Cedars Seizes Opportunity
Cedars‑Sinai Medical Center announced the purchase of the 340,000‑square‑foot Beverly Connection shopping center for $270 million, adding roughly 10 acres directly east of its main campus. The hospital said it has no immediate plans to close the retail complex, instead viewing the site as a long‑term option for campus revitalization. The deal, sourced off‑market from Ashkenazy Acquisition, reflects Cedars‑Sinai’s strategy to secure land amid tightening Beverly Hills medical‑office zoning limits. Analysts see the acquisition as a foothold for future outpatient, research or mixed‑use development.
LABJ Insider: L.A. Care Doles Out Food Security Grants
Los Angeles‑based L.A. Care Health Plan is distributing $500,000 in grants to ten local nonprofits that provide grocery and food assistance through the CalFresh program. The funding is part of a $5.4 million allocation approved last year to offset disruptions caused...
Fifth Third Bank Builds on California Presence
Fifth Third Bank, now the ninth‑largest U.S. bank with roughly $294 billion in assets, completed a $12.7 billion merger with Comerica and will rebrand 84 California branches by early September, adding a new Fresno location. The bank appointed longtime Comerica executive Cynthia...
Hidonix Makes a Move Into Defense Industry
Santa Monica‑based Hidonix, originally a spatial‑intelligence platform for museums and schools, is shifting its focus to the defense sector. The company’s AI‑driven geomagnetic navigation system, already used in hospitals and convention centers, is being repurposed for security protocols and battlefield...
New LAX Rental Car Center Opens
The $1.1 billion, 6.4‑million‑square‑foot consolidated rental car center at Los Angeles International Airport officially opened this month. The facility brings together 12 rental brands—including Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz and Zipcar—under one roof, replacing scattered locations in Westchester and El Segundo. Although the center...
D Line Extension Will Open May 8
After more than four decades of planning and a decade of construction, Los Angeles’ Metro D Line subway will open its first 4‑mile segment on May 8. The project, budgeted at up to $3.7 billion, adds three new stations along Wilshire Boulevard—Wilshire/La Brea,...
LABJ Stock Index: March 16
A $10 jump in oil prices, driven by geopolitical risk, has jolted global equities but left U.S. stocks surprisingly resilient. The United States, now a net oil exporter with most imports from Canada and Mexico, experiences a lagged impact on...
Strategy Pivot Hits GoodRx
GoodRx Holdings is reshaping its business after CEO Wendy Barnes took over in early 2025, as traditional pharmacy‑transaction revenue shrank amid widespread retail pharmacy closures. The company is accelerating two new pillars—pharma‑direct partnerships and condition‑specific subscription telehealth programs—to offset the...
Who’s Who in Tech: Equatic Is ‘Sinking’ in the Ocean
Equatic, a Santa Monica carbon‑removal startup, secured $11.6 million Series A funding to build a 100‑kiloton ocean‑based CO₂ capture plant that also produces green hydrogen. The technology electrolyzes seawater with renewable power, generating base that pulls carbon from the air while the...
Who’s Who in Tech: Antares Working on Nuclear Solution
Antares Nuclear, founded in 2023, secured $96 million in Series B funding (bringing total capital to about $130 million) to build modular, transportable reactors for hard‑to‑reach energy deserts. The startup is targeting the U.S. military and aerospace sectors rather than commercial data centers,...
Who’s Who in Tech: Critical Loop Is Powering Solutions
Critical Loop, founded in 2023 by Bala Ramamurthy, Andrew Grinalds and Lydia Maher, creates mobile microgrids that can deliver megawatts of power within weeks. The company targets energy‑desert locations such as islands, remote military bases, and high‑demand industrial sites. Falling...
Who’s Who in Tech: Arbor Energy Is Cooling the Market
Arbor Energy, founded in 2021 by Brad Hartwig and Andres Garcia Clark, secured a $55 million Series A round to accelerate its modular, turbine‑centered power stations. The company’s 25‑megawatt, fuel‑flexible units aim to supply clean baseload power for AI‑driven data centers that...
Airports Report Mixed Results for January Count
In January, the four Los Angeles County airports handled over 6.7 million passengers, a modest 0.8 % year‑over‑year increase and the first overall gain since December 2024. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) posted a 0.8 % rise, while Ontario International saw a stronger 3.7 %...
