THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY as a whole has faced an incredible array of challenges over the last few years, and has rallied by making improvements, enhancements and adjustments to protocols, all while providing services that are the most essential to those in need. To explore the future of health-related issues, the Inside The Valley team has discussed insights, suggestions and best practices with five health care experts and thought leaders from the region.
Rams Plan Large Project
Developer titan Stan Kroenke made good on years of speculation last week when he announced a 52-acre development in Woodland Hills on properties he spent years scooping up.
The Los Angeles Rams owner will build what the Kroenke Organization is calling Rams Village in the Warner Center area of Woodland Hills. The Gensler-designed project will, similarly to Kroenke’s other recent developments, include a mix of entertainment and sports venues, retail space, residential units and open park space.
In the announcement, Kroenke highlighted that as the Rams prepare for their 10th season back in Los Angeles, his organization remains “committed to helping shape the future of this great city.”
“Rams Village at Warner Center will continue to transform Woodland Hills by providing a vibrant gathering place for the community through publicly accessible open spaces, new entertainment venues, a retail village, and residential offerings,” he added in a statement.
Planning a village
The anchor for Rams Village will, naturally, be the permanent headquarters facility of the football team.
The Rams established a temporary base of operations on one of Kroenke’s properties in time for the previous NFL season. The two outdoor practice fields will remain and the plan is to add an additional 150,000-square-foot indoor field with seating for 2,500 guests. In addition to the 350,000-square-foot headquarters building itself, plans call for two indoor performance venues, one with 5,000 seats and the other with 2,500 seats.
An existing building on this lot, usually called the Anthem building since it previously housed the health insurer, will remain and be used for office space. Kroenke’s business empire acquired this lot in June 2022 for $175 million.
The lot across the street – currently home to the essentially dead Promenade shopping mall – will see a complete transformation. Replacing the mall will be a variety of residential buildings, mixed use retail with a grocery store, new hotels, offices and a park. There will be more than 3 million square feet of residential units and nearly 2 million square feet of retail, office, hotel and entertainment space. There will also be more than 4 acres of publicly accessible open space.
Kroenke scooped up the Promenade lot in March 2022 for $150 million. In December 2022, he also acquired the thriving Village at Topanga for $325 million; he plans to keep that outdoor shopping mall as-is.
Fulfilling a plan
Kroenke’s plans seem to fulfill in spirit the dream by city officials to make the Warner Center the downtown of the San Fernando Valley. The Warner Center 2035 Specific Plan calls for developing that part of Woodland Hills as such, adding residential, office and retail space to the center.
Rams Village bears resemblance to another major project – Hollywood Park – by Kroenke’s organizations. Anchored by SoFi Stadium, the site also boasts the YouTube Theater, the Cosm sports entertainment venue, luxury apartments and a retail center anchored by a movie theater and a gym.
Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association, saw the comparison as a positive sign of things to come.
“There are tons of people who lives locally who are working down there. It’s a place to be all the time,” Waldman said. “They’ve really altered the face of Inglewood and I think they’ll do the same for the West Valley.”
Disney Has Big Plans for BDX Droids
BDX droids are taking over at The Walt Disney Co. The Burbank entertainment and media giant’s Imagineering division in Glendale designed and built the robots, which have greeted guests at Disneyland and aboard the Disney Wish cruise ship.
The droids also appeared alongside Chief Executive Bob Iger in a video presented at the company’s annual meeting of shareholders last month; at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, in early March with filmmaker Jon Favreau; and at Nvidia Corp.’s recent GTC developer conference also taking place last month.Â
The drones can learn
Unlike the animatronics of the past, the BDX droids can learn and teach each other, Disney said in a release.
This process, called reinforcement learning, is an entirely new way to program animatronic characters, said Leslie Evans, a senior Imagineer in research and development at Disney Imagineering, when appearing at SXSW.
“They learn, they experiment, they teach each other, and they figure out how to navigate different types of terrain,” Evans said at the conference. “When we’re training in simulation, we’re not just teaching them to balance, we’re teaching them how to learn to walk as characters and imitate those core animations that really give them their personality.”
