Los Angeles, California Local News | ReportWire publishes the latest breaking U.S. and world news, trending topics and developing stories from around globe.
Regen Wilson, running as a Democrat to represent the 44th Assembly District on the L.A. County Central Committee, outlined his vision today for addressing three policy priorities with homelessness first among them.
“The epidemic of homelessness in this county is incredibly complex, but the failure of our system to address it is not,” said Wilson, a U.S. Air Force veteran and small business owner. “Complex problems require creative solutions and thus far our attempted remedies have been anything but creative.”
He cited a “one size fits all” approach as part of the problem. Referencing the success a county pilot program has had in addressing veteran homelessness—achieving a 38% percent decrease last year—he called for addressing homelessness one subpopulation at a time rather than trying to tackle the crisis all at once.
“We didn’t get here overnight,” Wilson said. “When I first moved here a decade ago, homelessness was at 44,000. Then it hit 66,000. A year ago, it stood at 75,000. Clearly, what we’ve been doing hasn’t been working so it’s time to take a different approach.
“Applying a public-private partnership solution to the veteran subpopulation has clearly worked, so why not try it with other vulnerable subpopulations like foster youth, or re-entry [formerly incarcerated individuals re-entering society].”
Wilson, who’s been endorsed by the California Democratic Voter Guide, says the public- private approach can be applied to other policy initiatives he’s been advocating, including rebuilding the middle class of the performing arts, and helping veterans transition from the service to civilian status once they leave the military.
In advocating for a publicly-administered, privately-financed mentorship program for the performing arts, Wilson compares it to an evolution of the old studio “contract players” that ended in the 1960s. Under that system, individuals pursuing careers in the performing arts were trained in their profession under a form of apprenticeship, after which contracts were issued to qualifying individuals for jobs that paid a living wage.
“Sadly, the vast majority of individuals arriving here to pursue careers in the performing arts are not able to support themselves in their chosen profession,” Wilson explained. “Creating an organized, regulated mentorship program would go a long way toward producing a larger professional class of working performers, thereby growing the industry’s middle class which benefits society as a whole.”
The third policy area where Wilson believes the public-private approach can work is with veterans transitioning to civilian life after leaving the service. Many veterans, including those who experienced combat, find it difficult to translate their military service into civilian resumes. This failure to successfully transition can have devastating consequences.
“Failure to land on your feet once you hang up your uniform can lead to chronic unemployment, which can lead to homelessness, which can lead to the ultimate transition failure: Veterans dying by suicide,” Wilson said.
But by leveraging and expanding existing programs that partner government with industry, veterans can be paired with “sponsors” who can help facilitate their transition back into civilian life. “It’s like reverse boot camp,” he explained. “Training men and women to use their experiences as soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to be successful as civilians.”
Wilson says his unique blend of experience in both the public and private sectors, as a member of the military, the entertainment industry and in business, positions him as a voice for creative change when it comes to complex policy challenges.
“I’m speaking not just as an observer, but as someone with lived experience,” he said. “I’ve faced the same challenges that I’m seeking to address as a candidate, which in turn informs my overall approach.
“This is a creative town with a lot of creative people, so it’s the perfect place to implement some creative solutions.”
As one volunteer said, it feels back to “zero” in San Diego after a migrant reception center ran out of money, leading federal Border Patrol officers to begin dropping off hundreds of people at a trolley station over the weekend.
The so-called “street releases” in San Diego have touched off disagreements among federal, state and local officials about how to assist the new arrivals and who should pay for it. They also reflect a broader challenge President Joe Biden faces trying to manage unprecedented numbers of people arriving at the US-Mexico border.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported nearly 2.5 million encounters with migrants along the southwest border from October 2022 through September 2023. More than 80% of those encounters occurred between official ports of entry — in remote desert areas or mountains in southeastern San Diego and elsewhere in California, Arizona and Texas.
Many of the migrants who arrived over the weekend had been in Border Patrol custody but were released on what the federal government calls “humanitarian parole.” Some were disoriented and unclear about where they were, as they got off buses Saturday and Sunday at the Iris Street trolley station in San Diego. Some weren’t sure if they were still being detained.
They had no place to charge their cell phones, use bathrooms, eat a meal, or arrange travel to other parts of the United States. Many had received notices to appear in immigration courts in other cities, some they had never heard of and couldn’t pronounce. Others had been separated from family members during the detention process and didn’t know what to do next.
“Where am I?” asked Juan Carlos Ortiz, a 28-year-old from Nicaragua, as he rummaged through his backpack for shoelaces that had been removed from his shoes while in custody. With a shoelace halfway through one shoe, he raced with his group to catch the next trolley heading for the San Diego International airport.
Another man who spoke Arabic called a friend in Egypt and pressed his phone into a reporter’s hand: “Is my friend still in custody?” asked the man on the phone, half a world away.
Migrants arrive at the Iris Avenue Transit Center after being dropped off by Border Patrol agents in San Diego on Feb. 25, 2024. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters
Border Patrol officials said they had no choice but to release the migrants on city streets, because its holding facilities were overcrowded and understaffed. The agency said it was working with local and federal partners to find a solution to the humanitarian challenges at the southern border.
The welcome center, which opened in October, closed Thursday night because of a lack of funds. Previously it bused people from a federal detention center to a former elementary school in San Diego, where migrants were given basic services, connected with loved ones through translators, and allowed to rest and arrange for the next leg of their journey.
Since October San Diego County has awarded $6 million to SBCS, the nonprofit formerly known as South Bay Community Services, which ran the center. The funds came from what’s left of $650 million the federal government sent San Diego County for the COVID-19 pandemic.
The nonprofit provided transportation, wifi, phone-charging stations, food, travel advice and other services. The group aimed to keep the center open through March, but Thursday was its last day because its “finite resources have been stretched to the limit” amid a significant increase in migrant arrivals, CEO Kathie Lembo said last week.
County officials said the center served 700 to 900 people a day last week. In total it provided services to more than 81,000 migrants since October, Lembo said.
“This temporary support was vital and prevented tens of thousands of individuals from being stranded in San Diego without the support needed to continue their journey, as 99.5% of the migrants we served traveled on to destinations outside of the county,” Lembo said in a statement.
What newly arrived migrants will do now that the center is closed is unclear.
Migrants who arrived last week came from China, Ecuador, Mexico, Egypt, Nicaragua, Guinea and Georgia.
“If you speak Spanish, please walk down the sidewalk this way,” volunteers shouted as group after group of migrants left the federal buses. “English, over here!” waved another volunteer.
Volunteers from nearly a dozen local and state nonprofits spread out from the Iris trolley station to the San Diego airport, trying to help direct people on the next leg of their trip.
“I’m going to show you a diagram of the trolley’s route. You guys are here at Iris,” volunteer Robert Vivar explained to a group of Spanish-speakers, showing them a map. “Where you’re going to go is where the star is — at the stop called Old Town. That’s where you’re going to get down.”
