A flood of new TV shows could be filmed in Los Angeles this summer under new incentives being rushed through by the California Film Commission, which voted Thursday to try and speed up implementation of the television regulations in the state’s new production credit program . . .
Businesses have long complained about the gross-receipts tax, both because its rates are higher than in other cities and because it’s a tax on top-line revenues, before operating expenses and other business costs are factored in. Several major business groups have called for the elimination of the tax altogether, a stance supported by a special city committee two years ago. The say dropping the tax would drive business investment in the city.
Farmer Bros. said it expects its relocation plan to result in annualized savings of $12 million to $15 million, beginning in the latter half of fiscal 2016.
Also, as announced last week, it has moved its headquarters from the Cahuenga Pass to Austin, Texas. The Digital Turbine subsidiary already had offices in Austin.
The Port of Oakland has reached an all-time high in cargo volume last year, and that’s largely because the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles diverted some of their cargo north, the Sacramento Bee reports. In December, the Southern California ports rerouted a total of 74,356 containers to Oakland.
In a letter to the Obama administration released Tuesday, the Agriculture Transportation Coalition of Washington, D.C., and its 61 signees said the delays at the West Coast ports, including Los Angeles and Long Beach, are having a “disastrous impact” on United States exports. Customers are cancelling their orders, the letter says, and getting new sources for their produce.
Truck drivers who work at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach walked off the job Thursday to protest two trucking firms they accuse of wage theft, according to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which organized the action.
The agreement increases the tax credit to $330 million a year for the next five years. It also replaces the current lottery system with a ranking based on how many new jobs a production creates. While the agreement falls short of the $400 million approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee two weeks ago, it more than triples the current tax credit of $100 million.
The governing board of the Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau, comprised mostly of insurance industry representatives, voted to file an advisory rate of $2.86 per $100 of payroll, 11 percent more than the industry’s premium average as of July 1.
Local business owners and statewide business organizations are stepping up opposition to a state bill that would allow workers to file liens against their employers over claims of unpaid wages.
Hundreds of truckers who work at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach went on strike on Monday to protest what they called unfair labor practices.
Traffic at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach rose in May compared with the same month last year, according to figures released Monday.
Nearly one in four Los Angeles area employers plan to hire more workers during the third quarter, the best showing in several years, according to a survey released today from Manpower Inc.
More than 517,000 containers moved through the port in February. Imports were down 2.7 percent, but exports increased 2.1 percent, compared to the same period last year. The number of empty containers sent overseas to be filled with goods dropped 8.3 percent.
After nearly a century here, Westwood oil giant Occidental Petroleum Corp. is moving its headquarters to Houston.