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Christian Bale and his wife Sibi are hard at work on their new foster care facility!

The 50-year-old Oscar-winning actor and his wife of 23 years helped break ground on their new foster care center, Together California, on Wednesday (February 7) in Palmdale, Calif.

Christian and Sibi, along with Christian‘s The Promise producer and longtime friend Eric Esrailian are co-founding the new facility, which will prioritize keeping siblings together, and will consist of 12 foster homes and a 7,000-square-foot community center.

Keep reading to find out more…Led by Los Angeles Supervisor Kathryn Barger, the city of Palmdale first gave $1.2 million to get construction going on the facility followed by a two-year fundraising effort with private donors led by Christian and Eric, according to Variety.

In a statement, Christian said that he got involved with foster care to find a more hands-on way for himself and his kids to help others.

“Foster...

Bruce Wayne would be proud.

Christian and Sibi Bale yesterday helped break ground on Together California, a new foster care community in Palmdale co-founded by the couple and Eric Esrailian. The community, which will prioritize keeping brothers and sisters together, is set to consist of twelve foster homes and a 7,000-square-foot community center.

Led by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger , whose district includes Palmdale, the city gave $1.2 million dollars to get construction going. That followed a two-year fundraising effort with private donors led by Bale and Esrailian, who also happens to be a health sciences clinical professor of medicine at UCLA.

“When I first heard about the model of Together California, I was all in,” said Barger in a statement. “I made a commitment to bringing it to the Antelope Valley and appreciate the City of Palmdale for stepping up to also support the program.

Editor’s note: This report has been updated with more information from Los Angeles County officials.

After a half-century, the landmark Gladstone’s restaurant in Pacific Palisades apparently is ending its run.

The oceanside restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway is expected to close in October, a source told Deadline. The State of California owns the land and leases it long-term to Los Angeles County, which has entered into contractual agreements with Pch Beach Associates LLC. That group was selected in 2018 after a request for proposal went out. That deal calls for the construction of a Frank Gehry-designed, Wolfgang Puck-operated restaurant on the current Gladstones site, the County rep said. That vote was not unanimous, however.

Update: As the Pacific Palisades location dies, another rises to take its place. A new Gladstone’s will take possession of the Edgewater Grill space in downtown San Diego’s Seaport Village early...

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to send a letter to the major studios urging them to return to the bargaining table with striking actors.

The move comes on the 85th day of the Writers Guild strike and Day 10 of the SAG-AFTRA strikes against members of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

The board approved a similar motion to support writers early in the WGA strike.

“The people who power Los Angeles are on strike and deserve a fair deal,” Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said in a statement after today’s vote, which took place during the board’s regular meeting. “Instead of returning to the negotiating table, the (AMPTP) strategy is to inflict pain, causing people to lose their housing and livelihoods, with the futures of small businesses also on the line.”

Horvath and Supervisor Hilda Solis introduced the motion to urge the AMPTP...

A week after the Writers Guild called its strike against the studios, portions of the sidewalk immediately outside the NBCUniversal lot, where picketers had begun marching, were fenced off and torn up. Now several blocks of that footpath along busy Lankershim Blvd. are gone and WGA members are crying foul. Some are suspicious of the timing, and many believe that the situation is a threat to their safety and an infringement on their right to protest.

Jan Kimbrough, a Guild member since 1992 walking with an injured hip, recalls no trouble during her 2007 picketing of the same studio. This time, she contends she’s dubious of the literal barriers to dissent. (Behind tarped fencing, asbestos and other materials are being unearthed.) “Whoever thought this up is a nasty little Machiavellian,” Kimbrough says.

Union officials are more measured. “It’s hard to tell if it’s purposeful,” says WGA counsel Jeremy Bennie.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors formally threw its support behind the Writers Guild of America today, as the strike by more than 11,500 WGA members against the AMPTP continues.

“The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unequivocally stands in solidarity with the WGA and believe their negotiation positions to be reasonable and necessary,” according to a motion by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger. You can read the motion here.

Horvath later announced the vote on Twitter.

The Board of Supervisors just unanimously passed my resolution in support of the @WGAWest!

As the representatives of Hollywood and our entertainment districts, @kathrynbarger & I unequivocally support our writers as they strike for a fair and equitable contract...

Updated, 4:10 Pm: The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday followed Mayor Karen Bass and the City Council in approving a declaration of emergency over the local homelessness situation. “Today’s unanimous action by the board honors the November mandate from L.A. County voters: Lead with urgency and transparency to address the homelessness crisis in every neighborhood,” Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath said in a statement following the vote.”

