Business

In one L.A. neighborhood, the prospect of losing 'our little Vons' hits hard

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2024

In one L.A. neighborhood, the prospect of losing 'our little Vons' hits hard

John Tsakoumakis has been shopping at the Vons grocery store on West 80th Street in Los Angeles’ Westchester neighborhood for three decades. He lives a few blocks away, often making the trip on foot if he only has to pick up a few things.

The store is convenient, he said, but its real value comes from its role as a community hub. Nestled among residential streets, a charter school and a yoga studio, it is smaller than average and attracts mostly local customers.

“We come here and we see our neighbors and we see people we know,” Tsakoumakis, 74, said. “It makes you feel like you’re a part of the community.”

Affectionately dubbed “little Vons” by some of its regular customers, the store is one of 63 in the state that could be sold as part of a potential merger between grocery giants Albertsons and Kroger.

The proposed deal would see Kroger buy its smaller rival Albertsons, which owns Vons, and sell hundreds of stores to another company, C&S Wholesale Grocers, in order to address federal regulators’ antitrust concerns. Kroger and Albertsons have said they need to merge in order to compete with Amazon.com, Walmart and Costco.

It is unknown what the new owner, which operates two grocery chains in other parts of the U.S. and a network of warehouses, would do with the undersized Vons in Westchester.

Regardless, “little Vons” customers said a sale would be a massive loss to the community, where the store has been in business since 1952. Although there are other grocery options nearby, residents are attached to the familiarity of little Vons, they said.

“In Los Angeles, where it’s big and fast, it’s nice to have a small store that you can walk to and it’s part of the community,” said preschool teacher Cyndi Widmer, who lives in the area. “No matter what hour you go, you’re going to bump into somebody you know.”

While the store is undeniably small for a chain grocery store, Widmer, 57, isn’t bothered by its limited selection. She said the store’s customer service is so good that they will often order a specific product on request.

“My husband drinks this protein drink and nobody else has it,” she said. “I have to go hunt for it, but this little Vons always will bring it in stock because I asked for it.”

The morning after a list of the stores targeted for sale was made public, customers filtered through the parking lot and into the store, many smiling at each other and the security guard. Under the shade of umbrellas, stacked boxes of flavored seltzer sat next to crates of watermelon and other fruit.

Inside, Bob Dylan played over the speakers as customers passed through the aisles with baskets and carts. It wasn’t crowded, and only one checking clerk was on duty.

Although Vons is a chain, the Westchester location has pulled off an unlikely transformation into a local store, residents say.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

“It is our community watering hole,” said Lisa O’Leary, who has lived nearby and shopped at the store for 20 years. “Westchester is special in and of itself, and then little Vons is like the heartbeat of Westchester.”

O’Leary recently saw four different people she knew on a trip to the store. Although there are always unfamiliar faces too, O’Leary thinks the store’s location sets it up to be a community center.

“It’s kind of hard to find unless you happen to live in the neighborhood,” she said. “It’s literally a hidden gem.”

If little Vons is turned into a different grocery store, people would adapt, O’Leary said. A larger concern, both she and Widmer said, is that the new owner might sell the building to a developer who would build an apartment complex or condos.

“What we’ve been battling in Westchester is them trying to put up apartment buildings and multi units,” Widmer said, touching on a common tension in Los Angeles between residents of single-family homes and those who want to address a lack of housing with higher-density buildings. “I can only imagine somebody trying to get a hold of Vons and turning it into apartments.”

The streets surrounding little Vons are quiet and wide, lined with homes and shrubbery. The neighborhood has a secluded, suburban feel, despite being adjacent to a bustling airport.

Although Vons is a chain, the Westchester Vons has pulled off an unlikely transformation into a local store, earning its place in the community, residents say. Tsakoumakis said that the potential sale of little Vons fits into a pattern he’s seen developing for years.

“You go to any neighborhood that used to have mom-and-pop shops everywhere and now you only see the brands that you recognize,” he said. “It’s a trend that I don’t particularly care for.”

Business

Yamaha is leaving California after nearly 50 years

Published

8 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Yamaha is leaving California after nearly 50 years

Yamaha Motor Corp. is relocating part of its operations to Georgia and selling its California assets after 47 years.

