Is California in the midst of another housing bubble? The severe drought facing the state has put alternative water sources in the spotlight. Could a desalination plant solve California's long-term drought problems? It's Filmweek! Larry and the critics discuss Noah, Cesar Chavez and more!
Should California raise the bar for medical malpractice?
A measure on California’s November ballot would raise the cap on medical negligence lawsuits, including an increased cap on non-economic damages. Voters will be able to decide whether harm sustained from pain and suffering related to medical malpractice should be limited to $250,000 or raised to $1.1 million.
Critics say the initiative would cost the state’s healthcare system billions and complicate the process of fully incorporating California into the Affordable Care Act. The measure is being pursued by Consumer Watchdog.
The initiative’s main provision would change the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA) -- a study released in 2010 from a group protecting MICRA, Californians Allied for Patient Protection, showed that even doubling the cap would add $9.5 billion in healthcare costs annually. CAAP is currently evaluating the proposed increase, and predicts that costs will go up significantly.
Should the cap on non-economic medical damages be raised to help people who have suffered a loss? Would increasing recompensation come at an undue cost to others? How should California handle medical malpractice funds?
Guest:
Jaime Court, President of Consumer Watchdog, which backs the new ballot initiative
Benjamin Fenton, healthcare attorney at Fenton Law Group in Los Angeles, which advises and consults with physicians on all legal issues pertaining to their practice.
Is the housing bubble back?
The real estate market has come full circle in some Southern California cities. DataQuick, a real estate data firm, finds that home prices in certain SoCal zip codes have surpassed their housing bubble peaks. Most of these areas are concentrated in the San Gabriel Valley and the Westside--driven largely by Asian buyers and high tech professionals, respectively.
Trulia, a real estate website, recently released their rankings on the most overvalued housing markets in the nation. Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside-San Bernardino made the top 5.
Is California in the midst of another housing bubble?
Guests:
Richard Green, Director and Chair of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate
Chris Thornberg, Principal, Beacon Economics
Is desalination the answer to California's long term drought problem?
A devastating state-wide drought has put the spotlight back on to alternative sources of water. One of those sources is once again front and center in the city of Huntington Beach as a private company called Poseidon Water is planning its next move to build a desalination plant in the area.
The company is already building a desalination plant in the Carlsbad region that will convert salty ocean water into clean drinking water.
The Huntington Beach proposal was set back in November after the company pulled its permit after disagreements between it and the California Coastal Commission about the method that it was planning to draw water from the ocean.
Poseidon wanted to draw water using open ocean intake pipes, which critics say harms marine life. The commission wants the company to use intake pipes installed beneath the ocean floor.
Poseidon's management says it will be working with the Coastal Commission to come up with alternative options. The concept of desalination isn't new and critics of the Huntington Beach proposal say the design is based on old technology that is too expensive to be economically feasible. They argue that there are better and more environmentally friendly options for conserving water and finding new sources.
What are the risks and benefits of investing millions into desalination plants? How much clean water will the proposed plant generate? What are alternative options to desalination?
Guests:
Scott Maloni, Vice President of project development at Poseidon Water
Garry Brown, Executive Director & CEO of Orange County Coastkeeper, a non profit founded to protect and preserve local marine habitats and watersheds.
Filmweek: Noah, Cesar Chavez, Sabotage and more
Larry and KPCC film critics Andy Klein and Claudia Puig review this week’s releases, including Noah, Cesar Chavez, Sabotage and more. TGI-Filmweek!
Noah
Cesar Chavez
Sabotage
Guests:
Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and L.A. Times Community Papers chain
Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and USA Today