The board last month approved a motion calling on its staff to work arm-in-arm with Los Angeles city officials to address homelessness and assist in any way possible to implement Bass’ emergency declaration. But the board on Tuesday approved a declaration of its own, noting that the Long Beach City

Council is scheduled to vote on a homelessness emergency proclamation Tuesday night for the second-largest city in the county.

“While Los Angeles and Long Beach represent the two largest cities in Los Angeles County,...

Updated at 9:20 p.m.: Los Angeles County may be lifting its indoor mask mandate, but the massive Los Angeles Unified School District is not — not yet, anyway.

Shortly after the Los Angeles County Public Health said it “will align school masking measures with the state and shift to strongly recommending indoor masking requirements at childcare sites and K-12 schools beginning March 12,” new Lausd Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho pumped the brakes on the notion that the nation’s second-largest school district was going along for the ride.

Shortly after 5 p.m. Carvalho wrote that the district “recognizes the updated health guidance” and said it is “committed to upholding our science-driven approach.” Then, with an artful turn of non-committal phrasing he wrote, “We respect the voices of all stakeholders, and as such, we will remain engaged with our labor partners, employees and families as we maintain and seek practices that are protective,...

Updated: Los Angeles Public Health officials didn’t wait until Thursday to reveal their plan to (mostly) lift the county’s indoor masking mandate. A statement from that department issued this afternoon officially announced the change and outlined what it referred to as “two options for removing masking requirements for fully vaccinated individuals.”

The biggest difference between the two paths outlined below seems to be that establishments, businesses, or venues can keep their workers masked while applying the protocols below to customers alone, or they can apply them to both customers and employees. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people must continue to mask up undoors.

Option 1: Starting this Friday, establishments, businesses, or venues that want to allow fully-vaccinated customers and workers to unmask while indoors must choose between two options.

Verify that 100% of customers (5 and older) and workers prior to, or upon, entry to indoor spaces:

-Provide proof of full...

Los Angeles County will drop its indoor mask mandate on Friday for indoor venues where patrons are required to show proof of vaccination to enter, including theaters and restaurants.

The state of California dropped its indoor mask mandate last Wednesday, but some counties have kept their mandates in place due to local transmission rates. Barbara Ferrer, the director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health, has previously said she anticipated lifting the mask mandate sometime in late March.

But the department has come under increasing political pressure to align with the state’s guidelines. Kathryn Barger and Janice Hahn, two of the five members of the county Board of Supervisors, publicly argued last week that it was time to lift the mandate.

“I believe we are beginning to lose the trust of the people,” Hahn said on Twitter. “We already saw thousands of people flagrantly violate L.A.

“It seems like when we have something high-profile, like the Super Bowl or the Emmys, the rules just don’t seem to matter any more,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn at a board meeting on Tuesday.

The context: While the state of California will lift its Covid indoor mask-wearing requirement for vaccinated people tomorrow, Los Angeles County will continue enforcing its own indoor face-covering rule, despite growing dissent among L.A.’s powerful Board of Supervisors.

Last week, Supervisor Kathryn Barger called on the county to align with the state, formally requesting that county public health officials lift its indoor mask mandate before the Super Bowl. She said the rule creates too much confusion and frustration among residents to have stricter local rules than the state’s. The County Public Health Department indicated last week that it could be late April before the indoor mask mandate was lifted.

Every fan attending Sunday’s Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium will be given a KN95 mask and, according to L.A. County Public Health and SoFi Stadium officials, they’re expected to wear it. But will they? That remains to be seen.

In a meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this week Janice Hahn, whose district lies adjacent to Inglewood, worried about the recent masklessness at stadiums vis à vis the Super Bowl.

“I hope it’s not a Super-Spreader Bowl,” she said, “because that would impact all the sacrifices that people have made.”

Two weeks ago, the vast majority of fans attending the NFC championship game at SoFi between the Rams and San Francisco 49ers were seen on camera ignoring the mandate. In fact, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti took heat for being photographed without masks, even as they promoted them publicly.

Updated on Tuesday: Los Angeles Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer today explained to the County Board of Supervisors the decision today to maintain a mask mandate even though California announced it is relaxing its requirement.

“We share in the desire to take masks off,” said Ferrer. “The issue is one of timing. Because mask wearing is an effective strategy for reducing the spread of Covid-19, we are glad that we are able to use that protection to so the things we love.”

