Robert Garrova
explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health.
Published December 20, 2023 5:00 AM
Actor Renée Threatte was a SAG-AFTRA strike captain during the 2023 strike.
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Courtesy Renée Threatte
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Topline:
With the SAG-AFTRA strike wrapped, it’s time for thousands of actors, writers, costume makers, set builders and other entertainment industry professionals to get back to work. But experts say a return to business as usual will take time, and that the industry probably won’t get back to the peak employment seen in recent years when there was a glut of productions driven by streaming platforms.
Economic costs: Production stoppages that affected movies, TV shows and streaming programs are estimated to have cost the economy about $7 billion, with about half of that in California, according to Kevin Klowden, chief global strategist at the Milken Institute.
Employment shrunk: According to a new study from Otis College, the Hollywood strikes came at a time when the industry was seeing a downward trend in employment. Since reaching a “post-pandemic employment high” in August 2022, employment shrunk by 26% in October 2023, the study points out.
What's next: Hollywood pros LAist spoke with said they are ready to get back to work come early 2024, and they hope productions will begin getting back to normal after the holidays.
Set builder Greg Gilday has worked on some of Disney’s big Star Wars shows, building spaceships for the franchise’s Ahsoka series. But during the Hollywood strikes that dragged on for months this year, he was busy doing something a bit more down to earth.
He organized swap meets where out-of-work entertainment industry pros could sell their stuff to make ends meet.
Now that the actors have ratified a new contract, have the jobs come back? For Gilday, not yet.
“SAG-AFTRA reaching a deal hasn’t had any impact as of this moment,” he said recently, noting that the end of the calendar year is usually a slow time for productions. “Come January, I’m sure it will be a feeding frenzy.”
Set builder and welder Greg Gilday outside Walt's in Eagle Rock.
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Robert Garrova / LAist
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The dual Hollywood strikes that began with the Writers Guild of America in May, followed by the start of SAG-AFTRA picketing in July, were the heart of the hot labor summer in Los Angeles. The strikes, which together lasted more than six months, brought the writers and actors gains in their new union contracts, including guardrails around the use of artificial intelligence, wage and residual increases and more.
Now it’s time for thousands of actors, writers, costume makers, set builders and other entertainment industry professionals to get back to work. But experts say a return to business as usual will take time, and that the industry probably won’t get back to the peak employment seen after the pandemic when there was a glut of productions driven by streaming platforms.
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‘Ready To Work’: Hollywood Artists Hopeful New Year Will Bring Employment After Dual Strikes
Production stoppages that affected movies, TV shows and streaming programs are estimated to cost the economy about $7 billion, with about half of that in California, according to Kevin Klowden, chief global strategist at the Milken Institute. And when the final figures are in, that number is expected to grow.
What recovery might look like
While some of the roughly 160,000 actors guild members continued to raise concerns about artificial intelligence protections until the ratification vote deadline, the performers union ended up sealing the deal with more than 78% approval.
Striking writers and actors rallied in front of Amazon Studios in Culver City in support of a bill that would provide unemployment benefits to striking workers.
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Robert Garrova / LAist
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“This is a golden age for SAG-AFTRA, and our union has never been more powerful,” SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said in a statement following the ratification of the contract.
Gilday, the set builder, said he’s happy with many of the wage increases and protections writers and actors gained after the strikes, and he’s hopeful the new year will bring him an abundance of work.
Fran Drescher, SAG-AFTRA president and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union's chief negotiator, address the press on Nov. 10, 2023.
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Robert Garrova/LAist
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Previous strikes have shown that a return to normal could take as long as a year, according to Klowden. But, he said, mass spending from streaming companies on large numbers of high-quality shows — during what’s known as “peak TV” — is not likely to come back.
He said streaming services are moving away from the big spending days when they were searching for the next Game of Thrones or Ted Lasso, that would bring more eyes to their platforms.
“And that means that even as production numbers recover, they’re going to recover in a way that just won’t come back to quite that heady level we were seeing say in late 2021 or early, mid-2022,” Klowden said.
According to a new study from Otis College, the Hollywood strikes came at a time when the industry was seeing a downward trend in employment. Since reaching a “post-pandemic employment high” in August 2022, employment shrunk by 26% in October 2023, the study points out.
The report estimates that nearly 25,000 Hollywood workers have lost their jobs since April.
‘They just can’t survive’
Recent numbers from FilmLA, the nonprofit tasked with coordinating filming permits, show on-location permits were down about 57% during the second week of December compared to the same time last year. That was after the actors guild strike order was lifted.
But it’s still a considerable improvement over mid-November, when permits for feature films and television projects were down 83% compared to the same time in 2022.
Klowden said it’s important to note that just because productions can get back to work doesn’t mean they’re ready. Things like coordinating trailers and craft services and other support staff take time.
