AirTalk’s weekly political roundtable recaps the headlines you might’ve missed over the weekend and looks ahead to the week to come in national and state politics. We also analyze a state audit report on prison reform and recidivism; examine LA Metro’s new car-sharing service; and more.
Week in politics: Government shutdown looms again after weekend spending talks break down, previewing Gov. Newsom’s State of the State address and more
AirTalk’s weekly political roundtable recaps the headlines you might’ve missed over the weekend and looks ahead to the week to come in national and state politics. Here are some of the stories we’re watching this week:
Klobuchar announces presidential run
Rep. Omar claims AIPAC financial support is reason politicians support Israel
John Dingell dies at 92 (here’s an op-ed he wrote for the Washington Post shortly before he passed)
Latest on the political turmoil in VA – Second accuser comes out against Lt. Gov. Fairfax. Polling shows VA voters split on governor, but African-Americans support him staying on
Dems unveil Green New Deal
SCOTUS blocks Louisiana abortion law
Deadline to avoid a shutdown is Friday – what’s the latest on a deal? Magic 8-ball says outlook not so good after talks break down over the weekend
Newsom’s State of the State tomorrow, announced Nat’l Guard border troop drawback
Former CA Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon announces for Jose Huizar’s LA City Council seat
Acting AG Matthew Whitaker’s testimony on Friday
2nd Trump-Kim summit to take place in Hanoi
Guests:
Matt Barreto, professor of political science and Chicano/a Studies at UCLA and co-founder of the research and polling firm Latino Decisions; he tweets
Jack Pitney, professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College; he tweets
Here's What Happened When Pasadena Raised Its Minimum Wage
California is on track to reach a $15 minimum wage in coming years, and some cities are getting there faster than others.
That means we could have early answers to a slew of familiar questions: Can raising wages too quickly hurt a city's economy? Will workers actually earn more? Or could they lose their jobs when employers either go out of business or flee to places with lower minimum wages?
Two new reports looking at recent minimum wage hikes in Pasadena shed some light on these debates. Their findings suggest that workers there are making more money, employment hasn't gone down and businesses aren't going away.
"I think there are indications of concern," said UCLA economist Ed Leamer, who led one of the reports. "But I wouldn't, at this point, say the minimum wage has turned out to be an inappropriate public policy."
Leamer and UC Berkeley economist Michael Reich, who led the other report, will present their findings at a Pasadena city council meeting on Monday. Council members will then decide whether the city should stay on course to reach a $15 minimum wage 18 months before the state as a whole — or if they should pump the brakes on future wage increases.
Read David’s piece on tonight’s meeting on LAist.
Guests:
Peter Dreier, he is on the board of directors of Pasadenans Organizing for Progress (POP), a community advocacy group that works on a variety of issues including workers’ rights; professor of politics at Occidental College
Paul Little, president and CEO of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce & Civic Association; he served on the Pasadena City Council for 12 years (1995-2007)
A deep dive into the state’s audit on prison reform and recidivism
Ambitious goals were set in 2012 to help California inmates make the transition back to life on the outside.
But as the Los Angeles Times reports, a new state audit found that the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has not connected prisoners with social programs designed to keep them from going back into the prison system again. Recidivism rates, which are defined by whether people commit a crime within three years outside of custody, was described as “stubbornly high” in the state auditor’s report.
Even with a decrease in prison population, recidivism rates averaged 50 percent in the past 10 years. Programs to reduce recidivism rates may include therapy, anger management and substance abuse classes. For a deeper look into this report and its findings, Larry speaks to people familiar with the report, and how the prison system works.
We reached out to State Auditor Elaine Howle who wrote the report, as well the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and state Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), who asked for an audit to be done -- they have yet to respond to our requests to join the show today
Guests:
Lenore Anderson, executive director for Californians for Safety and Justice, an organization that advocates for criminal justice reform based in San Francisco; attorney who was a coauthor and campaign chair of Proposition 47 that was passed in 2014
Michelle Hennessy, president of the association of the Deputy District Attorneys Association of Los Angeles County
LA Metro enacts new plan to help get people to stations--in a stranger’s car
Metro Los Angeles has launched a partnership with Getaround, an online car-sharing service, Thursday to help people better access public transportation.
As LAist reports, 110 cars are available around the county for people to rent and drive to 27 participating Metro stations. According to Metro’s blog, those “locations were chosen to prioritize equability for communities that need affordable car share services.” You can register for the service through the Getaround app, which also locks and unlocks the car, so users don’t need keys. Getaround also covers collision and liability insurance. People who rent their car for the program get 60 percent of user fees, which can be anywhere from $5 to approximately $20. However, Getaround Western Regional Manager James Correa, did not specify a price cap when he spoke to LAist.
L.A. Metro is hoping the service will boost ridership, as access to first and last-mile connections have been an issue for Angelenos who don’t live within walking distance to a station. But there are still questions on how a system like this would work. It’s unclear how accessible these cars will be, and whether people would be willing to pay a fee just to get to public transportation. For a deeper dive into how Metro’s new car-sharing service works, Larry talks with KPCC reporter Meghan McCarty and Metro’s deputy CEO for countywide planning, Frank Ching.
Guests:
Meghan McCarty-Carino, KPCC transportation and mobility reporter
Frank Ching, deputy executive officer for countywide planning and development with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)