Walt Disney Co., Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday sued a Chinese artificial intelligence firm called MiniMax for copyright infringement, alleging its AI service generates famous characters including Darth Vader, the Minions and Wonder Woman without the studios’ permission. “MiniMax’s bootlegging business model and defiance of U.S. copyright…

During the summer of 2023, Hollywood weathered the longest strike by Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in the performers union’s history. One of the final negotiation points, a long-promised “Robin Hood” fund meant to share the benefits of streaming success, has finally been set up. Last…

California is staggeringly wealthy; home to major agricultural businesses and influential global tech companies, it boasts an economy larger than many nations. But the state also struggles with a persistent poverty crisis. A new report released this week by the California Budget and Policy Center, a Sacramento-based think tank, found…

Business and leisure travel are showing signs of a pick-up after a weak start to the year. Scott Kirby, chief executive of United Airlines, told the Los Angeles Times that, with some easing of uncertainty surrounding tariffs, the economy and global politics, more people and businesses are gaining the confidence…

The hotel being built near SoFi Stadium is on track to be ready before the Super Bowl, its builder, KPC Development Co., said. Work on the $300-million Kali Hotel, rising near SoFi Stadium, has reached a milestone as Ram’s owner Stan Kroenke pushes ahead on development of his sprawling Hollywood…

Paramount on Friday sharply denounced a proposed boycott of Israeli film institutions by a group that calls itself Film Workers for Palestine and is supported by dozens of Hollywood luminaries. Earlier this week, the group launched an open letter pledging to withhold support for Israeli film festivals, production companies and…

SACRAMENTO — In a bid to stabilize struggling crude-oil refineries, state lawmakers on Saturday passed a last-minute bill that would allow the construction of 2,000 new oil wells annually in the San Joaquin Valley while further restricting drilling along California’s iconic coastline. The measure, Senate Bill 237, was part of a deal…

The crew had just poured a concrete foundation on a vacant lot in Altadena when I pulled up the other day. Two workers were loading equipment onto trucks and a third was hosing the fresh cement that will sit under a new house. I asked how things were going, and…

Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists on Friday elected “The Lord of the Rings” actor Sean Astin to be its national president as one of Hollywood’s most powerful labor unions faces new challenges in a changing film and TV industry. Astin, known for portraying Frodo’s loyal hobbit…

There’s a scene in the movie “Oppenheimer” in which Ernest Lawrence, the inventor of the cyclotron and head of his own lab at UC Berkeley, reacts angrily when he discovers his friend J. Robert Oppenheimer trying to recruit lab assistants to a communist-linked campus labor union. It’s one of the…

The Original Pantry, the iconic eatery in downtown Los Angeles that closed earlier this year, is set to make a comeback. The diner, which had been serving up hot coffee, burgers and breakfast platters for more than 100 years, was acquired this week by real estate developer Leo Pustilnikov. Pustilnikov…

After months of negotiation, California legislative leaders on Wednesday reached an eleventh-hour agreement on a suite of closely watched climate and energy bills. Gov. Gavin Newsom, state Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) announced the deal just days before the the legislative session…

Food delivery app DoorDash is setting its sights on a new destination to test out flying drone deliveries: San Francisco. The tech company leased a warehouse in the Mission District last month that will serve as a research and development space to advance its autonomous delivery technology, a June letter…

Fans of rocky road ice cream can rejoice because the flavor — chocolate ice cream swirled with nuts and marshmallows — will be available in Girl Scout cookie form next year. The 2026 new Girl Scout Exploremores cookie (Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles) Girl Scouts of the USA announced…

SEOUL — The immigration raid that snatched up hundreds of South Koreans last week sent a disconcerting message to companies in South Korea and elsewhere: America wants your investment, but don’t expect special treatment. Images of employees being shackled and detained like criminals have outraged many South Koreans. The fallout is already…

The closely watched Murdoch succession drama has ended with a $3.3-billion settlement that gives Lachlan Murdoch control of the family’s influential media assets, including Fox News, the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal. Fox Corp. on Monday announced the “mutual resolution” of the legal wrangling that had clouded…

SpaceX is buying $17 billion in wireless spectrum from beleaguered satellite TV provider EchoStar as it seeks to boost the cellular service provided by its Starlink satellite network, the companies announced Monday. The sale will give Elon Musk’s company valuable AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses that will allow it to…

SEOUL — South Korea says the Trump administration has agreed to release the hundreds of Koreans caught last week in the largest U.S. immigration raid. South Korean presidential chief of staff, Kang Hoon-sik, said Sunday that negotiators were finalizing talks with U.S. officials to secure the release of the workers arrested in…

Chatbot builder Anthropic agreed to pay $1.5 billion to authors in a landmark copyright settlement that could redefine how artificial intelligence companies compensate creators. The San Francisco-based startup is ready to pay authors and publishers to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of illegally using their work to train…

SÃO PAULO, Brazil — The Chargers played host to the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday in the first of the NFL’s record seven international games, with upcoming matchups between different teams in London, Madrid, Dublin and Berlin. Next season, the Rams will plant a flag in Australia with a regular-season game in…

Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a letter Friday to California’s home insurer of last resort, asking it to process smoke damage claims stemming from the January wildfires “expeditiously and fairly.” Citing more than 200 complaints the Department of Insurance has received from policyholders over how their claims have been handled, the…

NeueHouse, an upscale members-only co-working club, abruptly closed its three locations in Venice, Hollywood and New York City on Friday, citing severe financial challenges. The announcement, which was published on the company’s website and social media accounts Thursday, came just two days after the company encouraged people to sign up…

Spirit Airlines is canceling flight services in 12 U.S. cities, including all airports in Northern California. After filing for bankruptcy protection for the second time this year, the low-cost airline is actively seeking to cut flight routes where they are losing money. As of Oct. 2, Spirit will no longer…

