October 19, 2025 • 35 mins
Vice President Vance and a celebration at Camp Pendleton leads to a dispute with a Governor Newsom and the closure of the 5 Freeway; Gas prices are dropping everywhere, except California; Metro's D-Line train extension is delayed; The Ports of LA and Long Beach both report their first drops in cargo this year raising questions about tariffs and trade policy; and on-location Hollywood productions drop again in Greater LA.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
We've got another hour together on this Saturday night. In
southern California, the LAPD says it has issued two dispersal
orders for protesters to leave downtown LA. The area around
Aliso and Temple Streets after projectiles were thrown at officers.
(00:30):
This is the area around the Metropolitan Detention Center, the
Edward R. Roy Ball Federal Building, and the US Courthouse.
LAPD says those who don't disperse are subject to arrest
if you're not familiar with those buildings. This is about
a block away from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles,
(00:51):
close to the one oh one there as it flows
through downtown LA. We'll keep an eye on that to
see if things get hairy. It was it seemed like
just a crowded protest today, not a lot of issues.
In fact, that was apparently true all across the country.
We've been talking about the no Kings protests across America,
and here in Southern California asked for your thoughts. You're
welcome to weigh in by opening up the iHeartRadio app
(01:14):
and clicking on that talkback button.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
The problem isn't that Donald Trump isn't a king. The
problem is that he's not releasing fifteen hundred dollars stimulus checks.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yes, if I.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Got a fifteen hundred dollars stimulus check, then I wouldn't
be so angry.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
You know, COVID was bad, but it was nice when
those stemmy checks showed up. Obviously we paid for it
in serious inflation, but it was nice to get a
little extra money in one's pocket at that time.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Hi, this is Tony calling from Apple Valley, California. What
I don't understand about the different things of Trump signing
these executive orders is that it's not okay for him
to do it, but it was okay for Biden to
do it. I'm not Republican, I'm not Democrat. I'm kind
(02:16):
of in the middle. But that's just something that doesn't
strike me.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Well.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Thanks. Executive orders always seem to be a problem for
the party who's not in power. President's always testing the
limits of the Constitution with those executive orders, and sometimes
the checks and balances hold up. Maybe the Supreme Court
says you don't actually have the authority to do that.
Maybe Congress reasserts itself, but right now, I think with
(02:43):
President Trump, it's rare to see a president who has
such command over the rest of his party. I mean,
everybody is completely on board if you're a Republican and
if you're a conservative. On the court, really they've been
very favorable towards him. So, no, he's not a king.
He's the President of the United States. But he has
(03:04):
got a lot of a lot of wind at his
back politically right now, with the amount of power that
he has. Let's go to Camp Pendleton. This celebration of
the United States Marines is obviously worthwhile. Two hundred and
fifty years old, Vice President JD. Vance came to town
to celebrate. But the week the midweek was weird because
(03:28):
there was word out of the governor's office here that
perhaps the federal government was going to shut down the
five Freeway to shoot missiles over it as part of
a show, as part of this celebration. They didn't want
to harm the public on the Five, so let's shut
it down. Governor Newsom said in a social media post.
(03:48):
This is a profoundly absurd show of force that could
put Californians directly in harm's way. Flying live rounds over
a busy highway without coordination between state, federal, and local
partners isn't just wrong, it's dangerous. Using our military to
intimidate people you disagree with politically doesn't make you look strong.
(04:10):
It makes you look weak. It's reckless, it's disrespectful, and
yet another action beneath the office of the presidency. So
we see that messaging like what's what's going on? And
it was quite quite confusing.
Speaker 5 (04:24):
On Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom's offas indicated that Trump administration
was planning to shoot missiles from ships into Camp Pendleton
between LA and San Diego over Interstate five or close
to it, which would cause a freeway to be shut
down on Friday and Saturday. The Marines quickly said that's
not true. That all events for a live fire demonstration
in front of Vice President JD. Vance to celebrate the
(04:45):
Marine Corps two hundred and fiftieth anniversary will be on
approved training grounds and there will be no impact any
freeways or public roads. Today, Newsom's OFFAE is saying it's
relieved that the White House's backed off plans to shut
down the interstate, although it's not clear that was ever
actually the plan, like Stone, Abcnews, Sanchet.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Is okay, so maybe the governor was wrong. The federal government,
the military says no, we're not shutting down the five.
This is this is totally normal. This is something that
happens with some regularity at Camp Pendleton. Don't worry about it.
But then today the freeway was shut down for the celebration,
(05:26):
Newsom posted on social media today. Earlier this week, the
White House denied the freeway near Camp Pendleton would need
to be closed due to live munitions being fired over
the freeway. But today, despite the White House's claims and
lack of transparency, California traffic and public safety experts have
(05:46):
recommended temporarily closing the freeway to best protect the public.
And now the White House is being fact checked by GROC,
the latest Pentagon approved AI tool. What Newsom's referencing there
with GROC and the Pentagon appruned crew? Excuse me? Pentagon
approved AI tool. GROC is the artificial intelligence chat bot
(06:08):
on x formerly known as Twitter, And you know, the
owner of x Elon Musk has a relatively cozy relationship
with the federal government. So what GROC said is, again,
this is artificial intelligence. I'm quoting, but GROC says, no
firing artillery over I five isn't routine for Camp Pendleton's
(06:31):
standard training ranges, which are typically contained within base boundaries
away from public highways. This setup is specific to today's
Marine Corps two hundred and fiftieth anniversary demonstration at Red Beach,
involving live rounds crossing the freeway, prompting a temporary I
five closure from eleven am to three pm for safety.
(06:52):
The base coordinates such events meticulously with authorities to minimize
risk despite the optics that is from x is AI, GROC.
That's where we are basically, by the way, is that
the governor and the federal government are frequently tweeting at
each other, ex posting at each other, and then this
(07:12):
AI chatbot gets involved when someone asks GROC to confirm
who's right. It's very strange. But the freeway ended up
being shut down. It did impact people on this Saturday,
if you were driving to San Diego or from San Diego,
it was a mess. The Pacific Surfliner said it had
a shut down train service between Orange County and San Diego.
(07:32):
Midday today because of the activity at Camp Pendleton, no
bus bridges were operating. They did resume services later this evening.
It was quite a celebration at Camp Pendleton, nonetheless, despite
the weird amount of information, misinformation, disinformation coming from all
levels of government. Again, even reading Newsome's response, he says
(07:54):
the White House denied the freeway would be closed or
excuse me, would need to be closed because of the
live munitions, but then goes on to say that California
traffic and public safety experts have recommended closing it. So
the federal government said it wouldn't need to be closed.
It was the state that said the conditions are such
that it should be closed to protect the public. So
(08:17):
the discrepancy isn't over who closed the freeway, it was
the state. It's over whether that was necessary. Was there
danger present because of this this showy demonstration in celebration
of the United States Marines. But it was quite quite
(08:38):
a mess. Cowtrans and warrened drivers to expect delays, to
find other routes, and there would be delays on those
other routes. The passenger rail service was shut down, but
Vice President JD. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were
here to speak in celebration of the two hundred and
fiftieth anniversary of the Navy and the Marine Corps. This
(08:59):
celebration was called from c to Shore, a Review of
Amphibious Strength, and they got the show. One of the
quotes from Vice President Vans, God bless you Marines, God
bless you Camp Pendleton. It is so much fun and
such an honor to be out here and to celebrate
two hundred and fifty years of the United States Marines.
