Today on AirTalk, we discuss a bill that would require local governments to allow for duplexes in current single family zoning. Also on the show, we look at the anniversary of the 19th Amendment; discuss Trump's polling with people of color; and more.
Where Does President Donald Trump Stand With Voters Of Color?
President Donald Trump continued attempting to appeal to Black voters at the Republican National Convention last night, as various voices took the stage in support of his reelection.
Two stand out speakers from earlier this week were people of color: former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate.
One of several African Americans on the schedule, former football star Herschel Walker, defended the president against those who call him a racist.
“It hurts my soul to hear the terrible names that people call Donald,” Walker said in prepared remarks. “The worst one is ‘racist.’ I take it as a personal insult that people would think I would have a 37-year friendship with a racist.”
However, the program also featured Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple arrested after pointing guns at Black Lives Matter protesters marching past their home. While Black voters generally favor Joe Biden over Trump, Latino voters have been more loyal to the Republican party. Today on AirTalk, Larry talks with political experts about where the president and Republican party stand with voters of color and how strategies are playing out at the GOP convention. Are you a Republican or a Trump supporter? What are your thoughts? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Maya King, politics reporter covering race and demographics for POLITICO; she tweets
Sonja Diaz, the founding executive director of the Latino Policy and Politics Initiative at UCLA, a non partisan think tank; she’s also a practicing civil rights attorney and policy adviser; she tweets
Pete Peterson, dean of the School of Public Policy and senior fellow at The Davenport Institute at Pepperdine University; he tweets
COVID AMA: LA County COVID-19 Cases Drop, CDC Changes Testing Guidelines And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Peter Chin-Hong from UCSF.
Today’s topics include:
L.A. County COVID-19 cases continue to drop, setting up potential for some school reopenings
CDC guidelines now say people exposed to coronavirus may not need to be tested
San Pedro rep presses for county to review coronavirus brewery closures
Feeling anxious and depressed? In California, you’re right at home
6 feet may not always be enough distance to protect from COVID-19
Moderna vaccine trial lacks Black, Latinx and Indigenous participants
Guest:
Peter Chin-Hong, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center; he tweets
Women's Equality Day: A Retrospective on Women's Political Participation Since The 19th Amendment
It’s been 100 years since the passing of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in the United States after years of being discriminated against in the democratic process because of their gender.
And while the amendment’s passage and ratification was a much-deserved victory for women in the U.S. and a credit to all of the suffragettes, civil rights activists and others who worked to bring attention to the issue, in many ways it was also the beginning of a new struggle for representation and visibility in the political process. It’s a challenge that is still being fought across the country to this day, and while a lot of progress has been made since the passage of the 19th Amendment, and while there are a number of political action committees and grassroots organizations that focus specifically on identifying and preparing women to run for office, many of the women who operate in the field of politics will tell you there’s still plenty of work to be done to continue to increase visibility for women in politics, particularly women of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Today on AirTalk, in observance of Women’s Equality Day, we’ll look back at the passing of the 19th Amendment, the history of women’s participation in politics since its passing and how that has evolved into women’s participation in politics today.
Guests:
Kelly Dittmar, associate professor of political science at Rutgers University-Camden (NJ), director of research at Rutgers’ Center for American Women and Politics and co-author of the book “A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen’s Perspectives on Why Their Representation Matters” (Oxford University Press, 2018); she tweets
Nadia E. Brown, associate professor and university faculty scholar of political science and African American Studies at Purdue University in Indiana; she tweets
Analysis: Weighing The Risks And Rewards Of Severe Lockdown Restrictions
A number of state and local leaders may have jumped the gun when they enacted broad lockdown restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic, which began escalating in the U.S. back in March. That’s according to a recent analysis published in the Wall Street Journal.
The piece explains that five months ago nobody quite knew what the country was up against, and many elected leaders felt they had little choice as they weighed the risks of an economic crisis on top of an evolving public health crisis. In hindsight, experts now say the total lockdowns may have been unnecessary and overly damaging and that a better strategy moving forward would be to focus on more specific restrictions and closures. Today on AirTalk, we discuss the latest analysis of total lockdowns and what they’ve meant economically for places beyond the U.S. Do you have thoughts? Call 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Greg Ip, chief economics commentator for the The Wall Street Journal; he tweets
It’s Been Nearly Six Months Since The Pandemic Altered Our Lives. How Are You Feeling?
Nearly six months ago, in March, the novel coronavirus pandemic consumed public consciousness almost overnight.
Despite the fact that at that time, relatively few Americans had actually fallen ill with COVID-19, anxious consumers raided supermarkets and pulverized the toilet paper and cleaning aisles. Schools and offices shut their doors and went online. Grocery store workers and farm workers, always essential, became increasingly so. Within weeks, economic projections soured as record unemployment numbers emerged and the United States plunged into a recession.
Now, months on, over 170,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and many states still have some form of imposed lockdown. Healthcare workers, after months of battling the pandemic, are growing exhausted. Although the decreasing coronavirus numbers in LA County bring reason to hope, the county is still on the state’s watchlist.
Psychologically, it’s a lot. Many people are experiencing joblessness, have fallen ill, or haven’t seen friends or family members in months. Most of us have settled into the reality that the virus will be here to stay for a long time, and that acceptance can bring anxiety and fear. We want to hear about how you’re feeling. Have you found strategies to cope? What is your outlook like in this stage of the pandemic? Give us a call to share your thoughts at 866-893-5722.
If you or someone you care about is experiencing a suicidal or mental health crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255
SB 1120 CA Bill Would Allow For Duplexes In Single Family Zoned Lots To Address Housing Shortage, But Some Neighborhood Groups Are Opposed
A bill moving through the California legislature would require local governments to allow for duplexes in what’s currently single family home zoning as a way to address the state’s housing crisis.
Under SB 1120, property owners could turn their houses into duplexes, or could divide up their lots and put two duplexes on the property, creating four homes where there was once one.
The legislation is opposed by a number of local neighborhood groups who are concerned that new housing will affect the character of their neighborhoods, decrease available parking and not provide housing that is low rent enough to address the housing shortage.
We dive into the pros and cons of the legislation. Plus, we want to hear from you. Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
David Garcia, policy director at the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley; he tweets
Mark Ryavec, president of the Venice Stakeholders Association and member of the Venice Neighborhood Council