Governor Brown tries to pass tax extension sans GOP votes. Author Gary Vaynerchuk's The Thank You Economy. Film icon Elizabeth Taylor's life on the screen. Is Diablo Canyon nuclear facility quake safe?
Governor Brown considers strategies to get tax measure on ballot without GOP support
During his campaign, Governor Jerry Brown promised not to raise taxes without letting the public have their say. But Brown doesn’t have the GOP votes he needs to get the tax extensions on the ballot by June…and he’s running out of time. So Governor Brown is considering other options. One is to use a citizen initiative to get the issue on the ballot in November and another would send it to the voters in June with a simple majority in the legislature instead of the 2/3 vote that’s usually needed. Both are Hail Mary passes and could be politically risky. We’ll break down the Governor’s ever-narrowing options with political strategists on the left and the right.
Guests:
Chris Lehane, Democratic political consultant and partner in the strategic communications firm Fabiani & Lehane
Jon Fleischman, Republican strategist; founder and publisher of FlashReport.org
Gary Vaynerchuk’s thank you economy
With all the bad news about credit default swaps, mortgage meltdowns and crashing stock markets, the economy has felt pretty thankless of late. But Gary Vaynerchuk sees a bright economic future. Yes, the free market has a reputation for being cutthroat and heartlessly competitive. Online, however, there’s been a shift. In his new book, Vaynerchuk calls it The Thank You Economy. It was born out of the internet, he argues, and it has given consumers their voice back and forced businesses to step up their game. The good news is, he says, businesses big and small that truly value relationships with their customers are rewarded with the biggest financial returns. Given Vaynerchuk’s runaway success marketing wine online, consulting on social media and slam-dunking a multiple-book deal, it’s easy to understand how he might feel this way. Is he right? Has the internet humanized the way businesses function? Or is Vaynerchuk’s vision of a consumer-centric business culture an overly optimistic take on a fundamentally profit-driven enterprise?
Guest:
Gary Vaynerchuk, social media expert, entrepreneur and author of The Thank You Economy (HarperBusiness)
Elizabeth Taylor passes away at 79
Screen legend Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor died early this morning of congestive heart failure. The two time Oscar winner is perhaps as well known for her multiple marriages and AIDS activism as she is for the remarkable range of roles she played during her six-decades-long acting career. And who can forget those violet eyes? Elizabeth Taylor’s reign as queen of Hollywood saw many milestones; she became the highest paid actress with her million dollar contract to play the lead role in Cleopatra, she paved the way for AIDS activism, and the press’ breathless coverage of her turbulent love life, including eight marriages and her battles with alcoholism, ushered in a new era of celebrity journalism. Her beauty was also legendary. Richard Burton the man she married twice wrote upon meeting her that she was “beautiful beyond the dreams of pornography.” Critic James Agee described her appearance in her first starring role as Velvet Brown in National Velvet as so “rapturously beautiful. I hardly know or care if she can act or not.” Larry calls on FilmWeek critics and AIDS pioneer Dr. Michael Gottlieb to reminisce and to discuss her legacy.
Guests:
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor
Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and boxoffice.com
Dr. Michael Gottlieb, an HIV physician practicing in Los Angeles
Diablo Canyon – quake safe?
California Senator Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo) is calling for a seismic study of the Diablo Canyon power plant before PG&E is allowed to renew licenses to operate the facility through 2045. At a hearing this week he expressed deep concerns about a “culture of disregard and risk.” Blakeslee, who has a doctorate in earthquake studies, is specifically concerned about newly discovered faults that may exist near or even beneath the Diablo Canyon power plant. In light of Japan’s 9.0 quake and the resulting malfunctions at the Fukushima nuclear plant, Blakeslee wants confirmation that nuclear reactors in California would be safe even if similar natural disasters struck here. How risky are these newly discovered faults? Why have earlier recommendations for safety studies been ignored? And is it really possible to prepare for the unknown, especially considering that Japan’s recent disaster exceeded all expectation?
Guests:
Sam Blakeslee, Republican State Senator from California’s 15th Senate District
Gil Alexander, Spokesman for Southern California Edison, which manages the San Onofre nuclear generating station
Murray Jennex, assistant professor at San Diego State College of Business Administration