Burbank

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

BOYS

CITY SECTION

Huntington Park 27, Harbor Teacher 26

SOUTHERN SECTION

Adelanto 62, Lawndale 33

AGBU 60, HMSA 31

Alemany 61, San Marcos 45

Alta Loma 86, Apple Valley 52

Arcadia 66, St. Monica 52

Barstow 63, Arroyo Valley 45

Beckman 70, Cerritos 51

Bishop Diego 57, Agoura 28

Brentwood 98, Oxnard Pacifica 54

Buckley 78, South Hills 62

Burbank 65, South Torrance 53

Camarillo 70, Hart 63

Chaminade 71, Shalhevet 49

Downey 38, Saugus 32

Eastside 86, Santa Ynez 51

Elsinore 78, Chino Hills 76

Flintridge Prep 46, Estancia 44

Fountain Valley 67, Canyon Hills 32

Gardena Serra 46, Highland 38

Glendale 57, Paloma Valley 53

Knight 70, Valencia 48

La Canada 71, Calvary Baptist 44

La Palma Kennedy 58, Westminster La Quinta 54

Legacy Christian Academy 51, Calabasas 49

Liberty 51, San Jacinto 46

Milken 78, San Fernando Valley Academy 44

Montebello 55, Rosemead 37

Newbury Park 49, Burbank Burroughs 45

North Torrance 66, La Serna 48

Northwood 79, Placentia Valencia 69

Oaks Christian 70, Golden Valley 54

Oxnard 66, North Torrance 46

Patriot 56, Bloomington 38

Pilibos 50, Simi Valley 36

Ramona 63, Alhambra 62

San Marino 52, Canyon Country Canyon 47

Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 39, Segerstrom 36

Santa Monica 48, Colony 46

St. Bonaventure 58, Ventura 32

Whitney 50, Rancho Alamitos 45

INTERSECTIONAL

Chadwick 73, Triumph Charter 55

Crean Lutheran 92, Cleveland 55

Dos Pueblos 62, Point Loma 48

Gabrielino 71, New West Charter 41

Grant 55, West Ranch 48

Harvard-Westlake 74, Bishop Gorman (NV) 39

Mater Dei 69, O’Fallon (IL) 64

Oceanside El Camino 53, Linfield Christian 45

Pasadena 61, Mt. Bethel Christian (GA) 58

Pasadena Poly 68, Franklin 35

Rancho Christian 65, San Diego 36

San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep 70, La Salle 55

Venice 62, El Segundo 38

West Covina 47, Gardena 42

GIRLS

SOUTHERN SECTION

Anaheim Canyon 48, Whitney 44

Arcadia 42, Riverside King 39

Beckman 58, Rialto 44

Bishop Amat 68, Pioneer 34

Burbank 52, Lawndale 43

Chino Hills 51, Temescal Canyon 39

Crean Lutheran 40, Lakewood 29

El Dorado 50, Long Beach Poly 31

El Toro 68, Irvine 49

Etiwanda 44, Redondo Union 40

Golden Valley 50, Riverside North 21

Hacienda Heights Wilson 54, Sunny Hills 50

JSerra 66, Lynwood 64

Mater Dei 81, Moreno Valley 63

Mira Costa 42, Harvard-Westlake 36

Montclair 43, University Prep 37

Muir 43, San Gabriel 42

Newport Harbor 46, Estancia 29

North Torrance 67, Leuzinger 54

Oak Park 63, Windward 51

Ontario Christian 86, Lancaster 63

Paloma Valley 50, Elsinore 36

Rancho Alamitos 43, Ocean View 16

Rancho Cucamonga 60, Eastvale Roosevelt 21

Rolling Hills Prep 55, Gardena Serra 54

Rosary Academy 49, Corona del Mar 27

San Bernardino 69, Royal 26

San Juan Hills 69, Great Oak 34

Sierra Vista 48, Schurr 45

Sonora 54, Colony 32

South Hills 63, Brea Olinda 43

South Pasadena 56, Riverside Poly 33

St. Anthony 68, Esperanza 48

Trabuco Hills 51, Marina 32

Upland 50, El Rancho 48

Warren 54, Arroyo 16

West Ranch 55, Sacred Heart of Jesus 41

Whittier Christian 56, Montebello 12

INTERSECTIONAL

Birmingham 79, Ontario 42

Downey 64, Bakersfield Frontier 62

Garfield 46, Alta Loma 39

Las Vegas Centennial 80, Brentwood 76

Mary Star of the Sea 38, Bravo 18

North County San Marcos 81, Northwood 22

Portola Valley Priory 63, Canyon Country Canyon 41

Ramona Convent 42, Rise Kohyang 2

Rancho Christian 102, Liberty (NV) 62

Red Mountain (AZ) 48, Edison 41

Shadow Hills 46, Oceanside 27

Sierra Pacific 68, Bishop Montgomery 53

Village Christian 55, Palisades 39

Westchester 59, South Torrance 37

In a small win for California’s film and TV industry, mixed martial arts franchise Combate Global will relocate production from Miami to Burbank.

