There are a lot of wild cards in every one of these situations.

They constantly have to have something new or people will say, ‘I’ve been there’. They need to find somebody that has deep pockets and very strategic thinking about the whole thing.

You’re going to have containers coming from every terminal, not just the Port of Los Angeles but the Port of Long Beach, … I think maglev would really be pushing it.

[An Associated Press story proclaimed,] Hurricane Katrina’s devastation has decimated the progress Louisiana’s generous tax incentives were making in luring filmmakers to the state. … Louisiana had been on a roll, but they literally came...

They were on a tremendous roll, … I think it definitely knocks them out of the box. I think this cleanup will take a long time, and the state’s attention will be focused on rebuilding.

You have all these rapidly emerging areas around China, your head swims trying to keep up with it, … We’ve had investment by Chinese firms for a long time, but they used to be very,...

The (retail) arena has gotten very, very competitive. You’ve had Kohl’s enter this market and you’ve had Wal-Mart and Target expand.

People see this as an industry that’s very glamorous and exciting, but it’s an industry that’s going through some major inflections,

One by one they faded away or were acquired.

It’s the economy’s fuel. If this is long-lived, then you’re going to start seeing some significant impacts, and you’ll see the financial health of a lot of firms start to be threatened.

Some studios are doing some moderate lay offs. LA’s future is at stake.

Before it could be introduced, there was a blizzard of opposition.

Retailers have been putting up with outsourcing headaches for years such as quota allocation, transportation issues, etc. Of course retailers would like to source more locally but I don’t think it’s going to work out...

The market is extremely strong, … The office market has been improving steadily and there is a great demand for space in the industrial market.

I would take that all back.

What’s promising about this report was not only were November-to-December job increases strong, they went back and revised up the October-to-November increase.

You talk to any businessperson, and they’ll tell you they’re concerned that there is no affordable housing (in Los Angeles),

If it’s during the peak summer driving season and then it comes back into force — we could live with that,

I really don’t know where they got those numbers. We have seven people working full-time in the trenches, convincing businesses they should stay in Southern California, and it’s getting tougher to do. States are offering...

[He points to booming auto sales as proof that consumers are still buying gas guzzlers even in the face of soaring prices.] They complain about the cost of gasoline, but when GM, Ford and Chrysler...

People that have jobs that don’t have health care, they put a great strain on the health services community. You do have, unfortunately, a criminal element and they get arrested and they’re in the jails...

If they’re in a competitive market sector, it just kills their bottom line.

The bottom line is that there’s a huge demand. We have a shortage of 280,000 housing units in Los Angeles, and if you said ‘affordable housing units,’ that number would be even bigger.

Some studios are doing some moderate layoffs. LA’s future is at stake.

Energy costs are a tough challenge for businesses, and The Gas Company’s energy efficiency programs can help keep those costs under control.

Louisiana had been on a roll, but they literally came to a crashing halt, … New Orleans is not going to be a good location for filming, probably for several years.

It’s not surprising that international trade would be No. 1 in L.A. County because we’ve got the two ports and Los Angeles International Airport, which handles a lot of freight. It tends to mostly be...

They complain about the cost of gasoline, but when GM, Ford and Chrysler had their employee-discount programs, guess what they bought? You’re watching this and scratching your head.

Somebody could call, get the price and say ‘Let me think about this,’ … Then they move on to the next company in the Yellow Pages.

It’s a little more serious this time around than just pre-negotiating posturing. It’s not just noise. The steamship companies haven’t made money for several years. They want more efficiency.

His global perspective is very important because there are a lot of people who feel American universities have become too inward-focused. He’s trying to open doors to the real world in the local business community...

This industry is facing significant challenges.

Content will still be king, although it may come in many new guises. And the Los Angeles area is well positioned to create this evolving content,

There’s a lot of competition, and to survive, they’re going to have to get lean and mean, … As more banks merge, which we expect, you’re going to see more of these layoffs.