Impound Moratorium; L.A.County Registrar Conny McCormack Is Retiring; Mayor Villaraigosa And LAUSD Form Partnership; The Counterinsurgency Field Manual; How Luxury Lost It Luster
Impound Moratorium
The LAPD has imposed a moratorium on impounding the vehicles of unlicensed drivers fearing that the practice could be unconstitutional. The moratorium will be in place until the city attorney's office provides a final legal assessment of a 2005 decision by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals involving an Oregon impound case. Many unlicensed drivers who have their cars towed are illegal immigrants who cannot get driver's licenses. Larry and his guests discuss the ramifications of the moratorium.
L.A.County Registrar Conny McCormack Is Retiring
Larry Mantle talks to Conny McCormack about her announcement yesterday that she will be retiring at the end of the year.
Mayor Villaraigosa And LAUSD Form Partnership
Larry discusses the partnership announced this morning between the Los Angeles Unified School District and Mayor Villaraigosa that would give the Mayor jurisdiction over several of the LAUSD's lowest performing schools.
The Counterinsurgency Field Manual
The United States military forces that invaded Iraq were well organized, well equipped, and well trained, but they were surprisingly unprepared for an unconventional enemy, one that chooses to wage war from the shadows. As the Iraq war developed, it became apparent that our military lacked a common understanding of problems inherent in counterinsurgency campaigns. The US Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual was written to address the lack of doctrines and tactics needed to confront what is likely to be the dominant form of warfare for the next decade. One of its authors joins Larry to examine the challenges involved in fighting a war without front lines against an enemy who is difficult to identify.
How Luxury Lost It Luster
In her new book, Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster, Newsweek reporter Dana Thomas exposes the decline of luxury fashion since the industry transformed from small family-run businesses into billion dollar corporations. Luxury brand items are now produced in assembly lines and mass marketed around the world, resulting in a decline in quality. Larry talks to Thomas about why names like Prada and Louis Vuitton may not represent prestige and quality so much as advertising and hype. Dana Thomas is signing this evening at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble Bookstore on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica.