A Superior Court judge ruled that LAPD's impound policy is illegal. Is it a good idea to have lenient policies for unlicensed drivers? Also, it's back-to-school time! Do you think starting the school year earlier is better for students? Next, will most people opt out of emergency alerts on their cell phone, and how will the rising price of California homes affect homeowners? Then, could you forgive sexting in your relationship? Last, we'll look at the pros and cons of the orderliness of homeowner associations.
Judge throws out LAPD’s impound policy for illegal immigrants, what’s next?
A Superior Court judge Monday ruled that LAPD’s lenient policy on impounding cars belonging to unlicensed drivers was illegal. California’s vehicle code says the cars of unlicensed drivers should be impounded and held for 30 days. But last year, Police Chief Charlie Beck issued a directive—Special Order 7--that said unlicensed drivers who have insurance, valid I.D. and no previous citations for driving without a license should have their cars impounded sans the 30-day hold.
Beck’s reasoning for the directive was that it was morally right in a city where there are so many illegal immigrants who can’t legally obtain drivers licenses. Immigrants’ rights groups had complained that their cars were being disproportionately impounded and last year, after the directive was enacted, the number of cars impounded dropped 39 percent from the previous year.
But opponents say the directive takes away officers’ ability to use discretion in whether to implement the 30-day hold. The Los Angeles Police Protective League sued the city along with a conservative watchdog group based in Washington D.C. to put the 30-day holds back on the table. The ACLU and other groups plan to appeal the judge’s decision.
Was Chief Beck’s directive a good idea? Or is it dangerous to have such lenient policies for unlicensed drivers?
Guests:
Paul Orfanedes, attorney for Judicial Watch
Michael Kaufman, ACLU staff attorney
It's officially back-to-school time! Wait, what?
Summer is nowhere near being over, but students, parents and teachers across the Southland packed lunches and sallied to school this morning. This is the second year that LA Unified School District rang the bell on the second Tuesday of August. Last year, LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy explained, "The early-start calendar allows students to complete their first semester prior to winter break, which has been shown to have a positive impact on final examinations and grades."
What about the impact on hunting for tadpoles and running through fields? School won't run as late as mid-June anymore, but summer is still shorter than the so-called good ol' days. For ages, American kids were free to roam for about three months until what felt like a logical conclusion: the day after Labor Day. Is the traditional school calendar gone for good? Did last year's new calendar have positive results?
Guests:
Tom Waldman, Director of Communications, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)
Sarah Auerswald, Co-Founder of MomsLA. She writes about life in Los Angeles raising her 2 sons on SarahAndSons and also founded MarVistaMom
Will Amber alerts be silenced by blaring complaints?
California State Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) says Amber alerts should be "used sparingly and effectively to earn the public trust." The comments come after worry that folks will opt-out of receiving emergency alerts on their wireless phones.
Last week, the Amber alert sounded loud across California and beyond for missing teenager Hannah Anderson.When a couple of Idaho horseback riders came across a strange pair of hikers -- Hannah and her kidnapper James DiMaggio -- then heard a news report about the alert, they put two and two together. The success story seems clear, but complaints have not been silenced.
Did you decide to opt-out of receiving alerts last week? Did the rescue of Hannah Anderson affect your thinking about Amber alerts? What's the threshold that could lead people to become desensitized to emergency messages?
Guest:
Alex Padilla, California State Senator; Chairman, State Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications
Affordability drops for California homebuyers
Rising home prices and mortgage interest rates in California shut out a large number of potential homebuyers, according to data published by the California Association of Realtors. As The Los Angeles Times points out, thirty-six percent of California could afford a single-family home in the second quarter, which dropped from 44% in the first quarter.
People who would to buy a house now need to earn a minimum of nearly 80,000 a year to qualify for an average price home of $415,770. Part of the problem is that people are not earning more money, but the price of homes continues to rise. The most affordable part of the state are the areas in central valley with 71% of people able to purchase a home in this area.
Are you in the market to buy a house in California, does this deter you from buying now? If you own a house, is this a good time sell?
Guests:
Leslie Appleton Young, chief economist at the California Association of Realtors
Richard Green, director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate
Sexting vs. cheating: Which one would you be more likely to forgive?
New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner’s second bout of sexting revelation has again got lots of people talking about digital infidelity. It’s been pretty well established that sexting is a form of cheating, but how likely would you let your partner off the hook for it?
According to a new survey commissioned by the magazines "Men’s Health," "Women’s Health," online retailer Pure Romance and the sex advice website "Good In Bed," only 1 in 5 polled say they would leave their partner if they caught them sexting with someone else. What’s more, one third of the nearly 5,000 respondents say they won’t even confront their partners about it.
Is sexting without sex worse than cheating? Would you be more likely to forgive sexting than physical infidelity? How could your relationship survive sexting?
Guests:
Kristen Mark, Director of Sexual Health Promotion Lab at the University of Kentucky and the the researcher behind the survey
Jennifer de Francisco, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in couples therapy, separation, and divorce therapy in Newport Beach
Do you prefer the orderliness of a homeowner association or a less-structured neighborhood?
Some of us thrive in a structured environment, while others prefer the freedom to express themselves without rules. And that doesn’t just apply to who we want to be, but equally to where we choose to live as well. Do you like the structure of living in a community governed by a homeowners association, where rules are hard and fast and residents are legally bound not to stray from certain norms, or would you rather live in a community where less restrictions mean you can paint your house pink or grow your lawn knee-high?
There are over 50,000 HOAs in California, and nearly a third of the state’s population lives in communities they govern. So which would you rather live in? The security of structure? Or the freedom from restrictive rules?
Guests:
Karen D. Conlon, President & CEO of the California Association of Community Managers, a state-wide association based in Laguna Hills
Michael Nogueira, President of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council. He’s also the President of the Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce and owner of Sir Michaels Party Rental