Bill Backed By WGA & SAG-AFTRA To Give Unemployment Insurance To Striking Workers In California Clears Labor Committee; Now Heads To Full State Senate

Meghan Markle has been tipped to use Prince Harry's wide "knowledge" to bag herself the vacant Senator's seat following the death of 90-year-old Dianne Feinstein.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill giving unemployment benefits to striking workers, which was backed by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. “Now is not the time to increase costs or incur this sizable debt,” he wrote in his veto message Saturday.

California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have made striking workers eligible for unemployment benefits.

The old song says it never rains in California. The same isn’t true for New York. SAG-AFTRA said today that it has canceled all pickets as a state of emergency was declared in the city amid heavy downpours that caused serious flooding and canceled some local events.

“A lot of very impressive people have led this festival and what connects them is a love for movies and culture and what that can achieve,” Kristy Matheson told Deadline of her new job as Director of the British Film Institute’s London Film Festival.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer The strike is over, but the fight is not yet won. On Wednesday, as the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike formally ended after 148 days, Variety spoke with newly elected WGA East president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen and WGA East executive director Lowell Peterson about the end of the work stoppage at the East coast guild’s membership meeting to discuss their tentative three-year MBA agreement with the Hollywood studios.

letter accompanying his veto of Assembly Bill 957, sponsored by Assemblywoman Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City), Newsom said that while he appreciated the “passion and values” that led Wilson to propose the bill, he could not sign the bill.“I share a deep commitment to advancing the rights of transgender Californians, an effort that has guided my decisions through many decades in public office,” Newsom said in the statement.“That said, I urge caution when the Executive and Legislative branches of state government attempt to dictate — in prescriptive terms that single out one characteristic — legal standards for the Judicial branch to apply. Other-minded elected officials, in California and other states, could very well use this strategy to diminish the civil rights of vulnerable communities.”Newsom added that courts are already required to consider a child’s health, safety, and welfare when determining the best interests of a child, including whether a parent affirms their child’s gender identity.

SAG-AFTRA members have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike against 10 of the major video game companies. The vote was 98.32% in favor.  A total of 34,687 members cast ballots, representing a voting 27.47% of eligible voters. The guild’s last strike against the gaming companies, in 2016-17, lasted 183 days. The guild, meanwhile, has been on strike against the film and TV industry since July 14.

Over 140 days into the WGA’s strike, the latest resumption of talks today between the scribes and studios and steamers are leaving nothing to chance.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Meredith Stiehm has been reelected as president of WGA West, in a strong show of support as the union’s strike continues into its fifth month. Stiehm took 3,354 votes, easily defeating Rich Talarico, who took just 300 votes. Two other officers were also reelected: Michele Mulroney, as vice president, and Betsy Thomas, as secretary-treasurer.

Gavin Newsom said in an interview today that he has been “deeply involved with talking” to both sides of the long-running Writers Guild strike and “we’re going to be meeting again later this week.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The California Senate voted on Thursday to grant unemployment benefits to workers who are on strike. The bill passed with a 27-12 vote. The Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA have each expressed support for the bill.

A bill that would make striking workers in California eligible to receive up to $450 a week in unemployment insurance benefits passed in the state Senate on Thursday by a vote of 27-12. Senate Bill 799, which passed in the state Assembly last month, now heads to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who can either sign it into law or veto it.

As the SAG-AFTRA strike clocked its 62nd day, and the WGA’s 135th, the former held a massive solidarity march today from Netflix HQ on Van Ness Blvd to the Melrose gates of Paramount to juice guilds’ spirits with the entertainment industry work stoppage running past Labor Day.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA held a massive march and rally outside the Paramount studio on Wednesday, as the union marked 62 days on strike. Union leaders argued that the strike has resonated across industries, as workers stand up to “unchecked corporate greed.” “What’s at stake is bigger than just the entertainment industry,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s executive director. “It’s about the livelihoods of everyone who needs a job to earn a living.” He urged actors to use their voices and authenticity to speak for the broader labor movement.

The Herb Alpert Foundation has donated $250,000 to the Entertainment Community Fund to aid idled film and TV industry workers during the ongoing Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes. A matching donation by an anonymous donor brings the total gift to $500,000.

A bill that would provide unemployment insurance to striking workers in California passed the state Assembly on Monday and now is headed to the Senate Labor Committee and then to the Senate floor. If passed there, Senate Bill 799 would go to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his signature.

Drew Barrymore is opening up about returning to her daytime talk show amid the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Earlier this year, The Drew Barrymore Show host walked away from her hosting duties at MTV Movie & TV Awards in support of the writers.

Chuck Todd opened his final broadcast as moderator of NBC News’s Meet the Press by telling viewers that it was an understatement to call the gig “an honor and privilege of my lifetime.”

Insecure star Kendrick Sampson is going to Dallas where SAG-AFTRA is set to hold a rally on Saturday. The visit is significant to Sampson in support of Texas actors navigating the strike under the leadership of Governor Greg Abbott, who he calls an “evil human being”.