Elevate a standard black hoodie into a statement piece by choosing a style that features tongue…
Phoebe Neuman

Every pair she owned shared the same detail.

This is genius.

Payrolls in Orange and Los Angeles counties will continue to expand this year and next, but at a more modest rate than before, while job creation in the Inland Empire soars.

That’s the prediction of Cal State Fullerton economists in their semi-annual forecast, released Thursday, April 27.

“Orange County is close to full employment,” said Mira Farka, co-author of the survey with Anil Puri. “So any future gains will occur at a slower clip than in previous years.

“Inland Empire growth will be more robust because the economy there has a lot more slack. In L.A. we’ll see job growth, but at the same pace as before.”

The forecast predicts payroll jobs in Orange County will grow by 2.1 percent this year and 1.9 percent in 2018, down from 2.3 percent in 2016.

While the jobless rate remains low, at 3.7 percent, more people are expected to enter the labor force, boosting payrolls, Farka said.

Los Angeles County employment growth will dip slightly from 2.5 percent in 2016 to 2.3 percent in 2017 and 2.1 percent the following year, the economists foresee.

Riverside and San Bernardino counties will expand by 4.4 percent this year, up from 3.5 percent in 2016. In 2018, the forecast predicts a 4.8 percent growth.

“The Inland Empire lost a lot of jobs during the collapse — more than Orange County and Los Angeles,” Farka said, “So they have a lot to make up. The housing bust was much bigger there, which decimated the economy.”

Inland Empire employment growth has been driven by construction, which added jobs at a 7.9 percent rate last year, along with transportation and warehousing, at 7.3 percent.

Construction also was the fastest growing sector in Orange County last year, at 5.7 percent. Leisure and hospitality, which includes hotels and restaurants, grew by 3.9 percent as tourism continued to boom.

Professional and business services, which includes high-earning lawyers and managers as well as modestly paid temp workers, was also strong with a 3.3 percent gain.

Only one major Orange County sector declined last year: Manufacturing jobs fell by 0.4 percent, led by a 4.1 drop in employment at fabricated metal plants.

In Los Angeles County, payroll job growth last year was also led by construction, as well as by leisure and hospitality, while manufacturing lost jobs.

Significantly, the economists said, the county experienced a healthy increase in information technology jobs, up by 11.2 percent over the past two years, thanks to hiring in the motion picture and sound recording industries.

In Orange County, CSUF conducts a quarterly survey of 700 business leaders on their expectations for their companies’ growth and the health of the economy. This business index was “at its highest level ever in the first quarter of 2017,” the forecasters wrote, “indicating unrivaled optimism about local business conditions.

“The OCBX only declined slightly in the second quarter, so optimism continues,” they added.

Nonetheless, 75 percent of the business leaders in the survey cited “political and economic reforms” as their most pressing worry.

But exactly what concerns them in the panoply of policies under consideration in Congress and by President Donald Trump‘s administration was unclear, Farka acknowledged.

In the survey, which asked only general questions, 55.6 percent cited “insufficient reform” as the biggest threat to the U.S. economy, while 20.4 percent saw “rapid reform” as the largest concern.

Thirteen percent named a hike in the Federal Reserve interest rate as the biggest threat, while 7.4 percent cited the federal debt and 3.7 percent named China.

In the CSUF forecast for the U.S. economy, Farka said, “We are cautiously optimistic. But the main risk, both to the U.S. and the local economy is what happens in Congress and the administration.”

She added, “there is a huge possibility for upside and a huge possibility for downside if Congress doesn’t deliver on corporate tax reform, and businesses are disappointed.”

The forecast predicts a growth in real gross domestic product of 2.3 percent this year and 2.6 percent in 2018, up from 1.6 percent last year.

It foresees payroll employment growth of 1.5 percent rate this year, and 1.3 percent next year, up from 1.8 percent in 2016.

ANAHEIM — In a sports kettle that boils over with stats, you warm up slowly to players like Adam Larsson.

As a defenseman, he’s on the cleanup crew. He removes traffic from the front porch of goalie Cam Talbot. He gets rid of pucks before they find dangerous sticks. He plays in correct positions, which means he stops plays before they even start.

However, Larsson is also 6-foot-3 and 204 pounds. He isn’t the stealth bomber. But the Ducks didn’t detect his presence until Larsson had made two major plays in Edmonton’s 5-3 victory Wednesday, in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Sometimes there are too many holes in the boat to plug.

Larsson had scored four goals in 79 regular-season games for the Oilers, yet he was one of the most essential figures in their ascension to a 103-point season, compared to 70 last year. The Oilers also cut their goals-against from 247 to 212.

