Unemployment down.

Unemployment Down: L.A. County's unemployment rate fell to a seasonally adjusted 4.8 percent in July from 4.9 percent in June, though it was above the 4.6 percent recorded in July 2006, according to the California Employment Development Department. Statewide, the seasonally adjusted unemployment

rate was 5.3 percent in July, up from 5.2 percent in June and 4.8 percent in July of last year. Meanwhile, total non-farm payroll jobs in L.A. County fell 37,000 in July to 4,105,900, a drop of nearly 1 percent from June's levels. More than two-thirds of this decline was due to teachers on summer break, the agency said. On the plus side, trade, transportation and utilities posted a gain of 1,700 jobs to handle the seasonal summer surge in port traffic.