Today on AirTalk, we discuss the proposed ban on e-cigarette flavors the Trump Administration is expected to announce soon. Also on the show, we take a look at the LAUSD teachers' strike one year later; explore the hidden history of Los Angeles through graffiti art; and more.
F.D.A. Expected To Ban Most E-Cigarette Flavors
The White House is expected to announce soon a ban on many popular e-cigarette flavors, including mint and fruit flavors. Menthol and tobacco flavors will still be available.
The ban is an effort to address the rise in vaping use by teenagers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 2,000 teens have fallen ill to a mysterious vaping illness within the last several months. Fatigue, coughing, vomiting and problems with breathing are all symptoms associated with the illness. According to the Wall Street Journal, the ban won’t apply to tank vaping systems though, which allow users to mix their own nicotine liquids. The Trump administration in September originally said it would ban all e-cigarette flavors other than tobacco. Public health groups have voiced concerns about the administration’s scaled back plan.
Today on AirTalk, we discuss the evolution of President Donald Trump’s e-cigarette ban and how it got to this point. Do you vape? What do you think of the expected ban on most flavors? What do you think the implications could be? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
With guest host Kyle Stokes
Guest:
Josh Wingrove, White House reporter for Bloomberg, he’s been covering this; he tweets
One Year Later: The LAUSD Teachers’ Strike, What’s Happened Since And What’s Still To Come
Around 34,000 Los Angeles Unified School District educators went on strike for six days last January as the the United Teacher Los Angeles union went toe to toe with the district to negotiate a new contract.
Negotiations had been going on for a couple years before teachers walked out in what was the first strike in the district in 30 years.
UTLA called on the district to use $2 billion in reserves for its demands, but LAUSD said that money wasn’t available and couldn’t meet all of the union’s demands. UTLA and LAUSD finally reached a tentative agreement after a more than 20-hour negotiation. The three-year contract included gradually decreased class sizes, more nurses and librarians and a raise. According to the Los Angeles Times, the union has said the long term goal is to encourage lawmakers and voters to provide improved funding for schools.
Today on AirTalk, education reporter and guest host Kyle Stokes speaks with two major players in the strike. They look back on the strike a year ago, discuss where the district stands now and look ahead at what’s to come. We want to hear from listeners too. Are you an educator? Do you think improvements have been made in the district since the January 2019 deal was met. Do you have existing concerns as the district heads into 2020? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
With guest host Kyle Stokes
Guests:
Austin Beutner, superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District
Alex Caputo-Pearl, president of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), the union which represented LAUSD teachers and support staff during the strike
Former CA Governor Jerry Brown Shares Lessons Learned Over Five Decades In Government In New KQED Podcast
50 years is a long time to do anything professionally. It’s an even longer time to be a politician, and an even longer time to be a successful one with election wins to prove it. But against those odds, Edmund Gerald “Jerry” Brown Jr. has endured in California government through nearly five decades. And while being the son of a popular former governor no doubt helped his chances, Brown would eventually blaze his own trail and carve out his own place in California political history as more than just Pat Brown’s son.
Jerry Brown’s path was anything but ordinary. He dropped out of college at Santa Clara University to enter a Jesuit seminary and pursue a career as a Catholic priest. Over his nearly 50 years in California politics, he has held offices including mayor of Oakland, secretary of state, attorney general and two separate stints as California governor separated by nearly 30 years. He even hosted his own talk radio show for several years during the 1990s. When he stepped down from the governor’s office in 2019, he held the titles of both the oldest and sixth-youngest governor of California as well as its third longest-serving chief executive. Across those terms, he helped build up the state’s surplus coffers, established himself as a strong environmentalist and made California the fifth state to allow doctor-assisted suicide.
But as you might imagine, half a century in politics doesn’t come without some bumps in the road. He ran for president three times and the U.S. Senate once, coming up short in all of those campaigns. And for as much of a fiscal conservative as he was branded during his first two terms, he was often criticized for his spending choices during his second two, particularly for the California High-Speed Rail and the $17 billion twin tunnel project.
In the new podcast “The Political Mind of Jerry Brown” KQED News’ Scott Shafer and Guy Marzorati spend more than 40 hours with the former chief executive charting his path through California politics and sifting through his observations and lessons learned with a fine-toothed comb.
Today on AirTalk, Scott and Guy stop by to talk about the making the podcast, some of the major themes that came across in their work-week’s worth of interviews and what they learned both about Brown and California politics in the process.
With guest host Kyle Stokes
Guests:
Scott Shafer, co-host of “The Political Mind of Jerry Brown”, a new podcast that debuts on Jan. 11 from the San Francisco public radio affiliate, KQED; politics editor at KQED; he tweets
Guy Marzorati, producer of “The Political Mind of Jerry Brown” and politics and government reporter and producer at KQED; he tweets
The Story Of A City Through The Art Of Graffiti
There’s a hidden history of Los Angeles that can be found under the city’s bridges, within tunnels, and on building walls.
Author and urban ethnographer Susan Phillips puts together an archive of images and historical analysis in her book The City Beneath: A Century of Los Angeles Graffiti (Yale University Press, 2019) that looks into the untold history of Los Angeles through a century’s worth of graffiti art. Graffiti can be found all throughout the LA area and reveal a deeper history of the city than what meets the eye. The earliest forms of graffiti date back to ancient times of cave people painting their handprints over cave walls. In its modern-day form, graffiti has evolved to become an art, documenting people’s stories and serving as a form of expression for sociopolitical and economic struggle. Phillips’ book finds that much of the city’s graffiti was created by marginalized groups who used the art as a form of communication, expression and protest.
Today on AirTalk, we sit down with Phillips and discuss how graffiti is embedded in the LA culture and presents the city’s history from new perspectives that are often ignored or forgotten.
With guest host Kyle Stokes
Guest:
Susan A. Phillips, professor of environmental analysis at Pitzer College; she is the author of “The City Beneath: A Century Of Los Angeles Graffiti” (Yale University Press, 2019)