Daily News (Los Angeles, CA) articles from April 2001

Daily News (Los Angeles, CA) archives from April 2001

Daily News, Los Angeles, Business People Column.
April 2, 2001... Apr. 2--EXECUTIVE NAMED: Gary Marcotte will put his book smarts, business acumen and industry experience to use as new senior vice president and chief financial officer for B3 Corp. The online commerce expert comes to the Burbank e-business...

Hydrogen Cell Fuels Valencia, Calif., Manufacturer's Optimism.
April 2, 2001... Byline: Kathleen Sweeney Apr. 2--SANTA CLARITA, Calif.-- As officials struggle to solve the state's energy crisis, a Valencia company has developed a clean-burning hydrogen fuel cell that generates electricity. Diversified Commercial...

Fiber-Optic Equipment Maker E20 Opens Research Site in Camarillo, Calif.
April 3, 2001... Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Apr. 3--CALABASAS, Calif.--Shrugging off the flogging being administered to the high technology sector, fiber-optic equipment maker E20 Inc. is expanding its research and development operations into Camarillo. ...

Two Los-Angeles Based Banks Plan to Join Forces.
April 4, 2001... Byline: Evan Pondel Apr. 4--Sanwa Bank California, the largest Los Angeles-based bank, and rival Tokai Bank of California will merge this summer, combining assets of $11.2 billion under the name United California Bank. While Sanwa Bank...

Los Angeles-Area Deli Announces Plans for Stock Buyback.
April 4, 2001... Byline: Brent Hopkins Apr. 4--Jerry's Famous Deli Inc. could be headed private, following the company's announcement Tuesday of a prospective offer of self-tender to repurchase up to 600,000 shares of stock. Chief Executive Officer...

Los Angeles Mayor Proposes Energy Conservation Plan.
April 4, 2001... Byline: Rick Orlov Apr. 4--With Los Angeles experiencing a tax windfall because of the state's power crisis, Mayor Richard Riordan said Tuesday that the city should give some of the money back to customers who conserve electricity. ...

Los Angeles' Arena-Football Team Targets Fans in Latest Ad Campaign.
April 4, 2001... Byline: Jesse Hiestand Apr. 4--No one goes begging for arena football tickets but they appear to be at bus stops throughout Los Angeles in the latest preseason advertising blitz by the hometown Avengers. The eye-catching cardboard...

Hawaii-Based Jeweler Opens New Location in Northridge, Calif.
April 4, 2001... Byline: Brent Hopkins Apr. 3--NORTHRIDGE, Calif.--Like a cool breeze through the Pali gap, Na Hoku has blown into town. The specialty jeweler, a Hawaiian favorite since 1974, opened its first full-size California location Monday at...

Telephone Network Supply Firm Moves to Large Office in Calabasas, Calif.
April 4, 2001... Byline: Brent Hopkins Apr. 3--CALABASAS, Calif.--To accommodate its growing staff of tech wizards, Lynx Photonic Networks is getting some new digs. The 3-year-old firm, which develops optical switches for use in long-distance computer...

Northrop Grumman-Litton Industries Merger Becomes Reality.
April 4, 2001... Byline: Jesse Hiestand Apr. 4--Playing to their strengths is more than good business strategy for Northrop Grumman Corp. and its new subsidiary, Litton Industries Inc. -- it's precisely where military spending is heading in the next...

California Legislators Examine Utility Tax Levels.
April 4, 2001... Byline: Will Shuck Apr. 2--State Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Northridge, has introduced a bill that would force cities to limit their consumers' utility taxes to 1999 levels, before energy prices began climbing. The change in utility tax...

Recession Unlikely to Retreat, UCLA Economists Predict.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Apr. 5--UCLA economists predicted on Wednesday that there's a 90 percent chance the nation will slip into a recession this year but that Southern California should be spared much of the financial pain. ...

Glendale, Calif., Hospital's Nurses Vote to Unionize.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Helen Gao Apr. 5--GLENDALE, Calif.--With an 80 percent voter turnout Wednesday, registered nurses at Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center voted 167-136 to unionize, said Charles Idelson, a spokesman for the California...

Camarillo, Calif.-Area Homeowners Vote for Tax to Benefit Local Parks.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Cecilia Chan Apr. 5--CAMARILLO, Calif.--Homeowners voted overwhelmingly in favor of taxing themselves $27 a year to help maintain neighborhood parks, it was announced Wednesday. The assessment would generate $550,000 a year for...