She compared case numbers on December 15, when the state instituted its mask mandate, to those on this week saying, “Our case counts today are more than 4 times higher than they were on December 15.”

She clarified the requirement county has set for dropping masking at large outdoor events and outdoor spaces at schools and child-care facilities: The post-surge trigger for easing those restrictions will be when virus-related hospitalizations fall below 2,500 for seven straight days.

One day after Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and San Francisco Mayor London Breed were called out for posing for maskless photos with Magic Johnson inside SoFi Stadium, a Los Angeles County Supervisor has called for state and local health officials to reevaluate Covid mask mandates, saying it should be up to the individual to decide when to wear one.

“Let’s do away with blanket Covid masking policies — they don’t make a difference when they’re not consistently followed or enforced. We need to trust the public to make the best personal decisions for themselves based on their unique risks and circumstances,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement.

In a Twitter post, Barger pointed to Sunday’s NFC Championship game at SoFi Stadium, noting there was inconsistent adherence to the mask-wearing requirement.

“Not a lot of #COVID19 mask wearing @ yesterday’s #NFCChampionshipGame. Vaccines...

Responding to concerns from the theme park industry, Los Angeles County has slightly eased its upcoming Covid vaccination/testing requirement for visitors to large venues such as Six Flags Magic Mountain and Universal Studios Hollywood, but the overall mandate will remain.

Under a recently-enacted county Health Officer Order, all attendees and employees at outdoor mega-events with 10,000 people or more will have to show proof of Covid vaccination or a negative test within 72 hours, with the mandate taking effect Oct. 7.

The order will apply to large theme parks, which recently were re-categorized by the state as a large outdoor event venue.

Theme parks in the county, along with an industry association, expressed concerns about the requirement, contending they had limited staffing to check the required documentation — both a vaccine/testing verification and a photo ID — potentially leading to long lines for admission to the parks. They also argued that patrons who...

Updated, 10:30 Am: Firefighters are getting a handle on that initially fast-moving brusher in Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles. Authorities report 25% containment of the wind-driven North Fire this morning. The estimated burn area was moved down from 650 to 640 acres after infrared mapping was done overnight.

#NorthFire morning update… Pleased to report that fire size stands at 640 acres (downgraded from earlier estimate of 650 acres) due to accurate Ir mapping flight conducted along fire’s perimeter.

— L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) April 29, 2021

According to L.A. County Supervisor Katheryn Barger, all evacuations have been lifted. A road closure remains in effect on West Hills Drive from Iron Village Drive to northern Copper Hill Drive.

Evacuations are lifted for the #NorthFire and residents may return home. Stay prepared for future fires by downloading the Ready! Set! Go! guide at https://t.co/tOvDvxepJ1 https://t.co/Lnv9j6JKV9

— Supervisor Kathryn Barger...

Updated with latest: After a cascade of events that saw his name withdrawn from consideration for for a spot on the powerful Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, Dr. Drew Pinsky spoke out on Tuesday.

In a statement to Newsweek, Pinsky said he never sought the appointment. “I went in with an open heart and mind and to see if I had something to offer to help them,” he said.

Opponents of his nomination have said Dr. Drew has supported policies that criminalize homelessness.

Drew, for his part, maintains, “I am categorically opposed to criminality of homelessness or drug use.” He called the assertion a “complete and utter falsity.”

Dr. Drew Pinsky Responds to Advocates Who Opposed Nomination to LA Homeless Commission https://t.co/1zQW5BKxtG

— Susan Sailer Pinsky (@Firstladyoflove) April 21, 2021

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles mayor and the City Council created the Los Angeles...

One day after L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger rescinded her controversial nomination of Dr. Drew to the homeless commission, the star doctor is saying he hopes a physician will be nominated but “it doesn’t have to be me.”

Commenting on the rescinded nomination to The Hollywood Reporter, the doctor, whose full name is Dr. Drew Pinsky, said he didn’t want to be a “distraction”: “I’m interested in the homeless problem getting better, that’s all,” he said. “I have 30 years of experience with addiction and serious mental illness and I ...

One day after L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger rescinded her controversial nomination of Dr. Drew to the homeless commission, the star doctor is saying he hopes a physician will be nominated but “it doesn’t have to be me.”

Commenting on the rescinded nomination to The Hollywood Reporter, the doctor, whose full name is Dr. Drew Pinsky, said he didn’t want to be a “distraction”: “I’m interested in the homeless problem getting better, that’s all,” he said. “I have 30 years of experience with addiction and serious mental illness and I ...

