Tag: month

After years-long fight, ex-sheriff agrees to comply with subpoenas, testify on deputy gangs

[ad_1]

After years of resisting subpoenas to testify under oath about deputy gangs, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has reversed course and agreed to appear in front of the Civilian Oversight Commission.

His lawyer notified the commission of the decision in a December letter stating that Villanueva “is very willing to testify” in January and that he will “answer any question you have under oath.”

The change of heart comes days after a county judge scheduled a hearing to decide whether to order the former sheriff, who is running for county supervisor against incumbent Janice Hahn, to comply with the commission’s subpoenas.

Villanueva did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But his attorney, Linda Savitt, confirmed in an email to The Times last week that her client plans to follow through and appear in front of the commission next month.

“He is going to testify under oath,” she wrote. “He’s a private citizen now.”

Despite Savitt’s assurances, Sean Kennedy — who chairs the oversight commission — expressed some skepticism, pointing out that the former sheriff “said he was going to appear once before and then announced on Twitter that he wasn’t going to.”

Earlier this year, the commission’s special counsel issued a 70-page report condemning the “cancer” of violent deputy gangs and urging Sheriff Robert Luna to create a stronger policy banning the secretive groups.

The report’s findings and recommendations relied heavily on testimony from a series of seven public hearings, many of which involved witnesses testifying under oath. Despite being subpoenaed, Villanueva and former Undersheriff Tim Murakami both refused to testify at the hearings.

The legal wrangling began in 2020, after the Board of Supervisors granted the commission subpoena power, which voters then affirmed by approving Measure R. A few months later, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law granting subpoena power to oversight bodies statewide.

That same year, the commission issued a subpoena directing the sheriff to testify about his response to COVID-19 inside the jails. Villanueva questioned the legality of the subpoena, which he called a “public shaming endeavor.” The dispute ended up in court, but Villanueva avoided a contempt hearing by agreeing to answer the commission’s questions voluntarily.

Afterward, oversight officials issued more subpoenas, and Villanueva resisted them, resulting in multiple court cases.

In one of those cases, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elaine Lu scheduled a contempt hearing for late last year, but called it off after Villanueva’s lawyers asked a higher court to step in.

The former sheriff’s legal counsel argued that the 2020 legislation Newsom signed described a two-step process and that the judge first needed to issue an order directing Villanueva to comply with the subpoena. Only if he ignored that could he be found in contempt, his lawyer said.

In September, an appeals court agreed. This month, lawyers for the county embarked on the two-step process by asking for a hearing so a judge could decide whether to order Villanueva and Murakami to comply with the subpoenas.

Less than two weeks later, Villanueva’s lawyer sent the oversight commission’s Kennedy a letter about the former sheriff’s willingness to testify in January. Unlike Villanueva, Murakami has not given any indication of a newfound willingness to speak to the commission, Kennedy told The Times.

Previously, the former undersheriff has cited a medical condition as his reason for refusing to testify. His attorney did not respond to The Times’ request for comment.

[ad_2]

Keri Blakinger

Source link

December 26, 2023
To foster young talent, employers need to share their social capital

[ad_1]

This article originally appeared on the Christensen Institute’s blog and is reposted here with permission.

Key points:

In July 2023, our team published “People-powered pathways: Lessons in how to build students’ social capital through career-connected learning.” In the report, we describe successes and challenges in bringing social capital–building strategies to a variety of educational settings. Our observations draw from an 18-month pilot during which we leveraged our social capital playbook to provide direct support to a group of three intermediary organizations—Education Strategy Group, Generation Schools Network, and Hawai‘i P-20—collectively supporting 20 sites in the K–12 career pathways space. In the course of the pilot, we sought to understand how schools and nonprofits can make social capital-building an explicit, effective, and equitable component of existing career-connected learning models.

In career-connected learning, employee volunteers like internship supervisors or guest speakers typically see their role as providing students job-specific knowledge and skills. However, these individuals have an equally important role to play in students’ networks: fostering students’ well-being and economic mobility by creating lasting relationships that involve sharing resources, connections, and opportunities.

To make this kind of role a reality, employers need to understand the goals of social capital-building, what will be expected of them, and how it can benefit both parties. As one nonprofit leader explained, helping employers take on that role may require upfront reflection, encouraging them to consider pre-conceived notions they may have about young people:

“[If] everybody is committed to working on interrogating all of the thoughts that we as adults have about young people, good and bad, then the effect ends up being social capital. Because you’ve actually taken down the barrier or the silo that says ‘I am this and you are that. I’m here to provide a service and you’re here to get one.’”

For organizations and schools brokering connections to employers, infusing social capital into the purpose behind those connections influenced how they recruited, vetted, and prepared employer partners who would be interacting with students. One nonprofit leader stated,

“We vet our employers that we work with and we have an orientation. They start perhaps from different places and they might not know how [to work with us]. They might have an idea about what an eighth grader is or is not, what ‘risk factors’ youth of color may come with or what their story may be. Part of what is important to us is working with worksite partners so they can see a whole person, an eighth grader who is a complete asset now, and the net value later of working with young people.”

