L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Throws Her Support Behind Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Settlement - The Hollywood Reporter

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has shifted her stance on the proposed $111 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, calling on all parties to reach a quick resolution during a Thursday news conference.
Bass, who is seeking reelection this year, had previously opposed the deal unless it avoided job losses, but now urges Paramount Skydance and California Attorney General Rob Bonta to swiftly settle the antitrust lawsuit brought by 12 state regulators.
She argued that ongoing uncertainty is harming workers, productions and the broader industry, saying too many productions are at a standstill and that thousands of union members' job security is at risk.
Bass maintained that any resolution must include "meaningful and enforceable commitments" to keep both companies in Los Angeles, along with preserving jobs, productions and investments in California.
Her comments followed a report from the L.A. Department of Economic Opportunity and CVL Economics estimating thousands of corporate, creative and production jobs would be at risk from the merger, with potential lost wages of $1.26 billion and lost economic value of $2.78 billion.
The WGA West, which opposes the deal and has filed its own lawsuit to block it, sharply criticized Bass, accusing her of joining Paramount's pressure campaign to push through a merger it considers illegal and likely to cause job losses.