The Brief

Members of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike for nearly three months. They’re fighting for better pay and protections against artificial intelligence, among other demands.

And, Hollywood performers are now two weeks into a strike of their own.

With Hollywood mostly shut down, some local businesses are starting to feel the pinch.

Last Friday, hundreds of striking writers and actors picketed in the sweltering heat outside the Warner Bros. studio in Burbank. Bright-pink billboards for the new Barbie movie were plastered all around.

Dawn Garcia (L) and April Rock (R) joined the picket lines outside the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank on Friday.

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Robert Garrova/LAist

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But even as summer blockbusters rake in hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office, economic anxiety is running high among striking performers, like SAG-AFTRA member April Rock.

“I’m at the level of just trying not to think about it ... afraid to check the bank account,” Rock said.

Uncertainty and community

That financial uncertainty isn’t just hitting actors and writers. Just across the street, Kismet Collective Salon opened up their bathroom to strikers.

Roxanne Schreiber said her dad, a retired set designer, came up with the colorful decorations inside the salon, and a local prop shop helped them renovate the space.

“I lost my job in production 15 years ago when we had the last writers strike... I know it affects the dry cleaners, the craft service people, the restaurants — everybody around the studios suffers because it is a company town,” Schreiber said.

It doesn’t help that Schreiber and her partners opened the salon just weeks before the writers strike started.

“I think all of us were a little worried opening a luxury-based business in a union town in the middle of a giant strike — most of our clients are in the industry,” Kismet co-owner Nicoletta Gauci told LAist.

But Schreiber says the strike hasn’t been totally bad for business. The surge of foot traffic gave them a sense of community — and at least a few new customers.

Roxanne Schreiber (L) and Nicoletta Gauci of Kismet Collective Salon opened their bathroom to striking writers and performers.

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Robert Garrova / LAist

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Contractors’ work halted

At his home about 15 miles northeast of the Warners lot, Johnny Agnew showed off his COVID project: a restored vintage mini motorcycle that used to lead parades in the '60s and '70s.

Through his business, Funky Junk Farms, Agnew has helped source countless vehicles for movies and TV productions, including the gold vintage trailer Leonardo DiCaprio’s character inhabits in 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Agnew’s lot is filled with all kinds of cool old stuff that would make any period piece pop. There’s old Santa Claus blow molds, gas station memorabilia and plenty of vintage trailers.

But all of this great stuff has sat unrented since March, when studios started getting worried about the imminent writers strike.

Funky Junk Farms as it looked in 2017.

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Katherine Garrova / LAist

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“With my rental stuff I have to have guys work on reupholstering interiors of cars — if we’re doing picture cars — or a mechanic. None of those guys are working right now. That’s just me, myself and my little crew, so you can imagine what it must be like with all the other factions,” Agnew said.

By trade, Agnew is a unionized studio driver, getting equipment and actors where they need to go on set. But that work dried up in April. For now, Agnew said he’s happy he can just keep his mortgage paid.

“It’s huge because most people can’t survive off unemployment ... You know, most of us live from paycheck to paycheck to be honest with you," he said. "People are hurting."

Johnny Agnew of Funky Junk Farms stands in front of a vintage truck.

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Katherine Garrova / LAist

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Agnew pointed out that that’s not the case for some of the big studio executives. He hopes the people at the top of the earnings ladder get things settled soon so he can go back to work.

“They need to pull their heads out of their behinds and respect the working class, basically, is what it comes down to,” Agnew said.

For its part, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said in a statement after the SAG-AFTRA strike was announced, that the union’s choice: “will lead to financial hardship for countless thousands of people who depend on the industry.”

They say their offers to both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA represent “historic” and “generous” pay increases, along with other protections and benefits.

Billions in estimated losses

When the writers strike began in May, Todd Holmes, a professor of entertainment industry management at Cal State Northridge, estimated it could cost the greater L.A. economy some $3 billion.

