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Benjamin Gottlieb

Latest Stories (10)

Taco truck economics: What happens when the cost of onions goes up?

Jan 17, 2022
Rising costs have food vendors starting to try and figure out pricing, for meals that customers assume will remain inexpensive.
Elizabeth Garcia takes an order from a customer at her mobile restaurant "La Patrona" in Los Angeles.
Benjamin Gottlieb for Marketplace

Car dealerships short on cars, going big on prices

Dec 17, 2021
A dealer in the Los Angeles area describes bidding wars for the few vehicles that are on the lot.
Theo Ebert, right, and Lee Dibble stand on the empty new car lot at Vista Ford Lincoln in Woodland Hills.
Benjamin Gottlieb

LA's port problems have retailers worrying about empty shelves for the holidays

Nov 9, 2021
Retailers and manufacturers are anxious about holiday shopping as they monitor supplies on delayed cargo ships.
Lots of space on the shelves in the toy department of a Houston Target store.
Brandon Bell via Getty Images

California's drought takes a toll on the state's clothing manufacturers

Aug 5, 2021
Textile manufacturing relies on access to a cheap and plentiful supply of water.
Sean Zahedi stands next to one of his knitting machines at Lafayette Textiles in Vernon, California.
Benjamin Gottlieb

Many businesses may keep the cash-free model they started in the pandemic

May 21, 2021
The pandemic has accelerated the cashless trend, according to the electronic payments company Square.
According to one expert, we were headed towards cashless businesses anyways. The pandemic got us there three years quicker.
Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for VISA Inc)

Desert homes become a hot commodity in California's real estate boom

Apr 5, 2021
The housing rush is fueled by the pandemic and the desire of people who can work remotely to get out of the city.
An abandoned homestead structure in Wonder Valley. People who migrate from the city to the desert may have to deal with a lack of services, including municipal water.
Benjamin Gottlieb

Coachella Valley businesses reeling after festival, conferences called off

Mar 30, 2020
COVID-19 has put the region's $7 billion events industry at risk.
In addition to the festivals, this time of year brings all kinds of groups to the desert for conferences.
Presley Ann/Getty Images for Coachella

Why some restaurants in LA are going cash-free

Aug 19, 2019
Nick Montgomery says when it came time to decide whether his Echo Park restaurant would accept cash, it was a tough call. “This is a small space,” Montgomery said of Konbi, a Japanese-style cafe and sandwich shop on Sunset Boulevard. Akira Akuto, Montgomery’s business partner, said that another reason pushed them to make the restaurant […]
Superfine Pizza is one of a small, yet growing number of businesses in Los Angeles that are going cashless.
Benjamin Gottlieb/Marketplace

California bail industry grapples with fallout from a new law

Sep 27, 2018
Starting next year, a judge, not ability to pay bail, will decide who remains jailed in the state before trial.
Bail companies posted nearly $1.75 billion in surety bonds with the Superior Court of Los Angeles County from May 2016 to May 2017, a recent report found. Above, an employee at Gotham Bail Bonds near downtown Los Angeles walks to her desk.
Benjamin Gottlieb/Marketplace

Snapchat creators leave a mark on LA real estate

Jul 30, 2018
During its rapid expansion in the seaside community of Venice, California, Snap Inc. rented out dozens of properties, driving up the price of commercial real estate in the artsy enclave.
Andy Rovins wears his #deletesnapchat T-shirt at the Gingerbread Court on the Venice boardwalk.
Benjamin Gottlieb/KCRW