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LA mayoral debate, anti-camping ordinance repeal, TV Talk and more
Incumbent L.A. Mayor Karen Bass (left) and City Councilmember Nithya Raman (right) appear at a debate hosted by the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association.
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Jenn Baughman
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LAist
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Jump to
- Nithya Raman and Karen Bass debate who should be LA’s next mayor
- New poll sees California voters trending towards progressive candidates
- It’s true — dogs really do know how we feel
- LA City Council repeals anti-camping homelessness ordinance
- Trump administration aims to open more California forestlands to roads and logging
- TV Talk: ‘Conan O'Brien Must Go,’ ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,’ ‘Average Joe’ and more
Today's show: AirTalk host Larry Mantle discusses the L.A. mayoral debate, voter trends with progressive candidates, a study looking at whether dogs understand feelings, an anti-camping ordinance repeal, Trump's plan for road construction and logging and TV Talk.
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Nithya Raman and Karen Bass debate who should be LA’s next mayor
The topic:
The two candidates vying for the job of Los Angeles mayor — incumbent Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman — faced off Wednesday night in their first debate ahead of the general election in November.
Housing and homelessness: During the debate, Raman, who represents Council District 4, said Bass had not made enough progress on the No. 1 issue facing Los Angeles: homelessness. Bass countered that her Inside Safe program has brought thousands of people off of the streets and pointed out that Raman was head of the City Council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee until recently.
Policing: Bass pointed to a 2020 social media post by Raman that declared “defund the police.” Raman returned the verbal jab, arguing that Bass was irresponsible for backing a big raise for police officers in 2023.
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Background: Bass finished ahead of Raman in the June primary with 34% of the vote to Raman's 29%. With no one in the crowded field topping 50% the two women moved to a runoff. While Bass was ahead of Raman, she's considered a vulnerable incumbent.
Read more: Sparks fly between LA mayoral candidates in first debate leading to the November election
Guest:
- Frank Stoltze, LAist civics and democracy correspondent who was at the debate
New poll sees California voters trending towards progressive candidates
Chad Bianco, Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton arrive for a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco on April 22, 2026.
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Jason Henry
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Bloomberg
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The topic:
New polling from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies shows that Californians are more inclined to favor candidates who are described as progressive. Today on AirTalk, we look at the data and how California’s shifting view on progressive politics could impact the next election.
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Yes, but: While 40% of those polled said they would be inclined to back a progressive candidate compared to 29% who would be less inclined, the numbers for Democratic Socialist candidates were more split with 38% who would be in support versus 38% who would be in opposition.
The age gap: Across the board, younger voters aged 18-29 held more favorable views of progressive and Democratic Socialist candidates than their older peers, with 68% and 69% in support respectively opposed to only 32% in favor of “mainstream” democrats. 53% of voters aged 65 or older were inclined to support progressive candidates, 45% would support a Democratic Socialist, and 67% would support a mainstream democrat.
Guest:
- Cristina Mora, professor of Sociology and co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, which conducted the poll
It’s true — dogs really do know how we feel
Do you think your dog notices your emotions?
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Martin Vlnas
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iStockphoto
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The topic:
We often joke that our dogs just know when something is wrong with us. Maybe it was how they reacted to our loud voice, or how they chose to console us when we felt sad. Well, it turns out that research actually backs this up!
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The research: Researchers have recently found that dogs can indeed distinguish between different human emotions including happiness, anger and fear!
Join the conversation: Have you ever felt like your dog knew something about you? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
Guests:
- Raúl Hernández-Pérez, a lead author of the study and postdoctoral researcher at the SCAN Unit at University of Vienna in Austria
- Dr. John Tegzes, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and professor of Health Systems Sciences at Western University of Health Sciences; he is also a board-certified specialist in toxicology.
LA City Council repeals anti-camping homelessness ordinance
A cyclist passes the row of tents and tarps along the Santa Ana riverbed near Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.
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Jae C. Hong
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AP
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The topic:
A controversial policy for policing homeless encampments has come off the books, following an L.A. City Council vote. Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez — who represents a district including Hollywood, Silver Lake and Echo Park — recently introduced a motion to remove some of the 41.18 districts established by his predecessor, Mitch O'Farrell.
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Controversy explained: The support for the policy centered on the city’s ability to better police homelessness in areas such as schools. Critics, on the other hand, noted that the policing wouldn’t necessarily assist with this issue, and that the constant migration of encampments made it difficult for homelessness services to connect with unhoused residents.
The vote tally: The repealing of the ordinance passed 10-3, with two councilmembers abstaining from the vote.
With files from LAist, read more of our reporting here.
Guests:
- Bob Blumenfield, Los Angeles City Councilmember representing District 3, which includes Woodland Hills, Canoga Park, and Tarzana; he’s also a member of the council’s committee on Housing and Homelessness
- Imelda Padilla, Los Angeles City Councilmember representing District 6, which includes Lake Balboa, Van Nuys and Sun Valley
Trump administration aims to open more California forestlands to roads and logging
A firefighter walks through a prescribed burn area at the Sugar Pine Point State Park near Lake Tahoe on Sept. 25, 2024.
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Miguel Gutierrez Jr.
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CalMatters
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The topic:
The Trump administration announced this week it would roll back a rule that prohibits the creation of new roads in undeveloped areas of national forests, including here in California. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the move will allow individual forest managers more latitude to oversee how the land they manage is used.
Background: The rollback is part of a plan announced by officials last year to open up more areas to logging activity. The rule, known as the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, has been in effect since 2001 and has been seen by advocates as a keystone of wildland conservation.
Fire risks: The U.S. Forest Service’s own studies have shown that roads in forests are a major contributor to fires in forests, by nature of them ferrying humans who are the cause of over 90% of wildfires.
Guest:
- Rachel Becker, water reporter for the nonprofit news site CalMatters focusing on water challenges and water policy issues
TV Talk: ‘Conan O'Brien Must Go,’ ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,’ ‘Average Joe’ and more
What are you watching this week?
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Pituk Loonhong
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iStockphoto
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The topic:
Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network TV and numerous streaming platforms. This week, listeners will get the latest scoop on what’s worth watching.
TV Shows:
- It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)
- The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only LIVE (AMC+)
- Conan O'Brien Must Go (HBO MAX)
- Average Joe (Paramount+)
- Disney Worldbuilders (Disney+)
Guest:
- Liz Shannon Miller, senior entertainment editor at Consequence
-
Today on AirTalk: Costco to offer Medicare plans, ChatGPT for teens, the Diablo Canyon plant, the FCC's history and workplace dress codes. -
Today on AirTalk: Latest on Mark Walter and L.A. sports, prediction markets in elections, Jewish identity and PetTalk. -
Today on AirTalk: New Latino voter poll, Laguna Beach, tagging along to parents' workplaces, Head Start, the future of drone warfare and being homesick while traveling.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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