Latest news with #AnnenbergFoundation
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Letters go up on world's largest wildlife crossing over 101 Freeway
Annenberg Wildlife Crossing: Twenty-five letters that reflect years of work and decades of advocacy. On Tuesday, Caltrans announced that the letters for the world's largest wildlife crossing, which is under construction over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills, have officially been placed on the side of the bridge. The massive wildlife crossing will connect two natural landscapes that have been bisected by one of the nation's busiest highways, stretching over 200 feet long and 165 feet wide across the roadway. It's one of the biggest infrastructure construction projects currently underway in Southern California, and crews have been working around the clock to keep the project on track for its planned opening next year. Funded through a public-private sponsorship, the Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is named for Wallis Annenberg, philanthropist and heiress who chairs the multibillion-dollar Annenberg Foundation, a primary sponsor of the project. Wildlife crossings in SoCal aim to prevent animal deaths Other wildlife activist groups have pooled funds to assist in the realization of the project, including those inspired by the story of P-22, the world-famous mountain lion that once inhabited the hills of Griffith Park, and whose story brought attention to the plight of animals who find themselves trapped on all sides by urban sprawl. The massive undertaking is part of California's plan to identify locations where animals face barriers that keep them from moving freely, and prioritize building or converting existing infrastructure to allow them to cross more safely. The legislation was signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2022. 'This wildlife crossing is just one example of how California is building infrastructure that connects rather than divides,' Newsom said last May. 'With projects like this, we're reconnecting and restoring habitats so future generations can continue to enjoy California's unmatched natural beauty.' A groundbreaking was held in spring 2022, but officials say more than 30 years of conservation work have gone into the preparations to connect the critical protected lands in the Santa Monica Mountains and the Sierra Madre Range. The crossing, originally estimated to cost around $90 million, is located near Liberty Canyon and is expected to open for foot and paw traffic by early 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Issue Is: Inside the Milken Global Conference
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The Milken Global Conference unites the biggest names in tech, politics, sports, entertainment and more. 'The Issue Is:' hosts a panel on Los Angeles' wildfire response, featuring LA Mayor Karen Bass, Snapchat Founder and CEO Evan Spiegel, Cinny Kennard, head of the Annenberg Foundation, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. U.S. Education Secretary discusses President Donald Trump's plans to dismantle the Department of Education. Dr. Mehmet Oz talks about his new position as head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom Political experts Frank Luntz, Sarah Longwell and Nicholas Kristof talk about the mood of the country under the Trump administration and the state of the Democratic opposition. "The Issue Is: with Elex Michaelson" is California's statewide political show.
Politico
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Now playing: LA Existential
Presented by GOOD MORNING. Happy Thursday from Beverly Hills where the Milken Institute Global Conference wrapped up last night. Drop us a line at dgardiner@ and mmason@ or on X — @DustinGardiner and @melmason. For the latest on other Golden State political news, don't miss this afternoon's edition of California Playbook PM. LA-LA LAND'S CLOSE-UP — To paraphrase the late Tip O'Neill, all multi-day global issues conferences are local. Okay, maybe that's a stretch. But many of the discussions on the final day of the Milken Institute confab were distinctly rooted in its host city — to the palpable relief of prominent Angelenos in attendance. 'I'm just so enthused by the amount of people that are in this room, and especially people that aren't from Los Angeles,' said Cinny Kennard, executive director of the Annenberg Foundation, who was clearly pleased that conference-goers cared enough about the city's wildfire recovery efforts to fill one of the venue's large ballrooms. No one would call Los Angeles an overlooked backwater. But in this oversaturated news environment — and, let's face it, the national media's distinct East Coast bias — the city harbors a bit of an inferiority complex when it comes to the power broker crowd. For the politicians repping the city, however, the attention at Milken required a delicate dance: Celebrating the successes they've had in the months after the fires without sounding tone-deaf about the considerable challenges that remain. GLASS HALF FULL: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told Playbook the No. 1 message she hoped to convey was that 'LA is doing okay. The entire city was not on fire. … We want the world to know that we are open for business.' Bass and others appeared at an afternoon panel where an upbeat mood was established early — shoutout to whoever on the Milken team picked 'This Is How We Do It,' by LA's own Montell Jordan as the walk-on music. Elected officials were quick to emphasize the speed of the recovery effort so far. One representative boast from LA County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath: 'We have led the fastest debris removal process in history, which has been a wild success.' The Annenberg Foundation's Kennard touted the considerable philanthropic heft that's been amassed: $800 million raised so far. And while the state is still waiting to see if President Donald Trump will approve the supplemental spending for wildfire recovery Gov. Gavin Newsom has requested, Bass praised the White House for keeping the funding spigot open. 'The message is, 'Thank you.' Listen — credit where credit's due,' Bass said. BUT BUT BUT: Panel moderator Elex Michaelson, a news anchor for the local Fox affiliate, did an admirable job pressing officials for more specifics, such as whether permits were being issued too slowly or whether — two and a half months after Bass sacked the city's fire chief — more heads would roll. 