Is Southern California staring down the barrel of another grocery strike? Is parent accountability the answer to gang violence? Should Congressman Anthony Weiner resign? Prison reform – it’s not just for liberals.
Another Southland grocery strike looms
It’s been months since the contract between grocery workers and grocery store owners expired, but there’s still no deal on the table. Yesterday the union signaled it’s ready for a walkout. According to United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770 president, Rick Icaza, the major sticking point in the negotiations is the amount employees must contribute to their health care coverage. The grocery chains say the plan they’ve put forth is fair and there’s no need to talk strike while negotiations are ongoing. Stores aren’t the only ones who want to avoid a strike. The last time workers walked out in 2003 they walked the picket line for 141 days and many were flat broke by the time they struck a deal. Talks are happening right now, is a deal imminent? Or will it be 2003 all over again? And who has more to lose? Will it be workers or stores that bear the brunt of a strike?
Guest:
Rick Icaza, President, United Food and Commercial Workers Union
Is parent accountability the answer to gang violence?
Law enforcement officials and community organizations agree: more family intervention is needed to prevent youths from entering gang life. The Parent Accountability Act, which went into effect last year, sentences the parents of young offenders who were convicted of gang-related crimes to attend parenting classes and to meet with families who have been victimized by gang violence. The law, authored by Assemblyman Tony Mendoza, aims to curb juvenile gang involvement by putting parents into the equation, helping them identify criminal tendencies in their child and giving them tools and resources to steer their kids away from gangs. Now Mendoza has introduced a new bill that would expand the list of violations for which parents could be sentenced to the classes beyond gang-related activity. The augmented list would also include lighter offenses such as truancy, vandalism, trespassing, possession of a fake I.D., disorderly conduct and fare evasion on public transit. Calling these minor crimes “gateway activities for gang involvement,” Mendoza hopes that holding parents accountable will open their eyes to the warning signs and prevent kids from getting into deeper trouble. The bill passed the Senate Committee on Public Safety unopposed on Wednesday and is headed to the Senate for a vote. Can this top-down approach make a difference in stemming gang violence? Will juveniles headed for gang life think twice if their parents get involved? Can better-prepared parents succeed where schools, courts and police have failed?
Guest:
Tony Mendoza, California State Assemblymember (D-56) and author of AB 177
Should Congressman Anthony Weiner resign?
Every day for nearly two weeks there have been new revelations about Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) and his sexually explicit online relationships. And the fact that it continues to be in the headlines is why Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) for one is saying Weiner should step down. It's not just Republican lawmakers. Several Congressional Democrats have called on the seven-term lawmaker to quit. The latest detail to emerge is an x-rated photo, and the news that Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, is newly pregnant. Weiner continues to insist he will not step down and he plans to get back to work. Is that the right move?
Prison reform – it’s not just for liberals
Pat Nolan knows something about prison – and its problems. A former California legislator who served 29 months in federal custody for racketeering, he experienced first-hand a system desperately in need of reform. Motivated by his stint behind bars, Nolan became an expert on a variety of prison reform issues including rehabilitation, 3-strikes reform, sentencing, recidivism and overcrowding. He also put together Right on Crime, a new national organization of major conservative leaders (including David Keene, Grover Norquist and Newt Gingrich) that promotes alternatives to conventional punishment, new approaches to parole violations and rehabilitation through counseling, education and job training. Conservatives who believe in rehabilitation? Yes. The members of Right on Crime reject the status quo, espousing a bi-partisan, comprehensive approach to prison reform. Critics of Nolan’s approach argue that rehabilitation and early release programs put the public at risk and advocate building more prisons. Can restorative justice work to reduce the growing prison population and recidivism? In an era of shrinking state budgets, which reform plan saves taxpayers money?
Guests:
Pat Nolan, Vice President of Prison Fellowship; Co-founder of RightonCrime.com; former Republican California Assemblyman and the author of When Prisoners Return
Michael D. Rushford, Founder, President, and CEO of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, a nonprofit, public interest law organization dedicated to improving the administration of criminal justice