(09:20):
I bring greetings today from our Commander in Chief, Donald J. Trump,
and he wanted me to tell each and every single
one of you that he's proud of you, that he
loves you, and despite the Schumer shutdown, he's going to
do everything he can to make sure you get paid
exactly as you deserve. That, of course a reference to
the ongoing federal government shutdown and the question over whether
(09:43):
the military will be paid and other federal agencies employees
will be paid. I'm getting paid. I'll tell you that
because I have more show to give you. Gas prices
are dropping and they might hit a very good milestone
very soon before the end of the year. All across
(10:04):
the country except for here and one of the great
alternatives for us trying to avoid the high gas prices
of California Metro La Metro. It's getting bigger. It's just
not opening on time like they promised. We'll get into
that next. As Michael Monks Reports continues.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News.
We've got another what half hour, forty five minutes to
spend together here on this Saturday night. You see only
Bruins won tonight. That's three in a row as they
defeated Maryland at the Rose Bowl twenty to seventeen. They
are three and four on the season and maybe the
(10:51):
most exciting team in college football right now with this
turnaround after firing their coach, finding some mojo and winning
games and winning heard it's not such good news for
the USC Trojans. That game is now final in South Bend.
Notre Dame, thirteenth ranked Fighting Irish have put down the
USC Trojans, ranked twentieth I score thirty four to twenty four.
(11:14):
So the Bruins win, the Trojans lose, and we'll look
forward to another weekend next week of football. We do
continue to monitor the No King's protests in downtown LA.
The LAPD have issued a dispersal order to dispersal orders
in fact and the area around Aliso and Temple Streets.
This is where one of the federal buildings is the
(11:34):
roy Ball Federal Building, the Metropolitan Detention Center, the US
Courthouse in that area is where the LAPD has told
people to leave or face arrest. We've asked you to
weigh in on the No Kings protests and anything else
we have talked about today. Just open up that iHeartRadio
app and click on the talk back button. Let's hear
(11:55):
from Dennis Man. Here's what's up with this no King saying.
Speaker 6 (12:00):
I mean, you can't.
Speaker 7 (12:01):
Really take it seriously because it just sounds like whiny.
I mean, Trump is not acting like a king. He's
just doing what a president can do. And like how
you said, there is checks and balances there, so I mean, yeah,
it's a big scare in the beginning, but it's gonna
get checked out.
Speaker 8 (12:14):
And I mean I'm in between. I'm independent, I say,
and I.
Speaker 7 (12:17):
Listen to everything and I make my choice, and it
just seems like Democrats are always crying. Yeah, Rob, Republicans
do too, but there's just a big cry with Democrats.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
You know, there's a big cry all the time. I
wish we'd stop crying and start governing, show some responsibility.
All these trolling tweets from the federal government accounts and
government governor knew them. It's really a question of how
far down can we go before we become civilized again.
(12:47):
All right, let's hear from Vernon. He's going to weigh
in on the LAPD and their requests to be allowed
to use their les lethal munitions on guys like me.
Speaker 6 (12:58):
Michael, it's ridondo. Hey, listen real quick. We just had
the NLCS. Dodgers took it great.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Gay go Dodgers, But you should be in the.
Speaker 6 (13:08):
NMCS, the National Media Championship Series. And in regards to
the police targeting targeting journalists, now, you know just as
well as I do, that McConnell and a Luna basically
are told when they can stand up and pee, So
it's not them.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
All right, Vernon, thanks so much. That was very kind
of you to say about me. I think you mean
Chief McDonell and Sheriff Luna there being told what their
departments can do.
Speaker 9 (13:38):
Well.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
They were certainly told that they should not represent the
city's endorsement in their quest to be allowed to use
their less lethal AMMO towards a journalist that they were
rebuked by the city council on Friday for that request.
The federal judge denied it anyway. And let's hear from Zach. Hey, monks, heything,
(14:02):
three Eye Atlas comet or alien? What say you? What? What?
Three Eye Atlas comment? Or alien? Okay? I had to
look this up. The interstellar comet three Eye Atlas has
sparked curiosity and speculation among scientists and the public alike.
(14:25):
While some theory suggested it could be an alien spacecraft,
the consensus is that it is indeed a comet. The
comment's unique characteristics, such as its ability to emit light
and its unusual behavior, have led to its classification as
a comet. Observations from powerful telescopes have confirmed its status
as a comet, and its journey through the Solar System
(14:47):
offers valuable insights in the processes that shape celestial bodies. Zach,
I really don't need that right now in my life, Okay,
I don't need to be worried about aliens. On the
other hand, maybe that's exactly what we need. That'll stop
all the protesting and all the weird governance and politicians.
Just take us, beam us up. Hey, there is some
(15:10):
good news coming to a lot of people in America.
Take a listen to this.
Speaker 10 (15:14):
The average price of gas nationwide three o do a gallon.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
We could see drops below.
Speaker 10 (15:19):
Three dollars for the first time in years, So that's
really good news. The price has dropped more than six
cents over just the past week, more than fourteen cents from.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
Just a year ago.
Speaker 10 (15:28):
Triple A says this is because of the seasonal transition
from that summer to winter grade fuel and gas inventories
are higher. They also predict we're likely to see these
prices go down even more in the coming weeks, just
in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Speaker 5 (15:43):
For the first time in years, the average price of
regular unletted in the US is expected to drop in
the coming days below three dollars a gallon and stay
there for months. That would be the first time since
a pandemic. Patrick Dehan had petroleum analystic Gas, but he
says it's a result of plunging global oil prices. People
drive last in the winter and cheaper winter blends of gas,
and that will benefit drivers.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
We could see that stick around for much of the
rest of the year.
Speaker 5 (16:07):
In some areas like Texas and Oklahoma, are expected to
soon see gas below two dollars a gallon.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Gas what he's tracking gas stations at just two oh
nine a gallon.
Speaker 5 (16:16):
But not everybody's getting a reprieve. Places like California, where
regular unletted is still at four sixty four a gallon
won't drop much due to taxes and environmental laws.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
But not everyone's getting a reprieve, and that would be
us in California. The rest of the country will be
celebrating lower gas prices just in time for the holidays,
but not us here in the Golden State. The good
news if you live in southern California, La County in particulars,
you've got a robust public transit system and its light
(16:47):
rail and subway system. They're only growing. And if you
listen to me enough, you know that I am a
frequent user of LA's public transportation system. I particularly love
the trains, but I I love them with clear eyes
understanding the challenges some of the disgusting aspects of it,
(17:07):
some of the criminality that's taken place there. I don't
forget that stuff. I want the system to succeed, though,
I don't just naturally dump all over it. For whatever reason.
I want it to succeed. And one of the good
things they're doing is growing the subway system and the
light rail system. You can go to more places now.