Warner Bros. Discovery has joined a key copyright infringement case that could test the legal bounds of using artificial intelligence to create digital replicas of well-known characters. The company on Thursday filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court against AI company Midjourney Inc., alleging its image generator…

For a century, it worked, and brilliantly. The “California model” rested on massive investments in higher education, development of industrial zones in places such as the South Bay and Silicon Valley, and persistent upgrading of basic infrastructure. Yet the system that made California dynamic and prosperous for so long is…

The world’s largest sports pirating site, Streameast, is no more. The illegal streaming giant was terminated in Egypt after a sting operation, according to the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, one of the country’s largest antipiracy coalitions. Egyptian law enforcement and ACE shut down the service Aug. 24 following a…

A financially troubled skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles has gone into receivership as office landlords there struggle to keep their buildings leased. One California Plaza — the gleaming 42-story tower on Bunker Hill that was one of the most prestigious addresses in the city when it opened in the 1980s…

Walmart will soon expand its streaming offerings to its subscription members, with the retail giant announcing a new partnership with NBCUniversal’s Peacock on Monday. Starting Sept. 15, Walmart+ subscribers can choose to receive ad-supported versions of Peacock Premium or Paramount+ as part of their membership. Every 90 days, Walmart+ members…

Stitch, Superman and a flock of creepy children drew audiences to movie theaters this summer, but it wasn’t enough to jolt box office revenue past even the dreary levels reached last year. The total theatrical haul for the summer — which, for industry watchers, stretches from the first weekend of…

An unlikely corner of one of L.A.’s once-famous/now-dead malls is open for business again this week as residents move into luxury apartments on the spot that used to be a Macy’s parking lot. The Westside Pavilion was one of the city’s premier shopping venues and a cultural touchstone for generations…

SEOUL  — The first summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and President Trump was a picture of easy chumminess. On Monday, the two leaders bonded over the fact that they both have survived assassination attempts, and they talked golf. When Trump admired the handcrafted wooden fountain pen Lee used…

Policyholders critical of State Farm General’s response to January’s firestorms won a court victory this week when a judge ruled a Pacific Palisades homeowner can probe the insurer’s claims handling practices during a rate hearing. In doing so, Administrative Law Judge Karl Fredric Seligman denied a motion by the Department…

The Trump administration has moved to lay off more than 500 employees who work for the federally funded network Voice of America, which provides global reporting in places with restricted press freedom. In March, Trump officials first attempted to close down some of the organization’s newsrooms. But Judge Royce C.…

Thousands of workers and union organizers from across California will gather for picnics and marches this weekend to honor the contributions of the nation’s working people. But the Labor Day celebrations will be tempered by a sobering reality: Unions face mounting pressure to protect their members from the Trump administration’s…

Want to get Generation Alpha into movie theaters? Look to video games. Kids still like to go to the movies, according to a high-profile new research report. But the franchises they care about are not the traditional Hollywood popcorn fare. Seven of the top 10 entertainment franchises that the youngest…

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom and California lawmakers on Friday announced a deal with Uber and Lyft on a bill that would allow hundreds of thousands of rideshare drivers to form unions and bargain collectively while still being classified as independent contractors. Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate Pro Tem Mike…

For nearly nine decades, an import tax exception allowed low-value packages to enter the U.S. without duties attached. The rule has let American consumers access loads of cheap foreign goods from online retailers. That’s all changing Friday when the rule known as de minimis is suspended in accordance with an…

Adam Raine, a California teenager, used ChatGPT to find answers about everything from his schoolwork to his interests in music, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Japanese comics. But his conversations with a chatbot took a disturbing turn when the 16-year-old sought information from ChatGPT about ways to take his own life before…

Millions of YouTube TV customers were spared an interruption of Fox News, Fox sports and local coverage after the two entertainment companies reached a 11th-hour truce following weeks of negotiations. The two sides agreed Wednesday to continue talks to resolve their differences over distribution deal terms, pausing the threat of…

Nearly two dozen television shows will receive incentives for shooting in California — including two series that relocated from Texas and Canada — in the first award period since the state bolstered its film and TV tax credit program earlier this summer. The 22 shows were chosen amid a massive…

Kroger, the grocery giant that owns Ralphs and Food 4 Less, is laying off nearly 1,000 corporate employees as it continues to restructure its business. It’s the latest blow for the grocer that operates more than 300 stores in California and is recovering from a failed merger with Albertsons last…

Like the White Queen in Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass,” I am capable of believing as many as six impossible things before breakfast. But my credulity is strained past the breaking point by the charges of federal mortgage fraud laid against three leading adversaries of Donald Trump—Sen. Adam Schiff…

About 10 million YouTube TV subscribers could lose access to Fox News and Fox Corp. channels that broadcast sports in a fee dispute that comes just days before the start of college football. The Google-owned television service notified customers that Fox-owned channels, including Fox Business and local stations such as…

Netflix House will soon open its doors. The streaming video giant on Monday announced when it will open its first shopping, dining and entertainment complexes to the public. The Los Gatos, Calif.-based company will open its first Netflix House in the Philadelphia area on Nov. 12. The company’s Philadelphia area…

Most people not deeply involved in the artificial intelligence frenzy may not have noticed, but perceptions of AI’s relentless march toward becoming more intelligent than humans, even becoming a threat to humanity, came to a screeching halt Aug. 7. That was the day when the most widely followed AI company,…

Back in 1935, the drafters of Social Security told Congress of their plans to build up a government pension reserve that would reach $47 billion. The number shocked lawmakers. It was nearly three times the outstanding federal debt of the time. “What in heaven’s name are you going to do…

As Bed Bath & Beyond emerges from a bankruptcy that forced the closure of all its stores, the company’s executive chairman took aim at California, saying he refuses to reopen locations in the state. “California has created one of the most overregulated, expensive, and risky environments for businesses,” Beyond, Inc.…