Acknowledging and tackling the “burden of investment”

During our pilot, surveys of site staff revealed that 40% found it somewhat difficult to educate employers about how they can help build students’ social capital. Although nonprofits who were heavily involved in internship or apprenticeships often had the time and expertise to design and conduct orientations for employers, other sites with less capacity were wary of asking too much of their employer partners. In these circumstances, additional training for employers specifically focused on building relationships with students was rarely an option.

While emphasizing return-on-investment (ROI) can help some employers see the long-term benefits of this type of work, one intermediary partner pointed out that for some employers it’s also about avoiding the short-term burden it places on their employees. In addition to ROI, the partner explained,

“There’s also BOI, which is ‘burden of investment.’ Making it easier for [employers] to see that the burden of their investment in this is not that burdensome, and that the experience is enjoyable. [Employees] enjoy the experience of the personal relationship with the kids, and that reduces the burden of investment as well. And it grows our partners’ social capital.”

When working with employers concerned about upfront burden on their employees, one option is to provide a menu that describes different options for getting involved based on employee volunteers’ capacity and interests. This arrangement not only allows employers to understand what is expected of them and their employees, but also allows them to choose the types of experiences that they feel will be enjoyable and meaningful for them. With this mutual understanding, work-based learning can take shape much more easily.

Example in action:

Apprentice Learning is a Boston-based nonprofit organization that provides real-world work experiences for eighth graders. Given that Apprentice Learning’s students were already immersed in work settings as part of their apprenticeships, the Boston site planning team felt that these experiences were a natural fit for building social capital.

While most career-readiness programs ask, “How prepared are young people to build relationships with adults?,” Apprentice Learning equally emphasizes the other side of the equation by asking “How prepared are adults to build relationships with young people?”

During the pilot, Apprentice Learning communicated its vision to employer partners in multiple ways. First, it held an orientation for employers in which Apprentice Learning staff used an asset-based frame to gently challenge employers’ beliefs about what young people can do and what it means to have relationships with them. The goal was to help employers realize that they are building meaningful relationships with human beings who are still learning, yet capable of tremendous success.

Apprentice Learning also communicated with employers via weekly emails. These emails contained guidance for apprenticeship supervisors about how they could best support students, including conversation starters such as “consider talking with your apprentice about your first job,” or “consider sharing about a time when you encountered a struggle in your job and how you navigated it.” As one program leader stated,

“Because of the questions that we put in our weekly letter to our worksite partners, there are more opportunities for them to have conversations about their interests and their trajectory. One of the things that’s resulted in is that at least three, maybe four of our kids have been offered possible summer opportunities. And it is because the worksite partner and the young person took the time to get to know some things about each other a little bit beyond the ‘how to work’ part.”

Finally, Apprentice Learning staff visited each student’s worksite and engaged in one-on-one conversations with their worksite supervisors. These conversations further reinforced the foundation that Apprentice Learning built during the orientations and maintained with the weekly emails. Describing a recent visit to a worksite where two students were apprenticing, a program leader recalled how the conversations they had with employers about building social capital influenced supervisors’ behaviors. When she walked into the worksite, the students’ supervisor immediately offered to provide references for the students if they needed them. “We didn’t have to ask the guy—it was offered. And [the students] understood that their [supervisors] are a resource that they didn’t necessarily know that they had.”

In conclusion, it’s time that employers’ roles in career-connected learning go beyond imparting skills. As decades of research show, it’s skills plus connections that truly move students up the economic distribution ladder.

However, accomplishing this goal requires a shift in perspective and intentionality. What we need are systems that incentivize sharing of social capital. Schools and nonprofits like Apprentice Learning are well positioned to start the conversation with their employer partners. But employers participating in these efforts have a responsibility to allocate resources and create policies that foster more student-centered experiences. While it requires upfront investment, focusing on young people now provides a solid foundation for the society of the future.

Robert Markle, PhD, Research Manager, Christensen Institute

Robert Markle, PhD is a research manager at the Christensen Institute. His work focuses on increasing awareness and adoption of emerging practices for expanding students’ access to opportunity, economic mobility, and personal well-being. Given Dr. Markle’s background in implementation science, he is interested in how relationship-based initiatives can be optimized for local contexts to maximize their effectiveness.

Latest posts by eSchool Media Contributors (see all)

[ad_2]

Robert Markle, PhD, Research Manager, Christensen Institute

Source link

December 6, 2023
L.A. con man who posed as attorney, rubbed elbows with Gov. Newsom is sentenced to 6 months

[ad_1]

An admitted L.A. con artist who rubbed elbows with powerful politicians and presented himself as the right hand of a powerful Armenian crime figure was sentenced to six months in prison Monday, after spending years testifying against his former mentor and several corrupt law enforcement officials.

