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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Episode Transcript
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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. 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. Ask for your thoughts. You're welcome to
(01:11):
weigh in by opening up the iHeartRadio app 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 4 (01:30):
Yes, if I got.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
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 stemmi 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 5 (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 6 (02:20):
Well. Thanks.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
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 President Trump,
(02:44):
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 got a
(03:05):
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 there was word
(03:29):
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. This is a
(03:49):
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. It makes you
(04:10):
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 7 (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 office 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.
Speaker 4 (05:16):
Don't worry about it.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
But then today the freeway was shut down for the celebration,
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
(05:42):
lack of transparency, California traffic and public safety experts have
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
(06:03):
approved AI tool. GROC is the artificial intelligence chat bot
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
(06:27):
firing artillery over I five isn't routine for Camp Pendleton's
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
(06:48):
five closure from eleven am to three pm for safety.
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
(07:09):
each other, ex posting at each other, and then this
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
(07:32):
Diego 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 Newsom's response, he
(07:53):
says 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
(08:13):
that it should be closed to protect the public. So
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.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
But it was quite quite a mess.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Cowtrans and warned 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 celebration was called
(09:00):
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. I bring greetings today
(09:21):
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 the military
(09:44):
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 the country except
(10:06):
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.
Speaker 4 (10:40):
You see, LA Bruins won tonight.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
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 most exciting team
in college football right now with this turnaround after firing
their coach, finding some mojo and winning games and winning.
It's not such good news for the USC Trojans. That
(11:03):
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. 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
(11:25):
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 roy Ball
Federal Building, the Metropolitan Detention Center, the US Courthouse in
that area is where the LAPED has told people to
leave or face arrest. We've asked you to weigh in
(11:46):
on the No King's protests and anything else we have
talked about today. Just open up that iHeartRadio app and
click on the talk back button.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
Let's hear from Dennis Man.
Speaker 6 (11:57):
Here's what's up with this No King saying. I mean, you.
Speaker 8 (12:01):
Can't 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. And I mean I'm in between. I'm independent,
I say, and I listen to everything and I make
my choice, and it just seems like Democrats are always crying.
Speaker 5 (12:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (12:22):
R But 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 knews some 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 less lethal munitions on guys like.
Speaker 9 (12:57):
Me, Michael It's Andridondo. Hey, listen real quick. We just
had the NLCS. Dodgers took it great, gay go Dodgers,
but you should be in the NMCS, the National Media
Championship Series. And in regards to the police targeting targeting journalists, now,
(13:17):
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 4 (13:28):
All right, Vernon, thanks so much. That was very kind
of you to say about me.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
I think you mean Chief McDonell and Sheriff Luna there
being told what their departments can do. Well, they were
certainly told that they should not represent the city's endorsement
in their quest to be allowed to use their lea
less lethal AMMO towards a journalist that they were rebuked
(13:52):
by the city council on Friday for that request. A
federal judge denied it anyway. And let's hear from Zach.
Speaker 5 (14:00):
Hey, monks, heything, three Eye Atlas comet or alien?
Speaker 4 (14:06):
What's say you? What?
Speaker 6 (14:08):
What?
Speaker 4 (14:10):
Three Eye Atlas comment? Or alien? Okay? I had to
look this up.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
The interstellar comet three Eye Atlas has sparked curiosity and
speculation among scientists and the public alike. 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
(14:41):
powerful telescopes have confirmed its status as a comet, and
its journey through the Solar System 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
(15:01):
protesting and all the weird governance and politicians. Just take us,
beam us up. Hey, there is some 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 4 (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 just a year ago. 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 7 (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 budd 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 6 (16:04):
We could see that stick around for much of the.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
Rest of the year.
Speaker 7 (16:07):
In some areas like Texas and Oklahoma, are expected to
soon see gas below two dollars a gallon.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
Gas what he's tracking gas stations at just two oh
nine a gallon, But.
Speaker 7 (16:17):
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.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
The good news if.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
You live in southern California, La County in particulars, you've
got a robust public transit system and its light rail
and subway system.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
They're only growing.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
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 some of the criminality that's taken place there.
I don't forget that stuff. I want the system to succeed,
(17:12):
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 train lines, which goes from Union Station to Koreatown.
Currently it's a very short line, but it's convenient to
(17:33):
people like me and live downtown. I can get to
Korea Town 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 Sienaga. It's gonna be good,
except now it's not opening this year at all. It's
(17:55):
been pushed into the winter next year. Here's the project
manager explaining this projects. 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
(18:16):
had to deal with tarsans, high methane zones, high groundwater conditions,
and that required a consistent adjustment and monitoring. But all
this work was performed in the right of way while
maintaining traffic on Wilshire Boulevard, a high arterial street, utilities
and business access.
Speaker 4 (18:38):
So it's delayed.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
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 Metro Boards Construction Committee,
(19:03):
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 4 (19:10):
What a cool.
Speaker 11 (19:10):
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.
Speaker 6 (19:26):
And making it happen.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
Yeah, we're glad it's happening.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
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 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 and 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 Cesar 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 12 (21:12):
Well, it's time for Californiar residents to wake up to
the fact that this Prop fifty says that returning the power.
