The market is extremely strong, ... The office market has been improving steadily and there is a great demand for space in the industrial market.

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.

The (retail) arena has gotten very, very competitive. You've had Kohl's enter this market and you've had Wal-Mart and Target expand.

They were on a tremendous roll, ... I think it definitely knocks them out of the box. I think this cleanup will take a long time, and the state's attention will be focused on rebuilding.

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.

They constantly have to have something new or people will say, 'I've been there'. They need to find somebody that has deep pockets and very strategic thinking about the whole thing.

You talk to any businessperson, and they'll tell you they're concerned that there is no affordable housing (in Los Angeles),

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.

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 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.