Edgar Sargsyan, 42, will serve the short prison sentence and then spend an additional six months confined to his home after his 2020 plea to four counts of bank fraud, bribery and lying to federal agents, according to his attorney, Robert Dugdale.

The public was barred from Sargsyan’s sentencing hearing in federal court on Monday, after Dugdale was heard expressing concerns about his client’s safety.

Sargsyan rose from humble beginnings to become a regular at the members-only Grand Havana cigar club in Beverly Hills, where he regularly socialized with celebrities. Penniless when he immigrated to the United States from Armenia in 2004, Sargsyan settled in Glendale, home to a large Armenian diaspora.

There, he scratched out a living collecting finder’s fees for bringing clients to attorneys — and also committing bank fraud. Court records show Sargsyan admitted he was part of an identity theft ring that racked up phony charges in the names of foreign exchange students who were no longer living in the United States.

Sargsyan went from small-time fraud artist to prolific criminal after meeting Levon Termendzhyan in 2010 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel’s BLVD restaurant, court records show. Termendzhyan put forward a public facade of a wildly successful entrepreneur in the oil and gas industry, but within the Armenian community, Sargsyan testified, he had “the reputation of a mafia figure.”

Sargsyan became something of an advisor, confidant and younger brother to Termendzhyan, who is now serving a 40-year sentence for fraud and money laundering. Through Termendzhyan, Sargsyan met two corrupt law enforcement officers: John Saro Balian, a narcotics detective for the Glendale Police Department, and Felix Cisneros Jr., an agent of Homeland Security Investigations.

Sargsyan also cultivated relationships with public officials by donating lavishly to their campaigns. At his office in Beverly Hills, where he held himself out as a lawyer, Sargsyan posed for a photograph with Gov. Gavin Newsom before heading to a fundraiser for the governor at a members-only cigar lounge. Newsom and his political aides previously declined to discuss his relationship with Sargsyan, though a campaign official said all of his donations were rerouted to a charity.

Like much of Sargsyan’s life, the lawyer facade was a lie. After failing the California bar exam several times, Sargsyan paid an attorney $140,000 to take the test for him. Sargsyan didn’t admit to the scheme for years, failing to tell federal prosecutors about it until the eve of a trial in which he was set to testify.

Sargsyan said he’d held back about the bar exam scheme because he was “ashamed and embarrassed” to confess he wasn’t a lawyer.

Sargsyan testified against Babak Broumand, telling the jury he gave $10,000 a month to the decorated FBI agent in exchange for secret information about investigations into Sargsyan and his associates. Broumand, who worked for two decades on a national security squad in San Francisco, was convicted of accepting bribes and is serving six years in federal prison.

During a brief conversation outside the courtroom on Monday, Sargsyan lamented that a 2022 Times retelling of his wild life story had “destroyed his character” and used an expletive in reference to the reporter who wrote it.

“Report facts … that’s the beauty of journalism,” said Sargsyan, shortly before walking into court and accepting a plea deal based on an admission that he was a prolific liar.

[ad_2]

James Queally, Matthew Ormseth

Source link

December 4, 2023
Opinion: Who gets to live in L.A? A bold plan to create affordable housing has a serious flaw

[ad_1]

Last December, Mayor Karen Bass moved to speed up the production of affordable housing in Los Angeles by issuing Executive Directive 1. This measure streamlines the approval of new multi-unit residences by exempting them from the usual slate of hearings, appeals and environmental reviews. The city Planning Commission voted this month to continue ED1, bringing the directive one step closer to becoming permanent.

On its face, this is the sort of bold housing policy Los Angeles needs. The city is not building nearly enough units to meet demand. In fact, an LAist analysis found that from 2010 to 2019, the city lost eight times more homes that were affordable for low-income residents than it gained.

This has partly been due to developers being deterred by lengthy, expensive and risky approval processes for new construction. On its face, ED1 is helping to chip away at that problem: The Department of City Planning reported that, as of the end of October, it had approved more than 50 new developments under the directive and had 55 other applications pending, projecting the addition of 12,383 new affordable homes.

But absent from this success story is the way this directive is reshaping the character and makeup of Los Angeles’ working-class neighborhoods and displacing longtime residents. In her effort to permanently streamline the construction of affordable housing, Mayor Bass is asking the city to weigh in on a bigger question: Who gets to live in Los Angeles?

According to our analysis of city data, in ED1’s first 10 months, more than a third of new developments filed under the directive have been in South Los Angeles, an area with one of the highest concentrations of Angelenos living in poverty. We also found that one-third of those South L.A. developments require the demolition of existing affordable housing, eliminating at least 62 rent-stabilized units in the area and displacing hundreds of residents, many of whom cannot afford to move elsewhere in their neighborhood or the city. Under the streamlined process, tenants have mere months to find new homes. We’ve talked to many such residents who fear they will become homeless.

