Gov. Newsom visits Hollywood to propose doubling state’s film tax credit – Daily News |
HOLLYWOOD — Gov. Gavin Newsom was on location in Hollywood Sunday, where he unveiled a proposal to more than double the tax credit the state offers to producers of films and TV shows that shoot in California.
Appearing with industry union leaders, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and state Sen. Anthony Portantino, D-Burbank, Newsom announced a plan to boost the annual tax credit from its current $330 million to $750 million, which would represent the largest amount offered by any state except Georgia, which has no cap on its credits.
The plan, which still needs approval by the state Legislature, could take effect as early as July 2025. [Article] |
by , Los Angeles Daily News. 2024-10-28 |
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‘Danger in my back yard’: residents in a wildfire-prone California town eye more Yosemite tourism with unease | California | The Guardian |
Kathleen Armstrong saw the smoke curling above the tree-covered horizon and turned on her scanner with bated breath. Mariposa was on fire again. It was the Fourth of July, a high-risk time in the California mountain town near Yosemite national park that had already seen its fair share of emergency evacuations.
Memories still fresh from the destructive 2022 Oak fire, Armstrong and her husband rushed to pack up their four dogs as the sky began to glow red and flames raced toward the back door. “It was traumatizing,” she recalled in a recent interview. “It’s a miracle we are still here.” [Article] |
by , . 2024-10-28 |
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South L.A. Celebrates Electric Vehicle Charger Station at PVJOBS – Los Angeles Sentinel |
Helping South Los Angeles merge into the green energy future, PVJOBS celebrated the area’s first Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station on the corner of Main and East 41st Streets, along with L.A. Councilman Curren Price. [Article] |
by , . 2024-10-28 |
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Supervisor Kirk Will Discuss District Three Projects And Initiatives - myMotherLode.com |
Issues around Pinecrest Lake, repairs on Tuolumne Road, and efforts to make Twain Harte more fire resilient, are some of the topics that will be discussed by District Three Tuolumne County Supervisor Anaiah Kirk on this weekend’s Mother Lode Views.
He will also share his opinions about the future of Standard Park, and ideas he has for closing the county’s future budget shortfalls. [Article] |
by , My Mother Lode. 2024-10-28 |
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Measure G created a rift among the county supervisors. It's not going away. - Los Angeles Times |
Ten days to go until a bitterly divisive election season comes to a close.
For the five L.A. County supervisors, a change in tenor can’t come soon enough.
“We’ve probably had more division recently than I can remember in the eight years I’ve been here,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said Tuesday at another unusually testy board meeting. “I don’t like the dynamics lately among us.”
For the supes, the brewing tension has nothing to do with the marquee issues splitting the country. It’s all about Measure G.
On Nov. 5, L.A. County voters will decide if they want to massively shake up one of the state’s most powerful legislative bodies. The sprawling ballot measure would nearly double the size of the Board of Supervisors, form a new ethics commission and create an elected executive who would act almost like a mayor.
The measure has fractured the five supes along unusual lines. Lindsey Horvath and Janice Hahn, who both spearheaded the measure, joined Supervisor Hilda Solis to get it on the ballot.
Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Kathryn Barger panned the proposal as ill-conceived and the process as rushed. Barger had previously called it “anything but transparent,” saying that she and Mitchell were kept in the dark for too long.
This week, Mitchell and Barger put forward their own motion aiming to tackle the county’s oft-befuddling bureaucracy and give more time for the public to weigh in on county policies. It passed — but only after the board’s three Measure G supporters expressed trepidation. The motion ultimately passed 4-1, with Solis voting no.
“Quite frankly, I don’t think this is the direction that I feel comfortable with,” said Solis. “I want to wait until after the election.”
Horvath said she was “skeptical about the motivations” of her colleagues.
In county government parlance, that’s about as confrontational as it gets. [Article] |
by , Los Angeles Times. 2024-10-28 |
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EPA reviewing petition to evaluate Tijuana River Valley’s eligibility as a superfund site – San Diego Union-Tribune |
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Friday it is reviewing a petition sent by San Diego County residents and elected officials asking the federal government to evaluate whether the polluted Tijuana River Valley may be eligible for Superfund designation.