Volunteers used translation apps on cell phones to try to communicate with those speaking languages other than English, Spanish or French.
It was the same routine volunteers followed last fall before the migrant welcome center opened.
“It feels like we’re starting from zero again,” said volunteer Patricia Mondragon, who stressed the need for continued government assistance. Mondragon said local or state governments could provide bathrooms, cell charging stations and wifi to help disoriented migrants figure out where they are and where they’re going next.
“We really feel strongly there is a continuous role here for a whole-of-government approach, so we can be the welcoming region that we are known to be. We need to help people in a dignified manner,” Mondragon said.
Migrants arrive at the Iris Avenue Transit Center after being dropped off by Border Patrol agents in San Diego on Feb. 25, 2024. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters
Gov. Gavin Newsom has said California cannot continue providing the same level of humanitarian services along the border it has in the past, not while facing tens of billions in projected budget deficits.
In the fiscal year that ended in June, the state allocated $150 million for sheltering services for migrants. That money is “fully committed” for the year, a spokesman said.
But Monday Daniel Lopez, the deputy communications director for Newsom’s office, said California will continue “serving as a model of partnership for a safe and humane border.
“The state remains committed to supporting counties as they develop contingency plans to provide sheltering and other essential services for migrants,” he said.
California funds nonprofit organizations that temporarily house migrants who are separated from family members during the detention process. Lissette Gabelanez, 19 from Ecuador, was in that situation Saturday afternoon as she waited for her mother, father and 4-year-old brother to be released from detention.
“Should I just go back to the detention center,” she asked a volunteer, who told her she was free to make her own decisions but they recommended she wait at the trolley station.
“I’m just very worried about my family,” she told CalMatters.
At the Old Town trolley station Saturday morning, migrant travelers could take a free shuttle to the airport. But by midday Saturday, airport officials stopped migrants from boarding the free shuttles unless they could show proof that their airline ticket had already been purchased.
A couple from Colombia said they could only purchase their tickets in cash and decided to take a taxi from Old Town to the airport. About a dozen people gathered around a T-mobile booth at the train depot to ask the attendant to charge their phones, as they tried connecting with loved ones to purchase airline tickets. “We’ve been slammed all day,” said the cashier.
Migrants arrive at the Iris Avenue Transit Center after being dropped off by Border Patrol agents in San Diego on Feb. 25, 2024. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters
A spokesperson for the San Diego airport said migrants should not be arriving at the airport without tickets, or more than eight hours before their flights are scheduled to take off.
“The airport is not set up to provide services,” said Nicole Hall, an airport spokesperson.
San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, a Republican, opposes using county funds to manage the street releases.
“The federal government must manage the mess they’ve created,” he said. “We need the border to be secure and the laws to be upheld, including asylum cases to be heard on a case-by-case basis, not just mass released. But, in the meantime, if the federal government allows this to take place, they must fund the chaos they’ve created.”
Some advocates have raised concerns about how funds at the migrant welcome center were spent and are calling for the county to investigate.
Invoices obtained by CalMatters through a Public Records Act request show that from October through December the organization spent $750,000 on personnel costs, $368,000 on transportation from the border patrol detention center to the welcome center, $461,800 on onward travel for migrants, $151,000 on operating expenses, and $330,000 to subcontractors, among other costs.
“It’s astounding that $6 million dollars have been spent in less than four months’ time and, as a region, we have absolutely no enduring welcoming infrastructure to show for it. This is unacceptable,” said Lindsay Toczylowski, executive director of Immigrant Defenders Law Center, which had volunteers at the trolley station.
Toczylowski said her organization will have to “fulfill the mission that has been abandoned by the organization that received all of the county funds.”
Funding transparency is crucial, said Erika Pinheiro, executive director of Al Otro Lado, another nonprofit that sent volunteers last weekend.
“Nothing can be done to get that money back, but we hope it serves as a lesson for the management of future funding so that it’s spent in a way that actually serves the community and focuses resources on the most vulnerable, ” Pinheiro said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Friday it would continue to “surge personnel, transportation, processing, and humanitarian resources to the most active and arduous areas throughout San Diego’s border region where migrants are callously placed by smuggling organizations.”
It added it will coordinate as much as possible with state, local and non-governmental partners, but “this situation is the latest example of the pressing need for Congress to provide additional resources and take legislative action to fix our outdated immigration laws.”
A man explains the importance of voting ‘uncommited’ as he hands out fliers outside the Islamic Center of Detroit to ask voters to vote ‘uncommitted’ in Michigan Primary elections on Tuesday, in Michigan, United States on February 26, 2024.
Mostafa Bassim | Anadolu | Getty Images
Palestinian keffiyehs and signs that read “Abandon Biden”: Arab-American demonstrators in Warren, Michigan made no secret of their anger at the president in early February as he visited the key swing state that helped carry him to victory in 2020.
As voters head to the polls for Michigan’s Democratic primary on Tuesday, there is a local campaign urging Democrats to choose “uncommitted” on the ballot as a form of protest vote again the administration’s support for Israel in its war in Gaza.
The Israeli military’s response, which has been sharply criticized by numerous world leaders and aid organizations, has displaced some 1.9 million people in Gaza, according to the United Nations, and killed nearly 30,000, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which is run by Hamas. The U.N. says that half a million people in the besieged enclave face starvation.
Citizens queue for food that is cooked in large pots and distributed for free during war-time on December 28, 2023 in Rafah, Gaza.
Ahmad Hasaballah | Getty Images
Dearborn, Michigan is home to the largest Arab-American population in the U.S. At the time Rodriguez’ Dearborn meeting was canceled, the city’s mayor, Abdullah H. Hammoud, tweeted: “Little bit of advice – if you’re planning on sending campaign officials to convince the Arab American community on why they should vote for your candidate, don’t do it on the same day you announce selling fighter jets to the tyrants murdering our family members.”
A spokesperson for the White House wasn’t immediately available when contacted by CNBC.
The primary vote on Tuesday will essentially be a referendum on what many of the state’s Democratic voters feel about Biden, and will be a harbinger of just how worried the Biden campaign should be about its level of support in Michigan when it comes time for the General Election.
Michigan’s Arab-American community voted overwhelmingly for Biden in 2020, helping him carry the state and defeat then-incumbent Donald Trump. But its population could be the determining factor in whether Biden takes the state this year, and its crucial 15 electoral college votes with it.
U.S. President Joe Biden is welcomed by Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu, as he visits Israel amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 18, 2023.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
“The U.S. election for President Biden could swing on two or three states,” Fred Kempe, CEO of the Atlantic Council, told CNBC. “Take one of those states, Michigan, [which] Biden won by fewer votes in the last election than there are Arab American votes that could go against him, because of what’s going on in the Middle East. So it’s an international situation for Biden, it’s also a deeply domestic political situation.”