Holmes said he arrived at that estimate based on a study that looked at the economic impact of the last writer’s strike in 2007, adjusting for inflation and other factors.

“We’d have to increase that number substantially since now we’re factoring in SAG [strike],” Holmes told LAist. If the strikes continue into October, Holmes estimates the overall economic impact could be in the range of $4 to $5 billion.

“A lot of people are thinking that this goes on for another three months or so,” Holmes said.

In the meantime, Holmes says he’s interested to see how much local politicians will step in to move things toward a resolution.

At their last meeting, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors agreed to send a letter to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, urging them to return to the negotiating table.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said he had been in touch with both sides of the Hollywood strikes in order to try and help broker a deal.

Editor's note: Many LAist journalists are represented by SAG-AFTRA. However, they work under a different contract to the actors, and are not subject to this strike.

Republican Sonja Shaw conceded the race for California Superintendent of Public Instruction to Democrat Richard Barrera late Wednesday evening.

“Last night voters made their choice. I would be lying if I said my heart wasn’t heavy,” Shaw said in a statement shared on social media. “As a mother and a protector of children, I feel deeply saddened for the kids. They are the ones who deserve so much better.”

In her social media post, which included a photo of Shaw locking hands with her husband and two daughters, Shaw said her kids had motivated her to run for state superintendent. Shaw won election to the Chino Valley Unified school board in 2022, fueled by support from conservative parents.

“The problem is that for decades, the same people have had their hands on our education system while our children have continued to fall behind,” Shaw said. “I believe we had an opportunity to change that.”

The office of California superintendent of public instruction is nonpartisan, with no party affiliation listed on the ballot. In past races, it was not unusual for two Democrats to advance to the November election. But this year, endorsements, campaign funding and campaigning broke largely along partisan lines.

Shaw, a Republican and board president of Chino Valley Unified, emerged as the top vote getter in a crowded June primary that featured several Democratic state lawmakers. But she contended in her statement that her race didn’t have the “money or machinery” that her opponent did in the November election.

Shaw trailed Barrera by nearly 15 percentage points, according to the latest election results Thursday morning. Shaw’s campaign raised about $595,000 compared to Barrera’s $812,000. However, the California Teachers Association, the state’s largest teachers union and a heavy spender in state superintendent races, also spent $8.4 million to support Barrera, the board president of San Diego Unified.

That pales in comparison to the combined $50 million raised in the 2018 state superintendent race Tony Thurmond won against Marshall Tuck in 2018. The 2026 state superintendent race had the distinction of featuring two local school board members.

Shaw said she’s not sure what her next steps will be.

“I don’t know exactly what God has next, but I know He isn’t finished,” she said.

Shaw will not be returning to the Chino Valley Unified school board where she began her political career. Her husband, Chris Shaw, ran for her open seat and is trailing his challenger by 11 points, according to the San Bernardino County Register of Voters.

This story was originally published by EdSource.

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills is set to officially open next month, but that hasn’t stopped some wildlife from already using it.

Cameras captured coyote footage twice — once last week and again on Thursday morning — making the mammal the first large animal species seen using the crossing.

“This is amazing — obviously, the wildlife are not waiting for our opening date,” said Beth Pratt, president of the Wildlife Crossing Fund. “The animals are already blessing this crossing and saying, ‘Yep, you got it right.’”

Construction of the expansive bridge began in 2022, aimed at giving wildlife safe passage between the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills after years of research.

Pratt said it’s unclear whether the images of the coyote are of the same animal. The coyote in the most recent image from Thursday morning can be seen on the 101 structure holding a bone or a stick in its mouth.

“The coyote is validating that we got this designed right, and I think that there's something also about a coyote being first — kind of the L.A. mascot next to P-22,” Pratt said.

The National Park Service is installing more cameras along the crossing to document and study how animals use it. While images will be made publicly available, there will not be a livestream.

