DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles County’s annual count of homeless residents began Tuesday night — a crucial part of the region’s efforts to confront the crisis of tens of thousands of people living on the streets. Up to 6,000 volunteers with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority fanned out for the effort’s main component, the unsheltered street tally. About 46,200 were within the city of Los Angeles, where public frustration has grown as tents have proliferated on sidewalks and in parks and other locations. City Hall, the City Council and the LA County Board of Supervisors have said they intend to work together to tackle the crisis. The results of the LA County homeless count are expected to be released in late spring or early summer.

Persons: Karen Bass, Bass, hasn’t Organizations: ANGELES, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, Democrat, City, City Council, LA County, Supervisors, LA Locations: Los Angeles, LA County, North Hollywood, LA’s San Fernando Valley, California

SAG-AFTRA actors and Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers walk the picket line during their ongoing strike outside Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, U.S., August 22, 2023. Striking writers and actors slashed spending, burned through savings and piled up debt to survive. Sets for movies and TV shows are lighting up again as studios rush to resume filming. Still, Hollywood is unlikely to return to the frenzied production pace of the streaming wars, when studios competed for subscribers and cachet. Hollywood actors won similar gains in a tentative agreement reached with the studios on Nov. 8.

Persons: Mario Anzuoni, caterers, Wall, Celia Finkelstein, ” Finkelstein, “, Serena Kashmir, ”, Fran Drescher, Kevin Klowden, ” Klowden, Long, Marc Meyer Jr, I’ve, Meyer, Guy Bisson, Neil Begley, Ampere, Dawn Chmielewski, Danielle Broadway, Lisa Richwine, Mary Milliken, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Writers Guild of America, Walt Disney Studios, REUTERS, Companies Comcast Corp, Fox, Netflix, Hollywood, Reuters, WGA, SAG, Milken Institute, Sony Pictures, Disney, Global, Ampere, Moody’s, Companies, “, Thomson Locations: Burbank , California, U.S, California, Georgia, New Mexico, Hollywood, ” Kashmir, Kashmir, Colorado, North Hollywood, Los Angeles

☆ Rite Aid is planning to close about 150 locations. See if your local store is on the list.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Rite Aid filed plans to close 154 stores on Monday as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Rite Aid is the smallest of the three major drugstore chains, well behind CVS and Walgreens. Rite Aid was expected to close stores as part of its bankruptcy. Rite Aid told Insider that it considers a variety of factors when deciding to close a store, "including business strategy, lease and rent considerations, local business conditions and viability, and store performance." "We will also strive to transfer associates to other Rite Aid locations where possible," the company said.

Persons: —, Glen, Taylor, Daniel Webster, Merrick, William Penn, Redmond, Lacey Organizations: CVS, Walgreens, Service, Pennsylvania . Rite Aid, Wall Street Journal, Rite Aid, Rite, Crenshaw, Hollywood Way, San, Niguel, Yorba, Santa, Thompson Boulevard, Ventura, Atwater, Overland, Meridian, Main, Bel, Bel Air South, Park, Main Street, Lafayette, Garfield, Garden, Ford, Flint, Farmington, Whittemore Street, New Jersey :, Marshall, Bridgeton Pike, Whiting, Pike, Huntington, Jericho Turnpike, Jeff, North Street, Cesar, Chavez, Pennsylvania, Stevenson, Bethel, Union, Allentown, Fourth Street, Fifth, Washington Lane, Street, Central Avenue, Grady, Everett Locations: California, New York, Pennsylvania, Los Angeles, Rock, Centinela, Downey, Beach, Burbank, Hollywood Way Covina, Puente, Alhambra, Oceanside, San Diego, Yorba Linda, Santa Ana, Thompson, Thompson Boulevard Oxnard, Cupertino, Santa Clara, Cruz, Bellevue, Sacramento, Boulevard Ontario, Irvine, Monterey, Alvarado Street Connecticut, Bethel, Greenwood, Delaware, Newark, Hill, Wilmington, Idaho, Boise, Maryland, Elkton, Pulaski, Baltimore, Glen Burnie, Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard Massachusetts, Webster, Main Street Michigan, Fremont, Greenville, Clinton, Macomb, Sturgis, Centerville, Clinton Township, Gratiot, Shelby Township, Dyke, Jackson, Michigan, Manistee, Garden City, North, Detroit, Farmington Hills, St, Johns, Whittemore Street Lansing, Hampshire, Merrimack, New Jersey, New Jersey : West Milford, Mantua, Bridgeton, Irvington, Somerset, Williamstown, Pike New York, Brooklyn, Shore, Merrick, East Northport, Jericho, Jericho Turnpike Medford, Patchogue, West Patchogue, Kenmore, Rochester, Flushing, Levittown, Ohio, Massillon, East New Carlisle, Dayton, Youngstown, Springfield, North Street Bellefontaine, Oregon, Portland, Kensington, Brighton, Bethel Park, Pittsburgh, Greensburg, Bethlehem, Fourth Street Philadelphia, Venango, Washington, Conshohocken, Hanover, Mechanicsburg, Erie, Abington, York, Johnstown, Ardmore, Lancaster, Pittston, Wyoming, Yardley, Chester, Street Titusville, Central Avenue Virginia, Chesapeake, Pleasant, Seattle, Graham, Renton

