Are Democrats abandoning a plan to tax the wealthy? OC News Update: Larry and our talented trio of Orange County journalists dig into these stories and other latest news from Orange County. LA city officials approve ordinance to limit vending on Venice boardwalk Survey: 1 in 4 women violently attacked by a partner.
Who do you trust – big government or big business?
A new Gallup poll shows that the number of Americans who feel big government is the biggest threat to the country's future dwarfs those who fear big business. When asked to choose between big government, big business or big labor, 64 percent say they are wary of the federal government – which is just short of a record high, while just 26 percent name big business – oil, banking and other corporations. That could be read as Tea Party thinking vs. Occupy Wall Street. So what does this mean for the American sentiment?
Despite months of activity, mountains of press and the support of everyone from labor unions to political organizations, has the Occupy movement succeeded in turning the zeitgeist against corporate power? Could the Tea Party sentiment tip the scales in next year's election?
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats seem on the verge of backing down on key points in their fight to extend the payroll tax holiday – including paying for it with a surcharge on millionaires, which the GOP staunchly opposes. If the tax cut expires on Dec. 31 as scheduled, 160 million American workers will average an additional $1,000 a year in Social Security taxes. Republicans instead are pushing for other cuts: reduced unemployment benefits and a freeze on federal employees' pay.
In addition, the bill includes a number of GOP-favored provisions: increased Medicare premiums for seniors, a drug test requirement for unemployment benefits and a roll-back on clean air standards for boilers. Getting the payroll tax cut signed in time for Friday's deadline may hinge on a major cave-in by Dems on allowing the construction permit for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. If the two sides can't break the gridlock, government could be headed for another shutdown this weekend.
WEIGH IN:
Will the senators make it home for the holidays? Can Democratic lawmakers risk giving in on the pipeline to gain another year of tax holiday? What could these concessions say about the balance of power in Congress?
Guests:
Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer in the DC bureau covering Congress, Politics
Sam Goldfarb, Reporter, CQ Roll Call
Raphael Sonenshein, Professor of Political Science, California State University, Fullerton; new position in February 2012: Executive Director of the Pat Brown Institute, California State University, Los Angeles
Orange County journalists' roundtable
Desalination could turn the waves at Huntington Beach into millions of gallons of fresh water, but environmentalists have objections ... an Anaheim councilwoman tries to pull city strings for her own company, prompting cries for an ethics committee ... Orange County's controversial executive pay raises are questioned by the Board of Supervisors ... and why is the O.C. Transit Authority putting the brakes on high-speed rail proposals? Larry and our talented trio of Orange County journalists dig into these stories and other latest news from behind the orange curtain.
Guests:
Gustavo Arellano, Managing Editor of the OC Weekly and author of "Ask A Mexican"
Teri Sforza, Staff Writer for the Orange County Register
Norberto Santana, editor-in-chief of the Voice of OC, a non-profit investigative news agency that covers Orange County government and politics
LA city officials approve ordinance to limit vending on Venice boardwalk
The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Tuesday that aims to limit commercial vending on the Venice Beach boardwalk. The popular tourist destination attracts about 16-million visitors annually. But battles between residents and street vendors have been brewing for years. Now, city officials say there's been an uptick in crime, caused in part by vendors fighting over boardwalk spaces.
Earlier attempts to regulate vendors were thrown out by a federal court, because they were found to be unconstitutional. Under the new law, vendors will be prohibited only from selling items with more than 'nominal utility,' which includes clothing, incense, candy and jewelry. Performers and artists, however, can still sell their artwork, in addition to bumper stickers, leaflets, buttons and books. Mayor Villaraigosa has 10 days to sign the ordinance. If he does, it remains to be seen whether implementing these new rules will help.
WEIGH IN:
To what extent can street vendors be blamed for crimes in the area? What's the best way to deal with these various problems? Is the wacky, colorful culture for which Venice Beach is so well-known worth preserving? What's the best way to balance the safety of residents and visitors with the rights of vendors and performers to express themselves?
Guests:
Bill Rosendahl, Los Angeles City Councilman, District 11, which includes Venice, Brentwood, Del Rey, Mar Vista, Marina del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Palms, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, West LA and Westchester
Linda Lucks, President, Venice Neighborhood Council
Captain Jon Peters, Los Angeles Police Department Commanding Officer for Pacific Area, which includes Venice Beach
Jingles, vegan and animal rights activist on the Venice Boardwalk, where he was also a busker for many years
Survey: 1 in 4 women violently attacked by partner
Experts are astounded by a new large-scale survey on domestic violence and rape. It found 24 percent of women and 14 percent of men have experienced physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
The numbers on rape and attempted rape are not much lower: one in five women say they have been victims – a number much higher than Department of Justice statistics. The survey was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for its first annual "National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey."
Linda Degutis with the CDC said, "It's the first time we've had this kind of estimate." The government agency is calling sexual & domestic violence a major public health problem for the country. It was conducted in 2010 by a randomized phone survey of 9,000 women and 7,400 men, approximately.
The findings go on to state that as many as 29 million women say they have suffered severe physical violence, defined as choking, beating, stabbing, slamming against something, hair-pulling or shooting. The number grows to 36 million when you include slapping and pushing. Those who work with abused women are less surprised by the results.
WEIGH IN:
With numbers so high, who do you know that's a victim of sexual or domestic violence? Have you experienced it yourself? What are the ripple effects for individuals, families and society? What can be done with these findings? Why does the Justice Department have different statistics? How do the findings vary across the country? What are the prevention efforts, beyond bumper stickers, to help bring down these numbers?
Guests:
Dr. Howard Spivak, M.D., Division Director, Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Astrid Heger, M.D., Executive Director, Violence Intervention Program at Los Angeles County & University of Southern California Medical Center; Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California