The BDX droids will be making their on-screen debut in next year’s “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” Disney said the droids will also visit Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris later this year.
Stage Occupancy Falls To 63%, Study Finds
Filming on studio soundstages and backlots took a tumble last year, according to FilmLA.
The Studio City nonprofit that is the film office for the city and county of Los Angeles and other jurisdictions found that soundstage occupancy declined to 63% last year, down from 69% of the year before.
Regional soundstage occupancy levels had seen occupancy rates of more than 90% from 2016 to 2022, FilmLA said.
“Disrupted by a reduction in global content production and the double industry strikes of 2023, the past two years have been challenging for L.A. area sound stage operators,” the agency said.
FilmLA spokesperson Philip Sokoloski said that it was important to not confuse stage occupancy with stage utilization as they are not the same thing.
“A set on a stage can only create jobs when it is under construction or in use,” Sokoloski said in a statement. “Television budgets have increased, but episode counts have declined and there can be long delays between seasons. To see the real loss of work opportunity in this data, you have to focus on stage shoot days.”
In 2023, a total of 1,225 projects filmed in the 477 stages included in FilmLA’s analysis. These projects generated 8,671 stage shoot days – fewer than were recorded in any studied period except 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic halted all production for a time and resulting in 6,191 shoot days, FilmLA said.
Studio backlot shoot days dropped by almost 52% in 2023 to 890 days compared to the high number of 1,839 in 2021 found by FilmLA in its study periods.
The nonprofit did note that the Writers Guild of America strike ran from May 2 to Sept. 27, 2023, followed by the SAG-AFTRA strike, which started July 14 and ended on Nov. 9. Both strikes shut down scripted content production.
New projects to be built
Lower than average sound stage occupancy is a concern shared outside California.
Competing jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, New York, Georgia and Ontario, Canada, have all more than doubled their stage-based production capacity over the last five years.
Los Angeles, with an estimated 8 million square feet of stage production space and 13 planned and proposed studio projects in the pipeline, maintains an important infrastructure advantage.
“Unfortunately for all involved, fewer film, television and commercial projects in production makes it harder to fill studio vacancies,” FilmLA said.
Among the studio projects under development are East End Studios Arts District Downtown Los Angeles campus with 16 soundstages across 309,000 square feet and another 400,000 for support and office space; and East End Studios Griffith Park campus in Glendale with 11 soundstages totaling 189,000 square feet of space. Construction is expected to start on both projects next year.
“The jurisdictions that perform well from here on out – the ones with sustainably high levels of sound stage occupancy and job creation – will be those invested in film project attraction at the country, state and regional level,” Sokoloski said in his statement. “We’re supportive of state leaders’ interest in expanding California’s film incentive program, and we’re engaged in ongoing conversation with city and county partners about ways to improve the local filming environment.”
The seventh edition of FilmLA’s Sound Stage Production Report is based on aggregated data sourced from 17 participating legacy and independent studios in greater Los Angeles. Combined, these studios own and/or operate approximately 82% of L.A. County’s certified soundstage market.
NeOnc Sees Share Price Fall Since Going Public
The share price of NeOnc Technologies Holdings Inc. has dropped in the weeks since the company went public last month.
The Westlake Village clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, which focuses on treatments for brain cancer, had its direct listing open at $25 on March 26. That day the stock closed at $12.11 – more than a 50% decrease.
It then spiked by more than 36% to close at $16.55 on March 28 and then fell to reach a low closing price of $7 a few days later on April 2.
The stock closed at $9.60 on April 10.
Thomas Chen, the chief executive of the company, had more than 3 million shares as of the day before the company went public which was worth $38 million when it closed on March 26.
Still, that amount doesn’t quite compare to the payday of Amir Heshmatpour, the executive chairman.
With nearly 5.2 million shares in NeOnc, his stock was worth just shy of $63 million when the direct listing closed on March 26.
