Governor Newsom is urging former President Trump to collaborate on a $7.5 billion tax credit for Hollywood. Meanwhile, top officers from the Los Angeles Fire Department union have been suspended after an audit revealed $800,000 in questionable credit card expenditures. In Altadena, trees that were burned in a recent fire are given a second life as locally sourced lumber. Now nine weeks old, Big Bear eaglets Sunny and Gizmo are approaching the point where they might soon be able to fly on their own. Lastly, it's not all gloom for wildflowers; you can discover a hidden field of poppies right here in L.A. County.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Gary and Shannon and you're listening to KFI
AM six forty, the Gary and Shannon Show on demand
on the iHeartRadio app. President Trump and Canada's Prime Minister
holding their meeting right now at the White House in
the midst of a trade war between the two countries.
I mean, we'll have fun with all. The Canada should
be our fifty first state. It's not for sale, Wayne Gretzky,
(00:20):
but we do need to keep in mind that there
is a trade war going on. Trumptle reporters today. He
thinks Carney wants to make a deal, and that everybody does.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Are you offended at all when I mean this, I
may be speaking into a world that you're not familiar with,
but youth sports when they try to emulate what they
see their big league idols do even though it's completely unnecessary,
like no thumb guards in baseball, I.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Have this whole ridiculous like at bat raging bull stance
I used to employ as a junior on JV.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Right.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
So no, I think it's cute and I think whatever,
what it's for fun? You know the las unless it
comes with attitude.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Well, it definitely comes with attitude. I know a lot of.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Kids that like bad attitude, not nice confidence.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
The latest is the addition of sliding gloves in little league,
where you basically it's an oven mit, a padded mit
that you throw over your hands so you don't jam
your fingers, which until I was all through little league,
and you know whatever that minor leagues or whatever it
was when you're a teenager told do not slide head first.
(01:38):
You're only going to bust your teeth out, break your
nose or jam your fingers and your and now everybody
does it in the big leagues, and that's why they
wear them.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
But anyway, okay, so President Trump, but.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Not everybody in the big legs wears the sliding gloves.
I think kids also like things accoutrement to go along
with their sport, whether it's special shoes, their special gloves,
or what have.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
You, mats that are all five hundred six dollars.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Well, I mean, I don't know about that, but they
like the They like shopping for things that they need
for their sport.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
That's true.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
We buy workout clothes and it makes you feel like
you want to work exactly. President Trump talked about steep
tariffs on foreign movies to the tune of about one
hundred percent. Gavin Newsom has taken the bait. Gavin Newsom
says he wants to team up with the Trump administration
to come up with a seven and a hat billion
dollar federal film tax credit.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
So that's not what this is. This isn't Gavin Newsom
taking the bait. This is a pissing contest. This is
Gavin Newsom coming out last week and talking about moving
film and TV production back to California. What we should
do because he's running for president and the idea that
it left California would be a major black eye for him.
Trump sees that and goes, oh, Gavin Newsom, what a
(02:52):
weak stream of empty suit that guy is. I'll bring
film back to the country. And now Gavin Newsom's got
a hit back with his own thing. It's almost a
total pissing match.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
This would be the largest single government subsidy ever for
the movie and TV industry in the United States, right,
which would be obviously massive and the first of its
kind when it comes to the federal level. Already, we've
seen this multiple times. I'm reading a book that's set
in the early nineties, and there was a reference to Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama,
(03:30):
North Carolina, places in the South that are coming up
with these tax subsidies to draw movie production, movie and
TV production, and of course the crew members that go
with it, the auxiliary spending that would go along with it.
And this is kind of what we already know. We've
talked about it many times. There are three dozen states
that give out incentives to try to lure and retain
(03:51):
film and TV production, but there's no national program. Part
of it is because our federal system, with the break
up the would you say, the difference between the federal
government and the state governments, that doesn't necessarily exist in
the same way in other places. So you're going to
have a country like, as an example, Romania or Hungary
(04:14):
or something like that, they're going to have programs like
this on a federal level because they don't simply have
the state governments, at least not to the strength that
we do. As of right now, California only allocates three
hundred and thirty million dollars annually for tax incentives, and
that's gone pretty quick. Governor Newsom and the legislature are
(04:35):
looking at more than doubling that to about seven hundred
and fifty million. But again, the federal program that Newsom
is now trying to hitch his wagon to would be
about a seven and a half billion, so ten times
the amount that California already has.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
About Trump's plan, Today, a spokesperson for the White House
clarified that no final decisions on foreign film tear have
been made, but that the administration is exploring all options
to deliver on President Trump's directive. Today's version of somebody
tasked with doing the impossible, coming up with a word
salad to say nothing.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
To say a truth? Social post is not policy, something like.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
That, or just this policy can't be carried out. You
can't tear iff intellectual property.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Up next, the head of the LA Fire Department employees
union is in trouble.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
What a mess?
