Los Angeles City Councilmembers unanimously approved the construction of a new $483 million office tower. What do Angelenos want it to look like? We also cover the latest on the U.S.-Mexico border wall bids, Vice President Mike Pence's rule to not dine with women alone, why the brain is like a time machine; and more.
With Mexico-US border wall bids due today, parsing the effectiveness of the barrier
Bids for the first design contracts on the Trump Administration’s plans for a U.S., Mexico border wall are due Tuesday.
And while it’s unclear how many contractors will apply, the Associated Press reports more than 200 companies signed up for email notifications on the project’s website for contractors lists. Chosen prototypes will be built on an approximately quarter mile strip of land in San Diego. Costs are estimated to reach $200,000 to $500,000 for each model.
But how effective will a wall really be? And what evidence can we draw on from past attempts at curbing illegal immigration?
Guests:
Jessica Vaughan, director of Policy Studies at Center for Immigration Studies
Konstantin Kakaes, fellow at the D.C.-based think tank New America
LA Times reports arrests in CA down dramatically, is that true and if so, why?
The Los Angeles Times reported this week that arrests are way down throughout California.
According to their report, 2015 arrests were the lowest they've been in nearly 50 years. That's the most recent year for which we have numbers. There were 1.1 million arrests in 2015, down from 1.5 million 9 years earlier. LAPD arrests dropped 25% just between 2013 and 2015.
What's going on? Some speculate the drop is related the changes in drug crime policy that resulted from Prop 47, others point to the so-called Ferguson effect. Larry Mantle and guests discuss.
Guests:
Cindy Chang, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, where she covers the LAPD; she worked on the Times’ report
Frank Stoltze, correspondent who currently covers criminal justice and public safety issues for KPCC
Donny Youngblood, Kern County Sheriff and president of the California State Sheriff’s Association
Mike Pence won't dine alone with women who aren't his wife - sexism or marital preservation?
A Washington Post profile about Karen Pence revealed that Vice President Mike Pence won't dine with a woman alone other than his wife.
The VP won’t go to events that serve alcohol without his wife, either.
Originating from evangelical minister Billy Graham, these rules have sparked a slew think pieces on the VP's dining protocols. Detractors slammed Pence's conduct as sexist, arguing that it restricts female staffers' access to him and creates a toxic dichotomy, but women who had worked for Pence have defended the Veep, saying that he is merely doing so to avoid any perception of inappropriateness.
Do you think the "Billy Graham rule" is sexist or a valid strategy to marital longevity? Have you experienced employment barriers because of restricted gender access to your higher-ups? Do you have any similar negotiations within your marriage?
Call 866-893-5722 to weigh in.
After 25 years, some in California think it’s time for Dianne Feinstein to hang it up
A new statewide poll shows that more than half of those surveyed think that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) should not seek re-election in 2018.
The poll, conducted by Berkeley IGS Poll, finds that 52 percent thinks that the 83-year-old should skip seeking a fifth term in office. Feinstein has not declared another run, even though indications point to a high likelihood.
Feinstein has been a pioneer for women in politics, even though many in the millennial generation might not be familiar with her political accomplishments.
Do you want to see Feinstein go for a fifth term? If you are a millennial voter, what do you know about Feinstein?
Guests:
Carolyn Lochhead, DC Correspondent with the San Francisco Chronicle who has profiled Senator Feinstein; she tweets
Dan Walters, political columnist for the Sacramento Bee
From scientific to surreal: delving into how the mind tackles time
Past, present, future. These time concepts are universally familiar.
We put the past behind us, have hope for the future and grasp at life in the now. But research shows an internal “clock” isn’t responsible for how we understand the passing hours. So how do we keep track?
In his new book, “Your Brain is a Time Machine: The Neuroscience and Physics of Time,” neuroscientist Dean Buonomano deconstructs the ways we experience time and it’s connection to reality. Things like distractions, stress and focus contribute to how we wrap our head around life’s moments. And does “here and now” differ from “way back when,” or is it all happening at once? Larry speaks to Buonomano today about the ins and outs of the human brain and demystifying concepts behind the way we feel time.
Guest:
Dean Buonomano, Ph.D., professor of behavioral science at UCLA and author of “Your Brain is a Time Machine: The Neuroscience and Physics of Time” (W.W. Norton and Company, 2017); he tweets
AirTalk asks: What should the LA Civic Center look like?
Los Angeles City Councilmembers recently voted unanimously to approve the construction of a $483 million office tower at the site currently occupied by the Parker Center, which once housed the Los Angeles Police Department.
