Review & Preview.

JUNE 13 - 19

Jobless Woes: L.A. County's unemployment rate fell to 6.3 percent in May from 6.5 percent the previous month. Statewide, the jobless rate dipped to 6.6 percent from 6.8 percent. Economists expressed concern that the low numbers may distort the unemployment situation because many people may have stopped looking for work or left the state and thus wouldn't be included in the survey. Statewide, there was a loss of 21,500 jobs in May. Meanwhile, a gloomy assessment about near-term job prospects in Los Angeles was offered by Manpower Inc., a nationwide temporary services agency. Of those companies surveyed in the L.A. area, 27 percent said they plan to reduce their workforce from July to September, while 15 percent said they plan to hire more employees. Another 48 percent expect to maintain current staff levels. The outlook was much better in the previous quarter when 33 percent expected to add workers.

Another Record: Home sales in L.A. County fell 8 percent in May even as prices shot up 21 percent, to a record $313,000, according to DataQuick Information Systems. The drop in sales was blamed on a dearth of lower-priced homes for sale and a delay in escrow closings as a result of heavy refinancing activity.

Loss Pared: Vivendi Universal SA reported a first-quarter loss of $378 million, compared with a loss of $965 million for the like period a year ago. The company is selling off its U.S. entertainment assets to reduce debt. Among the possible bidders are John Malone of Liberty Media Corp., Kirk Kerkorian of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Inc., Edgar Bronfman and Marvin Davis.

Gas Gains: You knew it couldn't last After several weeks of declines, L.A.-area gasoline prices for the seven-day period ended June 16 rose an average 8.3 cents a gallon, to $1.773, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. Refinery outages, along with increased demand as the summer driving season gets rolling, were blamed for the most recent increases.

Health Woes: The California Public Employees' Retirement System, or Calpers, approved a 17 percent increase in health care premiums for its 900,000 members, beginning next year. The increase, while below the 25.1 percent jump for 2003, has members objecting and could lead to a pullout from the Calpers health plans. The increase could have broader ramifications because Calpers has been a bellwether for premium increases nationwide.

More Tony: "The Sopranos" will air for a sixth, 10-episode season, ending speculation about the future of the popular cable show. The fifth season, now in production, will go on the air next March the final season is expected to begin production in late 2004. When completed, the show will have 75 episodes, enough for the syndication market.

Rid of Crime: Once again, several Southern California communities had some of the lowest crime rates in the nation according to FBI data. Simi Valley Thousand Oaks, Santa Clarita, Glendale and Huntington Beach all ranked among the Top 10 most crime free cities.

Accused: The Securities and Exchange Commission filed securities fraud charges against former Gemstar-TV Guide International Chairman and Chief Executive Henry Yuen and former Chief Financial Officer Elsie Leung, for their alleged "roles in a widespread and complex scheme to inflate. Gemstar's licensing and advertising revenues." The commission seeks disgorgement of millions in allegedly "ill-gotten gains" reaped by the pair while Gemstar overstated its revenues by some $223 million over an 18-month period.

JUNE 23 - 29

Sports Beat: Dodgers are out of town all week, so it's down to the Sparks at home on Saturday (28th) against Sacramento and the Galaxy also at home on Saturday against Dallas. Also on tap is the first week of Wimbledon and the U.S. Senior Open in Toledo, Ohio.

Economic Data: In this last week of the quarter, there's the Conference Board's consumer confidence numbers on Tuesday (24th). Also this week: new and existing home sales on Wednesday (25th), first quarter corporate profits and final first quarter gross domestic product numbers on Thursday (26th) and the University of Michigan consumer sentiment data on Friday (27th).

Honored Women: Arianna Huffington is keynote speaker for the Israel Cancer Research Fund's Women of Action awards luncheon on Wednesday (25th) at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Among those being honored at the event is Judith Ashmann-Gerst, associate justice for the California Court of Appeal. For information: 323-651-1200.

More-Awards: Celebrities galore will be on hand at the Kodak Theatre on Tuesday (24th) for the 3rd annual BET Awards. As part of the event, aired live on the BET cable channel, James Brown will get a lifetime achievement award and Earvin "Magic" Johnson will receive a humanitarian award.

Presidential Politics: L.A. plays host to the major presidential candidates of both political parties. On Thursday evening (26th), six of the leading Democratic presidential candidates - former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, former Gov. Howard Dean, Sens. Bob Graham, John Kerry and Joe Lieberman and the Rev. Al Sharpton - lock horns in a debate on the environment at USC. Twenty four hours later, President Bush attends a fundraiser at the Century Plaza Hotel where he is expected to net $3 million for his re-election campaign.

Legal Luncheon: Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo addresses the Current Affairs Forum, a group of downtown business and political leaders, on Friday (27th) at the Wilshire Grand Hotel. Delgadillo's new neighborhood prosecutor program and the city's spiraling liability costs are expected to be topics of discussion. For information: 213-978-8100.

Revved Up: Larry King will host an L.A. World Trade Center Association Hall of Fame event honoring Harley-Davidson Inc., Home Depot and Virgin Management on Wednesday (25th). For information: 323-904-4400.