|
June 5 - 9, 2006
Monday, June 5
Last Chance for King/Drew
(Listen)
King Drew Medical center has one last chance to show federal regulators that the hospital has remedied the severe lapses in care that repeatedly led to patient deaths. Within 90 days the feds will conduct a thorough inspection of the facility. If it fails, King-Drew could stand to loose all of its federal funding and the county would have little choice but to shrink the hospital. Antionette Smith Epps, the hospital's administrator, joins Patt to discuss the changes the hospital has made and what it is doing to prepare for the inspection.
Making Sense of Names, Occupations, and Judges on the Ballot
(Listen)
Tomorrow you can literally vote for lower taxes. A candidate running for Los Angeles Country assessor changed his middle name to this catchy campaign phrase, so it will appear on voter's ballots. Underneath candidate names are occupations, but what goes into verifying employment? One candidate running for the Board of Equalization got a job on the board, held it for a few months, quit, and now the very office she is running for is listed as her occupation. So how important are names and occupations on the ballot? Apparently for judges these title are very important as they are know to voters by little else. Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies, Joe Cerrell, consultant for judicial campaigns, and Judge Dan Thomas Oki discusses the political consequences of names and occupations.
What's in a Date?
(Listen)
Noticed the billboards around town with 6-6-06 on them? And what's the deal with the year 2012 - that's when, on December 21st, the Mayan calendar stops and the world is supposedly going to end. Remember all the Y2K hysteria? How do societies decide on these ominous numbers, and do they really mean something? Stephen O'Leary, Associate Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at University of Southern California answers the question: what's in a date?
Tuesday, June 6
What's Happening at the Polls?
(Listen)
Patt gets the latest from polling sites around Southern California. She hears how voting is going from registrar-recorders Connie McCormack, Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters; Neal Kelly, Orange County Registrar of Voters; Barbara Dunmore, Registrar-Recorder for Riverside County; and Phil Schmidt, Registrar-Recorder for Ventura County. She also gets the latest from KPCC reporters in the field, Adolfo Guzman-Lopez and Jordan Davis.
Remembering Billy Preston
(Listen)
Billy Preston, the exuberant keyboardist who landed dream gigs with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and enjoyed his own series of hit singles including "Outta Space" and "Nothing From Nothing," died today at 59.
In Her Place - Status of Women Then and Now
(Listen)
Although both men and women will be at the polls today, it wasn't so long ago that women were denied the right to vote. Few modern day women would tolerate being referred to as "the frailer sex," "intellectually inferior to men," or even "hysterical" - terms widely accepted by men and women alike in the 19th century. Author S.T. Joshi looks back at two centuries of contempt for women's physical, intellectual, and psychological capacities, and asks why prejudice against women was so rampant. Susan Estrich, professor of law at USC, discusses what has - and has not - changed since then.
Wednesday, June 7
The Day After
(Listen)
After a divisive battle for the gubernatorial Democratic nomination, Steve Westly and Phil Angelides are trying to mend any schisms within the party to support Angelides' bid for governor at a unity conference. KPCC reporter John Rabe was there with the latest. Meanwhile Arnold Schwarzenegger is already kicking off his campaign for reelection, KPCC reporter Tamara Keith was with him on his bus and has details. Patt also gets results and reaction to the election results from up north with Carla Marinucci, political reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Supreme Court Cases to Come
(Listen)
So far it has been a smooth session for the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Roberts has had the pleasure of authoring more than a few unanimous decisions, and the balance of the court with Justice Samuel Alito has yet to be tested. However, this may soon change. With the end of the session near, the Court will begin to render what promises to be their most controversial and divided verdicts. David Savage, staff writer at the Los Angeles Times; Douglas Kmeic, professor of constitutional law at Pepperdine University School of Law; and Erwin Chemerinsky, professor of constitutional law at Duke University School of Law, join Patt with a preview of important cases.
Thursday, June 8
California National Guard in Disarray?
(Listen)
A state audit released Tuesday states that the California National Guard misused federally funded troops and anti-drug money to create unauthorized programs, and failed to get state approval for an intelligence unit that monitored a Mother's Day peace rally last year. The audit fed criticism from state lawmakers, including Joe Dunn, who are advancing bills to create an inspector general over the California National Guard and to bar the Guard from domestic spying. National Guard Adjunct General Wade II defends the practices of the guard. He joins Patt along with Senator Dunn and California deputy auditor Doug Cordiner. As the Governor prepares to send California guard troops to the Mexican border, what exactly is the state of our National Guard?
Who Needs Sleep?
(Listen)
Think working in Hollywood is glamorous? Think again. While it's true that the wages are often extremely high and the perks plentiful, the flip-side are very, very long workdays. Grueling 18 hour workdays are common, occasionally with tragic results. When assistant cameraman Brent Hershman died after falling asleep at the wheel on his way home from a shoot in 1997, Oscar-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler decided to explore the corporate motives behind the exhausting work grind. Wexler joins host Patt Morrison to talk about the resulting documentary, which is a must-see for people already working within the industry, and anyone hoping to break in.
For more information visit:www.whoneedssleep.net
The Loh Life
(Listen)
Sandra stands back and watches the ALPHA mom in action as BETA mom provides support and ZETA mom avoids it all by writing a check.
Friday, June 9
Gang Injunctions - Are they Effective?
(Listen)
Earlier this week, City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo announced Los Angeles' 27th injunction against a street gang. Injunctions target gangs by severely restricting their member's activities, including associating in public. Critics contend that injunctions do harm as well as good - no one has successfully been removed from an injunction list and the criteria for getting added to an injunction is so broad that people with no real connection to gangs can wind up on a list. The city attorney's office touts gang injunctions as a critical crime fighting tool, but just how effective are they?
Patt's guests include: Marty Vranicar, Assistant City Attorney and Supervisor of the Gang Unit; Gary Brennan,Deputy Chief Officer at the LAPD Detective Bureau; Connie Rice, Civil Rights Attorney; Ricky Thenarse; Janice Hahn, Los Angeles Councilwoman; and Richard Gallegos, Former President of Pacoima Neighborhood Council.
Paula Poundstone at the Mic
(Listen)
Appearing on stage with a stool, a microphone, and a can of Diet Pepsi, Paula Poundstone's ability to create humor on the spot is legendary. Whether she's talking about politics or being a single working Mom with three kids, her quirky observations and spot-on timing have earned her the reputation for being one of the best comics working today. Patt and Paula mix it up in studio.
|
