Former SFVBJ Editor Dies

Mark Lacter, the founding editor of the San Fernando Valley Business Journal, died after suffering a stroke this month. He was 59. Lacter was most recently a writer and editor at LA Observed, where he founded the LA Biz Observed sister site and worked since 2006. He also wrote for Los Angeles magazine and contributed to business coverage on KPCC-FM (89.3). He founded the Valley paper in 1996 as an offshoot of the Los Angeles Business Journal, where he was the editor from 1996 until 2000, until he left to work at Forbes magazine for a year. He then returned to Los Angeles paper where he stayed through 2005. He previously had worked as an editor, columnist and reporter at the Los Angeles Daily News, Investor’s Business Daily and other publications. Lacter suffered a stroke Nov. 13 while working in his Westside office and later died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Matt Toledo, publisher and chief executive of the Los Angeles Business Journal, said Lacter’s contributions were key to starting the Valley paper, which was originally an insert in the Los Angeles edition. “Mark was a passionate reporter and editor and he shared my view that the Valley was underserved in terms of reporting out important business news stories,” Toledo said. “Without Marks leadership as our founding editor, we still would have started a Valley business journal but it would have been months or even years later.” Lacter is survived by his wife Laura Levine, a noted mystery writer. The couple did not have any children.