It's exciting. The D Line train one of the older
(17:27):
train lines, which goes from Union Station to Koreatown. Currently
it's a very short line, but it's convenient to people
like me and live downtown. I can get to Koreatown
very easily. It's expanding all the way to Westwood, but
it's doing so in three phases. This first phase was
adding three new stops along the Miracle Mile. We're talking
about like Fairfax Los Cienaga. It's gonna be good, except
(17:51):
now it's not opening this year at all. It's been
pushed into the winter next year. Here's the project manager
explaining this project.
Speaker 11 (18:00):
It has been very technically complex. We're in an urban
and high risk conditions. As mentioned, this project is just
under four miles long of the nine mile D Line extension,
with three underground stations. We had to deal with tarsans,
high methane zones, high groundwater conditions, and that required a
(18:25):
consistent adjustment and monitoring. But all this work was performed
in the right of way while maintaining traffic on Wilshire Boulevard,
a high arterio street, utilities and business access.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
So it's delayed. They're digging massive tunnels and it was
a complex work, but it was supposed to be open
this fall so that we could start getting on it
and be a little bit closer to getting all the
way to Westwood. One of my problems with Metro, though,
is the way that its leadership doesn't really hold people's
feet to the fire. This presentation was made to the
(19:00):
Metro Boards Construction Committee, and it's chaired by board member
Fernando Dutra, who's also on the Wittier City Council, and
this was his response to the whole thing.
Speaker 12 (19:10):
What a cool project, right, what a great project. And
I'll tell you, if we can build this, you can
build anything in the United States. I mean, I can't
think of a project that's more complicated. Well, there are
plenty of complicated projects. But kudos to your team, the contractor,
and to your team for pulling this together and making
it happen.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Yeah, we're glad it's happening. We know it's complex. But
by the way, this delay is also costing as another
one hundred and fifty four million dollars, So enjoy that.
Maybe someday we'll get on the D Line extension. Maybe
someday we'll get on the people mover at LAX. Maybe
someday we'll get on the gondola to Dodger Stadium. But
we just don't build things quickly and well here in
southern California. But this show is built well. We got
(19:47):
another half hour ahead.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
Right now, the LAPD is trying to get the remaining
protesters in downtown Los Angeles to leave. Multiple dispersal orders
have been given or these protesters could face arrest, and
I'll be down there many times when these dispersal orders
come out, and yes, arrests do eventually happen, but they
(20:18):
can take a while. The dispersal order does not seem
to come with any sense of immediacy or urgency. ABC seven,
which has a live feed right now, shows a very
small crowd left lingering around Main Street in a Lameda
street in downtown LA and Chinatown area. This isn't far
from the Federal Building, the roy Ball Federal Building, the
(20:40):
Metropolitan Detention Center, and the US Courthouse there, but we
are monitoring this situation. Dozens of LAPD officers right now,
including some on horseback, are blocking off one side of
East Cesary Chavez Avenue with about two dozen protesters left
on the other side of the street. Traffic is moving
(21:01):
between them right now. We'll continue to monitor. We've asked
you to weigh in on the protest today or anything
else you've heard us discuss, and now we'll hear this comment.
Speaker 13 (21:12):
Well, it's time for California residents to wake up to
the fact that this Prop fifty says that returning the power.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
To the people.
Speaker 13 (21:22):
How long is it going to take California citizens to
realize we haven't had a democracy here. The Democrats have
been in charge, They've screwed up the whole thing, and
now they want.
Speaker 8 (21:34):
More seats to that in Trump.
Speaker 13 (21:36):
Trump's going away, So California is a bad play.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Well, the Prop fifty would redraw California's maps likely to
favor Democrats. You never know, Republican could pick off a
Democrat sometimes and vice versa. But Texas has done this
and other states are looking into it. Now North Carolina
has taken a step to create maps that might favor
Republicans more. You're gonna see more of this. It's gonna
getret That's why I welcome the alien overlords. I think
(22:03):
I am ready after all. So thanks again for that
earlier message. I think it was from Zach. Now I'm
going to look into this three I Atlas thing because
I hope it is aliens. Let's hear from Rob Michael.
What's wrong with you?
Speaker 9 (22:17):
I really take offense that you call it the Scholmer shutdown.
We all know Congress is delaying in the swearing of
Griolva so that she can be the final vote to
release the Epstein files.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
That's what it's all about.
Speaker 9 (22:33):
So I don't know how you can say that it's
anti semitic and really wrong of you to say.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Something like that. Don't do that again, please, Rob. Thanks
for your call. I think you miss heard me. The
words Schumer shutdown did come out of my mouth, but
I was directly quoting Vice President JD. Vance at Camp
Pendleton today, he says to the troops there, to the
(23:01):
military members there, despite the Schumer shut down, the President
is going to do everything he can to make sure
you get paid exactly as you deserve. I was reading
a direct quote, and to be clear, as I read
the entire quote out loud, I also was not saying
on my own volition, I bring greetings today from our
(23:22):
commander in Chief, Donald J. Trump, and he wanted me
to tell each and every single one of you that
he's proud of you, that he loves you, and despite
the Schumer shut down, he's going to do everything he
can to make sure you get paid exactly as you deserve.
I don't have those kinds of connections to the President,
and had he told me to tell you that he
loved you, I think that would be unethical as a journalist.
(23:42):
It's not the kind of message or water that I'm
in favor of carrying for any politician. But thank you
for listening. Even if I wasn't clear that that was
a quote from Vice President J. D Vance, I'm want
to let you know a couple of other things that
are going on the port of Los Angeles and the
(24:04):
Port of Long Beach. We have been talking about them
since my show started. I've always enjoyed the port updates.
They do them every month. They give you the updates
on how much cargo is coming in and how much
is going out. It's just that this year, particularly since
President Trump came into office, that they've been super super
interesting because they are indicative of the direction of the
(24:26):
overall economy. And what's been particularly interesting each month is
that the numbers have been skyrocketing. They've had their busiest,
busiest months, and they say it every month, this is
the busiest month, the busiest month we've ever had. And
you keep waiting for the economy to fall off, you
keep waiting for stuff to slow down because of the
(24:49):
tariff policy of President Trump and the various trade wars
he's gotten into with various countries. But each month it's
busy again. Well that finally stup. These sports were always saying, yeah,
it's busy, it's busy, but we're a little worried about
when things are going to fall off. They fell off.
Both ports reported drops in traffic for the first time
(25:12):
this year. We're going to get into that next as
Michael Monks Reports continues.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
This is Michael Monks Reports wrapping things up here on
a Saturday night in southern California. I am Michael Monks
from KFI News. We continue to watch the remnants of
the No Kings protest in downtown LA where the LAPD
has ordered these folks to leave, and there are police
on horseback, police on foot, police cruisers down there in
(25:49):
the area around the Royball Federal Building. Parts of says
Our Chavez, just a couple dozen protesters remain. It doesn't
look like any type of serious hostilities. It's just a
reluctance to leave on behalf of these protesters and the
police telling them it's time to go. They have warned,
(26:12):
the police have that these protesters could be arrested if
they don't get out of there. It was a big,
big crowd in downtown LA and across southern California and
across the country today as part of the No King's
protests against President Trump, just like they had back in June.