The company is the latest among a slew of businesses to relocate operations outside the Golden State to cut costs and improve profitability. Many cite high taxes and strict regulations as obstacles to doing business in the state.

Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S.A., the U.S. subsidiary of Yamaha Motor Co., has been based in Cypress since 1979. It will begin its move to Kennesaw, Ga., at the end of this year and complete the moving process by the end of 2028, the company said in an announcement.

The company’s marine and motorsports business facilities already moved to Kennesaw in 1999 and 2019, respectively. The Cypress facility currently houses corporate functions and the financial services business on roughly 25 acres, the company said.

Yamaha said it will sell all its land, offices, warehouses and other fixed assets in California. It will use a sale-and-leaseback arrangement for a temporary period to ensure a smooth transition and business continuity.

“This initiative is positioned as one of the Company’s key measures aimed at improving asset efficiency and enhancing profitability in the United States,” the company said in its announcement of the move. Yamaha “is undertaking structural reforms … in response to cost increases resulting from U.S. tariffs and changes in the market environment,” it said.

Yamaha Motor was founded in Japan in 1955 and began selling its products in the U.S. in 1960. The company got its start making motorcycles for racing and contests, and released its first boat motor in 1960. It acquired land in Cypress in 1978 and established an office there one year later.

Some companies have been vocal about their dissatisfaction with California’s business environment.

Last year, Bed Bath & Beyond’s executive chairman, Marcus Lemonis, said his bankrupt company won’t be reopening any stores in California, where it used to have more than 80 locations.

“California has created one of the most overregulated, expensive, and risky environments for businesses,” Lemonis said in a statement posted on X in August.

Also in August, In-N-Out owner Lynsi Synder announced she was moving her family from California to Tennessee, where she planned to open a new regional headquarters. In-N-Out’s California headquarters remains operational.

“There’s a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here,” Snyder said on a podcast at the time. “Doing business is not easy here.”

Tesla moved its headquarters out of Palo Alto in 2021, the same year that financial services firm Charles Schwab relocated from San Francisco to north Texas.

Elon Musk moved the head offices of his other companies — SpaceX and X — to Texas in 2024, as did Chevron, the oil giant that was started in California.

Business

Disneyland Resort President Thomas Mazloum named parks chief

Published

20 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Disneyland Resort President Thomas Mazloum named parks chief

Disneyland Resort President Thomas Mazloum has been named chairman of Walt Disney Co.’s experiences division, the company said Tuesday.

Mazloum succeeds soon-to-be Disney Chief Executive Josh D’Amaro as the head of the Mouse House’s vital parks portfolio, which has become the economic engine for the Burbank media and entertainment giant. His purview includes Disney’s theme parks, famed Imagineering division, merchandise, cruise line, as well as the Aulani resort and spa in Hawaii.

Jill Estorino will become the head of Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. She previously served as president and managing director of Disney Parks International and oversaw the company’s theme parks and resorts in Europe and Asia.

Estorino and Mazloum will assume their new roles on March 18, the same day as D’Amaro and incoming Disney President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden.

“Thomas Mazloum is an exceptional leader with a genuine appreciation for our cast members and a proven track record of delivering growth,” D’Amaro said in a statement. “His focus on service excellence, broad international leadership and strong connection to the creativity that brings our stories to life make him the right leader to guide Disney Experiences into its next chapter.”

Mazloum had been about a year into his tenure at Disneyland. Before that, he was head of Disney Signature Experiences, which includes the cruise line. He was trained in hospitality in Europe.

In his time at Disneyland, Mazloum oversaw the park’s 70th anniversary celebration and recently pledged to eliminate time limitations for park-hopping, which are designed to manage foot traffic at Disneyland and California Adventure.

Mazloum will now oversee a 10-year, $60-billion investment plan for Disney’s overall experiences business, which includes new themed lands in Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World. At Disneyland, that expansion could result in at least $1.9 billion of development.

The size of that investment indicates how important the parks are to Disney’s bottom line. Last year, the experiences business brought in nearly 57% of the company’s operating income. Maintaining that momentum, as well as fending off competitors such as Universal Studios, is key to Disney’s continued growth.

