What reforms will prevent the next Bell? Will Arizona's immigration law withstand a challenge in federal court? Next, USC's new athletic director Pat Haden and the latest news from the OC. Then, are eBooks the future of reading? And the story of yoga's introduction and phenomenal growth in America.
Bell pensions and municipal corruption: what are the options for reform?
Bell citizens are up in arms over the news that city leaders are pulling exorbitant salaries – up to $800,000 a year – and that resulting pensions for some officials could reach $600,000 a year. But such outrageous salaries for public employees aren’t illegal in California. The key to reforming city pensions, say experts, is citizen involvement – but are there legislative options, perhaps at the state level, to prevent runaway salaries for local officials?
Guest:
Marcia Fritz, President, California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility, a pension reform advocacy group
Jessica Levinson, Attorney and Director of Political Reform at the Center for Governmental Studies
Arizona immigration law SB 1070 on trial
Today, the ACLU and a coalition of civil rights organizations are arguing in a federal court in Phoenix that Arizona’s controversial immigration law should be blocked. The U.S. Department of Justice will also seek an injunction in a hearing this afternoon. Will there be a decision before July 29, the day the law is set to be enacted?
Guest:
Mark Brodie, reporter for KJZZ 91.5 FM, NPR affiliate in Phoenix
USC’s new athletic director: Pat Haden
USC has announced that it’s ousting Athletic Director Mike Garrett and replacing him with former Trojans quarterback Pat Haden. This in the wake of strict sanctions imposed on the school by the NCAA as a result of serious rules violations in its athletic department. Larry talks with Haden about his plans to get USC back in the game.
Guest:
Pat Haden, quarterback at USC from 1972-1974, was part of national championship USC teams in 1972 and 1974. He was also an academic All-American twice and played for the NFL's LA Rams in the mid-late 70s. Haden is a partner in the private investment firm Riordan, Lewis & Haden and has been a member of the USC board of trustees for 19 years. For the last 12 years Mr. Haden broadcast Notre Dame Football games on NBC.
Orange County Journalists Roundtable
Larry and a trio of Orange County journalists riff about the latest news from the OC. Top stories include: the salaries and travel expenses of public officials; a new earthquake alert system; plans for a skyscraper in Santa Ana and a cathedral in the Diocese of Orange; and a contract to house federal immigration detainees to generate money for the county.
Guest:
Gustavo Arellano, staff writer for the OC Weekly and author of Ask A Mexican
William Lobdell, Orange County freelance journalist
Teri Sforza, Staff Writer for the Orange County Register
Economic update
Prices for existing homes fell less than expected in June, while corporate sales and euro-zone data were strong, boosting the market today. Yet, more Americans are seeking unemployment relief. How healthy is the market and where is the economy heading? What measures will best ensure a quick, complete recovery?
Guest:
Christopher Thornberg , Principal, Beacon Economics
eBooks: the end of reading (as we’ve known it)
This week, Amazon announced that for the last three months, sales of eBooks topped sales of hardcover books by 80 percent. Amazon’s Kindle has flown off the shelves, and its sales have tripled, since the company lowered its price from $259 to $189 last month. But Apple’s iPad is a hefty competitor – since the device’s April 3rd release date, 3 million have been sold and users can download reading material from Apple’s very own iBookstore. But is all this good or bad news for the future of reading? Have digital devices changed your reading habits? Or are you a devoted paper and glue holdout, who’ll never convert? And here’s the most burning question: what’s best at the beach, Kindle, iPad or old-fashioned paperback?
Guest:
David Kipen, owner of Libros Schmibros, a lending library/used book store in Boyle Heights; former Director of Literature, National Endowment for the Arts; former book editor, San Francisco Chronicle
Strike a (yoga) pose
These days, yoga's everywhere - from studios and gyms to schools and prisons. There are almost as many styles of yoga as asanas (poses), including Hatha, Iyengar, Anusara, Ashtanga, Bikrim, Kundalini and the list goes on. In her new book The Subtle Body, author Stefanie Syman traces yoga's influence from the 19th century hucksterism of Pierre Bernard, the man who first championed yoga in America, to downward dogs at the White House Easter Egg Roll. In the last ten years, the industry has experienced phenomenal growth, becoming a nearly 6 billion dollar industry today. Syman, a yogini herself, writes, "Yoga is both an indulgence and a penance. It will tone your thighs, and it might crack open your reality." What's your yogic experience - spiritual, physical, cynical or comical? Pull up your yoga mat and whisper Namaste.
Guest:
Stefanie Syman, author of The Subtle Body – The Story Of Yoga In America (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Stefanie Syman will read and sign her book tonight at 7 pm at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena