Economy

Despite the grim economy, spirits are high at the La Cañada Town Center as AT&T begins construction today (Thursday) on its store in the same building as the Chipotle Mexican Grill; and Sakura steak, seafood and sushi house is preparing for a mid-March opening. Representatives of a jewelry store and a juice store also have approached the city with inquiries about prospective projects there, said Fred Buss, senior planner for the city of La Cañada Flintridge, adding that no permits for either have yet been filed.

Seizing momentum of anti-tax Tea Parties where Americans vent their frustrations over government spending, Republicans from throughout the Southland descended on Jeffers? estate Saturday for an All American Rally. Dozens of fiscal conservatives gathered to oppose what they characterized as the Obama administration?s imprudent bailout of corporate America and the inclination of lawmakers to balance yawning budget gaps on the backs of taxpayers. ?Even Franklin Roosevelt never came close to deficit spending of the type that has been done already within a year after the pull of the trap door on this economy,?

While other stores across the country may be struggling for lack of shoppers and sales due to the current recession, at least one La Cañada shop is seeing an increase in customers and purchases due also to the economic hard times. The many people choosing to spend their holiday and budgeted dollars on fine recycled items sold at St. George?s Dragon Thrift Shop on Foothill Boulevard excites staff at the local shop. ?I?ve heard it called a reverse economy, and we?re one of the businesses that is profiting from that,?

For those who have been lucky enough to enjoy a long, illustrious performance career, a turn behind the scenes can offer its own kind of magic. Jamie Nichols found that several decades in the spotlight was enough. The Glendale native relished her 23 years at the helm of Fast Feet dance company, earning numerous accolades in one year, including three prestigious Lester Horton awards, which are presented annually by the Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles. But then, said Nichols, at a characteristically vibrant clip, “I just didn’t feel compelled to continue.

In its largest donation to date — and despite a dismal economy — the La Cañada Flintridge Educational Foundation recently presented the La Cañada Unified School District with a check for $1.29 million. The gift was slightly larger than the donation the LCFEF made to the district this time last year, $1.28 million, according to Deborah Weirick, foundation president. The check represents dollars raised through fundraisers like the jog-a-thon and the 2008 gala, before the recession began.

It’s happening all up and down the boulevard. Signs going up for businesses going out of business and signs for buildings now for lease. Rumors are flying about empty buildings, as well as about the potential for future closures. All this, while city staff and chamber of commerce officials contend the cropping up of for lease signs and vacant structures are not a sign of the times — merely normal, healthy turnover in this otherwise affluent little town. “I think we do have a few more vacancies than normal, but not more than three are victims of the economy, the rest are natural turnover,” said Pat Anderson, president and CEO of the La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce.

Like every other school district, La Cañada Unified School District has been hammered by reductions in government funding. But it has had the luxury of being able to rely on two local organizations to help supplant those reductions in funding. The La Cañada Flintridge Educational Foundation has donated more than $16 million to the district in its 32-year existence and the PTAs are seeing an increased fundraising role themselves. "The parents and families are very supportive in La Cañada," said Susan Dodge, president of the La Cañada PTA Council.

A struggling economy has some folks at La Cañada?s Flintridge Riding Club scrambling to find ways to boost membership and riding opportunities and others contending the sky isn?t falling. ?Like most clubs, Flintridge Riding Club (FRC) is struggling in this economy. As a director, I?m doing everything in my power to shore it up,? Mary Anne DeBriyn, secretary of the Flintridge Riding Club Board of Directors, wrote in a recent e-mail to the Valley Sun. DeBriyn was writing to suggest the Valley Sun let residents know about some of the upcoming activities at the club.

It is an honor to thank the voters for their support. Now, the work begins, and it is my hope that we can unite. As the President said in his speech to the nation, to those of you who did not vote for me, I hope to earn your trust. Winning the global war on terror, which includes securing our borders, continues co be at the top of my priority list. Additionally, growing our economy, along with improving our schools, relieving traffic congestion, and cleaning up our ground water will be high on that list as well.

Stop the FTAA - Free trade of all America. As 70 percent of the 2003 gross domestic product (GDP) of North and South America was generated by the United States, there is currently no overwhelming market in Latin America for our products. U.S. trade cannot be carried on with such poor countries unless, of course, we send them aid to buy them. In 1993 Henry Kissinger lobbied for NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) by saying that "NAFTA is not a conventional trade agreement, but the architecture of a new international system."

