The South Coast Air Quality Management District says the draft EIR on the 710 extension is essentially useless because it didn’t account for the amount of cancerous emissions the tunnel project would cause. Also, a recent study looked at the Pacific Northwest’s tidal wetland vulnerability to rising sea levels. Then, a vote in Congress on the Iran nuclear deal is slated for September, and both sides of the debate have been fighting to be heard.
Another bump in the road: Report says 710 EIR doesn’t account for cancer risk
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) says the draft environmental impact report on the 710 extension is essentially useless because it didn’t account for the amount of cancerous emissions the tunnel project would cause.
The report suggests that the cancer risk of the project is 149 chances per million people exposed to pollutants. The district standard threshold is 10 chances per million. The AQMD suggests that Caltrans and Metro revise the air quality part of the EIR and contact them to start discussing applications for permits, because any controls put on air pollution from exhaust will require a permit from the AQMD.
In a response letter, the city of Alhambra says the traffic gridlock that happens at the place where the 710 currently ends at Valley Boulevard already causes a risk of cancer, and that the tunnel project would reduce that risk.
Does this report change your opinion on the 710 extension? What challenges does this present to the project? How will the city of Alhambra respond?
August 5 Letter from the South Coast Air Quality Management District
Guests:
Steve Scauzillo, Reporter for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, covering environment and transportation
Barbara Messina, Vice Mayor of the City of Alhambra representing the Second District
Donald Voss, Former Mayor of La Cañada Flintridge
What do rising sea levels in the Pacific Northwest mean for Southern California?
A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey, Oregon State University and UCLA looked at the Pacific Northwest’s tidal wetland vulnerability to rising sea levels.
This vulnerability could affect water purification, flood protection and habitats for fisheries. The study aims to give resource managers better planning strategies, though the most resilient marshes along the coast of Washington won’t have to adapt to the changes until 2110. Researchers plan to study the coast, ending at the border with Mexico.
Researchers behind the current study are preparing to release a report that focuses on the effects of rising sea levels for Southern California. We’ll get a sneak peek on that on AirTalk today.
Guest:
Karen Thorne, Research Ecologist for USGS, and principal author of the report
Iranian Americans in Los Angeles debate nuclear deal
A vote in Congress on the Iran nuclear deal is slated for September, and both sides of the debate have been fighting to be heard.
Opponents want to push for a better deal, saying that the U.S. is conceding too much. Proponents say the deal achieves the basic imperative of stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
An estimated 800,000 Iranian Americans live in Los Angeles and whether the deal goes through has specific resonance for Tehrangeles.
On the segment today, Larry talks with two Iranian Americans living in Los Angeles to share their perspectives on the deal.
Guests:
Nina Ansary, author of the book, "Jewels of Allah" and an Iranian-American historian in Los Angeles. She is a non-practicing born Muslim
Sam Yebri, president of Thirty Years After, a nonprofit Iranian-American political advocacy group based in Los Angeles. He is an Iranian American Jew
Filmweek: ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E,’ ‘Straight Outta Compton,’ ‘ Mistress America’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Tim Cogshell and Justin Chang review this week’s new releases including Guy Ritchie’s return with “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” the much-hyped and well-received “Straight Outta Compton,” the latest from Noah Baumbach, “Mistress America,” and more. TGI-Filmweek!
The Best Oscar Performances of All Time
Guests:
Tim Cogshell, Film Critic for KPCC and the Alt-Film Guide
Justin Chang, Chief Film Critic for Variety
‘Straight Outta Compton’ signifies 2 hot moments in African American cinema
This weekend’s much-hyped release of “Straight Outta Compton” shows the explosion of fame in the 80s and 90s for Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube for what he called their brand of “Reality Rap.”
Their lyrics that conveyed the life of some African Americans in South LA helped give rise to a fit of Black Cinema in the early 90s, including “Boyz n the Hood,” “Juice,” and “Menace II Society.
Crafted as conventional Hollywood action movies with protagonists going through rites of passage in rough settings, the movies were an easy sell to distributors. It’s one of the few eras, including Blaxploitation movies in the 1970s, where a spurt of Black Cinema enjoyed commercial success.
Today’s African American filmmakers are making critically successful films such as “Middle of Nowhere” and “Imperial Dreams,” but distribution is another story. Film critic Tim Cogshell says there have always been movies that tell African American stories with finesse and skill, but the struggle is studio support.
Some history of African American cinema starts in the summer of 1915 when two brothers George and Noble Johnson founded the Lincoln Motion Picture Company in Nebraska to produce films for African-American audiences. During the 1920s, Norman Studios of Jacksonville, Florida produced silent films featuring all-African-American casts.
How have these films resonated with you?
Guests:
Tim Cogshell, Film Critic for KPCC and the Alt Film Guide; Cogshell reported on hip hop and film in early 1990s Los Angeles