And he said it’s possible some of those workers might not come back at all after getting pummeled by the pandemic and the dual strikes.
“The combination of these multiple shutdowns has led to a situation where they just can’t survive,” he said.
‘Ready to work’
Actor Renée Threatte was a strike captain during the SAG-AFTRA strike.
“I’m ready to work,” Threatte told LAist. “It’s been a long couple of months. While I’m really proud of the union and for all of the volunteers and all the people that showed up on the picket line... I’m disappointed that it took so long.”
Still, Threatte said she is happy with her union’s new contract. And while auditions are slow at the moment, she’s hopeful the floodgates will open in January.
But even if the work comes back, it doesn’t mean the struggle to afford to live in L.A. will be over.
“I hope that not only can this contract inspire people to fight for a fair and working wage ... but I hope it can also inspire our politicians to make sure that they’re doing what they can to keep an effective and viable way of life here in Los Angeles,” Threatte said.
Klowden agrees that the cost of living in L.A. should be a major concern. He said Hollywood has always touted itself as a gateway to a sustainable middle class life, not just for writers and actors, but everyone who makes the dream factory run.
“That’s important. And that sense of maintaining that concentration of talent and concentration of skilled workers is a big deal in terms of Hollywood’s attractiveness,” Klowden said. “And if that goes out the window, then there is a real problem.”
First artifacts installed in LA museum's expansion
Makenna Sievertson
has been covering space shuttle Endeavour's journey at the California Science Center since December 2023.
Published November 18, 2025 4:08 PM
The first of many artifacts have been installed in the Kent Kresa Space Gallery, including a space shuttle main engine (right) and a solid rocket booster segment.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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Topline:
The California Science Center unveiled Tuesday the first of many launch vehicles, engines and other artifacts set to be installed in the museum’s 200,000-square-foot expansion coming to Exposition Park.
Why it matters: Jeff Rudolph, president and CEO of the California Science Center, said the $450 million expansion is California’s biggest “endeavor” yet that will inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and explorers.
Why now: The first artifacts in the expanded museum were placed in the Kenta Kresa Space Gallery, including a three-story-tall Electron launch vehicle from Rocket Lab in Long Beach.
The backstory: It’ll be the only place in the world where visitors can see an authentic space shuttle in its “Go for Stack” position, which is what museum officials called the process of moving each of the space shuttle components into place.
What's next: Officials expect to announce next year an opening date for the expansion.
Read on ... for a peak inside the expansion coming to Exposition Park.
The California Science Center unveiled Tuesday the first of many launch vehicles, engines and other artifacts set to be installed in the museum’s 200,000-square-foot expansion coming to Exposition Park.
Once complete, the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will include multi-level galleries built around a towering centerpiece — the space shuttle Endeavour — displayed in its 20-story vertical launch position.
It’ll be the only place in the world where visitors can see an authentic space shuttle in its “Go for Stack” position, which is what museum officials called the process of moving each of the space shuttle components into place.
Museum admission will be free.
Jeff Rudolph, president and CEO of the California Science Center, said the $450 million expansion is California’s biggest “endeavor” yet to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and explorers.
“The enthusiasm that people have when they come in and see this stuff and get excited about it will hopefully lead to many more people, young and old, but particularly young people wanting to pursue more education in science,” Rudolph told LAist.
Museum officials expect to announce next year an opening date, according to Rudolph.
A look inside the center
The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will feature three main galleries: the Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery, the Korean Air Aviation Gallery and the Kent Kresa Space Gallery.
Guests will be guided through hundreds of exhibits and authentic artifacts focused on the exploration of the universe — including rocket ships that carried humans into space and telescopes used to view stars and galaxies beyond our reach.
A real Electron launch vehicle from Rocket Lab in Long Beach spans several stories tall in the Kent Kresa Space Gallery.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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The first artifacts in the expanded museum were placed in the Kenta Kresa Space Gallery, including a three-story-tall Electron launch vehicle from Rocket Lab in Long Beach.
Adam Spice, chief financial officer of Rocket Lab, told LAist the Electron helped lower the cost of getting to space by sending satellites in smaller, cheaper rockets. The new center is an opportunity to get up close and personal with an Electron for the first time outside of a factory.
Spice said he hopes it’ll show visitors their dreams can become a reality.
“They can be part of something much bigger than probably they ever thought they could,” he said.
The first artifacts installed in the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center include a solid rocket booster segment. Kenneth Phillips, aerospace curator, shows the scale of the piece, which has flown into space several times.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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The solid rocket booster segment will become a walk-through interactive experience in the Kent Kresa Space Gallery.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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A segment of a solid rocket booster that flew into space several times is laid on its side on the second floor of the gallery.
