HAWTHORNE (CBS/AP) — The world’s first private supply ship successfully docked at the International Space Station Friday morning.

The unmanned SpaceX Dragon became the first U.S. vessel to visit the space station since NASA’s shuttles retired last summer — and the first private spacecraft to ever make a delivery. The Dragon is carrying 1,000 pounds of provisions.

“It’s exciting to be an American and part of putting American spacecraft into orbit, and we’re very proud right now,” SpaceX mission director John Couluris said.

SpaceX’s near-term objective is to help stockpile the space station, joining Russia, Europe and Japan in resupply duties. In three or four more years, however, the company run by the billionaire who co-founded PayPal, Elon Musk, hopes to be launching station astronauts.

It is the cornerstone of President Barack Obama’s strategy for NASA: turning over orbital flights to private business so the space agency can concentrate on destinations farther afield, like asteroids and Mars. Several U.S. companies are vying for the opportunity.

Obama called Musk on Wednesday, a day after Dragon’s flawless launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., aboard the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.

“The President just called to say congrats. Caller ID was blocked, so at first I thought it was a telemarketer,” Musk said via Twitter early Thursday. He ended his tweet with a smiley emoticon.

Musk monitored a practice operation from the SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne on Thursday.

On Friday morning, two of the space station’s six astronauts, Kuipers and Donald Pettit, used the space station’s robot arm to grab the Dragon and attach it to the complex. The crew will have just under a week to unload the contents before releasing the spacecraft for re-entry next Thursday. It is the only supply ship designed to return to Earth with experiments and equipment; the others burn up in the atmosphere.

SpaceX wants to provide regular service at much faster flight rates than the government-sponsored cargo ships, Couluris said. Two more supply trips are planned by year’s end.

The space shuttles used to be the primary means of getting things to and from the space station. Shuttle Discovery is now a museum relic, with Endeavour and Atlantis soon to follow.

Aboard the bell-shaped Dragon — 19 feet tall and 12 feet across — is food, clothes, batteries and other space station gear.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

KNX 1070′s Vytas Safronikas reports the pilots offered a tour of what they call the “LAX Ghetto”.

“It’s about a hundred motor homes, black asphalt, in the summer it’s hot, in the winter it’s cold, and it’s noisy,” said Jon Dudley with the Airline Pilots Association as he described Lot E at Los Angeles International Airport.

The “ghetto” is where many United pilots sleep when they stay overnight in L.A. to keep costs down for the company, which has struggled to recover from the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.

Pilots who have been working under a 9-year-old bankruptcy contract negotiated after 9/11 said there has been little progress in current talks that have been ongoing for over 2 years.

“We’re not asking for the world, we just want something fair,” said pilot Scott Kambas. “We’re getting nothing on the other end.”

The group has even launched The Unfriendly Skies website to keep the public abreast of what it alleges are repeated company failures to restore wide-reaching cuts made after 9/11 to stay competitive, including an average 42 percent pay cut, lost pensions and over 1,400 furloughed workers.

But Dudley said as devastating as the financial toll from the cutbacks has been, the emotional turmoil has been far worse.

“[It's] resulted in a suicide rate three times greater than the national average, the divorce rate has skyrocketed,” he said.

United CEO Jeff Smisek was also invited to tour the makeshift sleeping quarters, but none of the carrier’s executives were seen on Thursday.

BURBANK (CBS) — Police said Thursday they believe at least one suspect may have fled with some firearms after a gun shop in Burbank was burglarized.

Officers from the Burbank Police Department were called to Gun World at 2414 West Magnolia shortly after 4:30 a.m., according to police.

SWAT members were also summoned to the scene, where it’s believed the perpetrator or perpetrators may have gained access to the store through the roof.

Investigators found a display case opened in the store and said it appears there were firearms stolen.

SWAT remained at the location until after 11:00 a.m. as a precautionary measure.

The unmanned SpaceX Dragon capsule flew within 1.5 miles of the orbiting lab as it performed a practice lap and checkout of its communication and navigation systems.

Officials at NASA and Hawthorne-based SpaceX declared the rendezvous a success and said the historic linkup is on track for Friday.

It is the first U.S. vessel to visit the space station since NASA’s shuttles retired last summer — and the first private spacecraft to ever attempt a delivery. The Dragon is carrying 1,000 pounds of provisions.

Thursday’s accomplishment “is a big confidence boost. Everyone’s very excited,” SpaceX mission director John Couluris said. After working all night and into the wee hours, he urged his team to go home and rest up for Friday. “It’s exciting to be an American and part of putting American spacecraft into orbit, and we’re very proud right now.”

NASA flight director Holly Ridings said the mood is upbeat on her side as well, but noted “there’s still a lot of really new things that the teams need to perform and the vehicles, frankly, need to perform” on Friday.

“This is still definitely a demonstration flight,” she said at a news briefing.

As the pre-dawn hours of Thursday unfolded, the space station astronauts struggled with bad computer monitors and camera trouble as the Dragon zoomed toward them, but the problem did not hold up the operation. Indeed, all of the tests appeared to go well.

The astronauts successfully turned on Dragon’s strobe light by remote control, but could not see it because of the sun glare and distance of several miles. The Dragon finally popped into camera view about 10 minutes later, appearing as a bright speck of light against the blackness of space, near the Earth’s blue horizon. The two solar wings were clearly visible as the Dragon drew closer.

“Can nicely see the vehicle,” Dutch spaceman Andre Kuipers said.

SpaceX’s near-term objective is to help stockpile the space station, joining Russia, Europe and Japan in resupply duties. In three or four more years, however, the company run by the billionaire who co-founded PayPal, Elon Musk, hopes to be launching station astronauts.

It is the cornerstone of President Barack Obama’s strategy for NASA: turning over orbital flights to private business so the space agency can concentrate on destinations farther afield, like asteroids and Mars. Several U.S. companies are vying for the opportunity.

Obama called Musk on Wednesday, a day after Dragon’s flawless launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., aboard the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.

“The President just called to say congrats. Caller ID was blocked, so at first I thought it was a telemarketer,” Musk said via Twitter early Thursday. He ended his tweet with a smiley emoticon.

Musk monitored Thursday’s operation from the SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, Calif., where the company is based.

On Friday morning, two of the space station’s six astronauts, Kuipers and Donald Pettit, will use the space station’s robot arm to grab the Dragon and attach it to the complex. The crew will have just under a week to unload the contents before releasing the spacecraft for re-entry next Thursday. It is the only supply ship designed to return to Earth with experiments and equipment; the others burn up in the atmosphere.

