No Place Like Home Forget the beaches, the mountains and the temperate climate. And never mind that the region continues to bounce back with vigor, even after a decade of floods, fires and riots; energy debacles; or what the headlines may say about us on the cover of Business Week magazine. Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., gave his top three reasons for living in Southern California during the 2001 Info Summit, sponsored by the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, on May 31. “Yes, homes in Omaha, Neb. are more affordable,” said Kyser, a California native who once lived there briefly. So, would he return to the Midwest? “No. There’s no In-and-Out, no Nordstrom and there’s no good Mexican food.” A Different Ballgame Remember the good old days? When your first car cost as much as a pair of Nike’s do today? Father knew best? And a package of peanuts and Cracker Jacks were all you needed at the ballpark? Those days are so over that even winning baseball teams need an assist to determine how to make fans happy. The Los Angeles Dodgers have hired J.D. Power and Associates, the consumer research company in Agoura Hills, to conduct a fan satisfaction survey and find out what it is fans want when they go to a game. No matter that the Dodgers are No. 2 in the National League’s Western Division. Or that Marquis Grissom is playing his heart out. “If you look at the entire experience, from coming into the parking lot to the concession stand and the availability of services, they want to find out what they think of the entire experience,” said Peter V. Marlow, a spokesman for J.D. Power. So when did the great go out of the American pastime? Who’s the Weakest Link Now? Secession talk, it turns out, makes such peculiar bedfellows. And, as last week’s Los Angeles mayoral election campaign wound down, just as peculiar was the endless commentating and speculating about how its results would affect the movement for the San Fernando Valley to break away. As a guest commentator for Time-Warner’s cable TV election night coverage, New Times columnist Jill Stewart confessed that, as a Valley resident, she had “an interest in seeing secession succeed.” Then she noted that in a discussion she had had earlier in the week, Valley VOTE President Richard Close had given her a juicy piece of news that, albeit on the record, she just hadn’t had room for in her column. Stewart told the television audience that Close had said he supported eventual winner James Hahn simply because he would be weaker than loser Antonio Villaraigosa in fighting secession. “That does sound a bit Machiavellian, doesn’t it?” she said. Ticket to Ride Woodland Hills-based filmmakers Joe and Harry Gantz don’t mind having a former New York taxi cab adorn their company’s parking lot. “That’s the cab we use on the show,” said Joe Gantz, who along with his brother, produce HBO’s “Taxicab Confessions” series. The cab, a 1995 Ford Crown Victoria, sits idle in front of the company’s main entrance awaiting its next HBO assignment, Joe said. “It’s been in all of our shows, from Las Vegas, Washington and New York, so now it’s waiting for the next show,” he said. Complete with taxi meter and traditional yellow paint, the cab is equipped with small, lipstick-sized cameras to record passengers who invariably wind up discussing their personal lives with the cab driver. By the end of the ride, they are told of the cameras and are asked to sign a waiver so the footage can be used for the show. “People get a kick out of seeing that cab when they come here,” Joe said Hail to the Chief Capstone Turbine Corp. CEO Ake Almgren had a special visitor recently when President George W. Bush visited the company’s Chatsworth headquarters. Almgren said he was thrilled to meet the president and to explain to him how his revolutionary micro turbine works. The micro turbine generates up to 60 kilowatts of power, enough to power about 10 homes, using clean burning natural gas. Almgren was joined by Mayor Richard Riordan and Gov. Gray Davis, all of whom spoke of the need for developing safe energy sources. “I was really impressed by the interest the president showed,” Almgren said. Capstone spokesmen said staff members were also thrilled at having VIP visitors touring the plant. “Everybody was looking forward to the visit,” said company spokesman Keith Field, “but nobody really wanted to get too close to the Secret Service.”