As per LAO, Mall Developer Rick Caruso recoups some of his expensive campaign costs associated with getting his Americana project in Glendale through a referendum process, Times reports:

Caruso gets $74 million in justice

When the owner of the Glendale Galleria pressured the Cheesecake Factory not
to move into developer Rick Caruso's adjacent Americana at Brand shopping
mall, he sued. The jury awarded Caruso $74 million in compensatory damages
for "fraud, malice and oppression."

For awhile, Caruso's proposed Shops at Santa Anita in Arcadia looked headed in the same direction, but a referendum appears off the table with owner of adjacent-mall Westfield Santa Anita opting instead for the litigation route.

Posted by Todd at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Couldn't find my quote from City Manager Cynthia Kurtz for today's story, where having always worked in public service, she's accustomed to her salary not being a secret.

OK I found it while closing the 20-something documents open on my desktop: "My whole contract is a public document and I've handed it out many times. You just kind of get over it. When people look at my contract, some are going to say 'Man she makes a lot of money' and others are going to say 'For the work you do, that's all you get?!' "

Anyhoo, here's the web widget of city salaries that runs with today's story:

Posted by Todd at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since the time it was nothing but big cheese wheels and wine to it's most recent incarnation as grocer-lite, Trader Joe's has counted me among its customers. When I want overpriced, high-grain count healthiness, I hit up Wild Oats at Lake and California.

Whole Foods bought Wild Oats earlier this year for about one-half billion dollars, and there a few weeks back w/the girl, we speculated a clearance sale on vitamins et al signified the store's pending closure.
But even up until a few days ago there were zero indicators it was actually going away -- which it did, as of Nov. 4, according to signs in the parking lot. Kind of sneaky and quiet about the whole thing.

Next time on Shopping with Todd: I'll rant about what they've done to my Ralph's at Lake & Walnut. Used to be unbroken, parallel aisles of well-organized consumption. Now it's a twisted skein, designed to confuse, befuddle and psychologically "confront" patrons with product every few steps.

Posted by Todd at 8:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)