KPCC News: Politics/Public Affairs

Report Recommends 'Peripheral Canal' Around Delta

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 9:36 -0700

Julie Small: The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta supplies water to two-thirds of California's population. But climate change, drought, and threats to endangered fish have made it tougher to take water out of the Delta. A new report recommends building a "peripheral canal" to pump water around the Delta as the best way to send the water where it's needed. KPCC's Julie Small reports that's sure to rile some Northern Californians.

Half a Million Kids Getting Free Lunches

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:42 -0700

Brooke Binkowski: Southland students don't have to give up free food with their homework. KPCC's Brooke Binkowski says the L.A. Unified School District and some Los Angeles parks will serve lunch all summer.

Conceptual Artist Re-enacts 1971 Speech by Cesar Chavez in L.A.

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:42 -0700

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: For almost two years, an East Coast conceptual artist has re-enacted decades-old speeches by famous figures of the American left. The artist is in Los Angeles this weekend to stage an anti-war speech one of those figures delivered to a crowd of thousands in Exposition Park 37 years ago. KPCC's Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has the story.

State Lawmakers Debate Budget Plans

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:42 -0700

Julie Small: The state budget is almost three weeks past due, and there's no sign lawmakers are any closer to solving the $15 billion deficit. Democrats want to raise taxes, Republicans want to cut spending, and it seems like no one wants to compromise. But KPCC's Julie Small reports there is one plan that might get both sides to give a little.

Haefele on MTA Sales Tax Proposal

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:50 -0700

Shirley Jahad: KPCC's Shirley Jahad talks with Marc Haefele about a proposal to increase sales tax in Los Angeles another half cent to support public transit. The board votes on the measure next week.

Passengers Allowed to Hail Taxis in Pilot Program

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:48 -0700

Shirley Jahad: If you ever tried to hail a cab in Los Angeles, you probably stood there for quite a while with your hand up in the air. But did you know it was effectively illegal for a cab to stop for you That's changing now in parts of Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood. The L.A. City Council just approved a pilot plan to make it easier for cabs to stop for you. KPCC's Shirley Jahad spoke with City Councilwoman Jan Perry about the rules for catching a cab in Los Angeles.

Governor Shows Off New School Comparison Web Site

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:48 -0700

Julie Small: Governor Schwarzenegger unveiled a new state Web site today for parents to compare schools anywhere in the state. Other Web sites have offered similar information for up to a decade. KPCC's Julie Small says the governor hopes the state's Web site will eventually include information that's not public right now, in the hope that schools will improve their performance.

O.C. Sheriff's Department Crime Lab Receives International Stamp of Approval

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:48 -0700

Susan Valot: The Orange County Sheriff's Department Crime Lab is the first full-service state or local lab in California to receive international accreditation. KPCC's Susan Valot says the lab officially got that recognition today.

UC Patient Care and Service Workers Begin Strike Over Wages

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:47 -0700

Brian Watt: The union representing thousands of patient care and service workers in the University of California system began a strike Monday. KPCC's Brian Watt went to UCLA's Reagan Medical Center in Westwood, where hundreds of workers picketed.

Lawmakers Have Eye on Wildfires; Waxman, Mukasey Showdown

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 9:21 -0700

Steve Julian: Jack Shaw of Market News International says California's two senators are concerned with responding to the state's wildfires and preventing future ones; Los Angeles Rep. Henry Waxman and Attorney General Michael Mukasey are preparing for a showdown over FBI documents related to the Valerie Plame incident.

Gang Experts Criticize L.A. City's Anti-Gang Efforts

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 9:21 -0700

Frank Stoltze: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa likes to say the city's crime rate is at historic lows. But gang crime continues to plague neighborhoods in South and East L.A., and in parts of the Northern San Fernando Valley. That makes it dangerous to walk some streets even during the day. KPCC's Frank Stoltze listened in on a discussion of the problem sponsored by the Pat Brown Institute at Cal State L.A.

FDIC Shuts Down IndyMac Bank

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:04 -0700

Shirley Jahad: Federal regulators have seized the assets of Pasadena-based IndyMac Bank. KPCC's Shirley Jahad talks with Business Analyst Mark Lacter about the implications of the move.

L.A. County Supervisor Calls on Archdiocese to Account for Sale of Building

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:04 -0700

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: A powerful L.A. politician said Friday that Los Angeles' Roman Catholic Archdiocese mishandled the sale of an East L.A. building for decades home to a nationally known arts group. She's calling on Catholic leaders to explain their actions. KPCC's Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has the story.

Anti-Smoking PSAs to Appear on DVDs

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:04 -0700

Brooke Binkowski: Hollywood and the government are trying to send a more consistent anti-smoke signal. KPCC's Brooke Binkowski has more on the story.

Algebra Requirement Gets Mixed Responses

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:10 -0700

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: To some education experts, California's new algebra requirements for all public school eighth graders doesn't quite add up. KPCC's Adolfo Guzman-Lopez reports.