☆ Neighbors app floods police inboxes with alerts that have nothing to do with crimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Lam Thuy Vo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

People can use Neighbors to publish footage alongside their posts; when the posts are forwarded to police officers, officers can click through to view the accompanying media. "All posts and comments on Neighbors are publicly viewable on the Neighbors feed by users and public safety agencies alike. As with Poole, other LAPD officers The Markup identified as using Neighbors to keep tabs on crime did not respond to requests for interviews. To familiarize LAPD officers with the platform, the company organized in-person training sessions as well as video calls. In this dataset, at least 26 LAPD officers posted in Neighbors at least once and received responses from users.

Persons: —, Poole, Craig Newmark, Detective Poole, Albert Fox Cahn, isn't, It's, Cahn, Ring, Mai Nguyen, Nguyen, Sarah Brayne, Peter Polack, Jamie Siminoff, didn't, Siminoff, Shaquille O'Neal, Neighbors, Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, Andrea Han, Drake Madison Organizations: Service, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Police Department, Ring News, LAPD, NYCity, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, CUNY, NBC, University of Texas, Employees, Intercept, Ebay, Neighbors Public Safety Service, Neighbors, Ring's, Los Angeles, Guardian, American University Washington College of Law, Data, didn't, Network Locations: Jeffry, United States, Neighbors, Angeles, Austin, Los, Shadow, Tuna, North Hollywood, RVs, Panera

☆ She fled Ukraine and found belonging with her Russian boxing coach in America
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Akimova found her footing in a boxing gym run by a Russian trainer who became a grounding force. A Ukrainian refugee named Anzelika Akimova enters her fighting stance at the Eastern Block Boxing gym in Los Angeles. At the Eastern Block Boxing gym in Los Angeles, Russians and Ukrainians alike come to train. Before their paths aligned at Eastern Block Boxing, Poddubnov fought as an amateur boxer in Russia. Salman Poddubnov opened the boxing gym after a stint in prison, where he trained fellow inmates.

Persons: Anzelika Akimova, Arina, Akimova, Joe Biden's, Stella Kalinina, Salman Poddubnov, —, hadn't, ached, didn't, LIRS, Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, we've, Vignarajah, Poddubnov, Vladimir Putin's Organizations: Eastern, Karate, Lutheran Immigration, Refugee Service, Department of Homeland Security, TPS, Soviet Union Locations: Ukraine, Los Angeles, Russian, Ukrainian, California, Russians, Odesa, Kyiv, Akimova, Toluca Lake, North Hollywood, That's, Moldovan, Romania, Czech, Prague, Mexico, Tijuana, Mexicali, Calexico, Russia, Volzhsky, Stalingrad, Eastern, Poddubnov, Soviet, Soviet Union

☆ HGTV star Tarek El Moussa says he's preparing for his 'biggest ever flip.' The tenants of the building say they're being evicted.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

HGTV star Tarek El Moussa is facing backlash from a group of tenants in North Hollywood. The tenants say they are being evicted from the building El Moussa intends to flip. El Moussa is best known for being the star of HGTV's "Flip or Flop" alongside his wife, Heather Rae El Moussa, who also stars in Netflix's "Selling Sunset." In a video posted on Instagram on July 14, El Moussa called the property his "biggest ever flip." "We got so lucky to find this land, because finding land like this in North Hollywood is literally impossible," he said.

