Today on AirTalk, we discuss the backlash and renewed fight against the renaming USC’s Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. We also speak with Whitewater special counsel Ken Starr and get his thoughts on the Mueller Report; and more.
Welcome to the United Airlines Memorial Coliseum? The fight over renaming USC’s Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Last year, USC sold the naming rights to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for $69 million to United Airlines.
There was backlash then to the name change, but with new university president Carol Folt taking over the reigns, the fight has been renewed, with Supervisor Janice Hahn and a veterans group taking issue with the name change.
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was originally dedicated to WWI veterans, and was rededicated in 1968 to all Americans who served in the Great War. Supervisor Hahn has argued that changing the name now would be disrespectful to its history in the city, and that there is a potential compromise in renaming the field but not the stadium itself.
What do you think? Call us at 866-893-5722.
We reached out to USC and they provided us with this statement:
In 2012 the Coliseum Commission agreed, 8 to 1, along with the State, to extend to USC a master lease to operate the Coliseum through 2111. The contract called for USC to improve the Coliseum, including finding a facility naming sponsorship, as long as the words “Memorial Coliseum” remained in the stadium’s new name. USC’s stewardship has been exceptional. The university’s commitment to veterans is longstanding and this naming rights agreement provides an investment to make sure the historic venue is preserved for future generations and continues to honor veterans.
Guests:
Janice Hahn, Los Angeles County Supervisor representing District 4, which stretches from Marina del Rey, down to San Pedro and east, encompassing Long Beach and Diamond Bar
Todd Dickey, senior vice president emeritus of USC; he was directly engaged in the lease negotiations with the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission from 2011 to 2013
Chris Hartweg, CEO and publisher at Team Marketing Report, a sports business publication based in Chicago that follows the business of sports, sponsorships, naming rights and fan engagement.
Whitewater independent counsel Ken Starr on the Mueller Report
Attorney General William Barr Sunday released a four-page summary of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report Sunday afternoon.
The Justice Department did not find evidence that Trump conspired with Russia on the 2016 presidential election and did not come to a conclusion on obstruction of justice.
The Democratic leaders of six House committees are demanding that Congress have the full report by special counsel Robert Mueller “no later” than April 2. The chairmen of the panels wrote in a letter to Attorney General William Barr Monday that his summary of Mueller’s work is “not sufficient for Congress, a coequal branch of government” to perform oversight duties.
In his opinion piece for The Atlantic, Ken Starr, who was the independent counsel during the Clinton Administration’s Whitewater case, argued that Mueller does not need to release a public report.
Starr joins Larry to discuss the report.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guest:
Ken Starr, former independent counsel (1994-1999) for a series of high-profile investigations, including the suicide of Vince Foster, and the Whitewater and Lewinsky scandals of the Clinton Administration
Hello darkness, my old friend: New research says Americans are becoming unhappier
United States residents are more unhappy than before, according to new research from the World Happiness Report.
The researchers used data from the Gallup World Poll and ranked happiness across 156 countries based on six variables: per capita GDP, “life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom and corruption.” The United States ranked number 19, dropping for the third year in a row. Life satisfaction dropped 6% between 2007 and 2018. The researchers noted that the decline in happiness could be attributed to the use of digital and social media among American youth, as well as the opioid epidemic and other addictions such as gambling and substance abuse, among others.
Similar data from the General Social Survey found that Americans rated their happiness at an average of 2.18 on a scale of 1 to 3, 1 being “not too happy” and 3 representing “very happy.”
So why are Americans increasingly less happy? Do you notice overall happiness in the United States declining? What about in your immediate environment? Weigh in and call us at 866-893-5722 or comment below.
Guest:
John F. Helliwell, co-editor of the World Happiness Report and professor of economics at the University of British Columbia
Homelessness, private healthcare and more: VA Secretary Robert Wilkie on the issues that impact veterans in SoCal
The VA has some new projects coming down the pipeline in the next few months, including the Mission Act, which will change how veterans will access private healthcare.
Some critics have expressed concerns that the Act is a form of privatization which will sap resources from the VA -- but current Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie doesn’t see it that way.
Libby Denkmann interviews Secretary Wilkie about what the Mission Act will mean for vets in Southern California and how it will be implemented. She also talk to him about veteran homelessness in L.A. County, the master plan for housing vets on the Westside and more.
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guest:
Robert Wilkie, United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Southwest Museum searching for new owner who will give it some TLC while preserving its history
Los Angeles’ oldest museum is in the market for a makeover.
On Tuesday, the Autry Museum of the West put out a request for organizations to propose original and cost-effective ideas to revitalize the Southwest Museum, which it has owned and overseen since 2003. In a statement, the Autry said it planned to transfer its caretaking duties to a new owner that it says, in a perfect world, would partner with it to create programming, events, exhibits and more. It says the ideal situation would be finding an owner who could not only do that, but also put in the estimated tens of millions of dollars needed in renovations and also preserve the site’s history.
The Autry says it would evaluate interest “from a wide range of parties, which may include but are not limited to arts organizations, foundations, educational institutions, community organizations, private businesses, and historic property developers, among others.” That could also involve commercial businesses like restaurants or retail or housing developers, partnering with a cultural organization in the revitalization effort.
The discussion over what to do with the Southwest Museum, which is on the National Register of Historical Places, has been going on for years and residents in the area where it’s located just off the 110 Freeway in Northeast L.A. as well as some groups have been fighting to have the space reopen as a museum. The Autry has said that the money needed to upgrade the museum to current regulatory standards combined with operational expenses would not make that option financially feasible.
What do you think should be done with the Southwest Museum building and site? If you’re a resident of the area, are you open to the idea of a cultural institution partnering with commercial entities or private businesses to develop the area or do you think the museum’s site should be preserved and revitalized? Join the conversation at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Richard West, president and CEO of the Autry Museum of the American West
William Deverell, professor of history and director of the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West at the University of Southern California
John Nese, member of the Friends of the Southwest Museum Coalition and business owner in Highland Park since 1955