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Some heat there?
Speaker 1 (05:33):
What are you putting on your company credit card?
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Heat?
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Ooh, I see what you did there.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
You're listening to Gary and Shannon on demand from KFI
AM six forty.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
We have a bit of a situation at the LA
Fire Department union. There were some rumblings of questions being
raised about how top union bosses were spending union money,
and now those humblings have become a damn near criminal.
The president and two other top officers of the LA
(06:07):
Fire Department's labor union have been suspended after an investigation
found eight hundred grand eight hundred thousand dollars in credit
card purchases that were not properly documented, including things like
mortgage payments, RV payments.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Couple vice presidents, Chong Ho and Doug Coates also suspended,
accused of breaching their fiduciary duties in failing to enforce
UFLAC policy. Neither of them have responded to comment. There
was a comment that Freddie Escobar gave that basically said,
this is all made up. They're trying to kick me
out for a reason. And the bigger question to ask
(06:46):
is why are they trying to do this to me?
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Okay, all listen to that conversation totally. Well, you got
to show your math there. This audit found that from
July of twenty eighteen through November of twenty two, twenty four, Escobar,
Freddie Escobar, the President, initiated about two thousand transactions on
(07:09):
his credit card, his union credit card. More than seventy
percent of those transactions had no supporting documentation. Now does
Freddie not like to do paperwork like every other man
and woman in this great world. Maybe maybe he doesn't
like to fill out the forums. I hate doing that.
I hate saving receipts, filling out forms, paperwork. Oh, it's
(07:32):
the worst. Is that Freddy's issue? Or was he spending
money willy nilly on things that had nothing to do
with the fire department and union business?
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Well, and again, this is not to say that he
was stealing two hundred and sixty five eight hundred and
sixty two dollars from the union. It's a paperwork issue
at this point, at this point because they haven't been
able to prove that he was using out on those
other things. Now, again, it was basically that that money
was spent by the president President Escobar without documentation that
(08:04):
would prove that it was for legitimate union expenditures to
other people. The Secretary Adam Walker the former Treasury Treasurer
Domingo al Baron together had more than five hundred and
thirty thousand in credit card transaction with no receipts or
just partial documentation.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
According to.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
According to somebody who is now helping tell take over,
this would be the IAFF General President Edward Kelly protecting
the dues money that members contribute to their local union
as one of the highest priorities for all officers. In fact,
local union officers have a legal responsibility to make sure
that dues are spent in your best interest.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Here's my problem with Freddy. If you work for the
fire department or the police department, just to name a few,
the job is a tough job, and you know that
you are paid for it. You are paid for it,
you are compensated for it, your family's compensated for it
after you retire. It is a good life. It is
(09:10):
a good life, especially if you get to retire and
then continue to make money. Freddy and other top union
officials have been patting their paychecks with overtime while collecting
the union stipend. So Freddy, for example, made five hundred
and forty thousand dollars in twenty twenty two, that's the
(09:32):
most recent year you can get access to. He more
than doubled his base salary of one hundred and eighty
four grand with overtime payouts that year. Doubled his base
with overtime. That's not uncommon. Earning more than four hundred
and twenty four thousand dollars from the city in pay
and benefits. He collected an additional one hundred and sixteen
(09:52):
grand stipend from the union. So listen, he's doing just
fine without stealing from the U credit card.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Well, and if that not, I mean, if he's doing
seventy eight hours of work each week, that's I'm assuming
he's he's being honest with that.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
That toll there. Eighty hours of work is a lot.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Okay, he's not doing eighty hours of work.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
I know, I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
On the on the best end of it, he's doing
a lot of work. But they had also suggested that
there were some improper deposits from the union's charity into
one of these guys personal accounts.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
You have it good, and sometimes you want more and
more and more. That is the problem.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Here's the thing. Do the paperwork.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I don't think it was just the paperwork. Unfortunately. It
would be great if it was, wasn't it.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
It would be like su It would be nice.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Four.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
If Freddie askerbar says, these guys are trying to drum
him out for whatever.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
They don't like his shoes, I'm ready for that.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Give give us the tea, the dirts.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
A good story.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
There's there's actually as it's a strange secondary story to
the Eton Fire that burned in Altadena. And for those
who are looking to rebuild, rebuilding with some of the
stuff that's left over from the fire, we'll explain we
come back.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
We also have a big Bear eglet update on the
way as well, something for everybody lumber and baby birds.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
A reminder, by the way, a little bit later, we're
going to be giving away one hundred dollars Stone Fire
gift card. It is Nurse Appreciation Week. It is teacher
Appreciation Week, So if you have teachers or nurses that
you want to appreciate you'd like to shout out, you
can always leave us a talkback feature. But later on
in the show, we'll be giving you a chance to
win one hundred dollars Stone Fire gift card for a
(11:46):
teacher or nurse that you love or just like.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
You're listening to Gary and Shannon on demand from KFI
AM six forty well.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
People whose homes were destroyed by the Eton Fire are
preparing to rebuild. The US Army Corps of Engineer continues
to remove debris from the area. There are trees there
that are being removed that they're so badly damaged they're
not going to survive, they're not going to regrow. But
instead of tossing those things out, there is a local
(12:19):
sawmill that is going to repurpose that lumber.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
I don't know why this struck a chord with me
today when I was reading about it, but Angel City
Lumber is this sawmill specializes in products that are made
specifically from trees that have come down in LA Now.