Persons: Tarek El Moussa, El Moussa, we've, Clare Letmon, Letmon, I've, they've, Cathy Livas, Heather Rae El Moussa, Arthur Aslanian Organizations: HGTV, Service, Hollywood, El Moussa's, Los Angeles Tenants Union, NBC, North Hollywood Arts District, Real Locations: North Hollywood, Wall, Silicon, NBC Los Angeles, Instagram

☆ Tarek El Moussa is 'flipping' an entire street to make a high-rise apartment building, but longtime residents say they're being evicted to make it happen
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Samantha Grindell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Tarek El Moussa's company TEM Capital is building a 138-unit apartment in Los Angeles. El Moussa said his team was going to "tear it down" to build the high-rise apartments. "It was really triggering and traumatic and totally ignoring the fact that people still lived here," one resident, Clare Letmon, told CBS Los Angeles. Heather Rae El Moussa is also investing in the project. During a March 2023 conversation with Insider, El Moussa pointed to house-flipping seminars, a solar company, and a home line he's creating with Heather Rae among his current list of business endeavors.

Persons: Tarek El, El Moussa, they're, Tarek El Moussa, Christina Hall, Heather Rae El Moussa, Tarek, KTLA5 they've, Ellis, Heather Rae's, Clare Letmon, Cathy Livas, Raymond Hall, Arthur Aslanian, he's, Heather Rae Organizations: Service, HGTV, HEM, WJK, Pyramid Development, CBS Los, CBS, Los Angeles Times Locations: Los Angeles, Wall, Silicon, North Hollywood, Los Angeles , California, California, HEM, CBS Los Angeles

☆ They don’t act or write, but the Hollywood strikes are putting them out of work
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Natasha Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Elyea, and other small business owners have told CNN about the various ways they’re getting through the dry spell: cutting hours, laying off staff, or temporarily closing their doors. And you know, don’t be buying cars having to make big car payments, and don’t be making big plans with money you don’t have,” she told them. “I know I can get through it, but it takes years to recover,” Levelle told CNN in early July. Natalia Lopez told CNN in June that without her $20.74 per hour wage, she had shifted her grocery list to just basics, like rice and beans. Cendejas told CNN the studios should recognize the people essential at every level to get the work done.

Persons: Los Angeles CNN —, Milken, Remy De La Mora, Patrick Gallagher, Oppenheimer, Pam, Pam Elyea, she’s, ” Elyea, don’t, Pam Elyea Elyea, She’s, “, Elyea’s, Corri Levelle, Sandy Rose Floral, Natasha Chen, CNN Corri Levelle, ” Levelle, ”, Natalia Lopez, Lopez, Yolanda Cendejas, Cendejas, ” Yolanda Cendejas, CNN Cendejas, ” Cendejas, Chester Massetti, Victor Jr’s, you’re, ” Massetti, Massetti, Rosie Blosser, ” Blosser, Blosser Organizations: Los Angeles CNN, Hollywood, Writers Guild of America, SAG, Global, Hire, CNN, WGA, Sandy, SEIU United Service Workers, SEIU, Sony Studios, Amazon Studios, Paramount Studios, Culver City, Warner Bros, Washington, Apple, Warner Bros . Locations: North Hollywood, Los Angeles, Culver City, Culver, Burbank , CA

☆ How the writers' strike is crushing Hollywood's next generation, as job-seekers face 'skyrocketing' debt, crumbling hope, and endless hours 'just doom-scrolling LinkedIn'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Hollywood development and production have mostly ground to a halt amid the film and TV writers' strike. Young workers hoping to break into entertainment say the strike has made a competitive job market even tougher. Sears, who is currently unemployed, graduated this year with a master's degree in entertainment industry management from Carnegie Mellon University. Now, she's attempting what feels like a herculean feat: getting her career off the ground in the midst of a months-long Hollywood writers' strike, the first labor stoppage to grind the industry to a halt in 15 years. Contact this reporter to share your experience during the writers' strike.

Persons: Young, Delaney Sears, — there's, Sears, they've, —, Joanna Sucherman, Sucherman, Trevor Romero, Romero, Dan Green, grads, Green, Nabha, She's, Purohit, they'd, execs, he's, haven't, Kody Proctor, Proctor, he'd, We've, Reed Alexander Organizations: Hollywood, Carnegie Mellon University, Writers Guild of America, SAG, WGA, Disney, Warner Bros, JLS Media, Fox, United Talent Agency, Young Entertainment, Carnegie Mellon's Heinz College of Information Systems, Public, Savannah College of Art, Alliance, Television Producers, Paramount Pictures, Melrose, Paramount, University of Southern, North Dakota, Carnegie, E, Victoria Cheyenne Locations: California, Angeles, LA, Chicago, Fremantle, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Georgia, Elm, Mumbai, India, University of Southern California, North, North Hollywood, Victoria, Bolivia

☆ Remains Found in California Wilderness Are Identified as Those of Julian Sands
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Derrick Bryson Taylor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Human remains that were found on Saturday in the Southern California wilderness have been identified as those of the British actor Julian Sands, who had been missing since January after he went hiking in the area, the authorities said on Tuesday. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that the remains had been “positively identified” as those of Mr. Sands, and that the cause of death remained under investigation “pending further test results.”Mr. Sands, 65, of North Hollywood, was an avid hiker and was best known for his role in the critically acclaimed 1986 film “A Room With a View.” The film, an adaptation of the novel by E.M. Forster, regularly makes lists as one of the best British films of all time. He also appeared in dozens of other films and television shows, including “Arachnophobia,” “Naked Lunch,” “Warlock” and “Ocean’s Thirteen.”

