College of the Canyons will receive $200,000 in state funding to train registered nurses. The money was part of $2.7 million awarded for the training programs Feb. 15 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “These programs help nursing students by providing them more opportunities to pursue careers in nursing and help communities by directing more services to medically underserved areas across the state,” Schwarzenegger said. “This is also a part of my long term commitment to address California’s nursing shortages by helping to expand nursing programs and improve the supply of qualified nurses in our state.” The funds were made available through the Song-Brown program, which is administered by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. Song-Brown was established to increase the number of family practice physicians, physician assistants and registered nurses being trained in the state.

The arrest of more than 100 suspected undocumented workers in Van Nuys has been challenged by a federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups. The lawsuit claims Immigration and Customs Enforcement barred attorneys from meeting with those arrested, and asks that a judge order the agency to allow attorneys to represent the workers, the Daily News reported. The arrests were made Feb. 7 at Micro Solutions Enterprises, the manufacturer of computer printer cartridges. No company employers have been charged but the investigation is ongoing, the Daily News quoted an ICE spokesperson. Of the 130 workers detained from the raid, only six suspects are still in custody, the ICE spokesperson was quoted in the Daily News. The Daily News reported the ACLU claimed attorneys were barred as the workers were questioned and charged with immigration violations.

Youbet.com Inc. will close its unprofitable pari-mutuel wagering account business due to a reduction in wagering. Woodland Hills-based Youbet acquired International Racing Group in 2005 for $3 million. Youbet expects to pay $500,000 in severance costs associated with shutting down the business, and another $200,000 to $300,000 to cover lease obligations, outside services, asset disposals and other miscellaneous costs. IRG had become unprofitable and showed no signs of turning around in the near future. It also is currently under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Las Vegas. “The decision to close IRG was necessary as we continue to focus our management priorities on improving profitability and shareholder value,” said interim Chief Executive Officer Gary W. Sproule. IRC only accepted telephone wagers from predominantly high-volume customers for races at more than 90 thoroughbred, harness and greyhound tracks.

Burbank staffing firm Workway has formed the subsidiary company Workway Nursing, focused on placing skilled clinical professionals and other allied staff in hospitals and long-term and skilled care facilities. “Workway Nursing leverages Workway’s national presence to provide contingent labor for the many hospital systems that are suffering from a shortage of talented nursing staff,” said Michael Agee, executive vice president of Workway Nursing. “By providing our client hospitals with specialized staffing services, we can ensure them skilled, qualified staff that will help them achieve their patient safety goals.” Workway Nursing has three offices in California and is opening a new office in Las Vegas in May 2008. It provides temporary, temp-to hire and direct-hire employees to the financial, auto finance, IT and health care industries.

Image Entertainment Corp. narrowed its net loss for the third quarter when compared with the same period from a year ago. The Chatsworth-based home entertainment production and distribution company incurred a $228,000 expense related to a proposed merger with BTP Acquisition Co. that has since fallen through resulting in a lawsuit. Image reported a net loss of $2 million, or a loss of $0.09 per diluted share, on revenues of $27.3 million for the quarter ending Dec. 31. For the same period in 2006, the company had a net loss of $3.5 million, or a loss of $0.09 per diluted share, on revenues of $24.4 million. Image entered into an agreement to sell a controlling share to BTP but the merger fell apart over a lack of financing. Image then sued for the payment of a $4.2 million breakup fee after the nixed merger. Shares of Image closed at $1.21

ValueClick Inc. will pay $2.9 million to settle an allegation of deceptive marketing practices lodged against it by the Federal Trade Commission. The settlement announcement coincided with the Westlake Village-based company reporting its fiscal year 2007 results. The FTC alleged that ValueClick violated the CAN-SPAM Act and the FTC Act. The payment is not an admission of liability or that the company violated any laws. “We have worked with the FTC and have reached an agreement on the standards and practices that will govern our lead generation business going forward,” said David Yovanno, chief operating officer of U.S. Media. “We believe this settlement will also help set the guidelines for the lead generation industry as a whole, and we will continue to participate in the Internet Advertising Bureau to help establish best practices to that end.” The $2.9 million was included within general and administrative expenses for the fourth quarter. For fiscal 2007, ValueClick reported net income of $71.2 million, or $0.71 per diluted share, on revenues of $645.6 million. That is a 14 percent increase from the net income of $62.6 million, or $0.62 per diluted share, on revenues of $545.6 million for fiscal year 2006. The company ended the fiscal year on a strong note and while uncertainties are an industry concern, ValueClick is positioned to generate growth in 2008, said CEO Tom Vadnais. “Our diversified offerings and scale make us a preferred partner for major digital marketers in the U.S. and abroad,” Vadnais said.

The Valley Industry & Commerce Association (VICA) is calling for nominations for its inaugural San Fernando Valley Business Hall of Fame. Leaders and organizations of all sizes that have made major contributions to the San Fernando Valley are sought. Community members are welcome to nominate historical figures, companies and individuals in 200 words or less by March 7 via email to [email protected]. Honorees will be recognized at VICA’s Business Hall of Fame Dinner on June 12 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel.

Television and film writers return to work after overwhelmingly approving to call of their 3-month strike against the major Hollywood studios. The membership of the Writers Guild of America is expected to ratify a 3-year contract that guarantees payment when their work is distributed online and through mobile devices, the Los Angeles Times reported. The writers began their walkout Nov. 5 after a new deal could not be negotiated with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, based in Sherman Oaks. The strike cost the Los Angeles economy into the hundreds of millions of dollars as television production shut down and film production decreased, leading to thousand of crew members and employees of vendors and suppliers for the productions to become idle. In a statement from the Alliance signed by the executives of the major studios, it was those below the line workers who were hardest hit by the strike. “We hope now to focus our collective efforts on what this industry does best – writers, directors, actors, production crews, and entertainment companies working together to deliver great content to our worldwide audiences,” the statement read. With new contracts in place with both the writers and the Directors Guild of America, the Alliance now shifts focus to negotiations with the Screen Actors Guild whose contract expires in June.

The City of Lancaster approved a contract to have FilmLA handle permitting requirements for on-location production. The city is home to many popular filming locations, including a baseball stadium, national soccer center and performing arts center. The city requires a permit for filming on public and private property, with the exception of certified sound stages, for news reporting purposes, and amateur photo and video projects for private use. “By choosing to partner with FilmLA, Lancaster has built a bridge between the film industry and the community to incentivize local production,” said Pauline East, director of the Antelope Valley Film Office. “At the same time, Lancaster residents and business owners will benefit from having an expert looking out for their interests in the permit process.” FilmLA is a not for profit agency that coordinates on-location filming in the city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County and a number of other municipalities and public agencies.

Net income for semiconductor testing firm Trio-Tech International declined by 79 percent in the second quarter when compared with the previous year, the company announced. The Van Nuys-based manufacturer reported income of $165,000, or $0.05 per diluted share, on revenues of $5.7 million for the quarter ending Dec. 31. For the same period in 2006, the company reported income of $799,000, or $0.25 per diluted share, on revenues of $5.3 million. For the first half of its fiscal year, the company reported net income of $916,000, or $0.28 per diluted share, on revenues of $25 million. That is a drop of 41 percent from the net income of $1.6 million, or $0.48 per diluted share, on revenues of $24 million for the first six months of the 2007 fiscal year. Demand for its testing services continued to grow in Asia in the second quarter and the company is committed to expanding its presence in Chine where it opened a facility a year ago, said CEO S.W. Yong.