So with all the focus on 100-point man Connor McDavid and designated Duck-roaster Leon Draisaitl, Larsson could work undercover.

Early in the third period, Mark Letestu’s power-play goal put Edmonton ahead 2-1. One hundred seconds later, Larsson was able to slip through the neutral zone, behind the play, and take Draisaitl’s pass for a blast past John Gibson and a two-goal lead, as Andrew Cogliano vainly tried to catch up.

The Ducks, who hadn’t lost a game in regulation since the second week of exhibition baseball, jumped to a 3-3 tie with two goals in 85 seconds.

But with 4:40 left, Larsson was able to sail through the neutral zone again and got past Cam Fowler, who wasn’t getting much help from his mates. When Larsson dumped the puck in front of the net as he began to get behind Gibson, he watched delightedly as it ricocheted off Hampus Lindholm’s skate and inside the goal line.

An empty-netter by Draisaitl gave the Oilers the 5-3 win, in a game that was equally unfortunate and foreboding for the Ducks.

“We got a lot of bounces in the last series (Calgary) and they didn’t go our way tonight,” said Ryan Getzlaf, who blasted in the first goal of the game and then won a faceoff to set up Patrick Eaves’ score. “But I thought we were good. We just needed to clean up some things.”

“The first two periods were tight, but actually I thought it was tight the whole game,” Eaves said.

There were virtually no odd-man rushes in those first two periods. The Oilers had 19 shots during that time, the Ducks 18, and there were no even-strength goals in that time. Letestu was able to take advantage of a 5-on-3 power play, which became 5-on-2 ½ when Getzlaf broke his stick on a faceoff.

Then the reins came off, and it’s difficult to beat Edmonton end-to-end.

McDavid had one assist, which gives him five points in seven playoff games. Again, there’s a limit to what numbers tell you. McDavid drew Jakob Silfverberg’s penalty in the second period that led to Letestu’s first goal, and his renowned acceleration was a major pushback for the Ducks.

Draisaitl, his linemate, assisted on the first three goals and then scored the empty-netter, and he now has seven goals and five assists against the Ducks in six games this season.

“Every player has a team he likes to play,” Draisaitl said.

“We scored early, and that might have forced them to open up a little bit,” McDavid said.

Ducks coach Randy Carlyle was curious about some of the penalty calls, although he wouldn’t get specific. You might surmise he wasn’t happy when Nick Ritchie went to the box on a rush in which he appeared to get inside defenseman Oscar Klefbom. That holding call preceded a high-sticking call against Lindholm, which led to Letestu’s goal on the 5-on-3.

Nevertheless, you can’t live with that many penalties, as Edmonton went 2 for 5 on the power play. When that happens, Corey Perry only plays 14:38 and Rickard Rakell only plays 15:44. Both were minus-2 in this one.

“It’s hard to kill all those,” Getzlaf said. “Our penalty kill has to get a little bit better, has to work together better.

“But we didn’t execute in the neutral zone the way we’re accustomed to doing. He (Larsson) shouldn’t have that much space.”

“There’s no way we should allow Larsson to skate from the top of his circle all the way down like that,” Carlyle said. “It was a mistake with our positioning in the neutral ice. There should have been an extra layer there.”

Sometimes there is an unexpected star. Sometimes a star does unexpected things.

“He’s been our anchor in the back,” Edmonton coach Todd McLellan said. “We could have kept floundering without fixing that hole.”

The fix was made when the Oilers traded Taylor Hall, one of the league’s top young forwards and a former first-overall draft pick, to New Jersey for Larsson.

McLellan just didn’t know Larsson would bring playoff goals with him.

“Well, he’s not Bobby Orr,” McLellan said.

The Oilers will be playing deep into the spring if  Larsson continues to believe he is.

KEY FACTS

When: Thursday through Saturday

Where: Philadelphia, in a temporary theater constructed outside the famous steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

How to watch: ESPN and NFL Network. Also streaming: NFL.com, NFL Now and Watch ESPN

SCHEDULE

Round 1: Thursday, 5 p.m.

Rounds 2-3: Friday, 4 p.m.

Rounds 4-7: Saturday, 9 a.m.

Note: Teams get 10 minutes to make their selection in the first round, seven minutes in Round 2 and five minutes in Rounds 3-6 and just four minutes in Round 7.

COMPLETE COVERAGE

OVERVIEW

When it comes to NFL draft day, the ‘nerds’ increasingly have their say

NFL draft roundtable: SCNG writers assess options for the Chargers and Rams

Kartje: NFL mock draft, version 2.0

NFL draft: 40 yards to stardom

CHARGERS

Chargers prepare for uncertainty of NFL draft

When will the Chargers draft quarterback Philip Rivers’ replacement?