A crowd of local union members and organizers formed in front of the classical-style arches of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum early Thursday morning, holding a banner with the colorful, iconic Olympic rings and “Fair Games” printed across them. With the city of Los Angeles set to become a mega…

The Consulate General of India is carving out new space in Los Angeles with a lease for a full floor in a downtown skyscraper. The Indian consulate is moving into the AON Center at 707 Wilshire Boulevard, once the tallest building in downtown. The 10-year lease covers 20,507 square feet…

Roberto Delgado and his wife were praying the rosary on the night of Jan. 7 when they heard two loud booms that shook their Sylmar home. Then came a flash of light so bright that in the dead of night they could briefly see out their window the rocks and…

President Trump this week threw his full support behind a massive project to turn a sacred Apache site outside Phoenix into one of the world’s largest copper mines, meeting with mining executives at the White House and ridiculing a recent court decision that temporarily halted the transfer of federal lands…

Apple TV+, home of series including “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” is raising its subscription price by $3 to $12.99 a month, it announced Thursday. The move comes as many streamers have been raising their prices, as the cost of production increases and the businesses are facing more pressure by…

The season’s most dangerous heat wave has arrived in Southern California, and yet many workplaces are not prepared. So says a new report by job safety advocacy nonprofit Worksafe that surveyed about 340 fast-food workers at roughly 200 chain restaurants across California. The report, released this week, found that 58%…

Guess? Inc., the Los Angeles-based fashion brand that specializes in denim, is going private in a $1.4-billion deal with Authentic Brands Group. Under the terms of the deal, the company’s co-founders Maurice and Paul Marciano, as well as chief executive Carlos Alberini, will own 49% of its intellectual property. Authentic…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning people to avoid eating certain raw frozen shrimp sold in Walmart stores as the agency investigates possible contamination by Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope. U.S. Customs and Border Protection alerted the FDA to the detection of Cesium-137 in a single shipment of imported…

The ultra-luxurious Santa Monica Proper hotel — where rooms range from around $600 to $2,600 a night — has been accused of failing to pay its employees minimum wage and, in some cases, paying them less per hour than it charges guests for a bowl of hummus. This week, a…

HelloFresh agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a consumer protection lawsuit brought by Santa Clara County. The lawsuit, filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court, alleged the meal-kit company had misled customers and made it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions. As part of the settlement, which was…

More than 160 workers at video game company Blizzard Entertainment have voted to unionize. The workers, who produce in-house cinematics, animation, trailers, promotional videos and other narrative content, are just the latest batch in the video game industry to unionize, with more than 6,000 having organized across the U.S. and…

Yue Wa is one of the last remaining markets in Chinatown, a place where the neighborhood’s most vulnerable residents could find affordable groceries. For the past 18 years, customers chatted while they hand-picked their produce in front of the store, the small market providing a dwindling sense of community. By…

“Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan and Paramount are going big in Texas, joining forces to open a 450,000-square-foot production campus in Fort Worth, in a boost to the Lone Star State’s growing entertainment economy. The venture, announced Wednesday, comes on the heels of Skydance’s $8.4-billion takeover of Paramount and just as…

Playboy Enterprises announced on Wednesday that it will relocate its headquarters from Los Angeles to Miami Beach, becoming the latest high-profile company to abandon California in favor of what some call more business-friendly environments. Ben Kohn, chief executive of Playboy, described California as being “anti-business,” saying the state is an…

The Sierra Club, one of the nation’s oldest and most prominent nonprofit environmental groups, was thrown into upheaval this week after its executive director was fired. In an email to staff Monday, Sierra Club President Patrick Murphy said the board of directors had voted unanimously to terminate Ben Jealous after…

“Roblox” faced a wave of new lawsuits this week that allege the popular gaming platform hasn’t done enough to safeguard kids from pedophiles and sexual content. One of the latest complaints, filed in a federal court in the Northern District of California, claims that a predator posed as a child…

After the devastating January firestorms left thousands of homeowners to grapple with their insurers over complicated claims for smoke damage and burned-down houses, many turned to public adjusters for help. The state-licensed professionals play a vital role in assisting policyholders in preparing property claims and representing them in their dealings…

The California Coastal Commission has unanimously voted against SpaceX’s plan for a dramatic expansion of rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base, citing environmental and regulatory concerns. “The sonic booms and their impacts on California’s people, wildlife and property are extremely concerning,” Commissioner Linda Escalante said at a hearing Thursday…

One thing that can be said about Donald Trump’s transactional approach to policy-making is that, as destructive as it might be to our economic health, it gives business leaders clear options to get what they want out of the White House. The latest case-in-point are the deals struck by chipmakers…

Tech scion David Ellison and his leadership team at Paramount sent a message to Hollywood: A new era is underway. Nearly a week after taking the keys to the battered media company, Ellison and his top executives met with reporters at the Paramount Pictures lot Wednesday to show that they…

One of California’s largest agricultural employers plans to close a Central Valley grape nursery by the end of the year after laying off hundreds of employees, including many supportive of a United Farm Workers effort to unionize the workforce. Wonderful Co., owned by billionaires Stewart and Lynda Resnick, plans to…

President Trump struck an unusual deal with Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices that allows the companies to sell certain chips to China in exchange for giving the U.S. government a 15% cut of those sales. But the unprecedented agreement also has raised concerns from politicians and legal experts over whether…

A food processing plant in Vernon has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts and will pay more than $6 million after it was criminally charged for a hazardous nitrogen gas leak in 2020 that killed two workers. The deal with California Ranch Foods, a subsidiary of Vernon-based Golden West Food…

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will continue their stint at Netflix after their production company signed a multi-year, first-look deal with the streamer for film and television projects. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s new arrangement is less exclusive than their original 2020 agreement with Netflix, which was an…