Milk Purchases Eclipse Soda Sales as High Schools Try New Vending Machines.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Erik N. Nelson Apr. 5--GRANADA HILLS, Calif.--Think kids don't know what's good for them? They do at Granada Hills High School, according to the people who made "Got Milk?" a national catch phrase. The school is one of...

Los Angeles-Area Transit Authority Report Cites Improvement.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Troy Anderson Apr. 5--Nearly six months after a 32-day transit strike stranded more than 400,000 commuters, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials issued a report Wednesday showing the agency provides a record amount of...

California Assemblyman Will Head Up Film-Production Panel.
April 6, 2001... Apr. 6--With California's entertainment industry losing billions of dollars a year because of runaway film production, Assemblyman Dario Frommer has been appointed to head a new committee tackling the issue. Frommer, whose 43rd District...

Lancaster, Calif., Awaits Arrival of Flower Festival.
April 6, 2001... Byline: Peggy Hager Apr. 6--LANCASTER, Calif.--Lancaster Poppy Festival organizers are keeping their fingers crossed as weekend weather forecasts warn of cool temperatures and possible showers. But officials expect this year's festival...

Southern California Regional Planning Panel Urges 25-Year Transportation Plan.
April 6, 2001... Byline: Troy Anderson Apr. 6--A regional planning committee voted unanimously Thursday to recommend final approval of a $140 billion long-range transportation plan -- but only if it meets air quality standards. The Southern California...

Delays in Clubhouse Renovations Irk Golfers at Van Nuys, Calif., Course.
April 9, 2001... Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Apr. 9--VAN NUYS, Calif.--Talk about slow play: What was supposed to be a $2.3 million, 50-week face lift of the Woodley Lakes Golf Course clubhouse remains only partially completed 2 1/2 years after it started,...

Street Repair Efforts Fall Short in Los Angeles.
April 9, 2001... Byline: Harrison Sheppard Apr. 9--Thanks to a soggy winter, that bane of motorists, the pothole, has returned with a vengeance. But Los Angeles officials say that through an increased budget and faster response times, they are doing...

Burbank, Calif., Airport Gains Approval to Keep Collecting $3 Departure Charge.
April 10, 2001... Byline: Katie Cooper Apr. 10--BURBANK, Calif.--Burbank Airport will be allowed to continue collecting a $3 charge from departing passengers to fund a $130 million sound-insulation program for neighboring homes and schools, Airport...

Hollywood Writers, Producers to Resume Contract Talks.
April 10, 2001... Byline: Jesse Hiestand Apr. 10--Following a five-week hiatus, Hollywood's writers and producers announced Monday they will resume contract negotiations on April 17, giving them just 15 days to hammer out a deal that has so far proved...

NBC to Buy, Reabsorb Internet Portal Spinoff.
April 10, 2001... Byline: Jesse Hiestand Apr. 10--BURBANK, Calif.--NBC on Monday became the latest major media company to buy back and close its separately traded Internet business, a move that will cost 300 jobs at NBCi but not severely affect the Los...

Northrop Grumman-Litton Industries' Combined Company Taking Shape.
April 10, 2001... Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Apr. 10--Northrop Grumman Corp. Chairman Kent Kresa continued the process of melding two corporate cultures on Monday, welcoming Litton Industries Inc. employees to the combined company during two stops in the San...

Two Los Angeles-Area Colleges Seek Nursing-Program Funds.
April 10, 2001... Byline: Helen Gao Apr. 10--GLENDALE, Calif.--Citing severe nursing shortages throughout the state, Glendale Community College and Los Angeles Valley College have teamed up with local hospitals to lobby for a slice of the $104.7 billion...

International Real Estate Company Buys Los Angeles-Based Realty Firm.
April 10, 2001... Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Apr. 10--Cushman & Wakefield, the huge international commercial real estate services firm, said Monday it is acquiring Los Angeles-based Cushman Realty in a homecoming of sorts for two of the deal's participants....

Disney Shifts Boss of Failed Internet Venture to ABC Television.
April 11, 2001... Byline: Jesse Hiestand Apr. 11--BURBANK, Calif.--Steven M. Bornstein returned to broadcasting Tuesday when he was named president of ABC Television after 18 months as chairman of Walt Disney Internet Group. Bornstein, 48, had held...