A direct listing, unlike an initial public offering, means that the resale of shares is not underwritten by any investment bank, nor will the company see any of the proceeds from the sale of any shares of common stock.
Strategic partnership announced
As part of the direct listing prospectus, NeOnc included a summary of financial data.
For all of last year, the company reported a net loss of $11.9 million compared to a net loss of $15 million in the previous year. Revenue increased by almost 18% from the prior year to $83,000.
And on March 27 the company announced a strategic partnership with CBCC Global Research, a Bakersfield-based clinical research organization.
The collaboration will expand NeOnc’s clinical trial capabilities in India and facilitate the advancement of its development-stage neuro-oncology treatment.
Through this partnership, NeOnc will initiate clinical trials across 30 FDA-compliant clinical research sites in India, increasing patient enrollment and accelerating development efforts for a novel therapy designed to target aggressive brain tumors, it said in a release.
The FDA-aligned trials in India will be conducted under Good Clinical Practices and Good Laboratory Practices standards, ensuring high-quality data generation and regulatory adherence. CBCC will oversee trial execution in coordination with NeOnc’s U.S.-based clinical research organization, Anova Enterprises in Arlington Heights, Illinois, a technology company on a mission to accelerate clinical development, reduce cost and increase access to new drugs.
A critical step forward
Heshmatpour, the executive chairman, said that the collaboration with CBCC represents an important milestone and step forward in NeOnc’s clinical development strategy.
“Conducting our trials in India allows us to accelerate patient recruitment, maintain regulatory compliance and expedite the potential approval of these promising therapies for patients in need,” he said in a statement. “We are focused on completing our Phase 2 NEO100-01 enrollment this year, with a readout expected six to eight months after that.”
NEO100-01 is the intranasal drug that targets brain cancer being developed by NeOnc.
“We are dedicated to advancing breakthrough therapies for brain cancer, and launching trials in India represents a critical step in that mission,” Chen, the chief executive of NeOnc, said in a statement. “By broadening our clinical reach, we are accelerating the path to market for our transformative treatments, while ensuring we reach a more diverse patient population.”
Manoj Vyas, chief executive of CBCC, said that India is emerging as a key hub for clinical research and that his company was “honored” to support NeOnc in its mission to advance neuro-oncology treatments.
“With our deep expertise in clinical trial management and regulatory pathways, we are confident that this partnership will drive critical advancements in cancer therapeutics,” Vyas said in a statement.
Calendar Quirk Knocks Passenger Counts Down
Passenger traffic at the four airports serving Los Angeles County was unusually weak in February, thanks in part to a quirk in the calendar.
Overall, 6.05 million passengers went through the gates at Los Angeles International, Ontario International, Hollywood Burbank and Long Beach airports in February, according to data from the agencies that run each of these airports. That was down more than 6% from February of last year.
Passenger counts were down sharply at two of the airports – LAX and Long Beach – while traffic was flat at Ontario. Only Hollywood Burbank eked out a slight gain, by nearly 2%.
A major factor was that calendar quirk: because February of last year was a leap year, it had 29 days for passengers to go through the airports, compared to the normal 28 days for the month. That alone would have led to an average 3.5% drop in passengers for February of this year compared to the same month last year.
The calendar issue ended up exacerbating drops in passengers at Long Beach and LAX, which posted declines of 14% and 7% respectively. It eliminated what would otherwise have been an increase in passengers at Ontario and reduced the increase at Hollywood Burbank to just 2%.
Long Beach, LAX passenger declines
Long Beach Airport has been in an especially weak position due to its almost exclusive reliance on Dallas-based carrier Southwest Airlines Co. Nearly 90% of flights at the airport involve Southwest planes.
As Southwest has trimmed routes and flight frequencies to deal with a shortage of planes and other financial pressures, Long Beach has suffered a disproportionate impact among the four airports serving the county.
That and the calendar quirk pushed the passenger total for Long Beach down 14% to 263,000.