Speaking of President Trump, we know that he loves a
good tariff and his tariff policy has had concerns raised
(26:41):
at both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port
of Long Beach. But both ports have enjoyed heavy traffic
all year long. But we've heard from them that, hey,
we think, we think we're really busy right now because
a lot of American retailers, a lot of retailers in
the domestic United States are rushing to get in and
ahead of whatever tariff might be taking place in whatever country.
(27:05):
So it's been super busy. Both ports came out with
their updates this week, and after endless increases in business,
endless increases in traffic at both ports, September was the
month it finally dropped. Here's Port of La Ceo Gene Soroca.
Speaker 14 (27:25):
We moved nearly two point nine million container units, surpassing
last year's third quarter, which held the previous record. Overall,
we saw a dip of about eight percent year on year,
but it was a strong month to end a remarkable quarter.
As we've reported for the last few months, imports continued
(27:45):
to outweigh American exports by a four to one ratio.
This data reflects the real impact that ongoing trade negotiations
are having on our ag sector. Turning next to empties,
we moved three hundred and eight thousand TEUs across our
docks in September, about a ten percent decrease from last year,
(28:05):
yet another signal that imports will be softening.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
So he is saying that it's a yeah, we finally
hit that wall and it's going to continue to slow down,
it looks like. But there's also some specific challenges for
the port because some of the newest tariffs that are
coming will directly affect their equipment.
Speaker 14 (28:26):
Also introduced this week new ship fees and equipment tariffs.
On the ship side, it's a very complicated series of
formulas that's meant to assess the highest fee possible. For
context here in Los Angeles, just a little more than
twenty percent of the ships that called here in twenty
twenty four were built in China or run by companies
(28:47):
based there. To current events, this week, we have only
one ship that was built in China calling at the
Port of Los Angeles. Over on the equipment side, forty
of our eight D three shore side cranes were manufactured
in China. Now that type of equipment will be hit
with one hundred percent tariffs effective this week. On the
(29:09):
cargo handling side, between the ports of Los Angeles and
Long Beach. There are more than five thousand pieces of
equipment on the ground working today that will now face
one hundred and fifty percent new tariffs for any product
that will be purchased after this date.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
Well, that could be bad. That's a pretty steep price.
But I will continue to bring you the updates from
the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as they
become available each month, so you can keep it right here.
There was also a decline again in Hollywood production. Film
LA says on location production in Greater Los Angeles declined
(29:48):
by thirteen point two percent from July through September. Our
Heather Brooker and her entertainment Let Me try that again.
Our Heather Brooker and Her Entertainment podcast featured this news
this week.
Speaker 15 (30:04):
Joining me today is vice president of Film LA. We're
going to unpack these numbers and find out what they
really mean for the local entertainment workforce and when we
might see that long awaited rebound. Okay, Philip, this new
report shows a thirteen percent dip in filming from last year.
Can you talk about what's driving that decline?
Speaker 8 (30:25):
Yes, So if you look into the production numbers, as noted,
we have a thirteen point two percent drop overall. We
track production by category, and by far the biggest category
to take a hit this quarter was reality television production, which,
oddly earlier this year saw a bit of a spike
in activity, but resumed its downward trend here in the
(30:45):
third quarter.
Speaker 15 (30:47):
You mentioned in the report that the new incentive backed
project are starting to show positive early signs. What are
some examples of productions returning or expanding in LA Well.
Speaker 8 (30:56):
In July, the California Film Commission issued an award to
twenty two new projects coming to the state of California,
and very fortunately, eighteen of those are slated for production
here in Greater Los Angeles. We're starting to take calls.
We're starting to get calls from producers lining up their
locations and their permits for production. But because they have
one hundred and eighty days to begin production from the
(31:17):
date of their incentive award, it's still a little early
to see the full impact of that production here in
the streets.
Speaker 15 (31:23):
So how soon do you think that that will translate
into more on location work days.
Speaker 8 (31:28):
Well, the good thing is the jobs benefits will happen
even before it is reflected in film melee data. You'll
probably see it begin to take an effect in the
fourth quarter of this year, and then on an ongoing
capacity it should build because the Film Commission awards projects
in different funding rounds throughout the year. So the more
projects that they bring online through the recently expanded funding
(31:50):
and eligibility, the greater the job's impact for the region.
Speaker 15 (31:53):
Now, you mentioned that television took the biggest hit this quarter,
especially in reality TV and drama. How much of that
is the lingering after effects from the strikes versus the
long term shifts in the industry.
Speaker 8 (32:06):
Everything you see in this report is fully reflective of
the state of play on the ground as things were
previous to the tax credit announcement. And that's just because
there hasn't been enough time for the tax credit to
take effect yet and to really be visible in the data.
But we have one hundred and twenty jurisdictions who are
aggressively seeking this business, some of whom have emerged to
(32:26):
become major competitors to California, and so we can't take
any project for granted. To bring a single feature film
or television showback as a major accomplishment, and we should
be celebrating.
Speaker 15 (32:36):
That it seems like we just have a continuous stream
of bad news when it comes to the entertainment industry.
Is there any hope left out there for the entertainment industry?
Give me some good news?
Speaker 8 (32:48):
Well, there are a couple of things. One is that
I know there's another announcement from the California Film Commission
due out soon that will take a look at renew
feature film projects brought back to the state, and I
believe we're going to see that within a week or so,
so that'll be good. That's additional work, additional employment opportunity
for California based crews who've really been suffering through an
unprecedentedly difficult time. The other thing is that on a
(33:10):
local level, there is an increased amount of interest in
supporting production through various programs and modifications to make the
permit process and the opportunity to film here as easy
as possible. So, whether it's with the County of Los
Angeles or the City of Los Angeles, everyone is interested
in examining how they've been approaching filming and looking to
(33:30):
find ways to facilitate it. And that's been a very
exciting conversation.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
And you can hear more of entertain Me with our
very own KFI news is Heather Brooker. Just open up
the iHeartRadio app and search for entertain Me and you'll
find her regular podcast and nice short, bite sized interviews
with people from the biz. Here in Los Angeles. I'll
note that the LAPD has issued dispersal orders against the
lingering protesters from today's No Kings march. They are still
(33:57):
about a couple dozen of them downtown right now. It
looks like they're centered around Philips on Alameda, the Classic restaurant.
They're one of the originators of the French Dip sandwich there,
and so they've moved several blocks. They were originally on
the other side of Union Station, closer to the Federal Building,
the roy Ball Federal Building, the United States Courthouse, and
(34:21):
the Metropolitan Detention Center. But the police have moved these folks.
They've already ordered them to leave, they've threatened them with arrest.
Today's protest was very well attended. It was a pretty
good sized demonstration. But right now it's just a couple
dozen lingerers who are hanging out there in that area.
The police moving in on them and kind of forcing
(34:43):
them out, telling them to get home. It's time to
go home and get on with your lives, so you
can count on KFI News to keep its eye on
what's happening down there. It doesn't look like any violence
has taken place. It's just kind of annoying I think
for the police at this point, so but we'll continue
to monitor all night long. I do so much appreciate
you spending part of your Saturday night with me, and
(35:05):
if you missed any part of our program, you can
check it out at KFIAM six forty dot com or
open up the iHeartRadio app and search for Michael Monks Reports.
It's always a pleasure to spend a couple hours with
you and Oliver on the board and Regina in the newsroom.
