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May 2 - 6, 2005
Monday, May 2
Special Election or Appointment?
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San Diego's city council is meeting today, debating whether to hold a special election to replace Dick Murphy who resigned last week as mayor. Tomorrow, the deputy mayor and a San Diego city councilman go on trial for corruption charges. Meanwhile, the city is in the midst of a financial crisis – its pension system is under-funded, its credit rating has plummeted, and the city's financial problems are under federal investigation. Kitty is joined by Phil LaVelle, a political reporter who has been covering the story for the San Diego Union Tribune; and Glen Sparrow, a policy analyst and Professor Emeritus, San Diego State University.
Fresh Air Dining - An Update
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On last week's program we talked about the launch of the Fresh Air Dining Program, under which restaurants are voluntarily banning smoking from their outdoor dining areas. How many restaurants have signed on and what has the response been? Project Director Robert Berger joins Kitty in studio.
Pretty Birds
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National Public Radio journalist Scott Simon has written his first novel, Pretty Birds (Random House), the story of a young woman in the besieged city of Sarajevo in 1992. He joins Kitty in studio to discuss his book and his own experiences covering the Yugoslav war.
Tuesday, May 3
Media Hype and Freeway Shootings
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You wouldn’t know it from the headlines, but the CHP says we are actually on pace to have fewer highway shootings this year which begs the question: is the media creating hype where there is none? Kitty speaks with Bryce Nelson from USC Annenberg School of Communications and Matthew Felling, Media Director at the Center for Media and Public Affairs about the media factor.
Opportunity is "Stuck"
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"Get used to the current scenery, because we're going to be here awhile," says Steve Squyres, Cornell professor of Astronomy, in reference to the rover Opportunity. All six rover wheels are stuck deep in Martian sand. JPL Project scientist Albert Halderman and his team remain optimistic while working on a plan for freeing the rover. Their first steps will be to simulate the situation on Mars with a mock sand pen and identical rovers. Meanwhile, Spirit rolls on. Kitty gets an update from Halderman.
Bill Rosendahl’s Big Picture - 11th District Race
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Bill Rosendahl and Flora Gil Krisiloff, candidates for the 11th District City Council seat, differ little in their assessment of the challenges facing the district: traffic – it’s terrible and getting worse, development – there is too much already, expand LAX – never! Without major disagreements between the two, voters are left to choose on style as much as substance. Rosendahl shares his vision for the West Side and greater Los Angeles with Kitty.
To visit Bill Rosendhal's website, click here.
Yiddish in Tijuana
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The Skirball Cultural Center is screening a documentary tonight featuring the story of European Jews who crossed the Atlantic with the United States as their intended destination, but settled just south of our border. Isaac Artenstein documented the unique blending of Jewish and Mexican cultures through the memories of Yiddish speaking immigrants, including his own family, through his film Tijuana Jews.
Tijuana Jews will be screened tonight at 6 and 8 p.m. the Skirball Cultural Center.
Relive Wild Kingdom - Now on DVD
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Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, which premiered on January 6, 1963, combined education and entertainment by taking viewers to the far corners of the world to share their studies of wild animals in their natural habitats. Co-hosts Jim Fowler and Peter Gros joined Marlin Perkins on his treks and join Kitty today with stories of the rare and elusive worlds they brought into America’s living rooms.
Wednesday, May 4
The Future of Voting?
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Seven California counties are planning to participate in a pilot program that would shut down polling places next year and require voters to cast ballots by mail. The program is designed to save costs while increasing voter turnout and speeding up election results. Alpine county has been voting-by-mail since 1993. Kitty talks with Barbara Jones, county clerk for Alpine County, about the success of the program. She also talks with the county clerk for Ventura County, Philip Schmit. Ventura is one of the seven counties selected to participate in the pilot program.
Update from the City Clerk
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Dense fog wasn't the only thing that delayed election results in the mayoral primaries last March. Complaints ranged from inadequately staffed polling places and painfully slow ballot inspections, to criticisms that the city had no effective back-up plan for the grounded helicopters delivering the ballots. With the May 17 mayoral election rapidly approaching, Kitty checks in with LA's City Clerk, Frank Martinez, to find out how prepared we are this time and what changes have been made to avoid a repeat of the problems.
To work the polls on election day, call 1-866-899-VOTE.