Persons: Julian Sands, Sands, ”, E.M . Forster, “ Arachnophobia, “ Organizations: San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Locations: Southern California, British, San Bernardino County, North Hollywood

☆ Franck Bohbot’s nostalgic photos evoke the arcade’s ‘golden age’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Marianna Cerini | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Franck Bohbot Bohbot's book features shots from over a dozen arcades, which he described as each having their own "very different vibe." Franck Bohbot Bohbot said his project was intended to "document arcade culture and the escapism it provides." Franck Bohbot Most of Bohbot's shots were captured in 2019, before the pandemic brought his project to a temporary halt. Franck Bohbot Bohbot documented not only the games but also the crowds that the arcades attracted. Franck Bohbot Bohbot said the book serves as a love letter to L.A., which he called "a complicated city that often feels like it's hiding parts of itself."

Persons: Franck Bohbot’s, “, Bohbot, ” Bohbot, Franck Bohbot's, Franck Bohbot Bohbot's, Franck Bohbot, Franck Bohbot Bohbot, ”, California’s, Japan —, Kong, seeped, —, we’ve, Franck Bohbot “, ‘ Organizations: CNN, Dave, Buster's, Amusement Corporation, East Hollywood, New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, Chicago Coin’s, New York Times, America’s, Atari, Setanta Books Locations: Los Angeles, California, Calimesa , California, North Hollywood, Hollywood, Santa Monica , California, L.A, East, New York, Japan, Chicago

☆ Videos show protesters brawling outside LA school meeting on whether to recognize LGBTQ Pride Month
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Videos show a brawl taking place outside the Glendale Unified School District HQ on Tuesday evening. It occurred ahead of a school board meeting on whether to recognize June as LGBTQ Pride Month. Glendale Police Department said in a news release that several hundred protesters had gathered earlier in the day, with many waving American flags or LGBTQ+ Pride flags. But extremist watchdogs warned last month that the far-right group was planning their biggest Pride Month disruptions to date. The Glendale Unified School District did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Persons: —, Los Angeles Blade, watchdogs Organizations: Glendale Unified School District, Service, CBS News . Glendale Police Department, Glendale, Los Angeles, Hollywood, CBS News, Glendale Police Department, Police, Los Angeles Times Locations: Glendale

☆ Dancers at a topless bar in LA are set to become the first unionized strippers in the US in a decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Employees at Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in North Hollywood California voted to unionize. Employees including dancers, entertainers, and DJs want to be represented by the Actors Equity Association. They will become the first union of strippers in the US in a decade. "I'm excited that all of my beautiful coworkers will finally have a seat at the table and a voice to discuss safety and other issues," Sinder, a Star Garden dancer told CNN. Insider reached out to Star Garden, the NLRB, Actors Equity Association, and Stripper Strike Noho but did not immediately hear back outside of regular working hours.

☆ First union of strippers in a decade expected to form this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Natasha Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Strippers from the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in North Hollywood have unanimously won their union election, in a 17-0 vote, creating the first union of strippers in the United States in about a decade. The ballots were opened at 11 am PT today by the National Labor Relations Board in Los Angeles. The ballots were impounded in November after the strippers voted, due to the club challenging most ballots at the time. Since announcing on Tuesday that the dancers and the club had come to an agreement, the NLRB scheduled the opening of the ballots Thursday. “We’re hopeful that we could send some shockwaves through the industry,” said Velveeta, one of the strippers, who spoke to CNN on Tuesday evening.

☆ First strippers’ union in a decade is expected to form this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Natasha Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The negotiation is expected following a settlement hearing with union attorneys. When ballots are officially opened later this week, the strippers are expected to overwhelmingly win the union election, forming the first known union of strippers in the United States since the nation’s only unionized strip club, the Lusty Lady, closed in San Francisco in 2013. But with stipulation from the National Labor Relations Board and involved parties, the Star Garden owners will seek to dismiss its bankruptcy case, so that it can reopen in 30 to 60 days. Velveeta, a stripper, addresses the crowd attending a rally in support of strippers from the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar on August 19, 2022 in North Hollywood. “Every worker who wants a union deserves a union.

