San Fernando Valley Business Journal

Americas United Bank announced it ended the third quarter with total assets of $122.7 million or a 9.2 percent increase over the Dec. 31, 2008 year-end total assets of $112.4 million. Full Story »

Advanced Bionics, the only U.S.-based manufacturer of cochlear implants has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Swiss micro-hearing device-maker, Sonova Holding AG. Full Story »

Vivid Entertainment has started talks to find a new European distributor for its adult content through the Internet, DVD and television. The production company has discontinued its previous relationship with Vivid Europe GMBH. Full Story »

Pay more, maybe get less. That's the unfortunate reality facing many workers in Ventura County as they choose next year's health insurance plan. Full Story »

DOWNTOWN — Expectations grew Thursday for improved holiday sales as retailers in October posted their biggest gains in more than a year, renewing hope for a major improvement over the dismal 2008 winter season. Full Story »

Every week, Alex Velez and Nikhil Arora collect 2,000 pounds of used coffee grounds from Peet's Coffee & Tea outlets near their UC Berkeley haunts and take them to a warehouse in Oakland. Full Story »

TECHNOLOGY: Recent acquisitions part of strategy. Atul Bhatnagar, CEO of Calabasas-based Ixia, has been a busy man lately. Ixia, which manufactures devices that test the performance of wireless and wired networks, has restructured and expanded in the past six months. Full Story »

FINANCE: Firm to lend amid industry credit crunch. Woodland Hills-based Great American Group, which specializes in asset disposition, valuations and appraisals, and has conducted liquidation sales for retailers such as Circuit City and Mervyns, has launched a retail financing division. Full Story »

ECONOMY: Leaner firms see improvement next year. Already Los Angeles County has lost 150,000 jobs since January of 2008 and California job losses are estimated to be over 1 million, yet unemployment will continue to soar, according to a new survey by the Los Angeles County Business Federation. Full Story »

It’s like two members of the same family seeing things in two very different ways. Some members of the family law profession say business is booming these days, others say it is very slow. Full Story »

Superior Industries International Inc. narrowed its net loss in the third quarter as the auto industry begins to emerge from the bankruptcies of two of the largest U.S. automakers. Full Story »

Crown Media Holdings Inc. narrowed its net loss in the third quarter compared to the same period from a year ago. Full Story »

The retail industry continued its slow and steady climb in October, with healthy sales that marked the second straight month of gains. Full Story »

State officials have released a new document outlining proposals for the continuing cleanup of pollution at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. Full Story »

Viewers would be able to watch first-run feature films on secure connections to their home television sets in the same window the films are released to theaters under a proposal made by the Motion Picture Association of America. Full Story »

The Los Angeles City Council voted to slash the pay of nearly 800 employees by 5 percent in order to partially address a nagging $100 million budget deficit. Full Story »

Video game publisher THQ Inc. narrowed its net loss in the second quarter compared to a year ago as its strategy of cost cutting and limited game development showed some results. Full Story »

The Van Nuys Airport Citizens Advisory Council passed a resolution urging the City of Los Angeles to seek reimbursement for installing insulation in homes near the airfield. Full Story »

The state Legislature passed a wide-ranging water package that includes an $11-billion bond as dawn broke over the Capitol today. Full Story »

After two years of sputtering, U.S. auto sales are finally gaining some traction. Full Story »

CITY HALL — The City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to approve enrolling the city in a program created to lessen the financial risk of lending $3.9 million in property tax revenues to the state, as required under the state budget package adopted in July. Full Story »

Los Angeles City Council member, Richard Alarcón’s plan to draft an ordinance that would criminalize payroll issues related to minimum wage statutes and overtime compensation has drawn a harsh rebuke from the Valley Industry & Commerce Association. Full Story »

Congressman Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) announced that California State University, Northridge has been awarded $165,000 in federal funding for construction of the Valley Performing Arts Center. Full Story »

The Walt Disney Company announced a plan to invest $7 million in forest projects in the Amazon, the Congo and the United States aimed at protecting ecosystems, climate stability, and quality of life on the planet. Full Story »

Already Los Angeles County has lost 150,000 jobs since January of 2008 and California job losses are estimated to be over 1 million, yet unemployment will continue to soar, according to a new survey by the Los Angeles County Business Federation. Full Story »