'There are a number of people that should be held accountable, and we're in the process of doing that,' Bass said, although she specified that potential firings would likely be months away, pending investigations into the city's fire response. POLITICAL UNDERCURRENTS: One person who remains unimpressed is Rick Caruso, Bass' former rival for the mayorship who has been fiercely critical of the mayor's fire response. The billionaire developer had been flitting around Milken for the past two days but was not in the audience for the discussion, which he initially had been slated to participate in. Caruso told Playbook he pulled out when he saw he'd be alongside Bass on stage, saying he feared the conversation would be a 'campaign stop.' Caruso did see fit to publish an essay on the website of his rebuilding nonprofit, Steadfast LA, Wednesday morning in advance of the panel re-upping his blistering critiques — and yes, the timing was purposeful. 'I didn't want to look argumentative, but I did want to get my point of view out,' he said. Caruso, who is widely seen as weighing another mayoral run or even a bid for governor, denied that his remarks should be read through a political lens, but rather from the vantage point of 'a guy that lost three homes, had a business completely shut down and expects better from its government.' Bass, meanwhile, shrugged off Caruso's rebuke and the broader missives from her detractors. 'There's a lot of different motives,' she said. 'There are motives from different news channels who are very critical of any Democratic-run city. But my job is to not get mired in division and get mired in politics, but to stay focused on making sure the people in the Palisades get home as fast as possible.' And speaking of politics, Playbook asked Horvath, whose name has been floated as a potential mayoral contender, if she had her eye on City Hall. She waved off that speculation — but only after noting that her supervisorial district just happens to overlap with nine LA city council districts. 'I've opened my committee to run for county supervisor. I'm focused on that, and, of course, the recovery and rebuild that people deserve,' she said. HOLLYWOODLAND LIGHTS, CAMERA, TAX CREDITS — Top Hollywood brass who spoke at Milken on Wednesday said they are not exactly clamoring for the national film tariffs Trump proposed in a somewhat inscrutable fashion earlier this week. At 'The Future of Filmed Entertainment,' CNBC's Julia Boorstin asked an array of execs about Trump's trial balloon, and more broadly if the increase of filming abroad was a problem for the industry. While the studio bosses deftly avoided commenting directly on the president's proposal they all largely agreed declining production is a Golden State-specific woe, contrary to the president's claim that overseas film shoots amount to a threat to 'national security.'. 'While it's true a lot of production has left the United States, it's even worse for California,' said Ravi Ahuja, president and CEO of Sony Pictures. The execs laid the blame on the state's film tax credit, which is substantially less than the perks offered by other states, such as Georgia, as well as other countries. Part of the issue is that California's available tax credits are capped, meaning that productions aren't guaranteed access to the incentives. 'Because it's capped, you can't plan,' said Casey Bloys, who runs HBO and Max Content. 'You have to get into a lottery, and you're not sure if your show is going to get the tax break or not. That uncertainty makes it very difficult, when you're looking at that versus Atlanta, versus Canada and others [where] you're guaranteed the incentive.' Newsom and top Democrats have been working to double the tax break from roughly $330 million annually to $750 million. Negotiators have already hammered out a number of proposed changes to the existing program. But given the state's dire budget straits, an uncapped tax break is not in the cards, meaning it will be hard to match the largesse offered elsewhere. 'Certainly our credit, as proposed, will not be as competitive as a couple of the other jurisdictions. At the end of the day, we're going to lose production to Georgia, Vancouver and elsewhere,' acknowledged state Sen. Ben Allen, a Democrat from Los Angeles. 'We did know we had to make this work, we needed to increase the amount. It will bring a significant amount of work back, but do so in a way that makes everybody feel comfortable.' Allen along with Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur and Newsom's chief economic adviser Dee Dee Myers delved deeper into the effort to keep Hollywood closer to home at a Wednesday afternoon panel that was, alas, off limits to reporters and off the record. But Allen gave us a broad sense of the tone of the conversation, which he said centered on the urgency of getting an expanded California tax credit done — regardless of the curveball thrown by Trump about some federal-level help for the industry. 'The national conversation is intriguing and important. ... Especially everyone agrees on a national incentive [though there are] mixed reviews about tariffs, he said. 'But even if we do the most robust national program in the world, there's still going to be a challenge for California to keep work here vis-a-vis the Georgias and New Yorks and other parts of the country.' TRADE STARK WARNING — Citadel founder Ken Griffin used his conference-closing Q&A with institute Chair Michael Milken to reaffirm concerns that tariffs were 'contrary to the promise the president made to the American people' to ease inflation and improve cost of living concerns. While plenty of Wall Street heavyweights on the conference's main stage raised concerns about how trade policies could weaken markets, Griffin was one of the few to frame his criticism through the lens of the American consumer. Griffin — a billionaire and powerful voice for the pre-Trump GOP orthodoxy — expanded on his concerns in an interview with our colleague Sam Sutton. 'Tariffs open the doors to crony capitalism. The government starts to pick winners and losers,' Griffin warned. Read more in today's edition of Morning Money. ON THE GROUND QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'Some of us have felt, in the last few years, there's no win being the president of a university.' — Michael Milken, as he posed a question to Dartmouth President Sian Beilock during the closing plenary session about … happiness. PUPPY THERAPY — During the same panel, Franklin Templeton Investments CEO Jenny Johnson brought her bulldog on the stage. When Milken inquired about her 'financial adviser' on the stage, Johnson had a one-liner ready to go: 'The fact is, when you come home, your spouse or partner might be happy to see you. Your kids might be happy to see you. But your dog is ALWAYS happy to see you!' The camera panned to her canine companion as the audience laughed and cheered. SPOTTED AT THE BEVERLY HILTON: DAY FOUR — former California Gov. Gray Davis walking through the hallway … California Community Foundation CEO Miguel Santana chatting with Snap CEO Evan Spiegel and Mayor Karen Bass in the lobby … Golden Globes President Helen Hoehne, picking up her paper name plate outside the invite-only LA session … Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav milling in the hallway … Sony Pictures chief Ravi Ahuja having a one-on-one meeting with Bass … Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur ordering a to-go lunch in the Hilton lobby bar … Allen chatting in the lobby bar with Jonathan Nolan, the screenwriter and producer who made Westworld and Memento
