August 15 - 19, 2005
Monday, Aug. 15
Prop. 77 Back On The Ballot
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On Friday, the California Supreme Court ruled to put Proposition 77 back on the November 8 ballot after a month-long court battle between opponents and proponents over different versions of the proposition that were circulated before the measure qualified. The ballot measure would take power for drawing districts away from legislators and give it to a panel of retired judges. The Supreme Court justices who voted to keep Proposition 77 on the ballot argued that the discrepancies between the circulated versions were not significant enough to remove the measure. Guest host, Patt Morrison, talks with Ted Costa, CEO of People’s Advocate, Inc. and a proponent of Prop 77, and Todd Harris, political consultant for Governor Schwarzengger about the Supreme Court’s decision and its impact on the special election scheduled for Nov. 8th.
Cindy Sheehan Takes On Bush
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Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed Iraq in 2004, has been camped out for days in Crawford, Texas outside Bush’s ranch. She is demanding to meet with the President to challenge his policies on the war in Iraq. Several hundred people have joined her protest including families of seven soldiers killed in the war. Among family and friends, opinions vary about Cindy Sheehan's decision to stage a peace vigil in Casey's name on President Bush's doorstep in Texas. Guest host Patt Morrison speaks with Cindy Sheehan and Bill Mitchell about their protest. Neal Gabler joins Patt to analyze the media’s handling of the story and its impact on the anti-war movement.
The Iraqi Constitution
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On Monday the Iraqi constitution is to be handed to parliament by the drafting committee. But in Friday prayers, Sunni clerics urged their followers to vote against the constitution if it includes Shiite calls for regional governments. If the final draft includes Kurdish and Shiite demands for federalism, the Sunni minority may reject it thus scuttling the Bush administration’s strategy for coaxing Sunni Arabs away from insurgency. Other constitutional issues to resolve include the role of religion and the status of women. Patt Morrison talks with Barbara Bodine, Executive Director of the Middle Eastern Governance Initiative at the Belfer Center, Harvard's Kennedy School of Government; Lou Cantori, Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Distinguished Professor at Westpoint, US Airforce Academy, and US Marine Corps University, also a former Marine; and Christopher Allbritton, Reporter for Time magazine, based in Baghdad about the Iraqi constitution, scheduled to be finalized today.
Tuesday, Aug. 16
Statewide Test Scores: Some Gains, Some Concerns
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California public school students showed gains in Math and English tests last spring. However, less than half were proficient in the two subjects and unable to meet the achievement goals set by the federal government. Patt Morrison talks with Marlene Canter, LAUSD Board President, Rick Miller, Communications Director for the California Department of Education, and Russlynn Ali, director of the Education Trust-West, an advocacy organization in Oakland devoted to closing the achievement gap.
Lawsuit Damage Awards And The Media
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Media coverage of high profile lawsuits and the huge damage awards that accompany them may be driving the political crusade for tort reform. Does such coverage give a distorted view of a legal system and send a message that frivolous lawsuits are on the rise and jury awards are out of control? Patt Morrison talks with Myron Levin, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, and Victor Schwartz, General Counsel for American Tort Reform Association, located in Washington, DC about the coverage of mega-verdicts and how it may skew the public perception of the civil justsice system.
Dwp Customers To Be Charged More For Using Less Power
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According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will soon charge some large customers a fee for generating their own electricity. The DWP also gives the Los Angeles Unified School district a reduced rate for postponing its alternative energy program. Patt Morrison talks with Mary Nichols, newly appointed DWP Board member, and Director of the UCLA Institute of the environment and former CA Secretary of Resources, Scott Tomashefsky, Senior Adviser to the Chairman of the CA Energy Commission, and John White, Director of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technology.
Gaza Update
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Patt Morrison talks with Laura King, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, about the latest news regarding the Israeli pullout.
Work And Leisure – The U.S. Vs. Europe
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A new study shows that the average American works over 46 weeks per year, while the French average only 40. Why do western Europeans work so much less than Americans? And are Americans satisfied with less vacation time? Is it a question of economics, culture, or something else? Patt Morrison talks with Alberto Alesina, Chair of the Economics department at Harvard University, Linda A. Bell, Chair of the Economics Department at Haverford College, and a Fellow with the Institute for the Study of Labour in Bonn, Germany, Karlyn Bowen, resident fellow at AEI, and Bruce Sacerdote, co-author of the story with Alberto Alesina.
Wednesday, Aug. 17
Is There A Connection Between Prison Gangs And Terrorist Plots?
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Law enforcement and counter terrorism officials are investigating a possible terrorist plot hatched by three California prison inmates to attack a number of sites in Southern California including National Guard recruitment centers and synagogues. Patt Morrison talks about the investigation into the alleged plot and the possibility of a connection between Islamic terrorism and gang members in California prisons and elsewhere. Patt talks with J.P.Tremblay, Assistant Secretary for Public and Employee Communications, and Joseph Garcia, senior team leader of US Corrections-Special Operations Group.
Sacramento Update: 850 Bills And Only A Month To Go
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Guest host Patt Morrison takes a look at the latest news from Sacramento: ballot measures, the special election compromise scenario and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s crime victims’ bill with KPCC reporter Tamara Keith and political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe.
Preventing Mad Cow Disease In Humans: Are We Doing Enough?
