Ø       BIZ SHORTS…

African American Chamber to Host Tax Seminar A seminar aimed at giving people a better understanding of business and personal income tax, as well as accessing business capital, will be held Jan. 22. The Business Taxation Seminar will take place from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce Community Conference Room, 5120 W. Goldleaf Circle, room 10A, Los Angeles.Chamber member L.C. Green, of L.C. Green & Associates Inc., will lead the seminar.A continental breakfast will be provided for attendees. The seminar is free to chamber members and is $25 for nonmembers. RSVP no later then Jan. 16.Information: 323-292-1297, info@glaaacc.org. 

 Unions Challenge Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Plan for Furlough SACRAMENTO (AP) — State employee unions have filed labor complaints to stop Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plans to furlough workers as a way to deal with California’s ballooning budget deficit. The Professional Engineers in California Government filed a lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court, claiming the governor cannot adjust salaries without labor negotiations. Meanwhile, the state’s largest union, Service Employees International Union, Local 1000, filed an unfair labor-practice charge with the state Public Employment Relations Board. Most labor-represented workers have been without a contract since June. The state has roughly 235,000 employees. Schwarzenegger has said “California is on track to a disaster” unless lawmakers compromise on closing a deficit projected to reach $42 billion by June 2010. 

Calif. Unemployment Rate Jumps to Third Place SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California’s unemployment rate climbed to 8.4 percent in November, the third-highest rate in the nation, federal officials recently said. The jobless rate announced by the U.S. Department of Labor was up from 5.7 percent about a year earlier and 8.2 percent in October. The agency said California shed 41,700 jobs in November, bringing the total jobs lost over the past year to 136,000. The number of people unemployed in California rose to 1.56 million, up by more than 500,000 since November 2007, state officials said. Of those unemployed, 679,200 were laid off, 97,200 left their jobs voluntarily, and the remaining were new to the labor market last month.  

Gas Prices Hit Five-Year Low (AP) — The average national price of gasoline fell 9 cents in the past couple of weeks, bringing it to its lowest point in nearly five years, according to a national survey released recently. The average price of regular gasoline on Dec. 19 was $1.66 a gallon, oil industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said. The price of mid-grade was $1.80 a gallon, and the price of premium was $1.92 a gallon. The last time gas prices dipped so low was in February 2004, when the national average for regular was also about $1.66 a gallon, Lundberg said. The all-time high was on July 11, 2008, when the price peaked at $4.11 a gallon. Of cities surveyed, the nation’s lowest price was $1.37 in Cheyenne, Wyo. The highest price was $2.41 in Anchorage, Alaska. In the continental United States, the highest price was on New York’s Long Island at $1.92.  

Chamber to Show Gratitude to Police, Fire Departments The Inglewood-Airport Area Chamber of Commerce and the Inglewood Rotary Club will host the City of Inglewood’s Third Annual Police and Fire Appreciation Luncheon Jan. 22, 12 to 2 p.m. The event will be in the Sunset Terrace Room at the Turf Club at Hollywood Park, 1050 S. Prairie Ave., Inglewood.Tickets: $50. Seating is limited.Information and RSVP: 310-677-1121. 

 New Long Beach Complex Could Create More Than 200 Construction Jobs Construction crews at the Port of Long Beach broke ground Dec. 29 on a $55 million “green” project to erect a new administration and operations complex at the International Transportation Service Inc. terminal as part of a redevelopment program. The contract to construct the environmentally friendly project was awarded to FTR International Inc. of Irvine. The project could generate 220 to 240 construction jobs a year during each of the three years of construction.About 76,000 square feet of building space and substantial parking space for employees and trucks is being constructed on an 8-acre area.The administration and operations buildings project will be phased in over the next three years to minimize the impact on the existing trucking gate and the working container terminal’s operations.  

Women in Labor Forum Slated The Commission on the Status of Women, in conjunction with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, will host Women of the Labor Movement Jan. 12, 6 to 8 p.m., at the University of California, Los Angeles Downtown Labor Center, 675 S. Park View St., Los Angeles. Panelists will include Faith Culbreath, of Service Employees International Union/SOULA; Melanie Lee, of the National Association of Women in Construction; and Commissioner Francille Rusan Wilson and Lola Smallwood Cuevas of the UCLA labor center. There will also be a resource fair with information on opportunities for women. RSVP no later than Jan. 8.Information: 213-978-0300, e-mail CSWRsvp@lacity.org.