Election Day: Check In at the Polls; Venice Violence; Anti-Mansionization Ordinance Considered For Los Angeles; Army Manual Omits Geneva Detainee Rule; Sound And Fury
Election Day: Check In at the Polls
Larry talks with KPCC reporters at polling places around the Southland, and gets the latest information on absentee voting and turnout at the polls from the area's Registrars of Voters.
Venice Violence
A 17-year old student was fatally shot at Venice High School Monday, following a racial brawl between black and Latino students. Venice High, located on the Westside, has a history of gang activity in surrounding neighborhoods, but anti-gang activists say it's been calmer in recent years. Yesterday's shooting raises concerns about retaliation and escalation. Larry talks with Melvin Hayward, Ex-gang member and Co-founder of Venice 2000.
Anti-Mansionization Ordinance Considered For Los Angeles
Councilman Tom LaBonge is introducing a motion today asking city planners to determine whether an "anti-mansionization" ordinance can be implemented throughout Los Angeles. LaBonge's plan also calls for amending city ordinances to limit building in hillside areas in an effort to create more open space. The City Council approved an emergency ordinance in July seeking to prevent "mansionization" in the Sunland-Tujunga area. The measure bans homes larger than 2,400 square feet, as well as homes that cover more than 40 percent of the lot size. Sunland-Tujunga was the first Los Angeles community to have an anti-mansionization ordinance, but LaBonge's motion calls for citywide controls. Larry Mantle talks with the City Councilman.
Army Manual Omits Geneva Detainee Rule
The Pentagon and the State Department are going head to head about whether to include an important tenet of the Geneva Convention in the Army Training Manual, which outlines how US soldiers treat prisoners. The White House has moved to omit Article 3 from the manual, which specifically bans the use of "humiliation and degrading treatment," despite strong State Department opposition. White House and military officials say the article does not apply to international terrorists, but critics warn that the omission of such protections opens the US to worldwide disapproval. Larry speaks with guests on both sides of the ongoing debate.
Sound And Fury
Veteran sports journalist Dave Kindred's new book Sound and Fury: Two Powerful Lives, One Fateful Friendship, is a dual biography about the unique relationship between Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell. Larry talks with Kindred about the how the two men were instrumental in each other's rise to prominence, and their influence not only on sports and the media, but on American popular culture.