County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer spearheaded the effort after a majority of her colleagues on the Board of Supervisors voted earlier this month to delay any decision for at least three months.
“We need the EPA to come in here, and tell us once and for all if there is toxic waste in the ground so we have it addressed or take it off the table as an issue for our communities,” Lawson-Remer said in a statement.
The petition included 500 signatures from residents who listed their zip codes, of which about 200 were from South County. Many from the affected communities said they are suffering from respiratory ailments and those living outside of those areas said the sewage crisis has discouraged them from visiting the beaches and local businesses. [Article] |
by , San Diego Union-Tribune. 2024-10-28 |
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California Awards Another Grant to Support Displaced Oil and Gas Workers |
The Employment Development Department (EDD) awarded another grant from the $30 million Displaced Oil and Gas Worker Fund to help displaced workers transition to good-paying jobs, including opportunities in renewable energy. The latest grant awarded to the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW) will fund approximately $1 million in technical assistance and coaching for impacted workers. [Article] |
by , Sierra Sun Times - Mariposa. 2024-10-28 |
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Opinion: San Diego’s homeless policies keep missing the mark for people like me – San Diego Union-Tribune |
San Diego harbors a troubling truth: Despite numerous initiatives and well-funded programs to combat homelessness, the number of people on our streets continues to grow. Our policies are crafted for positive press releases rather than genuine assistance, treating homelessness as a public relations problem for the city instead of a human crisis requiring empathy and real solutions.
The latest attempts — shelter expansions and encampment sweeps — rehash old, ineffective strategies. We shuttle people into makeshift camps or emergency shelters that reek of despair, then congratulate ourselves. But what happens when they refuse to go?
Here’s an uncomfortable truth: Not all help is helpful. As someone who has lived this experience, I know firsthand how it feels when the system treats you as a number rather than a person. I spent years unsheltered, battling addiction, only to realize how hollow these “solutions” truly are. During those years, I was completely unaware of the assistance available to me as a veteran. The case managers who were supposed to help never even asked if I was a veteran, a question that could have opened doors to support I desperately needed. Instead, I was left to navigate a broken system alone, feeling invisible and abandoned by the very programs that should have made a difference.
Many shelter staff, social workers and city officials interact with those they’re meant to assist with the same compassion they’d show an annoying insect. It’s not enough to simply show up and distribute food — people can sense insincerity from a mile away. [Article] |
by , San Diego Union-Tribune. 2024-10-28 |
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Mexico’s new president tours sewage treatment project in first Tijuana visit – San Diego Union-Tribune |
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum visited Tijuana and Rosarito on Saturday, marking her first official trip to Baja California since taking office earlier this month.
Sheinbaum, who made history as Mexico’s first female president, toured ongoing federal projects, including one eagerly anticipated on both sides of the border — the overhaul of the San Antonio de los Buenos sewage treatment plant in Tijuana.
Construction started under the previous federal administration. The project is expected to be instrumental in reducing the amount of sewage that has polluted the coastlines of San Diego County and Tijuana.
“The progress is significant and soon this project will be completed,” said Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila on social media, sharing photos of the president’s tour.
Mexican officials have previously said they expect to deliver the project by the end of the year. The Mexican military is in charge of the project.
Sheinbaum also observed the progress of the construction of an elevated viaduct that will connect Playas de Tijuana to Tijuana’s international airport. The first phase of the project, between Playas de Tijuana and the Chaparral southbound border crossing, is expected to be completed next year. [Article] |
by , San Diego Union-Tribune. 2024-10-28 |
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Gavin Newsom proposes to increase California film and TV tax credit - Los Angeles Times |
Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a proposal Sunday to more than double the annual amount of money allocated to California’s film and TV tax credit program as Hollywood struggles to compete with other production hubs dangling lofty incentives.