It’s also worth noting where ED1 developments aren’t happening. In June 2023, Mayor Bass revised the directive to exclude parcels zoned for single-family homes — which initially made up more than half of approved projects, according to an analysis by Abundant Housing.

This change came after the city planning department heard “feedback” from residents it surveyed as well as members of the City Council concerned about apartment buildings “plunked down in the middle of single family neighborhoods.” This exemption prevents the city from streamlining the construction of affordable housing in these “higher-resource areas” with the least density. It also makes multifamily residential zones more of a target for developers.

If L.A.’s wealthy neighborhoods are preserved at the expense of low-income ones, we will all feel the consequences: rising rents as the number of rent-stabilized units continues to shrink; an increase in homelessness, especially for seniors and renters on fixed incomes who have no other housing options available; less diversity in Los Angeles as residents in the affected neighborhoods, which are predominantly Black and brown, scatter outside the city to afford rent; and more traffic as families have to relocate farther from their schools and jobs.

Los Angeles urgently needs more affordable housing, and streamlining the development process is a necessary step. But city leaders need to be mindful of what may be destroyed if the approach is not equitable. Before making ED1 permanent, the city should exempt rent-stabilized units from the streamlining process so that a more thorough assessment can take place and tenants have more time to consider their options. The city should further ensure that developers — even those pursuing 100% affordable housing projects, some of which may technically be exempt — comply with the obligations for relocation, right of return and right to remain under California’s Housing Crisis Act of 2019.

Displaced tenants also should receive more robust relocation services, including help securing comparable replacement housing in the same area. Under the current process, the city provides a list of potential housing providers and tenants are burdened with the search for affordable units.

Finally, single-family homes should not be exempt from streamlining. Such an exemption reflects the sort of NIMBY position that got us into this affordable housing crisis in the first place. It will only reinforce the inequity that has shaped housing policy in Los Angeles as affluent neighborhoods remain relatively sheltered from change while low-income neighborhoods are dismantled for the sake of growth.

Los Angeles’ leaders must consider the unintended consequences ED1 could have. Our city has to balance the need to build affordable housing with the need to keep our most vulnerable residents and communities housed and intact. Not doing so risks undermining the efficacy of this directive, which aims to ensure more Angelenos have access to affordable housing, not fewer.

Maria Patiño Gutierrez is the director of policy and advocacy, equitable development and land use at Strategic Actions for a Just Economy in Los Angeles.

[ad_2]

Maria Patiño Gutierrez

Source link

November 27, 2023
What you need to know about the new RSV shot for babies
[ad_1]
Ahead of the winter respiratory virus season, many parents were relieved the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a shot to combat respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, for infants and toddlers this summer.

But the shot is hard to come by.

RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms in most adults who recover in a week or two, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that’s not the case for infants and toddlers, who are at higher risk of the virus becoming severe or life-threatening.

The first vaccine for RSV was approved in May and was targeted for older adults.

Two months later, federal regulators approved the first long-lasting shot for infants younger than 8 months who are entering their first RSV season. According to the CDC, Nirsevimab, which is made by AstraZeneca and sold under the brand name Beyfortus, reduces the risk of severe RSV by 80%. One dose lasts about five months, the length of the average RSV season.

The shot does not activate the immune system the way a vaccine would, but instead introduces antibodies to protect against RSV. Health officials with the CDC say once the antibodies are out of a baby’s system, the immunity is also gone.

Amid the peak of RSV season, there has been unprecedented demand for the shot and not enough supplies to go around.

The CDC recently announced the release of more than 77,000 additional doses to be distributed immediately to physicians and hospitals through the Vaccines for Children Program. The CDC and FDA are working with drug manufacturers to ensure availability through early next year.

What preventive measures can parents can take?

Children at high risk include those 6 months and younger, infants born prematurely, those younger than 2 with congenital heart disease and those with weakened immune systems who have neuromuscular disorders, according to the American Lung Assn.

Previously, the only immunization against severe RSV for babies was a shot women could get during weeks 32 through 36 of pregnancy. That shot is still available and recommended September through January.

There also are everyday preventive measures to help reduce the spread of RSV and other respiratory illnesses, according to health agencies such as the CDC, American Lung Assn. and the California Department of Public Health:
- Stay home if you’re feeling sick.
- If you need to leave your home, consider wearing a mask in crowded or indoor areas.
- Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.
- Cover your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze.
- Avoid close contact with others, such as kissing, shaking hands and sharing cups and utensils.
- Clean frequently touched surfaces, including doorknobs and mobile devices.
What are the signs of RSV?

RSV affects both the upper respiratory system, which includes the nose and throat, and the lower respiratory system, which includes the lungs.