They're not often available for like you know, two by fours,
for you're not going to frame a house with one
(12:44):
of these kinds of trees. That's usually lumber that comes
from Pacific Northwest or Canada or places like this, sometimes
even in the Angelis Forest. But these trees in Altadena
are perfectly usable when it comes to millwork, some finish work,
so flooring, molding, furniture tables, things like that. The problem
(13:06):
is they need people to help out and they need
a location. As of right now, the Army Corps of
Engineers is taking these trees and basically piling this lumber
up on a golf course that they've also been using
for some of the debris removal. And what they want
is if you call Angel City Lumber, the Army Corps
(13:28):
of Engineers will make sure that those trees as much
as they can are not taken away and thrown or
chipped up or anything like that, but could be used
for lumber. All of the logs have been stockpiled at
a golf course and they're trying to coordinate to either
leave the logs there at the golf course so they
can be used in the future, because it's going to
take probably a couple of years to mill all of
(13:50):
them down, or come up with a space two acre,
three acre, four acre space something like that in the
Altadena area where they can be stored and then retrieved,
milled down into usable pieces and everything. So again, Angel
City Lumber is the organization that's doing that. They're trying
to raise a bunch of money they need to buy
(14:11):
the machinery, they need to hire the personnel to pick
up all of the remaining trees before the Army Corps
of Engineers goes in there, and they'll go through and
just get them out of the way and chip them
up and you won't be able to use them.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
So anyway, I thought that was a neat story.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
I think that you like it because they're not throwing
away the trees. And you don't like things to be
thrown away. You like things to find new homes. And
I don't want prodn't want.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
People to hoard fallen trees. I want them to find
a use for them. Okay, I didn't go to hoarding.
In my mind, that was the next step, though that
was not always the next.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Step collecting trees.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Or t shirts. Hey, Gary and Channing, you.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Got to stop talking to my wife.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
We've got an update on the Eaglitz. And also, what
the hell is the La Times doing? I saw this
article in the La Times more. It's like where to
find a hidden field of poppies in La County. It's like,
your dumbass, You want a bunch of idiots with their
stupid Instagram influence. Yeah, like picking poppies and ruining nature,
(15:14):
your dumb asses. Let the hidden field of poppies flourish
and grow and live its life without jackasses. I said,
I'm gonna stop yelling for the day.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
I doubt it.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
You're listening to Gary and Shannon on demand from KFI
AM six forty one.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Air traffic controller at Newark Liberty International says that the
airport is not safe for travelers. This guy spoke to
an NBC reporter. Forty nine million travelers went through Newark
Liberty in twenty twenty four. It's the second busiest airport
in the New York City area, which.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
I didn't realize. I thought it was far third, distant third.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
But Newark has lost twenty percent of its air traffic
controllers in recent weeks, and United Airlines, which uses Newark
as one of their primary East Coast hubs, announced it
was canceling thirty five round trip flights daily, yeah, saying
it's necessary in order to protect their United Airlines customers.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Well, that's what we were talking about at the beginning
of the show. That's one of the things they're doing
while they try to get this air traffic control system
into this generation. With a third of the FAA control
centers being antiquated. Obsolete was the word that they used.
They're going to vastly reduce the workload the number of flights,
(16:28):
and Newark is a case in point right there.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
As we mentioned coming up at swamp Watch.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
By the way, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Karney is visiting
the White House will place some of the comments from
both Carney and Trump at their meeting that they had
in the Oval Office this morning.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Yeah, the takeaway was the big Canada is not for sale?
Speaker 3 (16:46):
All right?
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Did I fall on something sharp with my head and
not remember that the Eagletz names were Sonny and Gizmo.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
No, we did talk about it, you did. I don't
think it was.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
A sure I ever adopted them as the name.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
You never signed off on it.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
I know that well, because Amy King named these babies
right out of the gate. She named them Dora because
she liked to explore Dora, And Rocky was the one
who was kind of the brute, the bigger one. And
then there was.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
The one squish mollow? Was that the other one?
