Editor’s note: The Business Journal’s final edition of the year, out December 19, is entirely devoted to Downtown Long Beach. To help keep our readers informed in the interim, we’re launching a test run of BizBrief, a sampling of today’s news sent straight to your inbox.
California Again Named “Judicial Hellhole”
The American Tort Reform Foundation, a national organization dedicated to reforming the civil justice system, has named California the No. 2 “judicial hellhole” in the nation for a second year running. Florida holds the top spot. According to the foundation’s report, “With another 859 new statutes added to the books in 2017, the annual average for new enactments since 2010 ticked up to more than 830, making it virtually impossible for even the most conscientiously law-abiding Californians to keep up and protect themselves from costly lawsuits.”
Long Beach Household Incomes Among Fastest-Growing In Nation
Long Beach’s median household income increased by 10.1% from 2015 to 2016, the 11th largest increase among the top 100 cities in the United States, according to a statement from the City of Long Beach. The news came from a report by financial technology firm SmartAsset, which analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
AccuWeather Predicts $4 Billion More In Holiday Sales
Than National Retail Federation
AccuWeather Global Weather Center, the world’s largest weather forecasting and warning company, predicts $683.3 billion in e-commerce and in-store sales in November and December, a 4.2% or $27.5 billion increase over last year. This projection is $4 billion more than the National Retail Federation’s prediction, which the organization published in October. Nearly $2 billion of the projected $4 billion increase is directly related to AccuWeather’s weather forecasts, according to the firm.
Ports Seek Solutions To Reduce At-Berth Emissions
The Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are seeking proposals to reduce emissions produced by non-container vessels while they are at berth. They have issued a request for proposals offering $1 million to fund demonstrations of one or more solutions to eliminate these emissions. Respondents must match the project cost by at least 50%.
Long Beach Grand Prix Approved Through 2023
At its December 5 meeting, the Long Beach City Council approved an agreement with the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach to run the Toyota Grand Prix through 2023. The 2018 Grand Prix will feature six races, including the Verizon IndyCar Series. For racegoers, the event will also include free concerts on Friday and Saturday nights, a family fun zone, driver autograph sessions, exhibits and food trucks. Ticket prices range from $33 to $147 and are available at www.gplb.com or by calling 888/827-7333.
P2S Engineering Named One Of Glassdoor’s Best Places To Work
P2S Engineering, a Long Beach-based engineering firm, has been named one of the best places to work in 2018 by Glassdoor, one of the world’s largest job sites. P2S received the honor as part of Glassdoor’s Employees’ Choice Awards program.