The Walt Disney Co. and Lucasfilm have settled a lawsuit brought by “The Mandalorian” actor Gina Carano, who alleged she had been wrongfully terminated from the show and discriminated against because of her social media posts. Carano and Disney each separately confirmed the settlement Thursday, with Carano calling it the…

The Los Angeles we know has long been an irresistible subject for novelists and moviemakers — so much so that they’ve often tortured reality to make it conform to their imagination. Robert Towne mined the history of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in his screenplay for “Chinatown” but moved the story…

On a sunny day in San Francisco, along the city’s waterfront, families dived into the wacky world of artificial intelligence inside the Exploratorium museum. Visitors made shadow puppets for AI to identify, used AI to generate songs, asked chatbots questions and faced off with AI in a game in which…

Actress Gina Carano, Lucasfilm and its parent company Walt Disney Co. have settled the federal lawsuit filed in which Carano claimed that, in 2021, she was wrongfully terminated from her role in “The Mandalorian” after she expressed her conservative political views on social media. The settlement details have not been…

KNIGHTS LANDING — Though it was not yet noon, the temperature was already inching toward triple digits, and it felt even hotter for the scores of farmworkers hunched in the rows of watermelon plants in this field tucked by a bend in the Sacramento River north of California’s capital. They were clad…

Walmart has agreed to pay $5.6 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that the retail giant charged California customers prices that were higher than advertised, officials said. “When someone brings an item to the register to be scanned, the price must be right,” Santa Clara County Dist. Atty. Jeff Rosen…

Grocery store chain Stater Bros. and the union representing 12,000 workers across Southern California have reached an agreement on a new contract, averting a possible strike. No specifics of the proposed three-year agreement were released, but union officials said Thursday that it includes higher wages, increased pension contributions, healthcare improvements…

The Russian oligarch billionaire lifestyle can be yours for the potentially low, low price of tens of millions of dollars, courtesy of the U.S. government. The National Maritime Services, working on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service, is auctioning off a superyacht, the $300-million-plus Amadea, which currently sits in a…

Homes are invaded by masked and anonymous police, malfunctioning technology arrayed against citizens, information used as a weapon — 40 years ago, the movie “Brazil” painted a picture of America in 2025.

Claire’s, the shopping mall chain that sells flashy accessories to teens and tweens, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday amid shrinking margins and pressure from online competitors. It’s the second bankruptcy filing in seven years for the chain, which was once the go-to destination for ear piercing and…

MOJAVE, Calif. — One of the largest solar and battery power plants in the United States is now supplying Los Angeles and Glendale from Kern County. Local leaders and clean energy experts gathered Tuesday beneath a blazing desert sun to mark the initiation of full production from 1.36 million solar panels and…

James Arthur McDonald Jr., an investor and financial analyst who frequently appeared on CNBC, was sentenced to five years in prison for defrauding investors in a multimillion-dollar scheme, the United States Attorney’s Office said on Monday. McDonald, 53, a former San Gabriel Valley resident, was the CEO and chief investment…

President Trump has dropped his demand that Rupert Murdoch immediately testify in the president’s libel lawsuit over a Jeffrey Epstein story in the Wall Street Journal, but the 94-year-old media mogul has agreed to provide his health information. Trump initially demanded Murdoch sit for a deposition within 15 days to…

One of California’s largest legal cannabis companies announced Monday that it would radically revamp its labor practices in the wake of a massive immigration raid at two company facilities last month. The raid led to the death of one worker and the detention of more than 360 people, including, according…

United Talent Agency and MediaLink founder Michael Kassan agreed to drop their lawsuits against each other, after battling over problems related to a 2021 acquisition. “UTA and Michael Kassan have agreed to amicably end their dispute. The parties are not at liberty to comment further,” representatives for UTA and Kassan…

Turning the corner on 6th and Main Streets, an hours-long line of potential customers has been waiting to get a final dip and drink at Cole’s French Dip. It’s been this way since July 7, when owner Cedd Moses and his Pouring With Heart company announced the imminent closure of…

Earlier this year, Intel’s new chief executive Lip-Bu Tan made frank remarks about how the Silicon Valley chipmaker keeps coming up short. “For quite a long time for Intel, we fell behind on innovation. As a result, we have been too slow to adapt and to meet your needs,” Tan…

A jar of pickled mango, a popular Indian condiment, costs $2.99 at Pioneer Cash & Carry in Artesia. But that price won’t hold for long. The grocery store, nestled in the heart of Artesia’s Little India, has to raise prices to keep up with its rising costs in light of…

A jar of pickled mango, a popular Indian condiment, costs $2.99 at Pioneer Cash & Carry in Artesia. But that price won’t hold for long. The grocery store, nestled in the heart of Artesia’s Little India, has to raise prices to keep up with its rising costs in light of…

Blue Bottle coffee shops in the Bay Area have unionized, becoming the latest locations to be swept up in the wave of barista organizing that has surged across the U.S. in recent years. In an election held by the National Labor Relations Board on Thursday, workers at Bay Area locations…

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is doubling down on its trade war against much of the world despite increasingly harrowing economic numbers emerging at home, with stock markets and Treasury yields tumbling Friday on news of the most significant slowdown in job growth since the pandemic. Government data showed the U.S. economy…

The abandoned power line suspected of igniting the Eaton fire could have been removed years ago under a rule proposed by state Public Utilities Commission staffers, but the regulation was weakened amid opposition from Southern California Edison and other utilities, according to records and interviews. State regulators have long known…

Gov. Gavin Newsom is preparing draft legislation that would add an additional $18 billion to a state fund for wildfire victims that officials have warned could be exhausted by January’s deadly Eaton wildfire. Under Newsom’s plan, customers of the state’s three biggest for-profit utilities would pay another $9 billion to…

SEOUL — President Trump announced on Wednesday that the U.S. had struck a trade deal with South Korea, which will now face a 15% tariff on its exports. Under the deal, South Korea will invest $350 billion in key U.S. industries and purchase $100 billion worth of its liquified natural gas, Trump…