The franchise, which will air on Spanish-language network Estrella TV after a six-year run on Univision, will film 20 live events at Estrella’s new networks studio, starting in February. That space seats 500 people and has been used to film the talent competition show “Tengo Talento Mucho Talento.”

The franchise wanted to relocate to Southern California because of the bigger media market, said Campbell McLaren, chief executive of Combate Global and co-creator of the UFC.

The move is expected to create about 60 jobs, and is estimated to have an economic impact of more than $1 million on an annual basis for the 20 shows, which is up from the eight produced this year, he said.

“It’s a bigger market, access to more talent, access to more behind-the-camera talent, access to more on-camera talent,” McLaren said. “We feel we’re making a big, big step.”

The move also allows the franchise to target the large Mexican American market in L.A. — Combate Global currently has its largest viewership in Mexico — as well as others who have not been as exposed to the mixed martial arts events, such as the Korean community. The sport’s Japan vs. Mexico nights have also been popular and could find broad appeal in in L.A., McLaren said.

“It’s a move to super serve our core audience,” he said. “We’re going to have real audience traction.”

The news comes as California tries to lure film and television productions back to the Golden State after many have relocated to other states and countries in search of more lucrative tax incentives.

Over the summer, state legislators bulked up the state’s film and TV tax credit program and agreed to more than double the annual amount allocated to it. So far, dozens of projects have been awarded tax credits, including 22 series and 52 movies. (Combate Global did not receive a tax credit because sports do not qualify for the program.)

Following the historic victory of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral election, many Los Angeles-based admirers of the 34-year-old politician’s campaign and agenda have longingly wondered: When will a political spark plug like that happen in L.A.?

Looking at the mayoral landscape of L.A. County, there are two existing mayors that espouse similarly progressive ideologies as Mamdani: Burbank Mayor Nikki Perez and Cudahy Mayor Elizabeth Alcantar Loza. Both elected officials have worked with and been recommended by the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Nikki Perez

Perez was sworn in as Burbank’s youngest mayor in 2024 at the age of 30. She is also the first Indigenous and out LGBTQ+ mayor to serve the city. The politician was first voted onto the City Council in 2022.

She was raised by parents who emigrated from Guatemala and El Salvador to Burbank. Perez received her bachelor’s degree from UC Riverside and a master’s from UCLA.

Prior to becoming a council member, she worked as a social worker with the L.A. Unified School District, served in the state Assembly as the communications director and functioned as a development coordinator for the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

A key issue for Perez — and a common rallying point for democratic socialists — was having sufficient affordable housing options in the Media Capital of the World. The City Council has a goal of constructing 12,000 new housing units in the municipality and has accepted plans on two projects that are expected to create about 200 housing units.

“From the point of view of our average residents, most people just really want to be able to live, to work and to play in Burbank, so that’s what my priorities are,” then-Vice Mayor Perez told her constituents in 2024. “I want my very first priority to be continuing our efforts of alleviating the housing crisis.”

Cognizant of the unstable job market for production, or below-the-line, workers in the entertainment industry, Perez has attempted to combat the shrinking creative job prospects in her city.