The governor declared his intent to expand the annual tax credit to $750 million, up from its current total of $330 million, which would make California the top state for capped film incentive programs, surpassing even New York. If approved by the Legislature, the increase could take effect as early as July 2025 and span five years.
Newsom announced his plans during a news conference Sunday at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. He was joined by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, legislative leaders and union officials, including representatives of the Directors Guild of America and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
Standing in front of a lectern with a blue sign reading “Lights, Camera, Jobs,” Newsom said the state “needed to make a statement and to do something that was meaningful.”
“We’re in a position where we can afford this, and we need to do this,” he said during the news conference. “It’s about recognizing the world we invented is now competing against us.” [Article] |
by , Los Angeles Times. 2024-10-28 |
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Large grant to help mitigate floods, recharge groundwater in Merced County |
A one million dollar grant promises to help with groundwater recharge and flood diversion in the Merced County, the Westlands Water District says.
The grant was awarded to the district by the California Department of Water Resources as part of the Flood Diversion Recharge (FDRE) Initiative. [Article] |
by , . 2024-10-28 |
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October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Here's how to stay safe from scams - Los Angeles Times |
NEW YORK — October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which means it’s the perfect time to learn how to protect yourself from scams.
“Scams have become so sophisticated now. Phishing emails, texts, spoofing caller ID, all of this technology gives scammers that edge,” said Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center.
As scammers find new ways to steal money and personal information, consumers should be more vigilant about who they trust, especially online. A quick way to remember what to do when you think you’re getting scammed is to think about the three S’s, said Alissa Abdullah, also known as Dr. Jay, Mastercard’s deputy chief security officer.
“Stay suspicious, stop for a second (and think about it) and stay protected,” she said.
Whether it’s romance scams or job scams, impersonators are looking for ways to trick you into giving them money or sharing your personal information. Here’s what to know: [Article] |
by , Los Angeles Times. 2024-10-28 |
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Supervisors add land to CalFire lease at Hemet-Ryan Airport | Valley News |
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection leases land at Hemet-Ryan Airport, and an Oct. 1 Riverside County Board of Supervisors action increased the CalFire lease area at the county-owned airport. The 5-0 vote adds 0.41 acres to the leasehold, bringing the total area to 15.13 acres. The land added to the CalFire lease has an existing 2,640 square foot building which will be utilized to house additional staff at CalFire’s Ryan Air Attack Base. The Ryan Air Attack Base provides fire suppression and air rescue services throughout Southern California. In 2022 the Board of Supervisors approved a 50-year lease which took effect on February 1, 2022 and will terminate on January 31, 2072. CalFire had been paying an annual base rent of $106,074.07. The lease amendment changes [Article] |
by , Temecula Valley News. 2024-10-28 |
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Misinformation and vitriol: Inside the life of a Nevada elections worker | AP News |
One morning last month, Cari-Ann Burgess did something completely unremarkable: She made a quick stop at a coffee shop on her way to work.
For Burgess, the top election official in a northern Nevada county, such outings could be precarious. As she waited for a hot tea and breakfast sandwich, an older woman approached.
“She proceeded to tell me that I should be ashamed of myself — that I’m a disgrace, I’m an embarrassment to Washoe County, and I should crawl into a hole and die,” Burgess said in an interview with The Associated Press the following day. [Article] |
by , . 2024-10-28 |
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California wildfires are spreading faster, endangering more people - Los Angeles Times |
Just from what they’ve experienced over the years, California residents may suspect that wildfires have gotten more extreme amid a warmer and more drought-prone climate.
A new paper in the journal Science puts that sentiment to the test, with startling findings: California fires spread almost four times faster in 2020 than they had in 2001.
The study, authored by scientists from the University of Colorado, UC Merced and UCLA, also found that across the West, fires grew 250% more quickly in 2020 than they did in 2001.