SpaceX wants to provide regular service at much faster flight rates than the government-sponsored cargo ships, Couluris said. Two more supply trips are planned by year’s end.

The space shuttles used to be the primary means of getting things to and from the space station. Shuttle Discovery is now a museum relic, with Endeavour and Atlantis soon to follow.

Aboard the bell-shaped Dragon — 19 feet tall and 12 feet across — is food, clothes, batteries and other space station gear.

The space station and Dragon may be visible to Earthlings in select locations in the pre-dawn hours Friday, while flying tandem just prior to their linkup 250 miles above the planet. Among the many U.S. cities with viewing opportunities if skies are clear: New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago and Jacksonville, Fla.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

SAN DIEGO (CBS) — A UPS deliveryman faced trespassing and other charges Thursday after allegedly watching a woman shower at a residence where he had made a earlier delivery.

KNX 1070′s Brian Ping reports residents in a neighborhood about nine miles from downtown San Diego were left stunned by the accusations.

The unidentified 26-year-old victim said driver Walter Flowers had delivered a package to her home on Tuxedo Road in San Carlos on Wednesday and then subsequently left.

Flowers, 43, then allegedly returned to her home about 15 minutes later when the woman spotted him spying on her in a hallway outside the bathroom.

Flowers was arrested after he reportedly fled the scene and then was instructed by his employers to return to the house for questioning.

Police believe Flowers had accessed the residence through an unlocked door.

One of the victim’s neighbors said Flowers had been making deliveries in the neighborhood for the last three years.

“He’s in a position of trust in the community, and if he’s at my house, dropping off packages, this is the last guy I’m worried about,” said a resident who requested not to be identified.

In response to the arrest, UPS officials said they run extensive background checks and make every possible effort to safeguard customers.

Flowers was booked on misdemeanor charges of peeping, prowling and trespassing.

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The Los Angeles City Council Wednesday approved a proposal to ban single-use plastic bags across the city.

The ban was approved 13-1 and will affect 7,500 grocery stores in the city.

Large retailers will have six months to phase out the bags, while small retailers would have one year. Paper bags would also cost customers 10 cents.

City Councilman Eric Garcetti, who recently announced his candidacy for the mayor of L.A., told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO
less than 5 percent of the bags used across the city ever reach a recycling bin.

“These plastic bags clog our landfills, they clog drainage systems, they litter neighborhoods, and go out to the ocean too where they cause damage to marine life,” said Garcetti.

Large grocery stores will have six months to enact the ban. Smaller stores will have a year to begin charging customers for the bags.

Other Southland cities such as Santa Monica and Long Beach already have similar bans in place.

Roughly two billion plastic bags and 400 million paper bags are distributed throughout the city every year.

Once in effect, Los Angeles will be the largest U.S. city to enact a plastic bag ban.

CSU said in a statement that funding constraints have forced the 23-campus system to admit just 1,163 more students despite the increase in demand from 35,000 more applicants.

“The CSU is caught between a huge demand to attend our universities and a state that simply is not providing adequate funding for these students,” Eric Forbes, assistant vice chancellor, said. “We are facing a tipping point in terms of promise of access that is at the heart of the CSU mission.”

For fall 2012, CSU received a total of nearly 743,000 applications, and admitted nearly 350,000 students. Of that number, the university expects about 106,000 students to enroll — 50,000 freshmen and 56,000 transfers, about 95 percent of them California residents.

The number of first-time freshmen applicants soared by 10 percent as families are looking for affordable higher education. The number of transfer students, many from community colleges, rose a modest 1 percent.

Admissions are poised to drop drastically next year.

CSU, which serves about 427,000 students, could lose $250 million in state funding if voters do not approve tax increases in November.

The university already plans to close most enrollment for spring 2013, a move that will affect about 16,000 students, and is wait-listing students for fall 2013 admission until the funding picture clears after the November election.

The university system has already lost nearly $1 billion in state funds, which resulted in a tuition hike of 9 percent for this fall, employee furloughs and layoffs, and no faculty salary raises.

The University of California is in similar fiscal straits and is considering a 6 percent tuition hike for the next academic year. If it is approved, tuition will have almost doubled in five years for the 10-campus system.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — If you feel like it’s impossible to get away from work, you’re not alone.

But an intriguing experiment – the brainchild of Harvard Professor Leslie Perlow and author of the book, “Sleeping with Your Smartphone” – found that it may be possible to work less and get more done at the office.

The experiment: to have employees take one night off and completely un-plug from their smartphones and email.

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) agreed to participate to see what would happen if its workers took one night off.

A small team of employees were the test subject. They would cover for each other to make sure every member of the team got one night a week off.

A survey found the work to be more collaborative, efficient and effective. Job satisfaction also started to soar.

“The amazing result here is pay attention to people’s personal lives and you will get these tremendous work benefits,” said Perlow.

BCG has an office in downtown Los Angeles and employees there also took part in the experiment.

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A former employee of the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office was arrested Monday for allegedly falsifying documents and unlawfully lowering property values by $172 million, according to District Attorney Steve Cooley.

Scott Schenter, who worked as an appraiser from 1988 to 2011, allegedly lowered values on homes, condos and businesses in Beverly Hills, Brentwood and Pacific Palisades.

Scott Alan Schenter (courtesy KOIN/CBS)

KNX 1070′s Claudia Peschiutta reports Schenter, 49, is also accused of securing campaign contributions from the owners of those homes and businesses for Assessor John Noguez.

“Mr. Noguez, for his part, will remain cooperative with the District Attorney’s investigation,” said Noguez’s attorney Michael Proctor, who said his client denies any wrongdoing.

Schenter, who was arrested at his father’s residence in Beaverton, Ore., is being held on $1.5 million bail.

His arrest is part of an investigation launched last year by the D.A.’s Public Integrity Division into allegations that Noguez and several of his staff members reduced property values for wealthy clients of Ramin Salari, a tax consultant and campaign contributor to Noguez.

Schenter faces 60 felony counts, including 30 counts of falsifying accounts and 30 counts of falsifying records.

An arraignment date is pending.

“We’ll have to wait and see if he’s going to waive extradition,” said Cooley spokeswoman Jane Robison.

SANTA MONICA (CBS) — A class-action lawsuit announced on Monday alleged unlawful labor practices at three Southland car washes.

