One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
OC coastal emergencies, Emmy awards, LA city attorney candidate Marissa Roy and more
Recent storm surges already have damaged Aliso Beach in Laguna Beach.
(
Allen J. Schaben
/
Getty Images
)
Jump to
- Orange County’s coastal communities declare states of emergency
- Emmys 2026 recap: ‘Widows Bay’ surprises with 14 wins, and more
- New book looks at why the U.S. has no hate speech laws
- How households manage an overwhelming social calendar
- LA city attorney candidate Marissa Roy
- Multi-instrumental artist Masego plays at the Greek tomorrow
Today's show: AirTalk host Larry Mantle discusses OC coastal erosion and emergencies, Emmy awards, book on hate speech in America, managing busy households, Marissa Roy on the L.A. city attorney's race and an interview with music artist Masego.
Have a question or comment about a segment? Want to pitch us a story?
Fill out the form below, and please include an email address so we're able to follow up if necessary! We're not able to respond to every inquiry, but all submissions are read and reviewed by our production team.
Orange County’s coastal communities declare states of emergency
The topic:
Laguna Beach is now in a local emergency because of coastal erosion, city officials announced Thursday. The emergency proclamation follows a loss of sand from the ocean swell of Tropical Storm Marie, which caused damage along parts of Southern California’s coast, including Dana Point, Malibu and Long Beach.
What’s next: In Laguna Beach, the city says six oceanfront homes have been yellow-tagged, and the parking lot for Aliso Beach "has partially failed," leaving the lot and three other areas temporarily closed. Forecasters say that El Niño is strengthening, and that there is a more than 90% chance of a “very strong” El Niño in our region this year and next. Those conditions raise the risk of additional coastal erosion, according to Laguna Beach.
Kelvin wave: The south Orange County coast is experiencing “Kelvin waves” that are trapped within the El Niño weather pattern. Scientists have known about Kelvin waves for decades and they follow a coastal boundary, eventually breaking out into high surface heights which can raise sea levels by as much as 6 to 12 inches for extended periods of time.
Sponsored message
Go deeper: Why L.A. County emergency managers are prepping for the worst ahead of this year's El Niño
Guests:
- Katrina Foley, OC Supervisor of the fifth district which includes Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, San Clemente, and Rancho Santa Margarita
- Daniel Swain, climate scientist with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
Emmys 2026 recap: ‘Widows Bay’ surprises with 14 wins, and more
Meg Stalter and Paul W. Downs attend the Emmy Awards.
(
Mark J. Terrill
/
AP
)
The topic:
The Emmy Awards on Monday night saw the Apple TV Widows Bay set a single-season record for a comedy with 14 wins, including best comedy series and best actor for star Matthew Rhys, who personally took home three trophies. It was one of many notable moments during Monday night's awards. On today’s program, we’ll go through some notable moments from television’s biggest night.
Pluribus success: Most notably, Rhea Seehorn won for outstanding lead actress in a drama series, her first-ever win following nominations for Better Call Saul. Creator Vince Gilligan also won for outstanding writing for a drama series; the acknowledgement comes nearly 30 years after his last writing award from the Emmys, which was for the X-Files episode Memento Mori.
Sponsored message
Other notable wins: Jean Smart won her fifth best actress in a comedy award for the fifth and final season of Hacks. No actor had won an Emmy every year for a series that lasted more than three seasons until Smart did it Monday. The Pitt’s second season did garner some love, with wins for best drama and best actor.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
- Angelique Jackson, senior entertainment writer at Variety
- Marcus Jones, awards editor for TV & Film at IndieWire
New book looks at why the U.S. has no hate speech laws
Asian American teens and young adults came of age during the rise in anti-Asian incidents during the pandemic. This march in 2021 went from San Gabriel City Hall to Alhambra City Hall.
(
Frederic J. Brown
/
Getty Images
)
The topic:
The first amendment to the constitution guarantees the freedom of speech to U.S. citizens. What was a radical idea at the time of the country’s inception has become the bedrock of American life. But this wide latitude has had the consequence of keeping what’s thought of as hate speech legal in the states. A new book looks at the long history of this consequence.
Sponsored message
The book: Hate Speech: The Legal and Cultural History of an American Dilemma explores how the right to free speech is also a right to express hateful speech, and how America sits alone in allowing hateful speech to the degree the country does. The book argues that while not perfect, our system of free speech is far better than the alternatives.
Guest:
- Samantha Barbas, professor of law and chair at the University of Iowa College of law; she’s author of Hate Speech: The Legal and Cultural History of an American Dilemma (University of California Press, 2026)
How households manage an overwhelming social calendar
How do you manage your household?
(
Motortion
/
iStockphoto
)
The topic:
Overwhelmed by crowded daily calendars, some families in L.A. are hiring house managers — someone who falls between a housekeeper, nanny and personal assistant. Their main goal is to keep families with two working parents and extra-curricular heavy kids on track.
Busier households: Between work, PTA, soccer, and weekly family game night, modern families are increasingly busy. The stress of maintaining a liveable home alongside work meetings, after-school sports and getting dinner on the table can feel impossible.
Sponsored message
Join the conversation: We want to hear from you! If you ever felt like your life was dictated by your calendar, what did you do to help free yourself from those obligations? How did people react to your change of pace? Do you think families are expected to do more now than previous generations? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
LA city attorney candidate Marissa Roy
Marissa Roy
(
Courtesy Marissa Roy
)
The topic:
Following the June primary election, the stage has been set for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s race — with candidates Marissa Roy and John McKinney being the top two vote-getters. The position is currently held by Hydee Feldstein-Soto, who lost her re-election bid back in June. Today on the show, we sit down with L.A. city attorney candidate Marissa Roy to talk about her candidacy for the role.
Marissa Roy’s background: Her current position is as a deputy attorney general in California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office. She previously worked for the Public Rights project as a staff attorney and on now-councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s 2024 campaign as her political director.
An incumbent defeated: Feldstein-Soto’s re-election bid had become complicated over multiple ethics-related controversies. LAist reported back in May on such claims, with some in her office accusing Feldstein-Soto of dropping cases to benefit her political donors.
What does the role of city attorney entail? The position is meant to represent the L.A. city government in legal matters, not only litigation but also serving as counsel to the mayor and city council.
Guest:
- Marissa Roy, candidate for Los Angeles city attorney; currently serves as deputy attorney general in California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office
Multi-instrumental artist Masego plays at the Greek tomorrow
Masego performs at Radio City Music Hall on August 25, 2026 in New York City.
(
Taylor Hill
/
Getty Images
)
The topic:
Grammy nominated musical artist Masego is playing at the Greek Theatre tomorrow night, after having just released his third full-length album, Fix Your Face. Today on AirTalk, we speak with Masego about his craft.
The artist: Masego, also known as Micah Davis, is a Jamaican-American jazz artist whose music blends the old and new. He is from Virginia.
The show: Masego plays at the Greek Theatre on Wednesday, Sept. 16 as the final date of his Fix Your Face tour. More information is available on the Greek Theatre website here.
The AirTalk Connection: Back in 2018, Masego collaborated with artist FKJ to create the song Tadow off his debut album Lady Lady. Regular AirTalk listeners may recognize the song as one of the regular songs played during the daily show.
Guest:
- Masego, Grammy-nominated artist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist
-
Ray Jayawardhana is Caltech's 10th president -
Today on AirTalk: Developments in AI, later start times in schools, mixed race identity, cameras in special ed classes, Jose Ugarte on CD-9 race and independence in kids. -
In the Burbank area and looking for a sandwich during lunch rush? This local Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO) business has you covered.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
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.
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.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
