The latest on the LA mayor's race, SoCal water allocations, and more

Today's show: AirTalk host Larry Mantle, discusses the L.A. mayoral race, updates on the Colorado River, new book on Stanford, standardized testing in college admissions, regional dialects, and TV Talk.

New Berkeley-IGS poll finds close LA City Mayor’s Race

The topic:

A statistical tie: The poll’s margin of error sits at roughly 3% for likely voters, meaning that Mayor Bass and councilmember Raman are in a statistical tie. Pratt sits just outside of the margin.

Who conducted the poll: The poll was conducted by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, an organization a part of UC Berkeley, whose research focuses on public opinion and policy. The funding for this data comes from the Los Angeles Times.

Guests:

• Mark DiCamillo, director of the Berkeley IGS Poll, a non-partisan survey of California public opinion on matters of politics, public policy and public affairs
• Zev Yaroslavsky, director of the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and former L.A. County supervisor and city councilmember

Update on the Colorado River and SoCal water allocations

The Colorado River flows past public and private lands near Parachute, Colorado, on May 15, 2026.

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The topic:

The latest: Now, a coalition of Southern California conservation organizations is proposing a bond measure to fund local water solutions and mitigate the region's reliance on the Colorado River.

Background: California saw record heat this past March, which diminished snowpack levels. Even so, the Department of Water Resources has increased water allocation from 30% to 45% for the 29 public water agencies across the state. This is because rainwater capture has kept the reservoirs at near capacity, allowing the state to increase water allocation without diminishing its supplies.

Guests:

• Felicia Marcus, visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Water in the West Program and former Chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board
• Ian James, LA Times reporter who focuses on water and climate change in California and the West

A new book looks at the promise and peril of Stanford’s cultural dominance

Stanford University's campus in March 2026

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The topic:

The book: How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University chronicles Baker’s time at Stanford as a reluctant investigative journalist observing the excesses of Silicon Valley while experiencing more typical coming-of-age moments, including the loss of his grandfather.

Guest:

• Theo Baker, author of How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University (Penguin Press May 19, 2026). He is a senior at Stanford University majoring in history. In 2023, he became the youngest recipient of the George Polk Award.

UC Faculty members call for SAT test scores to be required again for STEM applicants

Should standardized testing be required again for colleges?

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The topic:

Background: UC regents voted in May 2020 to phase out SAT and ACT requirements over five years for California applicants, with the tests to be eliminated by fall 2025 if no UC-designed replacement test was ready in time. A California state court judge injunction in 2020 caused the consideration of scores to be dropped altogether before this deadline.

The argument: In the letter, faculty members cite statistics they say correlate this policy to a direct decline in incoming student capabilities, such as 20-30% of UC Berkeley first-semester calculus students who participated in mathematical diagnostic testing displaying severe preparation deficits for three consecutive years.

Yes, but: Critics have called SAT scores inequitable, saying that wealthier students disproportionately do better on the tests and that they are not adequate predictors of future college success.

However: A 2020 UC faculty task force report argued the tests helped predict student success for some disadvantaged applicants. That report was contested by other UC researchers, and the Regents ultimately moved in the opposite direction.

Guest:

• Jaweed Kaleem, higher education reporter at the Los Angeles Times  
• Mina Aganagic, professor of mathematics and physics at UC Berkeley and one of the signatories of the letter

Regional dialects in the Internet age

Are regional accents disappearing?

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The topic:

Regional dialects going viral: One example comes from the Boston Globe, with reporter Emily Sweeney having gone viral for a social media post she did, in which she discussed a car for auction that was allegedly involved in a vehicular manslaughter case.

Are regional accents disappearing? Research from The Word Finder surveyed 3,000 individuals, asking them what accents they heard less often. That study found the dialects of the Appalachian Mountains and Pacific Southwest are being phased out, or toned down by speakers.

Guest:

• Jennifer Cramer, professor of linguistics at the University of Kentucky and director of its Appalachian Studies Program

TV Talk: ‘The Four Seasons,’ ‘Deli Boys,’ and more!

What should you watch over this weekend?

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The topic:

TV shows:

• Spider-Noir (S1) [Prime]
• Hacks (season finale) [HBO Max]
• Deli Boys (S2) [Hulu]
• The Four Seasons (S2) [Netflix]
• The Testaments (season finale) [Hulu]

Guests:

• Angie Han, TV critic for The Hollywood Reporter
• Saloni Gajjar, staff writer covering TV at the A.V. Club