Chargers GM Tom Telesco hoping to build off last year’s draft success

RAMS

Rams’ draft success depends on teamwork of Les Snead, Sean McVay

Cornerback Trumaine Johnson staying for now, but will Rams draft his replacement?

Rams GM Les Snead, now without Jeff Fisher, will rise or fall on his own merits

Bonsignore: ‘Project Goff’ is underway at Rams headquarters

Inside the Rams podcast, Ep. 26: Debating the Rams’ NFL draft strategy, with beat writer Rich Hammond

USC

USC NFL draft primer: Who are the 2017 prospects?

JuJu Smith-Schuster preparing to carry Long Beach Poly, USC legacy into NFL draft

USC’s Adoree’ Jackson hopes to break into first round of NFL draft

UCLA

UCLA NFL draft primer: Who are the 2017 prospects?

UCLA’s Fabian Moreau lives up to NFL draft prediction

POSITION BREAKDOWNS

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Interior defensive linemen

EDGE rushers

Inside linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

WHERE THE CHARGERS PICK

Thursday

Round 1 – 7th pick

Friday

Round 2 – 6th pick (38th overall)

Round 3 – 7th pick (71st overall)

Saturday

Round 4 – 6th pick (113rd overall)

Round 5 – 7th pick (151st overall)

Round 6 – 6th pick (190th overall)

Round 7 – 7th pick (225th overall)

WHERE THE RAMS PICK

Thursday

Round 1 – None

Friday

Round 2 – 5th pick (37th overall)

Round 3 – 5th pick (69th overall)

Saturday

Round 4 – 5th pick (110th overall)

Round 4 – 34th pick (139th overall)

Round 5 – 5th pick (150th overall)

Round 6 – 5th pick (190th overall)

Round 6 – 35th pick (220th overall)

Round 7 – 5th pick (226th overall)

ANAHEIM — The Angels were due to eventually have a night like this.

After spending much of the season’s early going scraping for runs or needing to make valiant late comebacks to win games, the Angels finally took an early lead, expanded it later and won without too much stress.

Their 8-5 victory over the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night stretched their winning streak to three games and brought them within a game of .500, at 11-12.

Unlike their previous two victories — each coming by 2-1 scores — this one was marked by hits from all over the lineup.

Cameron Maybin, who brought a .193 average into the game, had three of them. Maybin had hits to center, to left and to right, the first and last coming with two outs and runners in scoring position. His first hit tied the score, 2-2, and the last one drove in two runs to turn a one-run lead into a three-run lead in the seventh.

“Obviously, I think he’s more comfortable in the box right now,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “Spring training it took a while to get going, but the way he swung the bat tonight is what we saw most of last year, if you look at video. He was hitting the ball all over.”

Maybin had almost a look of relief as he described his best offensive day so far with the Angels. This is a player who began his Angels career with an 0 for 20 in spring training.

“It’s been a lot of hard work since the spring,” Maybin said. “Just continuing to keep the faith, believing in my approach. If you come in every day and do things right, eventually good things will happen.”

He wasn’t the only Angels player whose Wednesday night came as a relief. Kole Calhoun, who had hit .122 over his previous 11 games, followed up Tuesday night’s walk-off single with three more hits.

Jefry Marte, who had been in a 1-for-26 slump and was hitting .132 for the season, had a pair of hits.

And Albert Pujols continued a hot streak. Pujols was hitting .177 when this homestand began on Friday, but he’s now 11 for 27 (.407) in the last six games. Pujols drove in his team-leading 17th run of the season.

All told, the Angels had 14 hits, their most of the season. The eight runs was their second-highest total. When they scored four runs in the seventh inning, it gave them a five-run lead for the first time since April 4, the third game of the season.

With the added cushion, the Angels hoped they could rest some of their more oft-used relievers, specifically Jose Alvarez and Blake Parker. Deolis Guerra took the ball in the eighth and gave up a two-run homer to Matt Joyce, which cut the margin to three.

Scioscia still called on Bud Norris — seemingly his temporary closer — to work the ninth. Norris finished it for his third save in three tries. He preserved the victory for Matt Shoemaker on a night that he followed what has become his pattern this season.

Shoemaker had a rough start before settling down. He gave up two runs in the first, but nothing else through five innings.

He’s now allowed 10 runs in 15 innings covering the first three innings of his five starts, and opponents have hit .300 against him in those innings. After that, he’s settled down and fared much better. He has allowed just four in 11 2/3 and opponents have hit .154.