Businesses Beware: Top Data Privacy Threats in 2026
Data privacy risk is intensifying in 2026 as legacy “zombie” statutes, expanding state regulations, and pervasive AI usage converge. Companies face renewed class‑action exposure from outdated laws like California’s 1960s invasion‑of‑privacy act, while Texas and Connecticut enforce stricter opt‑in consent...
The Industry Has Spoken: It’s Time to Embrace Pooled Employer Plans
The retirement plan market is rapidly shifting toward Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs), with assets projected to rise from $12 billion in 2023 to $21 billion by the end of 2024 and the number of plans tripling to 339. More than 50,000 employers...
DLP Eye Group Shutters
Montebello‑based DLP Eye Group Inc. announced the closure of all eight of its eye‑care and surgery centers, effective March 18, 2026. The shutdown will affect 136 employees, who received a WARN filing with the state. The clinics, located primarily in...
The Palisades Spinoff: Beverly Hills Estates Launches New Division
The Beverly Hills Estates has launched a new division, The Palisades Estates, to lead the redevelopment of Pacific Palisades after the 2023 wildfire that destroyed nearly 7,000 homes. The unit, headed by longtime local agent Jacqueline Chernov—who lost two homes in...
Kennedy Wilson Goes Private in $1.7B Deal
Kennedy Wilson Holdings agreed to a $1.65 billion all‑cash transaction that will take the Beverly Hills‑based real‑estate investment firm private. The deal is led by CEO William McMorrow and includes Toronto‑based Fairfax Financial Holdings acquiring a majority economic interest while McMorrow...
Cargo Volume at Local Ports Dip in January
Cargo volumes at the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach dropped 11.6% year‑over‑year in January, handling a combined 1.66 million TEUs – the second‑largest January haul since the pandemic. Imports fell 13% at both ports while export...
Banc of California Makes a Payments Push
Banc of California is accelerating its payments strategy by hiring industry veteran Chris Healy to lead its merchant acquiring platform, BancEdge. The bank aims to broaden the platform across existing and new commercial clients, emphasizing real‑time, AI‑driven payment capabilities. Healy’s...
OpEd: Let Landlords Be Heard at City Hall
David Evans and veteran broker Jerome McAlpin founded We House LA, a landlord advocacy group representing about three dozen small property owners in South Los Angeles. Since the pandemic, members have faced soaring utility and insurance costs while rent growth...
Dog Haus Plots Its Next Growth Phase
Dog Haus Worldwide is launching an aggressive expansion, targeting 50 new U.S. locations—primarily in the Midwest—and three stores in Mexico within the next year. The chain has secured high‑profile influencer partnerships, notably Jake Paul’s 25‑store franchise and board role, generating...
LABJ Insider: Kilroy Realty Names New Board Members
Kilroy Realty Corp. announced a leadership shuffle, appointing long‑time director Gary Stevenson as board chair and adding Cia Buckley Marakovits and David Kieske to its board. The Los Angeles‑based REIT now oversees 16.3 million square feet of office and life‑science space plus roughly 1,000...
USC Opens South L.A. Pharmacy
USC’s Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy will open its first community pharmacy in South Los Angeles next month, located beside the T.H.E. Health and Wellness Center in Hyde Park. The modest launch will start with three staff members and expand...
Ankler Taps New Publisher
Ankler Media Group announced the appointment of Lynne Segall as its new publisher, joining CEO Janice Min and sales head London Sanders. Segall brings experience from The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard and The Wrap to steer sales, advertising, podcasts, and live events....
2026 Market Outlook & Trends | Featured Speaker
Ariel C. Shaeps, a real‑estate and construction partner at Allen Matkins, was the featured speaker for the Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2026 Market Outlook & Trends event. He has advised on more than $18 billion in construction contracts, including high‑profile projects like the...
Audit, Taxation and Consulting: Adjust & Adapt
Mid‑size accounting firms are accelerating consolidation, with 26% merging and 27% acquiring peers over the past three years, often backed by private‑equity investors. A shrinking pipeline of CPA graduates is intensifying talent competition, while AI adoption is reshaping workflows and...