When Dan Walsh stepped down from his post as chief executive of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce last week, it may have seemed sudden. But insiders said it was a long time coming. During his five years at the chamber, Walsh drew criticism for his hefty salary. He also alienated elected officials and staff [...]

As Vernon plays out an existential drama – whether it will be a city or will not be a city – many of its 1,800 business owners are wondering if they will suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune if the city is pushed into oblivion. Vernon is home to a large base of [...]

Hotels in Los Angeles that lay off employees due to renovation projects may soon be required to offer those employees their jobs back later. In a move targeting the prestigious Bel Air Hotel, which has been embroiled in a dispute with a labor union since shutting down last year for a two-year renovation project, an [...]

A Century City stop on the planned Westside subway extension has erupted into a battle between two major factions. On one side stand most members of the business district. Pitted against them are their equally well-heeled neighbors to the east: the city of Beverly Hills and the Beverly Hills Unified School District. At issue is [...]

You might have suspected this, but now there’s a study to confirm it: Los Angeles has some of the highest parking rates in the country. Among large U.S. cities, Los Angeles ranks third for the cost of parking for one hour in the highest-priced lot in the downtown L.A.’s central business district, according to the [...]

Why would 22 successful business leaders spend more than a year evaluating homelessness in greater Los Angeles? Because when it comes to homelessness, it is long past time to take care of business. The Los Angeles Business Leaders Task Force on Homelessness was created in 2009 by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and [...]

In 2000, the voters of the city of Los Angeles adopted extensive charter reform. One of the primary objectives of this initiative, sponsored in large part by then-Mayor Richard Riordan, was to bring governmental decision-making closer to the local community level. In doing so, the new charter focused extensively on the issues of planning and [...]

The Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce recently proposed forcing all businesses in that city to become paying members, and chamber executives across the region took notice. Most weren’t happy. The Beverly Hills chamber floated the idea of creating a business improvement district that would require all 9,600 businesses in the city to pay an assessment [...]