Newbury Park, Calif., Design Firm Puts Pizazz into Phones, BMWs.
April 11, 2001... Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Apr. 11--NEWBURY PARK, Calif.--Henrik Fisker can't help the way-cool rush that comes with each cruise along the streets and freeways of car-crazy L.A. in his sleek silver $128,000 BMW Z8 rag top, the James Bond...

Pay-Per-View Firm's Founder Steps Down from California-Based Company.
April 11, 2001... Byline: Jesse Hiestand Apr. 11--BURBANK, Calif.--Pay-per-view programmer TVN Entertainment Corporation announced Tuesday that it has restructured its management and financing to be better positioned for new markets for its movies, sports...

California Utilities See Stock Prices Rise Sharply.
April 11, 2001... Byline: Brent Hopkins Apr. 11--Turn on the lights, the party isn't over -- utility stocks enjoyed a dramatic surge on Tuesday. PG&E Corp., whose subsidiary Pacific Gas and Electric has flickered since it filed for bankruptcy last...

Ventura County, Calif., Commercial Property Thrives.
April 12, 2001... Byline: Cecilia Chan Apr. 12--VENTURA, Calif.--Commercial real estate in Ventura County continues to thrive despite a slowdown in the economy and the ongoing energy crisis, experts said Wednesday. The vacancy rates for retail, office...

Developer Projects 10,000 Jobs for Proposed Mixed-Use Project near Los Angeles.
April 12, 2001... Byline: Cecilia Chan Apr. 12--The builder of a proposed industrial and residential project that could bring up to 10,000 jobs to a canyon north of the Ronald Reagan Freeway expects to submit a detailed development design to the city today....

Oxnard, Calif.-Based Online Firm Aids Taxpayers with Last-Minute Filing.
April 12, 2001... Byline: Brent Hopkins Apr. 12--It's 11 p.m. April 16 -- you've just pulled together your earnings statements and your income taxes are due in one short hour. Though everyone else in this situation will be yanking their hair out in mad...

Lancaster, Calif., Council Approves Land Buy for Craft-Store Chain Expansion.
April 12, 2001... Apr. 12--LANCASTER, Calif.--City Council members voted 5-0 for an agreement under which the city's redevelopment agency will spend about $300,000 buying 10 acres for an expansion of the Michaels distribution center. The vacant land, which...

Camarillo, Calif.-Based Telecommunications Firm Hit with Eighth Lawsuit.
April 12, 2001... Byline: Evan Pondel Apr. 12--CAMARILLO, Calif.--Legal troubles continued to mount Wednesday for telecommunications equipment maker California Amplifier as a Boston-based law firm sued the company for stock fraud. Since April 4, at...

Pasadena, Calif.-Based Gemstar-TV, Nielsen Sign Deal for Advertising Studies.
April 12, 2001... Byline: Jesse Hiestand Apr. 12--PASADENA, Calif.--With interactive TV still in its infancy, Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc. announced Wednesday a partnership with the leading audience research firm to study new methods of advertising....

Lancaster, Calif., Approves 100-Foot Cellular Phone Tower in City Park.
April 12, 2001... Apr. 12--LANCASTER, Calif.--Verizon Wireless was given permission to install a 100-foot-tall cellular telephone service tower disguised as a pine tree at Lancaster City Park. The tower will provide the city with $1,800 a month in rent as...

Regional Planning Panel Backs Passenger Limits at Los Angeles Airport.
April 13, 2001... Byline: Troy Anderson Apr. 13--Calling on Los Angeles International Airport to limit its number of passengers to 78 million a year, a regional planning panel Thursday adopted a long-range transportation plan that calls for improving other...

Calabasas, Calif.-Based Mortgage Company Gets Approval, Will Finalize Deal.
April 13, 2001... Byline: Evan Pondel Apr. 13--CALABASAS, Calif.--Countrywide Credit Industries received approval Thursday from the U.S. Federal Reserve Board to become a bank and financial holding company, paving the way for its acquisition of Treasury...

Shift in Wholesale Costs Angers Southern California Gasoline Dealers.
April 13, 2001... Byline: Brent Hopkins Apr. 13--The owner of Unocal 76 stations, one of Southern California's biggest gasoline dealer networks, is changing its wholesale pricing policy, a move that is already driving up pump prices. Phoenix-based...

