Federal Mediators To Intervene In SAG-AFTRA, Studios Negotiations As Deadline Looms

Unionized Hollywood actors on the verge of a strike have agreed to allow a last-minute intervention from federal mediators but say they doubt a deal will be reached by a negotiation deadline late Wednesday.

“We are committed to the negotiating process and will explore and exhaust every possible opportunity to make a deal, however we are not confident that the employers have any intention of bargaining toward an agreement,” the Screen Actors Guild -American Federation of Radio and Television Artists said in a statement Tuesday night.

The actors could join the already striking Writers Guild of America and grind the already slowed production process to a halt if no agreement is reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The sides agreed to an extension before the original contract expiration date on June 30, resetting it to Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. Joining to discuss the latest is Anousha Sakoui, entertainment industry writer for the Los Angeles Times.

With files from the Associated Press 

Low-Cost Residential Hotels In LA Are Protected By Law, But That Hasn’t Stopped Some Hotel Owners From Converting Them

A recent collaboration between Pro Publica and Capital and Main that was co-published on LAist tackled the complex topic of LA’s residential hotels–bare bones accommodations that serve low-income people. The story by Robin Urevich and Gabriel Sandoval explores how a 2008 ordinance that limits residential hotels’ conversion to tourist hotels and condos is being ignored by hotel owners, and not enforced by the city, which has the power to levy fines or prosecute violators for noncompliance. The ordinance requires that owners of converting hotels either replace the housing units lost or pay a fee calculated with neighboring property values and construction costs. The investigation identified at least 21 residential hotels that have been converted against regulations, including the American Hotel in the Arts District. Joining us to discuss her piece is Robin Urevich, staff reporter for Capital & Main who writes about the housing crisis. Also joining us is Greg Good, senior advisor of policy, strategy & external affairs at the Los Angeles Housing Department, Ray Patel, owner of the Welcome Inn in Eagle Rock and president of the Northeast Los Angeles Hotel Owners Association, and Deepika Sharma, clinical assistant professor of law, and director, housing law and policy clinic at the USC Gould School of Law.

It’s Been One Year Since The 988 Hotline Rollout – How Has It Gone?

This week marks one year since the 988 suicide and crisis hotline was unveiled. Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services is the lead crisis center for the hotline, which at its inception represented the beginning of a national shift from relying on traditional emergency responders — very often police — to respond to mental health crises. In its first five months, the hotline received over 1.7 million calls and texts. At times, however, the average weight time to speak with a counselor could take minutes. On Tuesday, Didi Hirsch held a virtual press conference to present data on the hotline from this past year. What worked, which didn’t, and how will they improve going forward? Joining us today on AirTalk as we reach the one-year anniversary of the hotline, is Rebecca Zeitlin, LMFT and Crisis Line Director at Didi Hirsch’s Suicide Prevention Center.

There Are Many Subtypes Of Depression: A New Stanford Study Seeks To Better Understand One

Depression is a commonly diagnosed disorder, but despite its prevalence, many facets of depression are a mystery. Scientists now know there are nearly a dozen different subtypes of depression. But how each subtype works and what the treatment implications are for reach continues to be a challenging and necessary area of research. In a new Stanford study, two scientists targeted one subtype of depression labeled “cognitive biotype” in an fMRI study. By tracking the neural activity of over 700 participants, the study’s authors were able to identify the new subtype, which had been commonly misdiagnosed in patients as a mood disorder. Knowing what kind of depression a patient has allows clinicians to provide the best treatment. Joining us today on AirTalk to discuss the new study and why it’s so important to better understand subtypes of depression is Leanne Williams, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Is This Spot Taken? ‘Paved Paradise’ Explores How Parking Defines Our World

You know the feeling. You’re doing laps around a parking lot, and you finally find a spot. Someone swoops in before you, crushing your dreams – and all you can do is fume and honk. In his book, Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains The World, Henry Grabar explores America's chaotic parking culture and its effects on urban life. Parking influences building design, traffic patterns, access to public transit, and road rage. While Americans struggle to afford housing, endless empty vehicles take up prime real estate. Our daily commutes, spaces, and lives revolve around parking; it’s everywhere, and yet we can never find it. Joining us on the program today is Henry Grabar, staff writer at Slate and author of “Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains The World.”