The virus is highly transmissible. You can catch it if the droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze get in your eyes, nose or mouth; if you touch a surface (such as a doorknob) that has the virus on it and then touch your face before washing your hands; or if you have direct contact with the virus (for example, by kissing the face of a child with RSV). Being in crowded places with people who may be infected or having exposure to other children or siblings who may be infected are common ways to pick up the virus.

RSV can survive for many hours on hard surfaces such as tables and crib rails; it has a shorter life span on softer surfaces such as tissues and hands.

A person infected with RSV is usually contagious for three to eight days. However, some infants and people with weakened immune systems can continue to spread the virus for as long as four weeks, even after their symptoms go away, according to the CDC.

Virtually all children get an RSV infection by the time they are 2, but the virus can cause complications, the CDC said.

Health agencies recommend parents reach out to their healthcare provider if their child is showing signs of infection.

According to health officials at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the most common symptoms are runny nose; fever; cough; short periods without breathing; trouble eating, drinking or swallowing; wheezing, flaring of nostrils or straining of the chest or stomach while breathing; breathing faster than usual or trouble breathing; and turning blue around the lips and fingers.

These symptoms can seem like other health conditions, so the hospital advises parents to have their child see a healthcare provider for a diagnosis.
[ad_2]

Karen Garcia

Source link
November 22, 2023
Big checks and political galas: Hollywood donations expected to spike due to strike ending

[ad_1]

Hollywood political donations, sharply stymied by this year’s drawn-out entertainment-industry strikes, are expected to spike now that the Screen Actors Guild has reached a tentative deal with the studios.

President Biden is widely expected to raise money in Los Angeles in the coming weeks, along with a slew of Senate and congressional candidates who have largely avoided the region because of the writers’ and actors’ strikes.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, a Californian with longtime relationships with entertainment-industry leaders, have been largely unable to publicly tap these donors this year. Harris in May even pulled out of her first public appearance in her home state after she and Biden announced their reelection campaign — an MTV mental health awareness event in Carson — because of the Writers Guild of America strike.

Attending a glitzy industry fundraiser would have been even more fraught — Biden or Harris would have almost certainly had to cross a union picket line — an anathema in Democratic politics, where support from organized labor is essential. Additionally, studio executives didn’t want to host fancy donor gatherings or write big checks while they were pleading poverty during bargaining with actors and writers.

Biden and Harris have by no means suffered because of the decline in the number of Los Angeles fundraisers. They have raised more than $70 million in each of the last two fiscal quarters, and their campaign and the Democratic National Committee have $91 million cash on hand, the most ever by a Democratic White House ticket at this point in the electoral cycle.

Still, campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodriguez said the president and vice president purposefully avoided Hollywood because of the strikes.

“We have been very respectful [and] mindful of the environment that people in the industry are feeling and facing,” she said in an interview shortly before the actors’ strike was resolved. “I hope we get a chance to get out there before the end of the year, the end of the fourth quarter, because it is a really important base of support for us to be able to connect with before the clock starts over.”

Biden on Thursday lauded the tentative agreement.

“Collective bargaining works,” he said in a statement. “When both sides come to the table to negotiate in earnest they can make businesses stronger and allow workers to secure pay and benefits that help them raise families and retire with dignity.”

The entertainment industry has been a historic treasure trove of political dollars for both parties, but mostly Democrats. In 2020, people who reported working in television, movie and music jobs donated $43.7 million to presidential campaigns and outside groups.

Democrats received nearly three-quarters of the money, according to an analysis of Federal Election Commission data by the nonpartisan, nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks electoral finances.

Political contributions from donors who work in the television, movie and music industries plummeted this year, according to an analysis by the center conducted for The Times.

In the first nine months of 2023, donors in these industries contributed $5.4 million to federal campaigns, according to the center’s analysis. During the same time period in prior presidential elections, these donors contributed much more: $24.6 million in 2019, $21.1 million in 2015 and $15.5 million in 2011.

One of the most famous Hollywood fundraisers took place in 2012 on the basketball court of actor George Clooney’s house in Studio City, when then-President Obama raised nearly $15 million for his reelection effort, believed to be the largest one-night campaign haul ever at that time. The dinner party, catered by Wolfgang Puck and attended by Robert Downey Jr., Diane Von Furstenberg, Barbra Streisand, James Brolin, Tobey Maguire, Billy Crystal and others, took place one day after Obama announced his support for gay marriage.

Such star-spangled events were few and far between in summer. The tempo has started to pick up slightly in recent months, though it’s still slower than the typical slate of political galas, fetes and dinners the year before a presidential election, several people said. In addition to providing an opportunity to publicly tout one’s political views, such events are a cornerstone of the Hollywood social scene.