“One thing with Matt is as his outings have gone on, he’s gotten progressively better,” Scioscia said before the game. “Hopefully we’ll see him get into his game earlier and do some of the things we saw him do during that stretch last year. He has it in him.”

ANAHEIM – Adam Larsson, acquired by Edmonton in the off-season to bolster its defense, expanded his role Wednesday night.

Because of that, the Oilers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 Western Conference semifinals over the Ducks.

Larsson put Edmonton ahead, 3-1, but then did his best work with 4:40 left. He surged past Cam Fowler and let a shot go wehen he was just going behind the net. It bounced off the skate of Hampus Lindholm and past John Gibson.

Leon Draisaitl added an empty-net goal to wrap up the 5-3 Edmonton win.

The Ducks thus lost their first playoff game and took their first loss of any kind since a 4-3 OT loss to these Oilers on April 1. They hadn’t lost a regulation game since March 10.

Larsson scored only four goals in 79 games for the Oilers during the regular season but was a plus-21. They got him from New Jersey in exchange for former first-overall pick Taylor Hall.

A tightly played game suddenly took flight in the third period. The Oilers went ahead 3-1 on Mark Letestu’s second power play goal, following a holding penalty by Jakob Silfverberg on Connor McDavid. Then Leon Draisaitl, who scoredf eight points on the Ducks on the regular season, got his third asisst of the game when he fed Adam Larsson.

The Ducks did not waste much time storming back from that two-goal deficit. Patrick Eaves got a tap-in after Brandon Montour’s shot rebounded off goalie Cam Talbot. That play began with Ryan Getzlaf’s clean faceoff win.

Then the Ducks, within a minute, generated an odd-man rush that culminated in Silfverberg’s goal off a shot by Andrew Cogliano. The officials reviewed in but let the goal stand. All that happened in the first 10:57 of the third period.

The Ducks got Cam Fowler back for his first playoff game, but again skated without Sami Vatanen. Then Kevin Bieksa had to leave the ice early in the first period after he collided with Shea Theodore, but came back before the stress built up.

The first period was played chin-to-chin, with few good chances, no odd-man rushes to speak of, and lots of contact. The Oilers’ Matt Benning cleaned out Andrew Cogliano with an elbow, and young defenseman Darnell Nurse had no problem challenging Ryan Getlzaf. The officiating crew was, well, pretty officious, whistling three penalties on each team.

Zack Kassian of Edmonton probably had the best chance, flicking a boucning puck against John Gibson’s shoulder. The top line, featruing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, was able to get on the ice at times against the Ducks’ fourth line, and Draisaitl drew a penalty against Logan Shaw that way, but a sharp Ducks penalty kill defused that.

When aked about the possibility of rust for the Ducks, who hadn’t played in eight days, Randy Carlyle replied, ‘What rust?” He pointed out that the Ducks had rebounded swiftly from the All-Star break and their mandated week off, and indeed their timing appeared reasonably intact.

There was also a lot of pregame talk about faceoffs, since the Ducks ranked No. 1 in regular season faceoff percentage and Edmonton ranked 30th, or last. Sure enough the Ducks won 12 of 16 faceoffs in the first period, with Getzlaf winning all four of his.

The Ducks inherited a power play when the second period started, thanks to a hooking penalty by Anton Slepyshev, and Getzlaf didn’t let the chance slip away. He powered a drive from the slot past Cam Talbot within the first minute of the period to put the Ducks ahead, 1-0.

Which reminded some of Carlyle’s quote about Getzlaf’s reluctance to shoot: “The coaches tell him to shoot it and his linemates tell him to pass it, so he likes to pass it.” This time he listened to the coaches.

Josh Manson nearly put the Ducks ahead 2-0 when he rushes Talbot, but Edmonton got a handle on the game, thanks to power plays. Nick Ritchie appeared to slip inside the Oilers’ Oscar Klefbom, but the officials called the penalty on Ritchie instead, and the Oilers got a 5-on-3 when Hampus Lindblom was called for high-sticking Leon Draisaitl.

The Oilers tied it when Mark Letestu, a dangerous man in man-advantage situations, scored from Gibson’s right. That was helped by the fact that Getzlaf had broken his stick, so it was essentially a 5-on-2 ½.

But Anaheim survived the rest of the power play, thanks to a gallant effort by Nate Thompson, who dived right in front of a grenade launched by Klefbom. Thompson somehow limped his way off the ice and into the locker room, where he stayed until the end of the period, but his effort would not be easily forgotten.