Today on AirTalk, we check in with restaurant owners and workers to hear their plans as counties across California allow outdoor dining. Also on the show, we answer your COVID-19 questions; talk about how a Biden executive order may be used to help unhoused people in Los Angeles; and more.
LA County Restaurants Can Reopen Outdoor Dining Tomorrow. But Are Restaurants Prepared?
If you're wondering why Los Angeles restaurants are being allowed to reopen for outdoor dining as Southern California's ICU capacity remains near zero and air quality regulators lift limits on the number of bodies crematoriums can burn, you are not alone. Some restaurateurs are just as confused.
"I have to say we were all pretty shocked and a little bit overwhelmed at how sudden that decision came," Susan Feniger, co-owner and co-chef of the Border Grill in downtown Los Angeles and Socalo in Santa Monica, told our newsroom's local culture and news show Take Two, which airs on 89.3 KPCC. "We all sort of thought maybe March, maybe April with the vaccine."
On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted California's regional stay-at-home orders, returning control over pandemic restrictions to individual counties, which can loosen, tighten or maintain current regulations. Most counties, including Los Angeles, have returned to the strictest tier — purple — in the state's color-coded COVID-19 reopening plan.
L.A. County officials said they'll align with the state by allowing outdoor dining (and other types of businesses, such as nail salons) to re-open with limited capacity.
The upshot is that L.A. County restaurants will be allowed to resume outdoor dining this Friday, Jan. 29. (Public health officials had put the kibosh on outdoor dining in late November, despite resistance from local politicians and a lawsuit.) But there will be restrictions.
Many restaurants were surprised by the reopening timeline and may not be ready to resume outdoor dining this week.
Today on AirTalk, we’re hearing from restaurant owners and workers on how they’re feeling about the guidelines and whether they’re planning to reopen. Do you work in a restaurant that is reopening, or considering reopening outdoor dining? We want to hear from you! Comment below or give us a call at 866-893-5722.
With files from LAist
Guest:
Elina Shatkin, food editor at LAist; she tweets
DOC AMA: Virus Mutations Make The Next Several Weeks Crucial, WHO Warns Against Some Vaccines For Pregnant People & More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, host Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Shruti Gohil from UC Irvine’s School of Medicine.
Today’s topics include:
The new virus strains make the next 6 weeks crucial
Virus variant from South Africa detected in US for the first time
Los Angeles COVID-19 vaccine rollout puts seniors at a disadvantage
Blue Shield of California tasked with ramping up state’s coronavirus vaccine delivery system
WHO recommends against Moderna, Pfizer vaccines for most pregnant people
COVID-19 spread appears limited in schools when precautions followed, CDC says
L.A.-area elementary schools could reach threshold for reopening in two to three weeks, Ferrer says
Guest:
Shruti Gohil, M.D., professor of medicine and associate medical director for epidemiology and infection prevention at UC Irvine’s School of Medicine
Biden’s Federal Funding Changes May Mean More Money On Homelessness For LA
An executive order signed by President Biden made changes to how federal dollars are funneled towards municipalities.
L.A. City Councilmembers are hopeful this change may mean added support for Project Roomkey, the state and county initiative to secure hotel rooms for people experiencing homelessness. Earlier this week, Councilmember Mike Bonin introduced a motion for the city to explore expansion options to Project Roomkey.
We discuss what this change in federal funding means for homelessness initiatives in L.A. Plus, how has Project Roomkey been doing? Is its expansion the best way to move forward?
We reached out to Los Angeles City Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Mike Bonin, who introduced the motion, as well as Los Angeles Homeless Services Executive Director Heidi Marston, but none were available to join us at the time of our discussion.
Guests:
Ben Oreskes, metro reporter for the L.A. Times where he covers homelessness and housing; his recent piece is “‘Manna from heaven’: L.A. officials say Biden funding could get thousands of homeless off streets”
Va Lecia Adams Kellum, president and CEO of St. Joseph Center which works with working poor families, and homeless men, women and children; they are based in Venice and service L.A. County
Federal Law Enforcement Investigation Shifts To Building Conspiracy Cases Against Capitol Insurrectionists
The FBI’s investigation into the January 6th Capitol attack is evolving as investigators move toward building cases alleging that some of the rioters carefully planned the attack.
Authorities are working through evidence that includes hundreds of thousands of digital tips on social media, news and surveillance footage, tips from the public as well as nonpublic evidence taken from search warrants and grand jury subpoenas. 150 people have already been charged with federal crimes for their involvement with the Capitol insurrection, though officials expect arrests to slow as they move their investigation into motive.
Today on AirTalk, we’re learning more about what the federal investigation and charges look like for the Capitol insurrection. Questions? Leave them below or give us a call at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Aruna Viswanatha, Wall Street Journal reporter covering the Justice Department; she tweets
Shan Wu, former federal prosecutor based in Washington D.C.; he tweets
Dollars And Sense: The Personal Finance Lessons Learned From Living Through A Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic and its economic effects have forced pretty much everyone to take a closer look at, and generally be more familiar with, their pocketbooks.
These days, many are going to great lengths to stretch dollars, especially those who have found themselves out of a job as a result of the virus. But, for as many financial challenges as the pandemic has posed, it has also forced many of us to think more critically about our personal finances, maybe underscoring the need to have money put away in more than one account, or pushing us to face some hard truths about our spending and saving habits or what we have or haven’t done to plan for the long-term.
Several of these lessons are detailed in a recent Wall Street Journal article, but we wanted to hear from AirTalk listeners about what they’re discovering about their own spending, saving and financial planning habits.
What are some of the lessons you’ve learned about personal finance during the pandemic? Maybe it’s a lesson about how much you really need to save, maybe you have a better idea of the number of your cost of living, or maybe it’s more long term about what you need to be putting away for savings and/or retirement? Have your spending and saving habits? Are there financial practices you’re employing now that you wouldn’t have considered before the pandemic? Join our live conversation by calling 866-583-5722.
Guest:
Delia Fernandez, fee-only certified financial planner and investment advisor with Fernandez Financial Advisory, LLC in Los Alamitos