Muratsuchi secures Rancho Palos Verdes funding ahead of El Niño
Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-El Segundo, Gardena, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, San Pedro, Torrance) announced $5 million in state funding to help Rancho Palos Verdes prepare for the coming El Niño winter storms, as the city continues battling one of the most severe active landslides in the state.
The Greater Portuguese Bend-Ancient Altamira Landslide Complex spans roughly 700 acres, with some areas shifting as much as 40 to 50 feet amid years of historic rainfall. The city has installed deep dewatering wells that have pumped approximately 539 million gallons of groundwater since September 2024, significantly slowing land movement, but the effort has come at steep cost: the $5 million in state funding will offset only a fraction of the roughly $15 million the city spent on mitigation in fiscal year 2025-26 alone, equal to 38% of its entire general fund.
“I am pleased to deliver $5 million in state funds to help the Palos Verdes Peninsula prepare for the upcoming El Nino winter storms,” said Muratsuchi. “Governor Newsom just proclaimed a state of emergency to bolster statewide El Nino preparedness. These funds will help the City continue their proven efforts to slow down land movement following severe rainstorms and help protect homes, critical infrastructure, and regional emergency road access.”
“The City of Rancho Palos Verdes is deeply grateful to Assemblymember Muratsuchi for adding this allocation to the state budget bill and for his attention to this issue going back to years before the 2023 acceleration,” said Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor Paul Seo. “These funds will go a long way toward helping relieve some of the tremendous financial strain taken on by our small city and its residents in responding to the landslide emergency.”
Bass responds to Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger settlement
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass lauded the court-enforceable settlement between California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Paramount Skydance that clears the way for Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Bonta led a coalition of 12 state attorneys general who sued in July to block the merger on antitrust grounds. Under Monday’s settlement, still subject to court approval, Paramount agreed to a five-year, court-enforceable commitment to release at least 30 films annually in theaters, invest a minimum of $1.5 billion in domestic film production, and fund a $47.5 million pool for workers affected by the merger, with a $30 million penalty per film if the company falls short, 90% of which would go to workers.
The deal also includes new restrictions on Paramount’s cable negotiation practices and a commitment to editorial independence protections for CBS News and CNN.
“My concern has always been that a merger could lead to the loss of thousands of jobs for hardworking Angelenos,” said Bass. “For months, the uncertainty of no decision created instability that led to job losses and left workers wondering what it would mean for their futures.”
“I do not want to see two of Hollywood’s largest studios consolidated under one company, but now we must focus on holding the companies accountable to these commitments to keep productions on L.A. stages, crews on sets, and ensure paychecks for hardworking Angelenos,” Bass added. “I will continue bringing labor, industry, and government together, using every tool we have to protect L.A. jobs and keep film and television production in Los Angeles.”
Valladares secures $10 million in state investments for Senate District 23
State Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares (R-Santa Clarita, Palmdale, Lancaster, portions of the Antelope Valley) announced this week more than $10 million in state investments headed to communities across her district, secured as part of the state budget package signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this month.
Her district also extends into the Victor Valley and High Desert region of San Bernardino County, which received additional funding under the same package.
The investments include $5 million for Castaic Lake boat ramp repairs, $250,000 for renovations to the Palmdale American Legion, $250,000 for Antelope Valley EV infrastructure, $100,000 for AV EDGE economic development and job recruitment, $100,000 for AV Chambers small-business assistance, and $75,000 for clean drinking water stations at Hughes Elizabeth Lakes Union Elementary School. The package also keeps Antelope Valley College’s gymnasium replacement project moving through its working-drawings phase.
“Our communities send plenty of money to Sacramento,” said Valladares. “I’ve fought to make sure some of those dollars come back home, to invest in our community and our future.”
“Too often, our communities feel overlooked by Sacramento,” she added. “Santa Clarita, the Antelope Valley, and the Victor Valley deserve their fair share, and I’m going to keep fighting to make sure we get it.”
Irwin’s food date labeling bill gets signed into law
Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Topanga, Westlake Village, portions of Santa Monica Mountains) saw her bill, which makes targeted clarifications to California’s uniform food date labeling legislation, get Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s signature into law.
California’s original law, AB 660, took effect, requiring manufacturers, processors, and retailers that place date labels on food to use standardized terms, “Best if Used by” for quality dates and “Use by” for safety dates, aimed at reducing consumer confusion and food waste.
As businesses began implementing the law, questions arose over how the standardized terms could be capitalized and whether dietary supplements fell under the requirement. AB 2779 resolves those technical questions without changing the law’s underlying consumer-protection goals.
“California took an important step toward reducing consumer confusion and food waste when we established our first-in-the-nation food date labeling requirements,” said Irwin. “AB 2779 makes targeted technical corrections so businesses can implement the law consistently while preserving the simple, standardized system consumers were promised.”