Long Beach Airport officials in their comments on the numbers, downplayed the February statistics, choosing instead to focus on what they hope will be brighter travel days ahead this spring and summer.
“With spring break upon us and the busy summer travel season approaching, we anticipate an increase in travelers taking advantage of the convenience and relaxed atmosphere at Long Beach Airport,” said Juan Lopez-Rios, the airport’s deputy director.
At LAX, domestic passenger tallies have been languishing for more than a year due to Southwest’s travails and route cutbacks by other airlines. As at Long Beach, the calendar quirk exacerbated this.
On the international side, passenger growth has stalled in recent months and would have been flat again compared to February of last year had it not been for the calendar quirk pushing the figure into negative territory.
Meager passenger gain at Burbank, flat at Ontario
Hollywood Burbank Airport posted the only significant gain in passengers in February, up nearly 2% to 425,000. That reverses a drop of 6.4% in January.
Meanwhile, officials at Ontario International found themselves in an unfamiliar position in February as the overall passenger count was virtually flat. Until now, the airport had seen a nearly unbroken string of year-over-year passenger increases stretching back to 2021.
In their release of the February numbers, airport officials noted the impact of the shorter month this year, saying that growth would have been nearly 3.6% had the two February months been the same length.
“Even with a shorter month, we saw growth, an achievement that speaks to our resilience, strong demand, and the trust travelers and airlines place in us,” said Atif Elkadi, chief executive of the Ontario International Airport Authority.
Elkadi, too, looked ahead to what he expects will be a return to significant growth for the airport.
“With new service launching to Chicago and Baltimore/Washington as well as four international destinations in Mexico and Asia, ONT is not just keeping up; we are setting the stage for even greater success in 2025 and beyond,”
he said.
Cargo tonnage up at Ontario, but down at LAX
The air cargo picture at the two major cargo airports serving Los Angeles – LAX and Ontario – was mixed.
Cargo volume rose nearly 7% in February at Ontario compared to the same month last year, to just over 60,000 metric tons.
“Ontario prides itself on first rate cargo facilities and operational excellence which makes our Inland Empire airport a hub of choice for cargo shippers,” Elkadi said.
But Ontario’s increase was more than offset by the much larger percentage and tonnage plunge at LAX, which handled nearly 157,000 metric tons in February, a drop of more than 11% from the same month last year.
Snapshot: Mr. Stuff
If you’re in need of a shopping excursion for nothing in particular, Mr. Stuff in Northridge might have you covered.
Think Cave of Wonders-meets-swap meet. In need of a tool but aren’t sure what size? Just bought a home and feel like you need some other items for your junk drawer? Looking for a fun gift?
The one consistency for Mr. Stuff is the inconsistent inventory, which is sourced largely from liquidated businesses, mispackaged shipments and production overruns – very often from those companies looking for a place to get rid of those things.
“It finds me,” owner Bob Meyer summarized pithily.
Getting its start in the ’80s
Meyer opened the store in 1981, when he’d sold his restaurant, had some spare cash and nothing else lined up. An acquaintance was moving their own business and hoped to avoid transporting already opened boxes of tools – so Meyer took the tools and started a yard sale operation. That turned into flea market tents and then that turned into a whole store.
The current Northridge location, which is about 8,000 square feet, is the third for Mr. Stuff. In-store sales comprise about 70% of its sales, with online making up the remaining 30%. Meyer noted he will do some wholesale transactions, though at high minimums.
The eclectic nature of what ends up on store shelves – anything from used tools to calorie calculators, or strange Mo-Mo masks (from the internet meme) and empty DogToid tins – makes for a variety of customers. Meyer said homeowners working on projects are frequent visitors, as are patrons of a nearby restaurant waiting for their tables. Prop masters and set decorators for film and TV productions are also frequent fliers.
Meyer said he plans to revamp the store’s website soon and also bolster its social media presence.
In the meantime, the store will remain a solid place to find good deals on pet supplies, shipping supplies, camping gear, wheels and, evidently, tarps.
