Governor Brown has called the San Juan Capistrano ruling on tiered water pricing a “straightjacket” on local government and conservationists at a time when maximum flexibility is needed. Also, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is assessing how to regulate homeopathic medicine and practice. Then, Google is updating its search algorithm to give preference to websites designed for viewing on mobile devices.
Parsing San Juan Capistrano’s tiered water pricing 'straightjacket' ruling
Many local water districts' rate structures were dealt a blow yesterday by a state appellate court decision.
It ruled that San Juan Capistrano's tiered pricing was illegal. The agency might have to refund millions of dollars. Tiered pricing allows lower usage customers to pay less per unit than higher users. As a resident uses more water, the cost of the additional water increases - kicking customers into higher tiers as they go.
Although the court said tiered pricing isn't illegal, the tiers have to be justified by the actual cost of the water to the district. Simply setting the tiers up as penalties for heavy water users don't comply with the law.
The impact extends far outside the south Orange County city. Governor Brown called the ruling a straightjacket on local government at a time when maximum flexibility is needed. How will water districts respond?
Read more here
Guests:
Sanjay Gaur, Senior Manager, Raftelis Financial Consultants, a utility consulting firm
John Perry, Co-founder of the Capistrano Taxpayers Association, which was the plaintiff in this Tiered Pricing lawsuit. Perry is also a City Councilmember
Tim Quinn, Director of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), which filed an amicus brief on behalf of the appellant, the City of San Juan Capistrano
With Clinton in the spotlight, how can the media identify and prevent sexism on the campaign trail?
“Did you see how she styled her hair at that press conference?” “Will her gender play a role in her decisionmaking?” “Is she too ‘feisty?'”
Though the media at large may not intend it, sexism seeps into the national conversation through seemingly innocuous comments.
A cursory glance at the statements above may not bring up red flags for some, but polls consistently show that women lose ground when topics relating to their appearance and gender are brought to the fore. Instead of focusing on what positions the candidates stand for, discussions quickly hone in on what distinguishes female candidates as a woman instead of as a candidate.
As Hillary Clinton begins her second run for Democrats’ primary nomination and, ultimately, the presidency, she is already facing the issue head-on. In an interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer last week, she stated about being judged, “It is just never ending. You get a little worried about, okay, people over on this side are loving what I’m wearing, looking like, saying. People over on this side aren’t...I’m done with that. I’m just done.”
Anti-sexism advocacy groups such as The Women's Media Center have put forward different tools such as “the reversibility test” and an infographic on how to identify and address sexist comments. But whether or not Clinton and other female candidates can escape the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) analysis and criticism of everything unrelated to their politics and policies is still up for debate and will be until 2016.
What tools do the media have to identify and prevent sexist comments and discussions from taking place? Is there a role for candidates in setting the terms of the conversations they will and will not have?
Guests:
Rachel Larris, Communications Director, Women’s Media Center, an advocacy non-profit organization focused on making women visible and powerful in the media; Media Guide to Gender Neutral Coverage
Mark Barabak, Political Writer for the Los Angeles Times
Homeopathy practitioners defend safety claims at FDA hearings
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is in the midst of hearings to assess how to regulate homeopathic medicine and practice for the first time in a quarter-century.
More than half a dozen proponents of homeopathy - which is based on the belief that disease symptoms can be cured by minute doses of a remedy that would, in larger amounts, produce in healthy persons symptoms similar to the disease - are testifying before the FDA, along with skeptics who think such remedies should be subjected to the same scrutiny as over-the-counter drugs.
Would that mean homeopathy would be subjected to clinical trials? How should labeling change? Is enough known about the side effects of homeopathic products?
Guests:
Michael De Dora, director of the Center for Inquiry's Office of Public Policy; a non-profit organization advocating for science-based policy; De Dora provided testimony to the FDA hearings on homeopathy oversight
Paul Herscu, ND & MPH, Licensed Naturopathic Physician and published author who writes frequently on issues in homeopathy
Landlord association in LA wants tenants to foot the bill for water use
As mandatory water cuts become a reality in the state, one group of people say they are particularly feeling the pinch.
The Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, a local group that represents landlords, is lobbying Mayor Eric Garcetti to back a proposal that calls for renters to pay for their water use, in exchange for slightly-reduced rents. The proposal would only impact rent-controlled buildings in Los Angeles.
Read the full story HERE
Guests:
James Clarke, Executive Vice President of The Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, one of the largest rental housing associations representing landlords in the U.S. [The group is putting together a proposal which would make tenants in rent-stabilized units pay for their water usage]
Larry Gross, Executive Director of The Coalition for Economic Survival, a tenants rights groups
Website operators hail coming of 'Mobilegeddon' as Google updates search algorithm
Starting today, websites that are optimized for mobile browsing will be getting some extra love from the Internet’s most popular search engine.
Google is updating its search algorithm to give preference to websites that are designed for viewing on mobile devices. Google changes its search algorithm frequently, but this time it warned website operators in February about the change and gave them tips on how to best prepare for it. With more users searching the web on mobile devices, Google is hoping the change will allow users to find relevant content in a simpler, more timely manner.
Some website operators aren’t as thrilled about the move as the rest of the tech world and have coined the term “mobilegeddon” to describe it. Small and medium-sized businesses often lack the resources or personnel to design a website optimized for mobile, and Google’s new algorithm would penalize their sites for not being streamlined for viewing on smartphones and tablets.
Guest:
Nick Mokey, managing editor at DigitalTrends.com. He tweets
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From ‘dog-wolves’ to warhorses: A look at the intimate bond between humans and animals
Tens of thousands of years ago, humans domesticated animals from their wild counterparts, leading to fundamental changes in our ability to feed ourselves, trade with others, traverse unimaginable distances, and establish vast civilizations.
The historical relationship between humans and animals has shifted dramatically over the millennia. While at first we coexisted with animals at hunter-gatherers, through domestication we became able to create intimate bonds with animals as we protected them for our own advantage. Dogs became our first companions, and pigs, sheep, and goats brought about our ability to subsistence farm. Donkeys and camels enabled us to create global empires through trade, and horses freed us from the physical spaces that divided us.
In our more recent centuries, industrialization and mechanization have allowed the mass-scale food industry to provide our food without seeing a drop of blood. Even with the widespread rise of domestic pets, humans have seemingly lost the intimate bond that once held animals so close.
How does our shift away from working closely with animals reflect our society’s understanding of their role? Is it possible for humans to bring animals back into our civilization, or have those times become relics of the past?
Brian Fagan will be at Vroman’s Bookstore tonight at 7pm to sign and discuss “The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History”. More info here
Guest:
Brian Fagan, author of “The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History” (Bloomsbury Press, 2015); a professor emeritus of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara