AirTalk

As coronavirus case numbers continue to decline and more Californians receive shots in their arms, like so many other industries, film and television production are starting back up in larger numbers.

In late January, unions representing actors and crewmembers on film and TV sets announced they’d agreed to lift a halt on production, allowing it to resume on February 1. Earlier this month, Film L.A., the organization that oversees and issues filming permits in Los Angeles, reported a 43 percent increase in permits from last month, a sign that we are indeed seeing productions start back up in earnest. But there’s still a long way to go before production slates have returned to normal, and in the meantime employees who worked on film and TV sets pre-pandemic and are now maybe going back to work will likely find that a lot has changed in the way film and TV is shot now.

Today on AirTalk, we’ll conclude our weeklong “State of the Arts” series by taking a look at the state of film and television production, and how it will look as California continues to move down the color tier ladder.

GUESTS:

Anousha Sakoui, entertainment industry writer for the Los Angeles Times who’s been following this report; she tweets @anoushasakoui

Dominic Patten, senior editor at Deadline Hollywood where he is a TV critic and covers the business of Hollywood; he tweets @DeadlineDominic

Today on AirTalk, we get the latest on the Echo Park clearing. Also on the show, we talk with live entertainment venue owners and more.

The pandemic has turned live music and entertainment on its head, like so many other sectors. Live music and entertainment venues at every level still don’t know what the future holds as businesses slowly begin to reopen.

Last year, promoters and fans turned to drive-in and virtual concerts as a creative way to keep live music alive. Comedians and other entertainers also had to turn to the internet amid shutdowns. Earlier this month, the California Department of Public Health released new guidelines for a number of industries. Los Angeles County currently sits in Tier 2 or the “red tier.” Movie theaters, live performance theatres have received some type of guidance for reopening. Concert venues remain closed. Today, as part of our weeklong series exploring how different sectors of the arts and entertainment industry are starting back up, we’ll talk about how local music and entertainment venues are coping and the challenges that lie ahead as owners and operators consider what reopening looks like. We also want to hear from you! Do you operate an entertainment venue? What are the challenges you’re facing and what do you imagine the future holds? Are you a musician, comedian or live entertainer? Tell us your experience by calling 866-893-5722. 

GUESTS:

Dave Brooks, senior director of live music at Billboard; he tweets @RealDaveBrooks

Derrick Pipkin, owner of Pip’s On La Brea, a restaurant in Mid-City that traditionally offers live music nightly

Jamie Flam, co-owner and co-artistic director of Dynasty Typewriter, a comedy, theater and entertainment venue located in West Lake; he tweets @jamieflam

The Los Angeles Police Department and city officials now say all unhoused people living at Echo Park Lake must leave by 10:30 tonight. 

Early Thursday morning, city councilman Mitch O'Farrell issued a statement that said the city "has started the process of closing Echo Park, beginning with numerous intersections and freeway ramps around the facility. They are now closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic to protect public safety while crews begin the installation of the fence around the park." LAPD officers in riot gear descended on Echo Park Lake late Wednesday night as part of an operation to close the park — ostensibly for renovations. They were met by about 300 unhoused people and housing advocates who object to the removal of a large tent encampment. Late Wednesday, LAPD officers declared an unlawful assembly as they faced off with housing activists and residents of the longstanding encampment. 

The councilman's statement also said the Echo Park property "has devolved into a very dangerous place for everyone there: drug overdoses, sexual and physical assaults, self-styled leaders taxing homeless individuals and vendors, animal abuse, families without shelter in the colder weather, and last fall shootings where one homeless individual was shot in the leg by gang members while children stood nearby. There have been four deaths in the park over the last year." But homeless residents of the park and advocates have pushed back, restarting a debate over the way the city handles homeless encampments like this one.

Today on AirTalk, Libby Denkmann joins us from Echo Park to set the scene following last night’s protest and to look ahead to what we might expect to see today.

With files from LAist

GUEST: 

Libby Denkmann, KPCC/LAist senior politics reporter who has been covering the story from Echo Park Lake; she tweets @libdenk

Today on AirTalk, we discuss Los Angeles city officials' plan to close Echo Park and look into how that decision impacts the area's homeless encampments. Also on the show, we go over the latest COVID-19 headlines; talk with museum owners about reopening plans; and more.

When stay-at-home orders were issued last March in SoCal, few museums could imagine that their physical exhibitions would remain shut to visitors not just for weeks or months, but for an entire year.

Yet there is light at the end of the tunnel for these institutions. Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties have transitioned into the red tier, which means that museums can now open indoors at 25% capacity. Though in-person services remain limited, it’s a significant development for institutions wanting to reconnect with visitors as they grapple with long-term financial damage from the pandemic. But there are still challenges— some museums may have laid off or furloughed workers, or need to train new employees. And while elements of the museum experience cannot be re-created online, many museums have experimented with digital innovation in order to stay connected with audiences and may permanently instate some of those changes. 

Today on AirTalk, we are speaking with local museum leaders in Southern California as part of our week-long series about re-opening the arts. What museums are you excited to return to? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.

GUESTS:

John Echeveste, CEO of LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, which is located downtown and is dedicated to exhibitions on Latino arts, history and culture in L.A.

Ann Burroughs, president and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo

Peter C. Keller, president of the Bowers Museum, which emphasizes cultural arts and is the largest museum in Orange County

Terry Karges, executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum, located on Museum Row in Miracle Mile

Homeless residents and advocates are bracing for the city of Los Angeles to close Echo Park Lake and clear a tent community that has become a flashpoint for debate over the city’s responsibility towards homeless encampments.

The coalition of community organizations, Services Not Sweeps, and people who live at the park say they have heard from sources at the city that the announcement to shut the park down will come on Wednesday and will presumably include a timeline for evictions.

“They’re doing it all in secret,” said Ayman Ahmed, who added that he has lived at the lake for more than a year.

A spokesman for City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, who represents the area, would not confirm that timing, but indicated a closure was imminent.

“We are working with several City departments to temporarily close the park to repair more than half-a-million dollars in damage,” said Tony Arranaga. “When the official notice of the closure is posted by the Department of Recreation and Parks, our office will alert the public and the media.”

Arranaga emphasized that O’Farrell had partnered with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to place “more than 100 people living at the lake into safe housing and shelter” in recent weeks through Project Roomkey, Project Homekey, and shorter term shelter beds.

“[The park] will close soon, and notices will go up, and then we’ll all know,” O’Farrell said today at an unrelated press conference when asked about the rumored city cleanup.

Ahmed estimated the current population of the encampment on the north side of the park to be about 50 people, not counting those living in cars and RVs parked around the lake. He’s planning on joining his neighbors and advocacy groups in a protest planned for 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

With files from LAist

 

GUEST:

 

Libby Denkmann, KPCC politics reporter; she tweets @libdenk

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, we speak with UCSF’s Dr. Peter Chin-Hong.

Today’s topics include:

Transmission rate spike spurs fear of new coronavirus surge in LA County 

Vaccinated people can get COVID-19, but it’s most likely very rare 

Flu shots are linked to a drop in COVID-19 infections, and scientists aren't sure why 

California's vaccine eligibility is expanding — if you live in the right places 

California COVID-19 cases fall amid New York, Florida surges 

GUEST:

Peter Chin-Hong, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center; he tweets @PCH_SF

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing Tuesday on proposals for gun control. It is unclear whether any of the bills up for consideration — most of them involving more restrictive background checks — would have made a difference in the Colorado case. A 21-year-old man charged with killing eight people in the Atlanta area last week had purchased a 9 mm handgun hours before the murders, prompting advocates to push for longer waiting periods for purchases.

In brief remarks responding to the shooting, Biden urged Congress to move quickly to close the loopholes in the background check system and to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines — an effort that would be even more difficult to achieve politically. According to a police affidavit, the Colorado shooter had purchased an assault rifle six days earlier. According to reports, White House Spokeswoman Jen Psaki has said Biden is considering using executive action, which wouldn’t need approval from Congress. Today on AirTalk, we talk about the various gun control efforts and what executive action could mean politically and legally. Do you have thoughts or questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722. 

With files from the Associated Press

GUESTS: 

Anita Kumar, White House correspondent and associate editor for POLITICO; she tweets @anitakumar01

Adam Winkler, professor of law at UCLA where he specializes in constitutional law, the Supreme Court and gun policy; he tweets @adamwinkler

Today on AirTalk, we discuss the latest news on the mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado. Also on the show, we go over the latest COVID-19 headlines; check-in with Los Angeles live theatres; and more.