A second hiker has disappeared on California’s Mount Baldy, the same mountain where actor Julian Sands vanished on Jan. 13, officials said Monday. Jin Chung, 75, failed to return from a hike and meet two others as planned Sunday, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. Helicopters and drones with infrared devices were used to try to find Sands over the weekend; high winds prevented aircraft from being used Monday, the sheriff’s department said. He was supposed to return and meet them at 2 p.m., the sheriff’s department said. His family, in a statement released by the sheriff's department, thanked the searchers who are looking for him.

☆ A topless bar unlawfully fired strippers after they complained about unsafe working conditions, labor board finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Star Garden bar strippers were unlawfully fired, the National Labor Relations Board said . They dancers said they worked in unsafe conditions including rat infestations and rusty nails. The group of strippers were blocked from working at the Star Garden in February and have since been staging regular demonstrations outside the venue. They claimed that Star Garden committed 30 breaches of OSHA regulations that "protect workers' rights to safe and healthy workplaces." The women submitted a petition in March calling for the Star Garden to treat them with "basic dignity and humanity."

☆ Remaking the River That Remade L.A.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Michael Kimmelman | Photographs Adali Schell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +33 min

Remaking the River That Remade L.A.February 1938 was a wet month in Los Angeles. Reservoirs overflowed, dams topped out and floodwaters careered down Pacoima Wash and Tujunga Wash toward the Los Angeles River. The Los Angeles River was never a storybook river of the kind that, like the Hudson or the Seine, we associate with great cities. Among the naysayers is a venerable organization called Friends of the Los Angeles River, founded by the Texas-born poet and performance artist Lewis MacAdams. “With all the problems L.A. is facing,” he said, “even if it costs $50 billion to fix the river, we should just effing do it.”The headwaters of the Los Angeles River aren’t easy to find.

☆ Gen Z's not lazy — they're just refusing to put up with the toxic work culture that Boomers created
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Kim Kelly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

"And I personally think that all of us in Gen Z, when we experienced that with our parents, we were like, 'Fuck that. And now, Gen Z is turning to organizing as a way to stand up to corporate bosses. But she and her Gen Z peers are not ready to accept that mode of thinking. Put simply, young workers want something better than their parents had and aren't afraid to seek it out. Because if there is one quality that Gen Z has in spades, it is audacity — and no mass movement has ever succeeded without it.

☆ North Hollywood strippers set to vote on joining a union
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-09 | by ( Natasha Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Los Angeles CNN —Strippers at the Star Garden topless dive bar in North Hollywood will soon receive ballots to hold an election for collective bargaining, which may result in the first stripper union in the US in more than a decade. On Nov. 7, the NLRB will count the votes from Star Garden dancers, entertainers and DJs, determining if they will join the Actors Equity Association, a union of performers and other show business professionals. The facts are clear: The workers at Star Garden are entitled to a union election,” said Andrea Hoeschen, assistant executive director and general counsel for Actors’ Equity Association. “Most of the purportedly eligible voters have never been employees of Star Garden; they were in fact, and in law, merely lessees with no employment relationship,” Gaylord and Linker wrote. Since then, the dancers have been picketing most weekends outside the Star Garden, dressed in themed costumes, urging patrons to go to different clubs.

Gabby Jones | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesBenefits of bundlingFor consumers that buy many streaming services already, purchasing a bundle of them for a discount would be an instant money saver. For corporations, pushing together streaming services reduces the number of people who cancel each month, known in the industry as churn. But those companies also offer their own competing streaming services – The Roku Channel, Prime Video and Apple TV+, respectively – which could deter broader partnerships. Wireless companies already offer promotional pricing to streaming services as sign-up bonuses. From the standpoint of niche services, Peacock hasn't come to them with a coherent strategy, according to several people familiar with the talks.

☆ A group of strippers from Los Angeles is seeking to join one of the largest actors' unions
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-18 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Dancers who work in a topless bar in California are seeking to join the Actors' Equity Association. The dancers had already been seeking to unionize, as Insider reported in May, but Wednesday's press release specifically linked their bid to the Actors' Equity Association. President of the Actors' Equity Association, Kate Shindle, said in the press release that the dancers approached the organization for support. "We like what we do," a Star Garden dancer named Velveeta said in the press release. Wednesday's press release claimed that the club's security guards repeatedly failed to protect dancers from "threatening and abusive behavior from patrons."

Search resuls for: "North Hollywood"

22 mentions found