A hotly contested bill being debated in Sacramento would restrict California law enforcement from seizing assets of suspects unless there is a criminal conviction. Also, the LAPD is kicking off a new training initiative this week-- dubbed the Preservation of Life and Building Community Trust training. Then, an anonymous “Wizard of Oz” fan has put up $1 million for anyone with information that could lead to the recovery of what’s considered the most famous footwear in the history of Hollywood.
California bill would curb asset seizures by law enforcement
A hotly contested bill being debated in Sacramento would restrict California law enforcement from seizing assets of suspects unless there is a criminal conviction.
Co-authored by Senator Holly Mitchell (D- Los Angeles) and Assemblyman David Hadley (R-Manhattan Beach), SB 443 won unanimous support at a committee hearing yesterday, but its list of opponents is lengthy, including the California District Attorneys Association and the California Police Chiefs Association.
At present, local law enforcement in California is limited from most seizures unless there's a conviction, except when they partner with federal agencies. Joint investigations are governed by federal law and have netted a windfall of monies for the Golden State's police departments. A sweeping investigation by The Washington Post last year revealed data showing California law enforcement officials spent more than $418 million in proceeds from asset seizures governed by the Department of Justice from 2008 through 2014. The top two biggest spenders were the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department - at more than $42 million over the time period - and LAPD - at nearly $30 million.
After the investigation, then Attorney General Eric Holder introduced new policy to limit some seizures.
How would SB 443 impact police budgets? What is the rationale for seizing assets of suspects prior to conviction?
SB-443 Forfeiture: Controlled Substances
Guests:
Lynne Lyman, California state director for the Drug Policy Alliance, co-sponsor of SB 443 (Mitchell; Forfeiture: controlled substances); "Above the Law: An Investigation of Civil Asset Forfeiture in California"
Ken Corney, Chief of Police of the Ventura Police Department; First Vice President of the California Police Chiefs Association
LAPD Chief Beck in studio to address 2015 crime spike, homeless encampments and more
This week, LAPD is kicking off a new training initiative -- dubbed the Preservation of Life and Building Community Trust training.
The launch comes after new statistics last week revealed a spike in crime in Los Angeles for the first half of 2015. It's the first spike - across all categories include assaults, robberies, and domestic violence - in over a decade. How will Chief Charlie Beck redirect police resources in response to the uptick?
The reason(s) for the increase in crime is unclear, but Beck has said Central Division is seeing more "homeless-on-homeless" crime.
We will also ask Beck how policing of homeless encampments has changed after a recent directive from Mayor Eric Garcetti asks LA City Council to come up with a new policy. Plus we'll talk about the Summer Night Lights program for kids across LA; a reward for a fatal hit-and-run; an arrest that led to connecting the suspect's DNA to a 2004 murder and sex assault; and more.
What questions do you have for Chief Beck?
Guest:
Charlie Beck, Chief, Los Angeles Police Department
Obama says Iran deal solves one problem: ‘Iran getting the nuclear bomb’
President Obama just spoke at a press conference on the nuclear deal with Iran, and he countered its detractors with his opening statement and answers to press questions.
In his opening statement, he said, “With this deal, we cut off every single one of Iran’s pathways to a nuclear weapon...without a deal, those pathways remain open.”
He also said, “The bottom line is this: this nuclear deal meets the national security interests of the United States and our allies. It prevents the most serious threat of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon...if we don’t choose wisely, I believe future generations will judge us harshly for letting this opportunity slip away.”
When asked about the issues surrounding Iran, he stated, “This deal is not contingent on Iran changing its behavior, on Iran behaving like a liberal democracy. It solves one problem: Iran getting the nuclear bomb.”
And on addressing his detractors' claims that a better deal could have been negotiated or that all of Iran’s nuclear capacity had to be removed, he declared, “We do not have diplomatic leverage to eliminate every vestige of a peaceful nuclear program in Iran.”
What do you think about the nuclear with between Iran and the P5+1? Should this deal be accepted, or would the security interests of the United States be furthered by scuttling it?
Guests:
Robert Kaufman, a political scientist and professor of public policy at Pepperdine University specializing in American foreign policy, national security, international relations, and various aspects of American politics
Nathan Gonzalez, Middle East analyst with the Foreign Policy in Focus think-tank, and founder of the website NationandState.org, an "open-source foreign policy think tank”
Obama addresses the need to expand internet access to all Americans
The ability to access the Internet has become as much of a necessity as running water or electricity.
It’s nearly impossible to get anything done without WiFi, so it only makes sense that wireless Internet should be available to the masses. Cities across the U.S. are looking at ways to help people get online. Today, President Obama is visiting Oklahoma to discuss ConnectHome, an effort to expand high speed broadband to all Americans allowing students the same level of high-speed Internet at home that they have in their classrooms.
Some cities are taking small steps to expand Internet access. New York City is getting city dwellers connected by turning its smart trash bins into free wi-fi hotspots. The smart trash bins are solar powered and have sensors to detect how full they are as well as notify trash collectors when it's time to empty them. An additional bonus to adding Wi-Fi to the trash bins on the street is that the wireless signals don't get blocked by skyscrapers.
Another example is Los Angeles, which is working on an initiative to offer free basic wireless services to all downtown residences and businesses. In the digital age is Internet a necessity? Is offering Internet access as a public service feasible for cities? Will it remain free?
Guests:
Bob Blumenfield, Los Angeles City Councilmember for the 3rd Council District which encompasses the southwestern San Fernando Valley neighborhoods of Los Angeles, including Canoga Park, Reseda, Tarzana, Winnetka, and Woodland Hills
Linda Poon, Editorial Fellow at CityLab, the latest expansion of The Atlantic’s digital properties
Reward: $1 mil for safe return of Dorothy’s ruby slippers
Those famous heels were stolen nearly a decade ago from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minn. Now an anonymous “Wizard of Oz” fan has put up $1 million for anyone with information that could lead to the recovery of what’s considered the most famous footwear in the history of Hollywood.
The slippers belong to a collector named Michael Shaw, and they were loaned to the museum for display. On the morning of August 28, 2005, when Hurricane Katrina was reaching peak strength, the perpetrator(s) apparently broke into the museum and made out with the slippers.
Guest:
Marc Wanamaker, Hollywood historian and owner of Bison Archives, a production and research consulting organization for motion picture and television studios
San PEE-dro or San PAY-dro? A pronunciation guide for LA
You say lohs FEE-lis. I say lohs fih-LEES. Is there an agreed-upon way to pronounce Los Feliz?
Of course, there’s no one way to say it, and that goes also for San Pedro, and many other cities and neighborhoods in Los Angeles. How we pronounce these places depend on how long we’ve lived in the city, where we come from, and larger cultural trends.
In a 2013 article, a Los Angeles Times reporter noticed a “re-Latinization” of certain L.A. place names, attributing the shift to a growing Latino population, as well as a younger generation of Angelenos who, more mindful of the city’s history, wants to return to more authentic pronunciations.
Guests:
Kyle Fitzpatrick, founder of the blog, Los Angeles, I’m Yours. He also writes for Los Angeles Magazine and his latest piece is titled, “A Local’s Guide to Properly Pronouncing L.A. Places”
D.J. Waldie, social historian, writer and author of “Where We Are Now: Notes from Los Angeles” (Angel City Press, 2004)