In July — while celebrating the expansion of California’s film and television tax credit program alongside Gov. Gavin Newsom — Burbank launched a task force made up of professionals and stakeholders from across the entertainment sector to identify challenges, explore new opportunities and shape policies that help retain and grow industry jobs in the city.

Elizabeth Alcantar Loza

Before joining the City Council of her hometown of Cudahy, Alcantar Loza worked with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, or CHIRLA, to organize and educate community members about immigration issues. In November 2018, she was elected to the City Council and served as vice mayor of Cudahy.

She then served as Cudahy’s first Latina mayor beginning in 2020, when she led the southeast L.A. County city during the 2020 Delta jet fuel dump and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In November 2023, Alcantar Loza was a City Council member when Cudahy became the first city in Southern California to support the Palestinian people of Gaza with a resolution that not only called for a cease-fire, but declared Israel’s government as “engaging in collective punishment” in response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants. The resolution passed on a 3-1 vote after hours of public comments and deliberation.

Last year, she was reinstated as the largely Latino city’s mayor, and in December, she led the City Council to vote to divest from investments that contribute to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and what it considers genocide in Gaza. The five-member council voted unanimously to divest city funds from all arms and weapons manufacturing industries.

“As a progressive leader representing one of our SELA cities, I am committed to ethical governance that prioritizes integrity, accountability, and the trust of the people I serve. Every decision I make is guided by a deep responsibility to transparency and equity in every policy we enact, with a commitment to rejecting backroom deals and self-serving politics,” she wrote in a social media post about her political ideologies.

“True leadership is not just about upholding the highest ethical standards but actively building a government that serves the people — not special interests or the politically connected. I look forward to collaborating with other progressive elected officials across our region who share these values, working together to transform the experience of our residents and redefine the narrative of Southeast L.A.”

Following Mamdani’s win, Alcantar Loza expressed joy for a national recognition that progressive ideals are popular.

“It’s an exciting time to see someone that is so like-minded, that is talking about the issues that matter most to our communities, actually win and win big for our communities and have a plan that will hopefully support folks that are very similar to our folks here,” Alcantar Loza told The Times.

While her city doesn’t have the same monetary sway or resources as New York City, the 32-year-old mayor noted that Cudahy is working with its limited funds to address the needs of as many citizens as possible.

“We often hear the phrase that a city’s budget is a list of the city’s priorities, and it’s something that rings really true,” she said. “In Cudahy, we’re really pushing forward with advancing programs that support the community.

“We’re so used to funding certain programs over for others. It’s often thought that every budget is touchable, except police and fire services. Those are important services to fund, but so are community program services ensuring that our kids have somewhere to go after school so that they’re not engaging in violent activity or activities they shouldn’t be participating in.”

One of Alcantar Loza’s main concerns is ensuring renters’ rights and that their needs are taken care of as over 80% of housing units in Cudahy are rentals.

“It’s important for us to fund programs and staff that support the renter community in knowing their rights and knowing what they can and cannot do, just how to keep folks housed because we should be catering to the needs of our of our most vulnerable folks,” she added.

The fight for rent stabilization is one that Alcantar Loza has been fighting for over half a decade now. She first tried to push it forward in 2019, but it lacked the votes on the City Council and it failed to pass again in 2021, despite a robust campaigning effort. In 2023, Cudahy’s City Council was able to get a Latina majority and advanced rent stabilization.

Additionally, the city established a minimum threshold for eviction in October in cases where a tenant has missed rent. Under the ordinance, a landlord may only initiate an eviction if the amount of rent missed exceeds one month of the fair market rent for the Los Angeles metro area, as determined annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

One obstacle that Alcantar Loza has noticed in her work has been with citizens envisioning what progress looks like in their day-to-day life.

“It’s difficult to help others visualize the opportunities in their community,” she said. “It’s easier for folks to imagine business as usual because it’s been happening for so long. They do not know how to visualize something new.

“Gifting people the opportunity to visualize something new, to think about other ways to support their community is a very powerful tool that we’ve been able to implement and show folks there are other ways to do policy other than what we’re used to.”