In his new role, Mazloum will have to keep an eye on “international visitation headwinds” at its U.S.-based parks, which the company has said probably will factor into its earnings for its fiscal second quarter. At Disneyland Resort, that dip was mitigated by the park’s high percentage of California-based visitors.

Times staff writer Todd Martens contributed to this report.

Business

What soaring gas prices mean for California’s EV market

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

What soaring gas prices mean for California’s EV market

It has been a bumpy road for the electric vehicle market as declining federal support and plateauing public interest have eaten away at sales.

But EV sellers could soon receive a boost from an unexpected source: The war in Iran is pushing up gas prices.

As Americans look to save money at the pump, more will consider switching to an electric or hybrid vehicle. Average gas prices in the U.S. have risen nearly 17% since Feb. 28 to reach $3.48 per gallon. In California, the average is $5.20 per gallon.

Electric vehicles are pricier than gasoline-powered cars and charging them isn’t cheap with current electricity prices, but sky-high gas prices can tip the scales for consumers deciding which kind of vehicle to buy next.

“We probably will see an uptick in EV adoption and particularly hybrid adoption” if gas prices stay high, said Sam Abuelsamid, an auto analyst at Telemetry Agency. “The last time we had oil prices top $100 per barrel was early 2022 and that’s when we saw EV sales really start to pick up in the U.S.”

In a 2022 AAA survey, 77% of respondents said saving money on gas was their primary motivator for purchasing an electric vehicle. That year, 25% of survey respondents said they were likely or very likely to purchase an EV.

As oil prices cooled, the number fell to16% in 2025.

In California, annual sales of new light-duty zero-emission vehicles jumped 43% in 2022, according to the state’s Energy Commission. The market share of zero-emission vehicles among all light-duty vehicles sold rose from 12% in 2021 to 19% in 2022.

“Prior to 2022, we didn’t really have EVs available when we had oil price shocks,” Abuelsamid said. “But every time we did, it coincided with a move toward more fuel-efficient vehicles.”

Dealers are anticipating a windfall.

Brian Maas, president of the California New Car Dealers Assn., predicted enthusiasm for EVs will rebound across California if oil prices don’t come down.

“If prior gasoline price spikes are any indication, you tend to see interest in more fuel-efficient vehicles,” he said.

Rising gas prices could be a lifeline for EV makers at a time when federal support for green cars has been declining.

Under President Trump, a federal $7,500 tax incentive for new electric vehicles was eliminated in September, along with a $4,000 incentive for used electric vehicles.

In California, the zero-emission vehicle share of the total new-vehicle market was 22% through the first 10 months of 2025, then dropped sharply to 12% in the last two months of the year, according to the California Auto Outlook.

Meanwhile Tesla, the most popular EV brand in the country, has grappled with an implosion of its reputation with some consumers after its chief executive, Elon Musk, became one of Trump’s most vocal supporters and helped run the controversial Department of Government Efficiency.

Over the last several months, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis have pared back EV ambitions.

Other automakers, including Nissan, announced plans to stop producing their more affordable electric models.

The Trump administration has moved to roll back federal fuel economy standards and revoked California’s permission to implement a ban on new gas-powered car sales by 2035.

David Reichmuth, a researcher with the Clean Transportation program in the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the shift in production plans will affect EV availability, even if demand surges.

That could keep people from switching to cleaner vehicles regardless of higher gas prices.

“This is a transition that we need to make for both public health and to try to slow the damage from global warming, whether or not the price of gasoline is $3 or $5 or $6 a gallon,” he said.

According to Cox Automotive, new EV sales nationally were down 41% in November from a year earlier. Used EV sales were down 14% year over year that month.

To be sure, oil prices can fluctuate wildly in times of uncertainty. It will take time for consumers to decide on new purchases.

Brian Kim, who manages used car sales at Ford of Downtown LA, said he has yet to see a jump in the number of people interested in EVs, hybrids or more fuel-efficient gas-powered engines.

Still, if the price at the pump stays stuck above its current level, it could happen soon.

“Once the gas prices hit six [dollars per gallon] or more and people feel it in their pocket, maybe things will start to change,” he said.