Kenneth Phillips, the California Science Center’s aerospace curator, told LAist it’ll be turned into an interactive exhibit with audio, video and educational graphics.
“It's 12 feet in diameter, so people can actually walk through it and learn about the function of it from the inside out literally,” Phillips said.
Visitors will be able to get up close and personal with a space shuttle main engine.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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A detailed model of a space shuttle main engine is set up next to the solid rocket booster. Three of those main engines helped boost space shuttles into orbit by providing about 20% of their power, Phillips said.
What's next
Construction of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center started more than three years ago and is on track to be completed in the coming weeks, according to museum officials.
With construction of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center weeks away from completion, crews have started to put in landscaping around the outside of the expansion.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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The exterior of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center as of Tuesday.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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The remaining exhibits and artifacts will then be installed over "many months," Rudolph said. Officials expect to announce next year an opening date for the expansion.
The California Science Center also is looking to raise about $70 million more for the $450 million project before it opens. You can learn more about its “EndeavourLA” fundraising campaign here.
Matt Dangelantonio
directs production of LAist's daily newscasts, shaping the radio stories that connect you to SoCal.
Published November 18, 2025 3:58 PM
The Westwood Village Theater will be operated and programmed by American Cinematheque when it opens
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George Rose
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Getty Images
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Topline:
The group of directors restoring the Village Theater in Westwood are tapping film nonprofit American Cinematheque to program and run the venue when it opens.
Why it matters: American Cinematheque also programs the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and the Los Feliz Theater, making it a visible and active film arts nonprofit in the industry.
The backstory: The nearly century-old movie palace went up for sale in 2024 before Village Directors Circle bought it in February. The group is comprised of more than 30 notable filmmakers. They're led by director Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking, Juno) and their ranks include Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, Lulu Wang, Chloé Zhao, Christopher Nolan and Ryan Coogler.
What's next: VDC says it's eyeing a 2027 opening for the Village Theater, and is currently in the quiet phase of a capital campaign to raise $25 million to restore and remodel the Village Theater into a more than 1,000-seat venue.
For January fire survivors looking for fresh start
Gillian Morán Pérez
is an associate producer for LAist’s early All Things Considered show.
Published November 18, 2025 3:46 PM
Residents embrace in front of a fire-ravaged property after the Palisades Fire swept through in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 8.
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Etienne Laurent
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AP
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Topline:
The city of Long Beach has launched a new jobs program to help people affected by January’s fires.
Who is it for? The initiative will provide paid career opportunities and financial assistance to people looking for a fresh start in Long Beach.
To start, 10 people will get up to 300 hours of paid work experience with local employers. Another five people also will get training scholarships of up to $7,500 in high-demand fields like health care and information technology.
Who's paying for it? The initiative is funded by a $130,000 federal act called the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
How to apply: Anyone interested in applying can contact Nakawa Shepherd, Career Center manager, Economic Development and Opportunity, at Nakawa.Shepherd@longbeach.gov or visit the LBWIN Adult Career Services Center.
How to participate: Long Beach’s Economic Development and Opportunity office also is looking for local employers to provide on-the-job training for applicants.
Jacob Margolis
covers science, with a focus on environmental stories and disasters.
Published November 18, 2025 2:51 PM
This undated photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office shows Jonathan Rinderknecht, who has been accused of setting a fire that led to the Palisades Fire.
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U.S. Attorney's Office
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Topline:
The man accused of igniting a fire that led to the deadly and destructive Palisades Fire in January will remain in custody without bond, U.S. Judge Rozella Oliver decided Tuesday in Los Angeles. Jonathan Rinderknecht has been in custody since his arrest in Florida on Oct. 7.
Where things stand: Rinderknecht was indicted by a federal grand jury in October and is charged with one count of arson, one count of timber set afire and one count of destruction of property by means of fire. Rinderknecht pleaded not guilty in mid-October and faces anywhere from five to 45 years in federal prison if convicted. His trial is set to begin April 21, 2026. His lawyers recently asked the court to allow him out of custody as he awaits trial.
Argument against release: In a filing on Monday, prosecutors said Rinderknecht is a flight risk because of his familial ties to France, as well as a danger to the community. The filing states that Rinderknecht threatened to burn down his sister’s home and that he purchased a gun and threatened to kill his brother-in-law. Prosecutors also raised the fact that a judge determined in October that the suspect’s mental health had declined.
The allegations: Authorities allege Rinderknecht set fire to brush near the Skull Rock Trailhead in the Santa Monica Mountains at around midnight Jan. 1, starting the Lachman Fire. Though the fire was held to just 8 acres and was believed to have been extinguished, authorities say it flared up once again amid strong, dry winds a week later. That fire grew into the Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,800 structures.