“Fundraising in Hollywood is the ultimate networking,” said Donna Bojarsky, a longtime Democratic political consultant and co-founder of a nonprofit dedicated to building civic engagement in L.A. “You go to a Hollywood fundraiser and you see everyone you know.”

However, some are skeptical about whether entertainment-industry fundraising will return to its prior apex.

Lara Bergthold, a communications consultant who has long operated at the nexus of Hollywood and politics, identified a wider issue than the labor stalemate and ensuing financial losses.

“Looking at the broader landscape of progressive organizations and candidates, fundraising is down for them compared to this time four years ago — it’s not just Los Angeles, it’s not just the strike, it’s kind of all over the place,” she said, citing donor burnout, exhaustion and wide-ranging economic worries.

Still, there was a class of major donors who’d largely abstained this year because writing five- or six-figure checks “felt flashy and showy at a time when it was really much more appropriate to be holding back,“ she said recently. Bergthold expected that giving to resume in full force soon after the SAG-AFTRA strike ended.

The writers’ strike ended in late September after 148 days, and the actors’ union’s negotiating committee approved a tentative deal with the major studios on Wednesday after a nearly four-month strike that hobbled the industry and left thousands without work. The ratification vote is expected to take place this week.

Speaking last week before the SAG-AFTRA strike ended, Jay Sures, the politically powerful co-president of Hollywood’s United Talent Agency, said he was uncertain about how fundraising would play out in coming months.

“I think it’s going to be a mixed bag,” Sures said. “You’ll see super mega donors who are just going to give no matter what, and you’ll see other donors who will say, ‘Maybe it’s time to just hold off for one beat and see where the world takes us.’”

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has benefited greatly from Hollywood donors, said he expects it may take a little time for fundraisers to ramp up because of the roller-coaster many have been through recently.

“I think everyone takes a deep breath. It’s been a tough three years for all of us, with COVID, social unrest, macroeconomic uncertainty, issues of geopolitical uncertainty. And now you have these strikes,” Newsom said this month. That said, he added, “the economy has done very well for a lot of those folks — Bidenomics has been good to them. I would expect that largesse to show up in subsequent quarters, undoubtedly.”

[ad_2]

Seema Mehta, Julia Wick

Source link

November 12, 2023
Matthew Perry death investigation could take 3-6 months to complete, new statement suggests

[ad_1]

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner reiterated Thursday that the investigation into the death of Matthew Perry could take several months.

Toxicology tests, in particular, typically take three to six months to complete, coroner’s officials said in a statement.

Authorities received a medical call from Perry’s home overlooking the Pacific Ocean around 4 p.m. Saturday reporting that the actor, who was in a hot tub, was unresponsive and not breathing.

The “Friends” star was declared dead at the scene, and officials say they are now working to determine a cause of death. Foul play has been ruled out.

“At this time, most toxicology testing is completed within 90 days at the Department of the Medical Examiner,” the office said in a statement released Thursday. “We currently have 15 (3%) cases that have been pending for more than 90 days.”

The statement did not mention Perry by name but came after questions about the timeline of the investigation.

“Postmortem toxicology testing is a multistep process, not a one-instrument test as seen in the clinical setting,” coroner’s officials said in the statement. “Postmortem samples are coagulated and require extraction steps before a sample can be used on an instrument. Each class of drugs requires the use of multiple instruments to test the sample. The more drugs found in a decedent’s system, the longer the testing takes.”

Law enforcement sources told The Times that no illicit drugs were found at Perry’s home.

One law enforcement source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said any prescription medications recovered at the actor’s home will be part of the review, which is common practice.

[ad_2]

Richard Winton

Source link

November 2, 2023
A squatter, a shotgun and stolen items: How one man overstayed his welcome in Yosemite

[ad_1]

A man squatting in Yosemite National Park was sentenced to more than five years and three months in prison on Monday for breaking into a private residence and possessing a sawed-off shotgun and ammunition, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Sacramento.

Devin Michael Cuellar, 29, broke into the home on Koon Hollar Road in Wawona in 2021 and resided there for several months without permission from the owner, damaging and stealing property, according to federal prosecutors. Cuellar was previously convicted of carjacking and possessing controlled substances for sale and was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

He is also a longtime gang member who is known to use narcotics such as heroin, prosecutors said.

Cuellar, who had already been jailed for 11 months, asked to be sentenced to time served with 60 months’ probation and in-patient treatment for his drug abuse, according to a sentencing memo. But prosecutors requested a term of 63 months, noting he had received lenient sentences in the past but still “led his life from one bad decision to another.”

The National Park Service was assisted in its investigation by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Forensic Services and the Madera County Sheriff’s Office.

[ad_2]

Roberto Reyes

Source link

November 2, 2023
Photos: Actors scare up spooky costumes for Halloween on the picket lines

[ad_1]

Witches, black cats, jack-o’-lanterns, spiders, cowboys and vampires lurked outside Netflix’s offices in Los Angeles this week in the latest group effort by striking actors to spook the major Hollywood studios into agreeing to their demands and bringing an end to the work stoppage that has haunted the entertainment industry for months.

