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Interview with new LAUSD superintendent, SoCal 250 years ago, new CA laws, and more
New LAUSD superintendent Andrés Chait
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Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times
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Today's show: AirTalk host Larry Mantle talks with the new LAUSD superintendent and discusses new memoir on the use of the N-word, new CA laws, Comcast splits NBCUniversal, and SoCal 250 years ago.
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New LAUSD superintendent talks about his goals for the district
The topic:
The Los Angeles Unified Board voted unanimously last week to appoint Andrés Chait, a longtime district administrator, as superintendent days after his predecessor resigned.
Why now: The board met privately to discuss the district’s top job three days after Alberto Carvalho resigned. Carvalho wrote in a letter that he was leaving “because I believe our schools must remain focused on students and learning without distraction.”
Who is Andrés Chait? Chait rose through the ranks from teacher to administrator at LAUSD over nearly three decades. The responsibilities of his most recent role, chief of school operations, included overseeing school safety, athletics and the district’s office of emergency management.
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With files from LAist
Guest:
- Andrés Chait, newly appointed superintendent of LAUSD
New memoir explores the contemporary use of the N-word
Flowers and handwritten notes are left at comedian Richard Pryor's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame December 10, 2005 in Hollywood, California.
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Matthew Simmons
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The topic:
For years, historian Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor researched and taught the N-word, tracing it through slavery, Jim Crow, the civil rights movement and hip-hop. Her new book braids together the history of the slur with a memoir about her life as comic legend Richard Pryor's biracial daughter.
The author: Pryor explores the word's split life, the hard "er" slur and the reclaimed version, and her father's own decision, late in his career, to stop saying it after a trip to Kenya. The book runs 336 pages with 11 researched historical interludes.
The book: Something We Said: Richard Pryor, A Notorious Word, and Me is out now.
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Guest:
- Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, professor of history at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts; she teaches courses on race, slavery, and one on her father, comedian Richard Pryor; author of Something We Said: Richard Pryor, A Notorious Word, and Me (37 Ink, 2026)
New CA laws going into effect in July 2026
The California State Capitol building on Sunday, March 29, 2026 in Sacramento, CA.
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Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times
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The topic:
July 1 and Jan. 1 are the two biggest days for laws to officially go into effect. Many state bills will go into effect this year, ranging from food labeling, housing density around public transportation, and regulating autonomous vehicles.
SB 79 in Los Angeles: Although this bill, expanding multi-family developments around transit hubs, is set to take effect on July 1, there’s a chance its full implementation could be postponed until 2030. The city of Los Angeles plans to do so, having an incremental plan set in place to still cooperate with state law.
Commenting in public meetings expanded: Starting July 1, local legislative bodies (ex. city councils and Metro Board) must allow for a remote public comment option. This goes into effect across the state, for cities with a population of 30,000 or more, or counties with more than 600,000 residents.
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Glock reclassification and ban: AB 1127 now refers to semiautomatic pistols as “machinegun-convertible” pistols, allowing for new sales of the weapon to be banned. Exceptions include different types of transfers the bill lays out.
Guest:
- Noe Padilla, Northern California Reporter for USA Today
- Victor Valholl, representative from OC Guns, a gun shop in Lake Forest in Orange County
Comcast splits NBCUniversal into its own company
An entrance to Universal Studios in Universal City, California, on May 2, 2023.
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Robyn Beck / AFP
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The topic:
Comcast announced it will be splitting into two companies, one focused on media and entertainment, the other on broadband and wireless services.
The two companies: NBCUniversal will include theme parks, Universal film and television studios, as well as the European media company Sky. Comcast will focus on internet services.
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Why it matters: This comes as other companies such as Paramount are closing on major mergers. NBCUniversal would become an acquisition asset as a standalone company.
Guest:
- Dominic Patten, executive editor at Deadline Hollywood
SoCal History: What did Southern California look like 250 years ago?
The bells of the San Gabriel Mission.
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Laser1987
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iStockphoto
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The topic:
As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, many are looking back at the cultural and societal inflection points that shaped the country. But California became part of the union just 74 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed. Today, we take a look at what the state was like before that and also how California’s biodiversity has evolved since then.
Guests:
- Steven Hackel, professor of history at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), where he specializes in early American history, colonial California, and the Spanish Borderlands
- Miguel Ordeñana, Community Science manager, environmental educator and wildlife biologist for the L.A. County Natural History Museum
-
Today on AirTalk: AI gas pricing, adversity and childhood development, Triple Play, updates on the earthquakes in Venezuela, Supreme Court decisions, and TV Talk. -
Today on AirTalk: LAUSD bans screen time for younger students, LA Metro ridership during the World Cup, new biography of the Rolling Stones, and discipline in schools today. -
The punk scene in Los Angeles exploded in the 1970s and 80s after a community of art-driven, bohemian music fans decided to rebel against mainstream music of the time.
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Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
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