Speaker 6 (21:20):
To the people.
Speaker 12 (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 more seats to battle Trump. 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
get 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.
Speaker 13 (22:16):
What's wrong with you? I really take offense that you
call it the Schoulmer 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. That's
what it's all about. So I don't know how you
can say that it's anti Semitic and really wrong of
(22:38):
you to say something like that.
Speaker 4 (22:41):
Don't do that again, please, Rob.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
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 military members there, despite the Schumer shut down, the
(23:07):
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 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
(23:29):
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. It's not the kind of message or
water that I'm in favor of carrying for any politician.
(23:51):
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 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
(24:13):
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 overall economy. And what's been particularly interesting each month
(24:34):
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
tariff policy of President Trump and the various trade wars
he's gotten into with various countries.
Speaker 4 (24:56):
But each month it's busy again. Well that finally stup.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
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.
Speaker 4 (25:07):
They fell off.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Both ports reported drops in traffic for the first time
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 US 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,
(28:06):
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.
Speaker 4 (28:48):
To current events, this.
Speaker 14 (28:49):
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 e 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 cargo handling side between the ports
(29:11):
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 4 (29:26):
Well, that could be bad. That's a pretty steep price.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
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
by thirteen point two percent from July through September. Our
(29:52):
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 16 (30:25):
Yes, So if you look into the production numbers, as noted,
we have a thirteen point two percent drop.
Speaker 6 (30:31):
Overall.
Speaker 16 (30:32):
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
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 16 (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.
Speaker 6 (31:04):
Of those are slated for production here in Greater Los Angeles.
We're starting to take calls.
Speaker 16 (31:09):
We're starting to get calls from producers lining up their
locations and their permits for production.
Speaker 6 (31:14):
But because they have one hundred and eighty days to.
Speaker 16 (31:16):
Begin production from the 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 16 (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 jobs 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 long
term shifts in the industry.
Speaker 16 (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.
Speaker 6 (32:29):
We can't take any project for granted.
Speaker 16 (32:31):
To bring a single feature film or television showback as
a major accomplishment, and we should be celebrating that.
Speaker 15 (32:36):
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?
Speaker 4 (32:46):
Give me some good news?
Speaker 6 (32:48):
Well, there are a couple of things.
Speaker 16 (32:49):
One is that I know there's another announcement from the
California Film Commission do 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.
Speaker 6 (33:08):
The other thing is that on a local level, there is.
Speaker 16 (33:11):
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 find ways to facilitate it.
(33:31):
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):
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
Speaker 1 (35:30):
KFI 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. 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. Ask for your thoughts. You're welcome to
(01:11):
weigh in by opening up the iHeartRadio app 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 4 (01:30):
Yes, if I got.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
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 stemmi 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 5 (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 6 (02:20):
Well. Thanks.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
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 President Trump,
(02:44):
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 got a
(03:05):
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 there was word
(03:29):
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. This is a
(03:49):
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. It makes you
(04:10):
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 7 (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 office 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.
Speaker 4 (05:16):
Don't worry about it.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
But then today the freeway was shut down for the celebration,
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
(05:42):
lack of transparency, California traffic and public safety experts have
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
(06:03):
approved AI tool. GROC is the artificial intelligence chat bot
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
(06:27):
firing artillery over I five isn't routine for Camp Pendleton's
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
(06:48):
five closure from eleven am to three pm for safety.
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
(07:09):
each other, ex posting at each other, and then this
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
(07:32):
Diego 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 Newsom's response, he
(07:53):
says 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
(08:13):
that it should be closed to protect the public. So
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.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
But it was quite quite a mess.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Cowtrans and warned 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 celebration was called
(09:00):
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. I bring greetings today
(09:21):
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 the military
(09:44):
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 the country except
(10:06):
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.
Speaker 4 (10:40):
You see, LA Bruins won tonight.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
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 most exciting team
in college football right now with this turnaround after firing
their coach, finding some mojo and winning games and winning.
It's not such good news for the USC Trojans. That
(11:03):
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. 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
(11:25):
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 roy Ball
Federal Building, the Metropolitan Detention Center, the US Courthouse in
that area is where the LAPED has told people to
leave or face arrest. We've asked you to weigh in
(11:46):
on the No King's protests and anything else we have
talked about today. Just open up that iHeartRadio app and
click on the talk back button.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
Let's hear from Dennis Man.
Speaker 6 (11:57):
Here's what's up with this No King saying. I mean, you.
Speaker 8 (12:01):
Can't 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. And I mean I'm in between. I'm independent,
I say, and I listen to everything and I make
my choice, and it just seems like Democrats are always crying.
Speaker 5 (12:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (12:22):
R But 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 knews some 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 less lethal munitions on guys like.
Speaker 9 (12:57):
Me, Michael It's Andridondo. Hey, listen real quick. We just
had the NLCS. Dodgers took it great, gay go Dodgers,
but you should be in the NMCS, the National Media
Championship Series. And in regards to the police targeting targeting journalists, now,
(13:17):
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 4 (13:28):
All right, Vernon, thanks so much. That was very kind
of you to say about me.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
I think you mean Chief McDonell and Sheriff Luna there
being told what their departments can do. Well, they were
certainly told that they should not represent the city's endorsement
in their quest to be allowed to use their lea
less lethal AMMO towards a journalist that they were rebuked
(13:52):
by the city council on Friday for that request. A
federal judge denied it anyway. And let's hear from Zach.
