Here are the latest headlines regarding how the novel coronavirus is impacting the Los Angeles startup and tech communities. Sign up for our newsletter and follow dot.LA on Twitter for the latest updates.
Today:
- Barger Sets July 4th Goal for Reopening L.A. County
- Netflix to Hollywood: "You will work in this town again."
Barger Sets July 4th Goal for Reopening L.A. County
The Fourth of July could take on new meaning this year for the ten million Los Angeles County residents who have been largely confined to their homes since March as the day they regain the liberty to shop, eat in restaurants and visit malls.
At the second meeting of the Los Angeles County Economic Resiliency Task Force Tuesday, Supervisor Kathryn Barger said it was her goal to "reopen" the county "as early as July 4."
"I understand the urgency to reopen and know many of the experts the county has assembled for this Task Force have been working hard to develop safe and efficient plans to revitalize their sectors as early as next month," Supervisor Barger said in a statement. "I remain focused on working with industry leaders and health officials to safely make way for Los Angeles County to reopen by the Fourth of July."
Bill Allen, president of Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, confirmed in a presentation to the task force that there have been more than one million unemployment claims filed in the county so far; 75% of the losses are for those making less than $50,000 a year, many in the restaurant and retail industry.
Netflix to Hollywood: "You will work in this town again."
live.staticflickr.com
Netflix' message to Hollywood's cast, crew and behind-the-scenes workers: "You will work in this town again." The streamer unveiled a new advertising campaign across Los Angeles on Tuesday that spotlights the faces and names of crew members hurt by Tinseltown's shutdown due to the coronavirus. The spots run from May 19 to 31 in various locations around Los Angeles county, including 17 billboards and more than 100 bus shelters, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
At least 14,000 entertainment industry jobs have vanished in Los Angeles amid layoffs and furloughs since the virus swept through Los Angeles. To soften the blow that the coronavirus has dealt the entertainment industry – parts of it, anyway – Netflix has put up a $100 million emergency fund meant to relieve the financial pressures facing the many workers without a job for the foreseeable future. $85 million will go to workers on Netflix productions, and the remaining $15 million will head to third-party groups.
- Hollywood Has Lost 14K Jobs During the Pandemic - dot.LA ›
- Netflix's $100 Million Relief Fund: How It Started and Where It'll Go ... ›
- Hollywood Studios Submit Recommendations for Reopening - dot.LA ›
- Netflix Opens an Online Shop, Taking a Page from Disney - dot.LA ›
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Snap’s parental controls.
Courtesy of Watchful.
Snapchat is planning to introduce Family Center, which would allow parents to see who their children are friends with on the app and who they’ve messaged within the last seven days, according to screenshots provided by Watchful, a product intelligence company. Parents would also be able help their kids report abuse or harassment.
The parental controls are still subject to change before finally launching publicly, as the Family Center screenshots—which were first reported by TechCrunch—reflect features that are still under development.
Santa Monica-based Snap and other social media giants have faced mounting criticism for not doing more to protect their younger users—some of whom have been bullied, sold deadly drugs and sexually exploited on their platforms. State attorneys general have urged Snap and Culver City-based TikTok to strengthen their parental controls, with both companies’ apps especially popular among teens.
A Snap spokesperson declined to comment on Friday. Previously, Snap representatives have told dot.LA that the company is developing tools that will provide parents with more insight into how their children are engaging on Snapchat and allow them to report troubling content.
Yet Snap’s approach to parental controls could still give teens some privacy, as parents wouldn’t be able to read the actual content of their kids’ conversations, according to TechCrunch. (The Family Center screenshots seen by dot.LA do not detail whether parents can see those conversations).
In addition, teenage users would first have to accept an invitation from their parents to join the in-app Family Center before those parents can begin monitoring their social media activity, TechCrunch reported.