Los Angeles-Area Gas Prices Continue to Rise.
April 13, 2001... Byline: Brent Hopkins Apr. 13--Unocal 76 customers aren't the only ones lightening their wallets these days -- everyone is. In the last month, gas prices for the Los Angeles area have climbed from an average $1.62 per gallon for...

Daily News, Los Angeles, On the Job Column.
April 13, 2001... Byline: Ken Lloyd Apr. 13--Austere office puts off visitors QUESTION: Does it mean anything when a new manager does absolutely nothing to personalize his office? There is nothing on the walls and the shelves only have company...

Daily News, Los Angeles, Real Estate Column.
April 13, 2001... Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Apr. 13--REALTOR LOCKBOX SYSTEM REVISED: If there is a real estate company's for-sale sign in the front yard, chances are there is a lockbox hanging from the door handle. The clunky-looking device is a secure...

Americans' Fascination with Internet Surfing Dwindles, Analysts Say.
April 13, 2001... Byline: Martin Kuz Apr. 13--As recently as a year ago, Robert Peck used to devote hours every day to surfing the Internet, checking out new Web sites or goofing off in chat rooms. Today his surfing comes as he looks for the perfect wave in...

Beloved Los Angeles Bakery Serves Its Last Nosh Ever.
April 16, 2001... Byline: Dana Bartholomew Apr. 16--NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- The Jewish bakery that hooked Los Angeles on the black-and-white cookie cooled its ovens after 42 years Sunday with a run on its last noshes. Brown's Bakery, the North...

Los Angeles Deli Owner Forced Out after 39 Years.
April 16, 2001... Byline: Dominic Berbeo Apr. 16--PANORAMA CITY, Calif.-- Times have changed over the past four decades in this densely populated section of Los Angeles, and no one has felt it more than Reva Baptist. A new landlord is doubling the rent...

Woodland Hills, Calif., Boutique Donates Portion of Profits to Cancer Research.
April 17, 2001... Byline: Brent Hopkins Apr. 17--WOODLAND HILLS, Calif.--In a business ruled by the bottom line, Sharon Schlesinger is doing something a little crazy. When her fashion-forward ladies' boutique, Boku Mangos, opens its doors next Friday,...

House of Blues Drops Out of Bidding on Los Angeles Theatre Concession.
April 17, 2001... Byline: Beth Barrett Apr. 17--House of Blues Concerts pulled out Monday of a new round of bidding on the Greek Theatre concession, leaving longtime operator Nederlander as the only apparent bidder unless the courts intervene. Instead...

Report on Congressional Internet Activities Shows Delays with E-Mail.
April 17, 2001... Byline: Bill Hillburg Apr. 16--WASHINGTON--You've got mail, Congress. So answer it already. That's the essence of a new report on electronic mail by the Congressional Management Foundation. The nonprofit watchdog group's study found...

Hollywood Writers, Producers Resume Contract Negotiations.
April 17, 2001... Byline: Jesse Hiestand Apr. 17--The countdown to a possible Hollywood strike begins in earnest today as union writers and producers resume negotiations with just two weeks left in the writers' contract and plenty of unmet demands on either...

Agoura Hills, Calif.-Based Gas Company Shuts Down Pumps while Prices Soar.
April 17, 2001... Byline: Evan Pondel Apr. 17--Zooming gas prices have independent retailers fuming as USA Petroleum is forced to shut its pumps down at several stations in Los Angeles. Independent retailers have been hit hard in recent months as the...

Northridge, Calif., College Students Win National Media Awards.
April 17, 2001... Byline: Dana Bartholomew Apr. 17--For their excellence in digging up news, journalism students from California State University, Northridge, have this year won 33 industry awards in print, radio and TV. "These awards are an indication...

Burbank, Calif., Airport Officials Eye Nearby Land for Crash Safety Zone.
April 18, 2001... Apr. 18--BURBANK, Calif.--The City Council on Tuesday signed off on a plan by Burbank Airport officials to purchase land across the street from the east-west runway for an expanded crash safety zone. The move to purchase the two parcels of...

Studio City, Calif., Company's Colorful Cookie Dough Hits Store Shelves.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Brent Hopkins Apr. 18--STUDIO CITY, Calif.--Most companies are afraid to eat their profits; not so for Van Gogh's Kitchen. The brainchild of Susan Pasarow and Jill Schiff, the company makes a tasty little art project --...