Speaker 1 (17:19):
No, why would you say that? Well, you're just trying
to be provocative. Oh, that's really provocative. You're trying to
piss me off.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Now.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
I don't remember Amy King's third name for the baby
bird that died. Oh, it died, although we think Rocky
may have died. But anyway, that's neither here nor there.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
It's like another simple favor. Yes, by the way, did
you finish it?
Speaker 1 (17:44):
How dumb was that movie? They should have just stuck
to the travel poorn that it was for the first half, right,
The second half went completely off the rails with the triplet,
and it was so dumb, like, what did we even
why even bother with a plot? Just have a bunch
of pretty people running around and making silly jokes in Italy?
(18:06):
Why even go through that whole? I machination of stupid plot?
Speaker 3 (18:10):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
And Alison Janey, who I adore, got wrapped up in
that mess.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
How did she agree to this? How did she agree
to that he owed somebody a favorite?
Speaker 1 (18:19):
That was my big question finishing that film anyway. The
two Eglits and Big Bear, Sonny and Gizmo are their
names if if you adopted them, And apparently they're not
so little anymore. They're beasts. They're massive beasts. They're seen
spreading their wings, they're testing their balance, they're hopping around
(18:39):
the nest, all signs that they're going to fly out
of the home and self feed.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
That's got to be it's got to be pretty daunting.
I mean, how far up did we determine? One hundred
and forty feet one hundred and fifty feet up in
that tree? Hey, you got to learn sometime, Yeah, I know,
but the first time. Is it's like wipe in your butt?
Speaker 4 (19:01):
Is it?
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Is that what it's like.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Falling out of a one hundred and fifty foot tall
tree or cleaning up the old double handbone.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
No, I think no, I don't think it's the same thing.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Oh my god, that's so awful cleaning up the old
double handbone.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
If you don't do that, well, you just end up
with you just end up with a dirty area. Well,
and you do exactly you do the falling out of
the one hundred and fifty foot tree wrong.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
You don't get a second chance.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
Well, I mean, it's not complete disaster. You could land
in another tree or what have you. Apparently Jackie and
Shadow been leaving the nest for longer periods of time,
like you know you do when your kids are young.
You're like, eh, let's have an overnight. Let's see how
they fare. They should be okay, they shouldn't burn the
house down. We'll see how it goes. And you kind
of leave for one night, and then you'll leave for
a weekend, and then suddenly it's okay, leave the kids
(20:00):
for a week or something like that. Same thing with
the birds.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
I don't know about a week.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
You wouldn't leave your kids in the house for a week?
Well now I would, sure, but a week might be
a little too long. So they're under eighteen. Hell, I
don't know.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
In the old days it would have been fine. People
would get wind of it and be like, I wonder my.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Parents left me for like nineteen ninety four.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
The entire years.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
The other thing is, if you are an influencer douchebag
and you need to find poppies for your background, the
La Times has got you. Bro Arvin Cross up in
Arvin Walker Lake and Lake Elson or.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
Up there. Don't like jackasses with their cell phones and
with the poppies. And you know what, people up there
have guns.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
Raoul Rowa.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
I'm not sure they're going to defend the poppies with
their guns, but.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
No, the rattlesnakes will do that, yes.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Raoul Roa.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Road in the La Times, I heard murmurs about a
large poppy field in the tiny community of Elizabeth Lake,
south of Lancaster. I decided to grab my camera and
make the two hour drive from my home to see
what was out there. Poppy fields are gorgeous, they're beautiful.
Stay out of them, yeah, get out, and it's illegal
(21:22):
to pick them.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
It's just a state flower, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (21:28):
How did you not know that?
Speaker 2 (21:29):
No, I'm That's why I'm saying it's illegal to pick
because it is the state flower.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
How did you not know that? What's the state rock?
Do you know what the state gemstone?
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Isn't it? Dumb ass? I made that up state bird?
But if you say it with enough for the state wood?
Condor is the state bird the state wood?
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (21:48):
Oak?
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (21:50):
The official state rock of California is let's do a
quick gas go around court site?
Speaker 3 (21:56):
No, I have no idea.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
We're not doing that.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
You want.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
I didn't know you want to said gas go around? Robin?
What is the official state rock of California? Rock?
Speaker 3 (22:15):
I thought that was your answer.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Listen, I'm gonna need help, guys. Yeah, I can't either, Keana.
The name of rock obsidian? Ooh, obsidian? It is actually serpentine. Okay,
it's green or blue in color. Officially designated as a
state rock in nineteen sixty five.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
It was a good year, A lot of a lot
of work to be done in the state legislature.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
That, yeah, it's a shiny green and blue rock. What
else did you ask the state Wood of California. I
didn't know is there.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
We'll have to do that when we come back.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Oh my god, I can't wait.