Biden has voiced support for the creation of an independent Palestinian state, and has asked Israel to do more to protect civilian life in Gaza — but critics say the words are meaningless if the administration refuses to use its leverage to force the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to change course. The U.S. has consistently voted against every cease-fire measure put forward at the U.N. since the war began.
Senior White House officials met with community leaders in Michigan on Feb. 8, during which U.S. deputy national security advisor Jon Finer vocally acknowledged the administration’s actions and “missteps” with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the war in Gaza.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators march during a visit by President Joe Biden in Warren, Mich., Feb. 1, 2024.
Paul Sancya | AP
“We are very well aware that we have missteps in the course of responding to this crisis since October 7,” Finer said in recordings of the closed-door meeting published by The New York Times. “We have left a very damaging impression based on what has been a wholly inadequate public accounting for how much the president, the administration and the country values the lives of Palestinians,” he continued.
“And that began, frankly, pretty early in the conflict.”
Finer added that he did not “have any confidence in this current government of Israel.”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has warned voters against the “uncommitted” campaign, stressing that “any vote that’s not cast for Joe Biden supports a second Trump term,” which she said would be “devastating” for the Muslim community.
A view of destruction with destroyed buildings and roads after Israeli Forces withdrawn from the areas in Khan Yunis, Gaza on February 02, 2024.
Abdulqader Sabbah | Anadolu | Getty Images
Within the primary election, Biden doesn’t have any realistic Democratic competitors. But for Arab-Americans organizing across the country, the message is clear: No cease-fire, no vote.
Khalid Turaani, the co-organizer of the Abandon Biden campaign, handed out pamphlets outside the Islamic Center of Detroit telling people to vote “uncommitted” on their ballots, and told the BBC in an interview published Tuesday that his group had made more than 30,000 calls with the same message.
“We’re doing all that we can to ensure that Biden is a one-term president,” Turaani said, according to the U.K. broadcaster. “In November, we will remember. When you stand against the will of the people, you’re going to lose.”
MARINA DEL REY, Calif. (KABC) — Thieves targeted six Marina del Rey businesses in overnight smash-and-grab burglaries, at least one of which was captured on surveillance video, authorities said.
Three suspects have been taken into custody in connection with the break-ins, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, but whether the suspects and all six of the burglaries were connected remained unclear. Investigators confirmed that each of the individuals in custody lives in the area.
At one of the businesses, a Greek restaurant, video footage shows a lone intruder shattering a glass front door before heading straight for the cash register behind a counter.
All six of the businesses were hit in the hours after midnight, the LAPD said.
Video shows one of the startled robbers fall to the ground and drop his hammer as the owner opened fire.
Officers initially responded to the Ultra Beauty store on Maxella Avenue, just east of Lincoln Boulevard. Other nearby establishments were also burglarized, including a Starbucks location, a juice bar and a Hawaiian barbecue restaurant
“They were up there cleaning, they heard the windows starting to break,” said Rick Tavarez of Commercial Property Maintenance. “There’s no visibility of what’s going on from where they were. If you go up on the top and you walk around the corner, there’s a balcony over there, and so … the person that was cleaning walked around, looked down, saw the people breaking in the windows, called 911. They saw her and they took off.”
No estimate of the amount of cash and merchandise that was stolen was immediately available.
In the summer of 1984, Los Angeles became the epicenter of global unity and sporting excellence as it hosted the Games of the XXIII Olympiad. Beyond the athletic feats and international camaraderie, the 1984 Olympic Games left an indelible mark on the city and its people, shaping a legacy that continues to inspire and uplift communities around the world. At the heart of this remarkable achievement were visionary leaders, dedicated volunteers, and the transformative work of the LA84 Foundation.
Led by then-Mayor Tom Bradley, the City of Angels welcomed the world with open arms, showcasing its rich cultural tapestry and vibrant spirit. His vision for Los Angeles as a city of diversity and tolerance laid the groundwork for an event that transcended cultural and geographical boundaries.
Mayor Bradley’s unwavering belief in the potential of Los Angeles propelled the city to pursue the Olympic bid, rallying civic, community, and business leaders alike in a shared vision of greatness.
Under the stewardship of Peter Ueberroth, the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee introduced an innovative financial model that would redefine the way Olympic Games were funded. Leveraging corporate sponsorships and television rights, Ueberroth and his team turned a profit of over $232 million – a remarkable feat that set a new standard for Olympic success.
Their entrepreneurial spirit and strategic foresight not only ensured the financial viability of the Games, but also laid the foundation for the sustainable growth of future sporting events.
Yet, behind the scenes, it was the tireless efforts of the LA Olympic Organizing Committee staff and 33,500 volunteers that brought the vision of the 1984 Olympics to life. From coordinating logistics to providing hospitality, these unsung heroes worked tirelessly to ensure the smooth operation of the Games, leaving an indelible impression on athletes and spectators alike.
As the world marveled at the athletic prowess of Carl Lewis, Mary Lou Retton and Joan Benoit Samuelson, the cultural impact of the 1984 Olympics was equally profound. Los Angeles, with its diverse communities and rich heritage, took center stage, celebrating its unique identity on a global platform.
Through vibrant performances, art exhibitions, food and cultural events, the Games became a melting pot of creativity and expression, fostering cross-cultural understanding and appreciation.
Yet, perhaps the most enduring legacy of the 1984 Olympics lies in its commitment to building a better world through sports. A portion of the surplus funds generated from the Games was reinvested in the local community through the establishment of the LA84 Foundation.
Founded by esteemed civic leaders including Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, Maureen Kindel, Rafer Johnson, Gil Vasquez, and Ueberroth, the foundation embarked on a mission of helping youth become “life ready through sports.”
For nearly four decades, the LA84 Foundation has been a beacon of hope for millions of young people, providing access to sports programs, coaching clinics, fields of play, and leadership initiatives. By harnessing the power of play, the foundation has transformed countless lives by instilling values of teamwork, perseverance, and resilience in the next generation of leaders.
The LA84 Foundation has supported 4 million youth, trained 200,000 coaches, built or refurbished 400 fields, pools and courts, and funded 2,500 nonprofit partners over the last four decades.
As we look to the future the LA84 Foundation is committed to deepening its impact and modernizing its Olympic legacy. By building a movement for play equity, the foundation is ensuring that all young people have equal access to the transformative power of sports, play and movement, regardless of their background or circumstances. By breaking down barriers, providing opportunities and expanding resources, the foundation will continue to serve as a champion for equity and justice.
And as we pause to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1984 Olympics, it is a moment to thank and honor the visionaries, leaders, and volunteers who made it all possible. Their dedication and passion left an indelible mark on the City of Los Angeles and beyond, shaping a legacy of unity, inspiration, and hope that will endure for generations to come.
Renata Simril is President & CEO of the LA84 Foundation
A California legislator is proposing a new law that would require routine tests of statewide wastewater for illicit drugs to better inform public health and law enforcement officials.