The powerful Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors went on record Tuesday in support of Assembly Bill 420, which seeks to let theme parks reopen earlier than California Governor Gavin Newsom has allowed.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger recommended that the board back the bipartisan bill by Assembly members Sharon Quirk-Silva and Suzette Martinez Valladares. The bill would amend the state’s industry guidance to allow amusement and theme parks to open once a region is in the moderate or orange risk tier rather than the lower minimal or yellow tier.

Barger sent a letter of support to the bill’s sponsors earlier this month.

“With full outdoor operations and the ability to maintain physical distancing, theme parks across the country have proven that they can safely reopen,” Barger wrote. “Large theme parks nationwide began reopening last summer and there (have) not yet been any outbreaks or spread from these establishments.”

Barger said...

“Los Angeles County will essentially align with the state,” said L.A. County Board Chair Hilda Solis on Monday afternoon in announcing changes to Covid-related restriction. Solis said the new openings “will include outdoor dining.” She said the changes would happen by the end of the week.

The county’s ban on outdoor dining technically expired on Dec. 16, but patio dining remained prohibited under the state’s Regional Stay-at-Home Order, which is now lifted.

Solis went on to warn the the restrictions could be re-instituted if virus variants began to impact the region negatively or if residents’ behavior caused new increases.

“The Super Bowl is coming up and we’ve seen what happens when people gather for a sporting event in each others’ homes,” she said.

Los Angeles Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer reported on Monday a very low number of 45 deaths related to the virus. She indicated that that...

A firestorm erupted after Los Angeles County health officials shut down outdoor dining at the area’s restaurants on Monday. Restauranteurs maintained that thousands would lose their jobs and that there was no scientific basis for the order.

Cities as diverse as Beverly Hills, Lancaster and Hawaiian Gardens denounced the move. Pasadena, which has its own health department, went so far as to defy the order and allow outdoor dining to continue.

On Wednesday evening, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said that “four in every 10 people who work in full service restaurants have lost their jobs this year.”

That, as millions of Californians are set to lose supplemental unemployment benefits provided by the federal government under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs on December 31.

Now, starting at midnight tonight, Los Angeles County will offer $30,000 grants to small restaurant owners struggling to make ends meet.

Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.

On Tuesday, amid much contention, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors hotly debated a public health officer order that will close outdoor dining beginning Wednesday.

On Sunday, after the county’s five-day average went over 4,000 cases for the first time, county officials announced that restaurants, wineries and breweries would halt in-person dining (including outdoor seating) for at least three weeks. That’s starting at 10 p.m. tomorrow. While such public places may continue to operate for solely pick-up, drive-thru and/or delivery, L.A. County Public Heath director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said the county found multiple Los Angeles restaurants violating Covid-19 restrictions, mostly proper social distancing.

The county’s five-day average of cases stood at 4,266 on Tuesday.

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors chair Kathryn Barger came out strongly against the restaurant closure at Tuesday’s meeting, calling one of many “increasingly and incredibly strict measures.”

“I feel that...

Director of the Los Angeles Department of Public Health Dr. Barbara Ferrer said that she and members of the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors will gather on Wednesday to discuss further possible Covid-19 restrictions.

Pressed on what a new stay-at-home mandate from the county could contain, Dr. Ferrer on Monday tried to avoid controversy in a region already on the edge. “We’ll just have to wait and see what the board decides to do tomorrow,” the public health official diplomatically said.

At the same time, any new restrictions may already have an opponent in one of the county’s most powerful politicians. Supervisor Kathryn Barger declared on Monday that she was against the move to shut down outdoor dining and other moves.

“These proposed measures by the Department of Public Health will further devastate local businesses and employees who have been asked to shoulder an unfair burden this year,...

Los Angeles County reported a staggering 3,600 new coronavirus cases on Thursday. The large number was attributed to the resolution of a technical glitch that delayed a raft of test results over the past several days. But even subtracting the backlog, the spike is still the largest daily new cases total in at least two months.

County health officials estimated that about 2,000 of the newly-announced cases were the result of the backlog. That would set the day’s real total at 1600, far above the 800-1000 new cases in the past few weeks and still the largest daily case number recorded since August.

“If you look over the last one to two weeks, we’ve been averaging somewhere around 1,000 cases, maybe a little bit over 1,000 cases a day,” said Dr. Paul Simon, chief science officer for the county Department of Public Health, on Thursday.