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
California's $92 million wildlife crossing project underway in Agoura Hills
The first layers of soil were recently placed in Agoura Hills on what will be the world's largest wildlife crossing. The soil, to cover nearly an acre of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, will make it easier for wildlife to move through its habitat, according to a news release from Gov. Gavin Newsom's office. "As soil gets placed over the bridge, we're one step closer to reconnecting wildlife with habitat that's been divided for generations," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "We're not only making habitats whole again, we're making our roads safer." The bridge will span 10 lanes of Highway 101 in the city. Approximately 6,000 cubic yards of soil placement is needed for the project and is expected to take several weeks to complete, according to the governor's release. Here's what to know about California's wildlife crossings. Wildlife crossings are essential to building a network of interconnected conserved lands and waters that protect and restore biodiversity while also supporting transportation infrastructure, according to the release. The soil is part of restoring an ecological corridor to support local wildlife, according to the release. Mountain lions, deer, bats, bobcats, desert cottontails, monarch butterflies and more are expected to use the bridge. Planting of approximately 5,000 native plants will start in May, weather permitting. The bridge will feature coastal sage scrub plant species native to the Santa Monica Mountains. The plant species will contribute to an overall environmental restoration strategy that includes 12 acres of open space and 50,000 native plants, according to the release. "By building the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, Caltrans is supporting transportation infrastructure that will not only reconnect and restore habitats but also reduce vehicle collisions with wildlife and enhance highway safety,' said Tony Tavares, Caltrans director, in a statement. The length of the bridge over Highway 101 is about 210 feet, according to a Caltrans news release. The width is about 174 feet. The northbound Highway 101 on-ramp at Liberty Canyon Road is expected to be shut down through late April, the California Department of Transportation announced Caltrans expects work on the first phase, which includes the bridge over the freeway, to finish next year. Construction began in mid-2022, according to Caltrans. A second phase of construction, which includes extending the crossing over Agoura Road, is scheduled to wrap up in 2026, officials said. The project's total programmed costs are approximately $92 million, according to Caltrans. Major funding for the crossing is provided by the Annenberg Foundation, other private donations, and the California Wildlife Conservation Board. Find more information at or sign up for a weekly update by emailing D7inquiries@ or calling 213-897-1200. Reporter Cheri Carlson contributed to this report. Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes. This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Soil placed on Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in California
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New renderings of world's largest wildlife crossing over 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills released
The Brief Construction crews will begin placing soil on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway on Monday. The crossing will be the largest of its kind globally, featuring 5,000 native plants to support diverse wildlife. It is scheduled for completion in 2026. AGOURA HILLS, Calif. - Construction crews are set to begin placing soil on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway, marking a significant milestone in the project aimed at creating a native wildlife habitat. What we know Starting Monday, crews will place the first layers of soil on the nearly 1-acre wildlife habitat, which will eventually span 10 lanes of the freeway in Agoura Hills. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Construction continues on Agoura Hills wildlife crossing over 101 Freeway The project requires approximately 6,000 cubic yards of soil and will take several weeks to complete. The crossing began construction on Earth Day 2022 and is expected to be finished in 2026. Big picture view The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is designed to be a global model for urban wildlife conservation, facilitating safe passage for mountain lions, deer, bats, and other species. The overpass is expected to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions on one of the most congested highways in North America, decreasing the significant danger posed to people and vehicles by crossing animals. The project involves collaboration with soil scientists, biologists, engineers, and mycologists to ensure optimal conditions for the habitat. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: California groundbreaking set for largest wildlife crossing over 101 freeway It will be the largest of its kind globally, serving as a model for urban wildlife conservation. What's next Following soil placement, crews will plant native vegetation, including coastal sage scrub species, to support wildlife and reduce fire risk. The project includes a full irrigation system to maintain the habitat, overseen by Rock Design Associates and supported by various conservation organizations. You can learn more about the project by tapping or clicking here. The Source Information for this story is from the Annenberg Foundation website and previous FOX 11 reporting.
