Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy has suspended contracts with Apple and Pearson following criticism and investigation into L.A. schools’ use of iPads in the classroom. Also, two committees have recommended a new pilot program that would allow officers to issue fines for neighborhood “quality-of-life” offenses. Then, should the San Gabriel Mountains be named a national monument?
Reaction to the LAUSD canceling iPad contract
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy has suspended contracts with Apple and Pearson following criticism and investigation into L.A. schools’ use of iPads in the classroom.
The $1 billion program faced scrutiny from critics since its implementation last year, and has recently come under fire after a committee of LAUSD staff, parents, and teachers found that the bidding process may have favored Apple and Pearson. In a memo to the Board of Education, Supt. Deasy said that LAUSD will halt its contract with Apple and subcontract with Pearson and restart the process of fulfilling the need for technology in the classroom.
How will students, teachers, and parents react to changes to the iPad program? What’s the best way to proceed?
Guests:
Annie Gilbertson, KPCC Education Reporter
Mónica García, represents Board District 2, including South LA, Echo Park, and Downtown, in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)
Colleen Schwab, secondary vice president of UTLA
Scott Folsom, parent leader in LAUSD, past president of Los Angeles’ 10th District PTA, represents the PTA on the LAUSD Construction Bond Citizens Oversight Committee
Brandon Martinez, assistant professor of clinical education Rossier School of Education at USC
Forget a nice talking-to, Los Angeles contemplates fines for noise offenses
Recently on AirTalk, we heard from listeners all across Los Angeles County on the types of noise they’ve had to live and deal with.
A solution might be the horizon. Two committees under the Los Angeles City Council have recommended the city adopt a new pilot program that would allow officers to issue fines for neighborhood “quality-of-life” offenses like loud parties, the incessantly barking dogs, or the use of gas-powered leaf blowers.
Under the proposal, citations would start at $250 for the first infraction, and go up to $500, and then $1,000 for repeated offenders. Implementation of the program is estimated to cost over $570,000. Expected revenue would total around $2 million. The program still needs approval from the full council.
How would the program work? Do you think the program will curb residential noise disturbances?
Guests:
Paul Koretz, L.A. City Council member representing District 5, which includes communities of Bel Air, Century City, Fairfax. He chairs the Personnel, Welfare and Animal Services committee, one of the committees that recommended the adoption of the pilot program
Kyle Fitzpatrick, founder of the blog, Los Angeles, I’m Yours. He also writes for Los Angeles Magazine. His recent piece details his concerns about the pilot program.
Should the San Gabriel Mountains be named a national monument?
President Obama has established 11 national monuments thus far, and if a California lawmaker has her way, the San Gabriel Mountains would be the next to earn the distinction.
Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park), who introduced a bill this year to designate the San Gabriel Mountains a national monument, sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last week pushing for new upgrades at the 655,00-acre park.
Currently, the US Forest Service manages the mountains, but budgetary issues have lead to maintenance concerns. The designation could mean more funding for park maintenance and cleanup and more protection for wildlife.
Opponents, the LA Times reports, fear that the designation would negatively impact firefighting and water quality and other things in the mountains.
Guest:
Daniel Rossman, Chairman, San Gabriel Mountains Forever - a coalition that includes the Wilderness Society and the Sierra Club
Mary Ann Lutz, Mayor of Monrovia
Conflict continues as Ukraine and Russia’s presidents meet
Presidents Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine met today for the first time in two months. The meeting was prompted following the capture of 10 Russian soldiers in Eastern Ukraine and more shelling extending to the Southeast corner of Ukraine.
Hundreds of Russian trucks crossed from Russia into Ukraine in what Russia says is a humanitarian aid convoy and Ukraine says is a military action. Ukraine says that aid conveys intended to be carrying necessary supplies may be supplying Russian separatists with military help. A Ukrainian defense spokeswoman said the second group of trucks included tanks and military vehicles that moved into the southeastern corner of Ukraine and could open up a new front. Russia has defended the decision to cross into Ukraine, saying that its trucks effectively delivered aid.
Is Russia’s movement into Ukraine a violation of international law? How will the two countries continue to approach the conflict?
Guest:
Will Pomeranz, Deputy Director of the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center
Internal Report: Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant needs testing for earthquake safety
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and one of its former nuclear inspectors have a big disagreement.
Dr. Michael Peck, the NRC’s former senior resident inspector at Diablo Canyon Power Plant, questions in his 42 page Differing Professional Opinion (DPO), the safety of the nuclear reactors. He says they could suffer from more than a minimal likelihood of a malfunction in structure and system should a big earthquake hit near the area. According to Friends of the Earth, the organization that published Dr. Peck’s DPO, this could potentially put hundreds of thousands of people that live within 50 miles of the reactor at risk, and even more if a radioactive plume would blow towards Southern California.
But, Blair Jones, spokesperson for Pacific, Gas and Electric (PG&E), the company that operates the reactors, said the NRC during their regular inspections, continues to find the facility, located on the central coast of California, to be seismically safe. Despite the filing of the DPO, over one year ago, the NRC has not, as of yet, given their ruling on Peck’s report.
Does Dr. Peck have a point -- is it likely the reactors would cause damage if hit with a high magnitude quake? Or, has the NRC been as diligent as PG&E claims, and therefore Diablo Canyon Power Plant is safe?
Guests:
Michael Blood, Reporter for the Associated Press
Damon Moglen, Senior Nuclear Advisor at Friends of the Earth, the organization that published Dr. Michael Peck’s critical 42 page “Differing Professional Opinion.”
No more future vineyards in Malibu
A coastal resource protection plan is threatening to ban more than 50,000 acres adjacent to the city of Malibu that house more than 50 commercial vineyards. The plan, which prevents development and limits the size of new homes on most ridgelines, gives the county autonomy instead of the California Coastal Commission.
Supporters of the ban say that these regulations ensure that development and urbanization is prevented in coastal mountain areas. They also note the increased potential for erosion, use of pesticides and the aesthetics of the vineyards as problematic for the mountains. Critics argue that the vineyards are still in their early stages, and shutting them down would create negative consequences for the independent growers that have invested their capital in the vineyards.
Is this ban the best plan to address the issues in the Malibu wine country? What do you think is the best way to ensure the environmental needs of the mountains while still creating economic growth in the region?
Guest:
Frank Angel, Environmental Public Interest Litigator
Donald Schmitz II, Founder, Malibu Solstice Vineyard and Wines