“So today, I think, reflects sort of the catch-up,...

“Tonight we are here together to roll out innovations,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Wednesday. “When it comes to stopping Covid in its tracks,” he said, “information is power.”

The mayor then went on to announce a new initiative with a private company called Citizen that would use the company’s app, installed on residents’ cell phones, to track their contacts and movements and alert them of any potential Covid exposure.

The app is called SafePass and it pledges to track your movements anonymously using Bluetooth technology.

From the SafePass website:

SafePass is your daily destination for Covid-related alerts and activity, including your exposure to people who tested positive, meaningful contact that increases your risk, test results, test locations, and symptom tracking. Enable contact tracing and know exactly when and where you got exposed to Covid-19.

“Everyone’s information remains anonymous and encrypted,” said L.A. County Supervisor Katheryn Barger.

Updated at 4:10 p.m. Monday: The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will discuss the possible reopening of indoor shopping malls, hair salons and barbershops tomorrow. New state guidelines allow such operations to resume with limitations to lower the risk of coronavirus spread, but L.A. authorities have been hesitant to authorize such reopenings.

The discussion will be held just ahead of Labor Day, amid concerns the holiday weekend will lead to a repeat of coronavirus case spikes that followed Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said the full board will meet with public health director Barbara Ferrer on Tuesday to discuss possible business openings under the state’s new four-tier virus-tracking guidelines.

“Our board will be discussing with Dr. Ferrer tomorrow the protocol moving forward, recognizing the state has allowed us to open and we want to do it in a very thoughtful process,...

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a proposal to facilitate worker-led “health councils” to monitor business compliance with public health orders.

Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Mark Ridley-Thomas co-authored a motion recommending that the county reach out to labor and business leaders and quickly agree on effective ways to monitor compliance with mandates to wear facial coverings, install protective shields and disinfect workplaces.

Agenda Item 10 (Expanding the Monitoring of Compliance with County Health Officer Orders in the Workplace to Slow Covid-19 Transmission) of today’s meeting was approved by the Board as submitted. #LACounty #LACountyBOS #LACBoardMeeting

— LACountyBOS (@LACountyBOS) July 21, 2020

“We found workplace transmission has been a significant factor contributing to the spread of Covid-19 in communities all across our region,” Kuehl said, echoing comments made earlier in the day by Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s Secretary of Health and Human Services.

For instance, more than 300 people...

At a press conference on Monday, Chair of the Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger was asked whether she would seek changes in the sheriff’s department. “My concern,” Barger said, noting that this applied to law enforcement in general, “is people don’t recognize the importance of having law enforcement out there and appreciate the fact that they are equally as outraged about what took place in the murder of George Floyd.”

“In terms of their response, I feel that they have done an incredible job. Not only the sheriff, but LAPD.”

Barger then admitted that, “We can always do better,” but said, “I have real no issues with how law enforcement has rolled out on these issues. And if there are any issues, I know that the sheriff will investigate, as well as [LAPD} Chief Moore has indicated he will be investigating as well.”

He isn't the only problem. Here's @kathrynbarger an hour ago on police response to protests.

At midday on Tuesday, L.A. County announced another night of curfew. The City of Angels soon followed by extending its own lockdown order in response to unrest following widespread protests over the killing of George Floyd.

Those curfews will last from 6 pm on Tuesday until 6 am on Wednesday. This is the fourth night in a row that the streets of America’s second largest city will go quiet, at least in theory.

County supervisors, in concert with the sheriff, have amended the curfew order each day for the past two days extending the lockdown another 24 hours each time.

To our community members peacefully protesting for justice, we continue to stand with you. There will be another curfew in place tonight from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. to protect residents and businesses from outliers who may take advantage for looting and destruction. pic.twitter.com/IEek5NKapx

— Supervisor Kathryn Barger...

Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, has called on Los Angeles County authorities to resume all film and television production, following the submission of a 22-page blueprint outlining coronavirus safety guidelines.

Representing the wider industry on a conference call with the county’s Economic Resilience Task Force on Tuesday, Langley highlighted a white paper report delivered to California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday and asked that production resume immediately. TV and film sets have been shuttered since mid-March as the pandemic took hold of the country.

“If there is any delay in lifting overall restrictions on filming activities based on protocols and procedures outlined in the white paper, we’d like you to identify and authorize certain sector roles and job functions that can immediately resume with appropriate safety protocols in place,” Langley said.

Lower-risk jobs Langley referred to included pre- and post-production, set construction, video editing and...

