New report highlights the barriers to film and TV production in California
California is the cradle of film and TV, but a new report out this week suggests the state’s production environment is too costly and burdensome to be competitive.“A Hollywood Reset: Restoring Stability in the California Entertainment Industry,” from the Milken Institute, highlights the unique challenges production faces in the state, including a high cost of living, an arduous permitting process, and convoluted film tax credit system. The report paints a dire picture for the hallmark California industry, which is facing increased competition from other states and countries to host film production. Included in the report are a number of ways the Golden State can recenter itself as the home of Hollywood, including streamlining certain processes and increasing the amount of money allocated to the tax credit system. Today on AirTalk, one of the report’s authors, the executive director at the Milken Institute Finance, Kevin Klowden, joins the program to talk about the report and the state of Hollywood.
CDC changes recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines. What does science say?
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced this week that he plans to have the Centers for Disease Control remove COVID-19 vaccinations from its list of recommended immunizations for healthy pregnant women and children. In a video posted by the HHS secretary, Kennedy’s X (formerly Twitter) account, he broke the news alongside FDA commissioner Dr. Martin Makary and NIH director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who briefly explained the reasoning for the decision. They cited reasons like changes in global immunization policies and a lack of clinical data for the move, although the medical community has debated the topic. With HHS and the CDC moving away from this stance, this likely could have impacts on Americans’ health insurance, with this change in policy likely impacting the accessibility of COVID-19 vaccines for children. Could this impact the number of COVID-19 cases? Helping us answer this question is Dr. Kimberly Shriner, M.D., director of Infectious Disease and Prevention at Huntington Hospital, and Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center.
As tariffs start, stop, and restart, we check in on the Port of Los Angeles
It’s been nearly two months since President Trump’s “Liberation Day,” where he unveiled a slew of new tariffs across trading partners, turning heads and leaving global markets reeling. The White House has spent the weeks since retooling these levies, but the widespread uncertainty ushered in by the trade barriers has had an outsized impact on the shipping industry. In May, the Port of Los Angeles saw a 20% cancellation rate for vessel arrivals. The reduction in vessels means less hours for workers at the ports, fewer shipments for truckers, and overall a decrease in economic activity for the surrounding area and Los Angeles on the whole. With the US’ role in the global trade order still very much in flux, how is the Port of Los Angeles — and the economic effects it generates for the region — faring? To answer that, we’re turning to the executive director for the Port of Los Angeles, Gene Seroka.
The rise of OnlyFans and its impact on the sex work industry
OnlyFans is in talks to sell the platform for $8 billion, according to reporting from Reuters. The creator-driven platform has made a name for itself as being sex worker-friendly, allowing individual creators to monetize off themselves. OnlyFans has battled with its image as a porn site, threatening to ban its adult content creators back in 2021 but soon reversed course. So what has made OnlyFans ubiquitous with digital sex work? And how has the company been able to expand throughout the years? Today on AirTalk, we’ll talk about the rise of OnlyFans and how its changed the sex work industry. Joining us are Sam Cole, journalist and co-founder of tech news outlet 404 Media, Peppermint & Dusty, webcam models, adult content creators, and relationship coaches that perform as a couple together, and Aella, sex worker, researcher, and writer.
The head-spinning, magical moment of becoming an American citizen
What is it like to finally become an American citizen? That is a question that one of LAist’s own is now able to answer. After living here with a green card for years, senior editor Suzanne Levy has finally become an American citizen. This is a milestone for anyone seeking citizenship, and in 2024, that milestone was granted to over 800,000 people who became U.S. citizens in ceremonies held across the country. Joining us today on AirTalk to share her experience is Suzanne Levy, Senior Editor at LAist and a proud new American citizen. We want to hear from you. If you were naturalized as a U.S. citizen, what was the moment like? What did it mean for you? Call us at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
