LAUSD board approves plan that could see significant job cuts. What happens now?

Listen 1:39:00

Apple

Spotify

Today on AirTalk: LAUSD board plan could bring significant job cuts; CA cardrooms; Home kitchens in LA; A new season at the Hollywood Bowl; and weightlifting.

LAUSD board approves plan that could see significant job cuts. What happens now?

Today on AirTalk: LAUSD board plan could bring significant job cuts; CA cardrooms; Home kitchens in LA; A new season at the Hollywood Bowl; and weightlifting.

Subscribe

• Apple
• Spotify

LAUSD board approves plan that could see significant job cuts. What happens now?

A divided Los Angeles Unified School District Board voted 4-3 Tuesday to issue preliminary layoff notices to 657 employees, as part of a plan to reduce the budget after several years of the district spending more money than it brings in. Even as California is poised to fund schools at record high levels, Los Angeles Unified and other districts have grappled with increased costs. For example, LAUSD hired more staff to support students during the pandemic, and now the federal relief dollars that initially funded those positions are gone. For the last two years, the district has relied on reserves to backfill a multi-billion-dollar deficit.

With files from LAist. Read the full story here. We reached out to LAUSD for this conversation, but they could not make a representative available.

California cardroom rules could get stricter 

Feelin’ lucky? Well, in the state of California, there are a number of ways you could place your bet. Although sports gambling remains generally prohibited, California still hosts a variety of conventional gambling forums like tribal casinos and card rooms. There are 80 registered card rooms in California, and unlike casinos, cardrooms are not allowed to contain slot machines or “house-banked” games, instead allowing patrons to play a large number of poker and table games with each other. However, two stricter regulations have been approved by the California Department of Justice, and Attorney General Rob Bonta may change things. California’s commercial cardroom industry is sounding the alarm that new state gambling regulations could force significant changes to how cardrooms operate and slash thousands of jobs statewide. Joining us in to talk about what’s at stake is Ernie Hernandez, city manager of the city of Commerce and Kyle Kirkland, President of California Gaming Association.

Here’s what home kitchens are, and what they mean for the LA food scene

Los Angeles County instituted its Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO) program back in 2024, which allowed Angelenos to essentially run a food business (like restaurants or coffee shops) out of their homes. With the number of permits being administered by the LA County Department of Public Health reaching more than 200 at this point, we thought it’d be worth checking in on these kinds of businesses. Joining us to discuss these home kitchens is Bill Esparza, James Beard award-winning food writer and contributor at Eater LA. Chefs and owners of a local home kitchen also join us, Gina Garcia Gancedo and Jason Gancedo of Gancia’s Craft Kitchen in El Sereno, as well as Isaac Watters, co-owner of Granada, a home kitchen and coffee shop in Echo Park.

Here’s what’s on tap for this summer’s Hollywood Bowl season

Whether you’re taking in fireworks, a movie showing with the L.A. Philharmonic providing a live score, or a performance from a world-renowned artist (maybe also accompanied by the L.A. Phil), few things announce the official arrival of summer like the summer season at the Hollywood Bowl. Ticket sales for select concerts and events are available starting today here, with single-show ticket sales broadly starting May 5. This year marks LA Phil music and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel’s 17th season conducting at the bowl, and there will be a full week of performances dedicated to his journey with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Other highlights of the summer include Herb Alpert, St. Vincent, ZZ Top, and much more. Today on AirTalk, Larry previews the 2024 Hollywood Bowl Summer Season with L.A. Phil Chief Content Officer Meghan Umber and L.A. Phil Vice President of Presentations Johanna Rees.

Is SoCal the heavy weight champion of the weightlifting world? 

Muscle Beach, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gold’s Gym – Southern California has long been the epicenter of body building and weight lifting, shaping the industry and influencing the look. Year round sunshine and warm weather, beach culture and tanned bodies, gave way to the perfect training ground for athletes and influencers alike. Today on AirTalk, we’re talking about the evolution of weight lifting not just in SoCal but nationwide. We want to hear from you as well. Is weightlifting something you’ve taken up recently? If so, how come? Call us at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com. Joining us on the program is New York Times contributor Danielle Friedman whose recent piece is titled “How Weight Lifting Took Over America.”