Pot advocates sue the City of Los Angeles. Racial tension at the UC schools. Postal Service cuts Saturday delivery. A consumer lawsuit targets makers of fish oil supplements. Later, the life and career of basketball icon Jerry West.
Weed wars: medical marijuana advocates sue Los Angeles
We knew it was coming. Even before the Los Angeles City Council approved an ordinance to regulate the city’s pot shops, dispensary owners and advocates for access warned there’d be costly lawsuits in response. On Tuesday, Americans for Safe Access fired the first legal shots. The nation’s largest medical marijuana advocacy group claims that the law is so restrictive it will shutter virtually all dispensaries in the city.
Guest:
Joe Elford, Chief Counsel, Americans for Safe Access
Race relations at the University of California
Last week someone left a noose in the UC San Diego library. It was just the latest racially charged incident at the campus…in January there was a fraternity party called the “Compton Cookout” that invited students to show up dressed as their favorite ghetto stereotypes. And then the editor of the Koala, UC San Diego’s humor publication, made a racial slur on student television. All of this has prompted student sit-ins and protests at UC San Diego and other campuses, including UCLA and Berkeley. What is going on here? Is this the result of, or despite, 1996’s Prop. 209, which barred public universities from considering race in admissions? And what must be done to create better understanding and harmony at the UC campuses?
Guests:
Simone Wilson, Editor-in-chief of the UC Guardian, UC San Diego's student paper
Joe Hicks, social critic and vice-president of Community Advocates, Inc.
Alex Madueña, News Editor of The Highlander, the student newspaper of UC Riverside
Cinthia Flores, president of the UCLA student body
Post office blues
The U.S. Postal Service is pushing to cut Saturday delivery and raise rates to keep from a projected $7 billion loss this year. Postmaster General John E. Potter warned that without restructuring, the Postal Service could lose $238 billion by 2020. How can the Postal Service be saved? Would you rather see an increase in postage rates, or have mail delivery reduced to five days a week?
Guest:
Ed O’Keefe, author of the Federal Eye blog at Washingtonpost.com and Federal Government Reporter, Washington Post
Fish oil spoiled?
A major consumer lawsuit was filed in San Francisco against several fish oil capsule makers and sellers claiming that many brands of fish oil contain levels of PCBs that exceed the "safe harbor" limits set for human consumption by California's Proposition 65 law. Fish oil supplements contain Omega-3 fatty acids which are considered helpful in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease. Eight companies were named in the lawsuit including CVS Pharmacy Inc, GNC, Nature Made brand, and Rite Aid.
Guests:
David Roe, attorney for the plaintiffs in the fish oil lawsuit
Douglas “Duffy” MacKay, N.D., Vice President, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). Dr. MacKay is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor and was a co-owner and practitioner in a family-owned New Hampshire complementary and alternative medicine private practice for seven years.
Jerry West: the man behind the NBA logo
Even if you've never heard of Jerry West, you're likely familiar with his image- the NBA modeled its logo on a silhouette of West and his left-handed dribble. In the book "Jerry West: The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon," Roland Lazenby profiles West from his poor childhood in a West Virginia coal mining town to his 14-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he earned the nickname "Mr. Clutch" for his ability to put up big plays in critical situations. As the Lakers general manager later on, West built the team dynasties of the 1980's and early 2000's. Lazenby joins Larry Mantle to discuss the intensely competitive player who cared about winning first and foremost.
Guest:
Roland Lazenby, author of Jerry West: The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon (Ballantine/ESPN Books).