Thanks to both of you, I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
We'll be back again next week with another edition of
(35:28):
Michael Monks Reports, KFI
Speaker 1 (35:30):
AM six forty on demand
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
We've got another hour together on this Saturday night. In
southern California, the LAPD says it has issued two dispersal
orders for protesters to leave downtown LA. The area around
Aliso and Temple Streets after projectiles were thrown at officers.
(00:30):
This is the area around the Metropolitan Detention Center, the
Edward R. Roy Ball Federal Building, and the US Courthouse.
LAPD says those who don't disperse are subject to arrest
if you're not familiar with those buildings. This is about
a block away from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles,
(00:51):
close to the one oh one there as it flows
through downtown LA. We'll keep an eye on that to
see if things get hairy. It was it seemed like
just a crowded protest today, not a lot of issues.
In fact, that was apparently true all across the country.
We've been talking about the no Kings protests across America,
and here in Southern California asked for your thoughts. You're
welcome to weigh in by opening up the iHeartRadio app
(01:14):
and clicking on that talkback button.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
The problem isn't that Donald Trump isn't a king. The
problem is that he's not releasing fifteen hundred dollars stimulus checks.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yes, if I.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Got a fifteen hundred dollars stimulus check, then I wouldn't
be so angry.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
You know, COVID was bad, but it was nice when
those stemmy checks showed up. Obviously we paid for it
in serious inflation, but it was nice to get a
little extra money in one's pocket at that time.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Hi, this is Tony calling from Apple Valley, California. What
I don't understand about the different things of Trump signing
these executive orders is that it's not okay for him
to do it, but it was okay for Biden to
do it. I'm not Republican, I'm not Democrat. I'm kind
(02:16):
of in the middle. But that's just something that doesn't
strike me.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Well.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Thanks. Executive orders always seem to be a problem for
the party who's not in power. President's always testing the
limits of the Constitution with those executive orders, and sometimes
the checks and balances hold up. Maybe the Supreme Court
says you don't actually have the authority to do that.
Maybe Congress reasserts itself, but right now, I think with
(02:43):
President Trump, it's rare to see a president who has
such command over the rest of his party. I mean,
everybody is completely on board if you're a Republican and
if you're a conservative. On the court, really they've been
very favorable towards him. So, no, he's not a king.
He's the President of the United States. But he has
(03:04):
got a lot of a lot of wind at his
back politically right now, with the amount of power that
he has. Let's go to Camp Pendleton. This celebration of
the United States Marines is obviously worthwhile. Two hundred and
fifty years old, Vice President JD. Vance came to town
to celebrate. But the week the midweek was weird because
(03:28):
there was word out of the governor's office here that
perhaps the federal government was going to shut down the
five Freeway to shoot missiles over it as part of
a show, as part of this celebration. They didn't want
to harm the public on the Five, so let's shut
it down. Governor Newsom said in a social media post.
(03:48):
This is a profoundly absurd show of force that could
put Californians directly in harm's way. Flying live rounds over
a busy highway without coordination between state, federal, and local
partners isn't just wrong, it's dangerous. Using our military to
intimidate people you disagree with politically doesn't make you look strong.
(04:10):
It makes you look weak. It's reckless, it's disrespectful, and
yet another action beneath the office of the presidency. So
we see that messaging like what's what's going on? And
it was quite quite confusing.
Speaker 5 (04:24):
On Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom's offas indicated that Trump administration
was planning to shoot missiles from ships into Camp Pendleton
between LA and San Diego over Interstate five or close
to it, which would cause a freeway to be shut
down on Friday and Saturday. The Marines quickly said that's
not true. That all events for a live fire demonstration
in front of Vice President JD. Vance to celebrate the
(04:45):
Marine Corps two hundred and fiftieth anniversary will be on
approved training grounds and there will be no impact any
freeways or public roads. Today, Newsom's OFFAE is saying it's
relieved that the White House's backed off plans to shut
down the interstate, although it's not clear that was ever
actually the plan, like Stone, Abcnews, Sanchet.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Is okay, so maybe the governor was wrong. The federal government,
the military says no, we're not shutting down the five.
This is this is totally normal. This is something that
happens with some regularity at Camp Pendleton. Don't worry about it.
But then today the freeway was shut down for the celebration,
(05:26):
Newsom posted on social media today. Earlier this week, the
White House denied the freeway near Camp Pendleton would need
to be closed due to live munitions being fired over
the freeway. But today, despite the White House's claims and
lack of transparency, California traffic and public safety experts have
(05:46):
recommended temporarily closing the freeway to best protect the public.
And now the White House is being fact checked by GROC,
the latest Pentagon approved AI tool. What Newsom's referencing there
with GROC and the Pentagon appruned crew? Excuse me? Pentagon
approved AI tool. GROC is the artificial intelligence chat bot
(06:08):
on x formerly known as Twitter, And you know, the
owner of x Elon Musk has a relatively cozy relationship
with the federal government. So what GROC said is, again,
this is artificial intelligence. I'm quoting, but GROC says, no
firing artillery over I five isn't routine for Camp Pendleton's
(06:31):
standard training ranges, which are typically contained within base boundaries
away from public highways. This setup is specific to today's
Marine Corps two hundred and fiftieth anniversary demonstration at Red Beach,
involving live rounds crossing the freeway, prompting a temporary I
five closure from eleven am to three pm for safety.
(06:52):
The base coordinates such events meticulously with authorities to minimize
risk despite the optics that is from x is AI, GROC.
That's where we are basically, by the way, is that
the governor and the federal government are frequently tweeting at
each other, ex posting at each other, and then this
(07:12):
AI chatbot gets involved when someone asks GROC to confirm
who's right. It's very strange. But the freeway ended up
being shut down. It did impact people on this Saturday,
if you were driving to San Diego or from San Diego,
it was a mess. The Pacific Surfliner said it had
a shut down train service between Orange County and San Diego.
(07:32):
Midday today because of the activity at Camp Pendleton, no
bus bridges were operating. They did resume services later this evening.
It was quite a celebration at Camp Pendleton, nonetheless, despite
the weird amount of information, misinformation, disinformation coming from all
levels of government. Again, even reading Newsome's response, he says
(07:54):
the White House denied the freeway would be closed or
excuse me, would need to be closed because of the
live munitions, but then goes on to say that California
traffic and public safety experts have recommended closing it. So
the federal government said it wouldn't need to be closed.
It was the state that said the conditions are such
that it should be closed to protect the public. So
(08:17):
the discrepancy isn't over who closed the freeway, it was
the state. It's over whether that was necessary. Was there
danger present because of this this showy demonstration in celebration
of the United States Marines. But it was quite quite
(08:38):
a mess. Cowtrans and warrened drivers to expect delays, to
find other routes, and there would be delays on those
other routes. The passenger rail service was shut down, but
Vice President JD. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were
here to speak in celebration of the two hundred and
fiftieth anniversary of the Navy and the Marine Corps. This
(08:59):
celebration was called from c to Shore, a Review of
Amphibious Strength, and they got the show. One of the
quotes from Vice President Vans, God bless you Marines, God
bless you Camp Pendleton. It is so much fun and
such an honor to be out here and to celebrate
two hundred and fifty years of the United States Marines.
