Today on AirTalk, we discuss the pros and cons of a ban on law enforcement using facial recognition software on body camera footage in California. We also sit down with Darrell Steinberg, the head of California’s new Commission On Homelessness And Housing; remember car industry icon Lee Iacocca; and more.
Death Of A Salesman: Remembering Auto Icon Lee Iacocca
Lee Iacocca, the auto executive and master pitchman who put the Mustang in Ford’s lineup in the 1960s and became a corporate folk hero when he resurrected Chrysler 20 years later, has died in Bel Air, California.
He was 94.
Two former Chrysler executives who worked with him, Bud Liebler, the company’s former spokesman, and Bob Lutz, formerly its head of product development, said they were told of the death Tuesday by a close associate of Iacocca’s family.
In his 32-year career at Ford and then Chrysler, Iacocca helped launch some of Detroit’s best-selling and most significant vehicles, including the minivan, the Chrysler K-cars and the Ford Escort.
He also spoke out against what he considered unfair trade practices by Japanese automakers.
The son of Italian immigrants, Iacocca reached a level of celebrity matched by few auto moguls.
During the peak of his popularity in the ’80s, he was famous for his TV ads and catchy tagline: “If you can find a better car, buy it!”
He wrote two best-selling books and was courted as a presidential candidate.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Mark Phelan, auto critic and columnist for the Detroit Free Press, who’s been covering the auto industry for over 30 years
David Welch, Detroit bureau chief for Bloomberg; he tweets
Should Facial Recognition And Biometric Scanners Be Banned from Police Body Cams In CA?
The California legislature is considering a bill that would ban law enforcement from using facial recognition software on body camera footage.
Assembly Bill 1215 would also prevent law enforcement agencies from using biometric scanners.
Advocates of the bill say that the technology presents privacy and civil rights issues, and that on top of that, the software is prone to misidentifying people.
But some law enforcement groups say that they should have access to a tool that could help them identify perpetrators and that it could be potentially cost-saving.
We discuss the pros and cons of the ban.
Guests:
Kevin Baker, legislative director for the ACLU of California; he tweets
Derek Sabatini, lieutenant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
‘Hispandering’ Or Engagement?: Democratic Candidates Break Out In Spanish During Debates
Last week, during the first round of Democratic debates, twenty presidential hopefuls competed for voters’ attention.
And for some like Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, attempting to capture the attention of Latinx voters meant responding to questions in Spanish.
While it is clear that the Latinx vote is crucial in winning the 2020 election, the method of pandering to voters by code-switching is a controversial one.
In past elections, prominent candidates like Hillary Clinton, have been accused of "Hispandering," which some Latinx voters find disingenuous.
Others feel like that candidates speaking in Spanish is a sign that Latinx voters are being acknowledged as an important voter group.
If you are a Latinx voter, we want to hear from you. Did you feel like candidates were pandering when they spoke in Spanish during the most recent Democratic debates? Or did it feel like a sincere attempt to engage voters?
Guest:
Mindy Romero, founder and director of the California Civic Engagement Project (CCEP) and political sociologist at USC
What Standards Should DNA Testing Companies Be Held To In Guarding Customers’ Genetic Data?
At-home DNA testing kits have skyrocketed in popularity over the last several years, but little is known about exactly what the companies who analyze the samples actually do with the genetic and medical data they collect. Now, a coalition of the biggest companies in the at-home DNA testing business are forming a coalition to lobby Washington to codify rules for genetic data privacy.
The Hill first reported last week on the existence of the Coalition for Genetic Data Protection, which is comprised of at-home DNA testing companies 23&Me, Ancestry.com and Helix. It’s run by the Washington D.C. lobbying firm Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas, and on the coalition’s website it says it is“...committed to the strict adherence of critical standards and principles, as well as working with the lawmakers to see these standards codified into any future data privacy law.” But privacy and biomedical ethics experts warn that a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work in the complex world of genetic data, which they say tells people not only things about you, but also about your relatives. They point to the case of the Golden State Killer, who was identified and charged with 26 counts of murder last year after investigators indentified him through a DNA match to a relative. And while the DNA testing companies say they wouldn’t allow police to access their databases without a warrant, privacy experts
How should companies like Ancestry.com and 23&Me be required to handle private data? Would similar protections for those that already apply to other medical data work for genetic data? What protections should be built into a genetic data privacy law to ensure that customers’ personal data isn’t shared or distributed?
We reached out to the Coalition for Genetic Data Protection, which includes Ancestry.com, 23&Me and Helix, and sent individual requests to those three companies as well to invite them to participate in our discussion. The Coalition was unable to make someone available at the time we requested. Ancestry.com and 23&Me were not able to provide us someone for comment, and as of the airing of this segment we have not received a response to our inquiry with Helix. We will update this if we receive a response from them.
Guests:
David Agus, M.D., professor of medicine and biomedical engineering at the University of Southern California and author of several books, most recently “The Lucky Years: How to Thrive in the Brave New World of Health” (Simon & Schuster, 2016); in 2006 he co-founded Navigenics, a DNA testing company that used genetic data to help people determine their individual risk for certain health conditions, which was bought in 2012; he tweets
Judith Daar, dean of the Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, KY, and the chair for the ethics committee at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine; her research interests include the intersection of law, medicine and ethics and reproductive technologies
We Talk With The Head Of CA’s New Commission On Homelessness And Supportive Housing
During his State of the State speech earlier this year, Governor Newsom announced that Sacramento’s mayor Darrell Steinberg will lead California’s new Commission On Homelessness And Housing.
According to the Governor, the goal of the Commission will be to deal with the root causes of homelessness in the state.
Today, we talk to the new head of the Commission about his past experience, the goals of the agency and his plans for achieving them.
Have a question? Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Darrell Steinberg, mayor of Sacramento and head of California’s Commission on Homelessness and Supportive Housing