sauces, lumpfish roe, canned herring, rye breads, cheeses, and countless other little oddball treats like roe cheese spread. more ›

LACMA hosts the Seventh Annual Young Directors Night featuring eight short films competing to win the Art of Film award. It's a very important night for these eight new filmmakers hoping to get their name out there and present their work to a creative audience. more ›

One of my all-time favorite things to order from my neighborhood Thai delivery joint is what they call Salad rolls. They're cold appetizer wraps stuffed with fresh produce and the hallmark flavorful bite of Thai and Vietnamese cooking, thanks to the palate-pleasing mix of pungent Thai basil, mint, lime, and spice. more ›

Zucchini and other squash are abundant right now at farmer's markets and in home gardens (it's one of the easier vegetables to grow). Making big batches of delicious Italian-style zucchini soup is a good way to transform your bounty, and this dish uses flavors that will please even the most zucchini-fatigued palate. This soup can be a main course for two (put some crusty bread and butter on the side), or an appetizer for... more ›

Within the lines of Culver City lie two Indian markets that also serve up vegetarian dishes on the cheap. For years I have driven by India Sweets and Spices (on Venice and Bagley) and Bharat Bazaar—aka Samosa House, don’t ask why it has two names-- on Washington and Berryman. I had heard both were specialty markets offering imports from India and Britain, and I had also heard they both had counter service where they... more ›