Los Angeles County will present guidelines for the reopening of film and TV production as well as theme parks, restaurants, sports venues, manufacturing and corporate businesses this coming Tuesday.

Kathryn Barger, chair of the Los Angeles County board of supervisors, made the announcement in a press conference Friday, saying that four of the 13 members of La County’s task force will present their road maps for the “immediate reopening” of such businesses.

Barger stressed that these will be “proper public health guidelines” that can be used as soon as California gives its approval for reopening.

Also Read: California to Reopen In-Store Shopping and Places of Worship, Pending County Approval

“These plans provide guidance for immediate reopening and a framework for a return to the new normal,” Barger said in the press conference.

Barger specifically thanked Jeff Shell of NBCUniversal, Casey Wasserman of the La Olympic Organizing Committee, Patrick Niemann of...

On Friday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn tweeted that Los Angeles county restaurants, salons and barbershops will be able to reopen, so long as they conform to anti-covid requirements. The reopenings can reportedly begin as early as this weekend, with restaurants allowed to offer dine-in service.

Breaking: The @CountyofLA was just approved for a variance by Governor @GavinNewsom. That means that restaurants, salons, and barbershops will be able to reopen. More details coming soon

— Janice Hahn (@SupJaniceHahn) May 29, 2020

Another supervisor, Kathryn Barger, tweeted about the reopening, “This further brings our communities together and resumes a sense of normalcy, representing monumental progress for Los Angeles County as we join the vast majority of other regions in California on the path toward reopening and recovery.”

This further brings our communities together and resumes a sense of normalcy, representing monumental progress for Los Angeles County as we join the vast majority of...

During Friday afternoon's Covid-19 briefing for Los Angeles county, Kathryn Barger, chair of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, announced that on Tuesday roadmaps for safely reopening key sectors would be made available, including for sports venues, theme parks, corporate businesses, and film and digital media.

Barger said the Economic Resiliency Task Force had been hard at work to "ensure industries can hit the ground running with proper public health guidelines," spotlighting NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell and Casey Wasserman for their contributions. 

Also during Friday's briefing, L.A. County Public Health Director Dr....

During Friday afternoon's Covid-19 briefing for Los Angeles county, Kathryn Barger, chair of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, announced that on Tuesday roadmaps for safely reopening key sectors would be made available, including for sports venues, theme parks, corporate businesses, and film and digital media.

Barger said the Economic Resiliency Task Force had been hard at work to "ensure industries can hit the ground running with proper public health guidelines," spotlighting NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell and Casey Wasserman for their contributions. 

Also during Friday's briefing, L.A. County Public Health Director Dr....

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said today that the state has been asked for a variance to its shutdown orders that would allow a speed-up in reopening local businesses. If approved, that could see restaurants and retailers free to open their establishments with safety protocols in place, possibly as soon as this weekend.

A press conference by county health officials is set for Friday. Some news reports indicate the conference may allow restaurant dine-in service as soon as this weekend. Others have indicated a July 4 date is likely for reopening dining rooms in restaurants and retail establishments that have been limited to curbside delivery. Malls would also be allowed to open.

Earlier this month, Supervisor Kathryn Barger said during a meeting of the county’s Economic Resiliency Task Force that July 4 had been targeted.

The openings would likely be accompanied by orders for limited capacity, social distancing, masks where...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the state will be releasing guidelines on Monday for how TV and film production could start up again.

“We’re in realtime drafting guidelines,” Newsom said during a virtual round table with film and TV workers in the industry like Ted Sarandos and Ava DuVernay. “We anticipate rolling out on Monday some sectoral guidelines that would allow these counties that are in better conditions than some of the others to begin to move forward.”

TV and film production will only be allowed to resume under “Phase 3” of California’s four-stage framework for reopening following two months of the statewide “stay-at-home” order, with most counties either in or entering “Phase 2,” which allows for the reopening of “lower risk workplaces” like retail (through curbside pickup), manufacturing, offices where telework is not possible and some public spaces with adaptations. Newsom said earlier this week that pro sporting...

Most of the 890,000 film and entertainment employees in the U.S. are now “not working” due to the ongoing pandemic, according to a press release from Los Angeles County.

The numbers were reported to the county’s Economic Resiliency Task Force on Tuesday, though there were no details provided on the specific number or percentage of film and entertainment workers affected by the coronavirus-led economic downturn. Supervisor Kathryn Barger said on Wednesday that these losses “[trickle] down to many of the small businesses that provide support for this industry.”