Even as they labored to attract new customers Wednesday at the 10th Annual Tri-Chamber Foothills Community Business Expo, local business owners said they are adjusting to a new economic reality in which the customers are frugal and the lenders cautious. "I think with this economy it is never going to go back to where it was," said Craig Fisher, a La Crescenta-based electrician. "I think people have learned to save. " His business slumped about 30% amid the recession, Fisher said.

Each Sunday, Christians around the world are confronted with an important question: How much do I put into the collection plate? And will it be too much or too little? What if I am down on my luck and not able to afford my weekly tithe? What then? Churches have been collecting tithes since ancient times. The Vatican, during medieval times, collected taxes on the land people owned and had immense wealth, not to mention power. Taxes were due at certain times throughout the year.

Part I : The latest statistics from the Society for Human Resource Management show that 89% of U.S. companies allow workers to wear casual clothing one day a week. Forty-four percent of all U.S. businesses have adopted casual all-the-time policies, up from 36% in l998. The Hewitt Work/Life Survey of 1,020 major U.S. companies indicates that two-thirds of employers offer casual or business casual dress, so this is definitely a casual era. In many companies, a suit may be too formal for an interview.

The economy may continue to sputter, but local business leaders are preparing for another wall-to-wall crowd at the 10th annual Tri-Chamber Foothills Community Business Expo next week. The expo, which will start at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8 at Verdugo Hills Hospital, is sponsored by the Crescenta Valley, La Cañada Flintridge and Montrose-Verdugo City chambers of commerce as a means to foster local commerce, organizers said. "The event annually serves to introduce our community to their neighbor businesses," said Ted Ayala, executive director of the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce.

Lunch is being done differently in the La Cañada Unified School District this year. La Cañada Unified replaced food-service company Sodexo Inc., which has held the contract for the district's lunch program for the past five years, with School Nutrition Plus to prepare lunches for its four school cafeterias. When Sodexo's contract expired, the district published a request for bids from other companies, as it is required to do every five years, said Mike Leininger, the district's assistant superintendent of facilities and operations.

With summer drawing to a close and the chaos of back-to-school season approaching, families and community residents eagerly gathered Sunday in Memorial Park for the final 2010 Music in the Park concert. The evening kicked off with a performance by Andre Thierry, a Northern California musician, and his band Zydeco Magic. Zydeco, a combination of both Cajun and Creole music, is rooted in Southwest Louisiana. "Here's a little zydeco music for you and it goes a little something like this," said Thierry to the enthusiastic crowd as his band kicked off its set. Though guests had comfortably settled into their lawn chairs, ready to relax and enjoy the show, many were in front of the gazebo dancing as soon as Zydeco Magic began playing.

Like every other school district, La Cañada Unified School District has been hammered by reductions in government funding. But it has had the luxury of being able to rely on two local organizations to help supplant those reductions in funding. The La Cañada Flintridge Educational Foundation has donated more than $16 million to the district in its 32-year existence and the PTAs are seeing an increased fundraising role themselves. "The parents and families are very supportive in La Cañada," said Susan Dodge, president of the La Cañada PTA Council.

There were five distressed home sales — four foreclosures and one short sale — in La Cañada Flintridge in July for a total loss to investors of more than $1 million, according to recently released real estate data. "These numbers are staggering," said Phyllis Harb, a longtime real estate agent in the San Gabriel and Crescenta-Cañada valleys. In June, there was one distressed home sale in La Cañada. The latest figures bring the total number of distressed home sales to 24 for the year.

One day after Sport Chalet reported a net loss of $1.9 million in its first quarter — the 10th consecutive quarterly loss for the retailer — Chairman and Chief Executive Craig Levra told shareholders the company is being positioned to make gains despite a stagnant retail climate. "We will do better," Levra said of the sporting goods chain. "We are not sure when the economy will do better." The remarks were made Tuesday during Sport Chalet's annual stockholders meeting at the corporate headquarters in La Cañada Flintridge.

I am old. I am out of shape. That's why I've signed up for the 5K portion of the Buffalo Alley Run at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. But first, a disclaimer. They call it the Buffalo Alley 5K Run. I call it the Buffalo Alley 5K Walk . If I train hard enough, it might be the Buffalo Alley 5K Run/Walk . Nowadays, the Buffalo Alley Run honors the fallen and wounded. The 5K is a spinoff of the 10K, which was formerly known as the "Horno Ridge Run." According to organizers, the new 10K offers the "ultimate" in Hard Corps Competition in a cross-country 10K. The course begins at Camp Horno, home of 1st Marines, and winds up, up, up, into the hills of Camp Pendleton.