(09:20):
I bring greetings today from our Commander in Chief, Donald J. Trump,
and he wanted me to tell each and every single
one of you that he's proud of you, that he
loves you, and despite the Schumer shutdown, he's going to
do everything he can to make sure you get paid
exactly as you deserve. That, of course a reference to
the ongoing federal government shutdown and the question over whether
(09:43):
the military will be paid and other federal agencies employees
will be paid. I'm getting paid. I'll tell you that
because I have more show to give you. Gas prices
are dropping and they might hit a very good milestone
very soon before the end of the year. All across
(10:04):
the country except for here and one of the great
alternatives for us trying to avoid the high gas prices
of California Metro La Metro. It's getting bigger. It's just
not opening on time like they promised. We'll get into
that next. As Michael Monks Reports continues.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News.
We've got another what half hour, forty five minutes to
spend together here on this Saturday night. You see only
Bruins won tonight. That's three in a row as they
defeated Maryland at the Rose Bowl twenty to seventeen. They
are three and four on the season and maybe the
(10:51):
most exciting team in college football right now with this
turnaround after firing their coach, finding some mojo and winning
games and winning heard it's not such good news for
the USC Trojans. That game is now final in South Bend.
Notre Dame, thirteenth ranked Fighting Irish have put down the
USC Trojans, ranked twentieth I score thirty four to twenty four.
(11:14):
So the Bruins win, the Trojans lose, and we'll look
forward to another weekend next week of football. We do
continue to monitor the No King's protests in downtown LA.
The LAPD have issued a dispersal order to dispersal orders
in fact and the area around Aliso and Temple Streets.
This is where one of the federal buildings is the
(11:34):
roy Ball Federal Building, the Metropolitan Detention Center, the US
Courthouse in that area is where the LAPD has told
people to leave or face arrest. We've asked you to
weigh in on the No Kings protests and anything else
we have talked about today. Just open up that iHeartRadio
app and click on the talk back button. Let's hear
(11:55):
from Dennis Man. Here's what's up with this no King saying.
Speaker 6 (12:00):
I mean, you can't.
Speaker 7 (12:01):
Really take it seriously because it just sounds like whiny.
I mean, Trump is not acting like a king. He's
just doing what a president can do. And like how
you said, there is checks and balances there, so I mean, yeah,
it's a big scare in the beginning, but it's gonna
get checked out.
Speaker 8 (12:14):
And I mean I'm in between. I'm independent, I say,
and I.
Speaker 7 (12:17):
Listen to everything and I make my choice, and it
just seems like Democrats are always crying. Yeah, Rob, Republicans
do too, but there's just a big cry with Democrats.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
You know, there's a big cry all the time. I
wish we'd stop crying and start governing, show some responsibility.
All these trolling tweets from the federal government accounts and
government governor knew them. It's really a question of how
far down can we go before we become civilized again.
(12:47):
All right, let's hear from Vernon. He's going to weigh
in on the LAPD and their requests to be allowed
to use their les lethal munitions on guys like me.
Speaker 6 (12:58):
Michael, it's ridondo. Hey, listen real quick. We just had
the NLCS. Dodgers took it great.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Gay go Dodgers, But you should be in the.
Speaker 6 (13:08):
NMCS, the National Media Championship Series. And in regards to
the police targeting targeting journalists, now, you know just as
well as I do, that McConnell and a Luna basically
are told when they can stand up and pee, So
it's not them.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
All right, Vernon, thanks so much. That was very kind
of you to say about me. I think you mean
Chief McDonell and Sheriff Luna there being told what their
departments can do.
Speaker 9 (13:38):
Well.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
They were certainly told that they should not represent the
city's endorsement in their quest to be allowed to use
their less lethal AMMO towards a journalist that they were
rebuked by the city council on Friday for that request.
The federal judge denied it anyway. And let's hear from Zach. Hey, monks, heything,
(14:02):
three Eye Atlas comet or alien? What say you? What? What?
Three Eye Atlas comment? Or alien? Okay? I had to
look this up. The interstellar comet three Eye Atlas has
sparked curiosity and speculation among scientists and the public alike.
(14:25):
While some theory suggested it could be an alien spacecraft,
the consensus is that it is indeed a comet. The
comment's unique characteristics, such as its ability to emit light
and its unusual behavior, have led to its classification as
a comet. Observations from powerful telescopes have confirmed its status
as a comet, and its journey through the Solar System
(14:47):
offers valuable insights in the processes that shape celestial bodies. Zach,
I really don't need that right now in my life, Okay,
I don't need to be worried about aliens. On the
other hand, maybe that's exactly what we need. That'll stop
all the protesting and all the weird governance and politicians.
Just take us, beam us up. Hey, there is some
(15:10):
good news coming to a lot of people in America.
Take a listen to this.
Speaker 10 (15:14):
The average price of gas nationwide three o do a gallon.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
We could see drops below.
Speaker 10 (15:19):
Three dollars for the first time in years, So that's
really good news. The price has dropped more than six
cents over just the past week, more than fourteen cents from.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
Just a year ago.
Speaker 10 (15:28):
Triple A says this is because of the seasonal transition
from that summer to winter grade fuel and gas inventories
are higher. They also predict we're likely to see these
prices go down even more in the coming weeks, just
in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Speaker 5 (15:43):
For the first time in years, the average price of
regular unletted in the US is expected to drop in
the coming days below three dollars a gallon and stay
there for months. That would be the first time since
a pandemic. Patrick Dehan had petroleum analystic Gas, but he
says it's a result of plunging global oil prices. People
drive last in the winter and cheaper winter blends of gas,
and that will benefit drivers.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
We could see that stick around for much of the
rest of the year.
Speaker 5 (16:07):
In some areas like Texas and Oklahoma, are expected to
soon see gas below two dollars a gallon.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Gas what he's tracking gas stations at just two oh
nine a gallon.
Speaker 5 (16:16):
But not everybody's getting a reprieve. Places like California, where
regular unletted is still at four sixty four a gallon
won't drop much due to taxes and environmental laws.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
But not everyone's getting a reprieve, and that would be
us in California. The rest of the country will be
celebrating lower gas prices just in time for the holidays,
but not us here in the Golden State. The good
news if you live in southern California, La County in particulars,
you've got a robust public transit system and its light
(16:47):
rail and subway system. They're only growing. And if you
listen to me enough, you know that I am a
frequent user of LA's public transportation system. I particularly love
the trains, but I I love them with clear eyes
understanding the challenges some of the disgusting aspects of it,
(17:07):
some of the criminality that's taken place there. I don't
forget that stuff. I want the system to succeed, though,
I don't just naturally dump all over it. For whatever reason.
I want it to succeed. And one of the good
things they're doing is growing the subway system and the
light rail system. You can go to more places now.
It's exciting. The D Line train one of the older
(17:27):
train lines, which goes from Union Station to Koreatown. Currently
it's a very short line, but it's convenient to people
like me and live downtown. I can get to Koreatown
very easily. It's expanding all the way to Westwood, but
it's doing so in three phases. This first phase was
adding three new stops along the Miracle Mile. We're talking
about like Fairfax Los Cienaga. It's gonna be good, except
(17:51):
now it's not opening this year at all. It's been
pushed into the winter next year. Here's the project manager
explaining this project.
