The California republican party voted to formally welcome the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay political group, to the state GOP yesterday. Also, a homeless man was shot dead by the LAPD on Skid Row in downtown LA on Sunday night. Then, in her six decades in the food criticism business, Mimi Sheraton has travelled the five continents writing about restaurants, testing recipes, and sampling dishes from the boeuf bourguignon to the Sichuan cold jellyfish salad.
California GOP welcomes gay group
The California Republican party voted to formally welcome the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay political group, to the state GOP yesterday.
The party’s state platform still officially opposes homosexuality, but many political analysts say the overwhelming vote in favor of the Log Cabin Republicans marks a new era for the state party.
With California GOP voter registration at a historic low of 28 percent, will this attract new members? Will acceptance of the Log Cabin Republicans usher in real policy reform?
Guests:
Charles Moran, Chairman of the Log Cabin California chapter
Seema Mehta, LA Times political reporter who’s been following the story
Jeremiah Garretson, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Stony Brook University in New York; Garretson specializes in the intersection of politics and sexuality
Homeless man killed by LAPD on Skid Row
The shooting was caught on tape, which quickly went viral.
Police responded to a call Sunday afternoon reporting a possible robbery that eventually led to a confrontation between a man living on Skid Row and police officers. A taser was used, which failed to subdue the man. Officers shot the man after he allegedly got his hands on an officer’s gun.
For more on the story, click here
Guest:
Frank Stoltze, KPCC’s Crime and Politics Reporter
Workplace watchdog finds women workers given less paid leave
Less than a third of part-time workers, the majority of whom are women, receive sick days and other paid time off from work according to data from more than 1,000 American businesses profiled by the Families and Work Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Study author Kenneth Matos says, "[T]he changing nature of work, where more individuals are working multiple jobs or are working part-time positions because they can’t find full-time work, can pose economic and work-life challenges for these employees.”
As for full-time workers in companies with more than 50 employees, 99 percent of workers have some form of time off with pay. Mike Aitken with SHRM says, "When employers control their own benefit offerings, there can be flexibility and creativity, which benefit both employers and employees." But how does that apply to part-time workers who appear to lack leverage? How many part-time workers are also primary caregivers at home? Do they need more time off than their work hours provide? What is fair compensation?
Guests:
Kenneth Matos, Ph.D., Senior Director of Research at Families and Work Institute - a nonpartisan group that researches workplace issues
Jack Mozloom, Media Communications Director, National Federation of Independent Business
Russian scholar explains the politics of assassination in Russia
Just a day before a planned protest against President Vladimir Putin's rule, Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, was shot and killed in Moscow.
The former deputy prime minister was a sharp critic of Putin, assailing the government's inefficiency, rampant corruption and the Kremlin's policy on Ukraine, which has strained Russia-West ties to a degree unseen since Cold War times. The Kremlin said that Putin will personally oversee the investigation.
With files from AP
Guests:
Charles Maynes, radio producer and multimedia journalist based in Moscow,
Nina Tumarkin, Russian Historian and Professor of History at Wellesley College; author of "The Living and the Dead: The Rise and Fall of the Cult of World War II in Russia" and "Lenin Lives! The Lenin Cult in Soviet Russia"
Explaining the mysterious science behind what makes us vote
With voter turnout reaching 70 year lows in recent LA elections - the City Council is looking for all sorts of ways to boost participation.
It turns out science has some suggestions. From using peer pressure to offering cash rewards, social researchers have found lots of ways to get people to the polls.
Read more about the story here
Guest:
Sanden Totten, KPCC’s Science Reporter
Famed food writer on the 1,000 foods you must try
Mimi Sheraton started writing about food way before social media made it a trendy hobby.
In her six decades in the food criticism business, Sheraton has travelled the five continents writing about restaurants, testing recipes, and sampling dishes from the boeuf bourguignon to the Sichuan cold jellyfish salad. In “1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die,” the incomparable Sheraton offers the ultimate gastronomic guide for the jet-set eater.
Guest:
Mimi Sheraton, food critic and author of “1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover’s Life List” (Workman Publishing Company, 2015)