The lawsuit announced by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) claims employees were forced to work without breaks or overtime pay, and among other alleged violations.

Workers from the Millennium Car Wash in Santa Monica, Santa Monica Car Wash and Detailing, and Bumble Bee Car Wash were represented as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which seeks an undisclosed settlement amount estimated to reach into “seven figures”.

The employees — who identified themselves as “carwasheros” — apparently decided to file the suit in anticipation of extended car wash hours during the hotter summer months when they fear they could face more pressure to accept these “illegal practices”.

In addition to failure to properly compensate their workers, the companies allegedly required all employees to purchase their own work materials and tried to conceal any unlawful practices by intentionally manipulating work records, according to the lawsuit.

“We are here to send a message that you cannot continue to act this way,” said Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.

Durazo encouraged demonstrators and others in attendance to patronize Bonus Car Wash in Santa Monica, which she claimed was the first union car wash in the nation.

The lawsuit seeks to recover any lost wages and other benefits unlawfully denied to the plaintiffs, as well as a court order that would prohibit the car washes from engaging in future unlawful labor practices.

HAWTHORNE (CBS) — SpaceX will attempt to become the first private company to send a rocket to the International Space Station early Tuesday morning.

The Hawthorne-based company attempted a launch on Saturday, but the mission was aborted due to high engine pressure.

The company says it has now fixed a faulty valve inside the rocket, which is carrying supplies for the station.

The next launch is scheduled for 3:44 a.m. in Florida.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said Monday that 188 districts have received either negative or qualified financial ratings from the state.

That’s up from 45 more than a year ago, and up 61 from earlier in the 2011-12 academic year.

County education offices have had to step in to oversee 12 districts that either do not have money to finish this school year or to make it through the 2012-13 year.

Torlakson says state funding cuts have caused many districts to plunge into an unprecedented budget crisis.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The acquisition now makes Wanda the world’s largest movie theater company.

AMC, a Kansas City, Missouri-based company was founded in 1920 by three brothers — Maurice, Barney and Edward Dubinsky.

With 5,325 screens, AMC was the second-largest theater chain in North America. They were second to Regal Entertainment (6,775 screens.)

AMC already had a global reach with theaters in Hong Kong, Spain, France, Canada and the UK.

Wanda also announced the deal included absorbing AMC’s debts and investing an additional $500 million into the merged company.

Wanda made their money from real estate, luxury properties and department stores. They own 86 theaters across China.

The cost of a one-day, one-park pass was raised $87, a nearly 9 percent increase, according to KNX 1070′s Ed Mertz. The price hike marked the second in a year.

But the increase was more apparent for those purchasing premium annual passes offered by Disney. They’re going up nearly 30 percent from $499 to $649.

Disney says it offers a tremendous value and as Mertz reports, some understand the increase.

“They’re doing a lot of work on the park, and prices are going up all across the board, so it’s tough,” said one park goer.

Over the past decade basic admission to the park has risen by $2 to $7 annually, the Orange County Register reported.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

With $55.1 million domestically, Disney’s superhero sensation remained No. 1 for a third-straight weekend and took in more than the three big newcomers combined. Overseas, “The Avengers” added an additional $56 million.

The film is approaching the $1.2 billion mark worldwide, totaling $457.1 million domestically and $723.3 million internationally.

“‘The Avengers’ is dominating the marketplace so profoundly that the newcomers are having a tough time breaking in now,” said Paul Dergarabedian, analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

Universal’s “Battleship” opened a distant No. 2 with $25.4 million domestically, well below industry expectations.

But the board-game adaptation starring Liam Neeson, Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna already has grossed $226.8 million overseas since launching in April, giving it a worldwide total of $252.1 million.

“I would be glad to be No. 2 if we opened to a better number. But given the presence of an absolute juggernaut in the marketplace, there’s nothing you can do,” said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal. “Not to have a shot at being No. 1 this weekend is disappointing. But it’s a challenge with ‘Avengers’ out there.”

Sacha Baron Cohen’s comedy “The Dictator,” in which he plays a tyrannical third-world leader, debuted in third-place with $17.4 million for the weekend. Since opening Wednesday, the Paramount release has taken in $24.5 million.

“The Dictator” opened with $30.3 million in 29 overseas markets, giving it a worldwide haul of $54.8 million.

Paramount executives said they were happy with that start, but even a movie aiming for laughs had some trouble making in-roads against “The Avengers.”

“This is a full-out comedy, very different than ‘Avengers.’ But when you’ve got a movie that big, it just absolutely sucks up the marketplace,” said Anthony Marcoly, head of international distribution for Paramount. “But it’s also good for the entire business. Hopefully, those that see ‘Avengers’ will go, ‘Hey, I want to see another movie,’ and hopefully, they’ll think of our movie as a next choice.”

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton’s vampire romp “Dark Shadows,” which opened in second-place a week earlier, slipped to No. 4 with $12.8 million. The Warner Bros. release lifted its domestic total to $50.9 million, a weak result compared to the previous Depp-Burton blockbusters “Alice in Wonderland” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

Lionsgate’s pregnancy comedy “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” featuring Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez, premiered at No. 5 with $10.5 million.

“The Avengers” and the newcomers were unable to maintain Hollywood’s sizzling start to the summer season. Overall domestic revenues totaled $144 million, down 14 percent from the same weekend last year, when “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” opened with $90.2 million, according to Hollywood.com.

At $1.18 billion worldwide, “The Avengers” climbed to the No. 4 spot on the all-time charts, trailing only “Avatar” ($2.8 billion), “Titanic” ($2.2 billion) and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″ ($1.3 billion).

Domestically, “The Avengers” at $457.1 million is No. 6 all-time but will quickly pass “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace” ($474.5 million) and the original “Star Wars” ($460.9 million) to take the No. 4 spot.

“Avatar” is No. 1 domestically at $760.5 million, followed by “Titanic” at $658.5 million and “The Dark Knight” at $533.3 million.

Factoring in today’s higher admission prices, many older movies sold more tickets than “The Avengers,” which also has a price advantage because of the extra few dollars it costs to see the 3-D version.

But the Marvel Comics superhero ensemble has proved an overwhelming lure, drawing in all audience segments and packing in some fans who are seeing it over and over.

