Economy

Office vacancy rates in Glendale and Burbank remain near 20%, with massive commercial towers sitting empty as demand from prospective tenants dwindled in 2009, according to the latest report data from real estate firm Grubb & Ellis. Two new developments in Burbank, which have not been leased, have added more than 800,000 square feet of empty space to the market there, where the vacancy rate is 17.8%, up from 4% a year ago, according to the report. The empty Class A office buildings, at 2900 W. Alameda Ave. and 2300 W. Empire Ave., are among the five properties with the largest total of unleased space in Los Angeles County, according to data from CoStar Group Inc. That vacant space has added to the 1.2 million square feet of unleased office real estate in Glendale to create a glut of availability at a time when there is little demand, brokers said.

Unemployment rates in Glendale and Burbank fell by a tenth of a percentage point, although the change came as workforces shrank in both cities, the California Economic Development Department reported Friday. The jobless rate was 10.5% in Glendale and 9.8% in Burbank, according to the report. While the decreases signaled economic progress, fewer workers were employed in each city in December than in November, with the amount of job seekers in the region declining as well, indicating a likely increase in discouraged workers, economists said.

The U.S. Census Bureau will hire at least 3,000 workers in the San Fernando Valley this year, including about 1,500 in Burbank, offering a potential boost to sagging employment figures in the region, the bureau and experts said. The workers will be part of the effort to tally demographic information in the region as part of the nation’s 10-year count, bureau officials said. The bureau will hold a grand opening ceremony at 2 p.m. today for the Burbank office, at 2727 West Alameda Ave., Suite 300. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks)

The U.S. Census Bureau will hire at least 3,000 workers in the San Fernando Valley this year, including about 1,500 in Burbank, offering a potential boost to sagging employment figures in the region, the bureau and experts said. The workers will be part of the effort to tally demographic information in the region as part of the nation’s 10-year count, bureau officials said. The bureau will hold a grand opening ceremony at 2 p.m. today for the Burbank office, at 2727 West Alameda Ave., Suite 300. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks)

CITY HALL ? A historical evaluation of the Rockhaven Sanitarium, which the city bought for $8.25 million in 2008, should be completed early next year, but any immediate renovation to the buildings appears unlikely due to the city?s financial crunch, officials said. In April 2008, the City Council unanimously approved the acquisition and appropriated an additional $500,000 for initial site exploration and maintenance, including renovations to the caretaker?s house, which were completed last year.

Recently, I’ve noticed with amusement that Burbank is trying to promote local holiday shopping. I even got a nice little card in the mail. Unfortunately, local lawmakers seem to be willing to do little, if anything, to curb the problems that keep shoppers away in droves. The first problem is traffic scofflaws. I have spoken to many friends in other cities, and they absolutely refuse to visit Burbank and Glendale because they feel that they’re taking their lives in their hands due to the abundance of rude and dangerous drivers.

Two hours before the Glendale Community Free Health Clinic opens its doors, uninsured patients are lining up outside, anxious to see a doctor. Everything at the clinic is free — doctor consultations, X-rays, prescriptions — and for many of those without insurance, the services are the only way they can afford to manage chronic conditions like diabetes or hypertension. Katy Ascencio, 24, first came to the clinic six months ago. She said she’s been coping with lupus since she was nine, but when her father was laid off, the family lost their insurance.

CITY HALL — The City Council on Tuesday will consider 2010 budgets for the city’s Business Improvement Districts. Merchant associations say the funds are especially important during the current bleak economic climate. The Montrose Shopping Park Assn. and the Adams Square Merchants’ Assn. are the city’s two formal Business Improvement Districts, where business and property owners within a defined area pay an annual assessment to finance improvements and maintenance, marketing efforts and events.

A few months back, the Desi Geestman Foundation supported a Burbank family by providing a $200 grocery card. Around the same time, another $200 was given to a San Gabriel family to assist in covering funeral expenses after the father was laid off. An additional $500 went toward a rent payment for a family whose son was a patient at the City of Hope for a bone-marrow transplant. There are more examples of how families in the area and around Southern California are struggling to pay for medication, grocery bills or housing while coping with children who have cancer.

Free market capitalism is a barrier in itself in the formation of cartels and monopolies. This is because wherever there are profits, competitors will flock to that location and industry to reap the rewards of those profits. The resulting would be a general trend in lower prices because of added supply and competition. In the case of the health-care industry, the barrier to entry is high. But this is because the U.S. government has and continues to promote health-care oligopolies in each state.