December 17 - 21, 2007
Monday, Dec. 17
Health Care Plan
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After almost a year of negotiations, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez have agreed upon an ambitious health care plan that would extend health insurance to the estimated 3.6 million Californians who do not have it. The plan would require that employers spend between 1% and 6.5% of their payroll costs on healthcare and would also include a tax on tobacco sales of at least $1.50 a pack. Joining Larry to discuss the proposed measure are Daniel Zingale, Senior Advisor to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Andy Stern, President of the Service Employees International Union.
Striking Writers Look for Alternatives
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Striking film and television writers are in negotiations with venture capitalists to establish businesses that would bypass the Hollywood studio system and reach audiences via the Web. At least seven groups of striking WGA members have plans to form Internet-based companies that ideally could create an alternative economic model to the studio-based system. Larry discusses the issue with Jim Kennedy, Spokesman for the Association for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Draining Two of L.A.'s Resevoirs
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City officials announced on Friday that an unexpected chemical reaction in the Silver Lake and Elysian reservoirs will necessitate dumping 600 million gallons of water from the two reservoirs that supply a large part of the city. The decision was brought about after traces of the suspected carcinogen bromate were detected between June and October, resulting from a combination of naturally occurring bromide, intense sunlight, and chlorine used to kill bacteria. David Nahai, General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power talks with Larry about L.A.'s ongoing water conservation concerns.
U.N. Climate Conference in Bali
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Delegates from 190 countries met at the U.N. climate conference in Bali last week, with the goal of negotiating how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over time. Frustrated with the United States' stance, members of the European Union threatened to boycott a conference in Hawaii proposed by the Bush administration for next month. Larry talks with experts about the results of the conference.
The Inner Workings of Broadway
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Larry talks with Tony Award-winning Broadway Producer and author of How Does the Show Go On?: An Introduction to the Theater (Disney Editions), Thomas Schumacher about the inner-workings of Broadway, and about current issues facing the musical industry.
Tuesday, Dec. 18
Assembly Approves Health Care Bill
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Late yesterday the state Assembly approved the first part of a $14.4 billion plan to extend medical insurance to most residents, marking the first real victory in the Governor's campaign to overhaul the state healthcare system. But given a looming deficit, many are questioning the timing, especially in the Senate, where it's less likely to pass. Larry talks with John Myers, Sacramento Bureau Chief of KQED Public Radio's The California Report about healthcare reform and the impact of this vote.
Port Commission Approves Cargo Fee
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The Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles provide imported goods to the entire nation. But all those ships, trucks and trains belch out diesel fumes that can sicken local residents--estimates are that 25% of all particulate air pollution in the region comes from the ports. In response, the Long Beach Harbor Commission approved a $1.6 billion tax on cargo to raise money to help fund clean-air initiatives such as better pollution controls for trucks. The revenue will come through a $35 charge on every cargo container leaving or entering by truck. Larry talks with Mario Cordero, Vice President of the Long Beach Harbor Commission about the economic and health impacts of this new policy.
FCC And Cross Ownership
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In 1975, the Federal Communications Commission approved a ban on media "cross-ownership," when one outlet owns the newspapers and broadcasting stations in a city. The goal was to maintain competition in the media marketplace. But now the FCC is expected to overturn the ban. This has raised the ire of some senators, who fear media monopolies controlling the flow of information. Others see it as a natural adjustment to a changing marketplace, where cable and the Internet have made ownership of the airwaves far less important. Larry talks with Josh Silver, Executive Director of The Free Press, and Steven Titch, media policy analyst for the Reason Foundation about the impacts of the expected change.
Afghanistan Review - Crisis In Kabul?
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Despite the early success of toppling the Taliban in 2001, insurgent attacks are up to their highest levels since the beginning of the US involvement. And suicide bombings are up some 30% in some areas. This has led the Pentagon and NATO to start a series of reviews of operations in Afghanistan, which has started to highlight many problems for the forces there, including long-standing shortfalls in equipment. Reportedly, some Europeans officials are wondering if Afghanistan isn't becoming what it was for the British and the Russians: a doomed operation. Larry talks with Carlotta Gall, Afghanistan and Pakistan correspondent for The New York Times, Lisa Curtis, Senior Research Fellow on South Asia at the Heritage Foundation, and Larry Goodson, Director of Middle East Studies at the Army War College about the war in Afghanistan and where it's headed.
Challenge Of Racial Identity In Barack Obama's Presidential Campaign
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Award winning author and scholar Shelby Steele examines the complex racial issues surrounding Barack Obama in his quest to become President of the United States. Steele argues that Obama is caught between the two classic positions that blacks have always used to make their way in the white American mainstream: bargainers and challengers. According to Steele, bargainers strike a deal with white America in which they promise not concentrate on America's ugly history of racism if whites refrain from holding race against them. Challengers do the opposite. They charge whites with inherent racism and then demand that they prove themselves innocent by supporting black-friendly policies like affirmative action and diversity. Steele maintains that Senator Obama is caught between these two postures and may fail in his candidacy because of his inability to find his true political voice. He joins Larry Mantle to discuss his views.