“It’s a contagious thing that gets not just them back, but their friends back to see it again,” said Dave Hollis, head of distribution for Disney. “I’m always happy to see a friendly competition among friends to see who can see the movie the most times.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “The Avengers,” $55.1 million ($56 million international).
2. “Battleship,” $25.4 million ($6.5 million international).
3. “The Dictator,” $17.4 million ($30.3 million international).
4. “Dark Shadows,” $12.8 million.
5. “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” $10.5 million.
6. “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” $3.3 million.
7. “The Hunger Games,” $3 million.
8. “Think Like a Man,” $2.7 million.
9. “The Lucky One,” $1.8 million.
10. “The Pirates! Band of Misfits,” $1.5 million.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The 28-year-old Facebook founder and CEO has wed longtime girlfriend, 27-year-old Priscilla Chan, capping a busy week for the couple. His Facebook profile page showed the two married Saturday and included a photo of the newlyweds.

Zuckerberg took his company public in one of the most anticipated moves in Wall Street history Friday. And Chan graduated from medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, on Monday — the same day Zuckerberg turned 28.

The couple met at Harvard and have been together for more than nine years.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Tests performed by the World Organization for Animal Health also confirmed what U.S. labs had found: The cow had a random mutation of the illness that was unlikely to affect other cows in the herd.

The tests were part of an investigation begun in April when an examination of a carcass of a nearly 11-year-old cow taken to a Hanford rendering plant tested positive for mad cow disease, the nation’s fourth case and the third “atypical” strain to be discovered.

Mad cow disease is a deadly affliction of the central nervous system that can be transmitted to humans who eat meat from infected cows.

The rash of cases that occurred in Great Britain in the 1990s were caused by cattle being fed protein supplements made from the spinal columns and brains of diseased cows, a practice that has since been banned.

The California cow had what is known as atypical L-type bovine spongiform that scientists know happens occasionally.

In the disorder, a protein the body normally harbors folds into an abnormal shape called a prion, setting off a chain reaction that eventually kills brain cells.

Scientists say they do not yet know what causes this strain of the disease. The incubation period is two to eight years.

The USDA tests 40,000 of the 35 million cattle slaughtered annually for BSE, but some public health experts have called for more aggressive testing, especially in light of Friday’s announcement.

“If that’s true, then it’s even more important to increase surveillance since the feed ban could not be expected to prevent future cases,” said Dr. Michael Greger, director of public health and animal agriculture with the Humane Society of the United States.

He said adopting the European model of testing all older cattle, or the Japanese model of testing every cow slaughtered for human consumption would add mere pennies per pound of beef sold and lower the risk of human cases of the fatal disease.

As part of its investigation, the FDA and the California Department of Food and Agriculture examined feed records at the affected dairy and identified at least 10 suppliers. They said Friday that all were in compliance with regulations.

The California cow, which came from a still-unnamed Tulare County dairy, had been unable to stand when she was euthanized and hauled away to a plant that renders carcasses into animal food protein and other products.

Dairy operators are not required to report if their cattle contract neurological diseases.

Investigators with the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service were still working to track down at least a dozen other living cows that were raised on a calf ranch with the sick cow. Calves taken from their mothers after birth are fed a protein supplement made from slaughtered cattle blood, and some question whether that blood might carry BSE.

Already investigators have tracked down two offspring of the diseased cow. One that was euthanized for testing turned out to be healthy. Another calf was stillborn within the last two years, but officials have not yet said what happened to the carcass.

Baker Commodities, the rendering plant where the diseased cow was discovered, is a voluntary participant in the USDA testing program.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) — With its debut on the stock market Friday, Facebook has become the most valuable U.S. company to ever go public.

The social network’s stock is trading up 8 percent Friday, making it worth about $112 billion, more than Amazon.com and McDonalds.

The company’s 28-year-old CEO Mark Zuckerberg rang the opening bell from Facebook’s headquarters in Menlo Park, following an all-night “hackathon” where engineers stayed up coding software and conjuring up new ideas for Facebook and its 900 million users.

“Right now this all seems like a big deal. Going public is an important milestone in our history. But here’s the thing, our mission isn’t to be a public company. Our mission is to make the world more open and connected,” Zuckerberg said. “In the past eight years, all of you out there have built the largest community in the history of the world. You done amazing things that we never would have dreamed of and I can’t wait to see what you guys all do going forward.”

Facebook’s IPO will certainly help California, which is staggering from a nearly $16 billion budget gap. The state will receive up to $1.6 billion from Facebook going public, state deputy legislative analyst Jason Sisney told KNX 1070.

The social networking company is on the minds of many California officials, including Gov. Jerry Brown. Brown, however, apparently forgot to rent “The Social Network,” mistakenly telling “CBS This Morning” that Facebook was invented in the Golden State.

Facebook was actually developed while Zuckerberg was a student at Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

KNX 1070′s Vytas Safronikas reports the slight drop in the state unemployment rate could be attributed to those job seekers who have simply given up their search for work.

Nearly 4,200 jobs were lost last month while the unemployment rate in California dropped below 11 percent to 10.9 percent, bringing an end to eight straight months of job growth, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Deputy director of the California Employment Development Department Loree Levy said more people are realizing that the recovery could be much slower than anticipated.

“Certainly things have improved,” said Levy. “Would we like to see stronger numbers and jobs? Absolutely, and hopefully that’s what we’re going to see in the months ahead and certainly toward the end of this year.”

Slightly over 2 million people in California remain unemployed, with a little over 1 million continuing to collect unemployment benefits, Levy said.

The state’s jobless rate is the third-highest in the U.S. The national rate slipped to 8.1 percent last month.

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Friday is the big day.

That’s when potential investors will decide how much they really “like” Facebook or if they think the company is a pig in a poke.

Stock goes on sale at 8 a.m. LA time in what some analysts believe could be one of the largest initial public offerings (IPO) in history.

KCAL9 and CBS2 reporter Kristine Lazar talked to potential investors Thursday to gauge their interest.

Facebook has 900 million users worldwide. But does that make it a good investment opportunity? Depends on who you ask.

Financial analyst and investment adviser Jim Hausberg says investors should only go after Facebook stock if they’re looking for long term gains. He doubts the price, $38 a share, can sustain at that level. “I wouldn’t focus on how it’s going to do tomorrow. Or next week. It’s going to be volatile.”

He says history shows us a year from now, the price will be a lot lower. And he says that price will really be for the big guns and large companies. “After the IPO, it will be like any other stock. And that will happen tomorrow.”

Some experts also think Facebook will have a hard time making enough ad revenue.