Propelled by the success of epidemiological sewage testing during the COVID-19 pandemic, public health officials have continued to build on ways that wastewater monitoring can be used to inform policies and practices. In December, the National Institute on Drug Abuse announced a pilot program to test wastewater for illegal drugs and overdose reversing agents, such as Narcan, in 70 cities across the nation, including San Francisco and San Diego.
Haney’s new bill, AB 3073, would require biweekly testing of the state’s largest wastewater facilities for drugs, including fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and xylazine, an increasingly deadly drug also called Tranq. If passed, the law would create a process for the collection and testing of sewage, led by the State Water Board with the State Department of Public Health, which would publicly share the results.
“Wastewater drug testing empowers us to be proactive and respond effectively and immediately when we see spikes in certain areas or of particular drugs,” Haney, chair of the state’s Select Committee on Fentanyl, Opioid Addiction and Overdose Prevention, said in a statement. “The state cannot simply wait for people to die before we act.”
He said the wastewater results can provide “critical information to respond quicker to stop these drugs and intervene smarter and deploy resources with more precision.”
The bill hasn’t yet been analyzed for its fiscal impact, but Haney’s spokesperson Nate Allbee said their office estimates that a test for each major plant — of which there are 250 statewide — would cost about $200. Done twice a week, which the bill said would provide sufficient data to analyze drug trends, the testing regimen would cost the state an estimated $100,000 a week.
Testing wastewater for illicit drugs has been implemented widely in Europe for the past 20 years, Allbee said. He said this practice has helped local governments detect spikes in the use of certain drugs and identify new, potentially dangerous drugs entering the illicit market.
“Despite the fact that the United States is experiencing an unprecedented deadly epidemic from drug overdoses, we are way behind the curve in adopting wastewater-based drug testing” to combat the opioid epidemic, Haney said. “Other countries have proven that testing wastewater for illicit drugs allows public health departments to identify trends in drug use in neighborhoods and proactively target public health interventions in communities before overdose deaths occur.”
Wendy’s menu items may be rising and fluctuating in price depending on the time, location and demand.
In mid-February, Kirk Tanner, the new CEO and president of Wendy’s, shared with analysts that they would be rolling out new plans to improve company profits, including digital menu boards that will be more easily able to change the prices of items, as well as testing dynamic pricing and daypart offers, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.
Tanner explained that they plan to invest about $20 million to “roll out digital menu boards to all U.S. company-operated restaurants by the end of 2025 and approximately $10 million over the next two years to support digital menu board enhancements for the global system.”
The digital boards are meant to improve the order accuracy and increase sales by upselling certain menu items.
By 2025, the fast food restaurant chain will begin testing dynamic pricing, which is a time-based pricing strategy that companies use to increase or decrease prices for their services or items depending on the time and demand. It is similar to “surge prices” on the Uber app when there are few drivers or the demand for a driver is higher, depending on the location or time of day.
“Beginning as early as 2025, we will begin testing more enhanced features like dynamic pricing and daypart offerings along with AI-enabled menu changes and suggestive selling,” Tanner said.
A Wendy’s spokesperson confirmed the digital menus, as well as dynamic pricing in a statement to TODAY.com.
“At Wendy’s, we’re focused on providing great tasting, fresh, high-quality food and doing it in a way that brings value to our customers. As we’ve previously shared, we are making a significant investment to accelerate our digital business. In addition to evolving our loyalty program, we are leveraging technology even more with the roll out of digital menu boards in some U.S. restaurants,” the statement reads. “Beginning as early as 2025, we will begin testing a variety of enhanced features on these digital menu boards like dynamic pricing, different offerings in certain parts of the day, AI-enabled menu changes and suggestive selling based on factors such as weather.”
The statement adds that “dynamic pricing can allow Wendy’s to be competitive and flexible with pricing, motivate customers to visit and provide them with the food they love at a great value. We will test a number of features that we think will provide an enhanced customer and crew experience.”
In the meeting with analysts, Tanner noted that they have already rolled out its “Wendy’s Fresh AI” in many restaurants, “where we see ongoing improvement in speed and accuracy.”
The digital menus will help reflect the fluctuating prices throughout the day. Tanner said the new rollouts will “plays a key role on our restaurant team, enabling the crew to focus on what matters: preparing fresh high-quality Wendy’s favorites and building customer relationships to bring them back time and again.”
“Experts say more businesses are tracking consumer spending habits to determine when and even what to charge more for,” Brock said, adding that to avoid dynamic pricing check online for promo codes, discounts, loyalty programs and more.
Additionally, the CEO said to analysts that the company will also be investing more money to advertise its new breakfast menu offerings. They recently teamed up with Cinnabon for a new breakfast item and added two additional breakfast offerings: English muffin sandwiches and a breakfast burrito.
According to Nation’s Restaurant News, the company is also testing “saucy nuggets” with flavors like honey-barbecue, Buffalo, garlic-parmesan and ghost pepper in a small number of restaurants in Ohio.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
A California prison inmate locked up on a gang-related murder conviction led a scheme that defrauded the U.S. government out of more than $550 million in Covid-era federal tax credits, prosecutors said.
The inmate, Kristopher Thomas, was also charged with running a drug trafficking operation from his cell at Kern Valley State Prison that shipped large amounts of methamphetamine to several states and smuggled fentanyl into that prison, court filings show.
Thomas’ mother, 55-year-old Kettisha Thompson-Dozier, and her spouse, Charmane Dozier, 44, who both live in Waldorf, Maryland, were charged with him in the tax credit scheme, along with Sharon Vance, 36, of Hawthorne, California, according to prosecutors.
All four defendants are charged in that case with conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claims.
Five other people were charged with Thomas in the alleged drug trafficking scheme.
Thomas, 36, has been in prison since December 2010 following a murder conviction. He was sentenced to 50-years-to-life behind bars for the August 2009 killing in Los Angeles of Dequawn Allen, whom he shot after asking where Allen was from.
Thomas is a member of the Main Street Mafia Crips, a Los Angeles street gang, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, which is prosecuting him for both alleged schemes.
A criminal complaint accuses Thomas and his co-conspirators of filing, from early 2022 through July 2023, more than 400 payroll tax returns that claimed the employer retention credits in the names of fake businesses, and in the names of real companies that overstated the wages and numbers of workers they had.
The employee retention credits became a refundable federal tax credit for employers during the Covid-19 pandemic to encourage businesses to retain workers. The credit maximum was $5,000 per employee in 2020 and was increased to $7,000 per employee per quarter in 2021.
“Thomas provided instructions to co-conspirators about how to file payroll tax returns, how to respond to correspondences to the IRS, how to deposit the tax refund checks received, and more,” a criminal complaint said.
Thomas and the other conspirators used the money from the scam for personal expenses, which included Thomas paying for his family and friends “to be driven to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, party for the night at a luxury penthouse, and then fly back to Los Angeles on a private jet” to celebrate his birthday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
“It is remarkable that a prison inmate coordinated with others on the outside to distribute over 100 pounds of methamphetamine into the community,” said U.S. Attorney Philip Talbert.