Speaker 3 (22:57):
Swap watch.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
We know state.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
It's Gary and Shannon.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Good lord, you've been listening to The Gary and Shannon Show.
You can always hear us live on KFI AM six
forty nine am to one pm every Monday through Friday,
and anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app
This is Gary and Shannon and you're listening to KFI
AM six forty, the Gary and Shannon Show on demand
on the iHeartRadio app. President Trump and Canada's Prime Minister
holding their meeting right now at the White House in
the midst of a trade war between the two countries.
I mean, we'll have fun with all. The Canada should
be our fifty first state. It's not for sale, Wayne Gretzky,
(00:20):
but we do need to keep in mind that there
is a trade war going on. Trumptle reporters today. He
thinks Carney wants to make a deal, and that everybody does.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Are you offended at all when I mean this, I
may be speaking into a world that you're not familiar with,
but youth sports when they try to emulate what they
see their big league idols do even though it's completely unnecessary,
like no thumb guards in baseball, I.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Have this whole ridiculous like at bat raging bull stance
I used to employ as a junior on JV.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Right.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
So no, I think it's cute and I think whatever,
what it's for fun? You know the las unless it
comes with attitude.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Well, it definitely comes with attitude. I know a lot of.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Kids that like bad attitude, not nice confidence.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
The latest is the addition of sliding gloves in little league,
where you basically it's an oven mit, a padded mit
that you throw over your hands so you don't jam
your fingers, which until I was all through little league,
and you know whatever that minor leagues or whatever it
was when you're a teenager told do not slide head first.
(01:38):
You're only going to bust your teeth out, break your
nose or jam your fingers and your and now everybody
does it in the big leagues, and that's why they
wear them.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
But anyway, okay, so President Trump, but.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Not everybody in the big legs wears the sliding gloves.
I think kids also like things accoutrement to go along
with their sport, whether it's special shoes, their special gloves,
or what have.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
You, mats that are all five hundred six dollars.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Well, I mean, I don't know about that, but they
like the They like shopping for things that they need
for their sport.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
That's true.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
We buy workout clothes and it makes you feel like
you want to work exactly. President Trump talked about steep
tariffs on foreign movies to the tune of about one
hundred percent. Gavin Newsom has taken the bait. Gavin Newsom
says he wants to team up with the Trump administration
to come up with a seven and a hat billion
dollar federal film tax credit.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
So that's not what this is. This isn't Gavin Newsom
taking the bait. This is a pissing contest. This is
Gavin Newsom coming out last week and talking about moving
film and TV production back to California. What we should
do because he's running for president and the idea that
it left California would be a major black eye for him.
Trump sees that and goes, oh, Gavin Newsom, what a
(02:52):
weak stream of empty suit that guy is. I'll bring
film back to the country. And now Gavin Newsom's got
a hit back with his own thing. It's almost a
total pissing match.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
This would be the largest single government subsidy ever for
the movie and TV industry in the United States, right,
which would be obviously massive and the first of its
kind when it comes to the federal level. Already, we've
seen this multiple times. I'm reading a book that's set
in the early nineties, and there was a reference to Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama,
(03:30):
North Carolina, places in the South that are coming up
with these tax subsidies to draw movie production, movie and
TV production, and of course the crew members that go
with it, the auxiliary spending that would go along with it.
And this is kind of what we already know. We've
talked about it many times. There are three dozen states
that give out incentives to try to lure and retain
(03:51):
film and TV production, but there's no national program. Part
of it is because our federal system, with the break
up the would you say, the difference between the federal
government and the state governments, that doesn't necessarily exist in
the same way in other places. So you're going to
have a country like, as an example, Romania or Hungary
(04:14):
or something like that, they're going to have programs like
this on a federal level because they don't simply have
the state governments, at least not to the strength that
we do. As of right now, California only allocates three
hundred and thirty million dollars annually for tax incentives, and
that's gone pretty quick. Governor Newsom and the legislature are
(04:35):
looking at more than doubling that to about seven hundred
and fifty million. But again, the federal program that Newsom
is now trying to hitch his wagon to would be
about a seven and a half billion, so ten times
the amount that California already has.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
About Trump's plan, Today, a spokesperson for the White House
clarified that no final decisions on foreign film tear have
been made, but that the administration is exploring all options
to deliver on President Trump's directive. Today's version of somebody
tasked with doing the impossible, coming up with a word
salad to say nothing.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
To say a truth? Social post is not policy, something like.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
That, or just this policy can't be carried out. You
can't tear iff intellectual property.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Up next, the head of the LA Fire Department employees
union is in trouble.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
What a mess?
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Some heat there?
Speaker 1 (05:33):
What are you putting on your company credit card?
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Heat?