Layoffs are hitting the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, reducing its staff by 52 people, according to an internal memo to staff Wednesday and a letter sent to California’s Employment Development Department. The job cuts, which will affect marketing, distribution, production, strategy, operations and theater ventures, are part of a…

Some L.A. singles attract potential dates with dog pics, gym mirror selfies or promises that they love “going on adventures.” Joel Lingaur’s calling card is membership to a not exactly exclusive but popular club: AMC A-List. The movie theater subscription service has taken on a life of its own on…

Venture capital investments in the Greater Los Angeles region more than doubled to $5.8 billion in the second quarter, compared to a year ago, as investors poured money into the area’s defense tech and aerospace companies amid escalating geopolitical tensions. Costa Mesa-based defense tech company Anduril received the most venture…

A local startup is using artificial intelligence and robotics in an unlikely way: making sashimi and other fish dishes taste better, last longer and more humane. El Segundo-based Shinkei Systems wants to bring a traditional Japanese method of handling fish to fine dining in America, using technology to replace the…

The wildfire that ravaged Los Angeles in January caused $51.7 billion in damage to residential properties within the city, according to a new report from real estate brokerage Redfin. The report focused on homes inside the city limits and does not include damage from the Eaton fire in Altadena. The…

The theatrical box office market is down. It’s harder than ever to get people out of their homes and into the cinema. The business model for movies in streaming is still a work in progress. Given all these challenges, who would want to buy a movie studio now? Many people,…

It was clobberin’ time this weekend, as Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” nabbed the top spot at the box office with a performance that returned the Walt Disney Co.-owned superhero franchise to form. The movie hauled in $118 million in the U.S. and Canada and grossed $218 million globally…

Southern California Edison’s plans to compensate Eaton fire victims for damage were met with skepticism Thursday from lawyers representing Altadena residents, but drew tentative support from others who say the initiative could help shore up the state’s $21-billion wildfire fund. The utility announced its Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program this week,…

A Southern California union representing 12,000 grocery store employees voted Friday to authorize a strike against the supermarket chain Stater Bros. Markets. The authorization does not mean a strike will begin immediately, as bargaining negotiations are scheduled for July 30 to 31. The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135…

Intel, once the most valuable U.S. chipmaker, faces an uphill battle as it tries to stay relevant in the artificial intelligence race. On Friday, Intel saw its stock drop 9%, a day after the Santa Clara-based company said it might pause or discontinue its upcoming chip manufacturing process technology known…

Elon Musk may be bringing his robotaxis to the Bay Area soon to compete head-to-head with the other leaders in the driverless vehicle market. Tesla plans to launch an invite-only service in the Bay Area as soon as this weekend, according to a Business Insider report citing an internal company…

Two summers ago, the Santa Monica-based company behind the popular video game “Call of Duty” sent a letter to a 24-year-old man in Antioch, Tenn., who went by the online handle “Lerggy.” Known in real life as Ryan Rothholz, court filings say, he is the creator of “Lergware,” hacking software…

David Ellison stepped within reach of his hard-fought prize, Paramount Global, after winning regulators’ blessing for his Skydance Media’s $8-billion takeover of the storied media company. The Federal Communications Commission, led by President Trump-appointed Chairman Brendan Carr, approved the Skydance-Paramount merger Thursday after months of turmoil and a monumental collision…

Over the years, Elon Musk has been known for making extravagant promises about the capabilities of Tesla cars, and for falling short. California has finally called him out, via a lawsuit accusing Tesla of leading buyers to believe that its vehicles can operate autonomously — as self-driving cars — which…

Seeking to avoid lengthy litigation, Southern California Edison said Wednesday it will offer to compensate Eaton fire victims directly for damages suffered, even though it has yet to formally concede that its equipment ignited the blaze on Jan. 7. Edison said it planned to launch a Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program…

Sports and music fans, flocking to a once-questionable corner of downtown, were the springboard for an L.A.-born multibillion-dollar empire of venues and events for screaming enthusiasts around the globe. AEG, the company behind Crypto.com Arena and the L.A. Live district, has turned its know-how about hosting and promoting big shows…

“South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone scored two blockbuster deals that will pay their production company more than $1.25 billion — ranking their pacts among the richest in television history. Paramount Global secured the show’s exclusive global streaming rights for $300 million a year over five years, bringing…

The owner of the Los Angeles Times said Monday he would “take the paper public” in the next year. In an interview on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong said the move would allow The Times “to be democratized and allow the public to have ownership of…

For more than 75 years, In-N-Out Burger has been a pillar of California fast-food culture, its Double-Doubles and palm tree logos becoming fixtures of the West Coast landscape. But now, the family-owned chain is making a pivot eastward, with billionaire owner and Chief Executive Lynsi Snyder announcing her own departure…

Tickets to see Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film, “The Odyssey,” are now on sale for Imax 70mm screenings — a year ahead of the film’s release. Sixteen theaters across the U.S. are participating in these first screenings, including seven in California. As of Thursday morning, several of the theaters were already…

Television executive James Stark Bennett II, known for developing talk show “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee,” has died at 78. Bennett, who went by Jamie, died July 6 after a fight with cancer, according to his family. He spent more than a decade at CBS, where he was an…

NBCUniversal’s Peacock is rolling out a $3-a-month price hike for most streaming customers. Beginning July 23, Peacock Premium will cost $10.99 a month, up from the current $7.99 fee, the company announced Thursday. The Premium Plus option will jump to $16.99 a month, up from $13.99. Customers can pay $109.99…

Thanks to popular shows like “Squid Game,” plus price hikes and growing advertising revenues, Netflix on Thursday reported strong growth in the second quarter, beating analysts’ expectations. The Los Gatos-based streamer’s revenue rose 16% to $11.1 billion, while the company’s net income increased 46% to $3.1 billion compared with a…

