AirTalk dives into the ramifications of rescinding DACA from legal and personal perspectives before Trump’s upcoming decision. We also learn more about the national shortage of construction workers as the damage from Harvey becomes more obvious; how will a bill to cut red tape on housing projects affect Angelenos?; and more.
Ahead of potential DACA decision next week, we talk to ‘Dreamers’ about their fears
Trump’s decision regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programs is expected to arrive Friday, though it’s reported that the White House is now exploring whether the attorneys general asking for the decision by September 5 might extend their deadline.
DACA allowed children brought to the U.S. illegally the opportunity to study and work without the risk of deportation. Now, almost 800,000 DACA recipients are in limbo, waiting for Trump’s decision, which may restrict new applicants or may nix DACA altogether.
Today, we want to hear from DACA recipients. What have you been dealing with as you await the Trump administration’s decision? How will your life be affected? And do you have logistical legal questions about what this decision means for your future?
Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Jessica Hanson, attorney with the National Immigration Law Center, an immigrant rights organization
Hoping a change for the better, Uber welcomes new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi
Uber has been mired in controversy in recent years.
With allegations of toxic company culture, poor leadership, and numerous lawsuits, the ride-share company hired a new CEO in order to fix its image. Over the weekend, former Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi accepted the new executive role, replacing his infamous predecessor Travis Kalanick.
From sexual harassment allegations to legal battles with investors, Khosrowshahi is confronted with the difficult task of dealing with the negative publicity and diminishing morale in and out of the company. Can this outsider turn around one of the most hated tech companies? What’s the next step for Kalanick?
Guest:
Sean O’Kane, tech reporter for The Verge; he tweets
Construction industry workers weigh in on challenges of finding and retaining employees
A new survey from the Associated General Contractors of America found that 70 percent of construction firms are having a hard time finding skilled workers like carpenters, bricklayers, electricians and plumbers.
More than 1600 firms were surveyed across the country - 97 were from California. Most do public works, commercial, industrial and apartment construction (single-family home builders were not part of the survey). Seventy-five percent of the firms surveyed in the western part of the U.S. said they were struggling to fill construction positions, up from 71 percent in 2016. About 70 percent said they were still planning to grow their crews in the coming year to meet demand.
For more on this story from KPCC’s Andrea Bernstein, click here.
Guest:
Ken Simonson, chief economist for Associated General Contractors of America, who conducted the survey
How will a bill to cut red tape on housing projects affect Angelenos?
Senate Bill 35, introduced by Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco), aims to streamline the housing approval process by cutting red tape for certain projects.
This would include bypassing environmental and planning reviews, as well as mandating higher construction worker pay.
News broke from Capital Public Radio earlier this week, reporting that California Gov. Jerry Brown reached a deal with legislative Democrats on the bill. The agreement includes approval for projects meeting certain zoning standards and other requirements including paying construction workers a prevailing wage.
Proponents of the bill have seen it as a step in the right direction and a faster, more productive solution to dealing with the state’s housing crisis. But critics argue that the bill aims to be a “one size fits all” solution to a state that’s too diverse for this plan. Gentrification has also been a concern among opponents.
So what can Angelenos expect if SB 35 goes through? Larry Mantle speaks to advocates on both sides for the full picture.
Guests:
Fred Sutton, director of Government Affairs at the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles; they’ve publicly supported the bill
1. California is in the depth of a housing crisis. Every report that have come out say we are hundreds of thousands unit short of providing adequate housing for our population. SB 35 simply says if cities are not meeting their housing goals in as specified in their regional housing needs assessment, they will be eligible for streamlining, if the objective criteria is met.
2. The housing project must meet certain income levels where there's a shortage and meet all objecting in zoning, environmental codes. We've seen over and over again that housing projects that have been delayed or repealed during the approval process. And this is to stop exactly that.
3. It took us decades to get into this mess, lawmakers have not been taking the right approach in dealing with our housing crisis. There's no silver bullet to this but this bill is the best solution so far to increase housing.
Peter Cohen, co-director of the Council of Community Housing Organizations, a San Francisco-based coalition of affordable housing developers and tenant advocates.
1. The states does have an affordable housing crisis...If this was just about streamlining affordable housing across the state, I think you'd see a wide coalition of stakeholders and politicians getting behind this. But it's a bill mostly concentrated on streamlining market-priced, unaffordable housing.
2. The complication is that California is a massive state. We have over 400 cities. And a one-size fits all bill like this really treat communities on the ground the same. That could be as disruptive and negative as it could be beneficial in certain places.
3. The principle of supply and demand depends on geography. Building high density housing in a gentrifying neighborhood doesn't really make the outlining suburban cities less expensive. It depends on where you build it and how that elasticity works. This may accelerate development in the gentrifying neighborhood that's already hot.
The worst-case scenario of the housing crisis: Homelessness
All week, KPCC is looking at the worsening housing crisis in Southern California, looking at the origin of the problem, where we stand, and the potential solutions.
Today, AirTalk opens up the phones to talk to Southern Californians who have experienced or are currently homeless.
The number of homeless people in Los Angeles County has gone up 23 percent from last year, according to the annual homeless census. Rising rents is a major culprit of the problem.
Guest:
Rina Palta, a correspondent for KPCC, covering homeless issues and the social safety net in Southern California