Today on AirTalk, we take a look at the move to reinstate affirmative action in California. Also on the show, we discuss the Justice in Policing Act; take a loot at how the '92 Rodney King riots grew out of and contributed to a demographic shift in LA; and more.
Weighing The Pros And Cons Of Dems’ Proposed Justice In Policing Act
Democrats in Congress are proposing an overhaul of police procedures and accountability after the mass protests over the deaths of black Americans at the hand of law enforcement.
The Justice in Policing Act is among the most ambitious law enforcement reforms from Congress in years and confronts several aspects of policing that have come under strong criticism, especially as more and more police violence is captured on cellphone video and shared across the nation and the world.
The package limits legal protections for police, creates a national database of excessive-force encounters and bans police choke holds, among other changes. The changes, if enacted, would have massive implications on policing in the U.S. It’s not clear whether the legislation will pass, especially in an election year and amid calls to “defund the police” and growing protests. President Donald Trump has tried to set himself up as a “law and order” leader and has criticized the package, claiming Democrats have “gone CRAZY.”
Today on AirTalk, we weigh the pros and cons of the legislation with a group of experts. Do you have questions or thoughts? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Melanie L. Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP), a civil rights and social justice organization “dedicated to increasing civic engagement, economic and voter empowerment in Black America; NCBCP is one of the major civil rights organizations supporting the Justice in Policing Act of 2020
Eugene O’Donnell, professor of law and police science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice; former NYPD officer and former prosecutor in Kings County, New York
Tommy Tunson, PhD, retired chief of police in California with 30 years experience in law enforcement
COVID-19: New Hot Spots? Could We See A Vaccine In 2020?
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry speaks with Shruti Gohil, M.D., professor of medicine and associate medical director for epidemiology and infection prevention at UC Irvine’s School of Medicine.
Today’s topics include:
Are there new COVID-19 hot spots in some states?
2020 Coachella and Stagecoach festivals officially canceled
Disneyland sets reopening date
Orange County health officer resigns
Could we see a vaccine in 2020?
Where do things stand with emergency hospital beds in CA?
Guest:
Shruti Gohil, M.D., professor of medicine and associate medical director for epidemiology and infection prevention at UC Irvine’s School of Medicine
Is Affirmative Action Coming Back In California?
The California Assembly on Wednesday backed a plan to let voters decide whether to repeal the state's 24-year ban on affirmative action.
ACA 5, authored by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), would repeal Proposition 209, the controversial constitutional amendment that banned affirmative action at state institutions in 1996. The ban has impacted state college and university admissions, as well as state jobs and government contracting opportunities.
Supporters argued that repeal of Prop. 209 was necessary, with the coronavirus pandemic and recent protests against racial injustice revealing that racial inequities persist in California. Only two lawmakers publicly opposed the proposed ballot measure during the discussion Wednesday, both Republicans. ACA 5 now needs to be ratified in the state Senate (by June 25) in order to be placed on the November ballot.
Our guests disagreed on statistics regarding black and Latino students' enrollment rates in the University of California system.
Michelle Siqueiros sent us this data:
ETW Higher Ed. 5.26 1 by Southern California Public Radio on Scribd
Richard Sanders sent us data:
Applications 89 to 2013 by Southern California Public Radio on Scribd
Guests:
John Myers, Sacramento Bureau Chief for the Los Angeles Times; tweets
Michele Siqueiros, president of the Campaign for College Opportunity, a statewide policy and advocacy organization focused on enhancing higher education opportunities; she tweets
Richard Sander, an economist and professor of law at UCLA; his recent book is “Moving Toward Integration: The Past and Future of Fair Housing” (Harvard University Press, 2018)
Kimberly Reyes, poet, writer and author of a piece in the Atlantic magazine titled, “Affirmative Action Shouldn’t Be About Diversity” in 2008; she is currently in Ireland on a Fulbright scholarship studying Irish literature and film
How The ‘92 Riots Started A Major Demographic Shift In Los Angeles
The 1992 beating of Rodney King and the days of unrest that followed marked a significant change in police policy in the city of Los Angeles over the decade or so that followed.
Yesterday on AirTalk, we looked back on those changes and the parallels and contrasts that can be drawn to the events of the last three weeks. But it also touched off a change in the demographic makeup of the city. Neighborhoods in South L.A., for example, that traditionally had large African-American populations started to see large out-migrations of families to the Inland Empire while also seeing an influx of Latino families. For some, it was because of fears of continued police brutality and marginalization following the riots. For others, the potential for economic opportunity was greater and the cost of living less in a place like San Bernardino or Riverside County.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll retrace the history of the city’s changing demographic from the 1992 L.A. Riots until now and look at how the city’s shifting ethnic and socioeconomic makeup has impacted race relations today.
Guests:
Darnell Hunt, dean of social sciences and professor of sociology and African-American studies at UCLA
Fernando Guerra, professor of political science and director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University; he is a member of the Southern California Public Radio Board of Trustees
Pastor J. Edgar Boyd, senior minister of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles, a 148-year-old institution