Federal Grants to Universities 1-17-25

In 2024, the US government allocated nearly $2 trillion to fund medical research and public health programs. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency responsible for biomedical research in the United States. The NIH awards grants to universities, medical schools, and other research institutions.  

Colleges and universities are planning to put more than $1.3 billion to work on one-time purchases of equipment as of 4-3-24.

How much federal money goes to Columbia University? $1.2 Billion of revenue a year comes from public funding for research, from grants. That is money our work brings in! This reflects $900M in direct funding, and $300M in indirect. The total research spending at Columbia in 2022 was $812 Million.

The Federal Government does have leverage over Universities, but funding for Medical Research is the largest expense.

Comments

In 1971, I joined Washington University at the Medical School to establish the Personnel Function on the Medical School Campus, automate Administration to support new HEW reporting requirements and establish Affirmative Action. I became a co-investigator and received a $10 million, basic improvement grant from NIH to fund a “cage washing” facility for the Animal Research Lab to increase productivity and improve research results. The Grant also included certification of our 90, mostly Black Animal Caretakers as AALAS Certified Animal Lab Technicians.

AALAS certification is a voluntary program that recognizes the professional competence of laboratory animal technicians and managers. The American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) offers three levels of certification for technicians, and a separate certification for animal resources managers.

I expect that NIH Grants will be reviewed and adjusted to the development of Treatments for Viral Infections and will not allow “gain-of-function research to avoid another COVID.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

Silicon Valley Could Burn 1-17-25

While not guaranteed, there is a possibility that wildfires could reach Silicon Valley, as it is located in California which experiences significant wildfire activity, particularly during dry seasons, and recent reports indicate a high fire risk across the state, including areas near Los Angeles which could potentially spread towards Silicon Valley depending on wind patterns and fire behavior.  

Silicon Valley is known for being the foremost tech and startup ecosystem, home to industry-leading companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, Cisco, Intel, Nvidia, and Tesla. It is the epicenter of high-tech innovation, from personal computers and internet search to social media, cloud computing, and AI. Silicon Valley is just North of Fresno CA 348 miles from LA.

https://www.laalmanac.com/employment/em21e.php#google_vignette

Comments

I expect Trump will remove California’s ability to destroy its population centers and impose effective forest management requirements on California.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

US Trade Deficit 1-16-25

This Trade Deficit update includes data from Jan-Nov 2024. The US trade deficit went out of control in 2021 and 2023. We need to produce everything we consume.

Year   $ Trillions   

2024 -1.0745131 est

2023 -1.0621110   

2022 -1.1734188

2021 -1.0707718

 

Year    $ Billions

2020   -901.4818

2019   -845.7592

2018   -870.3584

2017   -792.3959

2016   -735.3260

https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c0004.html

Comments

The US Trade Balance data from census.gov has been revised. It finally shows the US Trade Deficit moved into the Trillions in 2021. Trump tried to reduce the US Trade Deficit during his first term 2017-2020. Trump will continue to try to lower the US Trade Deficit in his second term 2025-2028.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

US Rent Inflation 1-16-25

In 2024, rent inflation in the United States has slowed compared to the rapid increases of 2021 and 2022. However, there are still regional differences in rent prices. 

National trends

• In November 2024, the national average rent price increased by 1%. 
• The national average rent price for a one-bedroom apartment was $1,559 per month, and $1,813 for a two-bedroom. 
• The pace of rent increases has slowed, suggesting that the market is stabilizing. 

Regional trends

• In the South, rents have been falling, with cities like Austin and San Antonio seeing the sharpest declines. 
• In the Midwest and Northeast, rents have been rising, with cities like Detroit, Cleveland, and Milwaukee seeing higher prices. 
• In Louisville, rent prices increased more than 5 percent in the past year. 
• In Northern Virginia, prices increased up to 7.9 percent. 

Factors that affect rent inflation 

• Mobility: How often people move
• Passthrough: How much of rent increases are passed on to tenants
• New-tenant rent inflation: How much new tenants pay in rent

https://www.google.com/search?q=us+rent+inflation+2024&oq=us+rent+inflation+2024&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRifBdIBCTI2MDg1ajFqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

US Rent Inflation in 2023 moved from 7.875 to 6.151.