Two Charter Amendments
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Charter Amendment A and B are on the May 17 ballot. The first would remove the restriction to reorganize the law enforcement authority at the city's airports. The second would eliminate the requirement for a voter to cast a vote on the question of recalling a candidate in order to select a replacement candidate. Raphe Sonenshein, professor of political science at CSU Fullerton, gives Kitty a brief tutorial on the measures.
Steve Lopez on the Mayoral Election
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In less than two weeks, Angelinos will go to the polls to elect their next Mayor. As predicted, the ads and the rhetoric during these final weeks have taken a turn for the ugly. Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez has been following the race.
Thursday, May 5
Human Smuggling
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Nearly 150 smuggled immigrants were found Wednesday at two South Los Angeles locations where they were being held until someone, often friends or relatives in the United States, paid the smugglers for bringing them across the border. The smugglers were arrested and the undocumented immigrants were taken to an ICE facility in Los Angeles to be interviewed. What will become of them? And why is Los Angeles increasingly becoming a hub of human smuggling? Kevin Jeffery, deputy special agent in charge of investigations with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Anjelica Salas, Executive Director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles discuss the situation with Kitty.
Are we there yet?
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Is today’s rain enough to break LA’s previous rainfall record? Kitty gets the latest numbers from Channel 4 news' Fritz Coleman.
Vietnamese Premier
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A week after Vietnam celebrated the 30th anniversary of the end of the war, the communist country's prime minister announced plans Thursday to become the nation's
highest-ranking leader to visit the United States. Prime Minister Phan Van Khai said he plans to travel to Washington at the end of June and hinted at a Southern California stop. What kind of reception would he get in Little Saigon? Co Pham, head of the Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce in Orange County joins Kitty to discuss.
A Sense of Duty
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From first to flee to first to fight….as the son of a South Vietnamese fighter pilot, he came to the US along with thousands of others when Saigon fell 30 years ago. Like many Vietnamese refugees he grew up here in Southern California. But unlike so many of them, he was inspired to join the Marines and fight in the first Gulf War to defend his adopted country. Today he is a successful entrepreneur with a new memoir, A Sense of Duty: My Father, My American Journey (Ballantine).
Sandra Tsing Loh—The Loh Life
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Is the cooler weather a Republican plot? And will she ever find an affordable school for her kids? Tune in to this week's installment of the Loh Life to find out!
Friday, May 6
The New SAT Essay Test: Write Longer, Score Better?
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The new 25-minute SAT essay test will be administered for the second time Saturday. Based on scoring from the first round of tests, Dr. Les Perelman, director of undergraduate writing at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, makes the claim that the longer the essay is, the higher the score it will receive, regardless of the essay's content. That type of scoring, he says, fosters bad writing habits. Countering his claim is Dr. Wayne Camara, president of research and development for The College Board. And just what are test-prep centers telling students to improve their essay scores? Kitty checks in with Jennifer Karan, National Director SAT Programs, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions. Kaplan surveyed over 100 students exiting the March 12 exams to get their feedback on the new test.
Democracy in Immigrant America
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Karthick Ramakrishnan is a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. His new book, Democracy in Immigrant America: Changing Demographics and Political Participation (Stanford University Press), examines the voting patterns of America’s immigrants. He joins Kitty to discuss, among other things, the impact that this important group of voters could play in the upcoming mayoral run-off election.
Prostitutes and Mothers
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Mother’s Day is anything but joyous for prostitute mothers and their children. Studies show that approximately 70% of prostitutes have kids and 89% of them do not have custody of those children. But one organization is helping these women turn their lives around and become true mothers. The Mary Magdalene Project is a nonprofit residential program based in Reseda, CA, that helps women recover from prostitution and reunite with their families. Kitty talks with Socorro, a former prostitute and mother of three adult sons, who has been in the Mary Magdelene project for a year. Also joining the conversation is Ann Hayman, Program Director for the Mary Magdalene Project.
Mother’s Day TV Style
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The ideal maternal prototype we all share comes mainly from those 1950’s TV shows. Three women who embody that stereotype, Barbara Billingsley (Leave it to Beaver), Beverly Garland (My Three Sons, the Bing Crosby Show and Superman) and June Lockhart (Lassie and Lost in Space) weigh in on how TV moms are different today and on how being known as a TV mom comes in handy when hiring help around the house.
All three TV moms will take part in the Catalina Island Museum's Hollywood Tribute on Saturday June 4 in the Casino Building on Catalina Island. The 8th Annual Silent Film Benefit will be at 1 p.m., and the Big Band Dance and Silent Auction will be at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call 310-510-2414.
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