California’s workplace safety agency doesn’t have enough people to protect the state’s workers, said a recent state audit. A review from the California state auditor’s office released Thursday said that the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, known as Cal/OSHA, has displayed “critical weakness” in its ability to properly…

After receiving more than 1,000 complaints from Jan. 7 fire victims about how insurers are handling their claims, state regulators are considering referring hundreds of the cases to mediation — a little used practice that some consumer advocates fear could hurt policyholders. The Department of Insurance has been bombarded with…

Tess Mata’s parents were once enthusiastic about social media. The 10-year-old from Uvalde, Texas, wanted to be TikTok famous. She used to dance, sing and imitate popular trends on her videos, with mom Veronica and dad Jerry keeping a watchful eye on her online habits. But then Tess was gunned…

Nextdoor, the once-hot social network for neighborhoods, wants to claw its way back to the top and prove that people can use the platform for more than just finding lost cats. The San Francisco company’s shares have plunged more than 80% since its market debut in 2021. Nextdoor shined brightly…

Stephen Miller, the front man for Donald Trump’s deportation campaign against immigrants, took to the airwaves the other day to explain why native-born Americans will just love living in a world cleansed of undocumented workers. “What would Los Angeles look like without illegal aliens?” he asked on Fox News. “Here’s…

Tech billionaire Elon Musk said he would like Tesla to invest in his artificial intelligence company xAI. While Musk is considering the relationship between several of his businesses, he said on X that he does not support a merger between Tesla and xAI. “If it was up to me, Tesla…

When deadly flash floods hit central Texas last week, people on social media site X turned to artificial intelligence chatbot Grok for answers about whom to blame. Grok confidently pointed to President Trump. “Yes. Trump’s 2025 cuts slashed NOAA/NWS funding by ~30% and staff by 17%, impairing forecast accuracy. Warnings…

James Gunn’s “Superman” soared to the top of the box office this weekend, giving Warner Bros.’s DC Studios much-needed momentum in the superhero genre after a string of underperforming movies. “Superman,” which stars David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, hauled in a robust $122 million in the U.S. and…

A major terminal operator at the Port of Long Beach broke ground on a $365-million expansion project Friday, even as activity at the port has cooled recently in response to rising tariffs. The terminal operator International Transportation Service plans to fill in a 19-acre area of water and extend the…

Toni Gray’s phone is blowing up these days. The head of production at Dhar Mann Studios, which makes shows for YouTube and other online platforms, said entertainment industry friends in Los Angeles had once held out before seeking work in the digital realm. But now, with jobs few and far…

Six months after the Palisades fire roared down Pacific Coast Highway, the Country Kitchen in Malibu is open for business, but many customers have yet to return. The no-frills eatery features a few outdoor tables and ocean views, nestled in a narrow parking lot alongside a liquor store and gift…

Shohei Ohtani has the bestselling jersey in baseball. Again. He is joined in the top four by Dodgers teammates Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts. Again. According to rankings released Friday based on sales of Nike jerseys from the Fanatics network, fans have purchased Ohtani’s No. 17 Dodgers jersey more than…

When consumers are asked to identify their most frustrating interaction with businesses, the obstacles to canceling an automatically-renewing service invariably rank high. Some companies require cancellations to be done by phone, or even in person. Even finding a cancellation option on a merchant’s website can be daunting. Cancellation can require…

Linda Yaccarino, the chief executive of social media site X, said Wednesday that she’s stepping down from her role after two years at the company. “When @elonmusk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry out the…

SEOUL — As the Trump administration has been churning out trade threats this week, South Korea, a crucial trading partner and military ally, has been struggling — like many — to navigate the uncertainty that looms over trade negotiations with Washington. On Monday, Trump sent a letter dictating new tariff rates to…

Dressed in a matching polka dot tank top and ruffled skirt with blue chunky heeled boots and a mini purse, Mattel’s newest Barbie may look like previous dolls at first glance. But this particular doll stands out with a wearable insulin pump on her waist, a glucose monitor on her…

Who says you can’t go Home Box Office again? Warner Bros. Discovery renamed its streaming service HBO Max on Wednesday, formally reversing its decision from two years ago to dump the prestigious HBO brand in a bid to make the service more appealing to a mainstream, meat-and-potatoes crowd. The gambit…

When more than a dozen business leaders gathered in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, many were talking about the closure of a treasured local spot. Cole’s French Dip, a restaurant that has been serving the downtown area for more than 100 years, announced Monday that it would be permanently closing…

What’s the most downtrodden and persecuted minority in America? If you said it’s transgender youths, immigrant workers or women trying to access their reproductive health rights, you’re on the wrong track. The correct answer, judging from a surge in news reporting over the last couple of weeks, is the American…

Tesla shares fell close to 7% Monday after Elon Musk announced plans to form his own political party, sparking concerns he will become further distracted by politics despite a tumultuous stint in the Trump administration. During a feud with President Trump over his spending bill, the Tesla chief executive wrote…

Critics blasted Paramount Global’s decision to pay $16 million to settle President Trump’s lawsuit over “60 Minutes” edits, calling the move a “spineless capitulation” that erodes U.S. press freedoms. Paramount late Tuesday agreed to a landmark settlement with Trump to end his $20-billion broadside against CBS News. The president will…

Nine months ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged to more than double the annual amount of funds allocated to California’s film and television tax credit program. Flanked by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, legislators and union representatives, Newsom said the state “needed to make a statement and to do something that…

An unnamed woman this week sued prominent British soccer agent Jonathan Barnett, accusing him of raping her and keeping her as a “sex slave.” The woman alleged in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles that Barnett coerced her into having sex and used his company’s…

In 1992, with the U.S. economy rebounding from a recession, several of the country’s largest airlines sued each other over a price war. On one side was Continental and Northwest, which claimed larger rival American Airlines had illegally lowered fares to monopolize certain markets. With American staring down upward of…

