Governor Jerry Brown revisits Prop 13. Tablets, 4G and 3D - a preview of the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show. Dr. Mitchell Katz - the new director of the LA County Department of Health Services. Republican Representative Darrell Issa is on the hunt for excessive government regulations. Pucker up – there’s more to kissing than romance.
Jerry Brown reexamines Prop 13
Governor Jerry Brown is meeting with county leaders to discuss shifting responsibility for state-run programs to the local level. But that means touching the proverbial “Third Rail” of California politics—Proposition 13, the famous property tax revolt of 1978 which, among other things, consolidated revenue-gathering responsibility to the state level. Will reversing parts of 13, assuming the governor can pull it off, really improve the state budget situation? And are California voters really going to go along with a roll back of 13?
Guest:
Mark Pisano, Senior Fellow at the School of Policy, Planning, and Development at USC, formerly Executive Director of the Southern California Association of Governments
Rick Cole, City Manager of Ventura, former Mayor of Pasadena, and former City Manager of Azusa
Tech Mecca – Consumer Electronics Show 2011 kicks off
It’s time again for the annual Consumer Electronics Show, the largest tech trade show in the world, which officially starts tonight. Gadget makers, buyers, sellers and nerds of all stripes are gathering in Vegas, anxious to get early looks at the many new toys that will be on display through Sunday. Tech experts predict 2011 will be the year of tablets, tablets and more tablets, most of which will run on Google’s Android operating system. There will also be new 3D laptops (no glasses necessary!), mobile devices, Internet-connected televisions, apps galore and the latest version of Rock Band featuring an 8-pack of Johnny Cash songs. What more could a techie want but to walk the line at CES 2011? How about an iPhone from Verizon - dare we dream? This year’s show is likely to be more evolutionary than revolutionary, but there will be plenty of better, faster technological wonders for consumers to shower with cash. What’s on your wish list? Viva technology!
Guests:
Shawn Dubravac, Chief Economist and Director of Research, Consumer Electronics Association
Natali Morris, Senior Editor at CNET
LA County Department of Health Services gets new director
The head of San Francisco’s health department, Dr. Mitchell Katz, has been named to head up LA County’s Health Services Department, ending the agency’s two-year search for a permanent director. In his previous position, which he’s held for the past 13 years, Katz teamed with mayor Gavin Newsom to launch Healthy San Francisco, an innovative program that provides universal health coverage for all of that city’s residents. Katz envisions a similar program for Los Angeles. He also recently revealed publicly that his attitudes about health policy for the homeless and mentally ill have been shaped by having two siblings with developmental disabilities, one of whom was homeless. Could Los Angeles – which has more than 48,000 people living on the streets – ever dream of giving health care to all its citizens? What other changes does Dr. Katz hope to enact in his new position?
Guest:
Dr. Mitchell Katz, Director of Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Issa to business leaders - what regulations do you want changed?
Congressman Darrell Issa, the incoming Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has sparked controversy among Democrats, consumer groups and environmentalists with a batch of letters he recently sent to more than 150 business leaders. Issa asked Toyota, Bayer, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the National Petrochemical & Refiners Foundation, among others, what Obama administration regulations they think are hurting business – and should be reversed. Issa’s letters, sent in December, aim to “identify existing and proposed regulations that have negatively impacted job growth,” including healthcare, environmental and financial reform laws. Business leaders, who welcome Issa’s business-friendly inquiry, are working up their wish lists. Critics say it was a lack of regulations that lead to the financial collapse and claim Issa is merely pandering to big business. Should lawmakers reconsider the impact regs are having on job creation? When it comes to regulating business – should we do more or less?
Guests:
Ed Mierzwinski, Director, Consumer Program, U.S. Public Interest Research Group
Kurt Bardella, spokesman for Republican Congressman Darrell Issa, who represents California’s 40th district
Gary Toebben, President and CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Pucker up – there’s more to kissing than romance
You must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss… or is it? Whether you were under the bleachers, away at summer-camp or stuck in the ER waiting to have your braces removed from the braces of another - the first kiss is an unforgettable moment, searing itself into the memory and having a longer lasting impression than even one’s first sexual encounter. Kissing is often thought of but rarely in terms of science. So what makes a kiss good and why does it matter? Does a top-notch kiss involve as much brain as it does… heart? Are human beings earth’s only kissers? Is chemistry simply matter of chemicals?
Guest:
Sheril Kirshenbaum, Science writer for the Discover Magazine Blog and author of The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips Are Telling Us