Inflation rears its ugly head

“The consumer price index rose 0.3 percent in January, to about 202, but in the Los Angeles area, the index rose 0.9 percent to more than 212.5, according to figures released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While prices are up 2.1 percent from a year ago nationwide, they are up 3 percent on the West Coast. The January figures for the Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County area were also up 3.2 percent on an annual basis from January 2006.”