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VOL. 13,
Civil rights leader Dolores Huerta among LA County human relations honorees
Filming in LA area declined to historic lows after strikes
By City News Service
By City News Service
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Dolores Huerta. | Photo courtesy of Tom Hilton CC BY 2.0 DEED
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NO. 156
ivil rights leader and activist Dolores Huerta was among seven recipients of the 2023 John Anson Ford Human Relations Awards bestowed Tuesday during an event hosted by the county of Los Angeles. Since 1972, named after John Anson Ford, a longtime human relations leader, the JAF Human Relations Awards have identified and honored human relations champions throughout the county, officials said. The L.A. County Human Relations Commission hosted the ceremony, which included a presentation of JAF awardees by the county Board of Supervisors, and a reception for awardees, guests, friends, civil leaders and community partners. The 93-year-old Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers union alongside Cesar Chavez and founder of The Dolores
Huerta Foundation, received the Yvonne B. Burke Courage Award, which honors an individual for their "bold, dauntless action to advance human relations," according to the county. "Dolores is an inspiration that transcends generation after generation," county Supervisor Hilda Solis said in a statement following the event. "She has dedicated her life to advancing the rights of farmworkers, women, and other marginalized communities. Never did I imagine as a young girl growing up in the San Gabriel Valley that I would get to meet her, let alone partner with her in uplifting our most vulnerable. So, today we come full circle." Kent Wong, director of the UCLA Labor Center, where he teaches courses in labor studies and Asian American studies, was awarded the John Allen
Buggs Leadership Award, which honors a public official for their "human relations advocacy and leadership." Five other honorees were recognized for their outstanding human relations projects and programs throughout the county -- one for each of the five county districts. In the First District, represented by Solis, the Stop Hate Survey of Asian Youth Center was recognized for its multicultural youth phone-banking team, which helped survey Asian American adults experiencing hate. In the Second District, represented by Supervisor Holly Mitchell, the Testif-i Program of A New Way of Life was honored for its multi-media initiative on mass incarceration, transforming public dialogue around the issue with the
help of personal stories and lived-experience of formerly incarcerated women. In the Third District, represented by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, the GALAS LGBTQ+ Armenian Society was recognized for its work as one of the first LGBTQIA+ organization founded by Armenian American and serving LGBTQ+ individuals of Armenian descent. In the Fourth District, represented by Supervisor Janice Hahn, Sanemos Juntos Project of ORALE was honored for its wellness workshops, providing safe spaces and practical tools for migrant and immigrant communities. In the Fifth District, represented by Supervisor Kathryn Barger, H.E. Art was recognized for its project to advance human relations through multicultural performing arts and initiatives to promote diversity.
n-location filming in the Los Angeles area declined sharply following last year's twin strikes against entertainment studios, falling 36.4% in the last quarter of 2023, according to a report released Tuesday. FilmLA, a partner film office for the city and county of Los Angeles and other local jurisdictions, issued its update on regional filming activity for the fourth quarter along with a review of production activity for the entire year of 2023. The report showed a total of 5,520 shoot days in the fourth quarter, compared with 8,674 shoot days for the same period in 2022. For the year as a whole, 2023 saw 24,873 shoot days compared with 36,792 shoot days in 2022, a 32.4% decline. "History offers no point of comparison to the present," FilmLA President Paul Audley said in a statement. "The pandemic year aside, we have to look very far back -- farther back than permit records allow -- to find a time when production levels stayed so low, for so long." Audley added, "Everyone we are speaking to is eager to see production resume. Even as it does, we'll remain in uncharted territory. We have months to go before we can describe what the new normal looks like for filming in L.A." On Sept. 27 and Nov. 9, respectively, the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA actors union called off their strikes after new labor agreements were reached with representatives for the studios. Starting in October, with the near immediate return of some programming, including nightly talk shows, hope grew that scripted television would return before the holidays, according to FilmLA. Filming resumed in November, but only a handful of continuing television series attempted new episodes, and television production declined 54.3%, to 1,707 shoot days, in the fourth quarter. For the year, television production dropped 43.8%, to 9,430 shoot days. The report said most television production that did take place since May came from reality series. The reality TV category dropped 29.2% in the fourth quarter, to 1,425 shoot days. For the year, production in that category declined 28.1%, to 7,221 shoot days. Reality TV accounted for 76.5% of all on-location television production in 2023, including ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," Hulu's "Death in the Dorm," Fox's "Master Chef," Netflix's "Selling Sunset," and Investigation Discovery's "Murder in the Heartland." Television drama production fell 91.3% from October through December with 101 shoot days in 2023 compared to 1,155 shoot days in 2022. Television comedy production fell 85.6% in 2023, with 51 shoot days compared to 353 shoot days in 2022. See Filming Page 27