“We can't, for security reasons, because this is L.A., and if there's a mountain lion going across, somebody's gonna go try to pet it,” Pratt said.

Topline:

• How we got here: Roy held on to a strong lead over McKinney ever since polls closed and is currently ahead by more than twice as many votes. Roy will be a fresh face to the role after the incumbent city attorney, Hydee Feldstein Soto, was ousted in the June primary in a rare defeat of an elected city official. 

• What the candidates had to say: 
  
  • Roy said on social media Wednesday that election night was “a really good night for the people who believe that we should take care of one another, that we can stand up for our rights — even in what feels like an increasingly lawless world — and that we will achieve justice when we fight for it.”
  • McKinney posted on social media Thursday that he’s back in his old office at the Hall of Justice. “The run for City Attorney was an incredible journey, and I’m truly grateful for everyone who believed in me, supported me, and stood by my side,” McKinney wrote. "While I’m disappointed things didn’t turn out the way we hoped, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything." He acknowledged Roy in a social media video earlier this week, describing her as a “hard worker” who put together a strong coalition of support. McKinney added that he would be “rooting for her.”
  • Neither campaign immediately responded to LAist’s requests for additional comment.
• What’s at stake: The city attorney runs an office of more than 550 lawyers representing L.A. in all legal matters, including filing lawsuits and defending against them. Roy, backed by powerful progressives like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, has vowed to take on the Trump administration in court.
• Go deeper: Read more about the city attorney's role and what's on the table for Roy's first term.

Construction of the green metal fence around MacArthur Park will begin Monday, Nov. 16, with work scheduled to continue through fall 2027.

The city announced the start date Nov. 4, saying crews will install an 8-foot fence around the park’s perimeter. Nearby residents and businesses can expect some noise, dust and vibration during construction, although the city said mitigation measures will be in place.

Crews will work Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the park will remain open while crews are working. 

The fence is the city’s latest attempt to tackle longstanding problems at MacArthur Park, including drug use, homelessness and crime.

The city first approved plans for the fence in October 2025, and the proposal has since drawn both support and criticism from residents and community groups.

Some say they hope the fence will make the park safer, while others question whether it will actually improve conditions there. Police and city officials say the fence will give them more control over the space and make it easier to enforce the law.

Ana Luz Vazquez, a street vendor near MacArthur Park, said her main concern about the fence is what will happen to the unhoused people who stay in the park throughout the day and whether the city plans to address that issue directly.

She is also concerned that construction during the day could affect her ability to work because of traffic, less parking availability and loud noise.

Vazquez said she would prefer construction to take place at night so it would have less of an impact on street vendors.

“If they’re working in the day then how are we supposed to come here and who is going to help us survive,” Vazquez said.

Construction will happen in two phases

Phase 1

• Alvarado St. from W. 6th St. to Wilshire Blvd.
• S. Park View St. from Wilshire Blvd. to W. 6th St.
• Wilshire Blvd. from Alvarado St. to S. Park View St.

Phase 2

• Alvarado St. from Wilshire Blvd. to W. 7th St.
• S. Park View St. from W. 7th St. to Wilshire Blvd.
• Wilshire Blvd. from S. Park View St. to Alvarado St.
• W. 7th St. from Alvarado St. to S. Park View St.

Existing trees will be protected and monitored during the work, according to the Department of Recreation and Parks. Traffic control measures will be in place during work hours, and crews will post temporary “No Parking” signs near active work areas in advance.

Services at the park are expected to remain the same throughout construction. The schedule could change because of weather or other unforeseen circumstances, according to the city.

The city has allocated $2.3 million for the project, but officials have not said whether that will cover the full cost.

After the fence is installed, the city plans a second phase focused on adding decorative elements. Officials have said residents will have an opportunity to provide input on the design.

Residents with questions or concerns about the project can contact Recreation and Parks at RAP.PublicInfo@lacity.org or 213-202-2700.

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