Speaker 11 (18:00):
It has been very technically complex. We're in an urban
and high risk conditions. As mentioned, this project is just
under four miles long of the nine mile D Line extension,
with three underground stations. We had to deal with tarsans,
high methane zones, high groundwater conditions, and that required a
(18:25):
consistent adjustment and monitoring. But all this work was performed
in the right of way while maintaining traffic on Wilshire Boulevard,
a high arterio street, utilities and business access.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
So it's delayed. They're digging massive tunnels and it was
a complex work, but it was supposed to be open
this fall so that we could start getting on it
and be a little bit closer to getting all the
way to Westwood. One of my problems with Metro, though,
is the way that its leadership doesn't really hold people's
feet to the fire. This presentation was made to the
(19:00):
Metro Boards Construction Committee, and it's chaired by board member
Fernando Dutra, who's also on the Wittier City Council, and
this was his response to the whole thing.
Speaker 12 (19:10):
What a cool project, right, what a great project. And
I'll tell you, if we can build this, you can
build anything in the United States. I mean, I can't
think of a project that's more complicated. Well, there are
plenty of complicated projects. But kudos to your team, the contractor,
and to your team for pulling this together and making
it happen.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Yeah, we're glad it's happening. We know it's complex. But
by the way, this delay is also costing as another
one hundred and fifty four million dollars, So enjoy that.
Maybe someday we'll get on the D Line extension. Maybe
someday we'll get on the people mover at LAX. Maybe
someday we'll get on the gondola to Dodger Stadium. But
we just don't build things quickly and well here in
southern California. But this show is built well. We got
(19:47):
another half hour ahead.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
Right now, the LAPD is trying to get the remaining
protesters in downtown Los Angeles to leave. Multiple dispersal orders
have been given or these protesters could face arrest, and
I'll be down there many times when these dispersal orders
come out, and yes, arrests do eventually happen, but they
(20:18):
can take a while. The dispersal order does not seem
to come with any sense of immediacy or urgency. ABC seven,
which has a live feed right now, shows a very
small crowd left lingering around Main Street in a Lameda
street in downtown LA and Chinatown area. This isn't far
from the Federal Building, the roy Ball Federal Building, the
(20:40):
Metropolitan Detention Center, and the US Courthouse there, but we
are monitoring this situation. Dozens of LAPD officers right now,
including some on horseback, are blocking off one side of
East Cesary Chavez Avenue with about two dozen protesters left
on the other side of the street. Traffic is moving
(21:01):
between them right now. We'll continue to monitor. We've asked
you to weigh in on the protest today or anything
else you've heard us discuss, and now we'll hear this comment.
Speaker 13 (21:12):
Well, it's time for California residents to wake up to
the fact that this Prop fifty says that returning the power.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
To the people.
Speaker 13 (21:22):
How long is it going to take California citizens to
realize we haven't had a democracy here. The Democrats have
been in charge, They've screwed up the whole thing, and
now they want.
Speaker 8 (21:34):
More seats to that in Trump.
Speaker 13 (21:36):
Trump's going away, So California is a bad play.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Well, the Prop fifty would redraw California's maps likely to
favor Democrats. You never know, Republican could pick off a
Democrat sometimes and vice versa. But Texas has done this
and other states are looking into it. Now North Carolina
has taken a step to create maps that might favor
Republicans more. You're gonna see more of this. It's gonna
getret That's why I welcome the alien overlords. I think
(22:03):
I am ready after all. So thanks again for that
earlier message. I think it was from Zach. Now I'm
going to look into this three I Atlas thing because
I hope it is aliens. Let's hear from Rob Michael.
What's wrong with you?
Speaker 9 (22:17):
I really take offense that you call it the Scholmer shutdown.
We all know Congress is delaying in the swearing of
Griolva so that she can be the final vote to
release the Epstein files.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
That's what it's all about.
Speaker 9 (22:33):
So I don't know how you can say that it's
anti semitic and really wrong of you to say.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Something like that. Don't do that again, please, Rob. Thanks
for your call. I think you miss heard me. The
words Schumer shutdown did come out of my mouth, but
I was directly quoting Vice President JD. Vance at Camp
Pendleton today, he says to the troops there, to the
(23:01):
military members there, despite the Schumer shut down, the President
is going to do everything he can to make sure
you get paid exactly as you deserve. I was reading
a direct quote, and to be clear, as I read
the entire quote out loud, I also was not saying
on my own volition, I bring greetings today from our
(23:22):
commander in Chief, Donald J. Trump, and he wanted me
to tell each and every single one of you that
he's proud of you, that he loves you, and despite
the Schumer shut down, he's going to do everything he
can to make sure you get paid exactly as you deserve.
I don't have those kinds of connections to the President,
and had he told me to tell you that he
loved you, I think that would be unethical as a journalist.
(23:42):
It's not the kind of message or water that I'm
in favor of carrying for any politician. But thank you
for listening. Even if I wasn't clear that that was
a quote from Vice President J. D Vance, I'm want
to let you know a couple of other things that
are going on the port of Los Angeles and the
(24:04):
Port of Long Beach. We have been talking about them
since my show started. I've always enjoyed the port updates.
They do them every month. They give you the updates
on how much cargo is coming in and how much
is going out. It's just that this year, particularly since
President Trump came into office, that they've been super super
interesting because they are indicative of the direction of the
(24:26):
overall economy. And what's been particularly interesting each month is
that the numbers have been skyrocketing. They've had their busiest,
busiest months, and they say it every month, this is
the busiest month, the busiest month we've ever had. And
you keep waiting for the economy to fall off, you
keep waiting for stuff to slow down because of the
(24:49):
tariff policy of President Trump and the various trade wars
he's gotten into with various countries. But each month it's
busy again. Well that finally stup. These sports were always saying, yeah,
it's busy, it's busy, but we're a little worried about
when things are going to fall off. They fell off.
Both ports reported drops in traffic for the first time
(25:12):
this year. We're going to get into that next as
Michael Monks Reports continues.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
This is Michael Monks Reports wrapping things up here on
a Saturday night in southern California. I am Michael Monks
from KFI News. We continue to watch the remnants of
the No Kings protest in downtown LA where the LAPD
has ordered these folks to leave, and there are police
on horseback, police on foot, police cruisers down there in
(25:49):
the area around the Royball Federal Building. Parts of says
Our Chavez, just a couple dozen protesters remain. It doesn't
look like any type of serious hostilities. It's just a
reluctance to leave on behalf of these protesters and the
police telling them it's time to go. They have warned,
(26:12):
the police have that these protesters could be arrested if
they don't get out of there. It was a big,
big crowd in downtown LA and across southern California and
across the country today as part of the No King's
protests against President Trump, just like they had back in June.
Speaking of President Trump, we know that he loves a
good tariff and his tariff policy has had concerns raised
(26:41):
at both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port
of Long Beach. But both ports have enjoyed heavy traffic
all year long. But we've heard from them that, hey,
we think, we think we're really busy right now because
a lot of American retailers, a lot of retailers in
the domestic United States are rushing to get in and
ahead of whatever tariff might be taking place in whatever country.