State Board Adopts Eighth Grade Algebra Requirement

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 9:19 -0700

Steve Julian: State educational leaders have voted to make California the first to require an eighth-grade algebra test, despite concerns over funding, teacher staffing and how it could raise the dropout rate. Gov. Schwarzenegger weighed in at the last moment, then applauded the Board of Education's decision to require algebra at such an early level. He called algebra "the key that unlocks the world of science, innovation, engineering and technology." KPCC Morning Edition host Steve Julian spoke with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, who is opposed to the new requirement.

Leimert Park Bookstore Devotes Section to Barack Obama

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 9:10 -0700

Patricia Nazario: Black-owned independent retailer Eso Won Books in South Los Angeles is devoting space this election year to books by and about presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. KPCC's Patricia Nazario stopped by the store in Leimert Park to chat with its co-owner.

Disaster Information Not Getting to Limited English Speakers

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:56 -0700

Patricia Nazario: A report released Wednesday suggests ways first responders in emergencies can better penetrate Asian and Latino enclaves where immigrants speak English sparingly, if at all. KPCC's Patricia Nazario has more about its findings.

Dems Push Tax-Hiking Budget Plan

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:56 -0700

Julie Small: The Democrats in the state legislature say they've come up with a balanced budget, and they're ready to move it forward. To balance a budget that was $15 billion in the red, the Democrats have proposed billions in taxes. They say it'll close the deficit and put an end to the problem of deficits year after year. KPCC's Julie Small reports, the Democrats' budget plan is almost certainly "dead on arrival".

Student Workers Accuse LA County of Bad-Faith Bargaining

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:54 -0700

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: After they voted to join a union last year, about 1,200 Los Angeles County student workers are negotiating their first contract. Their frustration over talks, they say, led them to organize a rally Tuesday because county negotiators won't budge. KPCC's Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has the story.

Governor Signs Mortgage Relief Bill

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:54 -0700

Julie Small: The first bill from Sacramento to provide relief to homeowners at risk of foreclosure became law Tuesday. At a ceremony in Oakland, Governor Schwarzenegger signed a measure that requires lenders to speak directly to subprime borrowers before foreclosing on them. It gives renters a couple months to save the mortgage, and prevents foreclosed homes from turning into neighborhood blight. But KPCC's Julie Small reports consumer advocates want California's lawmakers to do a lot more.

San Bernardino County Considers Ethics Reform Proposal

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:54 -0700

Steven Cuevas: San Bernardino County is considering a proposal to overhaul its ethics standards for county government employees. KPCC's Steven Cuevas says the action follows a grand jury probe that uncovered alleged ethics violations at the top of county government.

LA County Property Values Up

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:54 -0700

Brooke Binkowski: It may seem to fly in the face of everything you've heard about the housing downturn and the property slump. The Los Angeles County Assessor's office says property values are up this year. KPCC's Brooke Binkowski explains the economics.

County Supervisor Calls For Change In Leadership at Soboba Reservation

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:57 -0700

Steven Cuevas: Leaders of the Soboba tribe in Riverside County have reached a peace agreement of sorts with the county sheriff. It comes a few months after both sides traded insults sparked by a string of shootings between deputies and tribe members. KPCC's Steven Cuevas has the latest.

Lack of Budget May Send State Medical Programs into Critical Condition

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:57 -0700

Julie Small: California state lawmakers have returned to Sacramento after the Fourth of July holiday weekend with things the way they left them. There's no state budget, and pretty soon, there'll be no more cash on hand to pay the people who do the state's work. That includes doctors, clinics and hospitals that care for California's poor. KPCC's Julie Small says while the State Legislature works on budget surgery, those medical providers are feeling the pain.

Wildfires Prompt Renewed Cry for Firefighting Upgrade

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 9:54 -0700

Julie Small: The tremendous number of fires burning in Southern and Northern California have stretched the state's firefighting resources almost as far as they can go. KPCC's Julie Small says that's renewed a cry to upgrade California's firefighting ability.

State Fire Crews Ready for Additional Blazes

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:51 -0700

Julie Small: We're heading into a dry Fourth of July weekend up and down the state of California. In June, which usually isn't much of a fire month, more than a thousand fires burned in Northern California. So what resources remain to throw at any blazes that break out in Southern California this weekend? KPCC's Julie Small looks at what California's doing to meet the challenge.

Riverside County Community of Wildomar Holds Cityhood Fireworks Celebration

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:40 -0700

Steven Cuevas: July fireworks are going off a little earlier than usual in one city in Riverside County. Tuesday night, Wildomar, a community nestled at the edge of Temecula's wine country, will swear in its first city council at a large outdoor ceremony. KPCC's Steven Cuevas has that.

Health Care Workers, Patients Protest Program Cuts

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:40 -0700

Patricia Nazario: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has said every state program will have to sacrifice a little to close California's $16 billion deficit. His plan includes reducing benefits to the disabled and the people who care for them. KPCC's Patricia Nazario visited a writer with advanced Lou Gehrig's disease to ask what the proposed budget cuts may mean for him.

Parks to Stay Open Late

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:57 -0700

Frank Stoltze: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced Monday that eight city parks will stay open until midnight four days a week during the summer months. The mayor says he wants to provide a safe place for kids. KPCC's Frank Stoltze says that as part of the program, the city is employing young people to reach out to their peers.