Tech companies that are cutting jobs and leaning more on artificial intelligence are also disrupting themselves. Amazon’s Chief Executive Andy Jassy said last month that he expects the e-commerce giant will shrink its workforce as employees “get efficiency gains from using AI extensively.” At Salesforce, a software company that helps…

By early spring, Paramount Global was in crisis. President Trump wouldn’t budge from his demand for an eye-popping sum of money and an apology from the company to settle his lawsuit over a CBS News “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris. Journalists at the storied broadcaster were in revolt against…

After a series of setbacks, Kroger’s recent decision to close 60 locations nationwide is the latest sign of distress for the grocer that operates more than 300 stores in California. Kroger, the parent company of Ralphs and Food 4 Less, is reducing its footprint after the resignation of its chief…

There was more bad news for the tech sector Wednesday as Microsoft announced reductions to staff, preparing for thousands of layoffs worldwide, including in its gaming division. The cuts add to what has become a wave of job reductions across California’s technology industry. Tech companies in the state announced 17,874…

Just as you may have thought that it was finally safe to think about American politics without thinking about Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, he has slinked his way into the national news again. The occasion was a tour he hosted Tuesday for Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi…

As Elon Musk scrambles to restore Tesla’s reputation and deliver on promises of autonomous driving technology, vehicle sales for the company continued to fall last quarter. Tesla delivered 384,122 vehicles in the quarter through June, down 13% from 443,956 deliveries a year ago. The drop in deliveries is a result…

That deep-bass rumble you may have been hearing since June 24 is the sound of heads exploding on Wall Street and in certain Democratic Party smoke-filled rooms, provoked by the victory of self-described “democratic socialist” Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s Democratic primary for mayor. Here’s my personal response to…

Warner Music Group will lay off an unspecified number of employees as part of a months-long restructuring plan to cut costs, Chief Executive Robert Kyncl said in a memo to staff Tuesday. Kyncl said in the memo that the plan to “future-proof” the company includes reducing annual costs by roughly…

As the Republican-dominated House and Senate continue to move their budget bills toward enactment, we’ve been hearing a lot of hypocritical persiflage about “able-bodied” Americans taking undue advantage of Medicaid and food stamps. Here’s who we haven’t been hearing enough about, however: “Able-bodied” American corporations that have taken advantage of…

The Writers Guild of America West has removed Randall Emmett from its “strike list” after the film producer paid $630,000 to resolve a judgment in a long-standing dispute over unpaid compensation. The resolution comes more than five years after Emmett’s former production firm, Emmett/Furla Oasis, failed to pay health insurance…

p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text clearfix”> Celia and Joe Ward-Wallace, owners of South LA Cafe, built a rapid response network in case a raid were to occur. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) As restaurants navigate what they can do in times of crisis, part of the frustration stems from reports of illegal tactics…

The Brad Pitt-led racing film “F1 The Movie” sped to the top of the box office this weekend, another in a string of big summer movies that Hollywood hopes will keep driving people to theaters. The big-budget film from “Top Gun: Maverick” director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer hauled…

After Britt Baker graduated from Harvard Business School in 2016, her friends back in California begged for a souvenir: the best investment advice she’d learned. Baker, 37, indulged them, starting out of her Fairfax, Calif., living room a finance club that eventually became her present-day financial education startup, Dow Janes…

Southern California Edison’s admission that its equipment may have ignited the Hurst fire in the San Fernando Valley on Jan. 7 is being seized on by lawyers suing the utility company for another fire in the same area nearly six years earlier. Both the Saddleridge fire in 2019 and the…

Earlier this month, Trader Joe’s celebrated the grand opening of a new store located on the ground floor of an apartment complex in Sherman Oaks. The chain isn’t new to the neighborhood, however. Just across the street is another Trader Joe’s — a “legend” that has served customers since 1973,…

After weathering a pandemic, dual strikes and massive wildfires, Hollywood is finally getting a lifeline. California legislators voted Friday to more than double the amount allocated each year to the state’s film and television tax credit program, raising that cap to $750 million from $330 million. The increase is a…

To judge from the reaction among the AI crowd, a federal judge’s Monday ruling in a copyright infringement case was a clear win for all the AI firms that use published material to “train” their chatbots. “We are pleased that the Court recognized that using works to train [large language…

Fireworks aren’t the only thing accompanying Californians’ Fourth of July celebrations this year — higher grocery prices will as well. A California cookout for 10 guests will cost $90.06, compared with the national average of $70.92 and Western regional average of $73.50, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual…

Here’s how one of the well-laid plans of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went blooey. Earlier this month, Kennedy dismantled the all-important Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and remade it into the spearhead for his anti-vaccination campaigns. The…

As Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided Los Angeles workplaces, triggering violent protests in parts of downtown, Maria S. Salinas decided the local business community needed to speak out. The move by the president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce was an unusual one, given…

Oil baron and music mogul Len Blavatnik’s family foundation has made a $25 million donation to the USC School of Cinematic Arts to create a virtual production center, the university said this week. The 15,000-square-foot center will house two stages with wraparound LED walls that students and industry professionals will…

In-N-Out Burger has filed a lawsuit against a YouTube personality for allegedly impersonating a company employee, filming customers without their consent and posting videos sharing false and misleading information about the popular California burger chain. The federal lawsuit, filed in Santa Ana on June 20, stems from a video Bryan…

One of the oldest movie studios in Los Angeles is up for sale, perhaps to the newest generation of content creators. The potential sale of Occidental Studios comes amid a drop in filming in Los Angeles as the local entertainment industry faces such headwinds as rising competition from studios in…

Aliens may have embraced Elio, but earthbound audiences did not, marking the lowest opening weekend ever for a Pixar film and highlighting the challenges for original animated movies. “Elio” hauled in $21 million at the box office in the U.S. and Canada through Sunday, according to studio estimates, falling short…