Month  %

12/23 6.151

11/23 6.507

10/23 6.723

9/23   7.153

8/23   7.265

7/23   7.689

6/23   7.827

5/23   8.403

4/23   8.108

3/23   8.18

2/23   8.097

1/23   7.875

https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/rent-inflation#:~:text=Rent%20Inflation%20in%20the%20United%20States%20decreased%20to%206.15%20percent,percent%20in%20November%20of%202023.&text=Rent%20inflation%20in%20the%20United%20States%20accounts%20for,of%20the%20consumer%20price%20index.

 

US Rent Inflation in 2022 moved from 5.151 to 7.51

Month   %

12/22  7.51

11/22  7.117

10/22  6.916

9/22    6.594

8/22    6.239

9/22   6.594

8/22   6.239

7/22   5.695

6/22   5.609

5/22   5.452

4/22   5.141

https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/rent-inflation

 

US Inflation Rate from 2013 to 2023 moved from 1.5 in 2013 to 6.15 in 2023.

Year  %

2013 1.5

2014 1.6

2015 0.1

2016 1.3

2017 2.1

2018 2.4

2019 1.8

2020 1.2

2021 4.7

2022 7.51

2023 6.15

https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/current-inflation-rates/

 

Comments

US Rent Inflation was low from 2013 through 2020.  It doubled from 1.2 to 4.7 in 2021. It increased to 7.51 in 2022 and moved to 6.15 in 2023. The reasons for these increases are US Inflation driven by increases in federal spending, higher gasoline prices the effected food prices. Renting needs to be replaced by Ownership. Renting is a bad deal. 

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

LA County Fire Damage 1-15-25

Population of LA County 9,606,925 in 2024, down from 10,014,009 in 2020. 

The 2022 Assessment Roll comprises 2,589,521 million real estate parcels and business assessments, including 1,889,000 single-family homes, 250,000 apartment complexes, 248,000 commercial and industrial properties and more than 165,000 business property assessments.

What is the average single-family home in Los Angeles?

$952,114. The average Los Angeles, CA home value is $952,114, up 1.5% over the past year and goes to pending in around 26 days.

Reports suggest that the average cost per square foot for a standard single-family property in Los Angeles ranges from $400 – 480 in 2023.

Most LA residents are government employees working for schools and local government offices. Most are union members.

Some major employers in Los Angeles include: Boeing (aerospace), The Walt Disney Company (entertainment), Health Net (healthcare), MGM Holdings (entertainment), and Molina Healthcare (healthcare). UCLA, Amazon, Deloitte. 