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Ooh, I see what you did there.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
You're listening to Gary and Shannon on demand from KFI
AM six forty.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
We have a bit of a situation at the LA
Fire Department union. There were some rumblings of questions being
raised about how top union bosses were spending union money,
and now those humblings have become a damn near criminal.
The president and two other top officers of the LA
(06:07):
Fire Department's labor union have been suspended after an investigation
found eight hundred grand eight hundred thousand dollars in credit
card purchases that were not properly documented, including things like
mortgage payments, RV payments.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Couple vice presidents, Chong Ho and Doug Coates also suspended,
accused of breaching their fiduciary duties in failing to enforce
UFLAC policy. Neither of them have responded to comment. There
was a comment that Freddie Escobar gave that basically said,
this is all made up. They're trying to kick me
out for a reason. And the bigger question to ask
(06:46):
is why are they trying to do this to me?
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Okay, all listen to that conversation totally. Well, you got
to show your math there. This audit found that from
July of twenty eighteen through November of twenty two, twenty four, Escobar,
Freddie Escobar, the President, initiated about two thousand transactions on
(07:09):
his credit card, his union credit card. More than seventy
percent of those transactions had no supporting documentation. Now does
Freddie not like to do paperwork like every other man
and woman in this great world. Maybe maybe he doesn't
like to fill out the forums. I hate doing that.
I hate saving receipts, filling out forms, paperwork. Oh, it's
(07:32):
the worst. Is that Freddy's issue? Or was he spending
money willy nilly on things that had nothing to do
with the fire department and union business?
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Well, and again, this is not to say that he
was stealing two hundred and sixty five eight hundred and
sixty two dollars from the union. It's a paperwork issue
at this point, at this point because they haven't been
able to prove that he was using out on those
other things. Now, again, it was basically that that money
was spent by the president President Escobar without documentation that
(08:04):
would prove that it was for legitimate union expenditures to
other people. The Secretary Adam Walker the former Treasury Treasurer
Domingo al Baron together had more than five hundred and
thirty thousand in credit card transaction with no receipts or
just partial documentation.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
According to.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
According to somebody who is now helping tell take over,
this would be the IAFF General President Edward Kelly protecting
the dues money that members contribute to their local union
as one of the highest priorities for all officers. In fact,
local union officers have a legal responsibility to make sure
that dues are spent in your best interest.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Here's my problem with Freddy. If you work for the
fire department or the police department, just to name a few,
the job is a tough job, and you know that
you are paid for it. You are paid for it,
you are compensated for it, your family's compensated for it
after you retire. It is a good life. It is
(09:10):
a good life, especially if you get to retire and
then continue to make money. Freddy and other top union
officials have been patting their paychecks with overtime while collecting
the union stipend. So Freddy, for example, made five hundred
and forty thousand dollars in twenty twenty two, that's the
(09:32):
most recent year you can get access to. He more
than doubled his base salary of one hundred and eighty
four grand with overtime payouts that year. Doubled his base
with overtime. That's not uncommon. Earning more than four hundred
and twenty four thousand dollars from the city in pay
and benefits. He collected an additional one hundred and sixteen
(09:52):
grand stipend from the union. So listen, he's doing just
fine without stealing from the U credit card.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Well, and if that not, I mean, if he's doing
seventy eight hours of work each week, that's I'm assuming
he's he's being honest with that.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
That toll there. Eighty hours of work is a lot.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Okay, he's not doing eighty hours of work.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
I know, I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
On the on the best end of it, he's doing
a lot of work. But they had also suggested that
there were some improper deposits from the union's charity into
one of these guys personal accounts.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
You have it good, and sometimes you want more and
more and more. That is the problem.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Here's the thing. Do the paperwork.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I don't think it was just the paperwork. Unfortunately. It
would be great if it was, wasn't it.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
It would be like su It would be nice.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Four.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
If Freddie askerbar says, these guys are trying to drum
him out for whatever.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
They don't like his shoes, I'm ready for that.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Give give us the tea, the dirts.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
A good story.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
There's there's actually as it's a strange secondary story to
the Eton Fire that burned in Altadena. And for those
who are looking to rebuild, rebuilding with some of the
stuff that's left over from the fire, we'll explain we
come back.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
We also have a big Bear eglet update on the
way as well, something for everybody lumber and baby birds.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
A reminder, by the way, a little bit later, we're
going to be giving away one hundred dollars Stone Fire
gift card. It is Nurse Appreciation Week. It is teacher
Appreciation Week, So if you have teachers or nurses that
you want to appreciate you'd like to shout out, you
can always leave us a talkback feature. But later on
in the show, we'll be giving you a chance to
win one hundred dollars Stone Fire gift card for a
(11:46):
teacher or nurse that you love or just like.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
You're listening to Gary and Shannon on demand from KFI
AM six forty well.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
People whose homes were destroyed by the Eton Fire are
preparing to rebuild. The US Army Corps of Engineer continues
to remove debris from the area. There are trees there
that are being removed that they're so badly damaged they're
not going to survive, they're not going to regrow. But
instead of tossing those things out, there is a local
(12:19):
sawmill that is going to repurpose that lumber.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
I don't know why this struck a chord with me
today when I was reading about it, but Angel City
Lumber is this sawmill specializes in products that are made
specifically from trees that have come down in LA Now.
