The Los Angeles area saw a slight drop in unemployment in April, to 6.1 percent from 6.5 percent a month ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Unemployment is still a full percentage point higher than it was one year ago in the area defined as Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana. The numbers for Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura are better, with April 2008 unemployment at 5.2 percent. The San Fernando Valley is not included as a separate area in the Bureau’s analysis.