“We’re known in the Valley for having the best deals on tarps,” Meyers said.
AMPTP Names Hessinger as Its Next President
Greg Hessinger, a long-time entertainment attorney with Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP has been named as the new president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
He replaces Carol Lombardini, who announced her retirement last year and will transition into an advisory role.
As president, Hessinger will be the lead negotiator between the Alliance, which represents the major Hollywood studios and streaming companies, as well as dozens of independent companies, and the entertainment industry unions. He assumes the position on April 14.
MSK in Century City has served as legal counsel for the Alliance since its start in 1983. Hessinger is the second MSK partner to serve as its president; former MSK partner Nick Counter was president from the organization’s inception until his retirement in April 2009.
Both sides of the table
A spokesperson for the Alliance board of directors said that Hessinger has been on both sides of the negotiating table, “knows entertainment inside and out” and is the right leader for the industry at this moment.
“He understands the priorities and values of those who make production possible and has an extensive track record of bringing parties together to find common ground,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We conducted an exhaustive search process and have the utmost confidence that his experience and deep relationships
will be invaluable to the work of leading the Alliance.”
Hessinger said that he was honored to step into the president role during such a pivotal time for the industry.
“I’ve spent my entire career working to create and sustain opportunity in entertainment and media and I look forward to partnering with our member companies and union leaders to ensure the hard-working individuals who drive our industry forward can continue to create inspiring content for audiences around the world,” he said in a statement.
Hessinger planted his roots in the entertainment industry when he worked as the director of labor relations at CBS in the mid-1990s. He then moved on to the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists where for five years he was the national executive director. He then served as chief executive and national executive director of the Screen Actors Guild for six months before he went into private practice for law firms in Philadelphia and New York City. He was most recently the chair of MSK.
“Serving as chair of MSK and a partner here for nearly a decade has been a privilege,” Hessinger said in a statement. “I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together – growing the firm, strengthening our client relationships, and building on our reputation as a leading firm for the entertainment industry.”
SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said in a statement to Deadline on March 25 that Hessinger has extensive knowledge of the industry and is an experienced negotiator.
“We look forward to productive bargaining with him as we continue to represent and advance the interests of all performers,” he added.
New Terminal Moves Ahead
Work continues on the new terminal at Hollywood Burbank Airport.
The project, which carries a $1.3 billion budget, reached a construction milestone in January with the “topping out” – that is, when the final beam for the structure is installed at the highest point. Along with the now-completed steel structure, work done so far includes mass site grading, utility installation and completion of the parking garage basement.
This leaves the terminal building at about 32% completion and on schedule for an October 2026 opening.
The new terminal will replace the current facility, which was built in 1930, and comes with a strong political mandate – nearly 70% of Burbank voters approved the initiative in 2016. With the new 355,000 square foot facility, the airport will continue to have 14 gates, while sporting contemporary design elements, seismic protections and energy efficient infrastructure.
“With the new passenger terminal, we are aiming to provide the same, and improved where possible, level of convenience and quality of service that passengers enjoy at the current facility,” said John Hatanaka, executive director of the airport, in an email. “And we are always learning from our colleagues at other airports, as they too seek to improve.”
The joint venture running the design-build of the terminal includes Atlanta-based Holder Construction, which has handled numerous airport projects nationwide; Pasadena-based Pankow Builders, which has handled local projects like the Mission College East Campus Complex in Sylmar and the Zev Yaroslavsky Family Support Center in Van Nuys; Inglewood-based TEC Constructors & Engineers, which has contributed to numerous projects at Los Angeles International Airport; Dallas-based Corgan, an architecture firm that has a plethora of airport projects, including at LAX, in its portfolio; New York-based CannonDesign, which worked on the Showtime West Coast headquarters in West Hollywood; and Kansas City, Missouri-based Burns & McDonnell, which boasts a variety of aviation engineering expertise. Jacobs Project Management is handling project management services.