West Hollywood waiter Jason Layden isn’t stocks savvy — he doesn’t own any — but still sees where getting a piece of the action is a smart buy. “To me everyone uses it, so if they’re going to go public, I’m thinking … $38 a share, well, I don’t know if that’s the price I would get it…but I’m thinking about it.”

Linda Hughes is an expert on investments and thinks Facebook is too risky. “Right now, I wouldn’t invest in it,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a good investment right now.”

KNX 1070′s Vytas Safronikas reports one official from the Department of Homeland Security had a stark warning for business owners.

“Take it seriously, make the investments,” said DHS cyber-security counselor Bruce McConnell. “I think the key thing is to look at cyber security and manage it just like you manage other risks, financial risks, reputation risks.”

McConnell was the featured speaker at the fourth annual Information Security Summit held at the Universal City Hilton, where the theme of “The Growing Cyber Threat: Protect Your Business” sought to instruct entrepreneurs and other information security professionals on the imporance of safeguarding sensitive content posted online.

In addition to financial fraud, McConnell also warned of the risks of copyright theft, especially for media firms.

“We’re losing a lot of intellectual property from cyber theft, and I think that’s very worrisome from the long-term competitiveness of the U.S.” he said. “It’s very serious.”

McConnell, who was joined by Alan Paller, director of research at the SANS Institute, at the conference held by the Los Angeles chapter of the Information Systems Security Association, also noted that the vast majority of companies are largely unwilling to admit when their systems have been compromised.

“We say there’s two kinds of companies: those that have been hacked, and those that don’t know they’ve been hacked,” said McConnell.

CBS will finish the season as America’s most-watched network for the ninth time in the past 10 years, leading in viewers by the widest margin of any network in 23 years.

The new series include Elementary, a contemporary take on the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes in New York City, starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu; Vegas, a drama inspired by a real-life sheriff and his battle with a powerful mobster for control of Las Vegas in the 1960s, starring Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis; Made In Jersey, starring Janet Montgomery as a smart first-year lawyer with working-class roots practicing at a prestigious Manhattan law firm; and Partners, a comedy about two very different life-long best friends and business partners and their significant others, starring David Krumholtz and Michael Urie.

“These new series feature a great range of bold concepts, rich characters, big stars and fresh faces,” CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler said.  “From a new take on Sherlock Holmes to an epic battle for control of 1960s Las Vegas to a working-class point of view in a prestigious law firm, the dramas each have a unique style and sensibility.  And, our new comedy Partners fits perfectly with the CBS Monday night tradition of relationship comedies with a lot of heart and humor.”

The freshman series will be joined by 19 returning shows, including: NCIS, The Big Bang Theory, Person of Interest, Two Broke Girls, 60 Minutes and The Amazing Race, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly, Hawaii Five-O, NCIS: Los Angeles, Survivor, Criminal Minds, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Two and a Half Men, CSI: NY, Blue Bloods, 48 Hours Mystery, The Mentalist and The Good Wife.

For midseason, the Emmy Award-nominated Undercover Boss returns, plus the new reality series The Job from executive producers Michael Davies and Mark Burnett. Also for midseason are the new drama Golden Boy and the new comedy Friend Me.

Watch the following shows on CBS2:

MONDAY

8:00-8:30 PM              HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
8:30-9:00 PM              PARTNERS
9:00-9:30 PM              2 BROKE GIRLS
9:30-10:00 PM            MIKE & MOLLY
10:00-11:00 PM          HAWAII FIVE-0

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM             NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM           NCIS: LOS ANGELES
10:00-11:00 PM          VEGAS

WEDNESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM             SURVIVOR
9:00-10:00 PM            CRIMINAL MINDS
10:00-11:00 PM          CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

THURSDAY

8:00-8:30 PM              THE BIG BANG THEORY
8:30-9:00 PM              TWO AND A HALF MEN
9:00-10:00 PM            PERSON OF INTEREST
10:00-11:00 PM          ELEMENTARY

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM             CSI: NY
9:00-10:00 PM            MADE IN JERSEY
10:00-11:00 PM          BLUE BLOODS

SATURDAY

8:00-9:00 PM             CRIMETIME SATURDAY
9:00-10:00 PM           CRIMETIME SATURDAY
10:00-11:00 PM          48 HOURS MYSTERY

SUNDAY

7:00-8:00 PM              60 MINUTES
8:00-9:00 PM              THE AMAZING RACE
9:00-10:00 PM            THE GOOD WIFE
10:00-11:00 PM          THE MENTALIST

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that it’s reached agreements to fund groundwater cleanup at a South El Monte Superfund site.

The agency claimed the current or former landowners and business operators polluted the groundwater with toxic industrial solvents.

The agreements cover only a portion of the eight-square-mile Superfund site in the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles.

Last fall, Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. was ordered to clean up groundwater contamination at the Superfund site, at a cost of about $20 million.

The EPA says several tons of contaminants have been removed since groundwater cleanup began at the Superfund site in 2008.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

New AeroMobile technology allows phones to connect to the airline’s network using their lowest settings, which prevents interference with the plane’s onboard electronics.

Mobile devices must be off during takeoff and landing, but as long as passengers’ phones are activated for international roaming, they will be able to make phone calls and receive text messages.

Virgin Atlantic says the service has no hidden fees, but regular roaming charges will apply.

Cell phone use on flights will likely benefit business passengers, but it will also put a smile on the faces of those who suffer from cell phone separation anxiety.

AeroMobile will first be available on flights from New York to London. However, Virgin Atlantic plans to quickly expand its services to 13 aircraft, some of which fly out of LAX, by the end of 2012.

SANTA MONICA (CBS) — Some famous chefs staged a food fight in Santa Monica Monday night, battling a new state law that bans foie gras, a popular French delicacy that some people say involves animal cruelty.

Renowned chefs gave a tasting to the staff at Melisse Santa Monica. Each item on the seven-course tasting contained foie gras — fattened duck liver, which the state has made illegal after July 1.

“There’s a big industry of a lot of things out there. This is low hanging fruit, easy to go after the foie gras,” said Josiah Citrin, owner and chef at Melisse.

Citrin has teamed up with chefs in L.A. and Northern California to tout their efforts and raise funds for their fight against the ban in a dinner and competition.

“All the ingredients that I try to use, that I use in my restaurant, I really work hard to find humanely-raised animals by farmers who really care about it,” Citrin said.

Together they are a part of the Coalition for Human and Ethical Farming Standards (CHEFS).