The performers union, SAG-AFTRA, hosted two Halloween pickets on Tuesday, “Double, Double, Toil and Trouble!” at Netflix and “Spooky Solidarity Day” at the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank.

Check out who they dress up as on this spooky picket line at Netflix.

1

2

1. Abby Rizo, left and Mika Dyo came dressed as actor Pedro Pascal, based on a photo of Pascal himself picketing. 2. Isaac Burks dressed as a mariachi.

1

2

1. Martin Perea, who is not a member of SAG-AFTRA but said he felt compelled to come out and show his support, dressed up as union President Fran Drescher’s iconic TV show character, “The Nanny.” 2. Jeffrey Johnson wears a costume of his own creation, “Captain Black,” from his 2017 film of the same name.

1

2

1. Thando Skwatsha, wearing his best “baby” costume. 2. Adrian Dev, a strike captain, channeled his alter ego, Randy “Macho Man” Savage.

1

2

1. Cameron Laventure, right, as Link from “The Legend of Zelda” and Ari Fromm as Todd, with their dog as Mr. Peanutbutter, from “BoJack Horseman.” 2. Stevie Nelson as Rosie the Picketer.

1

2

1. Mykle McCoslin, a national board member from Texas, dressed as an L.A. woman. 2. Da’rrel Hobbs came as the “South Park” character Token dressed as a Vulcan from “Star Trek.”

1

2

1. Bennie Arthur, a strike captain, dressed as a ’70s guy. 2. Strike captain Heather L. Tyler doubling as a witch.

[ad_2]

Jay L. Clendenin

Source link

October 31, 2023
Poptential™ High School Economics Curriculum by Certell Offers Free Stock Market Investment Lessons

[ad_1]

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — October historically has been a month of notable volatility in the stock market, with historic crashes like the 1929 Great Depression and Black Monday in 1987. These events have given rise to a sense of “Octoberphobia” among some investors. Lessons on these events and others are included in Common Sense Economics from Poptential™, a comprehensive and free high school digital curriculum. Click to tweet.

“It’s never too early for teachers to engage students in discussions about the history of the stock market, its impact on economic growth or decline, and how it can potentially empower students to invest in their own futures,” said Julie Smitherman, a former social studies teacher and director of content at Certell, Inc., the nonprofit behind Poptential.

Create your Free Account to Continue Reading

eSchool News is Free for qualified educators. Sign up or login
to access all our K-12 news and resources.

Please confirm your email address

More News from eSchool News

Indiana is in the midst of an enormous undertaking to improve literacy rates. The approach: Align state standards, curriculum, and teacher training programs with practices rooted in the science of reading.

When it comes to digital equity, U.S. schools are well-positioned to help families get online with low-cost, high-speed internet options through the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program

Mentorship is an essential aspect of professional growth and development for early childhood educators, but for many training programs, mentorship components are either not well supported or are missing altogether.

Educators face myriad dilemmas in the wake of ChatGPT’s explosion, with some of the most popular including teaching with ChatGPT and how to address student use of AI chatbots in assignments.

Belonging is a fundamental human need. We are all searching for a sense of connection with the people and places in our lives. Students and school staff are no different.

School models are, for the most part, outdated–and very overdue for replacement. When students reach high school, research shows that close to 66 percent of students are disengaged.

Our students’ belief that everything they need to know is online can, without the right skillset, leave them prey to misinformation. So how do we teach our students to steer through the online ocean of data to be both effective researchers and responsible digital citizens?

In early September, CISA announced a voluntary pledge for K-12 education technology software manufacturers to commit to designing products with a greater focus on security.

Every teacher hopes to ignite, empower, and engage the students who walk through their classroom door. Ample research has shown that student engagement is crucial to overall learning and long-term success.

Incorporating social and emotional learning (SEL) throughout the school day has risen in popularity over the last few years, especially to counteract the increasing rates of anxiety and depression in students.

Tags black, common, Curriculum, digital, digital curriculum, free, great, high school, investment, month

Want to share a great resource? Let us know at submissions@eschoolmedia.com.

[ad_2]

ESchool News Staff

Source link

October 20, 2023
Travis Kelce buys $6-million mansion in Kansas for privacy. That’s real estate (Taylor’s Version)

[ad_1]

A certain Kansas City football star just bought a multimillion-dollar mansion in Kansas allegedly over privacy concerns as he dates a really famous pop singer-turned-box-office-sensation.

We speak of course of two-time Super Bowl champ Travis Kelce, whose recent purchase is being billed as “a desperate bid for more privacy surrounding his newfound romance with Taylor Swift,” according to Page Six.