Currently working on exteriors
Workers are now installing the outer layer of the terminal buildings as well as the mechanical, electrical and plumbing infrastructure within the structure itself. Once that is completed, they will move onto the terminal dry-in – weather-proofing the exterior, so that interior work can be done free of the elements – followed by the interior buildout, parking structure construction and the taxiway tie-in.
The new terminal is positioned separately from the current facility, in keeping with modern airport regulations. The original building will be torn down once the new terminal opens.
“The terminal construction project has had no impact on operations at the airport, since it’s being built on a parcel completely separate from the current facility, adjacent to the airfield,” Hatanaka said. “We’ve been fortunate. That location has allowed us to operate seamlessly at BUR while construction continues.”
The Hollywood Burbank Airport – which is jointly owned and managed by Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena – enjoys its role as an easier alternative to LAX for local travelers. The airport last year set its all-time passenger record with 6.55 million people traveling through the hub, a 9% growth rate from the previous year.
OpEd: Olympics to Put Spotlight on Valley
For the first time in Olympic history, the San Fernando Valley will host official events during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. That’s not just a headline – it’s a milestone.
In both 1932 and 1984, Los Angeles welcomed the world for the Olympic Games. And in both instances, the San Fernando Valley – home to nearly 2 million residents and one of the largest local economies in the state – was either left out or avoided. Not a single event took place here.
But in 2028, the story is different.
The Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area will host six fast-paced, high-energy Olympic competitions: BMX Freestyle, BMX Racing, Skateboarding Park, Skateboarding Street, Modern Pentathlon, and 3×3 Basketball. These aren’t just fringe sports. They are youth-driven, globally followed, and reflect the evolving spirit of the Games. More importantly, they are finally putting the Valley on the Olympic map.
BMX was created in the Valley, and there is a permanent exhibit at the Valley Relics Museum dedicated to the sport.
Those of us who lived in the Valley in the ’70s remember the empty pools overrun by skateboarders.
Even the Modern Pentathlon, first held in the 1912 Olympics, is getting a new look – with the horse-riding portion being replaced by an obstacle course similar to “American Ninja Warrior.” And 3×3 Basketball is a burgeoning sport with a league owned by Valley resident Ice Cube.
Prioritizing bringing games to the Valley
When I joined the quest to bring the Olympics to the City of Los Angeles in 2015, Mayor Garcetti and Casey Wasserman promised that the Valley would not be left out – and they delivered.
Now, as a member of the LA28 Board of Directors, I’m proud to see this long-overdue engagement of our region. The San Fernando Valley has long been the economic backbone of Los Angeles – home to a thriving mix of small businesses, large manufacturers, film and television studios, and a diverse workforce that keeps the city running. If the Valley were its own city, it would be the fifth largest in the country, sandwiched between Chicago and Houston.
Hosting Olympic events in the Valley is not just symbolic – it’s economically significant. Thousands of spectators, athletes, media personnel and staff will be coming into our neighborhoods. They’ll eat in our restaurants, stay in our hotels, and spend at our businesses. That means real revenue, real jobs and a lasting boost for the local economy.
Beyond the immediate financial impact, the infrastructure and facility upgrades coming to the Sepulveda Basin are long overdue. These improvements – from increased mobility access and transportation connections to revitalized public spaces – will benefit Valley residents long after the athletes leave town.
It’s an investment in our future, and one we’ve long deserved.
This moment is also about visibility. For too long, the Valley has quietly contributed to Los Angeles’ success without receiving its share of the spotlight. The 2028 Games change that. When millions of viewers tune in to watch a skateboarder land a trick or a BMX rider soar through the air, they’ll be watching the San Fernando Valley. They’ll see our community – not just as a backdrop, but as a vital and vibrant part of the city.
The Olympics are about global unity, youth and the future. What better place to showcase those values than right here in the Valley?
In 2028, we’re not just hosting the Games — we’re finally being recognized. The San Fernando Valley is ready.
Let the Games begin.
Stuart Waldman is president of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association, a business advocacy organization based in Van Nuys that represents employers in the San Fernando Valley area at the local, state and federal levels of government.