Employer	Type of Employer	Employees
County of Los Angeles	Public - Local Government	100,800 A
Los Angeles Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	90,900 B
City of Los Angeles	Public - Local Government	68,300 D
University of California, Los Angeles	Public - Colleges/ Universities	51,700 E
Federal Government - All Agencies Except Defense & State	Public - Federal Government	44,600 A
Kaiser Permanente	Private - Health Care	37,400 F
State of California (non-education)	Public - State Government	33,900 A
University of Southern California	Private - Colleges/ Universities	21,000 F
Northrop Grumman Corp.	Private - Aerospace Manufacturing	16,600 F
Amazon	Private - Online Retail	16,200 G
Providence Health & Services	Private - Health Care	15,900 F
Target Corp.	Private - General Retail	15,000 F
Ralphs / Food 4 Less (Kroger Co.)	Private - Retail Groceries	14,900 F
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center	Private - Health Care	14,900 F
Walt Disney Co.	Private - Amusement	13,000 F
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority	Public - Transporation	12,900 D
Allied Universal	Private - Security & Janitorial Services	12,800 F
NBCUniversal	Private - Amusement	12,000 F
Long Beach Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	11,900 C
AT&T Inc.	Private - Telecommunications	11,500 F
Home Depot	Private - Retail Building Material & Garden	11,200 F
Los Angeles Community College District	Public - Colleges/ Universities	11,100 D
Albertsons / Vons / Pavilions	Private - Retail Groceries	10,200 F
United Parcel Service (UPS)	Private - Transportation Couriers	9,500 F
California Institute of Technology	Private - Colleges/ Universities	8,600 F
Wells Fargo & Co.	Private - Banking	8,500 F
ABM Industries Inc.	Private - Facility Services	8,000 F
Fedex Corp.	Private - Transportation Couriers	7,000 F
City of Long Beach	Public - Local Government	6,700 D
Bank of America Corp.	Private - Banking	6,500 F
Antelope Valley Healthcare District	Public - Health Care	6,500 D
Dignity Health	Private - Health Care	6,200 F
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX)	Private - Aerospace Manufacturing	6,000 F
City of Hope	Private - Health Care	5,950 F
Raytheon Co.	Private - Aerospace Manufacturing	5,800 F
Children's Hospital Los Angeles	Private - Health Care	5,700 F
Amgen	Private - Biotechnology	5,500 G
Costco Wholesale	Private - General Retail	5,400 F
SoCalGas	Private - Utilities	5,400 F
Los Angeles County Superior Court	Public - Law Courts	5,300 D
Boeing Co.	Private - Aerospace Manufacturing	5,000 F
JPMorgan Chase & Co.	Private - Banking	5,000 F
Paramount Pictures Corp.	Private - Amusement	5,000 F
Torrance Memorial Medical Center	Private - Health Care	5,000 F
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.	Private - Amusement	4,900 F
Mt. San Antonio Community College District	Public - Colleges/ Universities	4,900 D
California State University, Long Beach	Public - Colleges/ Universities	4,500 H
99 Cents Only Stores	Private - General Retail	4,400 F
Edison International	Private - Utilities	4,300 F
Whole Foods Market	Private - Retail Groceries	4,200 F
Adventist Health	Private - Health Care	4,000 F
Aerospace Corp.	Private - Aerospace Manufacturing	3,900 F
California State University, Northridge	Public - Colleges/ Universities	3,900 H
Huntington Hospital	Private - Health Care	3,700 F
Long Beach Medical Center & Miller Children's & Women's Hospital	Private - Health Care	3,700 F
Charter Communications Inc. (Spectrum)	Private - Telecommunications	3,700 F
Lockheed Martin Corp.	Private - Aerospace Manufacturing	3,700 F
Walmart Inc.	Private - General Retail	3,600 F
Centene Corp.	Private - Health Insurance	3,500 F
Torrance Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	3,500 C
ABC Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	3,500 C
Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center	Private - Health Care	3,400 F
Downey Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	3,300 C
Palmdale Elementary School District	Public - Education K-12	3,300 I
City National Bank	Private - Banking	3,200 F
Six Flags Magic Mountain Valencia	Private - Amusement	3,200 F
Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	3,200 I
Federal Government - U.S. Dept. of Defense	Public - Federal Government	3,100 A
Sony Pictures Entertainment	Private - Amusement	3,000 F
Compton Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	3,000 I
Antelope Valley Union High School District	Public - Education K-12	2,900 I
California Polytechnic University, Pomona	Public - Colleges/ Universities	2,800 H
California State University, Los Angeles	Public - Colleges/ Universities	2,800 H
Pomona Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	2,800 I
El Camino Community College District	Public - Colleges/ Universities	2,700 D
Santa Monica Community College District	Public - Colleges/ Universities	2,600 D
Long Beach Community College District	Public - Colleges/ Universities	2,600 D
Hacienda La Puente Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	2,600 C
Lancaster Elementary School District	Public - Education K-12	2,500 C
Los Angeles County Office of Education	Public - Education K-12	2,400 C
Farmer's Insurance Group	Private - Auto & Home Insurance	2,300 F
City of Santa Monica	Public - Local Government	2,300 D
City of Pasadena	Public - Local Government	2,300 D
Alhambra Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	2,300 C
Paramount Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	2,300 I
Montebello Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	2,300 I
Cerritos Community College District	Public - Colleges/ Universities	2,200 D
Lynwood Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	2,200 C
Baldwin Park Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	2,200 C
City of Glendale	Public - Local Government	2,100 D
Covina-Valley Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	2,100 C
Walnut Valley Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	2,100 C
Burbank Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	2,100 I
Glendale Community College District	Public - Colleges/ Universities	2,000 D
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California	Public - Utilities	2,000 D
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District	Public - Education K-12	2,000 C