“But that apparently was not enough: he also conspired to pursue over half a billion dollars in federal tax credits that were meant to help struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Talbert said.
Both the tax scheme and the drug trafficking operation came to light after August 2022, when the Drug Enforcement Administration began an investigation into Thomas at his prison in Delano, California, after identifying him as the source of methamphetamine in Hawaii, Talbert’s office said.
Thomas used a prison-issued electronic tablet to call “numerous romantic partners, family members, and other individuals believed to be involved in drug trafficking,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
DEA agents intercepted those calls and also intercepted text messages showing Thomas communicating about the tax fraud scheme, prosecutors said.
Agents seized more than 90 pounds of meth linked to Thomas in Oahu, Hawaii, more than 94 pounds of the same drug in Alabama, New Jersey and Oklahoma, and elsewhere, prosecutors said.
Agents also seized 14 pounds of fentanyl, 9.5 pounds of heroin, and 8.5 pounds of cocaine as a result of the DEA’s wiretaps on Thomas, according to prosecutors.
And “a half a pound of fentanyl was seized after it was smuggled into [Kern Valley State Prison] at Thomas’s direction,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Charged with Thomas in the drug scheme were Justin Damonte Mitchell, 31, of Los Angeles; former Kern Valley State Prison inmate Derrick Charles, 41; Natasha Michelle Bailey, 44, of Bakersfield, California; Antrell Maeshack Sr., 41, of Santa Clarita, California; and 29-year-old Marie Joo-Yeon Choi of Los Angeles.
By Clare Foran, Lauren Fox, Morgan Rimmer and Ted Barrett | CNN
There is still no clear path to avert a partial government shutdown at the end of the week, with just five days until Congress runs into a key funding deadline.
Lawmakers had hoped to release the text of a bipartisan spending deal Sunday evening, but the bill has yet to be unveiled. High-level disagreements over policy issues remain as House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, is under immense pressure from his right flank to fight for conservative wins.
As the clock ticks down to the deadline, Senate Democrats expressed anger and frustration Monday at the growing risk of a shutdown as many criticized House Republicans over the impasse.
“What is wrong with these people? This is the central thing Congress is supposed to do,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts told CNN’s Manu Raju. “Right now, the Republicans can’t seem to get themselves organized just to sign off on the basic work they’re supposed to do. This is just ridiculous.”
Sen. Jon Tester, a vulnerable Montana Democrat up for reelection this cycle, was livid in comments to CNN about a possible shutdown.
“There better not be,” he told Raju. “We’re doing this every six months. This is bullsh*t. It’s just bullsh*t. And so we need to do what we were elected to do, fund the government, not shut it down.”
Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, said, “I swear to God, it is sinful what is going on, and the games that are being played right now with the American people and all the people that are depending on services of the federal government, and we can’t even get our act together.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, warned of the risk of a shutdown in a “Dear Colleague” letter Sunday, and said that “intense discussions” are underway with Johnson and other key lawmakers.
Schumer blamed chaos within the House Republican conference for the delay, writing, “While we had hoped to have legislation ready this weekend that would give ample time for members to review the text, it is clear now that House Republicans need more time to sort themselves out.”
Johnson later Sunday took a swing at Schumer’s criticism of the House GOP, writing on social media, “Despite the counterproductive rhetoric in Leader Schumer’s letter, the House has worked nonstop, and is continuing to work in good faith, to reach agreement with the Senate on compromise government funding bills in advance of the deadlines.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday warned that a partial shutdown would be “harmful to the country,” and argued that it is “entirely avoidable” if the House and the Senate can work together.
Separately, McConnell told reporters at the Capitol, “We’re not gonna allow the government to shut down.”
Congress is confronting a pair of shutdown deadlines – on March 1 and March 8 – after lawmakers passed a short-term funding bill in January.
President Joe Biden will convene the top four congressional leaders Tuesday as the White House ratchets up pressure on lawmakers to pass additional funding to Ukraine and ahead of the partial government shutdown deadline.
Senators return to Washington, DC, on Monday evening, but the House won’t be back until Wednesday, leaving little time ahead of the fast-approaching Friday deadline.
In the Senate, agreement would need to be reached with the consent of all 100 senators to swiftly move any legislation before the deadline to avert a partial shutdown.
A key question looming over the week’s schedule is when the Senate will act on the articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who was impeached by House Republicans this month.
It’s not yet clear when the articles will be sent from the House to the Senate. A source familiar with conversations told CNN the two chambers are discussing the timing, but no decision had been made yet.
In the House, Johnson has little room to maneuver as he faces a historically narrow majority and an increasingly combative right flank. Tensions are set to rise even further over the government funding fight.
Hardline conservatives have revolted over the chamber’s passage of earlier stopgap funding bills and over a topline deal the speaker struck with Schumer to set spending close to $1.66 trillion overall.
In January, a group of hardliners staged a rebellion on the House floor, tanking a procedural vote to show opposition to the deal Johnson reached with Schumer.
Johnson won the gavel after conservatives ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a historic vote last year, raising the question of whether the Louisiana Republican may at some point face a similar threat against his speakership.
Funding extends through March 1 for a series of government agencies, including the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, and Housing and Urban Development, as well as the Food and Drug Administration and other priorities such as military construction.
An additional set of government agencies and programs are funded through March 8, including the departments of Justice, Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, State, Education, Interior, and Health and Human Services, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and the legislative branch.
That guidance includes information on how many employees would get furloughed, which employees are essential and would work without pay, how long it would take to wind down operations in the hours before a shutdown, and which activities would come to a halt.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Manu Raju, Sam Fossum, Melanie Zanona, Haley Talbot, Betsy Klein, Tami Luhby and Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this report.
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center was named among the top 20 hospitals in the nation for exceptional patient experience, according to a recent PEP Health analysis of 30 million online reviews. This recognition highlights the Burbank hospital’s unwavering commitment to delivering superior care and fostering positive interactions with patients.
“We are proud and honored to be recognized among the nation’s top hospitals for patient experience,” said Karl Keeler, chief executive at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center. “This achievement is a testament to the unwavering dedication and compassion of our caregivers who work tirelessly to ensure each patient receives exceptional care and support. We remain committed to providing the highest quality health care services with compassion and respect, making a positive difference in the lives of those we serve.”
Among its accolades, Providence Saint Joseph has earned a Best Regional Hospital designation by U.S. News & World Report, a patient-safety award from Healthgrades, and magnet recognition for nursing excellence.
The San Fernando Valley’s first acute care hospital, Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center offers world-class services, including the Disney Family Cancer Center, the only outpatient comprehensive cancer center in the valley; the Howard and Hycy Hill Neuroscience Institute; a comprehensive stroke center; a Level III neonatal intensive care unit; emergency services; as well as additional accolades in orthopedics, cardiology and women’s health.
