Today on AirTalk we'll sweat out the effect this heat wave is having on California's power grid, analyze the proposed trade of Dwight Howard to the Lakers, investigate the city's attempt to crack down on ticket scalpers, bring on our KPCC film critics to review the week's new movies for FilmWeek, and discuss just what separates the good political movies from the not-so-good ones.
Will you beat the heat or relent? California heat wave taxes power grid
California's electricity grid operator issued a Flex Alert yesterday that will last through today, but wasn't expected to last through the weekend. Businesses and homes are asked to "take three simple actions: turn off all unnecessary lights; postpone using major appliances until after 6 p.m.; and adjust your air conditioning up to 78 degrees or higher or use a fan."
Adding to the power pains, a large power plant in Ventura County went offline unexpectedly yesterday. GenOn Energy, which owns the Ormond Beach Generating Station, said the outage was caused by an electrical fire. A CAISO spokeswoman told the L.A. Times that the outage "was definitely a big factor in why we triggered the Flex Alert."
The peak air conditioning rush hour, as it’s called, is between 4 and 6 p.m. in the afternoon which is when officials are particularly concerned about energy use.
"A lot of people come home and they want to cool down their homes and so they start cranking up the AC which pulls a lot of juice," said Steven Greenlee, spokesman for the California Independent System Operation (CAISO).
Not all residents feel that the Flex Alert is their problem. Scott from Beverly Hills says that it’s not our job to suffer in order for the power grid to work correctly.
“It’s the job of the people at the power company to make sure we all have sufficient AC,” he added.
Greenlee says that the Flex Alert is voluntary and that most consumers have been responsive to the program which has helped the power companies save energy.
He is also confident in the current grid system which experienced chronic blackouts in 2000 and 2001.
"We have done quite a bit in upgrades on our system. We have been putting in place the generation and transmission that we need to help support our growing state. Those are in place. Other issues aside, looking forward, we're looking good," Greenlee added.
Weigh In:
Can one outage really take us to the limit? Will you take those three "simple actions" at home to help out? What about at the office?
Guest:
Steven Greenlee, Spokesman, California Independent System Operator (CAISO)
Lakers shoot for a ‘dream team’ with Dwight Howard trade
A fast-moving game of NBA chess has been playing out over the last few days, with players being moved from square to square in order to build what their owners hope will be the perfect team. The end game? Bringing Orlando Magic star center Dwight Howard to the Lakers, beefing up their already promising lineup and virtually guaranteeing a shot at the finals in 2013.
If approved by the league, the eight-player, four team maneuver would move Lakers center Andrew Bynum and Orlando Magic guard Jason Richardson to the Philadelphia 76’ers, 76’ers forward guard Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets and Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic and one other future first-round pick from each of the three teams to the Magic. Got all that?
The shuffle still has to be approved by the NBA, but all that’s expected to be settled today. Lakers owner Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak are betting that the combination of Howard, Kobe Bryant and the newly acquired Steve Nash will reinvigorate the team. The news has certainly given Lakers watchers something to high-five about. Let the games begin!
Guests:
A. Martinez, KPCC contributor; former host of ESPN’s In the Zone
Arash Markazi, Sports Columnist, ESPNLA.com
LA targets ticket scalpers
Some ticket scalpers may soon be banned from peddling tickets at Los Angeles’ largest venues.
City Attorney Carmen Trutanich filed an injunction against 17 individuals on Monday, asking to bar them from selling tickets outside venues including Dodger Stadium, L.A. Memorial Coliseum, L.A. Live and the Staples Center. Prosecutors maintain the scalpers intimidate citizens, create traffic congestion and suck up scarce law enforcement resources.
“At just L.A. Live alone, the Los Angeles Police Department has spent over 1,500 hours, in the last three years, policing illegal scalping at that venue. Same thing happens at Dodger Stadium. The same thing happens at the Coliseum and the Galen Center,” Trutanich said on AirTalk. “We’re spending a lot of police resources to catch the same people, and catch and release doesn’t work. So, we need a better mousetrap in order to help us save money in law enforcement and put our resources where they’re better needed.”
If the Los Angeles Superior Court approves the suit, the individuals listed in the injunction could face up to six months in jail and/or a $2,500 fine for each offense, if he or she violates the order. According to Trutanich, the harsher punishment means more efficient policing.
“Now, you don’t have to wait and watch and see a transaction. When you’ve got 17 people who have been arrested 99 times, and they don’t live in the area of the venue, you know that when they’re at that venue, they’re there for only one reason, and that’s to sell illegal tickets,” he continued.
Trutanich said that law enforcement conducted a similar crackdown on drug dealers posing as homeless people on Skid Row and peddling drugs where people were seeking recovery. But Senior Staff Attorney Peter Bibring at ACLU said the injunction is too harsh.
“Overkill is part of the problem. What the city attorney has done is taken a very aggressive remedy, though one that’s traditionally used in anti-gang injunctions, and applied it to, basically, a petty crime. Ticket scalping under either state law or the L.A. municipal code is just a misdemeanor,” said Bibring.
Bibring added that the 17 scalpers would be completely barred from areas surrounding Dodger Stadium, the Staples Center and USC.
“[The injunction has] pretty draconian effects,” he said. “They not only couldn’t hang out outside scalping tickets, but they’d be barred from going to the restaurants around Staples Center on a Thursday morning, or going into Echo Park to visit a friend.”
Weigh In:
Should the city be able to ban ticket scalpers? How will a ban on these individuals affect the ticket brokering business in LA and how does it affect the competition amongst ticket resellers?
Guests:
Carmen Trutanich, Los Angeles City Attorney
Peter Bibring, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Southern California
FilmWeek: The Bourne Legacy, The Campaign, Hope Springs and more
Guest host David Lazarus is joined by KPCC film critics Andy Klein and Peter Rainer to review this week’s new films, including "The Bourne Legacy," "The Campaign," "Hope Springs" and more. TGI-FilmWeek!
Guests:
Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and the L.A. Times Community Papers chain
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor
Which political films get it right?
This week, moviegoers will see Zach Galifianakis and Will Ferrell square off in ‘The Campaign.’ Of course, Americans have been watching Barack Obama and Mitt Romney go at it for months now, not to mention the grueling Republican Primary season which has been going on basically since Obama was elected in 2008. Politics are now truly a part of everyday life, and unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they’re going anywhere.
With that in mind, today on FilmWeek we’ll take some time to look at the world of political films. Campaigns, the Cold War and even movies about lobbying will all be covered by guest host David Lazarus and our KPCC critics. What are you favorite political movies of all time? What do the good ones get right and the bad ones get wrong? Can these movies be both informed and entertaining?
Guests:
Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and the L.A. Times Community Papers chain
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor
Next week, The Hammer Museum is kicking off a series of free political movie screenings with the documentary 'Primary,' chronicling John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey as they vie in Wisconsin to be the contender against Richard Nixon. More information can be found here.