They're not often available for like you know, two by fours,
for you're not going to frame a house with one
(12:44):
of these kinds of trees. That's usually lumber that comes
from Pacific Northwest or Canada or places like this, sometimes
even in the Angelis Forest. But these trees in Altadena
are perfectly usable when it comes to millwork, some finish work,
so flooring, molding, furniture tables, things like that. The problem
(13:06):
is they need people to help out and they need
a location. As of right now, the Army Corps of
Engineers is taking these trees and basically piling this lumber
up on a golf course that they've also been using
for some of the debris removal. And what they want
is if you call Angel City Lumber, the Army Corps
(13:28):
of Engineers will make sure that those trees as much
as they can are not taken away and thrown or
chipped up or anything like that, but could be used
for lumber. All of the logs have been stockpiled at
a golf course and they're trying to coordinate to either
leave the logs there at the golf course so they
can be used in the future, because it's going to
take probably a couple of years to mill all of
(13:50):
them down, or come up with a space two acre,
three acre, four acre space something like that in the
Altadena area where they can be stored and then retrieved,
milled down into usable pieces and everything. So again, Angel
City Lumber is the organization that's doing that. They're trying
to raise a bunch of money they need to buy
(14:11):
the machinery, they need to hire the personnel to pick
up all of the remaining trees before the Army Corps
of Engineers goes in there, and they'll go through and
just get them out of the way and chip them
up and you won't be able to use them.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
So anyway, I thought that was a neat story.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
I think that you like it because they're not throwing
away the trees. And you don't like things to be
thrown away. You like things to find new homes. And
I don't want prodn't want.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
People to hoard fallen trees. I want them to find
a use for them. Okay, I didn't go to hoarding.
In my mind, that was the next step, though that
was not always the next.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Step collecting trees.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Or t shirts. Hey, Gary and Channing, you.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Got to stop talking to my wife.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
We've got an update on the Eaglitz. And also, what
the hell is the La Times doing? I saw this
article in the La Times more. It's like where to
find a hidden field of poppies in La County. It's like,
your dumbass, You want a bunch of idiots with their
stupid Instagram influence. Yeah, like picking poppies and ruining nature,
(15:14):
your dumb asses. Let the hidden field of poppies flourish
and grow and live its life without jackasses. I said,
I'm gonna stop yelling for the day.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
I doubt it.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
You're listening to Gary and Shannon on demand from KFI
AM six forty one.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Air traffic controller at Newark Liberty International says that the
airport is not safe for travelers. This guy spoke to
an NBC reporter. Forty nine million travelers went through Newark
Liberty in twenty twenty four. It's the second busiest airport
in the New York City area, which.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
I didn't realize. I thought it was far third, distant third.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
But Newark has lost twenty percent of its air traffic
controllers in recent weeks, and United Airlines, which uses Newark
as one of their primary East Coast hubs, announced it
was canceling thirty five round trip flights daily, yeah, saying
it's necessary in order to protect their United Airlines customers.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Well, that's what we were talking about at the beginning
of the show. That's one of the things they're doing
while they try to get this air traffic control system
into this generation. With a third of the FAA control
centers being antiquated. Obsolete was the word that they used.
They're going to vastly reduce the workload the number of flights,
(16:28):
and Newark is a case in point right there.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
As we mentioned coming up at swamp Watch.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
By the way, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Karney is visiting
the White House will place some of the comments from
both Carney and Trump at their meeting that they had
in the Oval Office this morning.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Yeah, the takeaway was the big Canada is not for sale?
Speaker 3 (16:46):
All right?
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Did I fall on something sharp with my head and
not remember that the Eagletz names were Sonny and Gizmo.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
No, we did talk about it, you did. I don't
think it was.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
A sure I ever adopted them as the name.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
You never signed off on it.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
I know that well, because Amy King named these babies
right out of the gate. She named them Dora because
she liked to explore Dora, And Rocky was the one
who was kind of the brute, the bigger one. And
then there was.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
The one squish mollow? Was that the other one?
Speaker 1 (17:19):
No, why would you say that? Well, you're just trying
to be provocative. Oh, that's really provocative. You're trying to
piss me off.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Now.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
I don't remember Amy King's third name for the baby
bird that died. Oh, it died, although we think Rocky
may have died. But anyway, that's neither here nor there.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
It's like another simple favor. Yes, by the way, did
you finish it?