President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order giving TikTok a 90-day extension to work out a deal with the U.S. government that addresses security concerns over the app’s ties to China. Significant pressure has been placed on TikTok, known for its popular social video app, after a law was…

For decades, Pixar could hardly miss with its original animated films. Whether the subject was toys, fish or a cantankerous old man, the Emeryville-based computer animation studio churned out hit after hit. But since the COVID-19 pandemic, Pixar and other animation studios have struggled to break through at the box…

The annual reports of the Social Security and Medicare trustees provide yearly opportunities for misunderstandings by politicians, the media, and the general public about the health of these programs. This year is no exception. A case in point is the response by House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Tex.) to…

The union representing workers at a UC Davis lab that tests and tracks bird flu infections in livestock has sued the university, demanding that records showing staffing levels and other information about the lab’s operations be released to the public. Workers in the lab’s small biotechnology department had raised concerns…

When ICE agents raided the construction site of a burned property in Altadena earlier this month, they made no arrests. The man they were after was not there. But the mere specter of them returning spooked the workers enough to bring the project to a temporary halt. The next day,…

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday joined President Trump and congressional Republicans in siding with the oil and gas industry in its challenge to California’s drive for electric vehicles. In a 7-2 decision, the justices revived the industry’s lawsuit and ruled that fuel makers had standing to sue over California’s strict…

These days, Alejandro Cabrera doesn’t do much work in his office. The manager of Touch and Glow Car Wash in Whittier instead stays outside, where his workers are, keeping his eyes peeled for approaching vehicles. If he glimpses a white Ford F-150, the type of vehicle federal law enforcement agents…

As three key players vie for dominance, the race to put driverless taxis on roads across the country is heating up. Waymo, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, already offers paid autonomous rides in a handful of cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles. Amazon’s robotaxi effort, known as Zoox,…

At Pasadena’s AC Hotel earlier this month, dozens of protesters gathered in an effort to confront federal agents who had arrived in town amid demonstrations against the Trump administration’s mass deportation effort. Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo was among those present on June 7 as demonstrators holding signs with “ICE out…

Horror production company Blumhouse has acquired a 50% stake in the long-running “Saw” franchise, buying the rights owned by producers Oren Koules and Mark Burg, the firm said Wednesday. Santa Monica-based Lionsgate will continue to own 50% of the franchise, retain all domestic distribution rights for new feature films and…

President Trump’s trade war and recent immigration raids are expected to deliver a one-two punch to California’s economy. A new report by the UCLA Anderson forecast predicts that the state’s economy is likely to contract later this year due to fallout from global tariffs and immigration raids in Los Angeles…

Tired of navigating the online dating landscape alone? Now you can swipe right along with friends. Tinder launched a double-dating feature Tuesday, allowing users to create joint profiles with friends to match with other pairs. Double Date, as the feature is called, is the refined version of the failed 2016…

Surrounded by virtual cliffs and a cascading waterfall, dragon riders on Roblox’s massive online gaming platform immerse themselves in a memorable scene from “How to Train Your Dragon.” In the sequence, the young Viking Hiccup reaches out his hand to touch Toothless, the black, green-eyed dragon he once feared. After…

Six couples and one individual who lost their homes in the devastating Los Angeles fires are suing State Farm, claiming that they were “misled” by the insurance company and that their homes were deliberately and “grossly underinsured.” The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court in Los Angeles on Monday, alleges that…

An attempted — and unsuccessful — copper theft in Van Nuys caused a widespread internet outage Sunday affecting swaths of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, a Spectrum spokesman confirmed to The Times. “This morning, our lines were cut due to vandalism in Van Nuys that also affected our services in…

Universal Pictures’ “How To Train Your Dragon” soared over the competition this weekend, as family-friendly films continued their dominance at the box office. The live-action adaptation of the animated franchise from DreamWorks Animation grossed $83.7 million in its opening weekend in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates. It…

Republican efforts to restrict taxes on hospitals, health plans and other providers that states use to help fund their Medicaid programs could strip them of tens of billions of dollars. The move could shrink access to healthcare for some of the nation’s poorest and most vulnerable people, warn analysts, patient…

Dear Liz: I have too many credit cards that I opened to get frequent flier points. I understand that closing a credit card lowers your credit scores. How long does the ding last? How long should I wait before closing another card? Do you have any other advice on this…

Media giant Paramount Global is trying to avoid a streaming future without Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny. As Paramount struggles to complete a key merger, the company is in the midst of a protracted negotiation to extend one of its biggest and most important franchises: the long-running, foulmouthed cartoon “South…

The union representing Southern California hospitality workers has accused a group of airlines and hotel businesses of using underhanded tactics in support of a petition to overturn a city ordinance boosting the minimum wage in Los Angeles. The hospitality union that pushed for the wage boost, Unite Here Local 11,…

About 45,000 grocery workers have authorized a strike at Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions stores in Southern California to protest what they call unfair labor practices. The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) locals representing store workers announced on Monday that members have voted overwhelmingly in favor, giving their leaders…

State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced Thursday his department is launching a formal inquiry into how State Farm General, California’s largest home insurer, is handling thousands of claims filed by victims of the January wildfires after complaints from policyholders. The department said it would start a “market conduct examination,” a…

More than five decades of snack food production came to an end this week when Frito-Lay closed manufacturing operations at its Rancho Cucamonga facility, eliminating hundreds of jobs in the process. The plant has been a major employer in the area since opening in 1970, staffing thousands over its 55-year…

Dozens of states have filed a joint lawsuit against the bankrupt DNA-testing company 23andMe to block the company’s sale of its customers’ genetic data without explicit consent. The suit, filed this week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Missouri, comes months after 23andMe began a court-supervised sale…

The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce took the federal government to task over its handling of the controversial immigration raids in Los Angeles. “We are deeply concerned by recent enforcement actions that have disrupted the well-being of our communities, compromised public safety, and threatened the stability of our local…