The California legislature banned force-feeding animals for food, a process used in producing foie gras.

“This is last dying gasps of foie gras in California,” said Amber Coon of the Animal Protection and Rescue League.

Outside the restaurant demonstrators made their message clear.

“They have large metal tube shoved down their throats three times a day, force-feeding massive quantities of corn gruel,” Coon said.

“People are allowed to eat food, not allowed to torture [it] first,” said spcaLA President Madeline Bernstein.

Bernstein agrees with the ban, saying that chefs and farmers were given nearly a decade to figure out another way to achieve the same results naturally.

“They’re asking for five years to do what had eight years to do but didn’t do. So now the law is going into effect and now they’re crying,” Bernstein said.

The Royce Langham Hotel in Pasadena, Lemon Moon in West L.A., and Animal in the Fairfax District also participated in the foie gras dinners Monday night.

Unless the chefs get a last minute stay, the ban will go into effect July 1.

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — California Governor Jerry Brown on Monday called for deeper spending cuts for health and welfare spending and a shortened work week for state employees in his revised plan to reduce the state’s $16 billion deficit.

Brown laid out the details of his plan at an afternoon news conference in downtown Los Angeles, where he sought to protect funding for education and public safety while slashing $8.3 billion from government expenditures.

KNX 1070′s Charles Feldman reports the governor blamed the shortfall on a dramatic plunge in tax revenue, along with other recommendations that were blocked by the courts and the federal government.

He also called on state workers to accept a shortened four-day work week and for voters to approve his temporary tax hikes in November.

“Cutting alone really doesn’t do it, and that’s why I’m linking the serious budget reductions with a plea to the voters, ‘Please increase taxes temporarily’,” said Brown.

Even as Brown detailed a proposed $38 million in cuts to the University of California system, he noted that his budget also calls for an increase in funding for K-12 education.

Protesters outside the at Ronald Reagan State Building told KNX 1070′s Claudia Peschiutta that the governor’s proposal could mean nothing less than a fight for their economic survival.

“I am afraid,” said Cindy, who is disabled and fears cuts to government assistance will ultimately force her into a nursing home. “I am afraid for my life.”

Rabbi Jonathan Klein, the director of Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice LA, said the group’s opposition to the proposed cuts is not just based on economic concerns.

“The budget is a moral issue,” Klein said. “We’re urging for a budget that makes sense.”

LONG BEACH (CBS) — Groundbreaking began Monday on a $1.2 billion project at the Port of Long Beach.

The Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project will combine two outdated container terminals and create as many as 14,000 permanent jobs.

“Infrastructure has to be updated; we have to give good value to customers otherwise they’ll pick other gateways,” Port of Long Beach Executive Director Chris Lytle told CBS2.

Orient Overseas container line and the port have signed a $4.6 billion, 40-year lease for the new 305-acre Middle Harbor terminal, which will be able to house the world’s largest ships.

Eventually, the port will be able to accommodate vessels the length of three football fields, which is expected to double the amount of cargo. Officials say twice the amount of containers that pass through the port could double the amount of trucks, drivers and warehouse employees.

The project, which is expected to take 10 years to complete, is also designed to cut pollution in half.

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to arrive in Los Angeles Monday afternoon to pitch his plan to fix the state’s budget deficit.

In a YouTube video posted over the weekend, Brown explains that California’s projected deficit ballooned to $16 billion – nearly $7 billion higher than estimates from earlier this year – when the federal government blocked healthcare cuts and lawmakers refused to make other reductions.

Brown, whose budget must be drafted by June 15, is asking voters to approve tax hikes to prevent cuts that would jeopardize public safety.

The plan also calls for a three percent increase on income tax for high earners over the next seven years, as well as a .25 percent state-wide sales tax increase.

“These are people that have worked all their lives, and I mean, actually got out there and did stuff with their hands and worked. But yet these lawmakers want to cut all these programs for them that now that they’re in their golden years that they really need,” Andy Horn told CBS2.

The superhero blockbuster took in $103.2 million to lead for a second-straight weekend, raising its domestic total to $373.2 million. With $95.4 million more overseas, “The Avengers” lifted its international receipts to $628.9 million for a worldwide haul of just over $1 billion.

The action smash from Disney’s Marvel Studios easily fended off Johnny Depp and Tim Burton’s vampire romp “Dark Shadows,” which had a so-so domestic start of $28.8 million to finish a distant No. 2.

That’s far below such past Depp-Burton collaborations as “Alice in Wonderland,” which opened with $116.1 million, and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” which debuted with $56.2 million.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

HARVARD HEIGHTS (CBS) — Across the state Saturday, an estimated 93,000 Californians will join thousands of others whose unemployment benefits have run out.

With California’s unemployment rate dropping to 11 percent, the state’s long-term unemployed will now qualify to receive for 79 weeks of assistance as opposed to the 99 weeks which were previously offered.

Cristy Fajardo, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, spoke with Brenda Callahan-Johnson of Merced County Community Action, who says that a lot of people are unaware that they will be losing their benefits.

“A lot of these people are not gonna know that they’re not getting unemployment until they get the letter in the mail and they’re gonna be scared,” she said.

Even with modest job gains, California is still outpacing the nation at unemployment. As Farjado reports, the state’s rate is almost 3 percent higher than the national average of 8.2 percent.

The only other fight that had bigger numbers was in 2007 when Mayweather fought LA’s Oscar De La Hoya which generated 2.46 million pay-per-view buys with a revenue of $137 million.

De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions also helped out the card by having a sub-feature with Mexican Sensation “Canelo” Alvarez and Sugar Shane Mosley.

Mayweather, nicknamed ‘Money,’  has now racked up 9.6 million buys and $543 million in total TV revenue in his career, according to HBO.

Mayweather also had the highest guarantee contract of $32-million.

The MGM Grand sold 14,612 tickets that generated $12 million according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Now we know why Nevada decided push back Mayweather’s jail-time. Score for the state of Nevada!

PHOTO GALLERY (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — South Los Angeles residents protested the University of Southern California’s expansion plans at city hall Thursday morning.

“They’re pushing us out of our community and I don’t think that’s fair,” South LA resident Jesus Lopez said.

USC is proposing to build the “Village at USC” which will offer an additional 5,400 students beds, 250 faculty housing units, a hotel and a conference center, and a new retail center with a supermarket and movie theatre.

The village is part of the university’s 20-year plan.