Deal for Purchase of North Hollywood, Calif., Animation Firm Sinks.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Jesse Hiestand Apr. 18--NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--"Simpsons" animators Film Roman Inc. have notified federal regulators that the Indian company planning to buy a majority stake in Film Roman no longer has the cash to close the deal....

IRS Audits Target Taxpayers in Lower-Income Brackets, Statistics Show.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Martin Kuz Apr. 18--With Tax Day over, be warned: This year's Internal Revenue Service audits will target the middle- and working-class. According to IRS statistics, eight out of 10 people audited in the past fiscal year made...

Los Angeles County, Calif., Nursing Homes Say Study Exaggerates Situation.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Harrison Sheppard Apr. 18--Nursing homes in Los Angeles County rank among the worst in the state, with 98 percent receiving citations for serious problems, according to a new study by a nursing home workers union. Researchers...

Los Angeles County, Calif., Scales Back Plans for Wilderness Park.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Helen Gao Apr. 18--GLENDALE, Calif.--The Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space Conservancy voted Tuesday to eliminate proposed equestrian facilities from plans for Deukmejian Wilderness Park and postpone the renovation of...

Los Angeles-Area Schools Coalition Opposes Alternative-Fuel Bus Plan.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Joseph Giordono Apr. 18--A coalition of school districts and educators stepped up their fight Tuesday against a proposed requirement to eliminate diesel fuel buses and replace them with cleaner alternative-fuel vehicles. The...

California Energy Crisis Results in Major Loss for Utility Parent Company.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Apr. 18--California's energy crisis brought more financial pain to Edison International on Tuesday as the company posted a $2.55 billion fourth-quarter loss related to turmoil at its Southern California Edison...

Planners Approve Use of Lake Los Angeles, Calif., Airport for Test Flights.
April 19, 2001... Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Apr. 19--LAKE LOS ANGELES, Calif.--Los Angeles County planning commissioners gave approval Wednesday for a San Diego-based aerospace firm to reopen an unused private airport for testing pilotless reconnaissance...

Voters to Decide on Burbank, Calif., Airport Growth by Mail.
April 19, 2001... Byline: Katie Cooper Apr. 19--BURBANK, Calif.--The City Council has set Oct. 9 as the date for a special election on a ballot measure that would severely restrict operations at Burbank Airport. The vote on the Restore Our Airport...

Los Angeles Mayor to Urge Cut in Gas Tax.
April 19, 2001... Byline: Rick Orlov Apr. 19--With the city benefiting from a windfall due to energy costs, Mayor Richard Riordan on Wednesday said he will propose a temporary reduction in the tax charged on the sale of natural gas in his next budget. ...

New Jet Engines to Push Speed Limits in NASA Tests.
April 19, 2001... Byline: Jim Skeen Apr. 19--EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.--NASA is just a few weeks away from testing a very-high-speed engine that could revolutionize space flight in the same way the jet engine advanced airplane travel. NASA is...

Burbank, Calif., Council Approves Methane Converters to Generate Power.
April 19, 2001... Byline: Katie Cooper Apr. 19--BURBANK, Calif.--One person's trash will soon be another's treasure, thanks to an innovative energy-generation project approved by the City Council. Burbank Water and Power got the green light from the...

Woodland Hills, Calif., Library Construction, Road Work to Continue into July.
April 19, 2001... Byline: Dominic Berbeo Apr. 19--WOODLAND HILLS, Calif.--Work to improve traffic safety and create more parking for the new Woodland Hills library has started on a busy strip of Ventura Boulevard. Workers will finish narrowing the south...

Northridge, Calif., University Prepares to Install New President.
April 19, 2001... Byline: Joseph Giordono Apr. 19--Jolene Koester will officially become the fourth president of California State University, Northridge, today during an inaugural ceremony that caps a week of festivities and includes a parade of officials...

Gas Prices Offset Sales at Van Nuys, Calif.-Based Auto-Parts Manufacturer.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Apr. 20--VAN NUYS, Calif.--High natural gas prices last winter partially offset record sales for the first quarter at Superior Industries International Inc., the company said Thursday. For the first quarter...