The move is an initial step in re-imagining and, eventually, recreating the Los Angeles Civic Center Area in downtown, which encompasses ten city blocks and is bordered by Chinatown, Little Tokyo, and the Historic Core. Councilmembers also approved the Civic Center Master Plan (CCMP), drawn up by Councilman Jose Huizar, that lays out a vision for what the Civic Center might look like one day -- a bustling business and residential hub with multi-purpose buildings for commercial, residential, and office use. Councilman Huizar told AirTalk's Larry Mantle that with lots of new construction happening in downtown, the time is right to re-envision the Civic Center area, which he says basically shuts down at close of business every day.
"We want to turn this into a 24-hour area where it doesn’t only have activity during the day with people who want to have government service, etc, but also have some residential activity and some retail activity so this space doesn’t go dark at night, and that’s something that we see for all of downtown Los Angeles."
Huizar says in addition to realizing that vision, the CCMP would free up city money that's currently being used to pay off some of the buildings the city uses to house its employees, like City Hall East and City Hall South. He says it would also consolidate many of the offices for government services that are currently scattered throughout the Civic Center area, making it much easier for anyone with government business to get where they're going.
Some conservationists wanted to see the Parker Center preserved as a historic building, something the city's Planning and Land Use Management Committee voted unanimously against in February. Critics argue it is a nod to the LAPD’s racist past and should be demolished. Advocates for the Little Tokyo neighborhood are welcoming the plan as a way to open their community back up to downtown, something Huizar says is a main focus of his plan.
"The current Civic Center was built in such a way that its back is against areas like Chinatown, Little Tokyo, and El Pueblo." We want to open this up and make it more accessible.”
One structure in the Civic Center that looks like it will be preserved is the Triforium, something you've probably seen in downtown L.A. and, if you didn't already know, probably wondered what it was. Built in 1975, the structure has been dark an unused for the majority of its existence. Land use consultant and former L.A. City Planner Tanner Blackman wants to change that.
“The Triforium is the world’s first poly-phonoptic sculpture, meaning it is composed of light and sound as well as the 60 tons and six stories of lights and glass and concrete," says Blackman, who is now part of a coalition to save the structure, called 'The Triforium Project,' which just this year received a $100,000 grant to help reactivate the Triforium and actually keep it running this time.
"We think it’s a lovely piece of civic art that, unfortunately has been mostly dark in its 41 years because it was sort of technologically ahead of its time."
Blackman says the sculpture is run by a small bank of computers underneath the L.A. Mall and that he and his group plan to use the money to figure out an efficient, cost-effective way to keep it lit up.
"We believe that we could run all of the lights and sound and everything on something about the size of an iPhone today.”
As of right now, from a legislative perspective, CCMP is largely symbolic and represents Councilman Huizar’s vision for what the Civic Center area should look like. The Parker Center is the only building in the CCMP for which the city has done an environmental impact report (EIR), so the other buildings like the L.A. Mall and City Halls East and South would also need to go through the city before any concrete plans are made to renovate or demolish those buildings.
What would you like to see done with the L.A. Civic Center? Do you think the focus should be more on preserving the Los Angeles history or revamping the area to represent modern L.A.? Here's what some of our listeners said:
John in Downtown L.A.
"More of a recreational center would be nice. More shopping areas and things to do like that. Similar to what the Staples Center did, with more robust businesses nearby. LA also has the growing homeless problem, so they'll have to keep that in mind if it expands."
Ellen in Mt. Washington
"I spend a lot of my time in downtown L.A. and I also really value the fact that we have public transportation, but the traffic situation has really become unbearable in a lot of these communities that lead into and around downtown Los Angeles, based on new residential development. My concern is that the traffic situation won’t be addressed. I don’t feel like we have the road system that could really support getting in and out of there.”
Civic Center should have a giant thermometer that displays current temp. Always thought that's why weathercasters give the Civic Ctr temps.
NOW: What should L.A.'s Civic Center look like? @josehuizar and @tannerblackman join Larry now to discuss https://t.co/ljhhsLMton
— AirTalk with Larry Mantle (@AirTalk) April 4, 2017— Militant Angeleno (@militantangleno)
Civic Center should have a giant thermometer that displays current temp. Always thought that's why weathercasters give the Civic Ctr temps. https://t.co/MkJaB4e1IF
— Militant Angeleno (@militantangleno) April 4, 2017
Guests:
Jose Huizar, Los Angeles City Councilmember representing District 14, which includes Downtown and Northeast Los Angeles, Boyle Heights, and El Sereno; he tweets
Tanner Blackman, partner at L.A.-based Kindel Gagan Public Affairs Advocacy and a member of The Triforium Project, a coalition seeking to preserve and restore The Triforeum in L.A.’s Civic Center; he’s also a former L.A. City Planner and planning director for Councilman Huizar; he tweets