“We own all the land there is no displacement what so ever we are not buying additional property we are just redeveloping what we already have,” Tom Sayas, USC Senior Vice President University Relations, said.

Protestors fear that the new retail prospects will be unaffordable.

“We will not be able to shop at the expensive stores,” one protestor told CBS2′s Joy Benedict.

There has been an 18 percent decrease of family households in the 90007 zip code over the past decade, and critics say the university’s plans will lead to the displacement of even more low-income minorities.

Groups such as United Neighbors In Defense Against Displacement and Strategic Actions for A Just Economy say the expansion would drive up rents and property values, pushing out residents whose average median income is just $23,000.

“According to USC’s projections, 12,600 jobs may be created by this project, but there is no assurance in the current plans of the accuracy of these numbers or that local residents would be considered to fill those job,” Benjamin Torres of CDTech says.

Supporters say the university, new Expo Line and a potential NFL stadium are contributing to the much-needed revitalization of downtown Los Angeles.

The new candy bars will come in three varieties and are already available for purchase through a special, limited supply pre-sale program for Nestle’s Facebook fans. After the pre-sale, these special edition candy bars will be available throughout the summer at participating retail stores, the company said.

The three varieties include Thin Mints – dark chocolate cookie wafers and mint chocolate crème, topped with airy crispies and a rich, dark chocolate coating; Caramel & Coconut – cookie wafers layered with coconut caramel crème and chewy caramel, topped with toasted coconut and drizzled with caramel stripes; and Peanut Butter Crème – cookie wafers layered with smooth peanut butter crème, topped with airy crispies and a cream, chocolate coating.

“When word of this irresistible combination of Nestle Crunch and Girl Scout Coookie flavors leaked earlier this year, consumers started calling,” Nestle spokeswoman Tricia Bowles said. “Fans should be ready to buy ‘the world’s most valuable candy bars’ before they’re all gone!”

2012 marks the Girl Scouts landmark 100^th anniversary year. The organization’s partnership with Nestle is the first time the Girl Scouts has licensed a candy bar product inspired by their famous cookies.

Equity Office, the owners of the complex along Cloverfield Boulevard and Broadway in Santa Monica, has applied to City Hall for new signage that will rebrand the buildings as the Colorado Center, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press. The new name is not actually new – it’s one the complex held in the early 1990’s, the fourth name change in two decades.

The embattled Internet company has seen a procession of CEOs come and gone, and its latest CEO Scott Thompson is under fire for claiming an undergraduate degree in computer science that he apparently has not actually earned.

A member of the Santa Monica Business Alliance told the Daily Press that Yahoo! has reduced the size of its office space below the threshold to earn naming rights, triggering the name change. The complex has been branded with the Yahoo name since 2005.

In early April, Thompson announced Yahoo! would lay off about 2,000 people in an attempt to save $375 million. It’s not known how many Yahoo! employees work out of the Santa Monica complex.

LONG BEACH (CBS) — Protests are taking place at Cal State Long Beach, where CSU trustees are expected to approve 10 percent raises for the system’s 23 university presidents.

Critics, including the California Faculty Association, say the raises aren’t appropriate when teachers and faculty haven’t received raises in three years and students are being subjected to tuition hikes.

Trustees, however, say the raises are necessary for the system to remain competitive.

They are now looking to pull money from non-profit auxiliary groups for the presidents, who make between $250,000 to $350,000 a year and also receive free housing or a housing stipend.

KNX 1070′s Pete Demetriou talked to CFA Long Beach chapter president Dr. Teri Yamada, who says teachers are growing increasingly frustrated after 22 months of negotiations.

“We were asking for a very modest one percent increase,” Yamada said. “We thought that was extremely reasonable, especially considering how much they’ve been increasing the salaries of presidents and upper-level administrators.”

The CFA announced last week that the 24,000 CSU employees it represents have voted to authorize a strike.

The union, which has been negotiating contracts with CSU leaders for 22 months, will now decide whether to implement two-day rolling strikes on all 23 CSU campuses.

The strikes would be the largest among faculty in the history of the United States.

Multiple brands of Diamond Pet Foods from a plant in North Carolina have been linked to some of the Salmonella infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2005, the company offered a $3.1 million settlement when dozens of dogs died after eating contaminated food made at the same plant.

The following were the first products to be recalled last month:

- Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice dry dog food
- Diamond Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula dry dog food
- Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food

PetFoodDirect.com sent an e-mail to customers Monday saying the recall has been expanded to include all of following brands:

- Natural Balance
- Canidae
- Chicken Soup For the Pet Lover’s Soul
- Country Value
- Diamond
- Diamond Naturals
- Premium Edge
- Professional
- 4Health
- Taste Of The Wild
- Wellness
- Kirkland
- Apex
- Kaytee Fort-Diets

For more information, visit the CDC.

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — At a time when many people are worried about retirement money, you might be surprised some people are advising you can actually enjoy life sooner.

They call it practice retirement where you work later, but enjoy sooner. It can be a bit of a catch-22.

“All you hear about anymore is doom and gloom and that Social Security won’t be available for someone that’s my age and that the future looks very bleak,” said Collette Williams of Mission Mission Viejo.

Williams said she saves at least 10 percent of her income towards retirement. But she said that she worries by the time she is 60, she may not have enough.

“In the market anything can change anytime,” she said.

Williams’ is not alone. The economists at T. Rowe Price have come up with the unconventional “practice retirement” plan.

“I could start practice retirement now,” Williams said laughingly.

In a way she already is just by saving.

“If you’re starting in your late forties or early fifties, you still have time,” financial advisor Alex Collins said.

The experts at T. Rowe Price suggest that 60 is the magic number.

Once you hit it they suggest you keep working, but stop saving for retirement.

They advise to take the money that you were previously putting into you 401k or other retirement accounts and — brace yourself — spend it on fun stuff.

“I like the idea because it says the future is optimistic and that there’s fun on the horizon and you’re always reaching for a goal,” Williams said.

“If you were an art expert and you saw something that was a deal and you said, ‘I’m going to buy this Picasso.’ Buy it if you can afford it. Put it away, more than likely down the road, he’s not painting anymore, it’s going to be worth more money,” Collins said.

Seem crazy? Well we asked Collins, who does not work for T. Rowe Price.

He said the idea may not be all that farfetched.

“If you’re going to continue to work, you ought to be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Go out to dinner. Buy the boat that you’ve been wanting to get. There is no reason not to, as long as you’ve got your backstop,” Collins said.