Los Angeles Mayor Boosts City's Budget.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Rick Orlov Apr. 20--In his last budget before leaving office, Mayor Richard Riordan will propose today a $4.9 billion spending plan that holds the line on police spending but dramatically increases the amounts spent on neighborhood...

Environmental Report Cites Changes to Santa Clarita, Calif., Development.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Kathleen Sweeney Apr. 20--SANTA CLARITA, Calif.--The Newhall Land and Farming Company, responding to a court order, has bolstered its environmental report for the Newhall Ranch project and released it Thursday for public review....

Hollywood Strikes Could Devastate California's San Fernando Valley.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Jesse Hiestand Apr. 20--Long strikes by Hollywood's actors and writers would hit the San Fernando Valley hardest economically and possibly plunge Los Angeles into a recession, Mayor Richard Riordan and economists warned Thursday....

Ballots in Mail to Decide Conejo, Calif., Park Funding Plan.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Bhavna Mistry Apr. 20--Voters on Thursday filed last-minute ballots in a $1 million park assessment measure, with the results of the mail-in election scheduled to be announced at a May 10 public meeting. About 45,000 ballots...

Sporting-Goods Chain to Open Store in California's Conejo Valley.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Brent Hopkins Apr. 20--THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.--Copeland's Sporting Goods is teeing up in the Conejo Valley. The San Francisco-based upscale chain announced plans to open a 30,000-square-foot facility in The Promenade at...

Ventura, Calif., Teacher Receives $10,000 Prize from Local Biotechnology Firm.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Bhavna Mistry Apr. 20--As a world traveler, singer and all-around renaissance man, history teacher Russell Walker is the students' favorite at Los Primeros Structured School. "He's one in a million. He's multitalented and takes...

Chatsworth, Calif.-Based Turbine Manufacturer Helped by State Energy Crisis.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Brent Hopkins Apr. 20--CHATSWORTH, Calif.--Capstone Turbine Corporation has generated major sale increases, which will likely make for a record quarterly earnings announcement today. According to analysts who follow the...

Insurers Branch into Financial Fields.
April 23, 2001... Byline: Evan Pondel Apr. 23--It's difficult to affix a definition to an insurance company these days. The lines that once delineated a bank from an insurance company, an insurance company from a bank, and a bank from a securities firm...

Daily News, Los Angeles, On the Job Column.
April 23, 2001... Byline: Ken Lloyd Apr. 23--Check out boss first QUESTION: When my current boss interviewed me for this job, he was friendly, funny, and easy-going. Now that I work here, he is mean and completely different from the way he was in the...

Regulators Eye Los Angeles Oil Field More Closely.
April 23, 2001... Byline: Beth Barrett Apr. 23--Under the paint, the grime, the oil and the years, Philip McAlmond -- the independent oilman operating for nearly two decades on the hill overlooking the Belmont Learning Center -- smiles as sweetly as ever....

Daily News, Los Angeles, Real Estate Column.
April 23, 2001... Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Apr. 23--NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--SEMINARS MAKE HOME BUYING EASY: Buying that first house, especially in a time of record prices, can be an intimidating, frustrating and lengthy process. While there might not...

Los Angeles County, Calif., Budget Proposal Leaves Hundreds of Jobs Unfilled.
April 24, 2001... Byline: Troy Anderson Apr. 24--Facing millions of dollars in rising energy costs, the fallout of the Rampart police corruption case and a health care system on the verge of a massive deficit, Los Angeles County officials proposed on Monday...

California Assemblyman's Cellular Phone Bill May Limit Devices on Road.
April 24, 2001... Byline: Dana Bartholomew Apr. 24--A nationwide movement to ban cell phone use while driving hit California on Monday when a freshman state assemblyman pushed legislation to require the use of hands-off technology. Strong opposition...

Burbank, Calif., Residents Very Satisfied with City Government, Survey Shows.
April 24, 2001... Byline: Katie Cooper Apr. 24--BURBANK, Calif.--Residents of this city are among the most satisfied in California when it comes to their local government, a new public opinion survey has found. The results of the poll, which will be...

Tarzana, Calif., Improvement Group Takes Advantage of City's Adventurous Image.
April 24, 2001... Byline: Brent Hopkins Apr. 24--TARZANA, Calif.--The urban jungle's starting to take shape. When Edgar Rice Burroughs first penned his classic tales about the lord of the jungle who now lends his name to the Valley community, Tarzana...