Wednesday, Dec. 19
Southern California Home Sales Down 43% In 2007
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Southern California home sales in November fell by 43% from the year before, while median prices fell 10%, according to a DataQuick Information Systems' survey released yesterday. November sales levels were the lowest they have been in 20 years, and though a slight 2% increase from October may indicate that the market has bottomed, experts caution against undue optimism. What does this trend mean for Southern California? Larry discusses the issue with John Karevoll, analyst for DataQuick.
Fed Proposes New Regulations On Lenders
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Responding to the sub-prime lending debacle, the Federal Reserve on Tuesday proposed new lending rules to protect borrowers from fraud and deception. But critics say it's too little too late and that current rules aren't properly enforced. Larry talks with Kurt Eggert, Professor of Law at Chapman University School of Law who just completed his term as a member of the Fed's Consumer Advisory Council about the prospects of better regulating the mortgage market.
The Economic Pros And Cons Of The Underground Economy In Southern California
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As part of KPCC's two days of special coverage on Southern California's informal economy, Larry Mantle and guests examine the economic pros and cons of the region's underground economy and analyzes to impact of the informal economy on the Southland's formal economy. Joining Larry are Dan Flaming, President of the Economic Roundtable, and Ruth Milkman, Director of UCLA's Institute for Research in Labor and Employment.
Drop That Big Gulp! San Francisco And The Sugar Surcharge
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From the city that gave us the Twinkie defense comes the sugar tax--San Francisco's mayor announced his city will start taxing sodas which have high-fructose corn syrup, the ubiquitous sweetener that's linked to America's obesity problem. Is this a logical step that raises city funds and deters unhealthful behavior, or a case of the nanny state on a sugar high? Larry talks with John Diaz, Editorial Page Editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, and asks KPCCs listeners about San Francisco's sugary surcharge.
Generic Drug Safety
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In 2007, the FDA approved a record number of generic drug products. But while generic products are far more affordable than brand name drugs, a recent L.A. Times opinion piece claims that generic drugs come with unpleasant or dangerous side effects. Is there legitimacy to this assertion, or is it merely a reflection of the drug companies' desire to control the market? Larry talks with Bob Temple, Director of the Office of Medical Policy at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Joe Graedon, a pharmacologist and co-author of the syndicated column "The People's Pharmacy," and Gordon Johnson, Vice President of Regulatory Science for the Generic Pharmaceutical Association.
Thursday, Dec. 20
EPA Denies Clean Air Waiver Act To Cut Auto Emissions
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The State of California, along with 16 other states, was denied a waiver yesterday that would allow it to regulate CO2 emissions for automobiles. This represents a serious challenge to the Schwarzenegger administration's efforts to reduce green house gases. Larry talks with Senator Barbara Boxer, Tom Cackette, manager of California Air Resources Board's motor vehicle emission control program, and Ann Carlson, Professor of Law and Faculty Director and UCLA's Environmental Law Center about the impact of this EPA recommendation.
WGA Strike's Impact On the Local Economy
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As production slows, gaffers, caterers and teamsters are also taking an economic hit. This has a ripple effect across industries that are seemingly unrelated to the movie biz. Larry and guests Howard Rodman, board member of the WGA, Jack Kyser, Chief Economist with the LAEDC, the Los Angeles Economic Development Corportation, and Steve McDonald, President of FILM LA discuss the strike's blow to the local economy.
Inland Empire Journalists Roundtable
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Larry Mantle talks with Steven Cuevas, KPCC's Inland Empire Reporter, and Cassie MacDuff, columnist with The Press Enterprise, about the latest news, events, and developments in the Inland Empire.
The Child Care Industry And The Underground Economy
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By one estimate, there are 90,000 undocumented immigrants working as nannies in LA County. This underground economy changes diapers and feeds and dresses thousands of area children, but are these workers treated fairly by the parents of the children they care for? Larry talks to Xiomara Corpeno, director of organizing for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, and Christopher Cameron, associate dean and professor of law at Southwestern University School of Law about the underground nanny economy.
Friday, Dec. 21
Sam Zell Closes Tribune Deal - L.A. Times Begins New Era
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Chicago real-estate magnate Sam Zell officially took the reigns of Tribune Co. yesterday, announcing board appointments and beginning a new chapter in the ownership of the Los Angeles Times. Larry talks with Michael Hiltzik, L.A. Times staff writer, James Rainey, L.A. Times staff writer, and Brian Greenspun, owner and editor of the Las Vegas Sun and the Vegas.com website who has just been appointed to the board of the Tribune Company, about the significance of this takeover for our city's paper of record.
FilmWeek Reviews
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Larry and critics Lael Loewenstein, of Variety, Jean Oppenheimer, of Village Voice Media, Henry Sheehan, of henrysheehan.com, and Charles Solomon, animation critic, historian, and author for amazon.com, discuss many of the week's new releases including Charlie Wilson's War, Sweeney Todd, Walk Hard, There Will Be Blood, The Bucket List, The Great Debaters, and Persepolis.
FilmWeek Reviews Continued
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Larry and critics Lael Loewenstein, of Variety, Jean Oppenheimer, of Village Voice Media, Henry Sheehan, of henrysheehan.com, and Charles Solomon, animation critic, historian, and author for amazon.com, discuss many of the week's new releases including Charlie Wilson's War, Sweeney Todd, Walk Hard, There Will Be Blood, The Bucket List, The Great Debaters, and Persepolis.