“People are pretty good at putting out all fires,” said Park Williams, a UCLA professor and co-author of the study, but “the faster the fire, the more easily it can escape control.” [Article] |
by , Los Angeles Times. 2024-10-28 |
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Gasoline price-hike issue: California Republicans in U.S. House demand delay in state board vote - Los Angeles Times |
All 12 California Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have sent a letter to the California Air Resources Board demanding it delays a Nov. 8 vote on policies that will increase the price of gasoline.
The Republicans accuse the board, known as CARB, of “a failure to provide complete transparency” about consumer costs stemming from new environmental policies under discussion. The letter sent Thursday from the congressional delegation said the vote should be delayed so CARB can “focus on analyzing and communicating its policies’ impact on consumers in our state.”
CARB spokesman David Clegern said that the agency had no response to the letter, but that the vote was scheduled for Nov. 8 “due to required state timelines to move a rulemaking to a vote.”
The board issued an economic impact report last year that said tighter carbon reduction policies under consideration could raise gasoline prices as much as 47 cents a gallon next year.
CARB has since backed away from that projection, saying it was a requirement under state law but lacked a “real world” foundation. The agency has acknowledged that new policies to promote electric vehicles will probably raise gas prices, but says it can’t accurately predict by how much.
The letter was spearheaded by Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Seal Beach), who is in a tight reelection fight with Democrat Derek Tran.
Transparency and the level of CARB’s cooperation with legislators became a bipartisan issue at the special legislative session this month. That session ended in a bill that could lead to state mandates on the amount of spare gasoline that refiners must keep on hand to assure a steady supply of fuel. [Article] |
by , Los Angeles Times. 2024-10-28 |
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Las Lomitas Teachers Union and District Reach Tentative Agreement to End Strike | KQED |
Teachers and students at two schools in the Las Lomitas Elementary School District will be back in their classrooms Monday after the district and teachers union announced a tentative agreement Saturday night, ending a three-day strike.
The tentative agreement will include a 16% raise over three years, according to a press release from the Las Lomitas Education Association (LLEA).
In an interview with KQED, LLEA co-president Jennifer Montalvo celebrated the tentative agreement as a “big win.”
“We were able to get a three year deal and…we also got full health coverage for one person on a Kaiser plan,” Montalvo said. [Article] |
by , . 2024-10-28 |
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Surrounded by violence, drug dealing and overdoses, workers at this L.A. restaurant struggle to hang on |
In one sense, the Yoshinoya Japanese Kitchen across the street from MacArthur Park couldn’t be in a better location. Thousands of potential customers stream by each day on foot, headed to and from work, home, shopping, school and the Metro station.
In another sense, it couldn’t be in a worse location. The fentanyl epidemic is often literally at its doorstep, along with the same raft of public safety issues that prompted the exasperated owner of nearby Langer’s Delicatessen to tell me in August that he was thinking of shutting down after 77 years in business.
Yoshinoya manager Hortencia Garcia told me that when she gets to the restaurant each morning at the corner of Wilshire and Alvarado, there’s often work to do before the food prep begins. [Article] |
by , . 2024-10-28 |
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Dozens of County Locations to Participate in National Drug Take-Back Day - Times of San Diego |
San Diego County residents who want to get rid of expired, unused, or unwanted drugs will have the chance to safely discard them Saturday at multiple locations during National Drug Take Back Day. [Article] |
by , Times of San Diego. 2024-10-28 |
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L.A. County’s Homelessness Initiative Is Also About Seeing Black People |
Back in August, I was invited by a friend to see a play, Shelter, written and performed by Renée Westbrook, a Black woman with a long history of homelessness. The performance was held at a church in South Central Los Angeles, which is far from a proper theater; the lighting was too dim, the acoustics nonexistent. But the show was absolutely riveting. On the pulpit that doubled that evening as a stage, Westbrook fearlessly vetted all that had led to her homelessness, including discrimination, family troubles, self-doubt, struggles with money. There were triumphs, too — along the way she had earned a master’s degree, nurtured a clear talent for writing and performance. But, ultimately, she failed to break free of a tangled web of realities that kept her on the street and on the move. Inspired as the show was, it did not have a happy ending. [Article] |
by , . 2024-10-28 |
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