The backstop is your hard-earned money sitting in retirement accounts, growing as you keep working –and spending.

“It’s all predicated on having that money up front by the time you’re 60,” Collins said.
So how much is enough? Well that all depends on your lifestyle.

Collins said that most 60-year olds need over $600,000. But the longer you work without tapping into your retirement, the less you need.

“The whole point is to keep that money making money,” Collins explained.

But he said the plan may leave some short changed, since it does not address hyperinflation or Social Security.

“The only problem I have is I’m not so sure where Social Security is going to be,” he said, adding that he wonders how you can practice retirement when you are still working.

“How are you going to have the time to go to Europe, to go to the Bahamas,” Collins questioned?

Like more and more Americans, Williams will likely have to work into her sixties, but she said that she loves her job as a manager for a business travel company and does not mind saving along the way.

“If you look at it as doom and gloom and I have to, I must, it becomes arduous and a chore. But practice retirement might give a fresher outlook to something that’s really important,” she said.

AARP said that practice retirement could be a realistic option, but you need to pay attention to the catch. As always, consult with your financial adviser.

So when outfielder Bobby Abreu became an Angel, he needed some help and Chris Dingman was the man.

“I own a nation-wide professional athlete real estate, relocation company,” Dingman explained.

Maybe you have never heard of a job like this, but 31-year-old Dingman, owner of Dingman Group, specializes in making the process of moving simple for athletes of all sports, anywhere in the country.

“A lot of times they don’t know when relocation is going to take place. In baseball you could have to be in a different uniform the same day, walk across the field,” he said.

In professional sports, things can change fast and we all know that athlete make a lot of money. They often have a lot of assets and that is exactly where Dingman comes into play – relocating and moving high-profile athletes, often times selling their homes and doing it fast.

Back in 2003 when running back Priest Holmes lit up defenses and set some serious records, it was then offensive lineman Willie Roaf carving the path. Roaf did it so well, it landed him in the hall of fame.

Now Dingman is planning to move Roaf from his sprawling, multi-million dollar inland Orange County estate to a place closer to the beach.

Dingman is working to make sure Roaf can relax with the process, often said to be one of the most stressful in life.

Roaf says what Dingman offers, many in pro sports need.

“A lot would love a guy like Chris because a lot of them just don’t want to deal with this kind of everyday stuff. They’re rather somebody take care of that, so they can just go about their business,” Roaf said.

Dingman has helped more than 350 clients in his seven years in business. He is not alone; he is just carving out his piece of the pie in the athlete-relocation business — a growing business for Dingman group.

Dingman said that it can be a challenging process to do well, and quality is key when handling these types of assets.

“Sometimes you get guys with four cars, you know, just a brand new Porsche, brand new Ferrari, you know and whatever Range Rover. You can have a 10,000 square foot house,” Dingman said.

Big money, big time clients, and a pretty cool business — Dingman said that years ago he did the daily grind and did not like it.

He sat down and found the things he loved the most — sports and real estate. From there he followed his heart. If nothing else, this is a story about doing what you love.

“You’ve got to do some soul searching. You know, if you don’t wake up every day and feel great about who you are and what you do, figure out what that is and go after it,” he said.

The warehouse will be a nearly 950,000-square-foot “fulfillment center,” one of two in the state where Amazon-branded goods sold on the site will be stored at and shipped from, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported.

Fulfillment centers are where products sold by other vendors on Amazon.com store their inventory. Amazon describes their fulfillment centers as modern, secure facilities with 24-hour security staff and fully automated wireless and computer-networked order tracking throughout each facility.

The building is under construction at the corner of Tippecanoe and Central avenues, south of San Bernardino International Airport’s runway, on the former Norton Air Force Base property.

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Move over cupcakes, a new bite-sized treat is taking over bakery cases across the Southland.

We are talking about French macarons.

But do not mistake macarons for macaroons, the coconut meringue cookie we have been eating here in the U.S. for years.

French macarons are Parisian cookies with a punch of flavor that may just be the next cupcake here in the Southland.

These bite-sized morsels that are bursting with flavors are showing up in bakery cases all over the Southland.

We found some at Bottega Louie in downtown L.A., Europane in Pasadena, Layer Cake in Irvine and Lette in Beverly Hills.

“It’s not a hamburger, it’s a cookie and they say ‘Is it for dogs?’ and I said, ‘No, it’s not for dogs, it’s for you and me,’” said Paulette Koumetz from Lette, referring to the macarons.

“The outside of the macaron is made with white eggs, almond flour and sugar. And in the between, it’s called the ganach,” Koumetz added.

Lette offers a variety of flavors from raspberry frambios to violet cassis.

“I am passionate about macaron, I always have been.” Koumetz said.

“I believe the macaron is the new cup cake,” said Glendale mom, Petra Marin-Cloninger.

She and her daughter, Mattea, practice making macarons at home. They’re both fans of Koumetz’s mini creations.

“That is who I try to measure up to, the Lette macaron,” Marin-Cloninger said laughingly.

She says that the technique to getting the ultimate consistency has to be exact.

“My perfect macaron would be a little crunch on the outside and very moist on the inside,” she said.

Sumi Chang is the macaron master at Europane in Pasadena. Her macarons are a few bites larger than the competition.

“More bite for your buck, thank you,” Chang said.

She says her colorful cookies were inspired by Parisian patisseries.

“I think Italian showed French how to make a macaron, but now French claims they did it first,” Chang said.

Historians say Catherine de Medici introduced the Italian macaron to the French during the mid-16th Century when she married King Henry II of France.

At that time the cookie resembled an Italian ameretti made of egg whites, sugar and almond paste.

“There was no ganach inside, it was just a cookie,” Koumetz said.

French historian Helene Demeestere explains it was not until the 1930s when the Italian macaron received a French facelift at the famous Parisian patisserie Laduree.

“They just put them together with a ganache or a cream or filling like an Oreo cookie,” Demeestere said.

Over the years Laduree’s earned a reputation for its impeccable packaging. Bottega Louie and Lette hope their perfect presentation wins over sweet-toothes of cookie connoisseurs here in the Southland.

“I think that what you see is as important as what you eat,” Koumetz said.

All the macarons we featured range in price from a $1.60 to $2 a piece.

Lette says their cookie is just 100 calories and Europane says theirs are gluten free.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

» Layer Cake Bakery
» Lette
» Europane
» Bottega Louie