Ignacio E. Lozano Jr., longtime La Opinión publisher, dies at 96

Ignacio E. Lozano Jr., longtime La Opinión publisher, dies at 96

Ignacio E. Lozano Jr. loved to tell the story about arriving in Los Angeles in 1948 from the University of Notre Dame with a journalism degree, taking a look at his family’s business — and immediately fearing it was doomed. His father, Ignacio E. Lozano Sr., was a pioneering publisher who founded a Spanish-language daily…

Record deals and tax-avoidance maneuvers: Southern California’s priciest sales of 2023

Record deals and tax-avoidance maneuvers: Southern California’s priciest sales of 2023

Southern California’s luxury real estate market never sleeps. But this past year, it collectively caught its breath. Luxury sales slowed down in 2023 — a combination of soaring interest rates, a newly introduced “mansion tax” and an inevitable drop-off from a pandemic market when megamansions flipped like hotcakes. In 2022, there were 17 home sales…

California Pizza Hut franchises to lay off more than 1,100 delivery drivers ahead of wage hike

California Pizza Hut franchises to lay off more than 1,100 delivery drivers ahead of wage hike

Ahead of statewide minimum wage increases for fast-food workers, hundreds of California Pizza Hut franchises announced cuts in their delivery services, laying off more than 1,100 drivers, according to federal and state filings. The Pizza Hut locations, run by two different franchise operators, reported the change to their business models for restaurants from Orange to…

Column: Mickey Mouse and ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ enter the public domain on Jan. 1, a reminder of our crazy copyright laws

Column: Mickey Mouse and ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ enter the public domain on Jan. 1, a reminder of our crazy copyright laws

It might be unusual to find Mickey Mouse and “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” mentioned in the same breath. But you can chalk up their momentary fellowship to America’s copyright laws, under which both are entering the public domain on Jan. 1. That’s because both Mickey and Mellors, the Chatterley estate gamekeeper, made their first published appearance…

Amid union’s tentative deals with more hotels, workers plan Rose Parade day pickets

Amid union’s tentative deals with more hotels, workers plan Rose Parade day pickets

Unite Here Local 11 has made more progress in contract talks with hotels ahead of the holidays. The union said Friday it had secured tentative agreements with three downtown L.A. properties as well as a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport. The agreements cover roughly 800 workers at the InterContinental, Hotel Indigo and E- Central…

State insurance commissioner says companies are delaying policies, denying discounts

State insurance commissioner says companies are delaying policies, denying discounts

Responding to consumer complaints about auto insurance coverage, the state insurance commissioner said Thursday that insurers could face penalties for creating unlawful barriers for California drivers. Ricardo Lara issued a bulletin to auto insurers, reminding them that they cannot change their policies’ terms and rates without formally filing for state review and approval. The bulletin…

Ralphs illegally denied jobs to formerly incarcerated people, civil rights lawsuit alleges

Ralphs illegally denied jobs to formerly incarcerated people, civil rights lawsuit alleges

Grocery company Ralphs illegally denied jobs to hundreds of people based on their criminal history, California’s Civil Rights Department alleges in a new lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, is the first of its kind under California’s Fair Chance Act, which went into effect in 2018 and limits the use…