A student filed a lawsuit this week against Pierce College after he was restricted from handing out copies of the U.S. Constitution outside of a “free speech zone;" Governor Jerry Brown puts forth a proposal that would raise taxes to repairs roads in California; will grants from Prop 47 keep former inmates off the streets?; and more.
How Governor Jerry Brown plans to pave the road with a new tax proposal
On Wednesday, Gov. Jerry Brown put forth a proposal that would raise taxes to repairs roads in California.
The revenue from gasoline and vehicle fees could be as high as $5 billion annually for repairing streets, highways, bridges and public transit. It’s been 23 years since the state had a base excise tax on gas, leading to more than $100 billion backlog of infrastructure repair. With two-third approval from both houses of the Legislation to pass the bill, Gov. Brown faces strong opposition from Republican lawmakers.
Host Larry Mantle sits down with with Michael Quigley, executive director for California Alliances for Jobs, and Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, on the cost-benefit analysis of the new proposal.
Guests:
Michael Quigley, executive director for California Alliances for Jobs
Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA)
Pierce College lawsuit brings campus ‘free speech zones’ into question
A student filed a lawsuit this week against Pierce College after he was restricted from handing out copies of the U.S. Constitution outside of a “free speech zone.”
As reported by the Associated Press, Kevin Shaw, the student, says he was barred from distributing literature because he hadn’t applied to use the designated zone which is about the size of three parking spaces. The suit has brought to light a bigger debate about campus free speech.
What do you think about “free speech zones”? Do these zones help with campus safety and order or breed censorship?
*Note: We reached out to the L.A. Community College District and Pierce College. We were given this statement from District Consultant Yusef Robb: "The Los Angeles Community College District firmly stands behind every student's right to free expression. We have no further comment on the lawsuit at this time."
Guests:
Scott Lewis, J.D., partner with The National Center for Higher Education Risk Management (NCHERM) Group, a law and consulting firm that offers systems-levels solutions for safer schools and campuses; he is also co-founder and advisory board member of the Association for Title IX Administrators (ATIXA) and the National Behavioral Intervention Team Association (NaBITA)
Marieke Tuthill Beck-Coon, senior program officer with Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE)
How will grants from Prop 47 help keep former inmates off the street?
Prop 47, the controversial 2014 ballot, was meant to reduce prison population and keep former inmates off the street.
The ballot reduced certain drug and theft crimes to misdemeanors, and provided an opportunity for offenders to renegotiate their punishments. Since its passing three years ago, there is still a debate on whether Prop 47 has caused a spike in crime rates in some neighborhood, since the promised funding has not been allocated to community and social services. This spring, California will begin the process of awarding $103 million to programs around the state. Almost 60 public agencies have submitted proposals, including cities, counties, health and human services, probation and law enforcement department. The proposals outlined counselings, case manager services, therapy, housing and employment assistance.
So far, little is known on how exactly the fund will be calculated and allocated by the executive committee, but at least 50% of the funds must go directly to community-based organizations for drug abuse and mental health. Host Larry Mantle sits down with Eunisses Hernandez, policy coordinator for Drug Policy Alliance, Kern County supervisor Leticia Perez and Frank Stolze, KPCC’s own criminal justice reporter, on how the grants could help thousands of former convict find life after prison.
Guests:
Frank Stoltze, KPCC correspondent who covers criminal justice and public safety issues
Leticia Perez, Kern County supervisor who co-chairs the committee in charge of awarding the Prop 47-related grants
Eunisses Hernandez, policy coordinator for Drug Policy Alliance, a drug law reform advocacy group
New Netflix documentary explores the role of filmmaking in World War II
"Five Came Back" is based on the book by writer and film historian Mark Harris.
The documentary paints the story of five directors who enlisted in World War II to make propaganda films for the U.S. Government. Frank Capra, John Ford, John Huston, George Stevens and William Wyler pooled together their filmmaking talents and put a brake on their Hollywood careers. Five Came Back features commentary from directors such as Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, and Guillermo del Toro and explores how their predecessors influenced civilian life during a time of war.
Host Larry Mantle sits down with Mark Harris to talk about the delicate link between propaganda and trauma.
Watch the trailer:
Guest:
Mark Harris, writer and film historian, whose book, “Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War” (Penguin, 2014) inspired the new Netflix docuseries. The series begins streaming on Netflix on March 31; he tweets