The Brief

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About that pushback: The episode delves into the criticisms Star Garden dancers faced for being a mostly white group using the term “stripper strike,” which was previously a term used by Black strippers in response to discriminatory practices in strip clubs. The Star Garden dancers also received blowback for pushing for unionization as the primary strategy for improving dancers’ experiences, highlighting an ongoing debate over who actually benefits from unionizing this industry.

We meet dancers who are pushing for alternate solutions to common industry inequalities, including Cat Hollis of PDX stripper strike, who led a campaign to put pressure on multiple clubs and target issues of racism across Portland, Oregon, strip clubs; and Onyx Black, who thinks strippers shouldn’t be unionized employees, but rather independent contractors.

Onyx Black, a stripper and pole dance instructor, says working conditions declined for strippers after California passed AB5.

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Samanta Helou Hernandez

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LAist

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Onyx Black advocates for a repeal of AB5 or a carve out of the law for strip clubs so dancers can be classified as independent contractors

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Samanta Helou Hernandez

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LAist

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Meet Onyx: Onyx Black started stripping at the age of 37 after spending many years working in the corporate world. “It's one of the most toxic places I've ever worked,” Onyx says. “Having all of these white men looking down on you … And at the strip club, all of those white men are giving me money and I'm looking down at them.”

Onyx says she made good money as a stripper and liked the scheduling flexibility she got as an independent contractor. Then, everything changed in 2020, when California passed AB5, a controversial labor law that caused many strip clubs to re-classify their dancers as employees, and as a result, let many of them go.

Onyx now advocates for a return to independent contractor status for strippers through her organization Artists Revolt.

Star Garden management opposed their dancers’ unionization campaign — halting the ballot count by claiming the strippers were independent contractors, not employees, and later filing for bankruptcy, which led the dancers to believe they might have a shot at buying the club themselves.

How can I listen? Here's Part 2:

New episodes of Imperfect Paradise: Strippers Union publish Wednesdays wherever you get your podcasts, on LAist.com, and on broadcast at LAist 89.3 the following Sunday.

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Why it matters: Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Aaron Katon said authorities responded to a La Habra business that makes cleaning products after receiving a call shortly before noon about the cloud. Police evacuated a nearby middle school as a precaution, Katon said.

The chemical: They do not yet know what the chemical was, but all shelter-in-place orders have been lifted, Katon said.

What's next: The regional air quality management district has deployed staff to the area to investigate, said Connie Villanueva, a spokesperson for the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

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The backstory: After his famed tenure leading Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls to six championships, Jackson joined the Lakers in 1999 and immediately began another era of major success for the 17-time NBA champion franchise. His first three teams in Los Angeles won championships behind the dynamic duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and the Lakers added two more titles in 2009 and 2010 led by Bryant and Pau Gasol. His Lakers also made the NBA Finals in 2004 and 2008.

What's next: The statue will be unveiled April 9 before the Lakers’ home game against Minnesota.

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The details: This week’s combination of heat and humidity could be worse than it has been all summer. Forecasters say temperatures will peak on Wednesday. Highs could get up to the triple digits. Overnight lows will also stay elevated. They may only get down to the 70s in places, offering little relief from the heat.

The humidity: Climate experts say the humidity this week could be some of the highest on record in Southern California, even after a summer marked by repeated humid heatwaves. The moisture in the air, combined with the extreme heat, makes it increasingly difficult for the human body to cool down, especially when outdoors. It’s also driving scattered rain and thunderstorms that will continue for the next few days.

The backstory: The tropical moisture is due in large part to the leftovers of Hurricane Marie hundreds of miles away in the Pacific Ocean. On top of that, record high ocean temperatures off the Southern California coast are adding to the humidity.

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Why it matters: Barke was elected in 2018 to the Orange County Board of Education, which oversees and approves the county’s education budget that serves around 450,000 students.

Background: In 2024, the Fair Political Practices Commission found Barke liable for failing to correctly report income, resulting in a $3,200 penalty. But a judge in July said the FPPC’s settlement didn’t fully address Barke’s actions.

What are the penalties? Barke will have to pay $101,800 in penalties, as well as attorney fees, for incorrectly filling out economic disclosure statements and for failure to correct amended statements. She will be credited the $3,200 paid to the FPPC. Barke’s lawyer did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What changed? Orange County Superior Court Judge H. Shaina Colover handed the decision on Sept. 3. Colover said in a final statement on the decision that “substantial civil damages are warranted” to enforce the Political Reform Act and prevent future violations.

Officials say: The complaint was filed by Lynne Riddle, a retired judge. Riddle’s lawyers said in a statement to LAist that the court’s ruling is a “landmark” outcome for public trust and that the high penalty fees show how serious the offenses were. “We hope this result reminds every public official in California that transparency is not optional, and that the public has both the right to know and the tools to hold them accountable when transparency is ignored,” Riddle’s legal team said.