In November 2025, the Los Angeles City Council approved an update to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance, using a new formula that will set allowable increases for roughly 650,000 units at 4% and remove additional charges for electricity and gas — the most substantive changes to the policy in more than four decades. Continue reading
Life Member & AFM Local 47 Secretary/Treasurer Emeritus. String Bass
4/9/1921 – 10/4/2025
by Bonnie Janofsky
We lost Serena Kay Williams at 104 years young after an amazing career as a vocalist and bassist and decades of loyal service to AFM Local 47 and the labor community at large. Continue reading
Congratulations to all candidates, and thank you to all members who voted, in our 2025 General Election.
TRUSTEE (3 elected)
Alex Iles – 173
Phil O’Connor – 163
Bonnie Janofsky – 155
Steve Dress – 141
DELEGATE TO THE AFM CONVENTION (3 elected)
Allison Allport – 160
Phil O’Connor – 159
Meredith Snow – 153
Bonnie Janofsky – 140
Continue reading
Thursday, December 11, 2025, 11 a.m.
Faith Dome at Crenshaw Christian Center
7901 S. Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90044
Phone: (323) 758‑3777
crenshawchristiancenter.net
Biography: philupchurch.com/bio.htm
We are extremely pleased to announce that the teaching artists at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) at Torres and YOLA at Inglewood are now represented by the American Federation of Musicians Local 47.
We thank the leadership of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association for their continued support of high-quality music for the students, parents, and teaching artists of the East Los Angeles and Inglewood communities.
“There is no way to overestimate the value of music education to a child, to a society, and to a culture,” said AFM Local 47 President Stephanie O’Keefe. “As a former music educator, I am so happy to support these teaching artists.”
As approved by the membership at our July 2025 General Membership Meeting, membership dues will increase in the New Year:
Regular Member Annual Dues
$220 due January 1
Regular Member Semi-Annual Dues
$115 due January 1 & July 1
Life Member Annual Dues
$115 due January 1
Inactive Life Member Annual Dues
$95 due January 1
Note: Reinstatement fees for suspensions and expulsions have been reduced to $25, down from $75.
The holidays are approaching rapidly, and thousands of families will have to decide whether to buy food, pay rent, or keep the heat on in their homes during the winter nights. Without our help, many of our union sisters, brothers and siblings will be unable to afford holiday presents for their children. Continue reading
On the afternoon of November 20, 2025, we paid a visit to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles to enjoy a dress rehearsal of LA Opera’s “La Bohème,” joining hundreds of LAUSD students for the special program.
Photos by Linda A. Rapka // LA Opera orchestra contractor Brady Steele poses in front of the pit at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion moments before a special dress rehearsal peformance of “La Bohème,” attended by hundreds of LAUSD students and co-sponsored by the Music Performance Trust Fund.
Inside This Issue:
Browse our full Overture pdf archives here.
For exclusive members-only Overture content — Executive Board minutes, CBAs, Local 47 Wage Scales, Bylaws, Suspended/Expelled member lists, and more — log in to your new E2 member account at ensemble.afm47.org and browse the “Overture” section on the Documents page. (New to E2? Visit our E2 FAQ here.)
A Message From the Entertainment Union Coalition:
Our Entertainment Union Coalition (EUC) continues to work collaboratively to ensure the success of the application of our expanded and modernized Film and Television Jobs Program, as well as championing the efforts to keep production both within our State.
Just last week, Governor Newsom announced 17 Television Projects that have been recently awarded tax credits expected to generate $1.2 billion in statewide economic activity. Continue reading