Speaker 5 (14:00):
Hey, monks, heything, three Eye Atlas comet or alien?
Speaker 4 (14:06):
What's say you? What?
Speaker 6 (14:08):
What?
Speaker 4 (14:10):
Three Eye Atlas comment? Or alien? Okay? I had to
look this up.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
The interstellar comet three Eye Atlas has sparked curiosity and
speculation among scientists and the public alike. 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
(14:41):
powerful telescopes have confirmed its status as a comet, and
its journey through the Solar System 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
(15:01):
protesting and all the weird governance and politicians. Just take us,
beam us up. Hey, there is some 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 4 (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 just a year ago. 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 7 (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 budd 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 6 (16:04):
We could see that stick around for much of the.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
Rest of the year.
Speaker 7 (16:07):
In some areas like Texas and Oklahoma, are expected to
soon see gas below two dollars a gallon.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
Gas what he's tracking gas stations at just two oh
nine a gallon, But.
Speaker 7 (16:17):
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.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
The good news if.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
You live in southern California, La County in particulars, you've
got a robust public transit system and its light rail
and subway system.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
They're only growing.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
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 some of the criminality that's taken place there.
I don't forget that stuff. I want the system to succeed,
(17:12):
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 train lines, which goes from Union Station to Koreatown.
Currently it's a very short line, but it's convenient to
(17:33):
people like me and live downtown. I can get to
Korea Town 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 Sienaga. It's gonna be good,
except now it's not opening this year at all. It's
(17:55):
been pushed into the winter next year. Here's the project
manager explaining this projects. 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
(18:16):
had to deal with tarsans, high methane zones, high groundwater conditions,
and that required a consistent adjustment and monitoring. But all
this work was performed in the right of way while
maintaining traffic on Wilshire Boulevard, a high arterial street, utilities
and business access.
Speaker 4 (18:38):
So it's delayed.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
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 Metro Boards Construction Committee,
(19:03):
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 4 (19:10):
What a cool.
Speaker 11 (19:10):
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.
Speaker 6 (19:26):
And making it happen.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
Yeah, we're glad it's happening.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
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 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 and 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 Cesar 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 12 (21:12):
Well, it's time for Californiar residents to wake up to
the fact that this Prop fifty says that returning the power.
Speaker 6 (21:20):
To the people.
Speaker 12 (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 more seats to battle Trump. 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
get 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.
Speaker 13 (22:16):
What's wrong with you? I really take offense that you
call it the Schoulmer 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. That's
what it's all about. So I don't know how you
can say that it's anti Semitic and really wrong of
(22:38):
you to say something like that.
Speaker 4 (22:41):
Don't do that again, please, Rob.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
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 military members there, despite the Schumer shut down, the
(23:07):
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 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
(23:29):
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. It's not the kind of message or
water that I'm in favor of carrying for any politician.
(23:51):
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 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
(24:13):
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 overall economy. And what's been particularly interesting each month
(24:34):
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
tariff policy of President Trump and the various trade wars
he's gotten into with various countries.
Speaker 4 (24:56):
But each month it's busy again. Well that finally stup.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
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.
Speaker 4 (25:07):
They fell off.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Both ports reported drops in traffic for the first time
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 US 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,
(28:06):
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.
Speaker 4 (28:48):
To current events, this.
Speaker 14 (28:49):
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 e 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 cargo handling side between the ports
(29:11):
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 4 (29:26):
Well, that could be bad. That's a pretty steep price.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
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
by thirteen point two percent from July through September. Our
(29:52):
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 16 (30:25):
Yes, So if you look into the production numbers, as noted,
we have a thirteen point two percent drop.
Speaker 6 (30:31):
Overall.
Speaker 16 (30:32):
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
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 16 (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.
Speaker 6 (31:04):
Of those are slated for production here in Greater Los Angeles.
We're starting to take calls.
Speaker 16 (31:09):
We're starting to get calls from producers lining up their
locations and their permits for production.
Speaker 6 (31:14):
But because they have one hundred and eighty days to.
Speaker 16 (31:16):
Begin production from the 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 16 (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 jobs 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 long
term shifts in the industry.
Speaker 16 (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.
Speaker 6 (32:29):
We can't take any project for granted.
Speaker 16 (32:31):
To bring a single feature film or television showback as
a major accomplishment, and we should be celebrating that.
Speaker 15 (32:36):
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?
Speaker 4 (32:46):
Give me some good news?
Speaker 6 (32:48):
Well, there are a couple of things.
Speaker 16 (32:49):
One is that I know there's another announcement from the
California Film Commission do 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.
Speaker 6 (33:08):
The other thing is that on a local level, there is.
Speaker 16 (33:11):
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 find ways to facilitate it.
(33:31):
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):
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
Speaker 1 (35:30):
KFI AM six forty on demand
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