The supervisor also said that 80% of jobs in the restaurant industry have been lost and over 75% of those who lost their jobs were making, on average, less than $50,000 a year.

“It was sobering,” Barger said of the numbers. “Anyone listening to yesterday’s meeting heard loud and clear that employees and businesses are suffering.”

Also Read: La County Officials Set July 4 Goal for Reopening Retail,...

On Wednesday, L.A. County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger delivered eye-opening details from yesterday’s meeting of the Los Angeles County Economic Resiliency Task Force.

The task force serves to develop actionable recommendations for the County to improve the economy, create jobs and return the area to full employment. Among the 13 sectors represented are small businesses, infrastructure, education, arts and culture and the entertainment industry.

“Yesterday’s meeting,” said Supervisor Barger, “provided an opportunity to for the sector leaders to share about the impact of Covid-19 on businesses and employees.”

Barger called the results “sobering.” Yesterday, after the meeting, she called for “health officials to safely make way for Los Angeles County to reopen by the Fourth of July.” One can now see why.

“Eight hundred and ninety thousand film and entertainment employees are not working,” said the supervisor, before noting the trickle down effect of those job...

On Tuesday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger set a goal for a “safe reopening” by July 4.

Her comments came during a meeting with the Los Angeles County Economic Resiliency Task Force on Tuesday. The Task Force serves to develop actionable recommendations for the County to improve the economy, create jobs, and return to full employment.

Today, the Economic Resiliency Task Force met for our second meeting and I set a goal to reopen L.A. County by July 4. Read more about our collaboration with sector leaders to revitalize businesses and get employees back to work: https://t.co/5p1wolwcIO pic.twitter.com/PIViqyQrku

— Supervisor Kathryn Barger (@kathrynbarger) May 19, 2020

In his presentation to the Task Force on Tuesday, Bill Allen, president of L.A. Economic Development Corportation, confirmed there have been more than 1 million unemployment claims filed in L.A. County to date.

“The County,” Barger said in a news release,...

As confirmed cases of the coronavirus continue to grow in Los Angeles County, Donald Trump today crashed right into the region’s attempt to keep the health crisis under control with language straight out of Charles Bronson.

“That’s a death wish,” snapped the former Celebrity Apprentice host of news from last week that the City of Angels and surrounding region could extend its safer-at-home orders until August. “Because there’s death on both sides,” Trump added after using the same term as the title of Bronson’s 1974 vigilante flick in reference to coronavirus and the battered economy during a roundtable at the White House on Monday with restaurant executives.

Having made a splash this morning at the same meeting by revealing that he has been ingesting the potentially harmful drug hydroxychloroquine for over a week now to warn off Covid-19, a seemingly shocked Potus was responding to remarks from Napa Valley (Aka not L.

Update, 6:03 Pm: If Los Angeles County officials and City of Angels Mayor Eric Garcetti wanted to clear up the continuing confusion around the region’s stay-at-home order possibly extending into the summer, they only seemed to make matters worse as the day went on.

With news releases, cable news appearances and more statements, the two levels of government did little to clarify the remarks earlier Tuesday by County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer that with all certainty, the stay-at home order set to expire on May 15 will be expanded all the way to August.”

After already calling into CNN to avert a self-described “panic” over the strict restrictions staying in place, Garcetti went on the WarnerMedia-owned news cabler again later this afternoon to say “it’s important not to overreact…to not freak out.” Likely having the opposite effect of his words, the media friendly Mayor then added,...

Update: The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 18 new deaths related to Covid-19 and 484 new cases in the county on Sunday. This adds to Saturday’s 44 deaths and 1,011 new cases.

The new numbers contribute to the 31,677 positive cases of Covid-19 across all areas of Los Angeles County, and a total of 1,530 deaths.

@lapublichealth Announces 18 New Deaths Related to #COVID19 and 484 New Cases of Confirmed Covid-19 in Los Angeles County. 31,677 positive cases of Covid-19 across all areas of La County, and a total of 1,530 deaths. View https://t.co/g2heae8iY1 pic.twitter.com/CX40iOPwcU

— La Public Health (@lapublichealth) May 10, 2020

Previous: The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 44 additional deaths related to Covid-19 and 1,011 new cases in the county on Saturday.

These latest figures bring the coronavirus toll to 31,197 cases and 1,512 fatalities, according to the health department website.

The numbers were released as hiking trails and parks reopened today,...