The Chiefs tight end, 34, closed the deal Tuesday, TMZ first reported, and is set to become the proud new owner of a nearly 17,000-square-foot home in a private gated community that boasts six bedrooms and eight bathrooms — because $6 million goes a really long way in the Ad Astra State where the median sale price for a home is $258,700. (Compare that to $780,000 in star-studded California, $952,000 in Los Angeles and $760,550 in New York City, according to real estate website Redfin.)

Previous reports indicated that the home was located in Kansas City, but the sprawling pad is actually a property in Leawood, Kan. The sale is still pending, according to the property’s Redfin listing.

The property, built in 1998, is said to be perched on three acres of land and has a “Beverly Hills”-style pool area with a waterfall, a tennis and pickleball court and a miniature golf course, the New York Post reported. Honestly, we’re disappointed it doesn’t have a “seemingly ranch”-style layout, but it does have a six-car garage and wine cellar. The home was originally listed in September 2022 for $6.9 million, and the pending sale price listed on Redfin currently stands at $5,999,950.

TMZ reported that the NFL star upgraded because he needed more privacy as Taylormania ramps up around him. Apparently, his old place was too accessible and was becoming a “mini tourist attraction” as his romance with the “Anti-Hero” and “Girl at Home” singer heated up. Fans and paparazzi reportedly staked out his address when Swift paid him a visit there earlier this month.

“His former humble abode just wasn’t cutting it when it came to impressing his new love interest, Swift,” the Post said Thursday. “Insiders revealed that Kelce was feeling a tad ‘self-conscious’ about his relatively modest pad and decided it was time to take things up a notch. The reason? Winning over the heart of Swift, who is no stranger to the world of luxury. It seems Kelce wanted to match the grandeur of her lifestyle, and this new residence might just do the trick.”

Um, ever tried smiles and flowers instead?

The Post reported that the luxury purchase also aligns with the football star’s recent pay raise. The tight end’s salary reportedly jumped from $2.9 million in 2022 to $11.2 million this year. Plus, he’s taken part in several high-profile endorsement deals, with brands including Pfizer, Nike, Bud Light and State Farm.

The “Welcome to New York” singer-songwriter, of course, lives primarily in the Big Apple — and Kelce was seen leaving that pad over the weekend. The 12-time Grammy Award winner is something of a real estate investor, with roughly $150 million in real-estate holdings, according to a May estimate in the Wall Street Journal. Swift has bought and sold several properties in Nashville, Beverly Hills, Rhode Island and the United Kingdom.

Swift, 33, and Kelce have been palling around for the better part of a month after the football star revealed in late September that he “threw the ball in her court.” Kelce took in the “Blank Space” singer’s record-breaking Eras Tour at Arrowhead Stadium, and Swift caused a full-on media frenzy with her appearances at the football star’s games. (The Taylor effect even got the “Saturday Night Live” treatment last weekend, with Kelce getting in on the action last minute.)

Although they haven’t directly said a whole lot about their relationship status, the pair repeatedly stepped out together while holding hands and packing on the PDA last weekend — and while notching those guest-appearance spots on “SNL.”

On Wednesday’s episode of the “New Heights” podcast, which Kelce co-hosts with his older brother and fellow NFL player Jason Kelce, the siblings also addresssed a viral moment from Kelce’s weekend outing with Swift in which he appeared to “push” a security guard.

“I didn’t push him, I placed my hand on the gentleman’s back to let him know I was behind him. If I would’ve pushed him, he probably would’ve turned around and tased me,” said the younger Kelce.

“That sounds like a way that somebody who pushed somebody would describe pushing them,” Jason Kelce quipped.

Swift’s new beau added that he tries to be chivalrous on dates.

“I feel like whenever I’m on a date, I’m always like having like the sense of like I’m a man in the situation,” he said. “I’m protective for sure — you always kind of have that feeling or that self-awareness.”

And some of that self-awareness has extended into his wardrobe, with the football star addressing some of the fan feedback about his “Taylor’s curtains” sartorial selections.

Times staff writer Jonah Valdez contributed to this report.

[ad_2]

Nardine Saad

Source link

October 19, 2023
Police arrest man after allegedly assaulting store worker in Tauranga CBD – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

[ad_1]

The Tauranga District Court house. Photo / Alex Cairns

Bay of Plenty Police arrested a man after he allegedly assaulted a store worker before fleeing the scene with stolen items earlier this month.

A man has been charged in relation to an aggravated robbery at a commercial business on Cameron Rd on April 8.

Police were called at about 3.35pm after a man allegedly presented a weapon and assaulted a store worker before stealing items from the store and fleeing the scene.

The store worker received minor injuries.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

After an investigation, police arrested a 34-year-old man yesterday and charged him in relation to the incident.

He is due to appear in the Tauranga District Court tomorrow.

Original Author Link click here to read complete story..

[ad_2]

MMP News Author

Source link

April 15, 2023