LA Phil names next music director, LA and OC judicial races, Mono Lake basin and more

Today's show: AirTalk host Larry Mantle discusses LA Phil's next music director, L.A. and O.C. judicial races, annoying jingles, L.A. city attorney accusations, AI Google search, and Mono Lake basin.

After 3 years of intense speculation, the LA Phil announces successor to Gustavo Dudamel

The topic:

The man: Daniel Harding was born in Oxford in 1975, and came to international attention in 1998 when he conducted Don Giovanni at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in a Peter Brook production at 22.

The job: The Philharmonic music director is responsible for a number of jobs, including overseeing the orchestral programming for the organization, as well as the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles.

Guests:

• Kim Noltemy, LA Philharmonic President and CEO
• Mark Swed, Classical Music Critic for the L.A. Times

A look at the LA and OC Superior Court Judge races

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Raymond Rivera

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for LAist

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The topic:

The job: Superior Court judges hear family law, landlord-tenant disputes, contract cases, theft, murder and probate. They reach the bench through gubernatorial appointment or election and serve six-year terms. A seat only appears on the ballot when an incumbent is challenged.

Why it's hard: These are nonpartisan races, and California's ethics code limits what candidates can say about how they'd rule. Bar association ratings, endorsements and courtroom experience are some of the few signals voters have.

L.A. County: Notable races include Office No. 2, where incumbent Judge Robert S. Draper faces pending ethics charges and a challenge from Deputy District Attorney Tal K. Valbuena. In Office No. 81, sitting Judge David Walgren faces attorney Dan Kapelovitz.

O.C. County: In Office No. 13, two senior deputy District Attorneys, Ann Cho and Robert Mestman, are running for an open seat. In Office No. 41, sitting Judge Ami S. Sagel faces attorney Charles E. Pell.

Guests:

• Cato Hernández, L.A. Explained reporter at LAist
• Hon. Stuart Rice, retired L.A. County Superior Court judge and past president of the California Judges Association; served on the bench for 20 years

The most annoying (catchy) commercial jingles

What are the most annoying commercial jingles?

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Pituk Loonhong / Getty Images

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iStockphoto

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The topic:

Join the conversation: We want to hear from you! What is the most annoying, but undoubtedly catchy, commercial you can remember? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or email us at atcomment@laist.com

Check-in on the Garden Grove tank leak

The topic:

The latest: Authorities rolled back evacuation orders Monday evening for tens of thousands of Orange County residents near a Garden Grove tank holding toxic chemicals. Around 16,000 residents still remain under evacuation orders, according to Garden Grove police.

What’s next: Evacuation centers will remain open for residents who cannot return home, and further updates from authorities are expected today. You can keep up with the latest on LAist.com.

With files from LAist.

Guest:

• Jordan Rynning, Watchdog correspondent at LAist. He has been covering the Garden Grove chemical leak story

LA city attorney accused of favoring her donors

L.A. City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto at an April 2025 news conference.

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Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times

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Getty Images

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The topic:

The claims: The allegations have been laid out in emails and a memo obtained by LAist, as well as a sworn declaration to a court. In emails to colleagues earlier this year, two supervising prosecutors questioned the city attorney’s directive to drop a price-gouging case against a major campaign donor. One claimed it’s part of a pattern by Feldstein Soto.

Her response: In interviews with LAist, Feldstein Soto denied ever allowing money or personal relationships to affect her decisions. “That’s not how I roll,” she said. Instead, Feldstein Soto said her decisions were based on a policy she put in place to follow the Constitution.

‘A different agenda’: Feldstein Soto said pushback from her office’s prosecutions branch is in response to her efforts to reform the City Attorney’s Office. “I was elected to change the status quo. I’m still doing that. And people who benefited under the old status quo have a different agenda,” she said.

With files from LAist.

Guests:

• Nick Gerda, Watchdog Correspondent for LAist

Google search to become more AI-integrated

Google is making major changes to its search engine.

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Chesnot/ Getty Images

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Getty Images

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The topic:

What’s new: Google plans to have its AI mode as the default option for its search engine, using its latest flash model, Gemini 3.5.

Possible implications: With Google planning to prioritize AI responses at the expense of web searching, that likely means less overall website traffic.

Guest:

• Tripp Mickle, New York Times reporter covering Silicon Valley, who’s been following this

SoCal History: the Mono Lake basin’s role in our water supply

Mono Lake on the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada on May 20, 2023.

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Sierra Farquhar

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CalMatters

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The topic:

The history: The L.A. Aqueduct began drawing from Mono Basin tributaries in 1941. By 1982, the lake had dropped 45 feet, its salinity had doubled, and its ecosystem was collapsing. Lawsuits brought by the Mono Lake Committee and the National Audubon Society reshaped American water law, culminating in the State Water Board's 1994 Decision 1631 capping L.A.'s diversions.

Yes, but: The lake is roughly 9 feet below the level state regulators set as its target back in 1994, and a new state-commissioned report from UCLA researchers concludes that LADWP should curtails its diversions to avoid.

Join the conversation: Have you visited Mono Lake, or do you have a connection to the Eastern Sierra? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.

Guest:

• Robert B. Marks, professor emeritus of history and environmental studies at Whittier College; author of Deep Time in the Mono Lake Basin: Nature and History over the Last 10,000 Years (UC Press, 2026)