Eric Garcetti put on his poker face, but the L.A. Mayor did not look pleased today of the less stringent restrictions that are about be allowed in a still Covid-19 battered City of Angels.

“This is not some sort of green light to slack off,” Garcetti declared in his daily coronavirus update briefing this evening of Gov. Gavin Newsom and county supervisors and public health officials’ plans to gradually let more retailers open up for curbside pick-ups.

With that, and public spaces like hiking trails to become available to L.A. citizens, who are still required to wear masks in public and observe social distancing, Garcetti found himself today in a diminished role – not a place the ambitious politician likes to be.

“We are moving this slowly and this deliberately because hasty action …kills people,” the Mayor bluntly asserted of the phased “new freedoms” of the self-described “three level...

Following the path of guidelines already laid out by Governor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles County officials today unveiled their own incremental plan to reopen the region partially starting at the end of this week.

“The health order will only allow curbside pickup for retail, and in-store shopping will still be on hold for the time being,” La County Supervisor Kathryn Barger announced Wednesday. Labeled as a Stage 2 process commencing on May 8, the scheme is to have “non-essential” businesses such as book stores, florists, toy stores, clothing and sporting-goods shops and music shops be able to take and fulfill orders directly from customers.

With further clarification to come in the next 24 hours, Supervisor Barger and Public Health director Barbara Ferrer said this National Nurses Day that with masks mandatory and social distancing restrictions in place, the likes of car dealerships, golf courses and public hiking trails will also be open this...

Updated, 1:57 Pm: The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 56 new deaths and 1,541 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday. That’s nearly 1,000 more new infections than were announced on Tuesday.

L.A. County Director of Public Health Dr. Barbara Ferrer attributed this jump to new testing in institutional settings and also a lag in test results over the weekend.

To date, the county has identified 22,485 positive cases of Covid-19 and 1,056 deaths from the virus.

While both California Governor Gavin Newsom and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors have announced steps toward reopening, Dr. Christina Ghaly, Director of L.A. County Health services, warned that “physical distancing will be our new normal for some time.”

Ghaly said the latest modeling shows that, if physical distancing were reduced, “hospitals would experience an increase in patient volume after a delay of approximately 2-4 weeks.” She stressed again that physical distance...

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 59 new deaths and 597 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday.

To date, the county has identified 20,976 positive cases of Covid-19, while mortalities have reached the grim milestone of 1,000 deaths.

Meanwhile, public officials began to cautiously talk about reopening.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that officials are contemplating a July or August start for the fall school term. “We have made no decisions,” Newsom said at his daily briefing, but noted officials “recognize there’s been a learning loss.”

Newsom also revealed a “California Resilience Roadmap,” which plots out a four-stage reopening. According to the Roadmap, the state is currently at stage one.

The next stage will be “gradually reopening low-risk workplaces,” such as retail, manufacturing, offices and more public spaces. These first reopenings could happen within weeks. Movie theaters and sporting events (without crowds) would open in stage 3.

CA has made progress...

Nine people have died of Covid-19 in Los Angeles County in the past 24 hours, local officials said today. That is the most for a single day in the region and brings the death toll to 21.

Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the county’s director of Public Health, also said that 421 new cases were reported since Wednesday’s update.

“We have to assume that the spread of Covid-19 is throughout Los Angeles County,” Ferrer said, adding that if the pace continues, “there could be over a million people infected” in the region.

The Lapd and the Sheriff’s Department won’t be tossing strolling citizens behind bars anytime soon under the new Safer at Home rules, but L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti today made it very clear the latest health order over the coronavirus has inched America’s biggest city towards a lockdown

“Today is a day that will be seared into the story and the streets of this city,” Garcetti said Thursday evening as Gov. Gavin Newsom order a statewide stay-at-home order within the same hour. “It will be a moment where everything changed,” he added, while avoiding the more seemingly restrictive term Shelter-in-Place, but essentially offering the same policy that has already become reality up in the Bay Area.

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Updated with transcript of County health director’s comments: Los Angeles County has issued new orders to help stem the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

At a late afternoon briefing Thursday, officials announced the “Safer at Home” public order as a way to increase social distancing in the county. The order mandates the closure of all indoor malls, shopping centers, playgrounds and non-essential retail businesses, and prohibits gathering in enclosed spaces of more than 10 people.

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Read a transcript L.A. County health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer’s comment that lists all of the new restrictions below.

“We know this will have an impact on the social fabric of our communities. We still encourage individuals to stay...