NEW YORK — When we last left “The Bachelor”, Joey was in Canada with half a dozen women and still wondering which one would make the ideal mate for him.
We first met this guy when “The Bachelorette” Charity Lawson sent him home.
Now, he’s worried his heart might get broken again.
Hometowns are on the horizon! Fans of the show know that means “The Bachelor” must narrow the field to select four women he likes enough to go on a date in their hometowns and meet their families.
Joey says this particular week in Jasper, Alberta was particularly challenging because he had six solid connections with each of the remaining women, yet he knew his process of elimination had to continue.
His biggest fear remains being rejected, and one of his strongest connections with Daisy, said at this point, she isn’t ready to say she loves him, although others are more willing.
“There were real connections and relationships with each of those women,” Joey said.
“And, how did you nation it down further? What were you looking for? Eyewitness News Entertainment Reporter Sandy Kenyon asked.
“It sounds very obvious, but which connections were stronger? They were all different, but each week that’s all it is: is thinking which is the strongest? Which you can see the most future with, what kind of makes the most sense?” Joey said.
“The Bachelor” airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET right here on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu.
Follow and listen to “Playing the Field,” our “Bachelor” podcast!
It’s not too late to lower your 2023 taxes. Consider taking one or more of these five actions before the April filing date:
1. Contribute to IRAs – You can make contributions to your IRAs for the 2023 tax year, up until the deadline for filing your return (usually April 15), not including extensions.
2. Distribute trust income – Trustees and executors have until March 5, 2024, to distribute income to beneficiaries and have those distributions treated as if they were made in 2023.
3. Invest in a QOF to defer qualified gains – Under special Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund (QOF) rules regarding short- or long-term capital gains:
a. You may have 180 days from the date of realization to invest the gains in a QOF and defer (perhaps for several years) payment of taxes that would otherwise be due
b. These rules apply to gains realized either directly or indirectly (e.g., through a pass-through entity, such as a partnership)
Barragan
If you own an interest or shares in a pass-through entity that realized gains early in 2023, the date of realization for that sale may have been December 31, or will be March 15. Speak with your tax advisors to determine the relevant date of realization, and how to measure the 180-day period in your circumstances.
4. Make timely distributions of private foundation assets – The general rule is that to avoid penalties, private non-operating foundations must distribute at least 5% of their assets annually to public charities. But if needed, you may have as many as 12 additional months to make distributions, as there is, in effect, a 12-month grace period. Check with your tax advisors to see what your private foundation’s final deadline for these distributions may be if the foundation’s situation requires more time.
We closely monitor both potential and enacted tax law changes at the federal and state levels. While we don’t expect the current Congress to pass any laws that would materially affect ordinary income or capital gains tax rates, we do expect some action in the next Congress, that is to say in 2025.
There are many options you may consider for your 2023 taxes and to prepare for 2024 and beyond. Your J.P. Morgan team can work with your tax advisors to help decide which options are best suited for you.
Rick Barragan is the Managing Director, Los Angeles Market Manager, for J.P. Morgan Private Bank. r.barragan@jpmorgan.com | (310) 860-3658 privatebank.jpmorgan.com/los-angeles
ELTON MURAKAMI NAMED REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT AT CHARLES PANKOW BUILDERS
Charles Pankow Builders, Ltd. (Pankow) proudly announces the promotion of Elton Murakami to Regional Vice President, with oversight of the Southern California region. This strategic move reflects Elton’s exceptional leadership and extensive experience within the company.
With a total of 20+ years at Pankow, Elton’s wealth of knowledge and expertise has been instrumental in the successful execution of numerous landmark projects. With a career spanning 25 years in the construction industry, Elton has consistently demonstrated his commitment to excellence.
Currently serving as the Chair of the LA/Orange County Chapter of the Design Build Institute of America Western Pacific Region (DBIA-WPR), Elton is recognized as a thought leader in the industry. His dual role as a leader in both the professional national and regional arenas showcases his passion for advancing construction practices and fostering collaborative relationships.
“I am honored and thrilled to take on this new challenge as Regional Vice President at Pankow. I am eager to contribute to the continued success of our projects and the growth of our Southern California operations. Together, with the remarkable teams that we have formed internal and external to Pankow, I’m excited to build upon this successful foundation,” said Murakami.
CEO Jack Mollenkopf also shared his enthusiasm for Elton’s promotion, stating, “Elton’s promotion to Regional Vice President is a testament to his outstanding contributions to Pankow Builders and the industry. With his leadership skills, industry knowledge, and commitment to excellence, we have full confidence in his ability to drive our future in the Southern California Region. We look forward to continued success under his guidance.”
About Pankow Builders:
Pankow Builders is pleased to celebrate 60 years as an industry leader. Pankow has benefited clients through creative problem-solving, engineering expertise, and construction innovation. Pioneers of Design-Build and Integrated Project Delivery, we provide Design-Build, Design-Assist, general contracting, and tenant improvement services and specialize in complex projects and work in occupied facilities. We apply new construction tools, processes, and technologies, such as BIM Planning and Execution, and Virtual Design and Construction, Lean Delivery, and Alternative Energy Solutions – delivering a complete range of high-quality construction services to clients in the office, aviation, retail, hospitality, residential, healthcare, education, tenant improvement, and mixed-use market sectors. Founded in 1963, Pankow has 60 years of continuous presence in California in Los Angeles, Pasadena, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose.
Thomas Yeh has been elected a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP in downtown Los Angeles. A member of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice and Litigation & Trial Department, he represents clients in patent and trade secret litigation in federal and state courts, as well as in cross-border investigations before the US International Trade Commission.
Michael Ricks, Providence LA Coastal Service Area Chief Executive, is serving as the chairperson of the 2024 and 2025 Greater Los Angeles Heart and Stroke Ball. This year, the annual gala will be celebrating the American Heart Association’s 100 years of lifesaving work with a vision for advancing health and hope for everyone, everywhere.
With his nearly three decades of healthcare leadership experience, Ricks has seen the devastation of heart disease and its impact on families. “I’m inspired by organizations like the American Heart Association that pour their heart and soul into preventing the #1 killer in the world. Continuing to support the AHA and its research will only get us closer to discovering cures for cardiac diseases.”
About every 34 seconds, someone in the U.S. dies of cardiovascular disease (CVD). It is the nation’s No.1 killer, accounting for more than 931,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2021. Black adults are 32% more likely to die of CVD due to social factors beyond their control. People in some under-resourced ZIP codes also have shorter life expectancies than their neighbors just a few miles away.
“As chairperson for the 2024 and 2025 Heart and Stroke Ball, I hope we will have record-breaking fundraising years so we can advance cardiovascular research and specifically, research that helps close the health disparity that continues to exist in our Black and brown communities,” Ricks said.
The 2024 Greater Los Angeles Heart and Stroke Ball will be held on April 20, 2024 at the Beverly Wilshire.