(27:05):
So it's been super busy. Both ports came out with
their updates this week, and after endless increases in business,
endless increases in traffic at both ports, September was the
month it finally dropped. Here's Port of La Ceo Gene Soroca.
Speaker 14 (27:25):
We moved nearly two point nine million container units, surpassing
last year's third quarter, which held the previous record. Overall,
we saw a dip of about eight percent year on year,
but it was a strong month to end a remarkable quarter.
As we've reported for the last few months, imports continued
(27:45):
to outweigh American exports by a four to one ratio.
This data reflects the real impact that ongoing trade negotiations
are having on our ag sector. Turning next to empties,
we moved three hundred and eight thousand TEUs across our
docks in September, about a ten percent decrease from last year,
(28:05):
yet another signal that imports will be softening.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
So he is saying that it's a yeah, we finally
hit that wall and it's going to continue to slow down,
it looks like. But there's also some specific challenges for
the port because some of the newest tariffs that are
coming will directly affect their equipment.
Speaker 14 (28:26):
Also introduced this week new ship fees and equipment tariffs.
On the ship side, it's a very complicated series of
formulas that's meant to assess the highest fee possible. For
context here in Los Angeles, just a little more than
twenty percent of the ships that called here in twenty
twenty four were built in China or run by companies
(28:47):
based there. To current events, this week, we have only
one ship that was built in China calling at the
Port of Los Angeles. Over on the equipment side, forty
of our eight D three shore side cranes were manufactured
in China. Now that type of equipment will be hit
with one hundred percent tariffs effective this week. On the
(29:09):
cargo handling side, between the ports of Los Angeles and
Long Beach. There are more than five thousand pieces of
equipment on the ground working today that will now face
one hundred and fifty percent new tariffs for any product
that will be purchased after this date.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
Well, that could be bad. That's a pretty steep price.
But I will continue to bring you the updates from
the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as they
become available each month, so you can keep it right here.
There was also a decline again in Hollywood production. Film
LA says on location production in Greater Los Angeles declined
(29:48):
by thirteen point two percent from July through September. Our
Heather Brooker and her entertainment Let Me try that again.
Our Heather Brooker and Her Entertainment podcast featured this news
this week.
Speaker 15 (30:04):
Joining me today is vice president of Film LA. We're
going to unpack these numbers and find out what they
really mean for the local entertainment workforce and when we
might see that long awaited rebound. Okay, Philip, this new
report shows a thirteen percent dip in filming from last year.
Can you talk about what's driving that decline?
Speaker 8 (30:25):
Yes, So if you look into the production numbers, as noted,
we have a thirteen point two percent drop overall. We
track production by category, and by far the biggest category
to take a hit this quarter was reality television production, which,
oddly earlier this year saw a bit of a spike
in activity, but resumed its downward trend here in the
(30:45):
third quarter.
Speaker 15 (30:47):
You mentioned in the report that the new incentive backed
project are starting to show positive early signs. What are
some examples of productions returning or expanding in LA Well.
Speaker 8 (30:56):
In July, the California Film Commission issued an award to
twenty two new projects coming to the state of California,
and very fortunately, eighteen of those are slated for production
here in Greater Los Angeles. We're starting to take calls.
We're starting to get calls from producers lining up their
locations and their permits for production. But because they have
one hundred and eighty days to begin production from the
(31:17):
date of their incentive award, it's still a little early
to see the full impact of that production here in
the streets.
Speaker 15 (31:23):
So how soon do you think that that will translate
into more on location work days.
Speaker 8 (31:28):
Well, the good thing is the jobs benefits will happen
even before it is reflected in film melee data. You'll
probably see it begin to take an effect in the
fourth quarter of this year, and then on an ongoing
capacity it should build because the Film Commission awards projects
in different funding rounds throughout the year. So the more
projects that they bring online through the recently expanded funding
(31:50):
and eligibility, the greater the job's impact for the region.
Speaker 15 (31:53):
Now, you mentioned that television took the biggest hit this quarter,
especially in reality TV and drama. How much of that
is the lingering after effects from the strikes versus the
long term shifts in the industry.
Speaker 8 (32:06):
Everything you see in this report is fully reflective of
the state of play on the ground as things were
previous to the tax credit announcement. And that's just because
there hasn't been enough time for the tax credit to
take effect yet and to really be visible in the data.
But we have one hundred and twenty jurisdictions who are
aggressively seeking this business, some of whom have emerged to
(32:26):
become major competitors to California, and so we can't take
any project for granted. To bring a single feature film
or television showback as a major accomplishment, and we should
be celebrating.
Speaker 15 (32:36):
That it seems like we just have a continuous stream
of bad news when it comes to the entertainment industry.
Is there any hope left out there for the entertainment industry?
Give me some good news?
Speaker 8 (32:48):
Well, there are a couple of things. One is that
I know there's another announcement from the California Film Commission
due out soon that will take a look at renew
feature film projects brought back to the state, and I
believe we're going to see that within a week or so,
so that'll be good. That's additional work, additional employment opportunity
for California based crews who've really been suffering through an
unprecedentedly difficult time. The other thing is that on a
(33:10):
local level, there is an increased amount of interest in
supporting production through various programs and modifications to make the
permit process and the opportunity to film here as easy
as possible. So, whether it's with the County of Los
Angeles or the City of Los Angeles, everyone is interested
in examining how they've been approaching filming and looking to
(33:30):
find ways to facilitate it. And that's been a very
exciting conversation.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
And you can hear more of entertain Me with our
very own KFI news is Heather Brooker. Just open up
the iHeartRadio app and search for entertain Me and you'll
find her regular podcast and nice short, bite sized interviews
with people from the biz. Here in Los Angeles. I'll
note that the LAPD has issued dispersal orders against the
lingering protesters from today's No Kings march. They are still
(33:57):
about a couple dozen of them downtown right now. It
looks like they're centered around Philips on Alameda, the Classic restaurant.
They're one of the originators of the French Dip sandwich there,
and so they've moved several blocks. They were originally on
the other side of Union Station, closer to the Federal Building,
the roy Ball Federal Building, the United States Courthouse, and
(34:21):
the Metropolitan Detention Center. But the police have moved these folks.
They've already ordered them to leave, they've threatened them with arrest.
Today's protest was very well attended. It was a pretty
good sized demonstration. But right now it's just a couple
dozen lingerers who are hanging out there in that area.
The police moving in on them and kind of forcing
(34:43):
them out, telling them to get home. It's time to
go home and get on with your lives, so you
can count on KFI News to keep its eye on
what's happening down there. It doesn't look like any violence
has taken place. It's just kind of annoying I think
for the police at this point, so but we'll continue
to monitor all night long. I do so much appreciate
you spending part of your Saturday night with me, and
(35:05):
if you missed any part of our program, you can
check it out at KFIAM six forty dot com or
open up the iHeartRadio app and search for Michael Monks Reports.
It's always a pleasure to spend a couple hours with
you and Oliver on the board and Regina in the newsroom.
Thanks to both of you, I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
We'll be back again next week with another edition of
(35:28):
Michael Monks Reports, KFI
Speaker 1 (35:30):
AM six forty on demand
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