Speaker 1 (17:44):
How dumb was that movie? They should have just stuck
to the travel poorn that it was for the first half, right,
The second half went completely off the rails with the triplet,
and it was so dumb, like, what did we even
why even bother with a plot? Just have a bunch
of pretty people running around and making silly jokes in Italy?
(18:06):
Why even go through that whole? I machination of stupid plot?
Speaker 3 (18:10):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
And Alison Janey, who I adore, got wrapped up in
that mess.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
How did she agree to this? How did she agree
to that he owed somebody a favorite?
Speaker 1 (18:19):
That was my big question finishing that film anyway. The
two Eglits and Big Bear, Sonny and Gizmo are their
names if if you adopted them, And apparently they're not
so little anymore. They're beasts. They're massive beasts. They're seen
spreading their wings, they're testing their balance, they're hopping around
(18:39):
the nest, all signs that they're going to fly out
of the home and self feed.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
That's got to be it's got to be pretty daunting.
I mean, how far up did we determine? One hundred
and forty feet one hundred and fifty feet up in
that tree? Hey, you got to learn sometime, Yeah, I know,
but the first time. Is it's like wipe in your butt?
Speaker 4 (19:01):
Is it?
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Is that what it's like.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Falling out of a one hundred and fifty foot tall
tree or cleaning up the old double handbone.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
No, I think no, I don't think it's the same thing.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Oh my god, that's so awful cleaning up the old
double handbone.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
If you don't do that, well, you just end up
with you just end up with a dirty area. Well,
and you do exactly you do the falling out of
the one hundred and fifty foot tree wrong.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
You don't get a second chance.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
Well, I mean, it's not complete disaster. You could land
in another tree or what have you. Apparently Jackie and
Shadow been leaving the nest for longer periods of time,
like you know you do when your kids are young.
You're like, eh, let's have an overnight. Let's see how
they fare. They should be okay, they shouldn't burn the
house down. We'll see how it goes. And you kind
of leave for one night, and then you'll leave for
a weekend, and then suddenly it's okay, leave the kids
(20:00):
for a week or something like that. Same thing with
the birds.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
I don't know about a week.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
You wouldn't leave your kids in the house for a week?
Well now I would, sure, but a week might be
a little too long. So they're under eighteen. Hell, I
don't know.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
In the old days it would have been fine. People
would get wind of it and be like, I wonder my.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Parents left me for like nineteen ninety four.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
The entire years.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
The other thing is, if you are an influencer douchebag
and you need to find poppies for your background, the
La Times has got you. Bro Arvin Cross up in
Arvin Walker Lake and Lake Elson or.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
Up there. Don't like jackasses with their cell phones and
with the poppies. And you know what, people up there
have guns.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
Raoul Rowa.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
I'm not sure they're going to defend the poppies with
their guns, but.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
No, the rattlesnakes will do that, yes.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Raoul Roa.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Road in the La Times, I heard murmurs about a
large poppy field in the tiny community of Elizabeth Lake,
south of Lancaster. I decided to grab my camera and
make the two hour drive from my home to see
what was out there. Poppy fields are gorgeous, they're beautiful.
Stay out of them, yeah, get out, and it's illegal
(21:22):
to pick them.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
It's just a state flower, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (21:28):
How did you not know that?
Speaker 2 (21:29):
No, I'm That's why I'm saying it's illegal to pick
because it is the state flower.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
How did you not know that? What's the state rock?
Do you know what the state gemstone?
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Isn't it? Dumb ass? I made that up state bird?
But if you say it with enough for the state wood?
Condor is the state bird the state wood?
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (21:48):
Oak?
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (21:50):
The official state rock of California is let's do a
quick gas go around court site?
Speaker 3 (21:56):
No, I have no idea.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
We're not doing that.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
You want.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
I didn't know you want to said gas go around? Robin?
What is the official state rock of California? Rock?
Speaker 3 (22:15):
I thought that was your answer.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Listen, I'm gonna need help, guys. Yeah, I can't either, Keana.
The name of rock obsidian? Ooh, obsidian? It is actually serpentine. Okay,
it's green or blue in color. Officially designated as a
state rock in nineteen sixty five.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
It was a good year, A lot of a lot
of work to be done in the state legislature.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
That, yeah, it's a shiny green and blue rock. What
else did you ask the state Wood of California. I
didn't know is there.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
We'll have to do that when we come back.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Oh my god, I can't wait.
Speaker 3 (22:57):
Swap watch.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
We know state.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
It's Gary and Shannon.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Good lord, you've been listening to The Gary and Shannon Show.
You can always hear us live on KFI AM six
forty nine am to one pm every Monday through Friday,
and anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app
Gary and Shannon News
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.