Today on AirTalk, we discuss Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposal to increase housing throughout California and the pushback from cities around the state. We also take a look back at horse death numbers throughout the years; the international rise of women's soccer and the fight for equal pay within the sport; and more.
Southern California Cities Push Back On Newsom's Proposal For Housing Increase
Governor Newsom has called for 3.5 million more homes by 2025 to relieve the housing shortage in California, but many cities and counties in Southern California aren’t on board.
Every eight years, regional agencies representing local governments have to create a zoning plan to accommodate for housing goals, accounting for population spikes and the predicted income of this population. The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is coming to the start of a new eight year period in 2021. Their current plan is to zone for 430,000 new homes in that time, which would make it impossible to meet Newsom’s 3.5 million home goal.
This gets to a larger tension in the housing debate in California. While local governments have largely rejected state-level housing efforts, arguing that they undermine local control, many are reticent to commit to increased homebuilding in their backyards.
Should local governments ultimately have control over housing zoning? Is their current proposal adequate in meeting the state’s housing goals?
We reached out to the Southern California Association of Governments. They were not able to accommodate our request for an interview.
Guests:
Liam Dillon, Sacramento-based reporter for the Los Angeles Times who covers state politics, policy and housing; his recent piece looks at Southern California Assn. of Governments’s housing plan; he tweets
Adam Fowler, director of research at Beacon Economics whose expertise includes Southern California’s housing market
Richard Green, housing policy expert; director of Lusk Center for Real Estate Chair at USC; former senior advisor at the Department of Housing and Urban Development under the Obama administration
Joel Kotkin, presidential fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University and executive director of the Center for Opportunity Urbanism, a think tank in Houston; he is the author of “The Human City: Urbanism for the Rest of Us” (Agate B2, 2016)
Councilman David Ryu, Los Angeles City Councilmember representing District 4, which stretches from Sherman Oaks through Griffith Park to Miracle Mile and includes Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Los Feliz and Koreatown
Should Horse Racing Go The Way Of Dog Fighting?
On Monday, the California Legislature approved a bill to give the California Horse Racing Board the power to move or suspend racing events without giving a ten day heads-up period.
The bill is a result of the spike in horse racing deaths at Santa Anita Park. It has yet to be signed into law by Governor Newsom, but he has signaled his support.
We look back at horse death numbers through the years -- how significant is this recent spike? How will this rule change impact horse racing in California? And should horse racing go the way of dog fighting?
Call us at 866-893-5722.
We reached out to the California Horse Racing Board. They are not doing interviews until Governor Newsom signs SB 469.
Guest:
John Cherwa, special contributor to the Los Angeles Times who’s been covering the story; he tweets
The International Rise Of Women’s Soccer And The US Team’s Fight For Equal Pay
The U.S. women’s team will face off against France Friday in the biggest match of this year’s World Cup.
It’s technically only a quarterfinal game, but the U.S. and France are favorites for the title and ticket prices have soared. The World Cup as a whole is on pace to set viewership records in the U.S. and abroad as more countries invest in making women’s teams competitive. Italy, a quarterfinal contender, is playing for the title for the first time in 20 years. It’s Argentina’s first World Cup appearance since 2007 and Jamaica is the first Caribbean team ever to qualify.
This rise in popularity comes at the same time as the U.S. Women’s team – three-time Cup winners and reigning champions – is fighting for equal pay with the U.S. men’s team. In March, 28 members of the national team filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against The United States Soccer Federation. It was confirmed last week that both sides have agreed to mediation instead of taking the lawsuit to court.
Guests:
Jeré Longman, sports reporter for The New York Times covering a variety of international sports and author of “The Girls of Summer: The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team and How It Changed the World”; he is in France at the FIFA Women’s World Cup
Eileen Narcotta-Welp, soccer scholar and assistant professor in exercise and sport science at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
California’s Registered Independents Call For Changes To Presidential Primary Process, Suggest Public Ballot
If you’re a registered independent in California and vote by mail, did you know you have to send in a postcard to the country registrar recorder to let them know which party’s ballot you want?
If not, don’t stress. You’re in the same boat as almost a million other California voters who are registered independents, and there’s still time before the 2020 presidential primary. But forget to do it and you could end up with a ballot that doesn’t have any choices at all for presidential candidates.
Voters who have registered as “no party preference” (NPP) comprise the second-biggest contingent of voters in the state behind Democrats, and they’re growing more quickly than any other political affiliation as well. But many voters aren’t intimately familiar with the voting process that comes with being a registered independent, and while some say more outreach on the part of the state is required to reach those voters, others say that even better education will still leave many NPP voters in the dark. One of those groups, the Independent Voter Project, has proposed creating a “public ballot” for political independents, which would include all of the candidates running for president in all parties. The IVP says this would be a better way to ensure that more people participate, but some note that it would jive with the national parties’ control of their primary process.
What are the challenges of letting the political parties decide who participates in their primaries, when independent voters are the fastest growing group in the state? What do you think of the idea of a public ballot for NPP voters?
You can check your voter registration status, including your party preference and where you’re registered to vote, at the California Secretary of State’s website.
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guests:
Chad Peace, legal advisor for the Independent Voter Project, a nonprofit organization seeking to re-engage nonpartisan voters and promote nonpartisan election reform who are behind the petition to create a “public ballot” registered political independents; he is also a partner at the San Diego law firm Peace & Shea, LLP where he specializes in election law and voter rights; he tweets
Rusty Hicks, chair of the California Democratic Party and recent past president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor; he tweets
Shawn Steel, Republican National Committeeman for California and former chair of the California Republican Party, where he still serves on the board; he is also founder of Shawn Steele Law Firm in Los Angeles; he tweets
Taylor Swift’s ‘You Need to Calm Down’: LGBTQ Anthem or Misguided Allyship?
Taylor Swift’s new music video for her song ‘You Need to Calm Down’ features several famous faces from the LGBTQ community including Ellen DeGeneres, Laverne Cox, RuPaul and the cast of “Queer Eye.”
Swift addresses her own haters in the song and music video, but also calls out those who attack the LGBTQ community.Swift references the gay rights organization GLAAD when she sings, “Why are you mad when you could be GLAAD? / Sunshine on the street at the parade/ But you would rather be in the dark ages/ Making that sign must’ve taken all night.”
“The fact that (Taylor) continues to use her platform and music to support the LGBTQ community and the Equality Act is a true sign of being an ally,” Anthony Ramos, GLAAD’s director of talent engagement, said in a statement.
However, other members within the LGBTQ community don’t see Swift as being a true ally. Some see the song and video as cultural appropriation, with some believing that she’s merely using LGBTQ Pride as a fashion statement or as a marketing ploy for her new album ‘Lover’ which comes out later this year.
Swift’s video finishes with the words: “Let’s show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally”, and then asks those who watched the video to sign a petition for Senate support of the Equality Act. Earlier this month, Swift announced her support of the Equality Act and urged her senator from Tennessee to support it as well.
Are you a member of the LGBTQ community? What do you think of Taylor Swift’s new music video? Do you think Swift is a good ally to the LGBTQ community? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
With files from the Associated Press
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guest:
Spencer Kornhaber, staff writer at The Atlantic, where he covers pop culture and music