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Inspectors have found more than 1000 violations of rules aimed at preventing mad cow disease from reaching humans, the USDA announced Monday. The USDA also declared that no contaminated meat reached consumers. How can they be sure? And, are current inspection procedures adequate? Guest host Patt Morrison talks with James Cullor (COLOR), UC Davis’s Veterinary Medical Teaching & Research Center, and state Senator Mike Machado, who has sponsored legislation addressing mad cow disease testing.
The Gaza Pullout
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The deadline has passed for Jewish settlers to voluntarily leave the Gaza strip. Israeli officials report about half the families have left the area. Soldiers went house-to-house trying to persuade residents to agree to leave voluntarily. Those who remain may be forcibly removed. Patt Morrison talks with Ken Ellingwood, Los Angeles Times reporter in Gaza, Yuli Edelstein, member of the Israeli Knesset for the Likud party and the Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Daniel Sokatch, Executive Director Progressive Jewish Alliance, Rabbi David Eliezrie, President of Rabbinical Council of Orange County, and Ehud Danoch, Consul General of Israel to hear their perspectives on the disengagement and what it means to the future of the peace process.
Thursday, Aug. 18
Arizona And New Mexico Declare States Of Emergency
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The governors of Arizona and New Mexico have declared states of emergency along their borders with Mexico. The Department of Homeland Security is attempting to defend itself from charges that it wasn't doing enough to combat the crime and violence associated with drug smuggling and illegal immigration. Guest host, Patt Morrison, discusses the situation in our neighboring states with Jeanine L’Ecuyer, Communications Director for Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, and Billy Sparks, Deputy Chief of Staff for New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, and asks whether Governor Schwarzengger should follow the lead of the Governors Napolitano and Richardson.
California State Mental Hospitals Criticized For Poor Patient Care
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According to a recent U.S. Dept. of Justice report Napa Valley State Hospital routinely fails to protect it’s patients from harm. The report also states that the California Deptartment of Mental Health had denied federal investigators access to the Napa facility and to two other state hospitals. Patt Morrison and Anna Ramirez, Assistant Deputy Director of the Licensing and Certification Program for California’s Department of Health Services, and Bob Garcia, Chief Deputy Director at the State Dept. of Mental Health in Sacramento discuss the conditions in California’s Mental Health facilities.
Mental Care Of Children In Los Angeles
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An independent panel was asked to oversee the mental health treatment of children in Los Angeles after the County said that it would improve mental health treatment in the child welfare system. Has the County done so? Patt Morrison talks with Paul Vincent, Chairman of the panel of independent experts to monitor the County, and director of the Alabama based Child Welfare Policy and Practice Group, Kimberly Lewis, staff attorney for the Western Center on Law and Poverty, Dr. Marvin Southard, Director of the L.A. County Department of Mental Health, and David Sanders, Director of the LA County Department of Children and Family Services.
Open Phones: What Are Southern Californians Doing To Combat Rising Gas Prices?
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Gas prices got you down? The average price of regular gas in the Southland increased by 18 cents per gallon in the past month hitting an all-time record monthly average of $2.77 a gallon. That’s 66 cents per gallon more than we were paying last August. Patt invites our listeners to offer their suggestions for how to deal with the rising price of getting from point A to B. Patt talks with Steve Mazor, Principal Automotive Engineer with the American Automobile Association, and takes listener calls.
The Great Earthquake And Firestorms Of 1906
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In his new book, The Great Earthquake and Firestorms of 1906: How San Francisco Nearly Destroyed Itself, Philip Fradkin calls the 1906 disaster "this country's greatest urban catastrophe." Patt Morrison talks with Fradkin who says the devastation could have been far less severe and the fatalities far fewer if the city had been better prepared.
Friday, Aug. 19
SACRAMENTO UPDATE
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Negotiations broke down last night between Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and State Senate and Assembly Democrats over a compromise deal on the special election. Guest host Patt Morrison gets the latest on this issue from KPCC's State Capital Reporter, Tamara Keith. Also, Michael Finnegan, LA Times staff writer who covers state politics, joins Patt to talk about the Federal Election Commission ruling yesterday that allows members of Congress to raise unlimited sums of money to support or oppose California ballot measures in the upcoming special election.
NEW HEAD OF KING/DREW MEDICAL CENTER
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For the first time in almost four years, a permanent chief executive has been hired to run the troubled Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center. Patt speaks with Antionette Smith Epps, about the position she will assume on October 17th - one day before a scheduled public hearing to discuss the possible closure of the some of the hospital's wards.
THE HAWAIIAN SOVEREIGNTY MOVEMENT
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Friday is Statehood Day in Hawaii, a holiday commemorating the day Hawaii became the 50th state. For many native Hawaiians, it's not a day of celebration, but a day to protest what they see as an illegal takeover of the islands by the United States. This view, once considered radical, has lately gained more credence, and a bill is now moving through the U.S. Senate that would grant native Hawaiians some sovereignty, much like American Indians have received. Patt Morrison talks with Kekuni Blaisdell, convenor for the Kanaka Maoli ("True People") Tribunal, Judge Robert Klein, Counsel for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees, and William Aila, Jr., a native Hawaiian fisherman, about the desire by native Hawaiians for more independence.
FILMWEEK
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Guest host John Rabe and critics Jean Oppenheimer of New Times, Peter Rainer, past president of the National Society of Film Critics and Charles Solomon, animation critic for amazon.com discuss this week's new releases, including Red Eye, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Valiant, The World, and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. Also, the life and career of animator Joe Ranft is remembered.
