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LA city charter reform, what’s the moment you became an Angeleno? Public bathrooms, and more
Los Angeles City Council meeting on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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LAist
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- Here's what LA city charter reforms are still in play and why it matters
- What SpaceX really means for your retirement account
- The moment you became an Angeleno
- How California is using AI: incarceration, unemployment fraud and more
- Why are public bathrooms so hard to find?
- The annoying inconveniences of modern technology
Today's show: Guest host Austin Cross discusses L.A. city charter reform, what SpaceX's IPO means for your investments, the moment you became an Angeleno, AI use in the state government, public restrooms in L.A., and the inconveniences of modern technology. Cross hosts LAist's Morning Edition Monday-Friday and AirTalk Friday.
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Here's what LA city charter reforms are still in play and why it matters
The topic:
The Los Angeles City Council decides today what will happen to some of the proposals to reform the city’s charter. The reform efforts followed leaked audio recordings in 2022 where council members were heard making racist remarks. We break down where current proposals stand and what you might see on November’s ballot.
CLA Report: Chief legislative analyst for the city, Sharon Tso, released a full breakdown of each proposal, their potential fiscal impacts, and overall recommendations.
Council expansion: The city council’s rules committee met last week and decided to stall the proposal to expand the city council from 15 to 25. They instead opted to further study its implications with an eye toward 2028.
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Join the conversation: What major change do you want to see on the November ballot? What reform do you think would be the most impactful? Call us at (866) 893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
Guests:
- Frank Stoltze, civics and democracy correspondent for LAist
- Elizabeth Chou, L.A. politics reporter and author of the daily newsletter The LA Squawk Box
What SpaceX really means for your retirement account
SpaceX employees and their families celebrate at the Nasdaq Marketsite during the launch of the SpaceX IPO on the Nasdaq in New York City.
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Spencer Platt
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The topic:
Elon Musk’s rocketry, internet, and AI company SpaceX went public on Friday at a $2.1 trillion valuation, and is expected to join certain stock indexes in the coming weeks and months. Today on AirTalk, we look at how the company’s meteoric rise could impact retirement accounts.
Driving the news: Nasdaq changed its rules to allow some huge companies to join its Nasdaq 100 index after just 15 trading days.
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Indexes in a nutshell: Indexes track a broad number of individual stocks, allowing investors to get a more holistic exposure to the market versus investing in single stocks. The S&P 500 is perhaps the most famous and influential index. It tracks 500 of the biggest U.S. stocks, and trillions of dollars in investments are either directly mimicking it or at least benchmarking themselves against it.
Why it matters: Investors and their 401(k) accounts depend more than ever on funds that simply mimic these indexes. It’s a lower-cost way to invest, allowing savers to keep more of their investments. Partly because of that, such index funds have usually proven to be better performers than funds that try to pick and choose individual stocks.
Yes, but: The company behind the S&P 500 is not making changes to allow SpaceX and other “mega” IPOs faster entry into the index.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
- Delia Fernandez, fee-only certified financial planner and investment advisor, and president of Fernandez Financial Advisory, LLC in Los Alamitos
The moment you became an Angeleno
The downtown skyline is viewed during a clearing storm on January 22, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
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The topic:
Once an Angeleno, always an Angeleno. But what about those of us who weren’t born and raised in L.A.? What was the moment when you finally felt like you were truly an L.A. local?
Join the conversation: If you are a transplant, tell us about the time you first felt like an Angeleno. Maybe it was when you got caught in stand-still traffic on the 5. Or when you unironically started going to HotPilates. Whatever it was, give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
How California is using AI: incarceration, unemployment fraud and more
The California State flag flies outside City Hall in Los Angeles.
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Mark Ralston
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The topic:
California’s Department of Technology released a new report that revealed that several state agencies currently use AI to help make decisions including the likelihood of incarcerated individuals re-offending, evaluating unemployment claims for potential fraud, administering exams to CSU students, and determining if AI has been used by college students.
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Why now? The annual report is part of a 2023 law that requires state agencies to disclose uses of “high-risk automated decision systems,” systems that help or replace human decision making that involve legal outcomes. This year's report is a sharp contrast from last year’s report that showed no use of automated decision systems despite evidence to the contrary.
Join the conversation: What are your thoughts on the state government using artificial intelligence services? What do you think it could be useful for and what uses do you find concerning, if any? Call (866) 893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
Guest:
- Khari Johnson, technology reporter for CalMatters covering SB 53 and AB 325
Why are public bathrooms so hard to find?
Where are L.A.'s public restrooms?
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The topic:
Most of us know the frantic feeling of searching for a public bathroom when out and about. Across the country, public bathroom shortages are all too common. Today, we explore why and how cities like Los Angeles can improve access, particularly during major events like the World Cup and the upcoming LA28 Olympics.
Join the conversation: Have you had trouble finding a bathroom to go to recently? What is your go-to approach when you’ve gotta go in a public setting? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com
Guest:
- Bryant Simon, professor of history at Temple University in Philadelphia, and author of the upcoming book For Customers Only: Public Bathrooms and the Making of American Inequality (The University of Chicago Press, September 2026)
The annoying inconveniences of modern technology
What annoys you about modern technology?
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The topic:
Modern technology is supposed to make life easy. You can buy a whole new wardrobe with one click and get delivered the next day. You can control the lights and pretty much all the appliances in your house with the sound of your voice. But what about those modern devices that actually make your life harder?
Join the conversation: We’re asking listeners to share their modern inconveniences with us. What technology seemed like it would be useful but is really just a headache to deal with? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
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Today on AirTalk: Iran in the World Cup LAHSA funding suspended, relationships after kids, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, LA Metro and sweet fruit. -
LAist sat down with the owner of Lei'd Cookies in Culver City to talk about the internationally inspired flavors they bake into their sweet treats. -
Today on AirTalk: What does the World Cup mean to you? Dream concerts, Food Friday, FilmWeek, and best documentaries.
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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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