Try answering this off the top of your head: What’s an abundant renewable resource that can spur growth in your garden and clear pollutants from bodies of water?
The answer, according to a Bay Area nonprofit, is hair.
Matter of Trust, an ecologically focused group in San Francisco, has been using hair for more than two decades to clean up oil spills and other pollution from bodies of water. Its latest project is encouraging the growth of vegetation in the Presidio in San Francisco, a national park site.
Matter of Trust is using hair to encourage the growth of vegetation in the Presidio in San Francisco.
(Matter of Trust)
The group got its start after learning about Phil McCrory’s hairy idea in the ’90s.
The inspiration came to McCrory, a hair stylist in Alabama, when he was washing a client’s locks as CNN was showing images of otters covered in crude oil from the Exxon Valdez tanker that slammed into an Alaskan reef in 1989.
McCrory realized that in his hands was a fiber that soaks up oils, according to Lisa Gautier, founder of Matter of Trust. But after the haircut, it would be swept up, trashed and dumped in a landfill.
Gautier and McCrory became partners. He developed a way to turn hair, fur, wool or fleece into mats to absorb petroleum. Later, they discovered that the material could be stuffed into recycled burlap sacks and pantyhose to make booms or mats that would soak up oil.
Within hours, Gautier said, she and her team coordinated hundreds of volunteers to place hair-infused booms and mats along San Francisco’s beaches.
To try to get rid of the waste the booms and mats collected, the team subjected them to two composting methods: worms and thermophilic fungi, or heat-loving bacteria and fungi that can kill pathogens by generating high temperatures. After about 18 months, the hazardous waste was turned into healthy compost, Gautier said.
The hair mats’ latest job, at the Presidio, will test their fertilizing capabilities.
Hair can be formed into mats that soak up oil or can be used as mulch.
(Matter of Trust)
In a pilot study, the hair mats are being used as a mulch on the patchy park land. The results surprised the Presidio Trust’s associate director, Lew Stringer, SFGate reported.
“The sections we planted using that material as substrate clearly grew more robustly than the control areas,” Stringer said.
Bay Area and Los Angeles residents who compost or want to boost the vegetation on their property can use human or pet hair. It’s lightweight, and you can put it on top of the soil in your flower pots and garden, Gautier said. If the hair is longer than 2 inches, bury it in the soil to avoid entangling birds’ feet, she recommends.
If you want to donate hair to Matter of Trust, sign up on the organization’s website, the Hum Sum. Gautier said the group accepts all human, pet and synthetic hair but asks that the various types be packaged separately.
The U.S. economy is also doing surprisingly well, adding 353,000 jobs in January, well ahead of economists’ forecasts. Hotter-than-expected inflation data may also keep the Fed from cutting rates as soon as the market expects, a sign that the economy remains strong enough to support tighter monetary policy for longer.
It’s a different story for tech workers, though.
“The layoffs to the start of 2024 signal a dramatic shift in the tech industry,” said Jeff Shulman, professor at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. “We’re going to continue to see layoffs happen as the future of work has changed, as the future of technology has changed and as investors’ appetite for risk and growth versus profitability has dramatically changed as well.”
The number of tech sector layoffs in 2024 has been outpacing the number of terminations in 2023. So far, about 42,324 tech employees were let go in 2024, according to Layoffs.fyi, which tracks layoffs in the tech industry. That averages out to more than 780 layoffs each day in 2024. In 2023, nearly 263,000 tech employees got laid off, averaging to about 720 layoffs each day that year.
There are several factors behind the churn. AI is at the forefront. Companies need to free up cash to invest in the chips and servers that power the AI models behind these new technologies. There’s also the stock market effect. Companies that conducted layoffs haven’t been punished, either by investors or on their bottom lines. In fact, they’ve been rewarded with rising stock prices.
Watch the video above to learn why another rough year of layoffs may lie ahead for tech workers, and why the surprising strength of the U.S. economy may not be coming to their rescue.
Ricki Lake is giving fans a firsthand look into her health journey.
Lake shared on Instagram on Feb. 24 that she and her husband, Ross Burningham, had both lost over 30 pounds in the last four months after committing to getting “healthier” toward the end of 2023.
In the post, Lake shared several photos documenting their journey, starting with a snap of the couple taking their daily hike. She also shared two photos of herself taken at the start of their journey, followed by a photo posing in the mirror in workout attire to show off her weight loss.
Ricki Lake reflected on her health journey on Instagram and showcased her weight loss after four months. Ricki Lake / Instagram
Lake shared more about her journey in the caption, writing to her followers, “I’ve been wanting to share with you what I’ve been up to these last 4 months.”
“On October 26th, 2023 I made a commitment to myself to get healthier,” she added. “My husband, Ross joined me in this effort. Together we have each lost 30+ lbs.”
“Not that there is anything wrong with that,” she noted. “But neither of us were pre diabetic and both of us felt like we wanted to at least try and do it on our own.”
She said that she was “a bit worried” that she wouldn’t be able to lose weight like she had in the past. She cited her age, 55, as a factor as well as experiencing perimenopause, which is the time before a person enters into menopause.
“I am so so proud of us. I feel amazing. I feel strong,” she wrote. “I will go in depth in another post of what I did exactly, but suffice to say this is the healthiest way I’ve lost weight in all of my years.”
Lake has been on a “self-love and self-acceptance” journey since New Year’s Eve in 2019 when she shaved her head after revealing she suffered from hair loss. She shared the “raw video footage” of the moment for the first time three years later on Instagram.
“In this video, you can see me come to a place of peace, liberation, and most importantly, self-love and self-acceptance,” she wrote in part. “May all of you struggling with whatever also come to a place of peace and acceptance. Life is too damn short.”
She celebrated the four year anniversary of shaving her head at the end of 2023, writing on Instagram, “My transformation was so much more than physical.”
“I faced one of my greatest fears that day,” she added. “I will always acknowledge this anniversary and reflect on the growth and self love that came from my taking this huge leap of faith.”
Prior to the start of her health journey, Lake celebrated herself au naturale in an Instagram post shared in June 2023. In the post, in which she poses nude in an outdoor tub, the former talk show host said she was feeling “grateful.”
“Hands down, these days are the best of my life,” she wrote at the time. “Grateful for all that had to happen for me to get to here. A place of complete self-acceptance and self love.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
The standoff between music publishing giant Universal Music Group and TikTok, the in-vogue social media juggernaut, persists nearly a month after the licensing agreement between the two expired.
It’s not clear where the two companies – UMG maintains operational headquarters at a Santa Monica campus, while TikTok counts its Culver City office as part of its headquarters – are regarding working out a new deal, and most industry players are being quiet for now, presumably waiting to see what develops. UMG has publicly demanded better pay for its artists – names such as Taylor Swift, SZA, Elton John and Kendrick Lamar – whose music often plays a key role in successful TikTok videos. Meanwhile, TikTok accused the publisher of being greedy and willing to sacrifice the exposure provided to musicians as their songs go viral on cellphones around the world.
