[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 to a crashing halt. New Orleans is not going to be a good location for filming, probably for several years. |
[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 had their employee-discount programs, guess what they bought? ... You're watching this and scratching your head. |
Before it could be introduced, there was a blizzard of opposition. |
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, |
Energy costs are a tough challenge for businesses, and The Gas Company's energy efficiency programs can help keep those costs under control. |
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 and the global community. |
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 a lot more incentives than they used to. Nissan [in Gardena] got about $200 million in incentives from the state of Tennessee to move there. |
I would take that all back. |
If it's during the peak summer driving season and then it comes back into force -- we could live with that, |
If they're in a competitive market sector, it just kills their bottom line. |
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. |
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 smaller, high-value goods like medical equipment and electronic components. |
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. |
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. |
One by one they faded away or were acquired. |