The tally of dead and dying lawns is not something you see in the official reports on the economy, but it's one of my own personal economic indicators.

COMMERCE, CA-GlobeSt.com learns from an unidentified source that the 285,368-square-foot Commerce Office Park changed hands for approximately $40 million.

LOS ANGELES-Economist Christopher Thornberg tells IREM-LA Forecast attendees that there are potholes in the roads ahead, but there is more reason to be positive in 2012. The US and California economies are gaining momentum, he says.

SAN FRANCISCO-John Greer, formerly a principal at PCCP LLC, will be responsible for sourcing new acquisitions, among other tasks.

PLAYA VISTA, CA-An unidentified source tells GlobeSt.com that the lease at Maguire Investments’ Water’s Edge office complex here has an aggregate lease value of approximately $36 million.

OAKLAND, CA-The new commercial real estate office will be led by managing principals Matt Elmquist and Scott Stone, who formerly were principals at AEGIS Realty Partners in Oakland.

RENO, NV-The independently owned and operated member of the Cushman & Wakefield Alliance, says the move will help ‘better serve its clients through this natural extension of service areas in the Western US.’

LOS ANGELES-Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom tells ALIS attendees that ‘if you aren’t investing in the future, you won’t do very well,’ using California as a key example of a state that ‘rested on its reputation.’