Some experts think TikTok should pony up and offer money comparable to the payouts from Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, or Alphabet, which owns YouTube, to those labels and their artists.
“For a long time, TikTok has said they’re helping artists by promoting their business,” said Karen North, a professor at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism who studies digital and social media. “If they were a nonprofit, that’s fine, but they make tremendous amounts of money. And the creators, TikTok shells out enormous amounts of money for them, and they are making their livings by using other peoples’ music.
“While they’re paying the creators,” she added, “they should be paying the people making the music.”
As the fight drags on, one question to ask is what UMG has to gain – or to lose – from drawing its line and sticking to it. On one hand, that’s money that UMG’s artists have for the moment stopped collecting; on the other, the label can at least position itself as fighting on behalf of its artists.
“I don’t know that it’s that bad for Universal. Ultimately, I think their artists are going to stand with them,” said Elizabeth Moody, a senior partner with Beverly Hills entertainment law firm Granderson Des Rochers LLP. “You could imagine some fragmentation, but I don’t know how likely that is because it sounds easier than it is. If this were to continue on for a long time, you could see repercussions for Universal in the long term for signing artists, but I find it hard to believe that this won’t be resolved in time.”
Taking the fight public
Frustrated by the pace of the negotiations, UMG elected to vent its frustrations with TikTok in January, ahead of the date after which it would pull its music from the platform.
The company posted a lengthy open letter to its website on Jan. 30 to “call time out on TikTok.” The letter acknowledged TikTok’s growing influence and that music played a role in its content creation. It also cited a quote from a TikTok executive claiming music is “at the heart” of the platform’s experience.
Elsewhere in the letter, UMG said TikTok under the since-expired contract accounted for just 1% of the publisher’s revenue, criticized the platform’s embrace of AI and response to toxic content and accused TikTok of axing lesser-known UMG artists from its library.
No stranger to public scrutiny, TikTok – which is owned by a Chinese tech company – fired back that same day, accusing UMG of “putting their own greed” above the interests of its artists.
“Despite Universal’s false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent,” TikTok’s statement read. “TikTok has been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher. Clearly, Universal’s self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans.”
Neither company responded to an inquiries about their negotiations.
Who will cave?
As North, the USC professor, sees it, TikTok is vulnerable because of its greatest strength: its data collection.
Music-streaming platforms like Spotify and Pandora were similarly criticized in the past for their payouts-per-stream to artists. However, North said that has improved in recent years as data collection has become more robust. For example, Spotify announced a swath of changes in November intended to weed out “bad actors” who manipulate audio tracks and streams to hog royalty payouts.
“TikTok is a data-collecting machine. We’ve never imagined that anybody or anything can collect as much data as they collect,” North added. “It should be easier for them to identify this than anyone else out there. I believe that they know exactly who is doing what at any second. Everybody else has figured out how to quantify it.”
Moody, who before joining Granderson was in-house counsel for a variety of entertainment and tech companies including Pandora and YouTube, said she doesn’t know whose side she is on, having worked on both sides of the table. While she was with YouTube, she recalled, Warner Music Group removed its music from that site during a contract spat, a move she said the label ultimately regretted. She also noted that TikTok does pay in the form of exposure for artists, in what amounts to free publicity for them.
“There’s certainly going to be a lot of artists who are not as focused on getting paid by TikTok and more focused on their promotion with TikTok,” Moody said.
What could complicate things for TikTok is UMG’s reach with music outside of its direct control. Moody observed, as an example, that Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” had more than a dozen producers attached to it, each with their own label relationships. This could result in even more music being yanked from TikTok, she said.
“They probably have a small percentage interest in almost all of the hip-hop music out there. This isn’t going to just affect Universal’s music. It’s going to impact all popular music out there,” Moody said. “Publishing can get quite complicated, because on most of the pop music these days there are multiple producers and songwriters and lyricists, and many are signed to different publishers.
“If Universal controls even 1% of a composition, TikTok won’t be able to play that recording,” she added.
Other considerations are in play
North speculated that, depending on how long UMG holds out, other artists still on TikTok’s platform could benefit from the impasse.
“The people who haven’t made it big yet, their music is still there, and there’s a real opportunity to promote the music that is being less used,” she said.
TikTok’s use of music has evolved, with songs ranging from being simply a background to driving entire trends on their own. Last year, for example, metal band Slipknot’s 2014 single “Custer” became the basis of TikTok’s “#girlypop” trend in which female users do feminine dances to the song’s booming, vulgar chorus as an ironic crossover. Though that particular song has remained in the band’s touring set list, North said sudden popularity surges in other songs could influence the artists’ performances and marketing tactics – usurping something labels have traditionally had a strong say in.
“The labels have had a lot of strategic control over music decisions. They can decide when to drop or promote something or when artists go on tour,” she said. “Now, with TikTok, there are decisions being made by influencers and the labels have to be reactive. ”
AI is also a factor in negotiations
As AI becomes a larger part of social media and internet use, Moody said UMG’s handling of AI issues with TikTok is likely to set the basis for future negotiation with other platforms.
“I think it’s more complicated by the AI stuff. I could see a scenario where they agree on the same rate they had before and move on,” Moody said, “but if TikTok is going to insist on a few things like training content or distributing AI tools, that’s going to be a harder point for Universal to cave on.”
Echoed North: “The entire entertainment industry usually waits for music to figure out how to deal with the next step of technology. It’s not surprising at all that the digital platforms are going to wait to see how things are litigated with TikTok. It’s going to be the bellwether for the intellectual property ownership and direction on social media.”
A child was hospitalized Sunday evening, Feb. 25, after she was struck by gunfire while in the back seat of a car in Santa Ana, authorities said, with a search underway for the shooter.
Santa Ana Police were investigating on Spurgeon Street on Sunday night after a child was reported to have been shot in a car. (Photo by OnScene.TV)
The young girl was admitted to a hospital after a bullet struck her while she was sitting in the back of her parents’ car in the area near 17th and Spurgeon streets, according to Santa Ana Police Department Officer Natalie Garcia.
It was not immediately known where exactly the child had been injured in the shooting reported just before 9 p.m., though authorities warned residents to avoid the area along Main Street between 15th and 17th streets. The area of 17th and Spurgeon was closed for the investigation.
The child was in critical condition at the hospital Sunday night.
Video news agency OnScene.TV provided video showing crime scene tape was set up by police on Spurgeon Street.
Police were also seen Sunday night at CHOC — Children’s Hospital Of Orange County in Orange, where a white sedan was parked at an entrance and surrounded by crime scene tape.
Information on a possible suspect, and whether it was a car-to-car shooting, was not immediately available and anyone with information was urged to call authorities, Garcia said.
For some, Sunday’s shooting brought back painful memories of children struck by gunfire while riding in cars in recent year.
